All Things Must Pass

That's it, then.

The end of Yankees baseball 2008.

Right now seems a far cry from when the season started, from those days in February and March when we were all psyched for what looked like the start of an unforgettable season.

The Yankees were supposed to be an offensive powerhouse supplemented by a core of young pitchers, with some veteran guidance and a firm resolve not to get off to the same, slow start as nearly derailed the team in 2007.

Alas, the thing about sports--nothing ever plays according to the script.

Players get hurt. Sometimes they miss a couple games, sometimes the entire season. Sometime they're borderline major leaguers, sometimes they're the stars of your team.

Players under perform. Sometimes coaches can discover the reasons why; sometimes they can't.

Other teams improve. Sometimes they're in the other league; sometimes they're in your own division.

Some teams recover, some don't, but if there's one thing baseball tells us, it's that time can be measured in eternity, or in thousandths of a second.

The memories of Yankee Stadium will last forever. The fleeting moment where one mistake pitch is the difference between a win and a loss is never gotten back.


No matter what we might think, going forward, we won't forget 2008.

Whether it's because it's the first time since 1994 we won't see baseball in October or because it's the year we paid tribute to Yankee Stadium, that's up to you. I, being my delusional, optimistic self will choose the latter--but I don't blame you if you choose the former.

Of course, the end of 2008 also means looking forward to 2009, and so we shall.


We will look forward to what will likely be one of the most eventful, if not entertaining, off-seasons in recent Yankees history. Among the issues that need addressing:

a) Will Brian Cashman come back?

a1) If not, who replaces him?
a2) If so, for how long? With any conditions?

b) Do we go after CC Sabathia?

b1) What are we willing to spend to get him--not just in terms of cash, but in terms of time?
b2) If CC is uninterested, do we look at AJ Burnett? Ben Sheets?

C) Who plays first base?

c1) What do we offer Teixiera?
c2) Do we re-sign Giambi or Abreu as a DH?
c3) What if Posada doesn't heal well and can't catch?



The list goes on. The fact is, the Yankees in 2009 might look very different than 2008.

With a new Stadium, a new team might seem fitting, but no Yankee team can forget the past.

Joba Chamberlain will be there in 2009, and so will Derek Jeter.
Phil Hughes will (likely) be there in 2009, and so will Mariano Rivera.

I will be there, and, I hope, so will you.


The Quest for 27 in 2009 starts now.

A Preview A Day Keeps the Winter Away, #4

For the month of March I will be doing a season preview, with a new team each day, going in alphabetical order by team so I can save the Yankees for last, because I am, in fact, that devious.

As this is a Yankees' blog, the previews for AL East teams will be more detailed than those of AL Central and AL West teams, and any AL team previews will be more detailed than NL team previews, save maybe for the Mets. Each preview will involve consideration of how much 'threat' a team is to the Yankees, for fairly obvious reasons.

Up Today: The Toronto Blue Jays





The first division rival preview here, so it'll be a bit more in-depth than the other ones.

The Jays, quite simply, have the misfortune of playing in the the AL East. Short of winning a World Series or losing 100 games (and that's not even a hyperbole) they will be overshadowed by the Sox and Yankees when they're good, and the Orioles and Rays when they're bad.

It would, however, be a bad idea to overlook the team. Consider this: Toronto won 83 games last year, in the AL East, while losing significant time due to injury from Halladay, Burnett, Chacin, Ryan, Overbay, Glaus (now departed for more Cardinal-y pastures), Zaun, Johnson and (breath) Wells.

And you thought the Yankees had injury problems in '07!

Imagine if all of them were healthy.

Anyway, so let's start off looking at Toronto's likely starting rotation:

Roy Halladay: This guy's an ace. There's no other way about it, and, to add to it, he pitches pretty dang well against the Yanks. He's 10-4 with a 2.99 ERA in his career against the Bombers. So, basically, he makes Josh Becket look like fodder.

AJ Burnett: When he's healthy, he can be up there with the game's best. When he's healthy. He did manage 165 inning last year, which I'll admit I was surprised to see given his reputation for being an injury-risk.

Dustin McGowan: Held right-handed batters to a .198 average last year. That shouldn't be too much of an issue for the Yankees, who could likely put together a line-up with just one right-handed bat if they really wanted to (they don't.)

Shaun Marcum: Not up to the Halladay/Burnett/McGowan standards, but then, there's a reason he's not the number one starter. Had a 7.47 ERA in his last seven starts, but also had a torn meniscus, so yeah, that's not totally surprising.

Jesse Litsch: I'll put it this way--in a September game last year we were all excited we didn't have to face Halladay or Burnett (I forget which one, but I think it was Halladay), and we got to face Litsch instead. We, uh, kinda sorta lost that game, and it wasn't a pretty one, either.


Rotation summary, as it effects the Yankees: You know, I'd be more scared of facing this rotation than Boston's. Granted, I'm not really afraid of any rotation, but I really would rank a healthy Toronto rotation ahead of Boston. The, uh, problem is, though, the healthy bit.


Out of the bullpen, Accardo and Janssen are solid. Ryan is slated to return from TJ surgery, so we'll see what that does.

As for the regular line-up, highlights:

Alex Rios: Let's put it like this--there's the Jays line up, and then there's Alex Rios. He's got a .338 average against the Yankees, not to mention a poster child for a good right field arm. He is THE highlight in a line-up that, outside of Frank Thomas, does not inspire much fear.

Frank Thomas: Now that I've mentioned him, might as well...he's only a threat at the plate, as he can't play in the field, but he's still a threat. He was one of Joba's very first outs, though, so take that as you will.

Aaron Hill: Not quite Robbie Canò with with the bat, but he did tie a franchise record for home runs set by a second baseman.

Line-up summary: Toronto's strength is not their line up. If they took care of their line up the way they did their pitching, there'd be a likely chance that the race for the AL East would be a three-way. I wouldn't be surprised to see Toronto make a major push near the deadline for some serious line-up help, although, given what I've seen of Toronto's farm system up here in 'Cuse...well, I mean, when you have ten errors in a game...yeah. Doesn't bode too well.


Threat to the Yankees: Orange, Exercise Extreme Caution.

Why Orange, when they probably don't make the playoffs?

The Yankees still have to play them nineteen times this season, and if their rotation stays healthy, they are anything BUT a walk-over. I imagine the race for third in the division with Tampa is going to be very, very intense.

In another division, the NL Central and NL East come to mind, the Jays could easily be a contender, but that geography...it'll get you every time.