From Kevin Kernan:
HANK Steinbrenner had a mes sage yesterday for his Yankees: Gentlemen, it's time to get your act together.
"We've got to forget about all the injuries and start playing our butts off," Steinbrenner told The Post. The Yankees were buried by the Rays on Monday. These are difficult days for Joe Girardi's club.
"The bottom line is that the team is not playing the way it is capable of playing," Steinbrenner said. "These players are being paid a lot of money and they had better decide for themselves to earn that money."
Steinbrenner is right to say that injuries cannot be used as an excuse. There is too much talent for the Yankees not to be playing better.
"We have good professional hitters and I have a lot of faith in them," Steinbrenner said from Tampa. As for the team in general, he noted, "I'm not saying they are not giving the effort, but they need to be playing harder."
He then paid the much-improved Rays a compliment, saying, the Yankees have "got to start playing the way the Rays are playing. (The Yankees) need to start treating it like when they were younger players and going after that big contract, like they're in (Triple-A) and trying to make the majors. That's the kind of attitude and fire the players have to have.
"There's no question we need to turn it around and we have the talent to turn it around. We've got the team in place, and now they just have to go out and do it.
"This is going to get turned around," Steinbrenner said. "If it's not turned around this year, then it will be turned around next year, by force if we have too."
"We'll add whoever we have to add," he said. "We're missing two big pieces, but this is basically the same lineup as last year. I have great faith in all of them."
You can't really blame him for being upset, I would be too, in fact, I am. The team look old and tired. As far as adding whoever they have to add, I don't really know what's out there, but what they need is a right-handed bat, they need speed (*caugh* Brett Gardner *caugh*), and they may need a starting pitcher (maybe Joe Blanton or Freddy Garcia if he's healthy).
I'm also not exactly sure what he meant by "If it's not turned around this year, then it will be turned around next year, by force if we have too." Is he going to shoot Brian Cashman in the face? Is he going to invade Boston?
Hank also defended Joba's fist pump, saying he means "he means no malice by what he does." And said he was happy that the Rays are a good team and would like to see more than 13,000 Floridians show up to watch them play. He also says he wishes they were in the National League.
I think this is the third Hank outburst right before a Mike Mussina start, and each time Mussina pitched well, so let's hope he can make it 3-for-3 tonight.
8 Comments:
This team NEEDS a fire under their ass..I hope this is it, but I doubt it, but it was nice to hear Hank with the same thoughts that I had...I think the change he was referring to was saying adios to Cash....Jeter hits a triple with 1 out and we can't score him?????!!!!
Who isnt pissed about how they are playing? Sure, with Arod and Posada in the lineup things change. Certain guys get to see better pitches, not to mention Posada and Arod are great offsensively. But guys.......you don have them! That doesnt mean, "meh, we'll get 'em tomorrow." because in September when your 3 games back with 12 to play all those April and May games that were "let go" and slipped away will seem that much more important.
No one in the AL East (or around baseball for that matter) is running away with the division. If the Yanks can go on a run and take 7 of 10 o r 8 of 11...they could find themselves in first place. Hell, a 5 game win streak could do that. Boston lost 3 of 4 to the Twins, now 2 of 3 to Baltimore. WAKE UP.....the division is right there, take it and run!
What bothers me the most is that this team doesn't do anything to make things happen. Johnny Damon leads off the game last night with a single and doesn't try to steal second. A 2-1 pitch to Jeter and no hit and run? Why?
They don't run, the don't bunt, they rarely move runners over, they can't get that runner in from third. These are all major problems, and if you noticed, team's that do these things generally win ball game. They're all sitting back and waiting for the three-run homer. And the blame should be on Girardi.
Hank makes no sense. What is "by force" supposed to mean?? The media needs to stop interviewing him in the mid-afternoon as he's exiting the pub.
Two rookies in the starting rotation; several bench players who would have a tough time making most MLB squads; a patchwork bullpen for the umpteenth year in a row; aging stars who are showing their age...
Get real Hank. This team doesn't need to start playing better. This team is INCAPABLE of playing any better.
Well the bullpen has been pretty good, and since Rasner got called up the starting pitching has been OK as well. The real problem with this team right now is that they're not hitting.
Shelley Duncan. Down.
Brett Gardner. Up.
Fire. Started.
I agree 100% Derek. And I like Duncan, but he's just not cutting it right now.
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