That's right I said it, my beloved New York Yankees are finished. After the 2 losses to the Red Sox on Tuesday and Wednesday 7-3 and 11-3 respectfully it is upsetting to say this but the 2008 post season will not feature the Bronx Bombers.
But lets face it, they don't deserve it! Not the way they have played this year and the way they have played lately. No one is stepping up, no one can get that big hit AND ITS NOT JUST AROD SO STOP BLAMING EVERYTHING SOLELY ON HIM. Sure he is having a sub par year for AROD. Rodriguez is batting .310 with 28 home runs 79 RBI's, a .399 OBP % and a .587 SLG %, thats certainly a great year for anyone, but sub par if you are AROD. Yes he has had trouble with clutch hitting this year, but he has been doing well overall. Yes he has had off the field issues but that should not effect him on the field. Is this some what his fault? That he is not rallying the troops and trying his hardest to carry the team to October? Maybe, but its not his fault that the entire team seems lackadaisical.
The chances the Yankees have of making the playoffs as of right now are all but 0. Jayson Stark of ESPN has said that the Yankees have a 2.3% chance of making the post season. Joe Girardi came into the series with the Sox saying they need to win 2 out of 3 games, well since thats impossible now, its just about done.
Hank Steinbrenner made a guest appearance at Yankees Stadium, as this was only his 2nd time there, and he had some choice but positive words to say about his team. He said he is not concerned with AROD. "He is still young enough. He is going to have a lot of good years ahead of him. He just has to quit pressing." After the 0-5 night Rodriguez had on Tuesday, Steinbrenner added his full support for Alex, "When he has a night like that, he is going to hear it from the crowd," Steinbrenner said. "That's the way it works. I'd rather have him than not have him."
Hank said that the Yankees' injuries were the reason they were in danger of not making the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. "That's the realities of sports," Steinbrenner said. "Every year there are one or two baseball teams that get racked by injuries. Usually just one, sometimes two. In football, it can be as many as four or five teams. Look at the Giants already. They lose Strahan and now they have lost Osi."
Steinbrenner's last words were "We still have a shot." Well Hank I hop you have a couple hundred shotguns ready because its looking really grim for the boys in pinstripes.
But the entire season could be defined by the look on Derek Jeter's face at the end of the game. He was shown slumped over on the bench, holding up his head with his hand and looking at the field with ghost like blank stare. Its been a tumultuous season for the Yankees no doubt, and for the first time since the 1994 MLB strike, we will see the playoffs without the Yankees.
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