On the Yankees beat

So have we hit rock bottom as of now?

I would hope so.

Any chance Torre gets fired if we get swept again by Boston and have lost 9 in a row?

Jeff, Torre will not get fired.

The Yankees and their fans are still hoping for a "turnaround."

Is there a worse hitter in MLB than Doug Mientkiewicz?
God he sucks so bad, can we just bat the pitchers? This team just flat out blows!!!!

I mean we are talking about a team that if not for one of the best April performances in the history of baseball (arod)would VERY likely be 6-15 after tonight. THATS WORSE THAN THE ROYALS and the worst in the league

trade talk

obviously it's way too early to trade for practical reasons, but i think we all know that a trade for a pitcher is inevitable, so why not discuss it?
if oswalt becomes available the yanks should give everything short of hughes. the guy is really good. if zambrano is available they should give less, but still a lot.
these guys eat up innings.

great point, mm.

i think many of the "no panic" guys around here forget that fact and ignore how bad the situation is. it's not panic, just facts.
bullpen - burned out, leads MLB in innings pitched by a lot, 7 blown saves, 7 loses, NO SAVES (only team in majors...)
includes losers like farnsworth and myers
starters - can't get out of the 5th, 6th tops. people like to cite injuries as excuse, but right now only mussina is hurt and he's no inning eater. don't even dare to count pavano...
offense - solid but growing incresingly frustrated at the need to put up 7-8 runs every single game just to have a chance to win.

i hate torre

given him 20 games now and he still has un-inspired this team- he needs to go

shake up the management- throw girardi in with donnine b-ball

u kidding me? lose 7 in a row, give up HR to lugo? up 4-2 with pett, bring in overworked proctor and henn and etc.

im, as well upstate ny, am sick of torre. this relax, "dont worry" atttitude is long overdue of a firing.

and another thing, get rid of dougy red sox and will nieves...so sick of this trip AAA B.S.

yanks need a major re-vamp, starting with torre...sorry guinea lovers out there, but yanks need to win baseball games, not the hearts of new yorkers

i hate torre

given him 20 games now and he still has un-inspired this team- he needs to go

shake up the management- throw girardi in with donnine b-ball

u kidding me? lose 7 in a row, give up HR to lugo? up 4-2 with pett, bring in overworked proctor and henn and etc.

im, as well upstate ny, am sick of torre. this relax, "dont worry" atttitude is long overdue of a firing.

and another thing, get rid of dougy red sox and will nieves...so sick of this trip AAA B.S.

yanks need a major re-vamp, starting with torre...sorry guinea lovers out there, but yanks need to win baseball games, not the hearts of new yorkers

jeter just singled. what's the line on an abreu DP?...

Gil, don't fool yourself trading this for that.

The Yankees already have the players.

They just need a new manager.

This team is GROSS.
There is ONE possible solution for 07. They have gone to AAA, teams wont trade until June....TORRE must GO! No guarantee it inspires the club but its time. This team is GROSS right now.

Why is trade for pitcher inevitable and why is Oswalt available and what in the world do you have to offer Houston for him?

I don't know about the line for an Abreu DP but I can tell you Mientkiewicz will go 0 for 4 tonight.

Am I making too bold of a statement? Haha.

Will someone tell me why Bob Abreu doesnt get F ing booed??????????? he makes 15.6 million dollars...why Arod and not him? god he sucks too

Sounds right to me.

i hate this team - screw abreu and damon

get rid of TORRE - this team needs a shake up big time!

this is just sad to see, and the saddest thing is how dead the crowd is, as if they know the yanks aren't coming back.
the players seem lifeless, they are getting all the close calls against them (a-rod check swing, jeter out at second, yesterday out at first) and they are not only not arguing, they seem lethargic.
i really believe they have absorbed the personality of their manager in the worst way.

It's so obvious the players are just laying down.

If they don't can Torre soon, it's sayonara to the season.

EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sludge - kill yourself- us yankee fans dont need your senseless input- stick to banging your sister and leave the forum

sludge - kill yourself- us yankee fans dont need your senseless input- stick to banging your sister and leave the forum

mm,

i was wondering the same thing about booing abreu, which he so richly deserves, and that's the point of it - the crowd is so depressed they can't muster the energy to boo. last year they were much more into it, even during slides, and vented on a-rod.
this year they get a buzz from the team that there's no reason to boo. no emotions. no desire to succeed.

Stuttering can be treated upstate.

Upstate I told you guys about Abreus incompetence a week ago. Now your just catching up.

Gil and mm, don't you guys still not getting it?

The problem is not Abreu or Myers or Pavano or Damon or Cabrera or Giambi or Posada or whatever.

It is Torre.

The players are clearly not playing for him.

Do you guys just don't see it even though it is so obvious?

SERIOUSLY????

this is the *TH INNING, friggin farnsworth hasn't pitched in 3 days. if he can't pitch now, what the hell is he doing on the roster????????

Im on your side. Dump Abreu now!

Eric,
What Torre hitting for the season?

eric,

you'tr peaching to the choir. i thought torre should have been fired in 2004. i get physically sick just looking at him. sadly, donnie seems to be a carbon copy (just look at them sitting in the dugout like stone sculptures).
i hope GS still has the fire in him to over-ride cashman and kick torre's butt outta here!!

So, I wake up this am thinking that tonite things will change--Boy was I wrong. This team has no life-the life has been taken out of the offense because they know they can't continue to pick up the slack.
THIS GAME IS MAKING ME SICK TO MY STOMACH-YOU CAN SEE THE BULLPEN IS SHOT AFTER 20 GAMES-THEY'VE PITCHED MORE THAN THE STARTERS
I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF TORRE AND HIS BONEHEAD MOVES-HE KEEPS HIS ICE TEA DRINKING ASS GLUED TO THE BENCH EXCEPT FOR PITCHING CHANGES-HOW BOUT GETTING YOR TEAM FIRED UP? THESE A**HOLES ARE MAKING ME MISERABLE

Oh dont get me wrong Torre has to go after this game. But Abreau is very aweful right now. Big Joe if he had any balls he should do the right thing and jump on the sword. He's worth a 50 million...just fade into the sunset. Just understand the team wont play for you

This team has no players!

Gil, so if you are getting it, then why are you complaining about this player or that player's play.

They are obviously not playing for him, so their performance is going to suck.

That's what laying down is: not trying or even willing to do anything to win.

No starters

No releivers

No hitters

No management

Ghost Yankees!

But they do have Gil and Eric.

Oh and I forgot MC.

You guys will fix the team. I have confidence. I see ten extra wins just in your suggestions here.

Does anoyone like me? Jee whiz.

Now excuse me, Gator just woke me up and I need to take another nap.

Where's Zim to help me out?

Another 2 wins up to 12 now.

Gil hows that Zambrano....Oswalt negotiation going? Do you realize this team hasnt a snowballs chance in hell of trading for them. They are a league above any player you have and you expect to get them with what??? A collection of non-performers. Of course we cant give of the one guy that has even a hint of talent for perennial all star pitchers. We should give up the players that we signed and they passed on originally and stink now.

You couldnt get either of those guys for Abreu Giambi and Cano combined!

And you think Torre is lost?

Pitiful

Don't get me wrong, I understand all of your complaints against Joe Torre. I think the way in which he has handled the pitching staff in NY has been beyond awful.

But I think people are forgetting the fact that our pitching has been H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E. Our starters are averaging less than five innings per game. Our relief is completely shot. And Rivera is totally lost on the mound. I'm not going to pretend I know the remedy. Everyone is calling for Torre's head; but is Joe Girardi or Don Mattingly or Larry Bowa going to change the fact that we are getting nothing out of our pitchers? I'm suffering like all of you. But lets call a spade a spade.

We've lost game one of this three game series. I am hoping we can take the last two from the Red Sox and stop the massive internal bleeding.

When asked why Francona used Papelbon last night when Beckett has the game well in hand:

"Why would Tito rest his closer in
anticipation of facing the last place team with a six game
losing streak? It's not like it's Toronto."

Can we exhume Billy Martin to light a fire under these guys arses?

Piniero in.....well, cant call the Sox totally heartless.

Dougy M is quite a hitter. That was a nice at bat.

Mike, let me ask you a question.

So it's not really Torre's fault but it is the players, right?

So let's keep Torre and let's get rid of all these people instead:

1) Mientkiewicz
2) Giambi
3) Abreu
4) Cano
5) Myers
6) Proctor
7) Damon
8) Cabrera
9) Vizcaino
10) Rivera
11) Posada
12) Nieves
13) Cairo
14) Pavano
15) Igawa
16) Farnsworth

I might have missed a few more but you get the idea.

Great job by Freaking Myers...You worthless piece of sh*t..

Myers Outing against Redsox

1) Gave up walk to Julio Lugo, Varitek scores

2) Youkilis Grounds out ,Crisp Scores

3) David Ortiz singles, Pedrioa scores

Paul Tm Danruff says Myers Own Ortiz, , I guess not. Ortiz owns Myers.. wink wink... Hey Mark, You still inlove with Myers?

Why is noone blaming Cashman? He assembled this disaster, and said it would be great to bring back the coma that Torre has been the past few years. Torre sleeps on the bench and his team sleepwalks through games and Cashman thought this was great to continue after the same BS the past few years????

A team that plays like they are "sleep walking", is not the GM's fault. This is "a team being a reflection of the manager". Torre has got to be fired, or convinced $$$$ to resign.

Okay, we blame Cashman.

Now what?

Anyway, let's shoot for 8 straight tomorrow.

Lots of $$$$$ solutions problems around here.

Maybe Mariano can be convinced $$$$ to resign.

Pettitte $$$$too since they both stunk tonight. Or maybe Joe can give $$$$$ to them to pitch better. I gue$$ when your GM i$ named Ca$hman then the $olution to everything is $$$$.

My oh my, I ju$t woke up and realized I wa$ at the computer. Damn that Torre for making me $leep walk.

Comon guys. Keep it together. Its not too late to panic. We still have time to get our record to the worst in the league. Two more losses and a KC win and were tied. If we make some trades we can do it.

The Yankee pitchers collars all start getting real tight right around the end of the fourth inning.

Anyone explain to Jorge to meaning of the word catcher?

Ok.... people need to chill here. I'll admitt this is depressing, infact its just about ruined my week. However, this will get better, the offense is still there, the pitching is suspect yes, but it will not continue to be this bad. Wang is back, Igawa is getting skipped, Hughes may not have gotten a great result his first time out but he's got nasty stuff... and he will do better his next time out. Ok, so pettit wasnt on tonight; what do you expect after a 7 day layover. Moose will be back soon as well. As for Rivera.... come on people, this is Mariano Rivera. You rememeber the guy who has a 0.97 ERA in the post season. He hasn't pitched much, so his control is a bit off, he was throwing mid 90's tonight so his arm is still live, just give him a chance. If you were going to ever hate him... hate him for the heart shattering loss in '01, not for a slow start in april... gimme a freakin break.

Why would you want to toss Meyers? He can pitch to lefties and righties and has been. The guy has heart... hell he said he would start if they needed.
Oh yea and his numbers arent half bad either... despite being over worked.

Lets see here.... get rid of Abreau... are you crazy, he's the OBP king, with 5+ pitches/AB. So what he's slow hitting right now. It happens. If anything, be disapointed that he won't dive for a ball... thats my only big problem with him. As for Booing... if you follow a team, and care about how they do... that should never happen. Period.

The only things that I've read that I agree with here are one Torre either needs to yell at the team [which has happened before] or he needs to go, I'm sure Girardi wouldn't mind a job [Mattingly definately isn't ready yet]

Farnsworth... um yea he's been pretty bad, cant throw back to back days, has poor control and a straight fastball that goes for miles, people already forget that despite some poor outings he ended up with ~4 ERA last year, all things considered thats not terrible.

hmm, guess i'm done, kinda frustrated here... poor showing and some poor responses from fans here. It'll get better, wet and cool are a bad combination for a knuckleballer.... so i'll end with a good chance of showers and Bronx bombings for tommorrow's forcast.

WHERE THE HELLS THAT PANIC BUTTON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cashman needs to make some moves to atone for his poor job of assembling a rotation that is mediocre when healthy. This is not 2000. Mussina and Pettitte cannot be counted on, and Igawa and Pavano are certainly not top-caliber starters. YOu guys definitely have some top prospects in the minors, just as the Sox do, as for now, though, Cashman (and not Torre or Guidry) should be hearing the heat from Yankees fans.

Jeff
http://www.soxandpinstripes.com

When we a team goes on a losing streak it is easy to point fingers and run impatient. While I agree to some point that the moves Toore makes are questionable and the way he sleeps in the dugout is a disgrace, I do not fault him in the way this team is performing. It is not Toore's fault that the starters cannot go more than 5 innings.This losing streak should be blamed on the players not the GM,and manager. They don't go out there and swing the bats or throw the balls. I know it is painful to say but we have to wait this out. If a trade comes up that makes sense I am all for it. But remember what goes down must come back up. It cannot get much worse.

I do not hate Cashman.
Being hamstrung in the steinbrenner confines for most of his tenure must be recognized and accounted for. However the fact remains he lost a high stakes poker game to Theo. And when it comes to money there is simply no excuse. This isn't the NBA where you've gotta tank games to get Kevin Durant or Mr. Oden.

There was ONE pitcher availible.

I've been bitching about this since I joined the blog and most of you are really interesting and intelligent people. I hate to annoy or argue with most of you by reideritating the same same-old but I want you all to just if nothing else please humor one last time. Special shout outs to those whom I've grown to respect appreciate and look to for our comraderie no particular order....Chip (pack leader) Roy, Rick, RUSE (NOMSAYIN) Jim A, Larry, Lucy, Diane, Bomber, Gil, Alvaro, etc....Too many jaeger shots tonight drunk and apologize for leaving any of you out but aside from the the redsox antagonistas you all know who you are.

I hate to get all "rick keyes/i told you so" but I want you to imagine something.

Dice K was not lost but bought.

Everything else the same. Do you think our beloved team would be in the current state? Wang/Dicek/Hughes/ whoever became Beckett/Dice/Papelbon/Lester/whoever

One big all in gamble but give credit to Theo he pulled it off.

I personally think the loss of Dice K was the move of the decade for the Sox and it solidified any possible malleability between today and tomorrows yankees. Mariano/Jeter/ blah blah the whole team is old but the lack of a "plus" pitcher which Dice absolutely is has created a domino effect accentuating the negatives and there are plenty to worry and speak of. Like most of you I am disturbed by what we are seeing. I'll atribute some of it to injury/ weather/ and age...but when my heart broke last year against detroit I had no doubt call it my Yankee sense of entitlement....It would somehow manifest thru the proper channels to if not outright kidnap bonderman and verlander than to at the very least utilize our financial superiority to bribe the services of such talent out from their inferior markets and into the most prestigious in all of sport. I admit this freely in the sense that if it comes to money I thought there was one superpower one "evil empire"

I cannot not forgive CASHMAN-no pun INTENDED for not giving Dice 200million dollars ESPECIALLY NOW THAT HE AUTHORIZED THAT HEIST JOB WITH THE HANSHIN TIGERS!! for 40 something million for the token "me too" move. SERIOUSLY IGAWA?? WHY!!!!!!!

It is what it is. And it's not over yet. I understand that this could all be very different in a few weeks months or godforbid injuries. But as of today like most I'm shocked and keep hoping the team that I hold so dear will charge back with the fire and intensity I feel myself. Hah I wish I could pitch I only topped out at 76mph with a really terrible "WHIP"

PS. For those of you who've seen "Full Metal Jacket" I feel a soapsock Gomerpile beating is LOOOOOOOONG OVERDUE ON OUR PRETTYBOY CARL

Hoping for the best PHUCKTHEREDSOX!!!!!

Torre said he removed Rivera last night to keep him as fresh as possible, in case the Yankees have a lead to protect this weekend. He threw 21 pitches. "We can't use him up," Torre said.

The team is playing poorly. We know the pitching has broken down with injuries to the starters. This is fixable with time. The roster as is can win. I don't believe that there is a yankee on the team who does not believe this.

To say the team sucks or I hate Cashman will not make it go away. Another few starts by the regular rotation and some hits at the right time and we'll be on our way.

You support them through the highs and lows.

Hi Phucker, good to 'see' you too, haven't seen you as much lately. I too believe that the absence of that one dominant pitcher is a major problem for NYY, even if I am not as convinced as you that Dice-K is it. Not that I don't like him, actually I do, but I don't see him as dominant in the way I am envisioning -- that one guy that team-mates and fans feel when his turn comes up the game is UNDER CONTROL.

Right now I only think of that pitcher as 'parachute guy' and want to see him floating down over the Stadium soonest. Yes, magical thinking. It may not bring him down but it does bring me 'up' ;)...

AJ, I agree with you that it's the players. The malaise is widespread -- I can't get furious at any single one for underperforming when so many are. The malaise is widespread -- starting pitchers injuries lead to rookies filling in, together those factors lead to overused bullpen, which leads to offense carrying the whole burden, which leads to too many hitters treating every at-bat as Armageddon, which means they hit less instead of more, which means now you have very little offense to go along with very little pitching ...

Dominos ...

What is there to do other that to go back to the first domino, starting pitching. When that is in order, the bullpen will rest, the hitters will relax and do what they do, etc.

Hard to wait and watch.

All things point to the players tuning Torre out. He keep saying the same old-same old, "We need to play better". Really ? Who doesn't know that ?
A shakeup is needed even if the season is early. Whether it's some player moves or Torre being (told) to resign to save face remains to be seen and soon. George Steinbrenner may not have the fire of the old days but his patience must be running thin at this point.

Larry, I'm with you. My team when they're winning, my team when they're losing.

If any of you think I'm enjoying watching the Yanks go thru this...you're wrong.

I'd much prefer to see these two teams going head to head, toe to toe...and I hope that by mid season that is the case.

Drew, good points, especially about the pitchers. I agree that they are getting closer to being 'themselves'.

I never want to see that shell-shocked expression on Mo's face again, though. And the camera kept lingering there.

Last night it was mentioned on the tv coverage of the game that Mo is struggling...not particularly shocking this early in the year, and with so little work...but the point made was..."He has not pitched in many pressure situations so far this season, and that makes a huge differance...the adrenaline that a closer feels when in that situation makes all the differance in the world".

By the way, it was Dennis Eckersley that said that...do you agree?

mm, I'm not sure why the fans are not booing in general, maybe as some have suggested they are depressed and apathetic. But I do see reason for patience with Abreu. As Drew points out, he is the 'OBP king'. As Rodriguez points out on-camera, he helps everybody but Alex in particular to get a good look at everything a pitcher has to offer.

But also, this should be no surprise. Philly knew, and we knew before getting him, that Abreu does not thrive when he feels the whole burden is on him. We've seen how much more relaxed and productive he is when immersed in a strong lineup. But where is he now? Most of that strong lineup is struggling under the weight of trying to carry the whole burden with no help from pitching, and they aren't improving under the pressure. Certainly Abreu won't. I wouldn't be surprised to see this 'Philly' version of Abreu until he and all the hitters can feel they are just one of the moving parts in a whole functioning team.

As things are at the moment, only the clutch guys can be counted on to come through.

I'm no expert...but if I were making out the lineup...

Damon
Cano (he'll see more fb's here and get out of his funk)
Jeter
Arod
Giambi
Abreau
Posada
Matsui
melky/eyechart

Yanks best bet, imo, to substain rallies and score more runs....wear out opposing pitchers..etc.

A poignant article by teh Boston Herald's beat writer, Steve Buckley, if anyone cares to read it:

http://redsox.bostonherald.com/redSox/view.bg?articleid=197305&format=&page=1

Okay, I have a solution that hasn't been mentioned thus far: George should sell the Yankees to Donald Trump. The Donald has been asked about this possibility and his response, while respectful of George, seemed to indicate it was a future possibility. I think it's going to happen when George releases the reigns.

I think the Yankees are missing George's fearful glare and ominous threats when they lose a couple of games. George was an igniting factor, despite the fact that he was hated by many. When the owner shows an emotional interest in the team and an ominous presence, the team can glean energy from that source, since they're not getting it from Torre. George's kids don't care a hoot about the team, but I think The Donald would provide a great boost to the New York Yankees. And I hope he sits right behind the pitcher for each game.

BTW, welcome back, PhuckTheRedSox. Where have you been lately?

The true assessment of Dice-K's value is still premature, in my view. The Yankees fell apart in the 5th after Andy fell apart, like a domino effect. That's what happens when teams are in the midst of a losing streak. Everything goes wrong and one little thing can set it off. The same holds true when a team is in a winning mode. Everything falls into place, every hitter hits, the pitching is pristine, they get the calls, everything works like a well-oiled machine.

Baseball is like a seesaw: on top today, in the cellar tomorrow. We lost how many? 13? Okay, we can expect to lose at least another 50 and still have what's considered a good season. In 2000, we had a seven-game losing streak in SEPTEMBER, and we won the World Series. A seven-game losing streak per se doesn't mean anything, if we can recover.

Can we recover? I think so, not because we are the New York Yankees. But because the New York Yankees have a winning formula that they've been using for the past century. There's nothing mystical about it, it's a formula. The players are selected through certain criteria which suggests they have the TALENT, THEREFORE POTENTIAL to win. This team has the talent and the potential, but I feel they need an igniting factor right now. Firing Torre? Selling the team to Donald? SOMETHING has to be done to motivate this innately talented team that has lost its spark.

Lucy, did the team lose its "spark", or did it lose its starting pitchers, bring in rookies, wear out bullpen, put excessive pressure on offense to carry whole burden leading them to 'press' and thus hit less?

I don't see "spark" or no spark as the problem. I see a cascade of effects arising from one original cause. I see a complex, integrated structure that needs shoring up at the weak point. When that happens the rest of the structure can deal with their normal share of the weight.

One element of a team can 'pick up' the other, but not forever, and not it it ain't reciprocal.

New owners would not change that fact.

Finally, venting time about my pet peeve: Umpires. Sorry, guys, I know it's fruitless, but it is my pet peeve and I need to vent and this is a good place. You don't have to read this if you don't want; it's not meant for argument purposes. It's my opinion.

Last night the hUmp was giving Dice-K calls that were practically in the dirt the first couple of innings, forcing our hitters to literally look like golfers. I've never, ever seen them consistently chase pitches that were so obviously in the dirt, but the hUmp forced them to because of his consistently outrageous calls (which infuriated several batters, even getting Torre to open his mouth from his perch). The officiating for this game was one of the worst I've ever seen. I continue to insist umpires should use the electronic means we have at our disposal to make fair and decent calls, instead of their fat, old useless eyeballs.

Worthy of mention in my personal rant, although not Yankees-related: When Dice-K pitched to Ichiro, he once again got calls that seemed outrageously bad. When the electronic square representing the strike zone was shown on the screen, it clearly showed several pitches were well low and outside. Ichiro also looked like he was on the golf course and was struck out swinging at rocks in the dirt.

My suggestion: Off with the heads of umpires and bring in the robots with brand new infallible eyes and ice water running through its iron veins. After all, this is a competition which should be judge fairly, something which many blind old umpires, with fat deposits instead of eyeballs, are just plain incapable of.

Fire Torre please!! A shakeup like that is what I believe will wake up this sleep, dead team.

Now we got to hope for a good start from Karstens. Yikes.

The crowd sounds dead because there is nothing to cheer about. I have attended most games this year and there has not been much to cheer in general. As far as the pitchers on this team I think it is time somebody steps up and plunks Ortiz or Manny. Enough is enough already. Manny shows people up with his flick of the bat and Ortiz taking up the plate we need somebody to step up and bean them. This is not Joe's call it is simply on the pitcher. I believe if we do something like that it might fire the team up. We should explore the market with Giambi as bait. Also Meyers has no business being on this team. Everybody has been down on Doug M but didn't we get him for his glove and not his bat? Why is everyone so suprised he does not hit the ball? You all knew in the start of the season he was not gonna put up 40 hr's. I actually like the guys defense and it is good to see a routine ground ball in the infield is not ending up 4 rows in the stands. I think Sheff showed us why it is important to have a defensive minded first basemen.

Well, Diane, when you have adversity such as this on a team, where the pitchers are not delivering, catapulting the team into a serious losing streak, the team will lose its spark. The pitchers lose their spark when being overworked causing them to lose game after game. I believe that's why the Yankees stopped producing after the 5th inning. The spark was gone after Andy lost his ability to throw a strike.

The team needs something to ignite them and, yes, selling the team is ONE option. There are others, of course, but without George's presence and with Torre's low-key attitude, the team appears to be dead -- hence, no spark. Something needs to ignite them once again. You don't feel selling the team will help, but I vehemently disagree. However, the real solution remains to be seen.

Jeff, will firing someone heal the starters, rest the bullpen, take the excessive burden off the offense?

It would be nice if one, simple, aggressive, punishing gesture could actually accomplish that.

If it would, I would say horsewhip someone on the field before the game.

To further clarify, Diane, I don't believe the team is losing because it lost its spark; I believe the team lost its spark because its losing. In any event, we need something to renew the spark they once had. We need something to ignite the starting pitchers, which will ignite the team. We need something to bring the winning spark back to the entire team once again.