Poor Detroit.

They were so excited to sweep the Yankees and make the World Series and now they’re a Matt Cain start away from suffering the same fate.

So where did it all go wrong for the Tigers? Was it the long layover? Is it San Francisco’s pitching staff? Or maybe it’s the fact that Detroit was only an 88-win team in a Division with three 90+ loss team and that is finally catching up to them?

I believe they contracted ‘The Suck.’ A condition known by it’s more common name, Yankeeitis. It’s an illness that manifests when a good offense is shut down by good pitching performances.

All of those rowdy Tigers fans who were bashing the Yankees for not showing up in the ALCS are now watching their team suffer the same fate.

Forget, Yankeeitis, maybe it’s just poetic justice.

Flickr image by BaseballBacks

Maybe I’m in denial – and it wouldn’t be the first time for me – but I refuse to believe that Mariano Rivera is going to retire.

I just can’t imagine that he would want our last image of him in his Yankee uniform to be the tossing of a ceremonial first pitch during the playoffs.

Or worse yet, our last image of him as an active Yankee player to be the sight of his writhing in agony on the warning track of Kauffman Stadium after tearing his ACL.

Instead, I’m going to believe that Mariano Rivera is going to arrive in Tampa in mid-February just like all of the other pitchers and will start getting ready for the 2013.

Never mind that he will be 43-years-old and coming off a major knee surgery. Mo is otherworldly. He’ll be fine and pick up where he left off.

Right?

I cannot think of the other scenario.

I cannot think of us never hearing “Enter Sandman” blaring from the Stadium speakers again. I cannot imagine not seeing Mo at the end of the game, shaking the hand of his catcher as they celebrate a victory.

And yes, we went through most of this past season without Mo and we did get a glimpse of what life would be like after Mo but I’m not ready for it to be permanent yet. I don’t think you’re ready for it yet and I also don’t think he is either.

Yeah, yeah. World Series and all that junk

For me, watching the World Series will look similar to these lemurs staring blankly into the middle distance.
Image rights belong to Flickr User monkeywing

I don’t know about you folks, but whenever the Yanks make the playoffs but end up having to clear out their lockers prior to the last

MLB game of the season, a small part of me wants to stop watching baseball altogether. After the Series That Shall Not Be Named, I’m feeling particularly glum, even having taken several days to recover. Thanks to the baseball-induced ennui that I experienced this past weekend, I decided to immerse myself in moving and, subsequently, unpacking, hoping to resurface today fully aware of which two teams I would be watching for the last few games of the season. Giants-Tigers doesn’t really thrill me all that much, but it is kind of cool to see 2 of the Original 16 locking horns in the Fall Classic for the first time in history. I guess I’m rooting for the Tigers, since if they win I can take solace in the fact that the Yankees were beaten by the best.

In reality though, I’m not really jazzed up about either team.

Burn Baby Burn

But wait. What is that…that warmth I am feeling? It isn’t very intense, but it is definitely a glowing, radiant heat. It is growing, seemingly by the hour. Twitter, SportsCenter, the Blogosphere – all are beginning to burn. Oh yes. That’s right. Once your team is out, it’s Hot Stove Season, baby, and over the next couple of weeks I’m hoping to get my kicks by stirring some of the pots on the range.

Starting tomorrow, I will profile the gents who donned the pinstripes in 2012 who either have options for 2013, are arbitration eligible (can be non-tendered) or can walk outright as free agents. Here’s the list that I put together. If I’ve missed anyone, comment away.

Club Options (They might be back…)
Robinson Cano
Curtis Granderson
Pedro Feliciano
David Aardsma

Player Options (He probably won’t be back…)
Rafael Soriano

Free Agents (Do we want them back?)
Nick Swisher
Russell Martin
Andy Pettitte
Mariano Rivera
Hiroki Kuroda
Freddy Garcia
Eric Chavez
Andruw Jones
Ichiro Suzuki
Derek Lowe
Raul Ibanez

Arbitration Eligible (The Young’ns)
Jayson Nix
Francisco Cervelli
Ramiro Pena
David Robertson
Brett Gardner
Boone Logan
Phil Hughes
Joba Chamberlain

After addressing the probability of who will stay and who will go over the next week or so, I will then get out of the frying pan and into the fire, so to speak, analyzing potential free agent targets that could plug up some holes and potentially help Brian Cashman get the Yanks under the $189MM threshold for the 2014 season.

Up first tomorrow: The Ballad of Robinson Cano

Derek Jeter had surgery to repair his fractured ankle this morning and reports say it was successful. The recovery period is 4-5 months.

CC Sabathia has a bone spur in his balky left elbow and will be visiting Dr. James Andrews *gasp* to see if anything else is wrong. Let’s hope not.

And finally the eyes have it, or in this case, they might not. The Yankees are sending Curtis Granderson to the eye doctor. Shouldn’t they send the entire lineup minus Ichiro to the eye doctor? To be fair, Granderson did look lost at the plate and it appeared as though he wasn’t picking up some pitches. Also, some of the routes he took in the outfield during the season left a lot to be desired so maybe there’s something to this eye thing after all?

…Must come to an end.

We’ll have more this weekend.

YANKEES
Ichiro Suzuki LF
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Raul Ibanez DH
Eric Chavez 3B
Russell Martin C
Brett Gardner CF
Eduardo Nunez SS

CC Sabathia LHP

TIGERS
Austin Jackson CF
Omar Infante 2B
Miguel Cabrera 3B
Prince Fielder 1B
Delmon Young DH
Jhonny Peralta SS
Andy Dirks LF
Avisail Garcia RF
Gerald Laird C

Max Scherzer RHP

This could be the last day of the season for the Yankees and still no A-Rod in the lineup.

The Yankees’s season will survive another day!

Hooray!!

Game 4 is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at 4:07 p.m.

Looks like Mother Nature doesn’t want the Yankees’s seasons to end just yet.

The start time of the game has been delayed due to an impending series of storms about to enter the Detroit metro area.

For now, you get rain delay music. Enjoy!

Can someone please wake us from this nightmare postseason? Thanks.

Game 4 lineup:

Ichiro LF
Swisher RF
Cano 2B
Tex 1B
Ibanez DH
Chavez 3B
Martin C
Gardner CF
Nunez SS

Sabathia P

Take it in folks, this could be the last lineup of 2012.

Derek Jeter will have surgery on his fractured ankle this Saturday in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The expected recovery time is approximately 4-5 months which means Jeter will return to baseball activities at the very start of Spring Training. (If all goes well.)