Remember Its free speech!!!
1. Joe Posnanski - SI.COM
I Quote ""
1. The New York Yankees will miss the playoffs again.
CC Sabathia is one of my favorite pitchers in all of baseball. How can you not love a pitcher who is 6-foot-7, 250 pounds (ahem) and throws serious gas. I remember when he was a rookie with Cleveland -- guy was a force of nature even then. He faced off against Kansas City, and a rookie pitcher that you probably will not remember named Dan Reichert. Both were first-round draft picks, which led Kansas City coach Frank White to ask the ultimate baseball coach's question: "Why is it that other teams' first-round draft picks look like THAT while our draft picks look like THAT."
Anyway, I love Sabathia, but I have been going back and forth on how he will pitch for the Yankees. On the one hand, he's a great pitcher who looks to be going right into his prime. On the other hand, he has pitched about a million innings already and he does not have a great history at Yankee Stadium. On the other hand, this is the new Yankee Stadium, and anyway his history at Yankee Stadium was AGAINST the Yankees, which is a whole different thing. On the other hand, three bad starts in a row and he will feel like he's pitching AGAINST the Yankees again.
Anyway, Sabathia isn't the reason I think the Yankees will miss the playoffs again. And Joba Chamberlain's sudden and shocking decrease in velocity is not the reason. And the aging of Derek Jeter is not the reason. And the fact that sooner or later Mariano Rivera will either age or be forced to return to his home planet is not the reason. And the sad ballad of A-Rod is not the reason either.
No, the simple reasons are that I think that Tampa Bay will be better than last year. And I think Boston is a more complete team than the Yankees. In my view, those are three of the five best teams in baseball, and one is going to miss the playoffs. I think it will be the Yankees.
2. Ken Rosenthal (April 6 2009)
A-Rod will not make it through the season
A-Rod will work his tail off to recover from hip surgery, making it back by May 1, faster than his doctors predicted. Chances are, though, that Rodriguez will be a diminished player -- a development that will drive him nuts.
Persevering in a pennant race would make Rodriguez a more sympathetic figure; he cannot be any less of one. But remember, A-Rod still must undergo a second, more extensive surgery. And his resolve would benefit no one if he is a significantly lesser version of himself.
Come July, the Yankees might look more seriously at a temporary replacement such as the Mariners' Adrian Beltre. And A-Rod might abandon his plan to wait until the end of the season to undergo his second surgery.
3. Joel Sherman BIG, BAD EAST WILL LEAVE YANKEES OUT IN THE COLD
YANKEES pick 3rd
Obviously the rotation is better. But the defense is ordinary at best with Derek Jeter's shortstop play a big issue. There are many age/injury concerns and they already start the season with Alex Rodriguez out. He is potentially damaged goods when he returns and potentially damaging to the psyche of the team (remember Selena Roberts' book about him is due out this month). Will they get enough production from their outfield (if not the offense is good, not great). How about their set-up core? Can Joe Girardi hold this team together in crisis? There is enough talent here to win 100-plus, and enough dysfunction to fall to third.
Great Job by every expert even if they were all incorrect
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