Putting on the Leyritz

Sure it's hard to take seriously any article that claims Danys Baez "was an effective closer for Cleveland and Tampa Bay" and that putting in Mark DeRosa of the .947 lifetime fielding percentage at third in the A-Rod slot would solve the Yanks's problems. But the true whopper has to be this passage from the New York Daily News:

When Torre's Yankees were great, the two men next to him on the dugout bench were vital components. Bench coach Don Zimmer was the unquestioned master of strategy, while pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre had the complete confidence of his staff.

"Zim was the strategic genius, and Joe was perfect at managing people. It was a great combination," [Jim] Leyritz says.

The Gerbil was the strategic genius? The guy who called out Pedro Martinez for a fight? The guy with a single first place finish in all his own years of managing as he led 14 teams to a stunning .508 winning percentage?

Does Leyritz have a metal plate in his head, too, and he's standing up for a union of the ore-brained?

Here's my theory about the Yanks demise, if only getting to the playoffs is a demise--after the 2003 season David Wells, Andy Pettitte, and Roger Clemens left (rumor has it with the remaining youth of Bernie Williams). Oddly enough, an Astros club with Clemens and Pettitte went to the 2005 World Series. Somehow Jaret Wright, Carl Pavano, Shwan Chacon, and Aaron Small didn't make up the pitching difference. Who would have guessed?