Viewtiful Joe

I LOVE baseball... I keep tabs on anything and everything that is baseball related. Right now I can't help but try to understand what Joe Girardi is trying to do with the 2009 version of the NY Yankees.

-At 13-14 the Yanks are 5.5 games back of the first place Toronto Blue Jays.

-Just last year the Yanks didn't make it back to playoffs for the first time since 1994.

-Hal and Hank Steinbrenner provide Girardi with more fire power to the team by adding CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher.

Let's compare the 2006 Florida Marlins to the 2009 NY Yankees:

-Mike Jacobs < Mark Teixeira
-Dan Uggla > Robinson Cano
-Hanley Ramirez = Derek Jeter
-Miguel Cabrera < Alex Rodriguez
-Jeremy Hermida < Nick Swisher
-Alfredo Amezaga < Johnny Damon
-Dontrelle Willis < CC Sabathia
-Scott Olsen < A.J. Burnett
-Ricky Nolasco < Andy Pettitte
-Josh Johnson > Joba Chamberlain
-Anibal Sanchez < Phil Hughes
-Joe Borowski < Mariano Rivera
-Matt Herges < Phil Coke

What the above mentions is this... Girardi almost took a no name Marlins to the playoffs in 2006. Their record was 78-84, 4th place in the NL East, this is not bad since most baseball writers picked them to finish dead last in the division that year. Girardi also won the award for NL Manager of the Year.

With a Yankee team this talented you're telling me that he only has them playing .500 baseball. That's not good enough... especially when you're replacing a legend such as Joe Torre. In Hollywood terms Girardi went from managing the young kids from "The Sandlot" to managing a veteran squad like the one with Charlie Sheen and Wesley Snipes were a part of with the Cleveland Indians in "Major League Baseball."

Girardi... you need to step your game up!

[Photo courtesy of www.hotstovenewyork.com]