This is the Electoral College of pro sports, giving an advantage to small market franchises, as they battle the coastal behemoths, NY and LA, and their national followings. It has crushed and destroyed New York City sports. Forced to compete with small cities, without their financial advantage, even the Yankees cannot succeed. Gotham simply brings extra distractions of media, transportation, fear, overwhelming fame and stress.
Early this season, Boston decided to tank. The Redsocks traded Mookie Betts. From then on, 2020 was an afterthought. As soon as he started hitting, they traded Mitch Moreland. If they could have found a taker, they would have dealt Jackie Bradley Jr. Once Chris Sales went out with surgery, Boston devoted the entire Covid nightmare season to the development of young players... with an eye on 2021.
Next June, Boston will draft 4th overall - giving them a shot at the next Benintendi, Clemens, Rice or - gulp - Ellsbury. The Yankees, who dutifully secured one of the fake wildcard slots added for this Covid nightmare, will draft 20th. That raises memories of the next Andrew Brackman, Eric Duncan or Shea Morenz.
Looking back over the last 11 years - the last pitiful 11 years - one brief period shined with hope for the Yankees. It came in August of 2016, shortly after the Yankees - then a .500 team in fourth place - jettisoned Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Carlos Beltran, and pushed Alex Rodrguez into mothballs. This act of self-immolation was supposed to tank the team, leading to a freefall.
It didn't. Something strange happened. The Yankees brought up Gary Sanchez - an amazing rookie with a boundless future - along with Aaron Judge, Tyler Austin, Luis Severino and Chad Green. They also added great prospects from those salary dump deals, boosting their farm system. To this day, those deals brought Gleyber Torres, Cliff Frazier, James Paxton, J.A. Happ, and Zack Britton. Instead of collapsing, the Yankees that August went 17-11, their best month all season, and nearly vaulted back into the race. They eventually finished fourth - too little, too late.
For Yankee fans, this may have been the most hopeful month of the last 11 years.
Thus, as the Death Star prepares for another cold winter of chasing high priced veterans in search of a championship, I offer an angry, cynical question:
Does anyone out there not believe that Boston will appear in a world series before we do?
The Yankees need to do what the NY Rangers did.
ReplyDeleteThe Rangers have an avid fan base of mostly knowledgeable people. They witnessed several years of playoffs appearances with no Cup. They accessed their mediocrity and near-misses and intelligently chose a solid hockey guy with NY roots, John Davidson, as GM and a solid hockey guy to coach. Then they sent out a letter to their fans and said that it was time to start a re-launch near the trade deadline and then sent very tradeable pieces of the team to needy organizations for young high-end minor leaguers and draft picks.
The Rangers also had/have to deal with salary caps and arbitration. They are clearly on the upslope, albeit with some luck in this recent draft, BUT, the fanbase did not rebel, THEY BOUGHT INTO IT.
The Yanks need to do the exact same thing. If not over the hot stove period or near the trade deadline. If the Rangers did it with Dolan, we can do it with Hal.
THIS MUST BE DONE.As in the immortal words of Stan Lee, 'Nuff Said. '
Th Archangel
Hell, Duque, the real question is, "Will MIAMI appear in a World Series before the Yankees do?"
ReplyDeleteI believe they will.
I agree, Archie. But it all comes back to the same sticking point: How do we remove our Brain, so to speak?
ReplyDeleteI have a plan to remove the "Brain." We all need to meet at the Brain's hose late one night. I'll bring the chloroform. You all will probably each need an 8-ball of cocaine and a few, no, several hundred milligrams of Viagra. And lots of alcohol. A little Roo-Roo later and we all get our wish.
ReplyDeleteA few thoughts about some off season Hi-jinx to keep us going...
ReplyDelete1) Keep Em or Dump Em
How come the Daily News doesn't do Keep Em or Dump Em anymore. I always found it cathartic.
Maybe we don't do the regular ones like Sanchez,and Boone those seem easy. It should be unique to IIHIIF
The announcers
The trainers
The hitting coach (Spoiler alert: Dump him),
and Lonn A. Trost Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel
2) Surveys!
We do surveys like...
Who is your favorite site bot? The tiny penis guy or the other tiny penis guy?
3) Writing
Perhaps an essay contest. Probably won by Hoss but you never know.
4) Hot stove limericks.
Here's one
We all know that it's time to trade Gary
but the return that we get will be scary
While he can't field or hit
and his attitude's shit
Brain sucks so we need to be wary
5) Hot stove Haikus
Not enough Thunder
An aging Gardner departs.
There will be no reign
6) Here's a fun one. Knock Knock Jokes
Knock Knock
Who's there?
Lonn A. Trost Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel
Lonn A. Trost Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel who?
Lonn A. Trost Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel who continually advises Hal to prioritize profits over investing, at a minimum, a percentage of earnings commensurate with the money brought in on par with the other teams in MLB which would allow us a payroll in the area of 300 million dollars and ensure that we never have to deal with holes or dumpster dive.
Hilarity ensues.
Doug K.
I hope the Red Sox fall on their faces and finish dead last for the next 100 years, but yeah, chances are that Boston, Miami & Tampa will all win a World Series or two before we do.
ReplyDeleteThe Hammer of God
I am a trial attorney sidelined by the Courts closure during the Pandemic. I hope someday to resume my practice, but until then I surf the internet at work and tell my wife I am keeping busy. Emoji Brave Face. I would like to enter the Yankee Essay contest in the hopes of winning second place so I can least be eligible to participate in and potentially win the Wild Card Essay Series. I think there should be a division for your regular contributors and then a division for people like me who are doomed to finish second. I know in the ultimate match up of essay writers, I will lose, but it will give all those in my family who depend on me the hope that I might win a cheapened Essay trophy. Please let me know if the essay writing rules would permit me to start my essay with the second paragraph of what I have written (just like the major leagues in extra innings allow teams to start a runner at 2nd base) as this will spare me the problem of having to write an amusing and interesting introductory paragraph.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I will use my new "pen name"--Elroy Face(tious)--in lieu of my regular nom de plummit, Ol"Yankee Daddy Roger
Elroy,
ReplyDeleteIt's not about winning or losing, It's about writing just well enough to give the illusion that it is possible that you might win and then charging twelve bucks for a soda.
Doug K.
Don't forget that you must park before you enter the writing contest and that will be $40.00, plus Ny city and State tax. Enjoy your stay in Gotham.
ReplyDeleteThe Archangel
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