Why can't Yankees fans and George Steinbrenner face losing to the Tigers and losing the first round?

Question

I mean, it's not the first time a favored team loses in the playoffs...i really hate hearing about it.......

Answer 1

The Yankees get paid the most, and should win based on salary. The Oakland A's get paid crap but still manage to do well.

In short, the Yankees are over-paid, and under-peform.

Answer 2

The Yankees almost didn't make the playoffs this year because they are back to trying to buy a WS. That rarely works. Very rarely. The team was too old. Sheffield and Zilla went down with extended injuries. A number of the Vets either started very slowly or faded down the stretch. Randy Johnson was a disaster. Wright only slightly less of a disaster. Paveno didn't even get to pitch. So it took a very spirited effort and a big come back for the Yankees to win the division this year.

Once they did however they badly outclassed the Tigers in talent. The Tigers wanted it more and got some excellent pitching. With the heart of the order all hitting below .200 it was a very disapointing series for the Yanks. However the mistakes were the same as the last few years. Too many vets. Too many free agents, not enough pitching. The frustration is big because on paper it's very good teams. A-Rod for some reason is everybodies favorite target. Sheffield and Giambi were worse. Sheffield has never been a clutch hitter. At least A-Rod had a really good year overall. Sheffield's was a lost season. Giambi hit alot of HRs but didn't do much else.

As for Stien no brainer. He has high expectations and spends liberally but refuses to accept good sound baseball advice. Instead he goes out and gets flashy one year wonders or self promoting players who were never very good to start with. HRs don't win games very often. The big HR guys usually only help win the 9 to 7 kind of game. The KOs they contribute in the 3 to 1 games offset those wins by killing rallies and making it easy on both pitcher and defense. Yet that is exactly the kind of hitter Stienbrenner likes. Which year after year punches a big hole in what is otherwise a great team. Think about it. Of the teams still in the playoffs this year. How many players on these teams have 35+ HRs? Pujos is Thomas, Delgado and Beltran are only ones. Even if you expand it to the teams that even made the playoffs this year. Then you add Giambi and A-Rod.

Of these Giambi had a poor year. Delgado had a worse year than Giambi and the first half looked like he might be done. Thomas had a really poor start and was not a major cog in the A's offense most of the year. Pujos and Beltran just plain hit. This year Beltran had a career best in HRs. Pujos is an offensive monster that eats pitchers alive. HRs just happen for him. So except for Pujos and Beltran the HR hitters were pretty meaningless. The teams that had them for the most part did poorly or had mediocre years. There is a reason for this. A big reason. Pujos best exemplifies this. He KO'd 50 times while walking 92 times. THAT is how you don't hurt your team even if you don't drive in the run. If you get a good pitch drill it. If not take the walk or the single and keep the rally alive. Make the pitcher throw something nasty to strike you out. Don't give them outs. At worst make the fielders handle the ball so there's a chance of an error or bad hop. That is how teams win. Year after year Stienbrenner forces some pretty flashy, expensive but unproductive players onto the Yankees. When he was suspended the Yankees won mostly by people who came up from the farm club. Except for Tino nobody on that team hit more than 30 HRs yet most of the starters were close to or had 100+ RBIs.

My point is that the Yankees go out and get talent but they get the wrong talent. If the Yankees want to win they have the core group of players to do it. A stronger starting staff, a few patches in the bullpen and get rid of the KO artists. Get younger. Will this happen? Probably not since Stien no brainer refuses to listen to anybody. Instead another year of frustration.

As for the Tigers. I thought they had no chance at the start of the year. At the all star break I predicted they would collapse. They eventually did winding up as the wildcard but did far better than I ever thought they would. The Yankees did not give them the playoffs the Tigers earned it. So my hat is off to the Tigers and a very fine year. Much of the credit going to Pudge who's never say die leadership reminds me of the same kind of spirit O'Niell gave the Yanks in the late 90s. The same Pudge who's Rangers always made the playoffs but I don't think have tasted the post season once since Pudge left. Ordenez and big contribtions from lots of Tigers have made it possible. Obviously Pudge couldn't do it by himself.

Answer 3

The Yankees have been spoiled by an excess of success, and expect to win every year. When they don't, they feel it's a loss of entitlement.

Good pitching beats good hitting, and the Tigers got 3 stellar performances. That's all it takes. It helped that A-Rod is LOUSY in the clutch. He's struck out all year when a big hit was needed, and went 1-14 against Detroit.

Answer 4

It's New York. Like everyone else said, big payroll. They expect to win every single year and when they lose to a team like the Tigers, they don't want to face the facts that they're not the best of the year.

Answer 5

The thing that caused the Yankees to lose was a bad starting rotation.I would have used wang used Johnson and Cory Lidle or use Wang again after 3 days rest and this **** blew is options.

Answer 6

Well, I can see why you ask a question like this.. BUT... Have you seen the Yankees salary for this year???
One look at that and you would realize that they have players on their team that make more money just this season than some ENTIRE TEAMS! It is outrageous, if you have a pay-roll that large, you HAVE TO EXPECT BIG THINGS!

Answer 7

Well think of it this way when you spend over 200 mil on a team you expect to win

Answer 8

B/c they think they are entitled, and a bunch of sore losers.