J.K. Rolling

Author: Jeff Klein

What an incredible disappointment. The New York Yankees, widely predicted to motor through the playoffs and win their first World Series in six years, could not even make it out of the first round as they were eliminated in four games by the Detroit Tigers.

In the game that sealed the deal for Detroit, the Yankees did not even resemble the team that finished with a record tied for the best in baseball this season. Their batting lineup was absolutely abominable and did not muster a hit until the sixth inning. Detroit starter Jeremy Bonderman is a good pitcher, but the way the Yankees played against him, you'd think he was a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame.

In the four game series, the Yankees hit .246 and scored a pathetic 3.5 runs per game, compared with a .285 batting average and 5.74 runs per game during the regular season. But what angers me the most is that in Game 4, the Yankees' hitters displayed absolutely no intelligence at the plate. A team that prides itself on being patient and working the count looked more like a bunch of over-anxious rookies, hacking wildly at every pitch they saw. During the first five innings, Bonderman only had to throw 40 pitches. Gary Sheffield had two of the ugliest strikeouts I've ever seen. Even Jeter, usually calm and poised at the plate, swung wildly at a pitch in the dirt and struck out.

The pitching was horrible. Jaret Wright threw a decent game - in the first inning. It all unraveled after that, starting with a meatball right over the middle in the bottom of the second that Magglio Ordonez absolutely crushed. Watching the game, I remember thinking to myself, how could Wright have missed so badly with that pitch? Posada's glove was down and away, and Wright threw the ball right over the heart of the plate. You can't make that mistake in postseason play. Another horrible pitch to Craig Monroe later in the inning and it was 3-0.

Why didn't the Yankees show up to play? Why did a team that crushed Detroit in Game 1 completely fold after that? I really don't have an answer. I can guarantee, though, that owner George Steinbrenner is going to have some serious problems with it and will act accordingly. Several teams have expressed interest in A-Rod, and I'm sure General Manager Brian Cashman will be more than happy to ship him out of New York. I know I would. There are really no limits as to the amount of change this team could undergo over the course of the winter, and, frankly, there should not be any.

This Yankees defeat confirmed that their current strategy of stockpiling a lineup of All-Stars and relying on shaky veteran pitching to win in the playoffs does not work. The Yankees' front office better figure out a viable long-term plan because right now, the world's most storied sports franchise is in complete disarray.