JT the Brick

The 2005 New York Yankees are officially the biggest financial bust in professional sports history. Owner George Steinbrenner let his general manager Brian Cashman spend close to $210 million on the payroll and they couldn't get out of the first round of the playoffs.

This new title goes right next to last year’s award for the biggest "choke" in baseball history after the Yankees blew a 3 games-to-none lead to the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS.

Steinbrenner must take a stand and fire Cashman for bringing players such as Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright to the Bronx. The Yankees' spending habits are out of control and haven't won a World Series since going over the $100 million mark in payroll. Cashman would spend $300 million if Steinbrenner let him have it, but that isn't the way to build a franchise in this day and age.

Some sympathetic members of the media will tell you that Joe Torre did a masterful job managing his club, but don't buy into that spin machine. Most managers don't have the luxury of an unlimited payroll to go along with several of the highest profile players in the game.

Torre was great when he won four championships from 1996-2000. Those years, he got certain players to make sacrifices, unlike the 2005 roster that included players who just wanted to hit home runs. In the late '90s, Torre got the most out of players who could handle postseason pressure. Scott Brocius, Paul O’Neill and Andy Pettitte played with passion and always peaked when it counted in October.

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Some players can play in New York while others can't. Alex Rodriguez looked like a deer stuck in the headlights of an oncoming tractor-trailer every time he came to the plate in a pressure-packed game. He had another disappointing postseason in pinstripes after being part of the collapse of 2004.

New York needed him to rise to the occasion after a brilliant regular season, but he once again had nothing left in his tank to carry the Yankees to their 27th title. He had an excuse while playing in Seattle and Texas, but his poor performance against the Angels proves he can't be considered a great Yankee.

When A-Rod came to the plate in the ninth inning with Derek Jeter on first base and no outs, the table was set for another great moment in Yankee history. It turned out to be another great moment in Angel history, as A-Rod grounded into a doubleplay and killed any chance New York had.

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Rodriguez ended the playoffs with a .133 batting average with no RBIs and one extra-base hit. No one will confuse Rodriguez for Joe DiMaggio or Reggie Jackson, even though he makes more in one season than both of those legends made in their entire careers combined.

Many Yankee fans called my show after the loss and tipped their cap to the Angels before ripping Rodriguez, Mike Mussina and Bubba Crosby. The Yankees have an educated fan base, most of whom thought that a win against the Angels would spark another dramatic run to the World Series.

I can’t blame fans for believing their team could still win a championship after a roller coaster season that brought more heartache than success. Yankee fans expect their team to win a championship every season. But the glory days have come to an end for Torre and the remaining core of players he could count on five years ago.

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Steinbrenner will either keep outspending every other owner or recommit to his farm system and try to recapture the formula that worked in 1996-2000.

I believe several players and coaches will not be back, but the new-look team of 2006 will reload and get back to the playoffs.

That should give Rodriguez enough time to think about taking his game to the next level and winning a World Series.