JT the Brick Has The IQ Of One
JT the Brick is obviously campaigning for the position of GM for the Yankees. Whereas Brian Cashman has been befuddled as to why the Yankees have not won a World Series in (gasp!) a whole five years, the Brick is here to provide him with the answers. I just hope Brian Cashman can find time to read what is wrong with the Yankees roster.
The New York Yankees, the most expensive team in baseball, still appear to have the same problems that have kept them from winning the World Series since 2000.
It is not the Yankees' birthright to win the World Series every year no matter what the Brick thinks. In fact, it is not surprising at all that they have not won a World Series since 2000 and I am not talking about any problems they may have with their roster. I am talking about the probability of any team winning a World Series title. There are 31 teams in Major League Baseball, which means before each season begins, every team has a 1/31, or 3%, chance of winning the World Series. No matter what the name on the front of a player's jersey is.
Plus having a high payroll only gives the illusion that a team will be better than its opponents, but it is probably more an indicator that the team is overpaying for its players.
The Yankees were not impressive during a weekend series with the Angels in Anaheim.
The Angels are probably one of the five best teams in the major leagues this year. So losing two out of three games to one of the five best teams in MLB during a West Coast road series by a total of four runs does not mean the Yankees will not win the World Series or that they are a bad team. What it does mean is a good team playing at home has a decided advantage over any opponent it faces.
Also, it is pretty impressive that the Yankees outscored the Angels 13-8 during the series.
The Yankees' lineup could be the most potent in the history, but they still have a difficult time manufacturing runs. Every player tries to hit a double or a home run.
I wish I could go back in time and find whoever it was who started using the term "manufacturing runs" so I could kill him before he was able to add it to the lexicon of sports cliches. Then I would return to the present, content with the knowledge I would never have to hear so ridiculous a phrase again.
To say a team manufactures a run is patently stupid. According to Dictionary.com, the word "manufacture" can mean one of three things...
I'm guessing by manufacture runs, you mean that a player will get a slap hit single, steal second base, advance to third base on a sacrifice bunt, and then score on a sacrifice fly. In your world, this is probably perfect baseball, but this strategy is only smart when the score is tied during the late innings of a game and a team only needs one run. Otherwise you're throwing away outs.
What I don't understand is what you think a home run is, if not manufacturing runs. The only difference is at the end of a home run and the end of manufacturing runs is two outs, as in the home run won't cost two outs.
The Yankees already trail Boston by three games and that is significant. Every Yankees veteran talked about getting off to a quick start, unlike the slow start that plagued them for most of the 2005 season.
Since the Yankees, at the time this article was published, had only played six games, not even 10% of their schedule, it may be just a little too early to conclude what kind of start they are getting off to.
Also, the slow start that plagued them for most of the 2005 season only ended with them winning the AL East pennant.
These two teams make up the best and most prestigious rivalry in professional sports, and Boston has the upper hand early in 2006.
Neither team has the upper hand in this rivalry since they have not played each other yet.
The Red Sox have won four games in a row on the road and seem to understand that they need to get off to a quick start if they want to compete for the playoffs in September.
The Red Sox have also played two teams in the Texas Rangers and the Baltimore Orioles who are in the bottom half of MLB teams this year. The Rangers will probably finish third in the AL West division while the Orioles are competing for fourth place in the AL East division.
Compare that to the teams the Yankees lost to, the Angels and the Oakland A's, who will each be vying for first place in the AL West. Now you tell me if based on the results of the first six games where the Yankees and Red Sox have not played the same teams you can tell which is better. I didn't think so.
Fans in Boston understand what it will take for the Red Sox to make the playoffs this season.
All baseball fans know what it will take for the Red Sox to make the playoffs. We're not exactly talking about brain surgery here. Either the Red Sox have to win their division or win the American League wild card.
While Johnny Damon looks like he is adjusting nicely to his new role as the leadoff man for a power team
What exactly does Johnny Damon have to adjust to? That is the exact role he played last year for the Boston Red Sox. There is nothing new about it.
The New York Yankees, the most expensive team in baseball, still appear to have the same problems that have kept them from winning the World Series since 2000.
It is not the Yankees' birthright to win the World Series every year no matter what the Brick thinks. In fact, it is not surprising at all that they have not won a World Series since 2000 and I am not talking about any problems they may have with their roster. I am talking about the probability of any team winning a World Series title. There are 31 teams in Major League Baseball, which means before each season begins, every team has a 1/31, or 3%, chance of winning the World Series. No matter what the name on the front of a player's jersey is.
Plus having a high payroll only gives the illusion that a team will be better than its opponents, but it is probably more an indicator that the team is overpaying for its players.
The Yankees were not impressive during a weekend series with the Angels in Anaheim.
The Angels are probably one of the five best teams in the major leagues this year. So losing two out of three games to one of the five best teams in MLB during a West Coast road series by a total of four runs does not mean the Yankees will not win the World Series or that they are a bad team. What it does mean is a good team playing at home has a decided advantage over any opponent it faces.
Also, it is pretty impressive that the Yankees outscored the Angels 13-8 during the series.
The Yankees' lineup could be the most potent in the history, but they still have a difficult time manufacturing runs. Every player tries to hit a double or a home run.
I wish I could go back in time and find whoever it was who started using the term "manufacturing runs" so I could kill him before he was able to add it to the lexicon of sports cliches. Then I would return to the present, content with the knowledge I would never have to hear so ridiculous a phrase again.
To say a team manufactures a run is patently stupid. According to Dictionary.com, the word "manufacture" can mean one of three things...
- To make or process (a raw material) into a finished product, especially by means of a large-scale industrial operation.
- To make or process (a product), especially with the use of industrial machines.
- To create, produce, or turn out in a mechanical manner: “His books seem to have been manufactured rather than composed” (Dwight Macdonald).
- To concoct or invent; fabricate: manufacture an excuse.
I'm guessing by manufacture runs, you mean that a player will get a slap hit single, steal second base, advance to third base on a sacrifice bunt, and then score on a sacrifice fly. In your world, this is probably perfect baseball, but this strategy is only smart when the score is tied during the late innings of a game and a team only needs one run. Otherwise you're throwing away outs.
What I don't understand is what you think a home run is, if not manufacturing runs. The only difference is at the end of a home run and the end of manufacturing runs is two outs, as in the home run won't cost two outs.
The Yankees already trail Boston by three games and that is significant. Every Yankees veteran talked about getting off to a quick start, unlike the slow start that plagued them for most of the 2005 season.
Since the Yankees, at the time this article was published, had only played six games, not even 10% of their schedule, it may be just a little too early to conclude what kind of start they are getting off to.
Also, the slow start that plagued them for most of the 2005 season only ended with them winning the AL East pennant.
These two teams make up the best and most prestigious rivalry in professional sports, and Boston has the upper hand early in 2006.
Neither team has the upper hand in this rivalry since they have not played each other yet.
The Red Sox have won four games in a row on the road and seem to understand that they need to get off to a quick start if they want to compete for the playoffs in September.
The Red Sox have also played two teams in the Texas Rangers and the Baltimore Orioles who are in the bottom half of MLB teams this year. The Rangers will probably finish third in the AL West division while the Orioles are competing for fourth place in the AL East division.
Compare that to the teams the Yankees lost to, the Angels and the Oakland A's, who will each be vying for first place in the AL West. Now you tell me if based on the results of the first six games where the Yankees and Red Sox have not played the same teams you can tell which is better. I didn't think so.
Fans in Boston understand what it will take for the Red Sox to make the playoffs this season.
All baseball fans know what it will take for the Red Sox to make the playoffs. We're not exactly talking about brain surgery here. Either the Red Sox have to win their division or win the American League wild card.
While Johnny Damon looks like he is adjusting nicely to his new role as the leadoff man for a power team
What exactly does Johnny Damon have to adjust to? That is the exact role he played last year for the Boston Red Sox. There is nothing new about it.
posted by David at
4:31 PM
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