I mean, there is nothing - nothing! - to complain about, to rage at the juju gods over. We score 13. Our starters toy with perfectos. We lead MLB in wins. We possess the HR leader, the slugging percentage leader, the OPS leader, and this weekend, Giancarlo Stanton will rejoin the lineup. Our bullpen is solid. Our no-name catcher is playing like an all-star. Last night, after trouncing Detroit, we had to send down Miguel Andujar - hitting a serviceable .268 - and relegate Tim Locastro - a great late-inning weapon - to the roster limbo of Scranton, Pennsylvania, the home of Joe Biden. Good grief, these guys could start for a bunch of teams, and they can't even make our expanded roster.
Everything is perfect... hmmm... two perfect?
It's time to ask ourselves: Is this really the super team of the decade? Or are we setting ourselves up for another autumn cruise on the Yankee Titanic?
The Decade Super Team Theory: Why not? We have the game's two biggest sluggers, both chasing career years. This is a Mantle/Maris scenario, a Canseco/McGuire, a Ruth/Gehrig, a Lady Gaga/Tony Bennet - guaranteed rings and/or a Lifetime Grammy. We might have our best rotation since 1998 - (Andy, Coney, Wells, Irabu and El Duque.) We have a few liver spots - mostly Joey Gallo, a continuing sinkhole. But if Cashman snares a LH corner OF, where is the weakness? We could win the division going away. Sure, the playoffs will always be a crapshoot, but home field advantage in the Bronx... that's not nothing. Believe!
The Impending Titanic Theory: Neither Judge nor Stanton is known for endurance. Stanton may already be compromised. Unless you drink the Estevan Florial Kool-Aid, our farm system has no young player ready to boost this team. Entering 2022, Toronto was the favorite. After floundering, they've now won 8 of 10. (They lost last night.) The Yankees must figure out Gallo, whose issues may be a casualty of NYC. A bigger problem: The relegation of Aroldis Chapman to a lesser bullpen role. That will be touchy. He's a star - maybe future Hall of Famer - and still, I suppose, our closer. Going forward, a train of question marks. Don't drink the water.
So, who are we, the Lady or the Tigers? Right now, everything is working. We must put space between ourselves and Toronto/Tampa. Six games in the lost column is not enough. A bad stretch will come. They always do. And, perhaps, only then can we know what this team is destined for.
yup, disaster lives around the corner. always has. the game last night was delightful but scores like that always put my in mind of Game 3 in the 2004 ALCS when we were all dancing in the aisles and thinking we had everything all wrapped up. we must remain vigilant so as not to inspire the Juju gods to start fucking with us.
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ReplyDeleteThis is off topic, but does anyone know why the start of Sunday's game is 11:35am?
This link tells us that the broadcast channel is again some obscure alternative, ditto the announcers, but it doesn't tell us WHY we all need to interrupt our Eggs Benedict and Mimosas to watch the game.
What gives?
ReplyDeleteComparing Judge and Stanton to Ruth and Gehrig?
We're in for it now. Disaster is lurking just around the corner.
And flirting with perfect games? Remember what happened to Kluber?
LBJ, Sunday's game is on Peacock, the NBC Sports outlet now. Five bucks for a month. I paid to watch the French Open, although yesterday's Nadal/Zverev match was delayed by two hours on Peacock--why? who knows?--so I switched to IPTV and watched it on Eurosport UK.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the game starts so early because that's Peacock's MLB gimmick. "MLB Early Start," where they present a game at 11:30 a.m. Eastern as a novelty and a way to avoid competition from any other game. It's not so bad. It's like being in California and watching afternoon NY games at 10 a.m. Kind of fun.
And for five bucks, what the heck.
And why is there still talk (looking at you, Duque) about getting another corner outfielder? Miggy is our "other" corner outfielder. Sending him down while keeping some lugnut reliever on the roster is insulting. If Gallo goes, Miggy takes his place. Or should. I know, I know...Cashman.
LBJ...
ReplyDeleteOff-brand network fucking with us is all. Sunday morning start time being "edgy"
ReplyDelete@JM:
1-Thanks for the background on the start time. I had somehow not heard of "MLB Early Start".
2-Agree 100% on Andujar.
@Mildred Lopez: Agree 100%. This scheduling is the brain-child of a few 20-somethings who've never been to an actual game sitting around a whiteboard dreaming up ways to "disrupt" their industry.
FYI...Play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti will be joined in this week's MLB Sunday Leadoff booth by analysts Jack Morris (Tigers analyst) and John Flaherty (Yankees analyst).
ReplyDeleteAlmost forgot...LET'S GO RANGERS!!!
ReplyDeleteNot happy with the games being split up between so many outlets.I think we are all (over) paying enough for streaming. Who has time to watch all these channels? I will listen to the radio (the what?) or spend time with my family. I checked the peacock schedule, as of now this is the only Yankee game they’ve hijacked this season.
ReplyDeleteDuque, you are right on target. May was a placid month of healthy players (well, until recently) and soft opponents. The Tigers looked terrible last night. Their CFer’s play on Tre’s triple would make a little leaguer blush. Let’s make hay while the sun’s shining and squash these mutts again today. The gentle current of May will soon be a torrent full of rocks and rapids, but first things first.
Duque', right again. As for talk that the team is almost bullet proof, nahhh. We have a lot, no most, of the rotation that has never thrown two hundred innings, when they start to tire the bullpen will likely shatter in October. The positional players are brittle, the outfield is thin. Personally, I'd rather not rely on Andujar in the playoffs. IMHO, we should try to emulate what that '98 team had and what the Dodgers have now. Quality depth. And as I've written before, Brain has the resources to make it happen.. Hal.......
ReplyDeleteBtw, any news regarding German?
ReplyDeleteIt's paper thin...but hey, so far, so good—said the carpenter after he fell off the roof.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree, 999. All sorts of different outlets, starting times, etc.—this is yet another example of the Yankees and MLB destroying their fan base long term in favor of immediate dollars.
Hey Scottish Yankee Fan...
ReplyDeleteOne of our commenters is coming your way this summer and would like to make contact. If you’re interested, please contact me at hseely@twcny.rr.com
Matchmaker el Duque
Hi Kev, latest news I saw about German has him scheduled to start throwing simulated games by next week and as long as there are no setbacks he will begin a MiLB rehab assignment thereafter. IMO, given the current roster and the Yankees’ slow rehabilitative process, he is at least 60 days away from the majors this season. I think he could be an additional piece in any trading deadline deals.
ReplyDeleteBTR999, I do thank you!
ReplyDeleteFiguring out Gallo is easy. Demote him and keep AnDUjar on the roster.
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