Yankees in 2009

As the Yankees goes quietly into the night I decided to devote one last article to this disgrace of a team.

Back in May, I noticed too many flaws with the 2008 Yankees and predicted they would not make the postseason. It was not being pessimistic; rather, it was looking at the team, the injuries, and the manner in which the team carried itself. The signs were evident from many different angles.

In June, Joba was converted to a starter and the front office began to show signs of panic. Moves were made that did not necessarily make sense at the time. For one, I think Joba is going to be a great starter. The debate of whether or not he should be groomed into the next closer is a good one but assuming Joba can become a true ace, I agree with the move - just not the timing. Injured now for probably the rest of the season, Joba is not stretched out properly and will most likely have an innings limit next year. The same could be said for Hughes who likely will not be in the rotation if Pettitte, Mussina, Wang, Joba and CC Sabathia are in it.

That brings me to my next point. Everyone can look back now and say they should have gotten Santana for a bunch of prospects. Hughes could become the next Roger Clemens but the key word is COULD. He might not become anything if he continues to get hurt year after year. The Yankees theoretically could have traded Hughes, Melky, Kennedy and another mid-level prospect for Santana which is essentially just Hughes straight up the lefty stud. Melky is a huge bust. If any team saw value in him the Yankees missed an opportunity to get rid of him. He ism at best, a .250 hitter without power. Yes, he can throw and he is an above average fielder. Yes, Damon stinks in the field. But with the offense underachieving this year, carrying a bat like Melky (a guy who belongs in A or AA ball) is useless.

Despite the lack of pitching depth and the lack of a quality bullpen (bullpen has been good for the most part but you can't trust them in big games) the Yankees pitching has been serviceable for most of the season. Ponson & Rasner have pitched well in some games (horrible in others) but they have certainly given the team a chance to win. What's odd is that the team just cannot score with RISP. Looking down the lineup, most guys have decent averages but none can hit in the clutch. Specifically A-Rod, Giambi and Cano. It makes no sense that this lineup, even with the injuries, has scored 2 or fewer runs in more than 1/3 of their games.

This season can really be blamed on a lot of factors. Obviously the lack of hitting, injuries, front office mistakes, etc. The bottom line is the Yankees are mostly a bunch of overpaid, underachieving, players. Credit goes to Mike Mussina who has been unreal this year. Aside from that, no one is having a career year and just about everyone is playing below their career averages. It's a shame to watch as most of the time the team shows no life.

Look for CC Sabathia next year and either Manny or Texeira. I don't see the Yankees keeping Giambi or Abreu for that matter (not for $16M). You can bank on CC being here though. It's going to cost about $150M over 7 years or so but they won't have a choice.

Good night baseball season.....BRING ON THE 2008 NFL SEASON!!!