Last night was a bad loss, but it’s still only one game. One game, not four, unless they somehow changed the rules and are giving the World Series trophy to the Phillies just because they dominated the Yankees in Game 1.
The game reminded me of Opening Day at the new Yankee Stadium. In both games, CC and Cliff Lee pitched well, but Lee got the win. In both games, the Yankee bats were stifled, and in both games, the bullpen imploded. And in both games, the fans seemed really out of it.
Remember all the hysteria in Yankeeland over that humilating loss? I do. But somehow, the Yankees managed to get it together, and win 57 games in the new ballpark.
You would think sportswriters would be able to keep some perspective – CC was very good (other than giving up the Utley homers) but Cliff Lee had one of the all-time great postseason performances, and at any rate, it’s still only one game.
But not New York Post columnist Joel Sherman. He wrote this on Twitter after the game:
@nyp_joelsherman Whose season feels more over: #Yankees 0-1 in World Series, #Knicks 0-1 in regular season
Get a grip, dude. Are you really serious? What a breathtaking lack of perspective.
But sadly, that’s typical for Sherman, though, when it comes to his columns, tweets, and blog posts after bad losses. Here’s what he wrote after the Yankee’s season opener loss, when Sabathia and Teixeira had lousy debuts in their first game in pinstripes:
Sabathia was the highest-paid free-agent pitcher of the offseason and Teixeira the highest-paid position player. In a down economic climate, the Yanks invested $341 million on just those two. They are not going to feel bad about those decisions at 0-1. However, no one wants to make a bad first impression as a Yankee because the hole is always a little deeper, so deep that many never truly escape.
It’s true! CC and Tex never truly escaped that bad first impression. We’re doomed!
Then there was this Sherman hysteria after A.J. Burnett and the Yankees lost 14-1 at Fenway Park in August, the day after beating the Sox. He even brought up the specter of the 2004 over this one loss, fretting that the Yankees could lose the division to the Sox.
Just about the only downside for the Yankees in Friday night’s blowout of the Red Sox was how much it was reminiscent of their Game 3 victory in the 2004 ALCS.
The Yankees won that contest 19-8 at Fenway, Hideki Matsui hit two homers and the Yanks took a three-games-to-none lead. At that moment, the Yanks appeared more likely to join a Broadway chorus line en masse than fail to reach the World Series. Their magic number was one with four games to play. But they never did get that victory, and no one ever Cursed again.
Turns out that the only thing that Saturday loss to Boston – the one where A.J. Burnett yelled “Why, why, why” on the mound – was that Jorge Posada stopped catching Burnett. The Yankees ended up winning the series finale, didn’t lose a game to the Sox for the rest of the year, and Boston finished in second place, eight games behind this Yankees. And after losing the first eight games of their head-to-head matchups, the Yanks ended up tying the season series. Oh, and did I mention that the Yankees are in the World Series now? Other than that, Sherman’s prognostication was on the money!
So why am I doing this whole walk through memory lane? Because while it’s true that this Yankee team has had some brutal losses this year, but they have invariably prevailed. If you’re a Yankee fan who really thinks that the World Series is over because of one brutal loss, do yourself – and the rest of us – a favor and jump off the bandwagon now. Thanks.
Yes, other than Derek Jeter, the Yankee bats looked flat all evening. And yes, Phil Hughes was terrible. And yes, why Joe Girardi would put Brian Bruney on the postseason roster at all, let alone have him pitch in this game, made no sense.
But it’s still only one game. In 1996, I flew up to New York and spent almost $300 on a ticket to see Andy Pettitte get his butt kicked in the rain in Game 1 of the World Series to the Atlanta Braves, the defending world champions. And then the Yanks lost Game 2 at home. The bridge-jumping then was fierce, and the media was in hysterics. Yet somehow, the Yankees managed to win three games in the then-intimidating atmosphere of Atlanta, and then clinched their first title in 18 years at home.
Am I saying the same thing will happen this time? No. I’m just saying that it’s ridiculous to even suggest that the season feels “over” because of one game.
There is one Squawker cohort who doesn’t feel the same as me, though – my cat, C.C. After giving a grudging paw of approval to the Yankees ace, she takes it all back, hissing and scratching in CC Sabathia’s direction after each Utley homer. She’s not pleased. Cats have no loyalty.
What do you think? Tell us about it!
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