Monday Night Notes: Yankees Fall, Cowboys Survive

Who would have thought Joe Borowski would be the one to hammer the final nail in Joe Torre's coffin?

With the Yankees' loss to Cleveland in Game Four of the AL Division Series, the Torre Era—starting with the Bombers' 1996 world championship—has come to an end.

In hindsight, it really ended in 2004, when the Yankees blew a 3-0 lead against the Red Sox in the ALCS.

Boston ended the Curse of the Bambino and placed a new hex on New York. Call it the First-Round Curse.

In recent postseasons, the Yankees just haven't had the clutch pitching or the timely hitting to get over the hump.

More than that, they haven't had the spark, the swagger, or the aura of invincibility that personified their late-90s dynasty. 2004's collapse planted seeds of doubt in the hearts of Yankee players and fans alike—and their growth has choked the life out of the team.

George Steinbrenner will fire Torre and embark on a rebuilding project, Yankees style. Still, don't be surprised to see the Yankees miss the playoffs next year.

Cowboys Survive 

Elsewhere on Monday night, the Dallas Cowboys showed the fortitude that the Yankees have been lacking.

Tony Romo proved his resilience by leading the Cowboys to a come-from-behind victory despite his six turnovers (five interceptions). Any lingering doubts about Romo's mental toughness after last year's playoff debacle against the Seahawks are now erased.

Speaking of resilience: how about Dallas kicker Nick Folk? After having his first successful try nullified by a timeout, Folk came right back to nail a 53-yard, career-long, game-winning field goal to lift his team to a 5-0 record.

This was the game of the year so far, by far.

The Seattle scene 

Now for some Seattle sports.

The Seahawks looked awful on Sunday, getting shut out 21-0 by Pittsburgh—their first shutout loss in seven years.

Shaun Alexander had only 25 yards rushing, Matt Hasselbeck had nowhere to throw, and the defense couldn't stop the Steelers on key third-and-long plays in the third quarter.

As it stands, the Seattle offense is in trouble. Receiver Deion Branch will reportedly miss two games, and fullback Mack Strong is retiring immediately due to a herniated disk in his neck. The 2006 loss of Steve Hutchinson still stings, and fellow poison-pill signee Nate Burleson isn't making up for it.

In baseball, the Mariners are cleaning house on the coaching front, with manager John McLaren keeping only hitting coach Jeff Pentland from this year's staff. McLaren can now assemble a staff of his choosing.

Hopefully the Mariners will make changes to their roster as well. The team needs some real starting pitching.

My two cents: Dump Horacio Ramirez and Jeff Weaver while trying to attain at least a No. 3 pitcher via trade. Put Brandon Morrow in Triple-A as a starter and call him up if he does well, let Cha Seung Baek have the fifth spot, and hope Felix Hernandez doesn't take the loss of pitching coach Raffy Chaves too hard.

On the offensive side, trade Richie Sexson for whatever you can get and move Raul Ibanez to first base. As far as re-signing Jose Guillen—it depends on the price.

Try to get another lefty or two in the lineup for balance, and to take advantage of Safeco Field's dimensions. Challenge Jose Lopez with some competition.

And last but not least, keep Ichiro happy.

He's the MVP of the team, and when he's upset, the Mariners suffer. Make the moves to keep the Mariners competitive and Ichiro will push them towards the playoffs.