It's been so long since a true position prospect crawled up from the Scrantonmordial ooze - last season, IL batting champ Jose Pirela rotted on the vine, and this year, Rob Refsnyder is turning up on milk cartons - that I figured Bird should buy a bungalo in the Poconos - (has a snappy ring to it, no?) - for the equity. Beyond that, despite what Cashman blathered about keeping the kids, I think everybody expected him to load up a package for James Shields or Moonlight Graham - anybody over 30 - and he still might. (There are people today who will say Bird is at peak foliage for a trade value, so now is the time. I feel sorry for those people. They can never celebrate Hope Week.)
But let's not forget the man who begot Greg Bird Day at Yankee Stadium: Dustin Ackley.
Two weeks ago, shortly after shaving his jihadist beard and joining the Yankees, Ackley tweaked a thingy, setting off a chain reaction that caused Garrett Jones to be released twice - (He and "Cuttible Chris" Capuano are still vying for this year's "Most DFA'ed Yankee" award.) and so the Yankees needed somebody, anybody, to play 1B and give Mark Teixeira a rest. And the rest, as they say, is... history?
Let's put this into Yankee insider perspective: This isn't a Wally Pipp. It could be a Kevin Maas or even a Mason Williams. We hope Bird is The New Mattingly, with Luis Severino, The Yankee Pedro, and Aaron Judge, as Winfield II. As for Jorge Mateo, the SS in Tampa? He's the New Maury Wills And Refsnyder - well - either the Next Robbie... or the New Pirela.
Either way, Greg Bird arrived yesteday. What a glorious day to be a Yankee fan.
I just hope Refsnyder isn't the new Knoblauch. Unless he comes without the yips. Early Chuckie would be fine and dandy.
ReplyDeleteTex is coming back in a few days, this will all be just a passing fancy.
ReplyDeleteHush now Birdie, Birdie, don't you cry...
Cashman's gonna keep you safe under his wing
He won't let you fly but he might let you sing
Cashman's gonna keep Birdie cozy and clean
Sterling is just too damned old. What kind of call is "Bye Bye Birdie?" The kids listening to the game have no idea what he's talking about. Now a snappy rendition of "The Bird is the Word" with lots of nasal -- that would have been priceless.
ReplyDeleteDid you see RAB's blurb about Refsnyder's brief stint with the big club? "Arrogant and acted entitled" was the phrase they used to describe his alleged attitude.
ReplyDeleteLooks like the long knives have come out for Refs. He will be a future Yankees Killer.
ReplyDeleteUnnamed sources, vague criticisms. Who knows what kind of guy he is, but this is a pure smear. What a dysfunctional bullshit organization. When are we going to get a real owner who fires the sychophants and who hires baseball men to run the organization?
ReplyDeleteDream on. The league is already on to him. On his two homer day, he closed it out with a bad strike out. The next day he struck out two or three times, looking at third strikes like Beltran.
ReplyDeleteHe did manage a walk in the 9th, but that did no good and it is not what we need from him.