Hence, the long-awaited, apocalyptic bidding war for Otani will be confined to amounts that virtually any team can afford. In simple terms, Otani will decide where he wants to play and for what team, and that will be that.
In the past - (SEE: Hernandez, Orlando; Matsui, Hideki; Orabu, Hideki, et al) - such free agent announcements indicated that players sought to join the franchise with the largest market, the broadest international stage, the most money and the greatest winning tradition - the New York Fucking Yankees.
But that was the last millennium, the previous generation of Steinbrenners, and the last run of Yankee dominance. Today's Spend-the-Most Yankees are the Dodgers. Today's Win-the-Most Yankees are the Giants. Today's Beat-up-the-AL-East-the-Most Yankees play in Boston. What exists is the We're-Not-the-Mets-the-Most Yankees, which are powered by Jeep and, of course, nepotistic white privilege.
It's interesting the Brian Cashman recently visited Japan to see Otani play. So will the other Yankee franchises. And between now and December, when and if Otani comes abroad, we will have a much clearer picture of the long and short term Yankee future. But let's be clear:
If we are to remain the New York Fucking Yankees, we need to have the next Babe Fucking Ruth.
I dunno...I'm always suspicious of the Japanese hype.
ReplyDeleteRemember when "Godzilla" Matsui was billed as a combination of Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio?
"He plays centerfield brilliantly, hits for high average, and belts 50 home runs a year!"
Maybe in Japan. Here, he was a very diligent ballplayer, who played everyday...until he started breaking down and missing half-seasons. He flashed some power—sometimes—but also grounded into a lot of double-plays, and played a mediocre left field before he had to become a pretty much full-time DH.
All things considered, I was glad to have him, especially for his 2009 postseason. Just as I'm glad to have Tanaka...who is also not the next Pedro we were told he was.
But I think a lot of these Japanese guys are crazily overworked over there, and who knows what they have left? Also, anything they've done is just not at the same level of competition that the majors offer.
loved Matsui. like most ballplayers, he was human and not actually a mythic monster Godzilla.
ReplyDeleteAs el duque says, we are the New York Fucking Yankees, but I'm slowly coming to realize that God may no longer be a Yankee fan. How else to explain the slow slide to mediocrity of the last 14 years, starting with the dispiriting 2003 World Series. Sure we won in '09, but a lot of teams have picked up a title or two in the past decade and a half just like us. The New York Fucking Yankees no longer roam freely, taking that which interests them and discarding the rest.
It is humbling to realize that my team no longer receives direct blessings from the Almighty.
Another fucking Babe Ruth from Japan? Let him go to Houston. Fuck him. Unless he can pitch, we don't want him. We have the Judge...the strike out king of Tokyo.
ReplyDeleteAnd let's get real; how do you say "Babe Ruth" in Japanese?
We suck and should continue to suck.
Until we get rid of Cashman and Girardi, Super fucking bat man could not help this team.
We didn't get Matsui's best years, Hoss-Man, but I still think you're selling him short: physically, he was nothing special over here, but mentally, he was (like Orlando Hernandez), one of the smartest ball-players in the game. I don't ever remember seeing him make an egregious mental error. He also had more integrity, and heart, in his little finger than some of the current "super-stars". The one season he missed the most of, was solely because he dived for a ball, trying to make a great catch, and caught his glove-hand on the turf, and broke his wrist. Also, I think half that BS from Cash-Puss about his knees, was just that: BS. He was one of my three or four favorite all-time Yankees, and I will defend him till one of us dies (probably me first).
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid with Cash-Puss & Joey running the outfit, we have transformed. into the New Fuck Yorking Yanker-Wankers. LB (No J)
We still open our wallets. But we do it for McCanns, Ellsburys, Headleys (who I've come to like), and the like.
ReplyDeleteGirardi is the biggest problem. Cash second. Hal free-floats between biggest and second and third. Somewhat Torreyes-like in his versatility.
Spot-on with your assessment, John!! LB (No J)
ReplyDelete
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