A Little Welcome Back Catch Up

Well kids, my break is over.  I've been far too productive at all the other things in my life sick with a wicked chest cold and drinking more beer than I probably should have over the last 5 days so I figured it was time to dust off the old keyboard and get back into the swing of things in Yankeeland.  Here's my quick takes on the biggest Yankee newsbits to come to light since the ALCS ended with promise of more in-depth discussion to follow.

* Eiland Not Brought Back For 2011

Can't say I'm surprised or disappointed by this move.  Eiland had pretty much hit his ceiling of effectiveness in 2010 with Joba' continued struggles, A.J.'s continued sucktitude, Phil's inability to adapt to the league's changing approach against him as the season wore on, and the constant ups and downs of the bullpens.  His little one-month PTO session in the middle of the season probably didn't help his cause either.  I haven't the first guess about with whom the Yankees will replace Eiland, but if it's Mike Harkey I might kill myself.

* Andy In Rough Shape In The Playoffs

Again, can't say I'm surprised by this.  He didn't get a lot of work after coming back from the groin injury, never got fully stretched out before the postseason started, he's 38 years old, and he's not on HGH anymore.  Pettitte's health was always a question mark all year, so why would you expect it to be any different after a 162-game grind?  I will say that this information coming to light after the fact makes Joe's choice of ALCS rotation make a little more sense as he wanted to give Pettitte more rest, and it makes Pettitte's performance in both his postseason starts that much more impressive.  I mean, you do realize that he was 3 pitches away from throwing 14 shutout innings in the playoffs at age 38, right?  God and damn!

* CC Has Knee Surgery

I would say it sheds some light on why he pitched so poorly in the postseason, but then I look up and re-read the story about Pettitte having a shitty back and shitty hamstrings and still dealing and I can't really chalk CC's ineffectiveness up to just health.  This will obviously bring up all the questions about CC's workload and big fat ass again, and justifiably so.  I think this story will linger around all throughout next season as the Yanks have to figure out how to keep the big guy in one piece for the next 5 years and keep him as the ace that he is and is supposed to be.

* Joe Gets A New Deal

Did he revert back to being a tightwad nervous wreck this season?  Yes.  Does he horribly mismanage his starting rotation and bullpen all the time because of his obsession with his matchup binder?  Yes.  Does he make you as a Yankee fan feel confident at all times?  Absolutely not.  But who else is out there who could do better?  I don't want Torre back here, LaRussa isn't going anywhere, Sweet Lou has retired, and what the fuck has Bobby Valentine ever done to make people love him so much?  Each player on the team says Girardi is the best manager they've ever played for and that's good enough for me.  At least for now.

* The World Series

Hey, Cliff Lee, thanks for saving your stinker of a game for the World Series.  Seriously, bro, where the fuck were all those hanging curves for balls and cutters over the heart of the plate against the Yankees?  That kinda shit ain't gonna get you the CC or Johan money you're looking for this offseason, dude.  And tell your old lady to pipe down about how badly she was treated by the Yankee fans.  She's the wife of an opposing team's best player in Yankee Stadium, what the fuck did she expect to happen?

Oh, and I couldn't care less about who wins this amateur hour World Series.  A bunch of happy-go-lucky ginger ale sprayers with their cokehead manager against a rag-tag mishmash of other teams' spare parts off the scrap heap that happened to all start hitting a little bit at the same time.  Whoopty-fuckin'-doo!