Ace CC Sabathia Image via Wikipedia

Since winning the 2009 World Series, the New York Yankees have been desperately trying to add a legitimate starting pitcher to the rotation, unsuccessfully.

THROWING A HAIL MARY:

As defending champs heading into 2010 season, GM Brian Cashman’s solution was Javier Vazquez, again, which irritated Yankee fans to no avail, again. No need to chat about Vazquez ever, so if you don’t know trust me that it is a good thing. Just for when, click HERE but you were warned, it was sad.

Then last off-season; after Vazquez happily packed his bags and Andy Pettitte retired the situation went from a priority to desperately needed.

Cashman did all he could offering ace Cliff Lee the sun and the moon to come play in the Bronx. And thanks to some Yankee fans for spitting and taunting Mrs. Lee during the 2010 ALCS, Mr. Lee opted for Philadelphia for less money and years.

This left the Yankees stumped, but to his credit Cashman pieced together veteran tryouts in Spring Training, which gave the Yankees Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia. The two literally saved the 2011 season, surpassing all expectations by winning 20 games and throwing 300+ innings combined.

IS THE 2012 STARTING ROTATION INSANE?

Freddy Garcia, Pitching Coach Larry Rothschild & Catcher Russell Martin - Pre-Game

So where does this leave the Yankees rotation now?

Well, sorry to break the news but extending ace CC Sabathia’s contract and getting Garcia for one more season were necessities’, not improvements.

And since no World Series ring is equated to a busted season in New York, throwing another Hail Mary and almost catching it again will be tough.

So my question is….

Wouldn’t one think the general consensus might be that repeating a 2011 campaign that ultimately failed to be a tad insane?

WHY MY ANSWER WAS YES:

A very clever man once said:

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. - Albert Einstein

Personally, I always thought the dumbest, smart guy must have come up with that one.(...)
Read the rest of New York Yankees Hot Stove: How To Be Insanely Sane By Doing Nothing

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Post tags: 2009 World Series, Andy Pettitte, Brian Cashman, CC Sabathia, CJ Wilson, Javier Vázquez, Mark Buehrle, New York, New York Yankee, Yankee

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jammed packed.

Certain resolutions are irresolvable; such as I will never win a World Series for the obvious reason that I am female. Regardless, the majority of living men in the world today are not even remotely talented enough to play in the minor leagues.

Now the above does not apply if your name is Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez or Mariano Rivera as not only have all three already been WS Champs, they have the opportunity to do it again but the window is closing.

The 2012 New York Yankees won’t look much different from 2011, as most know that this off-season has been lifeless thus far and I do not foresee any surprises prior to the start of Spring Training.

Luckily, the Yankees have the talent to be relevant without much change but with the looming retirement of Rivera, along with the ages of Jeter and A-rod make 2012 the last season that winning a World Series might still be manageable.

I don’t think fans realize what life in the Bronx will be like when Enter Sandman no longer plays at the Stadium in the ninth inning; or in two or three years when the team no longer has their Captain.

The time is now, and after being on-hand for the Game 5 of the 2011 ALDS one would hope that would be enough for the entire Yankee team to work harder this off-season. So at least the players would know that they did everything humanly possible not repeat another early exit again in 2012.

For now, all I hope is that the majority of active Yankee players have this same sentiment.(...)
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Post tags: Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Minka Kelly, New York Post, New York Yankee, World Series, Yankee

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Here are my three reasons why:

1)    If Burnett goes to an AL East team or a playoff contender, the Yankees might have to face AJ down the stretch. And if you forgot why the Yankees signed Burnett in the first place, a main reason was that they hated facing him. Wouldn’t that be a slap in the face if that started happening again?

2)    The Yankees will have to eat $8 million of the $33 million still owed to AJ , but what will they get back for him? It is a risk because the Yankee are not going to get an arm with a better skill set than Burnett type, and acquiring a worse pitcher isn’t worth it.

3)    Also Burnett is liked by his teammates, he works hard and was the only positive thing that came out of the 2011 ALDS. Fact remains that Burnett came through when the team needed him most, under intense pressure of win or bust Game 4, and he did it not in Yankee Stadium. That is more than I can say about the rest of the Yankees.

So, now that everyone knows about Burnett being offered up, you have to presume word got back to him as well.(...)
Read the rest of New York Yankees Trade Rumors: Apologize To AJ Burnett

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Post tags: Brian Cashman, New York Yankee, World Series, Yankee, Yankee Stadium, Yankee Universe

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St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina celebrates after Game 7 of baseball's World Series against the Texas Rangers Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, in St. Louis. The Cardinals won 6-2 to win the series. - YAHOO SPORTS

Congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals for winning the 2011 World Series.

The Cardinals gave baseball fans a truly thrilling ride because of how they believed in themselves.

From Carpenter to Motte; from Pujols to the MVP Freese; from Molina to manager Tony LaRussa… this was not one player or two, it was a complete team effort; and that is what defines a true champion.

The Cardinals were inspiring to watch and they reminded me why I love the game of baseball all over again.

So, thank you, and again… Congratulations to 2011 World Series Champions St. Louis Cardinals!

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Post tags: 2011 World Series, Albert Pujols, Cardinals, David Freese, Game 6, Most Valuable Player, St Louis Cardinals, St. Louis, Texas Rangers, Tony LaRussa, World Series

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The 2011 World Series had been a snooze, until last nights Game 6.

The game was far from perfect, way too much sloppy defense and both the Rangers and Cardinals reliable bullpens finally looked worn.

The imperfect, textbook mistakes aren’t what made this game so good; the attitudes and fight of the Cardinals and the Rangers did.

Anytime the underdog team fights to the last strike, with the World Series on the line and a hometown guy like David Freese hits a walk-off homerun it strikes up an uncontrolled emotion in anyone who calls themselves a fan of baseball.

This was an 11-inning, baseball masterpiece, and one of the best postseason games in history. All the imperfections in this 10-9 Cardinal win was what made the game so perfect.

All I can say is that I could not be happier for the baseball itself because fans fell in love all over again.

Game 7 is sure to be another fight to end and to repeat the words of FOX SPORTS and MLB Network Intentional Talk host Chris Rose:

“If you are not watching this thing tomorrow night you are not a sports fan.”

I will repeat my sentiments from my WS preview of the St. Louis Cardinals, there is something special going on in St. Louis.

Related articles

• Cardinals rally, win in 11th to force Game 7 of World Series (thestar.com)
• 2011 World Series: Rain Delay Gives Cardinals New Life Against the Rangers (bleacherreport.com)
• Freese tag: Son of St. Louis sends series to seven! (timesunion.com)
• 2011 WS: Rangers And Cardinals Enough Excuses (ladylovespinstripes.com)
• Your World Series Game Six Open Thread ['World' Series] (deadspin.com)
• And now baseball! (iamnotfromhere.wordpress.com)
• MLB World Series Update 2011 (alienriquez.wordpress.com)
• Game 6: Rangers blow lead, back ahead in 10th – Boston.com (news.google.com)

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Post tags: 2011 World Series, Cardinals, David Freese, Game 6, Rangers F.C., St Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Missouri, World Series

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The more I watch the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals play, the more I realize that the 2011 Bombers were truly molded to win this postseason.

With only five games down and at most two left to play, the Rangers are looking to close this WS out after taking a 3-2 lead over the Cardinals. The Rangers won this unexciting Game 5 by a score of 4-2.

When this revelation really dawned on me was after viewing the Rangers and Cardinals make a slugfest dull in Game 3, that the Yankees could have beaten both these teams. I mean the Bombers beat the Rangers 7-2 in regular season games, and even if the Rangers win the whole shebang, I am still not buying it.

I recognize how totally outlandish this theory is based on the Yankees early exit from the ALDS, as they lost a heart wrenching Game 5 to the Tigers but that was the Bombers at their worst.

The Yankees bats were all out of sorts because when a team has one or two opportunities to tie a game and fail that is getting outplayed. It is different when a team strands a total of 12 men on base, as that my friend is choking.

By no means am I taking away from the Tigers performance, as Detroit was playing at the top of their game. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that the Yankees were not.

So, how can I say that an eliminated team is built to win the World Series?

Well, anyone with a brain would realize that the Rangers and Cardinals are not winning off dominant starting pitching; instead they are disarming opponents with their powerful bats and shutdown bullpens.

And what were the Yankees biggest strengths all season long, hitting and relief pitching.(...)
Read the rest of The 2011 New York Yankees Team Was Built To Win This WS

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Post tags: Boston Redsox, Joe Buck, New York Yankee, St Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, World Series

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Image via Wikipedia

October 6, 2011 – It was the bottom of the ninth inning, and the Yankee stadium scoreboard read 3-2. With two out already posted, the fate of the season lied in the bat of baseball’s richest, three-time MVP New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez.

That was the calm before the storm in Game 5 of the ALDS, as Detroit Tigers Jose Valverde went on to strikeout A-rod, as Yankee fans couldn’t even muster the strength to boo.

That was the second time A-rod struck out in key spots that Thursday night, as well as the second season he would shoulder the majority of the blame for the Yankees early October exit.

If I were A-rod, I would have tried to run out the side door and avoid the counterattack that was about to in the Yankees clubhouse. Instead A-rod faced the media head-on and made no excuses:

“When you have opportunities like that, we talk about keeping momentum going, even if it’s a sac fly to at least get one run in there,” Rodriguez said. “I didn’t get the job done.”

He went on to say:

“It’s devastating. This is going to hurt for a long time. This one stings, especially at home.”

Now, fast-forward to the top of the ninth in Game 2 of the 2011 World Series.

With no outs, the Cardinals were trying to hold a one-run lead, until Texas Rangers Elvis Andrus hit a line drive into center-field.

The single moved teammate Ian Kinsler from second to third-base, and just as Andrus was about to comfortable on first base, the unthinkable happened.

Cardinals fist baseman, Albert Pujols missed a textbook cut-off throw from the centerfield, and Andrus took off to second base, now leaving the Rangers with two runners in scoring position.(...)
Read the rest of New York Yankees: In Defense Of A-rod Part Deux

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Post tags: 2011 World Series, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Detroit Tiger, Ian Kinsler, New York Yankee, World Series, Yankee Stadium

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