Aug

Making the death blow as painful as possible

I won’t front like I watched yesterday’s game. After Matsui drove in the game’s initial run, I was disconnected, not to reconnect until 8 p.m. when I saw the ticker display a 9-3 win for the Yanks. Coupled by a 3-1 Boston loss to Anaheim, and we’re all the sudden back in good shape. Not that we were ever in bad shape; five games (now four) behind a suddenly inconsistent team is nothing to fret about. All we have to do is gain one game over the next seven and we can tie the division at home against Boston. Strangely, that’s not how I’d like it to go.

You may think I’m crazy, but there’s nothing I’d love more than to finish the day on August 30 one game behind Boston. That means we need to gain three games over the next two weeks — though that’s much tougher than it seems. I want Boston to leave the city knowing that we’re literally right on their heels. One slip up and we take first. However, I don’t want that slip-up to happen quite yet.

Over the two weeks following the Red Sox trip to the Stadium, the Yanks play Tampa Bay, Seattle, Kansas City, and Toronto. I’d like to gain one game during that stretch, tying the division as we head up to Fenway for a weekend series on September 14th. And that, like last year, is where I want to see the death blow dealt. Sweeping them and putting them three games behind with just two weeks left in the season would be the ultimate fist-pump moment.

It won’t be an easy ride to the end, not with two series against Baltimore following the Boston set. But by that point, I’d think the Yanks would be on enough of a roll to sustain a three-game lead.

All of this, of course, is just my ideal scenario; I’ll take the division any way we can get it. It’s just that I’d like to twist the Boston knife as much as possible. They were all so smug early in the season, with their constant response of “14 games” whenever you tried to talk to one of them about baseball. It’s all coming back to them now, and I’d like it to be as painful as possible.

And if we’re going to win the division this year, is it too much to as for Seattle to overtake Boston in the process? Or am I just getting greedy here?

What about you guys? What’s your ideal scenario for overtaking Boston?

Categories : Playoffs

13 Comments»

Mike NYY says:

August 20, 2007 at 8:27 am

I want Boston in the playoffs. Then we can cursh them in the ALCS coming back from a 3-0 defecit

Kyle says:

August 20, 2007 at 8:47 am

I dont want that much drama, I wanna pass them in the first series and leave them in the dust. There would be nothing more satisfying then beatind them by like 7-10 games IMHO

Kinjo5 says:

August 20, 2007 at 9:02 am

I agree with Kyle…let’s just leave them behind!!! Let them be the ones to sweat and hussle when we meet them on 8/28.

Relaunch says:

August 20, 2007 at 9:18 am

I agree, this season has been taxing on all of us. Just get in the playoffs anyway possible, as soon as possible.

Yankee Fan in Chicago says:

August 20, 2007 at 9:50 am

I want to wake up August 31 in first place. Then I want to put some serious distance between us and them over the next few weeks, followed by a sweep in Boston.

And I want that sweep not only to put us up by 7 or 8 games, but to knock the Sawx right out of the playoffs. No wild card for them.

Then I want a 98-style playoff domination, where we settle a bunch of old scores. I’d love it if the boys could celebrate series-winning victories at Detroit, at Anaheim, and at Arizona (though another Shea celebration would do in a pinch, if only the Mets could pick up Piazza along the way so Clemens could toss a bat at him, that would be perfect).

Relaunch says:

August 20, 2007 at 10:11 am

Although we would like to see one, it is highly unlikely the Yanks sweeping the final 6 games against the Sox. With the exception of last August, its not something that has happened often. I would be happy with them winning 4 out of 6

Another bad sign for Torre at River Ave. Blues says:

August 20, 2007 at 11:39 am

[...] Whimsy (3) « Making the death blow as painful as possible [...]

Mike A. says:

August 20, 2007 at 11:55 am

Thing is, if they take 4 or 6 from the Sox they only pick up 2 games. If they take 5 of 6 it goes up to 4 games.

4 of 6 is an absolute minimum.

Yankee Fan in Chicago says:

August 20, 2007 at 1:17 pm

We won 4 of 6 in our last 2 meetings with them, when they were still hot and we were just beginning to turn it around. I really think we can take 5 of 6 and maybe all six, especially if we’re in first by a few games when we head to Boston. The Sawx might just completely quit at that point.

pete says:

August 20, 2007 at 2:59 pm

Right, lets play every game hard. If we do that we will be divison winners again(whats one more T-shirt) and on to the road to our 27th championship.

chris g says:

August 20, 2007 at 10:05 pm

well i believe were getting hot at just the right time over the next 3 weeks we will se just how far weve come.. i believe we have the best player in the pen in all of baseball still. also with a hard throwing kid like chamberlain its starting to scare alot of people..knowing the yanks biggest weakness there pen has been lights out in there last 11 innings they have given up one run and 3 hits …yes i said 3 hits in 11 innings..this kid has made everyone better and that the mark of a great pitcher..all im gunna say is..its pretty scary seeing how all star players are saying his stuff reminds them of a young roger clemens..with a harder fastball. he is the real deal..and just wait till next year when hes starting…i beleive the yanlees are gunna run away with the al east and thats a scary thought thinking back when tehy were struggling early in the year..all of baseball should be scared..the yannkees have a bullpen ..and they have onme kid taht just may set up this world series for mariano rivera to cloe..lights out american league

River Ave. Blues » Another bad sign for Torre says:

January 28, 2008 at 11:10 am

[...] the Yanks manage to overtake the Red Sox, Torre will earn a lot of praise for turning this team around. The media will fawn all over him, [...]

abizage says:

December 7, 2008 at 4:26 pm

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