 1) Alan L. Alcon, Glenmont: Mark Mindel asked if we could imagine a playoff game at Yankee Stadium with empty seats. After Friday night's debacle, I can't imagine a playoff game at the Stadium period. And one of the main reasons will be Joe Girardi's overmanaging. Why did Girardi take out effective reliever Jonathan Albaladejo with two outs in the eighth and one strike on the batter? And why did he bring in Mariano Rivera at that point in the game and so early in the season? The Yankees manager has to take a page from Boston counterpart Terry Francona's book and stay in the dugout more and let the players play. Send your 50-word talking points to bcallen@timesunion.com 2) Gene VanAmburgh, Menands: Where have you gone, Joe Torre? While Joe's Dodgers are leading out West in the National League, Joe Girardi has the Yankees down three lengths behind Toronto. The Japan team won the WBC by playing small ball; Girardi has no idea what that means. How about a bunt, or hit and run, or even move a runner now and then? These Yankees are taught one thing, go for the bomb. C'mon, Joe, show us something. Gone are the days of Billy Ball; at least he had a plan. 3) John May, Malta: The opener of the Red Sox- Yankees series Friday was a classic battle between two heavyweights. Jason Bay's game-tying two-run shot off Mariano Rivera was a jump out of your seat moment, but the real story was the quality of play. With all due respect to last year's darlings, the Tampa Bay Rays, and my beloved Toronto Blue Jays (playing as well as anyone, by the way), the two best teams in Baseball play in The Bronx and Boston.
Author:Fox Sports
Author's Website:http://www.foxsports.com
Added: April 28, 2009
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