September 23, 2006: Tampa Bay 8, N.Y. Yankees 0
Another one of those "turn the page" games. Many irate fans blamed Randy Johnson. There was plenty to blame him for; he gave up five earned runs, including two homers. But even if he only gave up one run, the Yankees would still have lost. Joe had his first-string lineup in, aside from Bernie in for the ailing Damon, but they could not score a single run. Still, the game didn't become truly out of reach until Veras gave up two more runs, and Dotel gave up another one. (Dotel now has an ERA of 10.0. They activated him too soon.)
By the end of the game, all the scrubs were in. Including Kevin Thompson in centerfield. Apparently, the only time Joe trusts him in CF is when the game is a blowout, one way or the other.
Joe seriously seems to believe that Bernie is a defensive upgrade over the likes of Thompson, Guiel, and Abreu. True, they are better known as corner OFers than CFers, but these days, any of them would be an upgrade on GOB.
But it's clear that Joe doesn't trust anyone in CF except Damon and Bernie...and Bubba. Bubba should be proud; apparently, it's not easy to earn Torre's trust.
I just hope this doesn't come back to bite us. Defense tends to be even more important in the postseason. If Damon is healthy, it won't be an issue. But if he has to miss a game for any reason, or is less than 100%...having no backup or LIDR except Bernie Williams will not be a good thing.
