The Yankees WILL win 110 games this season...

MadCapper · 06-03-2004, 04:15 PM

You can shoot me now. Rip me for this. Bash and Flame all you want but I firmly believe the Yankees can win 110 games this season. No, I won't put any money on it unless I get TREMENDOUS odds, but I still believe they can and will win 110 games. They started off terribly. They, now, have the BEST record in baseball at 32-19. In order for them to win 110 games why would have to go 78-33 the rest of the way. Thats a bout 7-3 every 10 games. Unlikely? Yes! Impossible? No! They basically need a super strecth in which they win 18 of 24 or something like that. It can happen. They were 8-11 at one time this year. So since that time they have gone 24-8. During the 1st 2 months of the season Jeter went through 2 TERRIBLE slumps and just recently got his AVG over .200. A-Rod went through a terrible stretch. Bernie Williams looked like an 80 yr old. Giambi landed on the DL. Posada missed some games. They had no 4th OR 5th starter. And Mussina looked very OLD. Matsui, Posada, and Sierra carried them through April. It looks like alot of "it" is coming back together now. A-Rod has regained his MVP form. Jeter is hitting again. They have a 4th starter in Lieber and their Pen iis arguably the best in the Majors. They still dont have a 5th starter as Contreras doesnt belong in the Majors now. If Giambi can get healthy and if Sheffield can start producing on a consistent basis the Yankees can go on a MAJOR run. I know 110 seems a little far fetched now, but I believe it will happen.

I would love to hear some objective feedback.

-MC

Pancho Sanza · 06-03-2004, 04:21 PM

I don't think they have enough pitching to win that many games.

Look back at all the past teams that broke 105, all had good to excellent pitching staffs relative to the rest of the league.

I figure they win between 98 - 102

MadCapper · 06-03-2004, 04:25 PM

When the Msriners won so many games they didnt have such amazing pitching. And who wouldnt want the Yankees top 4 of Brown, Mussina, Vazquez, and Lieber and the bullpen to go along with it.

98 games means they just have to go 68-43.

-MC

jackfrost · 06-03-2004, 04:27 PM

no f way!

Fishhead · 06-03-2004, 04:30 PM

Your team that is going to win 110 games is a mere 1.5 games ahead of a team that has had two all-stars out of the line-up the ENTIRE year(trot & nomar) and last years batting champ(meuller) that has been out for the last 2 weeks.

The Yankees are not even a favorite to win their own division.

brett · 06-03-2004, 04:38 PM

Mariners in 2001 had an absolute lights out bullpen and they had very solid starting pitching. But their bullpen defined them that year. Sasaki was automatic, with Nelson from the right side and Arthur Rhodes against lefties made this a tough team to score against from the 7th inning on.

MadCapper · 06-03-2004, 04:44 PM

brett,

Dont you think the Yankees have that this year?

Quantrill, Gordon, Rivera?

Insane lineup

4 solid starters.

As I said i am going out on a huge limb...

-MC

brett · 06-03-2004, 05:01 PM

I liked the Yankee teams in the past that played better defense and sacrificed some offense. The teams with Paul ONeil and Brosius had guts and were winners. You couldn't put those teams away. They weren't stat stuffers, but they accumulated rings.

MadCapper · 06-03-2004, 05:04 PM

Brett,

Agreed. They had heart and winners. But this team has so much talent. I really think they can win 110. They have to have some super stretches but its def. not impossible. If Vazquez, Giambi, Bernie, Sheffield get on track this team can win 21 out of 30.

-MC

brett · 06-03-2004, 05:17 PM

They might win 110 but they need to improve in some areas to win it all. Explosive lineups always win alot of games in the regular season. There have been many examples of this over the years, (82-Brewers, 88 A's, 95 Indians). But it is pitching and defense in October, we will see where they fit in down the road.

Pancho Sanza · 06-03-2004, 05:23 PM

Madcapper,

The mariners allowed 627 runs in 2001, lowest total in all of baseball.

stevo · 06-03-2004, 05:26 PM

I have Yanks futures for pennant. I think they will win and agree with MC about the beauty of this line-up.

I can't see them getting 110 because they just dont have the pitching to do it on road.

Certainly wouldnt mind seeing 110 but doubt it very much.

jjgold · 06-03-2004, 05:27 PM

No pitching period which means Yanks get knocked right out of playoffs

Tildy · 06-03-2004, 05:31 PM

In 2000 Seattle added Olerud and Cameron. In 2001 they added Ichiro and Boone. Olerud, Cameron, and Ichiro were arguably the best defensive players at their position, and Ichiro, Olerud, and Boone were great hitters. They played very good team defense, and offensively on the road were ridicilous. It all came together in 2001 during the regular season, and that is what they were, a great regular season baseball team.

The Yankees are a terrible defensive team, have had numerous close calls with the bullpen, and are a few injuries away from disaster. I look at last nights game not as a Yankee victory, but as a ridiculous loss by the Orioles. If the Yankees can get away with that all the time, then 110 is going to be easy, as they are going to score runs. The team defense is what I think will keep them from winning a historically high number of games.

nostaw1952 · 06-03-2004, 05:31 PM

I'm not sold on Quantrill or Gordon just yet, and as far as Giambi, Williams, and Sheffield are concerned,
I think the first two have already seen their best years, and Sheff may be distracted by the BALCO stuff.
Besides, although we're talking regular season here, he can light it up all he wants in that part of the season, it's the October schedule in the past few years where he has had his problems.
I'll tell you one thing, they could win 150 if they got to play the Orioles more: they're 5-0 already this
season, 44-17 overall, and ESPN said that the Orioles were the first team in about 70 years to get 13 or more hits in 7 straight games-and of course they had a losing record in that span. Whatta joke!

nostaw1952 · 06-03-2004, 05:34 PM

Just saw Tildy's post, another excellent point. Jeter made 2 errors last night, including on the leadoff batter that helped Baltimore's 5 run first inning, and that stupid move of moving a 2 time defending
Gold Glove champ won't hurt them against the Baltimores of the world, but it will against teams that don't suck...like Boston.

MAGUA · 06-03-2004, 05:36 PM

Fishead - When was Trot ever an All-Star(?), and let's face it, Bill Mueller will never hit .326 again in his life. Unless Pedro and Lowe turn it around, it will be another 2nd place finish for the Sox.

MadCapper · 06-03-2004, 05:41 PM

You guys all make fair points. I wasnt expecting anyone to agree with me that they will win 110 as not many teams EVER have won that many games. And I doubt any team that started 8-11 ever won close to that many. With that beong said I still think they are capable of it.

-MC

nostaw1952 · 06-03-2004, 05:50 PM

The fact that Boston has kept this close playing all this time without Trot and Nomar is certainly encouraging for them. I'm not a big fan of Nomar, but obviously he'll be a HUGE upgrade over Reese, who
looks like the worst hitter in all of baseball, he doesn't have a f uckin' clue. On the other hand, Francona
is looking more and more like a Bobby Cox in training when it comes to pitcher removal: he left Lowe in
waaaay too long over the weekend, then repeated his blunder with Pedro last night...