Epstein: 3 Years And You're Out

When I went to Boston.com this morning, I wasn't stunned when I saw "Epstein reaches agreement with Red Sox." Three years, 1.5 million dollars... Seems reasonable to me.

Apparently it wasn't.

Theo Epstein resigned (not re-signed) from his position as Boston Red Sox GM Monday night.

Oh by the way, Thank You Theo!

In a statement to the media, Theo said "“My decision not to return as general manager of the Red Sox is an extremely difficult one, I will always cherish the relationships I developed here and am proud to have worked side-by-side with so many great people, in and out of uniform, as together we brought a World Championship to Boston"

“In my time as general manager, I gave my entire heart and soul to the organization. During the process leading up to today’s decision, I came to the conclusion that I can no longer do so. In the end, my choice is the right one not only for me but for the Red Sox."

“I want to thank John Henry, Tom Werner, and Larry Lucchino for the opportunity to serve as general manager for the last three seasons,” Epstein said late this afternoon. “Their support and friendship mean a lot to me, and I wish them all well. I also owe a debt of gratitude to the players, Terry Francona, the coaching staff, the front office, the baseball operations staff, and the fans for making my Red Sox experience so meaningful.”

As far as I see it, Theo Epstein was forced out by Larry Lucchino in the papers of Boston (*Cough* Boston Globe *cough* Dan Shaughnessy *cough* smear campaign *cough*). Sorry, I have a nasty cold.

The only GM openings are with the Dodgers, Phillies, and Devil Rays. In my humble opinion, Epstein will not be going to the Devil Rays. But hey, Theo Epstein likes big challenges (2004 World Series Champions, what?). Philly fans are crazy, so that might not be what he is looking for. LA would fit Theo Epstein, though.

So it's up to you YS.com regulars, where will Theo go? And more importantly, who will be replacing Theo in Boston?

YS.com PTI

This year's playoffs making you scratch your head?

This week's upcoming World Series making you question who really is this year's best team?

Well quit thinking, it's too hard for you - so let the pros take a crack! After reading Jack Jablin and JoeDavis' collective rants, only you will have the upper hand at the office water cooler!

So go to the comment section of this entry and ask away! Jack Jablin and JoeDavis will be firing off answers faster than you can say Black Sox.

Your questions will be answered just in time for last minute predictions. So get going YankeesSuck.com goers!

Say it ain't so

Those bat birds are now next to us in the stands watching the final act of the summer play out in the new battle between the north and the south. To the north is Chicago - carrying the weight of redemption from (ironically) 86 years ago on their shoulders. To the south is Houston - hoping for one more victory for a fading star and a touch of something good in a ravaged region.

But who will watch? How will the media excite the rest of the country the way they did last year? Last year's Red Sox rally against the Yankees was an exciting match up that was worthy of Bruce Springsteen's hook: "no defeat baby, no surrender." Then, after all those close calls for so long, there was an underdog to cheer. The beleaguered team from Boston who had been cursed since the days of the Titanic was finally going to get a shot once more.

And how the media ate it up with a spoon and fed it back to the masses like a mother bird giving her fledglings' life-nourishing sustenance.

This year has had its share as well: the 18 inning game seven against Atlanta where the Rocket Man once again saved Houston's bacon from the fire; Pujol's fifth game (giving new meaning to "flipping the bird"); Chicago's come from behind rally not once, but twice against Boston and then effectively keeping Vlad's bat quiet. All of these moments were dramatic, but the media has been unable to lash the whip of frenzy the way they did last year.

Where are the stories of the fall from grace and possible redemption the White Sox now face? The round the clock showings of "Eight Men Out" that I expected are no where to be found. Where are the signs reading, "Ease His Pain" and displays of books like Kinsella's "Shoeless Joe" in bookstores? Where are the tear filled interviews for the survivors of that whole "Say it ain't so Joe" era?

I will miss game one - it's my anniversary and my husband will not be ignored for a White Sox/Astros stare down, but I've made it clear, for the rest of the series, the TV belongs to me to see if the south will rise again or if Shoeless Joe can finally, like Babe Ruth, rest in peace.

Down and Out

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of California of United States of North America of the World brought Yankee Nation to their knees Monday night.

I, on the other hand, was cheering. If my Sawx are out of the playoffs, those Damn Yankees better be as well.

My eyes lit up as A-Rod came up to bat with one runner on. He was the potential tying run. A-Rod who has been silenced in the series so far (No homeruns, no RBIs), grounded into the double play. If anything, I knew that A-Rod would be the perfect goat to blame.

However, he wasn't the only Yankee to be blamed. Joe Torre decided to start Bubba Crosby in centerfield and Jason "I'm sorry for taking 'roids, but I'm taking them now" Giambi at first base. This management led to a collision in rightfield, that Gary Sheffield would have easily handled if Bernie Williams was covering centerfield. The reason for that is, Bernie Williams is slower than Kevin Millar hopping on one leg. This led to a triple and 2 runs.

Later on, Giambi would fire home to try to get the speedy Vladdy but would be unsuccesful. These 3 runs would be the difference maker and the Yankees would be celebrating in California and heading out to ChiTown tonight.

Now, they will be sulking home to New York.

Wait 'till next year New York.... Wait 'till next year.

One more thing: The Yankees Lose....TEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH YANKEEEEEES LOSE!!!!!!!!!!

End of Season Blues

The party's now over for both New York and Boston. I shouldn't be surprised that the same weaknesses that could be compensated for over a 160 game schedule are the very things that felled both giants like Jack and his axe hacking away at the beanstalk.

First to fall was Boston. The team that could get runners on and then leave them hanging like a clueless nerd trying to high-five the captain of the high school football team found out why that doesn't work in the short run. It might have, had our pitchers been able to keep their pitches out of the middle of plate - but the control just wasn't there either.

New York, who fell last and hardest, relied on money and better living through chemistry when they discovered that big guns don't fire with the wrong sized bullets. While Boston obsessed over would Johnny stay or go and was Manny being Manny enough - New York paid out the wazoo for Johnson and Mussina to be shown up by a couple of kids. In fact, if not for the rookie Cano, "who the hell is that?" Small and Giambi's sudden amazing bulk-up diet - New York would have been riding the pine pony a week earlier than they did.

As Barbara Streisand once warbled: so it's the memories we'll always treasure. Remember the bidding war over Pavano? By the way, what happened to Carl this year? I didn't see much of him - wasn't he hurt most of the season or something? Make sure you give a great big "hardy hello and how the hell are ya?" to Alan Embree for me. Has he sold his house here yet? I know that million dollar + properties in the western 'burbs of Boston aren't moving like they were a year ago and who knows where he'll be next year.

Of course we lost Wade Miller and Keith Foulke early on - so I guess that makes us somewhat even.

In the end, both teams ended up where they should: 25 men watching the post season from the stands. As much as I love the Sox, we didn't deserve this post season - not after relying so heavily on a couple of people instead of playing as a team the last month or so. We weren't in first place the bulk of the season because we were stellar; we were there because we were working together. But see, here's the difference between us and the Yankees: we are a team and when we forget that, we lose. See we don't always have the highest paid players or the best stats, but we know that it's about relying on each other. In the end, we relied on Big Papi - so our banishment from an extended summer should be worn like a scarlet "A" on our breasts next season lest we forget that again.

In the meantime, I'll catch some of the games in the post season. My kids are now antsy about using the DVR box to catch "My Name is Earl" and other shows to watch later. They'd like to watch them in real time so they can join the conversations at school. I can always catch last year's post season on DVD - but what's the point (beyond torturing my oldest boy)? Instead, I'll keep my eye on the official site to see what happens in the off-season and catch up on my reading before the boys of summer take to the field once again.

Cursed?

Angels 5 Yankees 3 - FINAL

So, is the Curse Reversed?

Who will "the Boss" blame for this one?

Will Torre be back?

Is the "Curse of A-Rod" for real?

Will A-Rod be back?

Will Matsui be back?

Bye Bye Johnny D

"...You want to put people in the seats and I'm the kind of guy who can do that. I'm looking for five plus. I'm looking for a lot. For what I bring to the table night in and night in. We know how good Manny and David are, but I also help them look real good. They make me look real good."
-- Johnny Damon immediately after a season-ending devastating loss

How do you get a plane ticket out of Boston?

No, don't answer that, it was a rhetorical question.

Although, one might answer: 3-13, 1 BB, 4 K, and 2 runs scored. Johnny Damon put up those numbers in the ALDS this past week.

However, I would answer: Make a stupid response after an embarrassing playoff series sweep. Hey Johnny Damon, I know a perfect team for you.

Let's see... The Yankees have a center fielder right now. He makes 12+ million dollars a year. Weak arm, aging quickly... Hey, It's Bernie Williams! Now even I would admit that Bernie Williams is classier, better regular season player and better post season player than Johnny Damon.

While Johnny Damon is begging for a big contract, Bernie Williams is hustling his butt down the line. Be my guest Johnny Damon, go to the Yankees. Get paid 15 million dollars a year. You'll have to cut your hair, you'll have more pressure than Boston, you'll have to deal with A-Rod hitt-...er, never mind.

Goodbye Johnny Damon. Thank you for helping winning the World Series in 2004, but now is your time to go. The Yankees are in need of a new center fielder after the Yankee great, Bernie Williams will retire.

Just don't think about beginning a musical career, because we both know how Williams' and Arroyo's albums were...

The Party's Over

I wasn't ready for the season to be over. Like so many others, I believed that we would rise like a phoenix from the ashes - but we didn't. Buffett, who lifted Boston's curse so skillfully a year ago, did the same for Chicago this year. El Duque's pitching was a thing of beauty and Chicago simply outplayed us.

So it goes. Now it's time to fall back on old habits: wait until next year when the pressure is off and our pitchers are healthy. Wait and see what we do at the baseball meetings and in the off season. We will do it again and this time it won't take 86 years. Even the Patriots faltered in 2002 only to come back and make it clear they were a dynasty - we can do that too.

In the end, it can all be summed up in the words of Giamatti. The very words I used to read to my children as a bedtime story.

"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops."

Today it stopped. History repeated itself when Renteria made the final out - this time in the damp New England twilight of October. The season ended leaving me alone once again. I'll look at the photos and reread the notes I wrote on score cards in the dark winter nights, counting the months, weeks and finally the days until the truck leaves Fenway and pitchers and catchers report in. It is how I can visit the green field in my mind to warm me when the snow lays thick on the ground, covering the shattered pieces of my soul.

I just wasn't ready for baseball to be over yet - but just wait until next year.

Yankees Whine Like Spoiled Children

This blog written by Mike Boehm of Oriole Magic.

The New York Yankees feel they have been cheated. Several members of the Yankee organization have voiced displeasure with the Texas Rangers, blaming them for denying the Bronx Bombers what they apparently feel is their birthright of home field advantage.

My first, last, and only reaction to this is to sit in amazement at just how whiny the Yankees can actually get. This is beyond even their normal cry baby attitudes. The Yankees feel another team cheated them?

Pot, meet kettle. Kettle, pot.

Here's the story. In their final home game, Texas Rangers' manager Buck Showalter pulled his star players in the middle of the game so they could get thunderous ovations from the adoring Ranger fans. It's not exactly as if Showalter came up with this novel concept at the last minute. Managers and coaches of all sports have done this for decades.

The difference in this scenario is that the Rangers were playing the Los Angeles Angels of Anahiem California, USA. (Did I miss any geography there? One can never be sure where the Angels are from in any given week.) By nature of winning their final game, the Angels finished the season with the same record as the Yankees, causing the home field advantage of the Division Playoff Series to be held in Los Angeles / Anaheim, California (Which is also on Planet Earth, but we wouldn't want to deter any Martian people from feeling that the Angels are their team too).

The Yankees apparently feel that the Rangers didn't play honorably in removing their stars as it made things easier on the Angels. While on some level I can almost understand this argument, it loses all credibility when you recall that no one in the Yankee organization had any problem with the Orioles playing rookies against New York in 8 games down the stretch.

To read the entire blog at Oriole Magic cick here.

Kismet

"I told him that a player on a streak has to respect the streak…If you believe you're playing well because you're getting laid, or because you're not getting laid, or because you wear women's underwear, then you ARE!" - Crash Davis in "Bull Durham"

I didn't eat Hood's Comeback Carmel ice cream yesterday. It was Rosh Hashanah and I took my family out apple picking so we could have fresh apples and honey for a sweet new year and by the time we got home from that and linking up with other family members, the game was over.

You see, since discovering this particular flavor of ice cream a month or so ago, I've noticed on the days I eat a bowl, the Sox win. When I don't, they lose.

Do I believe my eating or not eating ice cream has anything to do with the Sox winning or losing? Deep down I know it doesn't any more than Jimmy Buffett lifted the curse last year with his Fenway show or whether or not I watch the game. It had more to do with acquiring Roberts and Cabrera as well as Papi's bat and Schilling's determination to spur people on.

The real thing that matter is: do team members believe if they do something repetitious it makes a difference or not?

Like Crash Davis so beautifully put it, if you believe - then you are. And all us disciples of the Church of Baseball know that - which is why I ate my ice cream this morning for breakfast. After all, you never know and I'm not one to mess with such things.

Radio Days

I never heard Red Barber call a game, except on tape, his commentaries on NPR were treasures I grew to love as well as the books he wrote. He was an advocate for when nothing was happening of saying nothing was happening rather than filling air with chatty nonsense. Color was one thing, blather was another.

Yesterday, I got to experience two different game styles on the radio that reminded me why I'm "old school" (as my son would say) for the final regular season New York/Boston match-up as I drove home from Amherst, MA. You see, you can pick up WEEI in the parking lot of the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book art, but the second you exit the driveway you lose the station in a haze of static, leaving the "Voice of the Yankees" the only option for those of us who won't pony up for XM. From Amherst to Charlton, I listened to the game from a NY perspective and what a perspective it was!

It wasn't long before I was grateful for Boston radio because the three people in the New York booth never shut up.

In listening, I wondered how much of the rivalry is fed by broadcasters. Let me rephrase that, I know that we build our biases based on those around us. In his book "Walk in Spirit," Barber tells the story of how Branch Rickey knew that in order to bring Robinson to the Dodgers meant winning Barber over first. How Barber called the game would make the difference between fans accepting or rejecting Robinson. Years later, after he had retired, Robinson credited Barber as being a key for breaking down the race barrier. By calling the game as if Robinson were just another player, people saw him as just another player rather than a black player and that, in the end, is what made him just another player on the field.

With that said, I was shocked at the difference in styles - and I just don't mean that "fill the air with noise" thing either.

Last week, I was listening to the Red Sox game in the car when a controversial play went down. Troup and Castligone made a call from their perspective and one of them added, "We may be biased, but we'd like to think we're fair."

Until yesterday I would have questioned that belief - but they were right.

It started with the starting line ups. Because I could get that in the parking lot, I listened to the Boston boys describe players as "power hitters" and other adjectives the described the players from both teams. They talked about the four scenarios for the Wild Card spot and set the tone for the game. Pulling out of the lot and switching over to the NY station, I heard phrases describing players that weren't always positive. Then the criticism of the club began - first implying the Kevin Millar was (oh, let's be nice because I am biased) was clueless for not knowing the division was clinched on Saturday by the Yankees.

Then the comments started flying. When the Yankees outfield played in, they were playing shallow. When Manny Ramirez was playing in, he was playing "little league depth." This was justified because Sheffield "hits hard, so it would just bounce off the wall and Ramirez could just turn around and grab it." In other words Manny was lucky and incompetent and Sheffield was professional.

The barbs and digs continued. When shaky pitching allowed the Sox a run without the benefit of a hit, the announcers continued on about Kevin Millar. When Damon crossed the plate with the first run, the focus was on the sacrifice fly that got him there, not that the Sox were leading.

Let me put it this way; I was in shock when I heard one of the announcers give a back handed compliment to the Sox. In talking about how the Yankees - oh yeah, and the Sox - had a solid line up from top to bottom. The same announcer did make some other positive comments about the Sox, but for the most part it was this woman and someone else trashing the Sox as the Yankees fell apart on the field.

After I crossed the line back into WEEI territory, the difference struck me immediately. When it came to Yankees pitching, they talked about past successes and the history of who was on the mound. They talked about saving players like Jeter for the post season and what the Yankees have done that have caused problems for the Sox. By the time I got home and turned on NESN for the familiar sounds of the Remdawg and Announcer Boy and settled into my chair, I realized that Rickey was right all those years ago: how the announcer calls the game makes all the difference in the world.

In the end, we end the season tied with the Yankees winning the division because of the 10-9 record in the two teams match up. That in itself has defied the odds in many ways. The baseball preview in Sports Illustrated last spring had the Yankees dominating the league and the Sox, if they were lucky, finishing second without Derek Lowe or Pedro. A lot of "seasoned" sports professionals didn't see the Sox in the post season - of course they didn't see the Yankees struggling the way they did this year either.

As we head into the heart of the fall and the inevitable roller coaster ride of the post season, it is nice to know that anything is possible and, when that possible happens, I won't have to listen to it filled with the noise of obnoxious chatter… unless I'm watching the games on FOX.

The Playoffs Are Set

ALDS
Boston Red Sox @ Chicago White Sox
New York Yankees @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

NLDS
Houston Astros @ Atlanta Braves
San Diego Padres @ St. Louis Cardinals

Red Sox are Going to the Playoffs

The White Sox finished off the 3 game sweep today in Clevelend. The White Sox beat the Indians 3-1.

Jermaine Dye was 2-2 with a homerun.

Former Yankee Orlando Hernandez (El Duque) pitched 2 shutout innings and did not give up a hit.

There will not be a one game playoff in Boston on Monday. The Red Sox have won the final playoff spot in the American League.

Wild Card Updates:

Last Updated:5 EST

Chi White Sox 3
Cleveland 1
Final

$$$NY Yankees 1
$Boston 10
Final

*Philadelphia 9
Washington 3
Final

Chi Cubs 4
$Houston 6
Final

*Need to win and their corresponding League $ to lose to force one game playoff.
$ Win or corresponding league * team to lose to be the Wild Card team.
$$$ Teams that have already made playoffs by winning their division.

Another Game of Note: With a New York loss and an LAA win, the Angels get homefield advantage.

LA Angels 7
Texas 4
Final

September Truths

It isn't the inevitable train wreck of the fall Sox that I just can't turn from (hey, I'm from Boston and no matter how nerve racking it is; this is what I'm used to) that has kept me from writing. It has been an overall sadness that I can't appreciate the Yankees climb from the basement to the top spot on the backs of a handful of guys that don't even make up 1/10th of the payroll.

Normally this is the type of thing I eat up: a bunch of rookies and used-to-be's that are making the league minimum playing for love carrying the over paid fat cats who play for money. It is something I should be reveling in - especially since it is happening to the Yankees. Instead, what haunt me are the words of my children arguing over things such as:

- If the Yankees win the World Series and Jason Giambi gets caught juicing, do they have to give the trophy to the team that really won?

- Why is Randy Johnson allowed to glare and intimidate players but David Wells is suspended for six games for swearing at leaving a ball up that may have cost his team the game?

- Since Palmero carried the O's until he was caught and sent home in disgrace, do all those teams that lost because of him get a chance to have those decisions reversed? If so, wouldn't that put a lot more teams in contention for the post-season? Why do they have to go home when they played for real and the O's cheated?

Kids are like that - they ask us hard hitting moral questions based on an innate sense of fairness we lose along the way as we see more and more gray areas in life.

I believe the Sox are going to the post season and I believe we will win another World Series to prove last year was not a fluke. I expect that people will eventually learn that team is not dependent upon a specific set of individuals but on a group of people shoring up each other's weaknesses while building on each other's strengths.

If nothing else, that is one thing I have learned from baseball.

Tonight I will curl up under my fleece blanket on the couch and read the words of Bart Giamatti regarding the Kevin Gross decision. Perhaps I'll sip a glass of wine while doing so before making the thousands of to-do lists in my head that govern my life when I am not in my chair watching the game. Tomorrow I will hit the ground running, as I always do. I know the post season started for me Friday night when the Yankees rolled into town and will end when I'm buying treats for costumed children who don't understand the sadness of the impending months where there is no baseball to distract me.

Through out it all, no matter who wins and who goes home there is one truth that will ever be in my life: win or lose: the Yankees suck. Always have, always will.

It�s Wild in Boston

It was as if someone died on the field today, as Joe Torre cried away in the middle of Fenway Park. No, A-Rod didn’t have a heartache and get rushed off to the hospital. Did Jeter break another nail? No.

The Yankees won the division. Hey Torre, there’s no crying in baseball. Also, you just put yourself in a bad position. If the Red Sox win tomorrow, the Yankees will play the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the ALDS.

I prefer the Wild Card. The Red Sox won the World Series last year as the Wild Card. The year before? The Marlins won the World Series as the Wild Card. Beating who? The Yankees of course. Flash back to 2002, who beat the Yankees in the ALDS and went on to win the World Series? If you do not know, it was the Wild Card team known as the Anaheim Angels.

The Yankees won the division Saturday, even though the Red Sox can potentially tie for 1st place in the AL East. But since they have a 10-8 head to head record versus the Red Sox, they have won the AL East. If the Red Sox win tomorrow, they are the Wild Card team. If the Red Sox lose and the Indians lose, the Red Sox are the Wild Card team. If the Red Sox lose and the Indians win, there will be a one game playoff on Monday.

I believe the Wild Card has already been won, and I will tell you why. The White Sox will face the Angels if the Indians win the Wild Card. The Angels have been resting since the middle of last week since they clinched their division during the week. They have been resting all their starters and pitchers to get ready for the playoffs.

To avoid this match up, the White Sox can sweep the Indians tomorrow. This would put the Red Sox in as the Wild Card team.

To further prove my point, Jaret Wright might be the starting pitcher for the Yankees in Sunday’s game. If not, Mike Mussina will take the mound who made his shortest outing in 10 years September 27th. He lasted just one and two-thirds of an inning and gave up five runs on seven hits. Mussina, who has been plagued by injuries all year, will most likely rest tomorrow. Wright, who also has been on the DL most of the year, needs to prove to the Yankees that he should pitch in the playoffs.

IN the game on Saturday, five homeruns were hit. Gary Sheffield hit a 2-run homerun in the top of the first. Manny Ramirez hit a 2-run blast in the bottom of the inning. IN the top of the third, Hideki Matsui literally bounced a ball of the center field wall for a homerun. A-Rod hit his league leading 48th homerun in the top of the 5th. Boston, who never gave up, responded with 2 more homeruns. Tony Graffanino hit a solo shot in the 7th and Manny Ramirez hit his second of the game in the bottom of the 8th.

Randy Johnson got his 17th win of the year. Tim Wakefield got the loss. The Red Sox bullpen pitched 4 innings and only gave up 1 run.

Even though the Yankees will be the AL East champions in the playoffs, they still can hold a share of the division title if the Red Sox win tomorrow. Their records would both be 95-67 if that were to happen.