The Yankees are done.
The Yankees go home. Quoth Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman:
"I'm stunned," New York general manager Brian Cashman said. "This team fooled me to some degree. Detroit was on top of their game and we weren't, and that combination was lethal for us. I'm disappointed where we're at now."
Out of contention. That's where the Yankees are.
Whatever else happens in the rest of the series, even if the Tigers fail to advance any further, this victory is particularly satisfying given the attitude of the media before the series and given my having to live within media range of New York. No one--and I mean no one--seemed to think the Tigers would be even a minor impediment to the Yankees. After the Tigers won Game Two in a close one, Tigers manager Jim Leyland even made a somewhat snarky postgame comment along the lines, of "I hope this puts a stop to the talk that we don't belong in the playoffs." Heck, one of the local radio sportscasters in New York even described the Tigers as a "light snack" for the Yankees on the road to the World Series.
Well, who's just snacked on whom?
Yankees. A tasty little snack for Tigers.
As a Red Sox fan I couldn't be happier. Go Tigers!
Another chortle from another member of Red Sox Nation. Yay Tigers!
Two straight years of one-and-done ... following hard on the heels of the most spectacular collapse in postseason history, the 2004 ALCS against the Sox. Lovely, lovely, lovely. Couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch of arrogant snots.
Yep. I'm living in NY state, in a town full of NYC expat student-types. I've had to listen to more snide cracks about the Tigers than I care to repeat.
But yeah, Dee-troit just kicked your skinny little Yankee butts, guys.
As a Mets fan...we will enjoy Tiger meat...
Don't be so sure. Overconfidence was the Yankees' undoing.
Meanwhile, the A's have won a playoff series for the first time since 1990, despite several visits to the playoffs during that time.
I make no predictions, but I will say that I hope the A's demolish the Tigers :)
-Rob
It does indeed suck to be a Yankee fan right now. The only thing getting me out of bed is my fervent wish that the Mets lose the NLCS: I don't think I can take a year of gloating Mets fans running rampant in NYC.
I'm embarrassed to admit that I, too, picked the Yankees. But I'm still ecstatic they lost, also, I suck at picking playoff winners, as I selected the Dodgers to win the NL.
Now if only Andrew Miller had made the playoff roster...
Dare I say it? ... Yankee go home!
PhysioProf:
Mets fans would NEVER NEVER gloat. (Chortle, snicker, LARGE grin.)
Prup
PhysioProf:
Unlike the sunspot cycle, we have to wait 20 years. One intense year of gloating every twenty is something you will have to put up with.
As a baseball fan, I congratulate the Detroit Tigers on a magnificent series...they have timely hitting, aggressive pitching, and superb leadership, and made the $200 million Yankees look lifeless and panicky.
My wife, back in June, picked the Mets and Tigers to win their pennants, and I agreed with her then...I felt both teams were the hungriest of the contenders, based on my knowledge of the game...Kathy based it purely on guts.
As a Yankee fan, I am utterly devastated...I hate to say it, but I think Alex Rodriguez has to be traded. He clearly can't seem to withstand the intense pressure of New York. He goes to bat every atbat trying to hit a seven-run home run, which is, of course, statistically impossible. I actually know how that feels, from my own life...every time I would answer a question in history class, and the teacher would give me that little smirk and either:
1. Rip me bloody for leaving out some fact in my answer.
2. Rip me bloodier for any mistake.
3. If nothing was left out, he or she would ask, "What color was Washington's white horse?" or "Who was the 10th man from the left on Juno Beach?" At which point, 33 kids in the classroom had a nice little club with which to beat me senseless for the next seven weeks.
This is the worst collapse the Yankees have had since 2001, which was the turning point in the team's history. It has been nothing but disaster since then, and I don't see any improvement on the horizon...so Yankee-haters should be delighted.
As a Bostonian, I can safely say, "Good riddance to bad rubbish!"
Never mind that the Sox are out of the playoffs. The main thing is that the Yankees lost. ;)