Ah, but it is so Joe Girardi. Your Yankees are not going to the playoffs this season. And though there are many reasons for the Yankees decline this season, much of the blame has to go to Girardi. In fact, much of the blame falls on management for hiring Girardi in the first place. Granted, hiring Don Mattingly with his domestic problems would have been disastrous, but hiring Girardi was equally disastrous.

The Yankees should have known that hiring a manager to manage many players who were former teammates would be a problem. That's like having one of your peers at work become your boss. How would that work out for you? One day you and your buddy are sharing a beer, and the next day you're addressing him as sir. It's a difficult transition for the employee and the new boss. Do the veteran players truly respect Girardi? No Yankee will publicly criticize Girardi, that's just not the Yankee way, but with many questionable moves under his managerial belt, many Yankees must be upset with his in game management and decisions.

Of course it's difficult to argue with the rash of injuries that have hit the Yankees this year. Losing Wang, Posada, Matsui, and some of the kids to injury has hurt this team, but let's not forget that the front-running Rays have lost Crawford, Longoria, and their closer, Troy Percival for extended periods of time, and they're thriving in their respective absences. The Red Sox have lost Mike Lowell, Tim Wakefield, Curt Schilling, and David Ortiz for extended periods of time, traded away their best hitter in Manny Ramirez, and they're still playing well. So, while the injuries have hurt the Yankees, they need to stop playing the "injury card", because all teams experience injuries.

No one will confuse Girardi with being a master motivator. While he was able to inspire his young Marlins team, he has done little with the Yankees to inspire young players such as Cano, Cabrera, Duncan, Rasner, or Kennedy. Perhaps Girardi's been too busy trying to win over his veteran former teammates and has lost focus with helping his young players succeed.

You can't help but think that the Yankees would be playing better ball if Joe Torre was still at the helm. Torre knew how to bring out the best in his players. Girardi has yet to figure it out. And unless he does in a hurry, the Yankees will miss the playoffs for the first time in fifteen years. It's almost Labor Day, and the Yankees are 5 1/2 games out of a playoff spot. Coincidentally, they're also 5 1/2 games out of last place. Say it ain't so Joe.

Odds and Ends
I find it difficult to believe that the Reds couldn't swing a deal involving David Ross, electing to release him instead. Just two years ago he hit 21 homeruns, and last year hit 17. They couldn't acquire a low A player for him?

To those who thought Adam Dunn's power was a by-product of the cozy Great American ballpark in Cincinnati, he hit 17 of his 34 homeruns (before the trade) at Cincy, and 17 of his homers on the road.

The Cubs have won 8 of their last 10 while getting little production from their offense. Derek Lee just isn't the hitter he once was, Soto is wearing down and Fukudome is looking quite ordinary. If you're going to slump, the time to do it is when the pitching has been lights-out, as it has been in Chicago.

The Atlanta Braves look as bad as a team can look, and they're playing the worst they have ever played under Bobby Cox. You have to wonder if this is the year that Bobby Cox decides to hang up his managerial cap. The future in Atlanta isn't all that bright for the foreseeable future.

Don't look now, but the Orioles are playing good ball, especially being in the tough AL East. They have five players with 17 or more homeruns, and not many teams can claim that. The Orioles are a team on the rise, and with some pitching help, this team could become a factor in 2009. When's the last time we could say that about an Oriole team?

The Angels have a 15 game lead in their division. If your fantasy baseball team has Angels, you could be in trouble, as Scoscia is sure to start resting guys for the playoffs.

The Blue Jays are 11 1/2 games out of first place. If they played in the NL West, they'd be 1 game out of first place.

The All Star game seems to have ruined Dan Uggla. He just doesn't look like the same player he was in the first half. He needs to shake it off and return to form for the Marlins to have a chance in the NL East.

Perhaps one of the biggest disappointments has been the play of Troy Tulowitzki. Where has he gone this season? yes, he had an injury earlier this season, but he is playing like a scared rookie. It's no coincidence that the Rockies have fallen on hard times as Tulowitzki continues to struggle. He helped carry the Rockies last season. Meanwhile Ian Stewart is quietly putting together a strong rookie campaign. Those who predicted good things from him were right. He can flat-out hit.

You can't help but think that Indians 3B Andy Marte will never be the star everyone made him out to be. He's still hitting under .200 this season. Have you ever seen him have a multi-hit game? I haven't.



Court Adjourned!