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When the 2010 MLB Playoffs began, almost everyone who watches or cares for baseball penciled the New York Yankees in as a probable World Series participant. A great deal of folks also had the Yankees winning it all,…again. Ah,…the Texas Rangers say “Not so Fast,” and are exposing the Yankees for what they are, OLD.

Several things about this year’s version of the Bronx Bombers are the same as always. The Yankees payroll exceeds $200 million. Derek Jeter is at shortstop, and the No. 1 closer of all-time, Mariano Rivera, is waiting in the bullpen to douse the hopes and dreams of opposing hitters.

What fans of the game of baseball are witnessing during this ALCS is the realization that save for a few young stars like Robinson Cano and CC Sabathia, the New York Yankees are just plain old.

Sure the argument can be made that baseball is a sport in which men play well into their 30s, and are productive players during that age range. The Yankees have several front-line players that are on the near-side of 40, including Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada.

Mariano the Great (Rivera) will be 41 next month, and Posada is just shy of 12 months away from his 40th birthday. Andy Pettitte is 38, and pitching just OK of late. Lance Berkman will turn 35 before the start of next season, Rodriguez is already 35 and Jeter is 36.

The tip-off for all those watching the ALCS are the plays and hits we have become accustomed to seeing these guys make just aren’t there anymore. Starting pitching is not lasting long enough to get to Rivera, and balls that used to be routine grabs for Jeter are finding left field more often than not.

Aside from Cano, the rest of the Yankee lineup is struggling to hit the baseball. Texas has 40-plus base hits in four games thus far, the Yankees have just over 20. The Rangers are batting over .300 with runners on base in this series, the Yankees are closer to the Mendoza line in that category.

Game 4 exposed a crack in the Yankees’ armor as manager Joe Girardi stayed with starter A.J. Burnett in the sixth inning. By not bringing in a reliever, much to the dismay of Yankee fans, Bengie Molina hit a go-ahead three-run homer.

Don’t blame Girardi for not making the call to the bullpen. It’s not like he could call on anyone who hasn’t been battered by the Rangers already. The middle of the sixth inning is also way too soon to bring in the closer, even Mariano Rivera.

Reality should set in for the Yankees and their fans sometime after Game 5 when Texas will celebrate its first World Series berth in the team’s 50-year franchise history. The Rangers will do the partying in New York, which will add additional insult to injury for lovers of the Pinstriped ones.

The Steinbrenner clan will have the dubious task of re-tooling a roster of aging stars in the coming years. Doing so will mean that perhaps the Yankees will see a few seasons outside of the playoff picture. It will also mean Yankee fans, and fans of the game of baseball may say goodbye to iconic figures like Jeter and Rivera.

A-Rod and his massive contract will be hard to deal with, but he has underachieved during this postseason, and Yankees brass will be wise to explore all possibilities where he is concerned. The check book of the Brothers Steinbrenner will not allow New York to stay down for long, but get ready for them to be down.

Having the New York Yankees not in the hunt for another World Championship can only be good for the game right? The Yankees winning titles seemingly every year feels a lot like their roster…it’s just getting old.

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Surprisingly, a lot of Yankees fans last night had hope. There seemed to be some hope that despite his struggles all season long, A.J. Burnett was going to give his team a winning effort and help his team even up the series with the Texas Rangers.

That hope seemed to be a reality, until manager Joe Girardi messed with it.

The key moment was in the top of the sixth inning. The Yankees had a 3-2 lead with two outs and a runner on second base. Instead of letting Burnett take his chances against David Murphy, Girardi had his righty intentionally walk the batter to get to Bengie Molina.

Now, sure, Murphy had hit a home run off Burnett earlier this season. So what?! Murphy is a platoon outfielder. Molina is a starting catcher that also has some pop in his bat. Molina has his share of dramatic home runs against the Yankees in his career. So, why walk Murphy with two outs? It does not make sense.

Continue full article at Double G Sports.

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After the 10-3 shelling that the New York Yankees took at the hands of the Texas Rangers in the “House that George Built,” one can’t help but begin to worry. What began in game one with the exception of an offensive outburst in one inning has only steadily gotten worse through the first four games.

Is this really what a payroll in excess of $200 million looks like?

It’s not like the Yankees are losing close games. They have let a Texas Ranger team with almost no postseason experience outside of Cliff Lee make them look like amateurs.

Rewind only six months ago and the New York Yankees were coming off of their record 27th World Series title and looked primed to defend it. At the same time, the Texas Rangers were dealing with bankruptcy issues and a manager who was involved in a scandal involving his cocaine use.

My how things have changed throughout the course of the season. To the Rangers’ credit, they didn’t let the off-field issue distract them and even went out and picked up super-ace Cliff Lee just as the Yankees were primed to add him to their roster.

But even with all the success that Texas had throughout the regular season and against the Tampa Bay Rays in the divisional series, how many people were really expecting these Rangers to compete with the Bronx Bombers?

Through the first four games, not only have they competed, but they’ve dominated. After losing game one 6-5 in Arlington, the Rangers have outscored the Yankees 25-5. The powerful Yankees offense has been pedestrian. Outside of Andy Pettitte, their high priced pitching staff has looked average.

With the exception of Robinson Cano’s incredible .467 average, no other Yankee has an average higher than .286. In fact, the entire team is hitting a paltry .198.

Compare that with the Rangers’ lineup that has managed to hit .307 as a team. Six of the Rangers’ nine offensive starters are hitting over .300 for the series. Of those nine, only Ian Kinsler is batting lower than .286.

New York has not only been beaten on the scoreboard. They’ve also looked old and tired. They don’t seem to have the fire of the 2009 team that brought home that 27th World Series championship. In the eighth inning with the bases loaded when a pitch appeared to hit Nick Swisher‘s foot, Joe Girardi didn’t even make an argument.

Even before the eighth inning, many of the seats began to empty after the Texas took a 7-3 lead in the seventh. By the time the Rangers put up their final three runs in the top of the ninth inning, the stands began to look like an early season afternoon Tampa Bay-Kansas City game at Tropicana field. It certainly didn’t look like Game 4 of the American League Championship series.

With C.C. Sabathia heading to the mound in this afternoon’s game five in the Bronx, it’s make or break time for the Yankees. There is no tomorrow. Pitching on short rest, he gives New York by far their best chance to pickup a win and take the series back to Texas.

If New York is going to pick up a game five win today, they will have to do it without Mark Teixeira, who left Tuesday night’s game with a strained hamstring and is finished for the remainder of the season. Of course, Tex hadn’t been doing much anyway on offense after going 0-14 with three walks through the first four games.

Unfortunately for the Yankees, it may be too little too late. Even it they were to reel off two consecutive victories, Cliff Lee is set to start game seven in Arlington; not exactly a matchup with good odds.

However, baseball is a funny game. Things can change quicker than a C.C. Sabathia fastball. Just like last week when nearly everyone was counting the Rangers out, the court of public opinion is now certifying the Yankees all but dead. We all know how that has turned out so far.

There are some things one should always do in their life—love your wife, never bet the house, and don’t ever count out the New York Yankees. If Sabathia comes out tonight and pitches like he’s capable of, and the Yankee bats finally come out of hibernation, the momentum could quickly turn back into the Yankee’s favor.

With all of that experience in the New York dugout compared to that of the Rangers, a change in momentum might be the only chance the Yankees have left.

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Grady Little is forever remembered as the manager who was fired on the demerit of a single postseason game. Joe Girardi will probably avoid that same fate, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve it.

It’s hard to imagine Girardi having a worse game than he did on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. That he had such a bad night, with the stakes being as high as they were, is damn near unforgivable.

Put it this way: If The Boss was alive and still The Boss, reports of Girardi’s disappearance would have already been circulating around the Internet.

Girardi manages like a tortured man. The game of baseball doesn’t seem fun to him, at least not in his current role. If Charlie Manuel is the type of manager who goes with his gut then lets it play out without regret, Girardi represents the exact opposite.

Things fester. His neurosis consumes him. It even manifests itself physically in the veins that bulge from his neck as he stares onto the field.

In Game 4, we watched many of Girardi’s internal fears about his team collapse onto one another, plot lines tying together like a cruel Seinfeld episode.

“How much can I get from A.J.?” “Can Joba be trusted?” “How should I handle Posada and Cervelli?” “Can I get by with someone other than Mo?”

Every button he pushed was like a nuclear launch. By the time he made his final horrible decision of the evening—inserting Sergio Mitre over Rivera in the ninth—it was almost comical. Almost.

There was one inning in particular that both typified Girardi’s awful night and likely doomed the Yankees‘ season.

With a man on second and two outs in the sixth, Girardi decided to intentionally walk David Murphy to get to Bengie Molina. He had Joba Chamberlain warming in the bullpen, only problem was, he had long lost any semblance of trust in the reliever. This lack of faith was pronounced enough that leaving in Burnett seemed like an acceptable alternative, even after the right-hander nearly threw an intentional ball to the screen.

Had Girardi been thinking clearly at the moment, he would have understood that two runs in five-and-two-thirds innings was more than the Yankees could have ever asked for from Burnett. The grotesque nature of Burnett’s regular season demanded a leash that was short and unforgiving. And yet, instead of bringing in Chamberlain, he trusted a man who hadn’t pitched in 17 days before Tuesday.

Burnett didn’t reward his skipper’s faith. Molina drilled the next pitch into the seats in left, dragging his impressive gut around the bases and into a jubilant Rangers dugout. He likely took the Yankees’ hopes of repeating as champs with him.

Does Burnett deserve blame? Of course. But remember that part of a manager’s job is to protect a player from himself. Girardi should’ve known better than to ask for extra outs from a 15-game loser. He left Burnett in to hang himself. And that’s exactly what he did.

Is there any way to recover at this point? Conceivably, yes. A team as recently as 2007 (Boston over Cleveland) overcame a 3-1 deficit to win the pennant. But it’s hard to shake the nagging feeling that the Yankees you saw in September have returned when the games count the most.

CC Sabathia gets one more start to salvage what has been a disconcerting end to a Cy Young caliber season. If he can get it done, Phil Hughes will have to get back on the rubber in Arlington, where he was picked apart on Saturday. The Yankees survive that, they get to face the invincible Cliff Lee in a Game 7.

The odds are—as they say—not good.

I wondered all season if this Yankees team had the character to make a memorable October run. As they faded in September I was convinced for sure they didn’t … but then watched in amazement as they started winning playoff games like it was 1996 all over again.

Yeah, I’ll admit it. They sucked me in. I know I’m not alone, either. But these last four days are now making me wonder if I was right about them all along.

So who are these Yankees? The proud defending champs with the ability to overcome any obstacle, or just another team loaded with All-Stars but not enough character to translate that to lasting success?

I honestly have no idea. I guess we’ll know by tonight.

Stray thoughts:

• It’s fitting that Mark Teixeira’s worst season as a pro ended with him crumpled on the first-base bag after another frustrating, empty at-bat. The LoHud Blog reports it’s a six to eight week hamstring injury, problematic since the Yankees’ season may have just 12 hours left in it.

• This was a weird game, wasn’t it? You had a Jeffrey Maier redux with this glorious mongo in right field, and a Steve Bartman redux with this bloated corporate Legends Seat doofus down the third-base line. Love those types of nights, especially since they usually end with a Yankee win. Alas.

• Something tells me we just witnessed Joba Chamberlain’s final performance in pinstripes. Anybody upset about this?

• Nick Swisher, you have to do a better job selling your hit-by-pitch in the eighth inning. Had he rightfully taken first, it’s a 7-4 game with bases still loaded, only one out, and the incredibly mortal Darren Oliver on the mound. The game could have gone in a lot of different directions at that point. Emblematic of a frustrating night.

• Great line from the homer hero Molina: “It’s not bad for a fat kid that everyone makes fun of when he runs.”

• Make no mistake: The Rangers are dominating this series. Texas has outscored the Yankees 30-11, outhit them 43-26 and would have already closed this out if not for wasting a five-run lead in Game 1. New York is hitting a pathetic .154 (6-for-39) with runners in scoring position. The recession must have claimed the jobs of Aura and Mystique.

• Finally, I’ll be live blogging Game 5 tomorrow afternoon. If you’re stuck at work, click over to me and watch me slowly lose my mind in real time like the dude from Grizzly Man. Good times!

Dan Hanzus writes the Yankees blog River & Sunset and can be reached at dhanzus@gmail.com. Follow Dan on Twitter @danhanzus.

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Even knowing the Texas Rangers had Cliff Lee on the mound, the New York Yankee fans arrived at the game ready for a win and made it loud and clear

That dream became a nightmare pretty fast, as Lee brought his A-plus game once again and the Rangers won 8-0.

So, instead fans left confused, discouraged and embarrassed. Below are the three dilemmas I had, after freezing my butt off in the Bronx:

1. Everyone was confused by Joe Girardi’s decision not to use Mariano Rivera for the last three outs. The hope was to hold the Rangers at two runs through the ninth. In turn, that would give the Yankee batters a chance at the bottom of the ninth inning to maybe get back in the mix.

What happened was embarrassing, as Texas scored six more runs mainly off sloppy fielding mistakes by New York. With Texas up 8-0, any hope of a comeback was just too far out of reach.

Up to this point, Girardi had used Mo in all five postseason games and one would think to go with the best you have to offer. Especially considering the Yankees are the comeback kids and Lee’s pitch count was already in the mid-120, which is why it made no sense. Maybe Girardi forgot this was a playoff game?

2. Why the game was so discouraging is that Andy Pettitte pitched solid as a rock after giving up a first inning home run to Josh Hamilton. Pettitte put the Yankees in the position to win posting five strikeouts and walking zero batters.

In order to win, teams have to score runs, and Pettitte got no insurance whatsoever. Pettitte deserved a win, but his performance was not overshadowed by the loss as every fan at the Stadium cheered for the southpaw big time.

3. Did the umpires loss the game for the Yankees? Well, there was definitely one questionable call that might have made the difference. Not taking away from the surreal performance by Lee because with 13 strikeouts and not a run scoring surely can stand on its own.

The call is now a confirmed a mistake made by first-base umpire Angel Hernandez in the bottom of the third inning. Umpire Hernandez called Brett Gardner out when the replay tells a different tale. Gardner hit a blooper and slid into first, which might have been more out of habit for Gardner who might have been safe on his feet too.

Regardless, he was clearly safe and not a whimper from Girardi at all. Pathetic for a manager not to get out there and defend his player.

There was one other call that again favored Texas, when Michael Young was a foot from the bag when Teixeira had already scooped the ball up.

This was not what Yankees fans came too see. Ultimately most fans knew that it was going to take a semi-miracle to beat Lee if his current pitching postseason trend stayed on target, but who knew it would be a bull’s-eye.

Yankees will send AJ Burnett to the mound Tuesday night, which is scary to think about considering how awful Burnett has been. Burnett has an opportunity to become a New York hero in Game 4, as we know he has the stuff to be lights-out, so let’s hope Burnett has found it.

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It was unclear which starter would go in game three for the Yankees after the ace they courted in a trade earlier this year jilted them again with yet another magnificent playoff performance.

The worst shut out home loss in Yankee history came during a start for their left hander who is the most prolific winners in MLB playoff history: Andy Pettitte.

The opposing lefty laced them with cut fastballs and knuckle curves while taking a two-run lead into the top of the ninth.

His curve broke out of the strike zone and nibbled just off the plate all night.

The dieting-on-hits New Yorkers tried to snack on his cut fastball, but it was the Rangers’ lefty who ate their gosh darned snack.

Throwing several change ups for easy outs, it was very hard to diagnose his delivery, and his change up was dissecting the corners.

No reason for him to risk injury in the bottom of the ninth with the game in hand.

The Rangers scored six runs in the top of the inning.

Yankee Stadium all but emptied after the fourth run scored.  The bleeding finally stopped after the normally rock-steady New York bull pen had fully collapsed in the Bronx.

Dave Robertson who has dealt with back problems had trouble dealing his pitches, and he could not get any out. 

Neftali Feliz closed the ninth inning without a whimper from the Yankees, and the Rangers took the lead in the three game series.

In the fourth game tomorrow night, Tommy Hunter will start for Texas. He started the season on the disabled list and pitched well for the Rangers this season.

He won 13 games and lost only four and had a 3.73 ERA.

The Yankees batted .300 against him in one five-inning start this season.  He struck out eight, but left the game with no decision.

Speculation is that AJ Burnett will start, but he may end up riding the bench in favor of CC Sabathia who only pitched four innings in the first game of the series.

Burnett has struggled almost all year, and notably more so after the All-Star Break.  It was like he was a totally transformed pitcher than the one who helped win the 2009 World Series.

Texas slugged a team batting average of only .233 against Burnett this year.  He finished 10-15 with a 5.7 earned run average for the season.

Sabathia has had some outstanding playoff performances on three day’s rest.  He has a 2.40 earned run average in seven post season starts off three day’s rest.

He is accustomed to being the ace down the stretch carrying the team to glory.  He did it with Cleveland, Milwaukee, and with the Yankees.

During the press conference after the game, manager Joe Girardi looked confident in saying his team’s chances were good to bring home a playoff victory behind Burnett.

There is no hiding in baseball, and AJ is too big to stuff in a club house closet.  What difference does it make if he gets beat in the fourth game or in the fifth game?

Start him against the mighty Rangers.

Cliff Lee gave up two hits, and he had 13 strike outs and one walk in eight innings.

A total of 34 strike outs and one walk in three post season starts for Lee this year.

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I am 100 percent confident that C.J. Wilson does NOT give up five runs in the eighth inning if Ron Washington is allowed to stay in.

He gave up two runs on two hits in that inning, and was pulled in favor of Darren Oliver following a Derek Jeter RBI double.

But the Yankees would probably have only scored those two runs (or maybe just the one already in) had Texas manager Ron Washington avoided being like Bobby Cox and Bruce Bochy.

When you try to over-manage based upon matchups, you end up losing most of the time, like Bochy and Cox in the NLDS and now Washington in Game 1 of the ALCS.

I have to give oodles of credit to YES announcer and ESPN radio host Michael Kay, who has constantly said that Joe Girardi will out-manage Washington. Girardi has proved Kay to be prophetic.  

Girardi made a good move by using Joba Chamberlain in the fifth inning, but I applaud Girardi for throwing a nice changeup and bringing in Dustin Moseley for the sixth and seventh innings.

I am not a big Moseley fan (in fact he stinks), but bringing him in after Joba was throwing 95-96 MPH heaters was a stroke of genius.

The Rangers hitters were completely off-balance on Moseley’s 89 MPH fastballs (acting like a change to Joba’s and C.C.’s heat) and were more off-balance when Moseley threw his rinky-dink high 70’s breaking pitches.

Dustin’s two-inning scoreless effort allowed that Yankee comeback to occur. Sandwiching him between two fireballers in Joba and Kerry Wood made Moseley more effective and probably made Wood’s fastball appear even quicker.

Most people are saying that Washington did not use his hard-throwing closer Neftali Feliz in that eighth inning. That is a valid point once the decision to remove Wilson was made.

But why did Washington remove Wilson in the first place? Don’t give me that bull about pitch counts, matchups, that Wilson was finished or “you want to remove him with a lead and feeling good.” Total garbage.  

There are no pitch counts in the postseason. As NFL head coach Herman Edwards has said, “You play to win the game.” Wilson was dealing very well at that point.

He gave the Rangers the best chance to win at that moment, certainly better than Darren Oliver or Clay Rapada. No need to remove Wilson. He allowed a weak ground ball single to Brett Gardner and then a hard double to Jeter.

The end of the world? Hardly. Lose with your best on the mound, not with your middle relievers. The best at that point was Wilson.

When Alex Rodriguez came up with the bases loaded in that inning, TBS commentator  Ernie Johnson said that Alex was “0-for-3 with two strikeouts.” That was against Wilson, and Rodriguez had not even come close to catching up with Wilson’s fastballs.

Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira had not done much of anything off Wilson either.

At that point in the game, the Yankee two (Swisher), three (Teixeira) and four (A-Rod) hitters were 0-for-9 with three strikeouts.

So why the need to take out your starting pitcher when he has dominated all game long?

I was watching Game 3 of the NLDS between the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants. Jonathan Sanchez was on the hill in the eighth inning (that fateful inning again) for the Giants, winning 2-1. With one out and a man on first, he had dominated a very weak Braves lineup.

Cox brought in right-handed hitting Troy Glaus to hit for lefty-hitting Rick Ankiel against the lefty Sanchez. Bochy went to his bullpen for RHP Sergio Romo.

Again. Why? I texted about a dozen people at that time saying how terrible a move that was. Sanchez had dominated up to that point, so why remove him? After the pitching change, Eric Hinske pinch hit for Glaus and powered a go ahead, two-run home run.

Bochy is lucky that Cox was even more idiotic in the top of the ninth, and the Yankees are lucky that Washington is more of an idiot than either two of those N.L. managers.   

From the seventh inning on, why do managers feel the need to remove starting pitchers after one hitter hits the ball hard?

But since Wilson WAS removed by the inept Texas manager, why not bring Feliz into the game? Your best pitchers need to be in the game late, not Oliver and Rapada.

Rapada was added to the ALCS roster for this series to face lefties like Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson, but Rapada had not pitched in a REAL GAME against REAL HITTERS since Oct. 2.

This is a little known secret. Throwing more bullpens between appearances to stay “sharp” is of very little benefit when facing guys with bats in their hand.

To put Rapada in last night’s game on national TV to face Cano, who hits left-handers just as well as right-handed pitchers, is akin to pulling the switch on an execution.

I prefer the dominating starting pitch to remain, but if you want to bring in your top reliever, that is less of a quibble.

In Game 1 of the 1972 World Series (a day game by the way), Oakland A’s manager Dick Williams brought in his best relief pitcher, Rollie Fingers, in the SIXTH inning with no outs and the tying run on second. Fingers stranded Johnny Bench at second and the A’s won.

Williams also brought Fingers in the FIFTH inning of Game 5 that series. Fingers shut the door early before allowing the tying run in his THIRD inning of work that day. That thrilling game was the last weekday day game played in World Series history.

Once the decision was made to remove Wilson, Washington managed last night’s game based upon the save statistic and not to win the game.

Often times during important games, the big inning is not the ninth inning, but an inning earlier in the game when men are on base and a potential game-tying rally is forming.

If the manager wants to make a move, that is when your best relief pitcher should be brought in the game. However, I wouldn’t have made the move.

Washington managed that game not to lose, but he ended up getting what he deserved.

A well-earned loss.

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This is part two of a series of articles outlining the decisions that the Cubs will need to make this offseason. You can read part one and introduce yourself to their current situation by following this link.

The Chicago Cubs have technically been without a manager since Lou Piniella stepped down on August 22 and without a manager for 2011 since he announced his intention to retire a month earlier.

Several names have been thrown about since then, including bench coach Alan Trammell, Triple-A manager Ryne Sandberg, announcer Bob Brenly, Joe Girardi, Fredi Gonzalez, Eric Wedge, Bob Melvin and Pat Listach.

But as time has passed, the list has gotten thinner and thinner.

Trammell was one of the first names, if not the first name, removed from the list after Cubs general manager Jim Hendry explained that Alan would not be the team’s interim manager because he would not be a candidate for the job next year.

Gonzalez and Brenly each removed themselves from consideration after the former turned down the opportunity to interview for the Cubs’ position in mid-September and the latter explained later that month that, for both personal and professional reasons, the job just wasn’t the right fit for him.

Reports surfaced last week that Listach, the third base coach for the Nationals and former minor league manager for the Cubs, was no longer being considered and Wedge’s name disappeared from the list after he was announced as the Mariners’ new manager on Friday.

Girardi is obviously a qualified candidate with links to the club, but he’s a little too preoccupied right now to even consider the possibility. So for now, the process has moved on without him.

Team owner Tom Ricketts met with the remaining candidates on Tuesday, which still included Wedge at the time,  but also included the one name I have yet to mention.

Of the three remaining candidates, he has the most managing experience (17 years), the highest win total (1,161), the highest career winning percentage (.511), the most league championships (three), the most World Series championships (two) and the most Manager of the Year awards (two). 

He’s also an Illinois native, spent three seasons (2003-2005) managing the Cubs’ Triple-A team in Iowa, has been on the Cubs’ major league coaching staff since the end of the 2006 season and put up a 24-13 record as the team’s interim manager after Piniella stepped down.

Alright, so the league championships came from the Midwest League, the Pacific Coast League and the Dominican League. And yes, the World Series’ that he managed were the Triple-A World Series and the Caribbean World Series. In fact, aside from his stint as the Cubs’ interim manager, all of his experience has come in the minor leagues.

Still, Mike Quade is due a long, hard look at a managerial opening. If people think that Ryne Sandberg has paid his dues by coaching in the minor leagues the past four seasons, then Mike Quade deserves a freaking medal for what he’s done.

Of course, that’s not a slight to Sandberg. He’s a Hall of Fame second baseman who played almost his entire career for the Cubs and has done a pretty good job these past few years in the minors.

But if you take playing careers and name recognition out of the equation, Quade clearly comes out ahead. Sandberg has less time coaching in this organization, less managerial experience overall and no big league coaching experience at all.

It’s easy to understand why Quade is considered the front-runner at this point. And, for a team that’s a little more cost-conscious, he provides more advantages than just his experience and familiarity with the organization.

If the Cubs were able to wait for Girardi and actually signed him to take the helm on the North Side, not only would he likely demand one of the larger coaching salaries in major league baseball, but he would probably want his own guys on the coaching staff, as would Bob Melvin.

Although small change in comparison to player salaries, hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo is only one year into his three-year, $2.42 million contract and pitching coach Larry Rothschild just exercised the 2011 option on his contract.

In all likelihood, Quade would keep the staff intact, which has other benefits as well. Not only would the team save some money, but they would save themselves from having any transitional period whatsoever, since that already took place while he was the interim manager.

Sure, there have reportedly been no calls by other clubs asking to interview Quade about their managerial opening, but this isn’t about other teams. This is about who would best fit the situation that the Cubs have in front of them.

The organization will probably wait for the Yankees’ season to be over before they make any decision so that they can talk to Girardi, but I honestly don’t see him leaving the Yankees to manage anyone else. Then, once Girardi is officially out of the mix, look for Quade to get the nod.

In the meantime, you might want to pay close attention to the Yankees’ progress in the playoffs. Once their season ends, the Cubs’ managerial search should follow shortly thereafter.

You should also look out for part three of this series, expected to be up at some point in the coming week.

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Acclaimed actor Sidney Poitier starred with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in the hit movie Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.

Guess which team will show up hungrier in this year’s American League Championship Series?

The actors in this year’s Major League Baseball saga may not win any Oscars or Golden Globes, but they have a chance to have their names etched in eternity as stars and winners nonetheless.

Starring for the defending World Series champion New York Yankees will be Joe Girardi, with co-stars Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, C.C. Sabathia and Derek Jeter.

Statistics aside, the Yankees may have the best batting lineup since the 1934 St. Louis Cardinals—the Gas House Gang.

The Gang featured five .300 hitters, including mammoth slugger Ripper Collins.

Which hitter will rip the opposing pitching staff apart? I predict it will be Josh Hamilton.

Playing the lead role for the Texas Rangers will be their once-beleaguered manager Ron Washington.  His supporting cast includes Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Michael Young, David Murphy, Ian Kinsler, Vladimir Guerrero and Cliff Lee.

The Rangers are no slobs themselves when it comes to hitting.

The first African-American manager in the 49-year history of the Texas Rangers, “Wash” is on the cusp of becoming the first black manager to hit the AL pennant lotto since 1993.

Clarence “Cito” Gaston was the last to do it. 

Born in San Antonio and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, Gaston was also the first African-American to win the World Series (1992).

He was also once with the Atlanta Braves, and roommates with “Hammering” Hank Aaron.

Gaston has been quoted as saying that Mr. Aaron taught him “how to be a man, how to stand on my own.” 

Wash stood on his own for a little while during the 2010 MLB preseason, when he admitted to cocaine use. 

But team president Nolan Ryan provided his manager with some much needed company by predicting a 95-win season.

“We will win,” the former flame-throwing pitcher declared.

Now a part-owner of the Rangers, Ryan almost hit a bulls-eye with his bold prediction. 

His team finished the regular season at 90-72, and won the AL West division by nine games. 

This will be Wash’s first appearance as a manager in the ALCS, and Texas’ fourth postseason run ever.  The franchise has only won four playoff games entering into this year’s pennant series.

Needless to say, this will be the first time the Rangers have played in baseball’s version of the Final Four.

Their lone playoff victory before beating Tampa Bay 3-2 in a five-game series came in Game 1 of the ALDS against the New York Yankees.

The Yankees have pummeled the Rangers in every one of their four postseason series.

Which team is hungrier? It seems to me that they both are ready to gorge on equal amounts of home runs and extra base hits.

What will separate these two offensive juggernauts is pitching. 

Enter stage right Mr. Lee. 

The Yankees wanted to acquire him from the Seattle Mariners, but Ryan was widely viewed as winning a victory over the vaunted Yankee front office in sealing the deal.

The Rangers have dealt with 23 different managers in their history, and the only other one to guide them to the playoffs was the late Johnny Oates. 

As a result, he was named the 1996 Co-American League Manager of the Year. 

Joe Torre of the Yankees shared the award with Oates.

Oates and current Baltimore Orioles manager, Buck Showalter, were very close friends.  The Rangers retired Oates’ uniform number 26 in 2005.

Washington replaced Showalter as manager of the Rangers in 2007.

Showalter sported jersey number 26 as an Oriole this season in honor of Oates.

Washington had a mediocre career as a former shortstop and second baseman with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Minnesota Twins, the Baltimore Orioles, the Cleveland Indians, and the Houston Astros.

His main claim to fame was breaking up Odell Jones’ May 28, 1988 no-hitter with one out in the ninth inning.

Washington was sent in to pinch-hit for Jay Bell, batting ninth. 

After he hung up his cleats for good in 1989, his former Astros manager, Art Howe hired him as the A’s first base coach in 1996.

He was then promoted to third base and infield coach, and he served in that role from 1997-2006.

His players adored him to the point of handing him some of their official MLB accolades.

Washington helped to develop six-time Gold Glove recipient Eric Chavez, and shortstop Miguel Tejada.  Chavez gave Washington a Gold Glove trophy, signed “Wash, not without you.”

That sentiment was shared by Ranger’s general manager Jon Daniels after the Game 5 win against Tampa Bay.

 “Manager of the Year, right here boys,” Daniels proclaimed to reporters in the ALDS celebratory club house.

Hero Cliff Lee won’t pitch until Game 3 in the ALDS, and hopefully in Game 7 for the Rangers.

Ron Washington and current Yankee first baseman Mark Teixeira had a rift over their different approaches to batting. 

Teixeira was traded three months later to the Atlanta Braves in July 2007, but he was reportedly being shopped before the rift.

I believe the Rangers pitchers will send a text message to their former star. 

It could read something like: “Tex, without you.”

I predict the so-called “Evil Empire” will fall in seven games to the Rangers, and that Ron Washington will be named 2010 AL Manager of the Year.

His boldest move was perhaps slotting SS Elvis Andrus in the lead-off spot.  Wash’s base-running aggression against the Rays helped to get his team to this point.

Considered plodders on the base paths, New York may play possum in the running department.

The Yankees may have played possum to finish second to the Rays, but possum is a delicacy in certain parts of Texas—so I hear.

The Rangers swept the Yankees in September. 

Texas will clean the New York house with an ALDS triumph in seven games.

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After a brilliant performance in Game 3 from Phil Hughes, Joe Girardi has decided to switch him and Pettitte in the playoff rotation. And not only that, A.J. Burnett is getting the nod in Game 4. 

This may come as a surprise to a lot of people after Pettitte’s good outing against the Twins in Game 2, and A.J. Burnett’s horrendous regular season. But you have to trust the decisions your manager makes and I’m sure Joe Girardi knows what he’s doing. 

Phil Hughes pitched seven shutout innings against the Twins in the first round the MLB Playoffs, striking out six batters in the process. He looked to be in command the entire game with very few places for concern.

Pettitte pitched very well also, letting up two earned runs in seven innings, while striking out four batters. He got out of a couple of jams and showed why he has more postseason victories for starters than anybody in the history of baseball. 

This is where you ask, did Hughes really do well enough where you needed to switch him and Pettitte in the rotation? Perhaps Girardi sees Game 3 as a must win and he trusts the veteran to be on the mound in that situation. Who knows what Girardi was thinking for sure?

The real question here is, did A.J. Burnett deserve to even crack the Yankees postseason rotation at all? Burnett rarely showed command during the regular season. Inconsistency plagued both him and the Yankees the whole year. Burnett went 10-15 this season with a 5.26 ERA. Are these numbers you can rely on when you’re just four wins away from making it back to the World Series.

Hopefully these changes payoff for the Yankees, otherwise Girardi may go running to that Cubs job. 

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