Last night was a great night for watching sports. After I got home from last night's festivities, I was flipping back and forth between a crazy monday night football game between the bills and the cowboys which ended in spectacular fashion, and the the ALDS series finale between the Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees. The Indians won, they move on to the ALCS, and life is grand. But some things got said about the Yankees (which seems like it gets said every year) that irks me a bit. So allow me to rant.
Who does George Steinbrenner think he is? Who do the Yankee's think they are? I don't understand the attitude with which that organization carries itself. For an owner to come out and say, in the middle of a series, that the manager needs to 'win or else' is just completely beyond my comprehension. The Yankees have made the playoff's, I believe, 13 years in a row which is pretty unprecidented in baseball since only 8 teams make it every year. But somehow the fact that they don't win the world series every year is just unacceptable for some reason. And all the talk about after the Yankee's lost, and in the post game interview with Joe Torre even, was about whether he'd be fired, or whether they'd renew A-Rod's contract, who is probably the AL's most valuable player. Why would you fire sucessful players or coaches? It's a game, it's not science. Apparently the Yankee's believe, or at least the management believes, that they are god's among men. And if the current roster of god's aren't making it happen, let's give it the old heave ho and find some new ones.
Bill Belichick of the Patriots has great years every year, was basically found guilty of cheating, and hasn't won a super bowl in the past few years. I don't hear any rumblings about him getting fired. He even coaches a sport where the coach has a lot more to do with whether a team wins.
Same thing with Scotty Bowman and the Redwings in the late 90's. They were basically the Yankee's of hockey, with the best team money could buy. But they had a couple seasons (including one where they had the best regular season record in history) where they got swept in the first round, and I never heard anyone saying Scottie's job was under fire.
Couldn't tell you any examples from basketball, but who really cares about basketball....kidding. Well actually, ya I can. Mike Krzyzewski at Duke has one of the best college basketball programs in the country. He has always been competitive but hasn't won in a few years. Nobodies firing him! In fact, let's let him coach the olympic team.
I just don't understand that attitude? And to publicly threaten a coach like that? What does that help? I heard a Yankee's fan say to me yesterday "Steinbrenner's just trying to rally the team around Joe Torre." Well that's the wrong way to do that. How 'bout get down their with the players and encourage them yourself. Threats accomplish nothing. Dictators threaten people. But hey I guess it payed off for them...oh wait.
Sorry, I realize that as a Red Sox fan, it's a conflict of interest for me to criticize the Yankees because they are my sworn enemy so I'm a bit biased. But it just doesn't make any sense to me. So that all being said...Go Sox in the ALCS. I think they'll win. Two of the most experienced and reliable post season pitchers, and a batting order that's been producing all season. They're DUE!!!
So the Red Sox won the World Series sunday night, and I was pumped. However, if you didn't happen to see it sunday night, there's no way you would've found out about it on any kind of sports broadcast the next day because the 'classy team' in Major League baseball decided to break two big stories in the middle of the game and the morning after the game was played. I wanted to see highlights and hear analysis from Peter Gammons and see the 'year in review' red sox video...but I guess that's too much to ask. Thanks A-Rod, Thanks Hank Steinbrenner, Thanks Joe Girardi...seriously. Good timing, class act. Ya know, I just read an article that I was told about that showed celebrities in their favorite t-shirts. Matt Damon's favorite t-shirt simply said "Jesus Hates the Yankees." I found a picture but I wondered if maybe that was inappropriate.
