This Saturday marks the highly comical return of Carl Pavano to the decimated Yankee rotation.  With the Yanks sitting six games out of the Wild Card spot and just over a month to play, will he provide enough of a boost for the Bronx Bombers to reach the playoffs for the thirteenth consecutive year?  Or will he only provide enough to boost his own personal checking account this off-season?

The timing for Pavano’s latest comeback attempt is convenient enough to weasel yet another lucrative contract offer out of another team looking for starting pitching depth – something that all 30 teams are interested in.  If he comes on strong in the final five weeks of the season and shows flashes of returning to his 2004 form, will another team pay a hefty salary in hopes that he can anchor the number two or three spot in their rotation? (more…)

After a topsy-turvy season, the New York Yankees have been eliminated from the playoffs by the Cleveland Indians. Historically, outside of baseball, Yanks losing to Indians is irony at its best.

The Indians will move forward to face the red-hot Boston Red Sox for the ALCS.

The question on everybody’s mind: what is the future of Joe Torre and the Yankees?

The answer: if George Steinbrenner isn’t happy, nobody’s happy.

Steinbrenner has mentioned on many occasions that Torre would be replaced if the Yankees were eliminated in the early stages of the playoffs; that day has come.

The top prospects to replace Torre would be Florida Marlins’ magicmaker Joe Girardi – he took his team from rock bottom to a respectable middleground with rookies and a low payroll – or Larry Bowa, the Yankees current third-base coach.

No matter what happens to Torre, nothing can tarnish his 12-year legacy: 4 World Series titles in his first 5 years of coaching the Yanks, 2-time AL Manager of the Year, etc.

With that said, go Red Sox!