THE USUAL SUSPECTS
Yankees return to scene of 2005 playoff ouster




By: Russ Rose
Special to Yankees Talk Shop
April 7, 2006

Anaheim, CA - Last October is still in the memory banks of several of the New York Yankees, especially in that of third baseman Alex Rodriguez.

Rodriguez, the reigning American League Most Valuable Player, had a miserable Division Series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It was Rodriguez who, with the Yankees up on the Angels 1-0 in the series, turned his teams fortunes around by making a costly error in Game 2 when he let a bouncer hit by Angel shortstop Miguel Cabrera bounce off the webbing of his glove in the sixth inning. Ex-Angel catcher Bengie Molina knocked Cabrera in from second with a two-out single to tie the game. The Angels went on to win the game 5-3.

The two teams went back to New York where they split Games 3 and 4 to set up the deciding Game 5 in Anaheim.

The Yankees had the early advantage when they scored two runs in the top of the 2nd inning. Game 1 winner Mike Mussina was unable to keep the Angels off the board as they came back in the bottom of the frame scoring three times to take a 3-2 lead. Mussina fully imploded in the bottom of the third when he gave up two more runs on three hits and was replaced by the unlikeliest of relief pitchers – Randy Johnson.

In addition to his defensive woes, A-Rod had a miserable series offensively too. He went 2 for 15 with five strikeouts, and no RBI. He finished the series with a .133 batting average. Hardly MVP numbers.

Rodriguez put the entire blame for the ALDS loss on his shoulders. He admitted he “played like a dog,” but, he wasn’t the only high paid Yankee to fail. Hideki Matsui batted .200, Bernie Williams .211, Jorge Posada .231 and Gary Sheffield .286.

A new chapter has stared and A-Rod, along with his teammates, is hoping for a better finish this time out. Rodriguez said he is looking forward to going back to Orange County, because Angel Stadium is one of his favorite places to play. His history bears him out. He has a .347 career average there (93-for-268) with 25 homers and 59 RBI.

One of the things Angel fans like to rub in the faces of ‘arrogant’ Yankee fans is the fact the Angels are the only team in the Joe Torre era (since 1996) that has a winning record (49-48) against the Bombers. To a man the Yankees tell you that it’s nothing mental about the way they play against the Angels it’s just the Angels have played better. Sure, let’s go with that. If the Yankees are talking about their record of play against the Angels as nothing mental I have a feeling it’s something mental. The Angels do get inside their heads. After all, this is the team that has bounced them out of the playoffs two out of the last four years.

After starting the 2006 campaign with a series loss in Oakland the Yankees would like nothing better than to bounce back and take the series from the Angels. In order to do that the pitching and defense has to tighten up and play well. This spring the Yankees focused on playing the style of ball the Angels are known for - Stealing, bunting and taking the extra base. To be successful the players know they have to execute and play “small ball.”

The old adage is, ‘don’t get mad, get even,’ and if the Yankees can take two out of three from the Halos they’ll be doing just that.



© 2006 Yankees Talk Shop @ ezboard.com

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