Grrr...I No Like Tiggers...

"Everyone has a plan until they get hit," George Foreman

Now we find out what Joe's plan is....

I hate watching games at work...one, because you have actually stop watching the games and do, you know, work....two, if you lose, you have every Infidel Yankee hater miscreant (although I say that with the utmost love and respect) hoping you're going to overreact and jump off the proverbial ledge. They pop in your office asking if you're ok, like they really give two s**ts....and three, you have people who know nothing about baseball are all of a sudden, the "biggest Tiger fans in the world."

We lost a playoff game. It sucks. Series tied 1-1. Let's move on.

Games like this really show who knows anything about the game and who's a pretender.
I'm wondering what the beat writers who will be crucifying A-Rod tomorrow for striking out three times will bother to mention that Sheffield looked just as bad. But what do you do when Verlander and Zumaya are throwing in triple digits with nasty breaking stuff in mid-eighties? Nasty.

Tip your hat to them and look to Friday's game. I'm never happy when the Yankees lose, but it's not the worst thing in the world when you think about it. Every playoff run, a team needs to get punched in the mouth and mussied up to let them know what's at stake. If you're going to win a title, you're going to have to win a few games on the road anyway so you might as well get it started early.

If I'm going to blame anyone for this loss, it's Moose. He was given a 3-1 lead against their ace and he couldn't hold it. The bullpen did its part in holding the Tigers at 4-3. But he has to hold them at bay until the Yankees can scratch through a couple. 3-3 is totally different than 4-3. Zumaya and Jones were letting it fly with a one run lead. Don't know if it's the same if it's tied. Moose has to hold them at bay there.

This is why real baseball fans should install a media blackout for all local tabloids for the remainder of the playoffs. There's nothing useful you can learn that you can't get off the internet sites. And without the negative spin. In spite of their recent struggles, Detroit didn't win 95 games by accident. They were the best team in baseball for much of the season. Much better than anyone in the senior circuit except for the Mets. The only team to give them serious pause this year were the White Sox and the Yankees. So while all this best lineup ever stuff is nice. That's a good baseball team over in the Motown. I would have love a 11-2, 10-1, 9-0 sweep, but with the way they pitch, that probably wasn't going to happen.

On the flipside, now the Mets are up 2-0, and the whole world is shocked. Why? They're a superior team playing in a weak league. They should be beating up on the Dodgers. Pedro gone and so is El Duque, who is 900 years old. So what? They still have enough to get through these pitiful teams. The Dodgers are the best of this sorry lot. Do you honestly think that the Padres or the Cardinals can beat the Mets in a seven game series? Please. They didn't win 97 games by accident either.

The first real test the Mets will get will be in the Fall Classic. Where any of the remaining AL teams can hold their own or beat them. Not to say they should overlook anyone. But if they stay focused, there's no reason why they shouldn't be in their second World Series in six years.

Even with the Death Star lineup, the Yankees were going to have a tougher road. Every AL team left can pitch, hit, run and close out games. Braeden Looper isn't the setup guy in any of these games and Jeff Weaver isn't starting any of them either. The Tigers and A's have the deepest rotations left in the playoffs. The Yankees should have enough pitching to win, but they are going to have to bludgeon their way to a few wins. With arguably the best playoff lineup ever and Mariano Rivera, noone is going to cut the Yankees any slack if they don't win it all. Nor should they.

But they shouldn't expect a cakewalk either. I could see the Twins winning tonight and making a series of this, just as I can see the Yankees being taken to five games. This is a legitimate four horse race.

So while the press clippings are nice, I'm sort of glad the Tiggers gave the Yankees Jimmy Walker lips yesterday. This team has always responded well when challenged or cornered this year. No reason to think why they won't respond favorably tonight. Kenny Rogers has never pitched well against the Yankees or in the playoffs. Why should they let him start now?

Hail Yankees. Hail to the Empire. Get off the ledge.