So, with the World Series behind us, Brian Cashman was finally allowed to speak publicly about the reasoning for the Girardi firing as manager of the Yankees.  I must say given that SU is a veteran of the George Steinbrenner ownership era, some of these comments are a bit shocking.  According to the report on espn.com, Cashman “decided the New York Yankees should part ways with Joe Girardi because he felt that the manager’s “connectivity” with the clubhouse was not good enough.  That’s the primary position.”

Clearly, we live in a new era in professional sports.  In the past, it was all about winning.  Pat Riley was not beloved in the locker-room.  Billy Martin was a lunatic and was brought back about 17 times by Steinbrenner.  As long as the record was good and you were winning post-season games, owners and GMs would pretty much put up with anything.  Girardi over-achieved this year record-wise given the roster.  He didn’t complain having to play Chase Headley at 3rd base for 3 seasons (because he has SU there to do that on a daily basis) and was a good soldier and penciled in Todd Frazier every day once he was acquired.  True – the Yankees’ run differential should have predicted more wins this season but you can trace virtually all of those losses to the bullpen.  Apparently, Cashman didn’t like the way Girardi related to Chapman who he took out of the closer’s role for a while or to Betances.  Wally Matthews criticized Griardi  last week for not allowing Betances to stay in the game after walking the first two batters against Houston with a big lead to work out his problems with control in an ALCS game.  Girardi has been criticized for getting on Sanchez for allowing so many wild pitches and passed balls.

SU says I get that we live in a different time and that we need to relate better to Millennials.  Certainly this is true in the work place.  But in professional sports, that has really not been the case as much – certainly not in baseball which when you come down to it, is very individualized.  It’s a results business and while you get a longer leash as there are so many games, at some point you need to produce.  SU had no problem pulling Betances in those games – it was hard to watch.  When Chapman was terrible in July and August, no problem moving him out of the closer’s role.  And every Yankee fan was screaming at the TV about Sanchez defensively.

They will now embark on a search for a more touchy/feeley manager who can relate to the players.  Will that now be seen as more important than managing the bullpen and knowing when to take out your starters?  If CC returns, will he intimidate the new manager about not wanting to come out of the game?

SU’s take: Cashman was not happy all season with how Girardi was using some of the great assets that he had acquired for this season.  Cashman has done a great, great job over the past year and a half restocking the farm system.  They are set up for success now for a long time.  But please – this team has been unwatchable for the three years before that because of the steady stream of boring, older veteran players that Cashman brought in.  Headley, Chris Carter, Travis Hafner, the list goes on and on.  Girardi never said a word publicly and actually in SU’s view over-archieved.  I was surprised that he was not a finalist this year for Manager of the Year.

I am not saying you don’t make a change at times but SU would have allowed Girardi to have 3 more years.  He earned it.  Expectations will be high in 2018.  SU can’t wait.  Good luck to the new manager.

Random note: SU stumbled across the Westchester Knicks game last night on the MSG+ Network.  Trey Burke went off for 43 points.  How some NBA team cannot see that he is a good player is beyond me.

SU had the chance to take in some college football yesterday.  How great were those games?  Michigan State’s walk off field goal win over Penn State.  Iowa demolishing Ohio State and then the end of the Oklahoma – Oklahoma State “Bedlam” game with 115 points scored and Oklahoma racking up 798 yard of offense.  I am telling you: when you watch the NFL, 3rd and 9 feels like 3rd and 49 with passes traveling 6 yards most of the time.  At the college level, many games are up and down the field – very exciting.  The players are great but not as great as professionals so there are more mistakes, missed assignments, etc.  And it feels like no lead is ever safe – even late in the game.

All quiet on the Yankee front as they look for a new manager.  Joe Espada, the 3rd base coach and a supposed contender, took the bench coach job with the Astros so he’s out.    Jerry Hairston Jr.’s name is out there but SU does not understand that one.  Has he ever managed anywhere?  Still no A-Rod rumors – it would be the great PR move for the Yankees and ensure all kinds of distractions next season.  I actually think Hal Steinbrenner would go for it but no way Cashman goes there.  SU has its money on Rob Thompson, the current bench coach.  He is no doubt a numbers guy and being a bench coach is the next best thing.

All of the Yankee coaches have been given permission to find a new job.  How about David Cone for pitching coach?  He is very smart, studies the stats and SU suspects is itching for the chance.  Bring back Kevin Long as hitting coach – he did a good job here.

Tanaka did not opt out as expected.  Wants to play here and knows no-one is offering big dollars for a pitcher with a small tear in his elbow.  SU feels he is due for a monster season in 2018 and combined with an improving Severino, gives the Yankees two legitimate top of the rotation pitchers.  You have to keep Betances and get him back to normal with a new manager and pitching coach.

The Knicks continue to impress.  Porzingis, right now, has to be seen as must see TV or must see for fans in other cities.  He pretty much can do anything and is only in his 3rd season.  Plus this is his first season where he is allowed to not have to stand in one place while Carmelo jab steps.  So, he is making up for lost time and when it comes to movement is more like a rookie.  SU notes that Noah is returning shortly.  What do they do with him?  SU says buy him out of his contract.  He will only clog the middle for Porzingis.  Or only play him with the 2nd unit for 10 minutes a game.

Yankee manager predictions?

SU has tuned into the Knicks the last two nights and lo and behold, there is team basketball being played at MSG.  This has been a long time coming to long suffering Knick fans.  It’s actually liberating watching them play – that is the best word to describe this.  As you know, SU was no fan of Carmelo.  Look, he was brought into to score and that’s what he did at the expense of his teammates and the team’s record.  But all of a sudden, Porzingis is now the center of attention and he is worth the time to check him out.  He is the complete player and has scored over 30 points in 5 of their first 6 games.

The problem, of course, will be that teams will figure out that the Knicks have limited scoring options other than KP.  SU Michigan alum, Tim Hardaway Jr., is a lot of fun to watch and went off on the Cleveland the other night.  However, beyond them, the scoring will need to be a night to night challenge.  But until teams adjust, you need to watch – inspiring play as a new era begins.

Note to management: the Knicks stunted Porzingis’s growth by pairing him with Melo for the past 2 years.  Sure, he needed to get bigger and stronger and Melo certainly attracts the attention of the defense but if he was still here, KP would not be putting up these numbers.  And if you watch, the refs give him zero respect.  Zero.  He is hacked and whacked as Clyde would say all the time and gets no calls.  Anyway, at least for now, definitely worth a look as they are fun to watch.

MLB needs to start World Series games on the weekend at 4 or 5 pm.  There have been some terrific games but they are long and end well past midnight.  It’s really too bad.

SU hopes you appreciate how well Joe Girardi managed the Yankee bullpen and its relievers over the years.  When you watch the Astro and Dodger managers do their thing, it brings back memories of Tanyon Sturtz and Scott Proctor who were abused by Joe Torre and had their careers cut short.  If they were managing in NY, there would be calls to fire them as they have really bungled the late innings with the relievers.

There are no obvious managerial candidates for the Yankees which leads SU to believe it will be someone internal from the minor league system.  Apparently Cashman has given permission for any team to contact their coaches.  Even Girardi has nowhere to go now as the Phillies and Nationals filled their slots but hey, you never know who gets the ax once the World Series ends.

Greetings from Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.  SU actually took in an NHL game last night here – very exciting.  Hockey is always better in person.

Well, the Girardi haters are no doubt happy today.  Too robotic, too serious, too uninspiring, too much following his binder, etc.  SU says he had a very good 10-year run and had to manage his way through the retirements of Posada, Rivera and Jeter along with the A-Rod chaos which as we all know, was more challenging than any of these others.  He has a World Series ring and over the last several years, made the most of an inferior roster provided by Brian Cashman.

It sounds like Cashman recommended to ownership that Girardi should not be brought back.  According to Andrew Marchand, part of that decision stemmed from some disagreements this season about player usage – specifically Chris Carter.  Say what?!  Cashman and the analytics people thought he should be playing Carter more.  SU says this: if that was the reason you were fired, more power to you!  If Chris Carter was so great, don’t you think some major league team would have signed him after the Yankees released him?  That was a bone-headed signing and credit to Girardi for not playing him more than they did.

SU asks this question: if the Yankees had made it to the World Series, does he get brought back?  If the Yankees won the World Series, does he come back?  Or was this decision made months ago?  SU says that is the case – this was a done deal.  Look, Joe Torre was fired after about 12 seasons and having made the playoffs in 2007 – again.  No shame in this for Girardi.  SU says he was a very good manager who should have been brought back to take this team to the next level.  No one manages a bullpen better than him.  The immediate media stories talk about being too stressed, burnt out and ready for a change.  Maybe, maybe not.

http://www.espn.com/blog/new-york/yankees/post/_/id/97587/the-simple-truth-in-the-bronx-it-was-time-for-joe-to-go

Rob Thompson, the bench coach, seems to have the inside track for the moment.  But SU says: are you ready for the A-Rod era to begin?  Hal Steinbrenner is a big fan.  We could have J-Lo as the bench coach, a whole new strength and conditioning program that would work wonders – many upsides here.  Seriously, A-Rod will be a great manager.  He is a student of the game and connects well with the younger players – especially the Latino players.  Great with the media.  No one is mentioning it yet.  SU says keep an eye on this.

So, sports fans, let’s hear from you?  Good that Girardi was let go?  Time for a change?  Unfair?  Not so easy to replace him now?  Do not give me Dusty Baker or any of the other non-sabremetric types.  We want an analytics approach here.

SU is back from Happy Valley having suffered through Michigan’s beatdown by Penn State in a whiteout game.  A lot of fun being in that setting despite the mildly abusive treatment from the Penn State fans.  As SU has said before, there is an energy to college football that is different from the NFL in a positive way.  The fans are equally passionate but not as abusive/crazy/intoxicated as we see at the professional level.  Impressed with State College and their 110,000 fans.  Michigan is in a transition year with a lot of young players but they need to be competitive against their major rivals.  Last night was not from the start.

Unfortunately, you can’t access the internet when there are 110,000 fans in the stadium so it was challenging to follow game 7.  SU did get to see much of game 6.  Here is what you need to know:

• The Yankees scored a total of 3 runs in 4 games in Houston.  Seriously, this is all you need to know.   You are not going to win many games that way.
• As SU has said, a playoff series does not really start until you win on the other team’s home field/ice/court.  Well, no one did that in this series.
• There were several articles out there about how Houston was intimidated playing in Yankee Stadium and how the Yankees had all this momentum going into game 6.  As we know from John Sterling, momentum is tomorrow’s starting pitcher.
• So many strikeouts.  Inability to move runners along  So many strikeouts.  Did I mention all the strikeouts?
• I think the Astros caught up to the Yankee relievers in the end.  If you see the same pitchers over and over again, you start to figure things out.

It was a great season for the Yankees and they over-achieved by making it to the ALCS.  I seriously believe that.  I also believe that you need to fail before you can win it all – usually.  The Yankees failed in 1995 the same, painful way.  The rest if history.  Their roster will only get stronger next year.  And the year after as their next wave of prospects is promoted and the current crop get better.  It’s disappointing for sure but a lot to look forward to.

Will Girardi come back?  SU hopes so – he deserves to.  It may be his call.  But think of it this way: if he takes a year off, his next job will not be in NY and he will have to uproot his family.  SU says that is not happening.  He will return.

So, Yankee fans.  What do you say?

If you think about other professional sports, SU can see how home field/court/ice makes a difference in football, basketball and hockey come playoff time.  You play all year to have that final game of the series at home.  But in baseball, at least in the post-season, I don’t recall seeing the trend we are seeing this year in the past.  The Astros looked as overwhelmed playing in NY as the Yankees did in Houston and in Cleveland for that matter.  Actually, the Yankees September schedule was so back-loaded at home that they played 17 of their final games in the Bronx and had a great record.  This has clearly carried over into the playoff rounds and they look like a different team.  Part of that may also be youth and not being the gritty Paul O’Neil type warriors just yet who embrace playing on the road.  Judge hits the large majority of his home runs at home, and the Yankees season road record was 40-41.

Anyway, this series feels a lot like the 2001 World Series with Arizona.  Back then, the Yankees were listless in games 1 and 2, and then won 3 tense, low scoring games at home including two walk-off wins.  You would have thought they had all the momentum going back to Arizona but Andy Pettitte got rocked in game 6 and then of course, we had the heart-breaking game 7 ending.  As John Sterling likes to say, in baseball, “momentum is tomorrow’s starting pitcher.”  Beating Verlander will be a challenge for sure and then anything can happen in game 7.

SU says the one factor is this: Houston has been in 1st place with a huge lead all year.  Really the full season.  They have played with no stress.  For the first time now, they are playing in an elimination game.  The pressure is on them.  Verlander thrives in these situations but how about their young hitters?  That will be the key.  Can they regain their mojo now at home which almost makes it more pressurized before the nervous home town fans.

The Yankee bats have come alive.  Even Chase Headley had 3 hits.  There is production up and down the line-up now.  SU worries about Severino. Not sure what was going on with him in game 2.  He does appear to get too amped up and he is not a lock in game 6 to be good.

As SU has said before, the Yankees are playing with house money.  This is all gravy.  They have arrived ahead of schedule.

For Yankee fans, you remember certain post-season games in greater detail.  The Joe Girardi triple in game 6 against the Braves in the World Series where the stadium was shaking.  Aaron Boone’s home run in game 7 of the ALCS vs. Boston, Ken Griffey’s triple  in game 5 vs. Seattle and of course, game 7 against Arizona plus all of the walk off wins that series.  SU says last night’s game goes in that category for drama.

The Yankees were dead in the water for 6 innings.  They would have been no hit if not for Todd Frazier’s bloop single.  The highlight for SU was Chase Headley’s double but as he had not had an extra base hit since September 10th, he, of course, falls down between 1st and 2nd.  Making it to 2nd base was the key play of the inning to keeps things moving.  Sanchez’s double to right field combined with his sac fly to right is a positive sign of things to come now for him.  He needs to go the other way and stop pulling.  Judge appears to be starting another hot stretch.  Didi shows how to go to left field.  As dramatic a win as I can remember.  This team plays with a lot of heart and whether you like Girardi or not, he sets the tone.  The complaints that he makes his players tense and stressed is BS.  The one thing about post-season baseball is that you can go from goat to hero in the blink of an eye.

Sooooo, about tonight’s game.  SU has a few suggestions:

• You have to get Torreyes in the line up.  History says they do not hit Keuchel with the normal line up.  You can put him in at DH or what would be better, play him at 2nd base.  Castro made 2 errors yesterday and if you noticed on his last at bat, Girardi called to him from the dugout to see if he was ok.  SU believes there is something physical going on with him as he is normally very sure-handed in the field.  Let’s give him the day off and you can always use him to pinch hit as necessary.
• I would DH Sanchez again and put Romine back there.  Look, he wasn’t that good in game 4 – especially with the catcher’s interference which cost them a run – but Tanaka is another pitcher who is in the dirt all the time.  Headley has shown signs of life but only from the left side.  Holliday had his shot – too painful to watch.
• Note to all right handed hitters: do not swing at the inside pitches.  Take the outside pitches to the opposite field.  That has to be the plan.

SU is feeling very proud of the team today.  It’s a great group of guys.  Even Todd Frazier is growing on me although you need to leave 3rd base open for next season for Gleybar Torres.  If you watch Judge in the post-game interview, he is very thoughtful with his responses.  Takes a moment to consider every question.  Teams with high character players like Judge and Didi are rare these days.  Most of the time you put up with the likes of OBJ and try to hold your nose.  Not so with the Yankees this year.

As expected, the Yankees rebounded with a comfortable win last night.  But let’s acknowledge that aside from Judge’s home run, some of those hits were not exactly sharp line drives.  In fact, most of them were not.  True, the Astros made some nice plays in the field as did Judge, but the Yankee offense has still not showed itself in this series.  Nor have the Astros hit – really at all – and they should feel fortunate to be up 2-1 in the series.

If you watched last night, Sanchez continues to have a hard time catching the ball and SU says it may be impacting his hitting.  Or vice versa.  In any event, CC knows where his pitches are going and Sanchez still dropped or missed several.  Sonny Gray is going tonight and as we know, no-one knows where those pitches are heading.  Four wild pitches in game 1 of the ALDS.  SU says start Romine behind the plate and put Sanchez in at DH.  Allow him to just concentrate on his hitting.  Romine is a much better defensive catcher and can help to control the running game better.  You know there will be more traffic on the bases tonight with Gray who will throw 97 pitches to get through 4 innings with several walks.  The good news is that you lose nothing offensively as putting Headley or Ellsbury on the bench just loses 1 single for all of the post-season.

No-one is mentioning it but SU says watch for this bold Girardi move this afternoon.  Every run will matter today and perhaps it gets Sanchez untracked.

Thoughts?

The fans are demanding that SU weigh in on tonight’s game.  Note the weather: should be in the 50s with a breeze and colder as the game goes on.  Advantage Yankees and disadvantage Astros who are a warm weather team.  Watch for the hoodies and the blowing on the hands.  SU is predicting a Yankee win tonight as they have been good in the elimination games and this will feel like one.  Look for Chase Headley to have a big game (no, that is not a typo).  He showed signs of life in game 2.  It’s coming.  Greg Bird is my other player of the game.  And Aaron Judge’s ground outs were actually big – he will channel that into something more.  Sanchez is still lost at the plate.

How about those Giants?!  All it takes is having someone else call the plays.  Hey, you never know and let’s face it, the NFL is pretty mediocre this year.  Lots of parity and no one team stands out in the NFC.  The Eagles will no doubt come down to earth soon enough.  I must say it was fun not having to watch OBJ dancing around out there.  They really dominated last night against a good Denver defense on the road.  Beat Seattle at home this week and then let’s see what you have.

The Jets got robbed on that TD call in the 4th quarter.  That was just wrong.  SU does not like the whole NFL rule about catches where you “have to complete the catch.”  That was a catch, a bobble and then a catch.  20 years ago, that was a touchdown.  Heck, 5 years ago that was a touchdown.  SU says unnecessary to give the Patriots any further advantage.

Keep an eye on the Dodgers.  That’s 5 in a row and as long-time subscriber A. Grossman likes to say, “they have the karma.”  It just may be their year.

Finally, SU will be on site this weekend in Happy Valley to see Michigan take on Penn State on a white out night with fellow SU subscribers B. Levine and J. Silver.  This could be ugly but hey, you never know.  On paper, not the best match up for Michigan.  Go Blue.

SU says it’s clearly not ideal and you would prefer to be heading home to New York with the series tied at 1-1 vs. being down 0-2.  But let’s step back and see what’s gone on here so far:

• The Yankee hitters strike out at a historic rate.  Some are tough at bats and then there are the Gary Sanchez ones where he is missing by 2-3 feet in 3 pitches.  As said here many times, they don’t manufacture runs and rely on the home run.  Clearly not working in games 1 and 2.
• They have been out-scored 4-2.  Certainly not blowout losses but the 2-0 deficit in game 1 felt enormous and let’s be honest: did you really think they were going to win game 2 with the scored tied 1-1?  SU did not.  They never threatened in any inning.  That’s why I was not overly distraught by the play in the bottom of the 9th inning – it felt more like putting them out of their misery than a crushing defeat.
• But about that play.  How does Sanchez not take off his mask there?  It makes it that much harder to see and field a low throw from Didi.  He should have stepped forward and caught the ball and then lunged back to nail the runner.  Sure, it was an aggressive National League type of play to send the runner but he should have been out by a mile and then it was a dumb send by the 3rd base coach.  Sanchez is a great offensive catcher with a gun for an arm but we have all seen his defensive liabilities throughout the season.  No one is surprised that he failed to scoop the throw cleanly – certainly not any Yankee pitcher.
• The reality is that when you score 1 run a game, tough to win.  Chase Headley showed signs of life at the DH spot yesterday and deserves another start in game 3.  SU does not think the Astros will start Keuchel until game 5 but I could be wrong.  They may want him lined up for a game 7 if necessary.  Btw, if he starts in game 4 or 5, can we please put Torreyes in the DH slot?  Someone with a short swing who hit .290 for the year and can produce against a tough pitcher.

As Pat Riley likes to say, a series does not officially start until one team loses on its home court.  SU believes in that and if they can find a way to win in game 3, things will look differently.  If they don’t, well there it is.  But the priority needs to be on offense to at least put the ball in play and make the adjustments.  Judge has been making contact more the last two games and he might just be ready to get untracked – yet again.  Sanchez and Castro must hit to right field.  How do they not see that or recognize that’s necessary?

Finally, an appeal to FOX.  Get rid of the box at home plate.  Unless you tell us that you are meticulously fitting this for every batter, it’s just an annoyance and it makes the umpire look bad on almost every pitch.  The real fans watch games all season long without it.  And finally, finally, as SU has said many times, the umpires get the close calls correctly about 30% of the time.  It’s amazing how many calls they miss but to be honest, very hard to see.  I know baseball has the human element and all that but other sports are working to get calls correct and baseball needs to incorporate technology more.

So,  Yankee fans and Yankee haters, is the series over?  Or is there life in the Bronx come Monday night?