In the wake of the Subway Series, I have a lot of questions going in.
I would have to say that New York is still a baseball city. Just anyone you ask has an opinion on the Mets and Yankees. You don't really get that with the other sports. Everyone in New York knows who Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera, Jose Reyes, David Wright are. You ask many people who made that Super Bowl saving catch,possibly the best catch ever for the Giants this year and it might take awhile to get an answer. Sure, everyone knows who Eli Manning is...now, but this is still a baseball town. Look around the 'net and you see Met and Yankee blogs and sites all over the place. With that being said, there are a lot of frustrated people out there. Especially those fans who followed the Knicks and Nets during the winter. Now they see the same thing happening with the boys from the Bronx and for the guys from Queens.
Both teams have underachieved this season thus far. This meeting this weekend will put even more pressure on the two teams. The question right now is, who is under the most pressure to win this series?
The logical answer seems to be the Yankees and their $200 million payroll and last place status. Especially after losing three of four to the not-so lowly Rays. But, I believe Willie Randolph and company are in serious trouble if they don't show some life this weekend. They are coming off losing three of four to the lowly Nationals. Word around town is that Willie might not even make it to Monday as Mets skipper. I don't think the guys in the office need to push the panic button this early into the season but for a franchise that is still trying to recover from last Setember's collapse, it seems like the apprioate action.
Johan Santana was thought to be brought in as a savior..I guess his 4-2 record isn't good enough. Andy Pettitte is 3-4 and you don't see Yankee fans going crazy. It's because we trust Pettitte and we know he will work himself out. So does the organization. The Mets need to trust their guys, there's reason for concern, sure but no need to worry. Johan is still going to win 15 or 16 games, he is still going to be what you need him to be. John Maine is pitching like the number 2 guy the Mets need. I'd wait at least until the All-Star break before putting anyone on the hot seat.
In the Bronx, the Yanks haven't hit. The pitching has been there. Ok, so Ian Kennedy wasn't great in his return, but the bullpen has been as good as we've seen in a long time. If the Yankees didn't have their "B-" lineup out there, then it's logical to think that one of Joba Chamberlain's loses and Mariano Rivera's loss could've been avoided. Chien-Ming Wang could be halfway to 16 wins by now, but the offense has slept through the first quarter of the season. No A-Rod and no Posada sure does hurt..but so does Jason Giambi's sub .200 average. Also one thing that manager Joe Girardi needs to stop is the constant changing of the lineups. It's a different lineup every single day. Why? What's the purpose? Leave it alone, be consistent with it. Melky Cabrera comes in and see himself batting, 1st,2nd,6th,8th, and 9th. Why is he all over the lineup? He's either your 1st or 9th hitter. With his new found power, 6th is passable, but that's not his game.
All the nonsense needs to leave the clubhouse too. Get rid of the gold thongs, get rid of the he said-she said stuff and get down to playing baseball. Concentrate on playing the game. A lot is expected of both teams so start giving everyone their money's worth.
This series, which is now a two game series might be benefical to both clubs. Spilit the two games and you're back at square one. The team that loses both games is going to be in trouble and will have to answer a lot of questions. Wait...that happens now. So what excatly do we get out of this series? Both teams are stinking up the town so should we really except great games or should we expect both teams to play up to their capabilties? I hope for the latter. Nontheless, New York is going to be watching this weekend, the country will be watching Sunday Night on ESPN, so I sure hope both teams can put on a show.
I would have to say that New York is still a baseball city. Just anyone you ask has an opinion on the Mets and Yankees. You don't really get that with the other sports. Everyone in New York knows who Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera, Jose Reyes, David Wright are. You ask many people who made that Super Bowl saving catch,possibly the best catch ever for the Giants this year and it might take awhile to get an answer. Sure, everyone knows who Eli Manning is...now, but this is still a baseball town. Look around the 'net and you see Met and Yankee blogs and sites all over the place. With that being said, there are a lot of frustrated people out there. Especially those fans who followed the Knicks and Nets during the winter. Now they see the same thing happening with the boys from the Bronx and for the guys from Queens.
Both teams have underachieved this season thus far. This meeting this weekend will put even more pressure on the two teams. The question right now is, who is under the most pressure to win this series?
The logical answer seems to be the Yankees and their $200 million payroll and last place status. Especially after losing three of four to the not-so lowly Rays. But, I believe Willie Randolph and company are in serious trouble if they don't show some life this weekend. They are coming off losing three of four to the lowly Nationals. Word around town is that Willie might not even make it to Monday as Mets skipper. I don't think the guys in the office need to push the panic button this early into the season but for a franchise that is still trying to recover from last Setember's collapse, it seems like the apprioate action.
Johan Santana was thought to be brought in as a savior..I guess his 4-2 record isn't good enough. Andy Pettitte is 3-4 and you don't see Yankee fans going crazy. It's because we trust Pettitte and we know he will work himself out. So does the organization. The Mets need to trust their guys, there's reason for concern, sure but no need to worry. Johan is still going to win 15 or 16 games, he is still going to be what you need him to be. John Maine is pitching like the number 2 guy the Mets need. I'd wait at least until the All-Star break before putting anyone on the hot seat.
In the Bronx, the Yanks haven't hit. The pitching has been there. Ok, so Ian Kennedy wasn't great in his return, but the bullpen has been as good as we've seen in a long time. If the Yankees didn't have their "B-" lineup out there, then it's logical to think that one of Joba Chamberlain's loses and Mariano Rivera's loss could've been avoided. Chien-Ming Wang could be halfway to 16 wins by now, but the offense has slept through the first quarter of the season. No A-Rod and no Posada sure does hurt..but so does Jason Giambi's sub .200 average. Also one thing that manager Joe Girardi needs to stop is the constant changing of the lineups. It's a different lineup every single day. Why? What's the purpose? Leave it alone, be consistent with it. Melky Cabrera comes in and see himself batting, 1st,2nd,6th,8th, and 9th. Why is he all over the lineup? He's either your 1st or 9th hitter. With his new found power, 6th is passable, but that's not his game.
All the nonsense needs to leave the clubhouse too. Get rid of the gold thongs, get rid of the he said-she said stuff and get down to playing baseball. Concentrate on playing the game. A lot is expected of both teams so start giving everyone their money's worth.
This series, which is now a two game series might be benefical to both clubs. Spilit the two games and you're back at square one. The team that loses both games is going to be in trouble and will have to answer a lot of questions. Wait...that happens now. So what excatly do we get out of this series? Both teams are stinking up the town so should we really except great games or should we expect both teams to play up to their capabilties? I hope for the latter. Nontheless, New York is going to be watching this weekend, the country will be watching Sunday Night on ESPN, so I sure hope both teams can put on a show.
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