It wasn’t supposed to happen this way, but the Yankees were eliminated by the Detroit Tigers:
DETROIT (AP) — As a reborn baseball town erupted in splashes of orange and blue around them, the Detroit Tigers danced in the infield, kicking up dirt like kids on a sandlot.
They grabbed Jim Leyland, hoisted him on their shoulders and carried him off the field as 43,000 delirious fans screamed as one. The manager’s ride was a short one, but the party was just getting started.
The Tigers are still on the prowl. The mighty New York Yankees struck out.
Three years after losing 119 games, they moved back among baseball’s biggest cats with an 8-3 victory Saturday in Game 4 over the Yankees, whose $200 million payroll couldn’t help them against Detroit’s pitching.
“This is the best of the best, to beat the best team in baseball,” said Craig Monroe, who hit a two-run homer. “This is baseball for us, right here in Detroit.”
Once a punchline, the Tigers punched out the big, bad Yankees.
Not surprisingly, this is already leading to speculation as to how and when Mount Steinbrenner will erupt:
But how can they turn it around for the next postseason? Already, the calls to trade Rodriguez — who struggled so badly in this series that Torre dropped him to eighth in the lineup Saturday — are being made. A big hurdle to that: A-Rod has a complete no-trade clause in his contract.
“I’ve never run from problems. I don’t want to go anywhere. I’m committed to come back and have a monster year [in 2007],” A-Rod bravely told reporters Saturday. “I’m 100 percent committed to being a Yankee. That’s the only place I want to play.”
Cashman — if, indeed, he isn’t fired by Steinbrenner over the winter — is handcuffed in his ability to remake the roster by a lot of high-priced veterans who would be difficult to trade. He could move players like Abreu, or he might not pick up the option for Sheffield. What’s almost certain: The Yankees figure to spend more, possibly on a free-agent pitcher like Barry Zito or Jason Schmidt.
Torre, who generally is regarded as a calming influence on the Yankees’ roster, will be a target for criticism, too. Few of his moves this series worked out, from benching Sheffield on Friday in favor of Bernie Williams to benching Giambi on Saturday in favor of Melky Cabrera. If it’s up to Cashman, Torre will return. But with Steinbrenner — who has been critical of Torre in years past — you never know.
Whatever happens in the weeks and months ahead, after a postseason like this one, there will be changes. Steinbrenner will not take this sitting still
Get rid of A-Rod ? Maybe, but still, I think short-sighted. Get rid of Torre ? That could perhaps be the dumbest move George could make. What the Yankees need to do is beef up their pitching get rid of the old guys, bring in new talent. And stop trading away the prospects. After all, Kenny Rogers, who beat the Yankees for Detroit on Friday, used to be Yankee.
There is good news in New York, though, the Mets have swept the Dodgers and are headed to the NLCS.
