A team that rarely got clutch hits, benched the one guy who did deliver for them in the clutch, all year long.
It is like Miller Huggins deciding to go back to Wally Pipp for game 7 of the World Series.
Aaron Boone should be forever reviled for this cowardly move.
Does anyone on this planet think the weak hitting ( .219 average ) , mediocre fielding Neal Walker was going to help?
Unless we learn today, that Miguel Andujar had awakened with a broken ankle, Boone should be fired for this bone-head, idiotic move.
Seriously, it cannot be explained away.
Not when Gary Sanchez, whose glove is made of cement, and who led the league in passed balls and errors, despite missing half the season on the DL, was penciled into the line-up before we were sure there would be a need for one.
This is managing the players?
This is managing a team?
" Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio, Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you..."
Boone threw you under a bus.
Put a nail in you as the defining mark of this ill-managed season.
they didn't even use him as a pinch hitter. instead of watching Stanton feebly strike out (which we all knew would happen), we could have seen Miggy at least put wood on the ball and put the damn thing in play. I suppose Boone didn't want to risk a double play ball.
ReplyDeleteI'm still certain that Boone is just the human face for whatever program the Yanks uses to make these decisions. He makes no real decisions at all. The facts were crunched into some program and it spat out that Walker was the better player. It explains all their horrible decisions really. If a chimp could talk, they could have it manage the team.
ReplyDeleteSadly I don't think Boone will loose his job. A 100 win rookie season is hard to fire anyone over. Plus they'd get the same exact type manager to replace him, so what's the point? They need to better program their computer to make less obvious bone headed mistakes like having Walker play.
At least he's gone now. The Yanks would be insane to resign him for 2019. I just fear we'll get Manny to replace him and our fully capable rookie and he'll become the new Stanton or worse, the next Ellsbury. I'm simply dreading to see what unnecessary players we'll get to "better" the team when we really should be trying hard to get a pair of pitchers and a new catcher. Getting a pair of decent pitchers won't happen this off season (for any team really as none exists this time around) but we can dream.
Love the Wally Pipp analogy, Alphonso. But the explanation seems obvious: Cashman wanted it that way. And he was, of course, already backed up by the Knights of the Press Box, pretty much saying they would approve of the move beforehand because of Walker's "quality at-bats."
ReplyDeleteIt's incredible. Babe Ruth changed baseball for a good a solid century ago. But much of the press still insists they are covering the deadball era, in which Walker being "a better defender" (and he's not all that great) outweighs Andujar's DiMaggio-like production.
And yes, the crazy thing is to not even change that strategy as the game progresses. Insanely, Walker got three at-bats with the Yankees down by 3 or 4 runs.
In those at-bats, he singled, got hit by a pitch, and struck out.
If Andujar hits, say, one double in those three, or a double and homer—the sort of thing he has done all year long—we grab a huge win.
Vampifella, there is Patrick Corbin out there. He is hardly a superstar, but he had a good year, and I think the Yanks have to take the risk on signing him.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, this is the trouble with Cashman. He continuously pushes us into corners where the only alternative is to do things by his, already failed way.
Now that he's sacked the system of outfielders, I think we have to sign Harper.
Now that he's had Andujar's confidence constantly undermined at third, I think we have to try to put him in left, and sign Manny.
I don't really like either move. But I prefer them to everything else Cashman is likely to do, such as trade Andujar for some mediocre pitcher, re-sign Walker, etc.
Let us never forget: we are talking about the man who was truly willing to make Bubba Crosby our starting centerfielder, and who did make Chris Stewart our starting catcher for an entire season.
Vampifella - your comment that “if a chimp could talk they could have it manage the team” is the most succinct summary of Boone’s season that I have read. I’m quite certain that Cashman thinks that Boone was a great hire.
ReplyDeleteAs to Machado - we can hope that he leads the Dodgers to a World Series title and that as a result they sign him to a mega contract to play shortstop. The Yanks might then be “forced” to keep Miggy at third and let him develop. Harper I can live with (minus that stupid beard).
Ludicrous that your best hitter and arguably your team MVP doesn't play in an elimination game. Don't really think Boone is making these final decisions but he is being made the scapegoat for them. If he had any cojones he would tell Cashman to take his job and shove. Cashman has done some really good things over the years but frankly after 20 years the franchise needs a change the same as it did in moving from Girardi. Don't think it will happen as he's signed a new "expensive' contract but maybe its time for Hal to get a little more involved and act a little more like George. Also, either let Boone manage or get rid of him and install a pre and post game mouth piece for the press. A million $ a year contract for Boone is not too much to eat.Susan Waldhman would be great for the mouthpiece.
ReplyDeleteLastly I would immediately fire the analytics genius who thought it a good idea to bench Andujar. This from a guy who wouldn't know how to put on a jock strap properly.
The above letters say it all but I'm compelled to add one anyway. Andujar was the one player this year that I really looked forward to seeing come to bat. Always making compact, just short of a .300 hitter, spraying balls all over the field, 47 doubles and 27 homers for God sake!!! And I don't think he's a terrible fielder, certainly superior to Nunes of the Red Sox who made a fine play to end the game. What was Boone thinking, to bench him? As for Stanton....always freezing up when a good breaking pitch comes his way, or else flailing helplessly at balls landing outside in the dirt. What a waste!
ReplyDeleteFuck Boone.
ReplyDeleteAnd fuck Cashman repeatedly for hiring him.
Seriously, fuck Cashman.
And fuck Cashman for not making Miggy, Didi and Sevy untouchable. You just know he'd love to swap them for a has-been pitcher or two. He's like a crackhead who is looking to pawn his last valuable possessions. Done done done...
ReplyDeleteOMG 13bit, your Cashman crackhead analogy is SPOT F*CKING ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen that lineup was posted without Andujar, the stench of panic and sweat began to pervade the entire team, the sense that management had no faith in them, that the team was being run by fools and incompetents. The air was out of that team before the first pitch was thrown.
ReplyDeleteBring in Don Mattingly
ReplyDeleteWelcome to all the new commenters, whom I have never seen before until after last night’s game.
ReplyDeleteI got nothing to say that hasn't been already said. I just want to offer a great big THANKS to this community for allowing me in and putting up with my ramblings. This is a fun group of people with passion, baseball acumen, and wit, and with just the right dash of saltiness and unacceptable personal expression. It has been a great honor to join you all. I'll chime in during the off season whenever Cashman fucks up again.
ReplyDeleteyou might be apoorplayer but you're agreatcommenter.
ReplyDeletePS - For your further reading consideration:
ReplyDeletehttp://riveraveblues.com/2018/10/thoughts-following-game-four-2018-alds-179917/
http://riveraveblues.com/2018/10/red-sox-4-yankees-3-close-not-close-enough-ninth-179878/
(Sorry to plug a rival blog, but I think the data in both these posts really put a fine point on the dismal performances by manager and team)
Re What apoorplayer wrote:
ReplyDeleteLikewise.
Also, I'm trying to decide if this was the crappiest good season ever or the best bad season ever. We won more than 100 times despite a total lack of situational hitting and with a robot at the helm.
Given how many times I ended the night shaking my head in disgust and given what I thought this team was capable of, I'm going to go with the crappiest good season ever.
Stratman, Actually I would prefer that the Dodgers not win the series so they decide that they NEED Stanton to put them over the top. We could then accommodate them sparing us from nine or ten more years of a guy making the "Jeff Hostetler face" every time he strikes out. Although to be fair to Jeff, he did win a Super Bowl.
Doug K.
Loved all these comments! And Doug K, what a great distinction! Indeed: it was the worst 100-win Yankees team ever, the crappiest good season ever.
ReplyDeleteLoved the crackhead analogy, too.
Me? I'm hoping we keep El Matador, AND sign Manny. And Harper.
That would greatly balance us against righties, AND improve the infield defense. Get Corbin for a starting staff of Sevvy, Tanaka, Corbin, Happ, and Sheffield or Mike King. Not as good as Houston's, but as good as anyone else's in the AL, maybe.
NOT TO MENTION THE CRUSHED CONFIDENCE WHICH COULD REVERBERATE INTO NEXT SEASON (WITH ANDUJAR).
ReplyDeleteI think it's the worst mediocre season in a long time. Can't bring myself to say "worst good season," because there was too much pain and anxiety along the way to make it see as though it was good.
ReplyDeleteWe're going to looking at Stanton whiff for the next 8 years or so. We'll probably trade Andujar, maybe even Didi, pick up some of the pitchers Cashman is famous for misjudging, and win another 100 games, but not the important games.
Amazing how bad our farm got after May.
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