George Steinbrenner has done it again! Joe Torre was offered a 1 year contract for 5 million bucks. Not a bad chunk of change. The prob is that is only 1 year with incentives. An extra year each for Alcs, wildcard, world series. Seems to me that the New York Yankees did not want Joe back.

I must think for a second…Joe Torre is second in wins as a manager for the Yankees. He has been with the team for 12 years and has had them in the playoffs in all 12 years. His teams won 4 world series rings…Hmmmm…I know, let’s low ball the offer and let Joe decide!

One year extension is an insult for someone with these credentials. Screw the bonuses. What about a long term deal. 3 years minimum would have worked. Maybe even 2 years. The bottom line is Joe had to feel unwanted with the offer. I do believe it was concocted to appear as if the Yankees didn’t want to be responsible for Joe Torre departing. It is apparent to everyone that the Yankees didn’t want Joe Torre back. Hell, all he did was win. I guess that is not what the brain trust is looking for.

I have watched managers get hired and fired for a long time now. This one takes the cake! I may never watch another Yankee game from this point forward!

Joe Girrardi is a wonderful person and has proven he is able to win. Don Mattingly has been a locked in as the heir apparent. Does 1 year create the next super manager? Don has said he is not ready yet. He is right! Don Mattingly is not and has not been a manager of any type. Could he be? You bet…Take a look at what Willie Randolph has done!

The bottom line here is the Yankees did not want Joe Torre back. The Yankees are the ones who escalated his contract. Joe Torre merely wanted a raise with each accomplishment. NOW, the Yankees say they pay him too much! They say they will not pay a manger more than any other! HELLO…Who PAID that much to start with?

Joe Torre deservered every penny he earned. He also was able to make the playoffs every year he was there. 12 playoffs, 4 world series rings. THAT is not shabby by any means.

I admire Joe Torre for refusing the contract. Yes, he could have made 8 million with the incentives. The problem I see here is not the manager, rather it is the over paid players. They are the ones who lost. They are the ones who should have incentive laden pay scales. The players continue to get paid while the managers continue to get fired.

Does anyone else see a problem here? Or is it just me! I know it will never happen due to the players union, but the pay has to stop! Make every contract incentive laden in order to pay what your team is willing to pay. Home run hitters will no longer swing away if they strike out 100+ times during the season.

I’m done for now. I hate the pay scale and how these babies are catered to.

Please feel free to post your comments on this.

It took me some time to think about this entry since the Yankees lost. I could go on about the game but, that is pointless since you all watched it. So, instead, I want to talk about something different here. This is about an Icon of the New York Yankees. He is someone who will remain in our minds forever!!

Who? Joe Torre, that’s who!! A gentleman in every way. An ambassador of the game. Joe Torre created a new dynasty for the Yankees. 12 years is unfathomable in the George Steinbrenner era! Not only did Joe Torre last that long, but his team won! How about making the playoffs 12 straight times? You think that is not enough, then think about the 4 World Series rings he collected!

Joe Torre could have been a different manager and watched as his team suffocated itself. Instead, he was a players type person who helped his team remain just that…A TEAM! Joe watched as his team lacked hitting when men were in scoring position. He argued with the umpires when calls were not made correctly. He could have thrown a fit, ala Billy Martin, and had his viewing angle changed for the game. (Mangers office is different when watching the game on TV! )

Joe Torre watched and battled in every way he was able. The bottom line is the players could not come up with the big hits with runners in scoring position. Yes there were home runs. SOLO home runs! These are the things which a manager is unable to controll. As Joe said, “I am one of those managers who like to let his players play.” That may be a paraphrase, but it was the essence of his quote.

You all know I am a self proffessed METS fan. You also know that Joe Torre was once a Mets player and also a manager. Look at the teams he both played for and worked with. Not so good to say the least!

You may be wondering why Joe did not go out kicking up dirt and stomping his feet at the bad calls made. As stated above, that would do nothing more than change his viewing perspective. You also may think it would rile the troops! To that I have to say, “ARE YOU F’ING KIDDING ME?” These are not kids just starting the game. The are NEW YORK YANKEES, getting paid MILLIONS of dollars to PLAY THE GAME! If that is not enough incentive, WHAT THE HELL IS??

In baseball there are only a few things a manger is able to do;

1. Create the lineup
2. Controll changes in the lineup
3. Make pitching changes
4. Create batting matchups

Joe Torre did all of those things, but his players could not do what they are paid to do. PLAY THE GAME! HIT the ball when needed!

Yea, it all sounds so easy and yes, you have to look at the other pitcher. It just sucks when you see those batters hitting solo home runs when they had the same opportunity with runners on and the same pitcher!?!

This is not about the New York Yankees, they will win again. This entry is about Joe Torre and what he did for the franchise. Joe Torre is my hero and I hope this is not his last year with the Yankees. If it is, I truely hope it because it is what he wants and not because George fires him.

Joe, if you ever read this, God Bless you for what you did with the Yankees and how you did it. You are a true human being and person. Should you never coach the Yankees again, THANK YOU and God bless you in your future endeavors! Baseball will miss you!

I fell asleep watching the game on Sunday night and did not have a chance to tell my thoughts. From what I was watching in the beginning, the Yankees were down 3-1. My question once again is, “Can’t Derek Jeter BUNT?”

The Yankees have been scraping for runs this whole series. Derek Jeter is up with 2 on and less than 2 outs and he is swinging away. When you NEED runs, you HAVE to move the runners! I’m not sure if Jeter thinks he is above bunting or if Joe Torre is now against it! Both times were early in the game and the Yankees were down. SCORE RUNS!! Get them anyway you can!

OK, it turned out well thanks to Johnny Damon’s 3 run HR!

That’s it for now. Watching tonights DO-OR-DIE game and it is not good right now!

For the Yankees, I can say what a fantastic pitching duel it was. I can talk about the performance of Andy Pettitte and how he was able to get out of inning after inning with runners on. I could talk about Melky Cabrera’s home run being the only score until the bottom of the eighth. Or even Melky Crabrera’s assist when he threw out Peralta at home attempting to score.

For the Indians, I could talk about Fausto Carmono and his fantastic effort not only matching, but outlasting Pettitte’s performance. This could be about Sizemore scoring the tying run on Joba Chamberlain’s wild pitch or even about Hafner’s game winning RBI in the 11th inning.

I am not going to mention any of that. Nope…..Not any of that at all….What I am going to talk about begins with something not even related to baseball. This is about, um, er, ah, you ready for this?

The March of the Canadian Warriors! They came into Jacobs Field in swarms and totally bugged the Yankee’s hopes of tying the series. WHAT? You don’t know about them? Weren’t you watching the game??

This is all about the insects which covered Joba Chamblain’s neck and face while he was attemting to pitch strikes. After getting the 2 quick outs to end the 7th, he could not throw a strike in the eighth. His brain was abuzz with these critters using his upper body as a temporary resting spot. Bugged by the swarms around him, he threw 2 wild pitches in the same inning. The second resulting in the game tying run. Think Cleveland’s buzzing buddies had nothing to do with it? Look again. Chamberlain had 1, count it, 1 wild pitch this year! The little buggers seemed to carry the ball away from Jorge Posada’s mitt. To make matters worse, the damn pests steered a couple of pitches right into the batter giving them a free base!

You are probably thinking I need to clear the cobwebs from between my ears when I say this, but here it is anyway. The Cleveland Indians planned this “warrior” attack! YES THEY DID! I don’t know how or when, but it as a planned attack to help them beat the Yankees!

How else would you explain the fact that they weren’t there last night while the Yankees were getting pummeled? How do you explain the fact that they entered the game when the Indians needed them the most? Tell me HOW? Someone in the Indian organisation is an entomologist and knows how to summon them at will! There is no other explaination. These gnats were summoned at the exact time they were needed!

I know you are saying it didn’t affect the Indian players. Well of coarse not! They are neighbors and friends. They don’t bother the Indian players and the players don’t bother them! That is what makes them the BIGGEST bug in the game! Mark my words here, these little warriors will be the demise of the Yankees fantasic playoff march if something doesn’t happen once back at home!

See you back at the stadium!
GB
Walter Gavurnik

[BUGABOO]This just in……They’re called midges. Their scientific name is Chironomus plumosus (Linnaeus) or Chironomus attenuatus Walker.

Whatever they are called, someone in the Indian organisation knew their first names!

Well it is only the bottom of the fifth and the score is 6-3 with Cleveland leading. I am not sure what Joe Torre was thinking when Derek Jeter was at bat with no outs and runners at 1st and 2nd. A bunt would have been the right thing in that situation. I hear you when you say Jeter is batting .500 against Sabathia. The only thing I say about that is the fact the Yankees are down by 2 runs. YOU GOTTA GET RUNS! Wang is giving the batters EVERYTHING! Cleveland seems to hit anything he throws!

UPDATE~~ Wang is out and the Yankees are not into the bullpen after 5 2/3 innings. This could get ugly!

It’s only fair that I give you my ingame analysis now that I am watching the Yankees playoff games. If you go back to the top of this post, Joe Torre managed the Yankees like an NL team when he first arrived. Result? How about some championships and World
Series triumphs. Why did he suddenly begin managing like an AL manager? This is not recent, BTW, this has been the last few years in which the Yankees went home early.

Don’t get me wrong here, I am not bashing Joe Torre. He has done a FANTASTIC job with the Yankees. My only question is why the change in coaching style?

Please leave your comments and I will see you tomorrow.

GB
Walter Gavurnik

UPDATE~~ Not good. The score is now 9-3 going into the top of the 6th.

I could not keep my silence any more. The Yankees are in the playoffs and the METS are not thanks to the biggest choke since Jean van de Velde in the 1999 British open. The only difference is the Mets did not have to remove their pants to get out of the hazard they created. Good thing since Paul LoDuca would look terrible in his skivies!

The Yankees have given me a reason to watch baseball for the rest of this year.

Hopefully the Pitching will hold up!

GB
Walter Gavurnik

I just want to let you know I am NOT ignoring the Yankees. After screwing up the Mets season, I do not want to say anything about the Yankees to decrease the possibility of over taking the Red Sox! They are close so I will shut up now! 2.5 games!

GB
Walter Gavurnik

While the Met’s were losing to their closest competition, the Yankees were winning the games they had to win. Although they are still 6 games behind the Red Sox, they are now 3 games up in the wild card draw! THAT is something to be happy about. Especially with Roger Clemens being injured!

 Here are my thoughts on that………………….Roger Clemens is hurt, that hurts the Yankees. WHY! Because that creates an opening for Mike Mussina! I am not sure which is worse, but at least Roger Clemens could get some people out…..sometimes!

It’s GREAT to see the Yankees turn the corner and win the games they need to win. After the start they had and the injuries they had to endure, the YANKEES are back near the top! While it’s a stretch, wouldn’t it be neat to see them overtake the Boston Red Sox? OOOOOFFFFFFAAAAAAA! What a beautiful thing that could be!!

OK! The YANKEES are still in this, is it possible that we could see a repeat of 2000 with the METS and YANKEES in the WORLD SERIES!!! Hmmmmmm………………………. Could happen!

Done dreaming and done babbling. See ya soon!
Please leave your thoughts.