Post by musicradio77 on Oct 11, 2005 19:07:25 GMT -5
Bombers bumble as Angels rejoice
BY SAM BORDEN
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
ANAHEIM - A row of Yankees hung over the dugout railing in the ninth inning last night, chins on hands, eyes staring blankly at home plate in search of the hit that never came.
This was how it would finish. Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter and Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield all in a row, hopeless and helpless as their season slipped away.
The ending came when Hideki Matsui grounded out at 11:45 p.m. Eastern time - exactly 190 days, three hours and 34 minutes after it began on a cold, crisp night at the Stadium. The Yankees were on the railing then, too, watching Randy Johnson fire the first pitch of the season under a sky full of promise and potential.
But last night there was only sorrow and sadness. As soon as the fireworks exploded and the Angels burst onto the field to celebrate their 5-3 victory in the decisive game of this AL division series, the Yankees turned away as if the bright lights had suddenly been shined directly into their pupils.
Three years ago, they stayed and watched the Angels party; on this night, it hurt too much.
"I can't put it into words right now," A-Rod said softly.
It was impossible to know how many endings there were last night. Bernie Williams' fly to left in the seventh inning was likely his final at-bat as a Yankee; Brian Cashman may have watched his last game as general manager; even Joe Torre may be at risk, as no one can know for sure how George Steinbrenner will react to yet another empty winter.
And that is the only way The Boss will ever view this season, even if some might find happiness in the revival from their 11-19 start or the emergence of Robinson Cano and Chien-Ming Wang or the sensation that comes with celebrating a division title at Fenway Park.
"When you look back on the season," Jorge Posada said, "you remember the positives, not the negatives."
Maybe, but to Steinbrenner, none of it will matter. The Bombers were a $200-plus million group of stars assembled to give The Boss his first championship since 2001 and so, in that regard - perhaps the only one that matters to Steinbrenner - they failed.
Two images from Game 5 will linger: Mike Mussina walking slowly off the mound in the third inning, and Gary Sheffield colliding with Bubba Crosby one inning earlier as the ball skittered away and a pair of Angels circled the bases.
Still, no fingers could be pointed. The goats were everywhere. Rodriguez was 2-for-15 in the division series and grounded into a double-play in his last at-bat. Matsui was 0-for-5 last night and left eight runners on base and his sharp grounder to first with two on ended the game. Mussina, who led the Yankees to victory in Game 1, allowed five runs on six hits and recorded just eight outs.
"Maybe if I would have contributed something we would be going on to Chicago (to play the White Sox in the ALCS)," A-Rod said. "I need to take a long look in the mirror. I just didn't show up. I played great baseball all year and I played like a dog the last five days."
His bitterness wasn't unique. The Yankees, who once were 9-1/2 games out in the AL East race, clinched the division on the penultimate day of the season and then won the first game of this series here. They were pitching solidly, hitting powerfully and fielding smoothly, seemingly well on their way back to the ALCS - and then, suddenly, it all began to fall apart.
Torre, who said frequently over the past few weeks that he felt his team was playing at its highest level at the perfect time, was crushed. As awful as last fall's collapse to the Red Sox might have felt, this pain was deeper.
"I am more disappointed than last year only because, you know, I just felt deep down that we were going to find a way to get it done," he said.
They didn't. Even after Angels starter Bartolo Colon lasted just 23 pitches before being lifted with shoulder inflammation, the Yankees could not pounce. Randy Johnson pitched 4-1/3 shutout innings in relief of Mussina, but 22-year-old rookie Ervin Santana (5-1/3 innings, three runs) mystified the Bombers just enough to send the Yankees into what may be the coldest winter yet.
"I've always said it: The best teams get into the playoffs and the hottest team wins it," Jeter said. "Over the past week, we weren't the hottest team."
Moments later, he walked out the door and into the tunnel, past the stairs that led to the dugout and on out toward the bus. There was a plane waiting, another cross-country flight toward morning.
There was no game waiting on the other side of that trip, however, only the uncertainty of the offseason and the overriding hope that spring training is not that far away.
BY SAM BORDEN
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
ANAHEIM - A row of Yankees hung over the dugout railing in the ninth inning last night, chins on hands, eyes staring blankly at home plate in search of the hit that never came.
This was how it would finish. Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter and Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield all in a row, hopeless and helpless as their season slipped away.
The ending came when Hideki Matsui grounded out at 11:45 p.m. Eastern time - exactly 190 days, three hours and 34 minutes after it began on a cold, crisp night at the Stadium. The Yankees were on the railing then, too, watching Randy Johnson fire the first pitch of the season under a sky full of promise and potential.
But last night there was only sorrow and sadness. As soon as the fireworks exploded and the Angels burst onto the field to celebrate their 5-3 victory in the decisive game of this AL division series, the Yankees turned away as if the bright lights had suddenly been shined directly into their pupils.
Three years ago, they stayed and watched the Angels party; on this night, it hurt too much.
"I can't put it into words right now," A-Rod said softly.
It was impossible to know how many endings there were last night. Bernie Williams' fly to left in the seventh inning was likely his final at-bat as a Yankee; Brian Cashman may have watched his last game as general manager; even Joe Torre may be at risk, as no one can know for sure how George Steinbrenner will react to yet another empty winter.
And that is the only way The Boss will ever view this season, even if some might find happiness in the revival from their 11-19 start or the emergence of Robinson Cano and Chien-Ming Wang or the sensation that comes with celebrating a division title at Fenway Park.
"When you look back on the season," Jorge Posada said, "you remember the positives, not the negatives."
Maybe, but to Steinbrenner, none of it will matter. The Bombers were a $200-plus million group of stars assembled to give The Boss his first championship since 2001 and so, in that regard - perhaps the only one that matters to Steinbrenner - they failed.
Two images from Game 5 will linger: Mike Mussina walking slowly off the mound in the third inning, and Gary Sheffield colliding with Bubba Crosby one inning earlier as the ball skittered away and a pair of Angels circled the bases.
Still, no fingers could be pointed. The goats were everywhere. Rodriguez was 2-for-15 in the division series and grounded into a double-play in his last at-bat. Matsui was 0-for-5 last night and left eight runners on base and his sharp grounder to first with two on ended the game. Mussina, who led the Yankees to victory in Game 1, allowed five runs on six hits and recorded just eight outs.
"Maybe if I would have contributed something we would be going on to Chicago (to play the White Sox in the ALCS)," A-Rod said. "I need to take a long look in the mirror. I just didn't show up. I played great baseball all year and I played like a dog the last five days."
His bitterness wasn't unique. The Yankees, who once were 9-1/2 games out in the AL East race, clinched the division on the penultimate day of the season and then won the first game of this series here. They were pitching solidly, hitting powerfully and fielding smoothly, seemingly well on their way back to the ALCS - and then, suddenly, it all began to fall apart.
Torre, who said frequently over the past few weeks that he felt his team was playing at its highest level at the perfect time, was crushed. As awful as last fall's collapse to the Red Sox might have felt, this pain was deeper.
"I am more disappointed than last year only because, you know, I just felt deep down that we were going to find a way to get it done," he said.
They didn't. Even after Angels starter Bartolo Colon lasted just 23 pitches before being lifted with shoulder inflammation, the Yankees could not pounce. Randy Johnson pitched 4-1/3 shutout innings in relief of Mussina, but 22-year-old rookie Ervin Santana (5-1/3 innings, three runs) mystified the Bombers just enough to send the Yankees into what may be the coldest winter yet.
"I've always said it: The best teams get into the playoffs and the hottest team wins it," Jeter said. "Over the past week, we weren't the hottest team."
Moments later, he walked out the door and into the tunnel, past the stairs that led to the dugout and on out toward the bus. There was a plane waiting, another cross-country flight toward morning.
There was no game waiting on the other side of that trip, however, only the uncertainty of the offseason and the overriding hope that spring training is not that far away.