This is part 3 of the Yankees Roundtable here at Blogs by Fans.  See part 1 at depressedfan.com and part 2 at behindthebacksports.com.

Here are Brandon's questions.

Question the First:

1. Tell me why Joe Torre should be coaching this team after going six years without a championship, and will he be back next year?

Have you no shame?  Not only should Torre be manging this team, but he is the only one who can manage this team.  And the reason is this: pressure.  Torre's been able to handle the expectation of winning from the fans, media, owner and the players themselves.  Oh sure, there have been, in varying degrees, the David Wells's, the Ruben Sierra's (in his first go-round and your boy), the Jeff Nelson's, the Raul Mondesi's, the Giambi steroid fiasco and now the A-Rod saga, but one player never divided the team.  Over 162 games since 1996; that says a lot.  Just look at what T.O. did in his stints with San Francisco, Philadelphia and Dallas.  And the Yanks are a team loaded with superstars and super-egos.  If guys like Lou Piniella or Bobby Cox managed this team, their heads would have exploded by now.  Managing is more than knowing when to pull a pitcher or when to hit-and-run.  It's managing people (including the owner) and getting the most out of them.

However, familiarity does breed contempt and it is true that the Yanks haven't won The World Series in six years.  Maybe I'm being too loyal (something that may be Torre's fatal flaw), but making 11 straight post-seasons and winning 4 championships still carries a lot of weight with me.

As far as coming back for 2008:  I think Torre will be managing for as long as he wants (or until the Yanks miss the playoffs).

Question the Second:

2. If this current team is missing something (i.e. player, manager, GM, intensity, youth), what is it?

The starting rotation is just OK.  They have three starters and then question marks.  They also lack a reliable bridge to Rivera so pitching is the biggest weakness, but that goes for every team in the league.  As far as an intangible quality -- I think it can sometimes be overrated.  Ideally, you would like to get a mix of veteran guys infused with youthful players to give the team balance, but I feel winning creates chemistry, not the other way around.  Now, did they get a shot in the arm last year with the emergence of Melky -- Yes.  Was his return to the bench the reason they lost to the Tigers? -- I don't think so.

Still, I think the biggest intangible is the "rift" between A-Rod and the team.  If Jeter embraced Rodriguez during his slump (like he did for Giambi during his), this whole "A-Rod is a bum" thing would have been squashed.  So maybe that's what's missing, as sad as it sounds -- a hug and a pat on the butt from The Captain to A-Rod.  I'm telling ya, the line between sports and soap opera is being obliterated.

Question the Third:

3. For the last several years, the Yankee/Red Sox rivalry has reached an all time high. Especially after the 2004 choke job by the Yanks that reversed the curse. Is the rivalry still as strong as ever? Are the Sox still the Yankees' number one competition. If not, who is? Finally, does the regular season even matter anymore?

I think now it's a real rivalry, in the strictest sense of the word.  A rival is supposed to beat you occasionally.  Before it was just wondering how the Yankees were going to tear out the hearts of the Red Sox -- not if.  2004 will always make me sick to my stomach.  I thought I knew what it was like to experience disappointment in sports, but nothing compares to that series.  For at least two weeks after the collapse, the air smelled funny, food had no taste, life had no meaning -- and I was 30 years old!  I don't want to know how I would have reacted if I were 19 or 20 (or younger).

The rivalry will always be heated among the fans.  Between the players? -- eh, not so much.  Money has a way of erasing loyalties.

The Red Sox are still the competition within the division just by default.  The Blue Jays are improved, but still not on par with the Yanks and forget about the O's and Devil Rays.  I think the Red Sox are going to regret inserting Jonathan Papelbon in the starting rotation -- Joel Pineiro is NOT the answer at closer.

And the regular season does matter!  The marathon nature of baseball is to weed out the so-so and inferior teams so that only the elite remain.  Yeah, I know the Cardinals won the World Series with an appalling 83-78 record last year, but that's the beauty of sports -- the unpredictability!

My questions to the blogger hitting cleanup still to come!

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