All Things Bubba

October 6, 2006: Detroit 8, N.Y. Yankees 3

It's over. I can hardly believe it. I wasn't one of those who thought the Yanks would roll to an easy World Series victory, but I thought they'd get past the first round. Or at least put up more of a fight before going down.

Torre's lineup tinkering didn't help. It may even have hurt. A-Rod was 0 for 3 in the eight-hole. Melky Cabrera went 0 for 3 as well. Sheff played 1B poorly, which cost us. And he didn't make up for it with his bat. He should not have been on the post-season roster. Giambi should have been playing against the RHP...and he'd have played 1B better, too.

This is an old, tired, one-dimensional team. We need youth and speed and defense, and situational hitters who can do something other than swing harder when slugging isn't working.

All kinds of rumors are flying. Torre will be fired Monday. A-Rod's days in pinstripes are over. Cashman may be fired, too. Dunno how reliable those rumors are, but I expect some big changes after this shocking early exit.

Paul O'Neill made it clear that he thought everyone except Jeter and Posada had phoned it in. Brian Cashman was disappointed and stunned, and said the team had "fooled" him.

"That's what is so disappointing. This team, it had something. At least I thought it did. That, 'I'll find a way to beat you.' They fought through a lot this year. But you have to continue to earn that every day and we did not here in October. It turned out to be a hell of a regular-season team. No more."

Uh, Brian...perhaps you didn't notice, but the scrappy team that somehow found a way to win in the regular season? It wasn't the same guys as the team that rolled over in the postseason. And you had something to do with that.