...on ensuring the Yanks aren't champs again in the near future. Congrats on offering an (In Torre's words) "insulting" contract proposition to someone who, in 12 seasons, won 10 divisions, made the playoffs every year, and won 4 World Series Championships. Everyone knows "The Boss" expects his dollars and spending to bring Championships, but the last 7 years have proved him wrong. The respect he gets from his own players, along with the rest of baseball, is the glue that has held the Yanks together. Lack of that intangible "it" has held them back. I never saw Sheffield, Giambi, or even A-Rod man-up after someone made a bad out, or had a bad game, and slapped them on the butt and said "get 'em next time kid...shake it off". People like Girardi and Brocious, making combined a fraction of the cash any of those three did, gave a good team the "it" to be great.
I know Steinbrenner is running a business, and I know Yanks fans have known since the Billy Martin fiascos that he is a time bomb, but I think it is safe to say that the majority, if not a ridiculous majority of Yanks fans agree this is nothing more than him making a scape goat out of someone who doesn't deserve it. If the Yanks kept up their first half of 2007 and went 70 and 92, sure make an example. But they came back, got the wild card, and almost overtook the Sox. Torre made the best with what he was given, and his roster was given by Cashman. Unless Cashman is just a talking head for The Boss, which I believe he is, he gets the axe.
Sorry Joe. You were right. 4 WS wins in your first 5 seasons set the bar too high. I am a Mets fan and I absolutely hate the Yankees more than anything in this world, but I respect what you did and how you ran your team.
Come on, Joe. Come back to Queens as Willie's dog. You know you wanna!