The Sun Also Rises ( Re-Read )

When the A's put up the 10 spot yesterday, early, I re-watchged the tape of the Dutch National team humiliating a world-cup tournament favorite, Spain.

So my thoughts, naturally, drifted back to Hemingway's portrayal of the Spanish Civil war.  and, as we all know, world events can also portend Yankee events.

I asked myself the question, " How Did The Yankees Get So Terrible? "

Here is where the Hemingway comes in:

"Two ways.  Gradually, then suddenly."

The gradual part can be attributed to the inevitable aging of our superstar talent ;  Andy, Jorge, Bernie, Mariano, Derek, etc.

But the suddenly part is due to Brian Cashman's failure as a leader.  A man with no vision, a man who always took the easy way out, a man whose judgement and decision-making were consistently in the toilet.

He greedily spent money that wasn't his on players whose talents had eroded.  He made no effort to upgrade a system of talent evaluation and development which was, clearly, among the worst in the industry.  The trades he made, even when good, left us with nothing and the team with whom we traded, nothing.  In most cases, the trades were an embarrassment of benefit to the other team, and simply an empty locker for us.

He must go.  Just like Franco.