Where Do We Go from Here? - the Case for Speculation

In another baseball season clouded by doubts as to what upper management is going to do in the future, the New York Yankees have once again been given the boot in the first round of the playoffs. For most Yankee fans, what was one of the greatest turn around seasons in their storied history turned into bitter disappointment. And quite possibly, it may have been the bitterest disappointment of all, second only to the devastation of the 2004 post season.

For the Yankees, their last taste of glory was the in the 2000 Subway Series when they defeated the New York Mets in five games. Since then, there's been seven disappointing post seasons in a row, including losses in both the '01 and the '03 World Series. Now for the third year in a row, they haven't been able to get past the American League Divisional Series. Once considered one of the most feared lineups entering the playoffs, the Yankees have now become little more than a timid threat to the other teams reaching the post season.

Enter another off season filled with questions about the direction to be taken in the future. As long as "The Boss" (a.k.a. George Steinbrenner) is at the helm, there will always be some sort of mystery to deal with. This is the time of year that baseball sportswriters everywhere, especially in New York, are donning their bibs to catch all the drooling that results from this disappointment. The problem is that all one can do is speculate as to what is going to happen, and this off-season will be riddled with mass conjecturing unlike any year in the past.

There's no doubt in my mind that there will be some moves made this off season unlike in past years, starting with Joe Torre, the team's manager. In fact, the start of the housecleaning may even start at a higher position, namely Brian Cashman, the team's General Manager. His job is in jeopardy as well. I would have to think that those are the first two moves that the boss will make. Speculation has already drifted into the direction of Joe Girardi, a former major league catcher, to be Torre's successor. As far as the GM position goes, that's anybody's guess at this stage.