There were only two places everyone felt Bobby Abreu would bat in a Joe Torre lineup. The smart money said 3rd, with Rodriguez backing him up so Abreu could get a feel for the place before being asked to hit after Rodriguez or whomever was hitting cleanup. The dumb money, the Torre money to be more precise, said 5th, because that's where Joe would bat the National League leader in bases on balls. Should he walk there'd be fewer good hitters to drive him home, and who in their right mind would ask an on-base sort of guy to cover for a cleanup man?
Tonights Starting Lineup Against Toronto:
1. J Damon, CF
2. D Jeter, SS
3. J Giambi, 1B
3. A Phillips, 1B
4. A Rodriguez, 3B
5. B Abreu, RF
6. J Posada, C
7. B Williams, DH
8. M Cabrera, LF
9. M Cairo, 2B
So how did Bobby do? 0 for 3 and a walk. Yanks won, 5-1 and that's all that really counts. This time. Managers are rewarded for their stupidity when the players win in spite of them, because they are usually more mature and can handle the kudos, and you cannot trade one as easily as a dumb player.
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