blog of kaiyen

Joe Torre makes the playoffs. The Yankees don’t.

kaiyen | October 4, 2008

The LA Dodgers, managed by Joe Torre, just completed their sweep of the Chicago Cubs, their first postseason series win since they went all the way in 1988. The Yankees missed the postseason for the first time since 1993 (which sounds longer than it really is – 1994 was the strike year). Since the last couple of years of Torre’s time in NY were a bit rough with The Boss, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and he was rather dramatically let go, it is…ironic that Torre has managed the Dodgers to the playoffs, and the Yankees have missed it.

If there is such a headline – suggesting that it’s the departure of Joe Torre that caused the Yankees to miss the playoffs – then it’s sensationlism and complety missing the point.

I’m incredibly sad that the Yankees didn’t make it. I routinely zone out on the playoffs when the Yankees get bounced (as they have each year since 2003, when they lost to the Marlins in the World Series). But Torre isn’t the reason the Yankees didn’t make it, or the reason why the Dodgers did. I’m no baseball analyst, just a fan, but, for instance:

Asking 2 rookies (Hughes and Kennedy) to be aces rather than just rookies
Not making up their mind about Joba
When dealing with the offensive problems, not dealing with the biggest issue – Robinson Cano. With that hole in the lineup it made things really tough.
I really like Melky Cabrera, but he isn’t ever really going to hit more than about .270 or so. If we have the production elsewhere, then great. But otherwise he’s an offensive liability.
Losing a little bit of focus on how the Yankees should go about their offense, especially killing the base-stealing side of things.

And as for the Dodgers?