NOW IT'S TIME FOR A LONG WINTER'S NAP...

Here's the good news, you can close the book on 2012. Sure the Yankees lost, but I learned a valuable lesson this season... Pitching DOES NOT win ball games, because if it did, the Yankees would have won this ALCS. The pitching was great. The hitting may have been the worst I have seen for a major league club ever, I am still having trouble understanding how we even got to the ALCS.

The Detroit Tigers are the better club, I tip my cap. The Yankees? Well, where do I begin?  You really can't start with Alex Rodriguez, can you? He didn't really play in this series. You can blame the rest of the club, certain guys and we should seriously consider firing Kevin Long who's been exposed to not finding the flaws in the Yankee bats all season.  Let's not forget, this lack of Yankee production is NOT a postseason thing. The RISP ghost was a problem all season for our Yankees. The difference was when we finally reached the postseason, we forgot how to hit anything at all. In a 162 season, hits come and runs are scored and it's a long season. In a best of 7, everything is exposed.

Look at Cano; No one was hotter than Robinson Cano coming into the ALDS, but that disappeared. In about 9 games, it was amplified, he just was a disgrace at the plate.  If that slump happened in a 162 game season, it's no big deal.  But hey, no excuses. They, professional baseball players play for the postseason and when they're there, they need to play damn hard.  The Yankees never showed up.

Yeah, the postseason is important and no one was more pumped than the whiffing Nick Swisher to get there. Yet, when he didn't perform, he not only got his feelings hurt, he decided that the Yankee fans were the problem.  Well, no one likes finger pointing Nick. In fact, you forgot a valuable lesson in the Bronx this year...we don't like losers, but we hate non-production. You not only didn't produce, you blamed the Yankee fans for getting down on you. I say this, we pay a ton of money all season to watch our Yankees win, you included, but when you don't, we get frustrated. Remember this when you sign your long term deal this winter somewhere else, it was never about you Nick, but you made it about you.  Now, here's something else about you...write this down... Get out of here.  Yeah, I'm mad at Nick Swisher, he lost his way when he knocked us fans. You know who didn't do that? Alex Rodriguez, and he gets the worst abuse I've ever seen.  In a New York Times article that just came out, Alex said this: “The thing is about this whole situation, if I’m playing my game, Joe has no choice but to play me... and if I’m not playing my game, then he’s open for options. I’ve got to look in the mirror.” (Read HERE) Hmm.  Alex isn't blaming the fans.  I love that.  

Then there's Curtis Granderson who was also horrendous in the batter's box. It was like he lost his Mojo and I'm pretty pissed about it, but he's another one, not blaming the fans for his shortcomings. You have to respect that a bit.

The nail in the coffin was the fall of Derek Jeter. I think we all knew right then that this playoff was no longer going to be fun. We saw the writing on the wall right then, but as a fan, how can you admit it? You can't. You just cross your fingers and hope you can get over the hump.

That never happened, in fact, we never got out of the gate.  It was like a bad omen that started with Mariano Rivera.  Derek and he were like book ends and once Derek fell, it's was like the end of the season officially.  Bizarre. Do I find it strangely eerie? I do.

Look, I think it's safe to say that this blown ALCS isn't as bad as the others for me emotionally. If the Yankees were actually hitting and making outstanding plays and winning games, it would have been a more stinging tragedy if we were to have lost. But it wasn't for me.  Bottom line, the Yankees never showed up. That's not to say the whole Yankee team sucked, there were many that worked their ass off, but as a team of 25, there were plenty that were sleeping.

Ichiro Suzuki did everything a fan could have wanted, he got on base. Raul Ibanez came up when it was impossible to imagine a home run, and he homered... 3 times.  Mark Teixeira had 9 hits in 32 at bats and walked 8 times and that Yankee pitching, from starting to relief did a terrific job, much better than expected. I mean, Hiroki Kuroda?

Man was I wrong about him. He impressed me, sign him up again in 2013!

Looking back, we all saw the flaws, but no one can fix them if you're a fan, you just yell at the TV, you try to blame someone and you hope for the best.

I enjoyed watching my team, and it seems like just yesterday the Yankees played the Red Sox in their throwbacks (HERE) at Fenway Park. Now, we're reading about the trade rumors about Alex Rodriguez, wondering how Derek Jeter's ankle is feeling and writing down the free agents that the Yankees can try and snatch up this winter.  Look, I know who I want in right field...Ichiro Suzuki, a cheaper alternative who gets on base and is a 10 time gold glover? Hell, he has a better chance in New York than in Seattle and maybe he'll stick around. I hope so.

But now we move on. The Yankees go home, but Bleeding Yankee Blue will stay here, writing for you all winter and hoping you stick around with us.  The good news is, I can catch up on some sleep. No more late nights until next March and plenty more features and opinions on our Yankees off season.  Look for it.

And thank you.  It's been 2 years, we have over a million reads and have had the best writers on the web.  A many, many thanks to BYB's writers and to you readers.  Thanks for reading and passing and sharing.  You made us relevant and we appreciate that.

The Yankees lose tonight, but you know what the best part of the year is... Yankees hot stove...here we come!

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