It’s over.
Deal with it.
We will go out in the second round.
I need another drink.
Sunday, July 31, 2022
Drunk Blog continues: It's the scariest day in the Yankiverse: Cashman's Deadline of Brinksmanship
Let the record show that, on the last day for trades, the Yankees had the best record in baseball.
But they still couldn't beat Houston.
Today brings Cooperstown Cashman's final hours before the trade deadline.
God help us.
Saturday, July 30, 2022
No, I'm not letting this go.
On hand were two of the greatest teams of all time, Gehrig's old 1927 teammates, and the 1939 squad. One of the most poignant moments in all sports history, thanks to The Iron Horse's "Luckiest Man" speech, soon to be captured on film with Gary Cooper.
Often imitated, never surpassed—the Mets would bring in old Giants and Dodgers, nice try, Mets!—the Yanks' Old Timers' Day reached such a peak of nostalgia during the Dry Years of 1965-75 that The New York Times would sometimes run an actual box score of the jokey little game the old timers would play.
In those years the True Immortals would always be on hand—Yogi and Whitey, and then Mickey, and of course, above all, Joe, Joe DiMaggio. Have you ever seen a god walking? Well, I have.
Of course, the Immortals beyond human ken—Lou, and The Babe—had already passed on to Valhalla, but their widows and daughter were there, looking like the Trojan Women (or maybe mob widows) in their all-black dresses and veils, as if they were still keening the dead, so many decades later.
Now, for some reason, nearly all other teams have ended the tradition, which would seem inexplicable save for the fact that MLB today is all about pretending the game—much like Charlie perfume—is kinda hip, kinda now, kinda WOW!
Case in point, of course, being Shohei Ohtani, who we are now assured at every turn is the greatest player you, me, or the American people have ever seen.
And hey, Ohtani—now 9-6 as a pitcher and hitting .251 as a hitter—is indeed a fine ballplayer and a really fun phenomenon.
But the accompanying drive to make him the Greatest Of All Time—and this year's MVP?
Not so fun.
Case in point being all the drooling over Ohtani's back-to-back games against KC, on June 21st-22nd of this year, in which Shohei first, drove in 8 runs, and then, struck out 13 in 8 innings of two-hit, no-run pitching.
Pretty damned phenomenal!
But let's look at the last two games for Aaron Judge now, against those same Kansas City Royals:
Game-winning, bottom of the ninth home run on Thursday.
Robbing the very first hitter of the next day's game—and some of the imbecilic spawn of our fellow Yankees fans.
Followed by a two-run homer, and a game-clinching grand slam.
In short, on their two days of work, a little over a month apart, we have:
Ohtani: 4-7, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 2 Runs, 2 Ks, 0 BB.
Pitching: 8 innings, 2 hits, 1 BB, 0 Runs, 13 Ks.
Results: 1 extra-inning loss, 1 win.
Aaron Judge:
4-8, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 3 Runs, 3 Ks, 1 BB, 1 SB.
Fielding: 1 HR-saving catch.
Results: 2 wins.
All of which is to say...it's Kansas City. Not exactly the test of tests. But to act as though Judge does not come close to this guy as MVP...
One of the best things about baseball is its traditions. It leads to an endless debate over who really was the best, or how players of the past would fare today, or vice versa.
As such, that debate gives meaning and credit to our memories, to what we were all lucky enough to see at the ballpark, and are eager to pass on to the next generation. To wipe away the past, just for the sake of a passing hype—even in the cause of such a talented, deserving player as Ohtani—does none of us any favors, including Ohtani himself, who will surely find his own way into the pantheon without all the public relations chatter.
Oh, here's another shot of Judge stealing a home run. Who hit the ball? Why, Shohei Ohtani, of course!
Drunk Blog continued: Where would we be without tomato cans?
Not here.
So we lost on Luis Castillo.
What about Gallo?
Why wasn't Cashman so protective of his prospects last year, when he sought to revive a wild card contender?
What does it say about Gleyber, that they were reportedly offering him in a package for Soto?
Who shores up the fourth and fifth spots in the rotation?
What about Sevy?
They say there is no clock in baseball. But it is ticking.
Friday, July 29, 2022
Blaurgh...
Welcome Andy...
I just want the following on record;
The commentator just finished explaining what " a good contact hitter" Andrew Benitendi has been, when he went down looking on called strike three.
So we have another Yankee in RF who can assure us all that there will be no drop off if Gallo goes.
Game changer.
Blaurgh ( a vomit sound from the Highlands).
Drunk Blog continues: Where would we be without Judge?
Not here...
Gallo, gone.
We'll learn the full magnitude of Stanton's ankle, the Martian's future, and which minor league SS - Volpe or Peraza - the Yankees intend to keep.
Somebody, somewhere, will get Luis Castillo and immediately become the favorites in October.
The Master will come up with a Benintendi HR call. ("Benintendi - with a happy endy!")
Meanwhile, Redsock fans expect a barn sale. Xander on the block? All they want to talk about is how much money Judge will demand.
Let them live in their hell.
Thursday, July 28, 2022
In brilliant ploy, Cashman trades three "fake minor leaguers" for Andrew Benintendi
To many, the names of the players the Yankees handed over—T.J. Sikkema, Chandler Champlain, and Beck Way—should have been a dead giveaway to the specious nature of these prospects.
"Kansas City should never have fallen for this," opined longtime New York Post sportswriter Joel Peabody Sherman. "I mean, c'mon: who the hell is named 'Chandler Champlain'? What's his nickname, 'Lake'? And what's a Beck Way?"
Approximately 200 pounds, according to the Yankees' suspect media guide, which was printed at Harry's Joke and Gag Shop on W. 29th St.
Other observers felt that the name, "T.J. Sikkema" should have set off alarm bells.
"'Sikkema' is a classic joke name," explained ESPN commentator Buster Brown Olney, who spoke from his shoe-shaped domicile in New York, due to Covid restrictions. "'Sick a ma.' Get it? It's like trading you a player named 'I.P. Daley,' or 'I.M. Hornee.'"
Unfortunately for the Royals, under Commissioner Rob Manfred's new, "Caveat Emptor" rule, Kansas City is stuck with their "acquisitions."
Asked if he regretted bilking the Central Division also-ran, Cashman had no comment, other than to offer the Royals the chance to add to the deal any one of Beck Way's three remaining brothers in the Yankees' system, Park, Gang, or Tram (depicted below).
Drunk Blog Continues: Could Benintendi be the new Jacoby?
In other words, a Redsock double agent?
He must prove his true, unabashed fealty... TONIGHT!
Drunk Blog continues: Yankees get Benintendi
1. So much for getting Soto, the next superstar. (Note: We were never gonna get him. Too pricey.)
2. Chandler Champlain (age 23, 6'5"), Beck Way (22, 6'4"), TJ Sikkema (24, 6'0", lefty? They'll look good coming off the bus. No bead on what we gave up.
3. Still wondering what to do with Gallo. Will anybody take him?
4. Secondary question: How bad is Giancarlo's ankle?
Benintendi is just the start...
Just the start.
Back to drinking...
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
Yankees get Benintendi
Shit! Now I have to learn how to spell his name.
BREAKING: The Yankees are acquiring Andrew Benintendi from the Royals,
reports.Heading to Royals, per source: Chandler Champlain, Beck Way, TJ Sikkema twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/…
There IS one team that could take the Astros. Hint: They play in New York City.
Joey Gallo hitting below .200? Jameson Taillon pitching like...Jameson Taillon?? Giancarlo Stanton on the DL with a mysterious leg ailment??? A guy nicknamed "Setback Sevvy" suffering...a setback????
Thufferin' thuccotash, who could've seen THAT coming?
Ah, well, Brian Cashman must be dancing his little leprechaun legs off, doing a jig over how the IA (injury alibi) has once again come to his rescue.
Tonight's game, Scherzer vs. German, is about as sure a lock as I've ever seen for a Yankees game, and I'm old enough to remember the days when we'd throw people like Fred Talbot against Jim Palmer.
It's not just that this is the Mets' own private Idaho of a World Series, with the team from Queens playing all-out to provide SNY with another, instant "Mets Classic" for next season.
These Mets actually are a better constructed and (infinitely) better managed squad than your New York Yankees, particularly when it comes to this era of baseball. They flash better leather, do more to hustle up runs—and have better starting pitching.
That is to say, the longtime Flushing Flops are built for the modern postseason, the way the Yankees are not. IF—and this is a big if—they do get Jacob deGrom back for the stretch drive, you would be foolish to bet against them winning it all.
Scherzer, deGrom, and Diaz closing. They do seem a little weak in middle relief—counting on Adam Ottavino against anyone but the Yankees is a mistake—but you watch: chances are that defect will be corrected before the trade deadline, even as the Yanks fail to solve any of their problems.
You read it here first: it ain't over 'til the Polar Bear roars.
Gallo vs. Diaz Was The Final Straw
This camel has a broken back!
If there was any belief in my mind that this year, somehow, was going to be different from the last decade +, last night was the final nail in that particular coffin.
Hoss and I did our
grading for the FIRST half and for the most part I stand by them BUT here is how I really feel about the team.
Gleyber
Enough of this guy. It’s too bad MLB banned stimulants
because I’m pretty sure he could use Adderall. Since he can't focus, TRADE HIM and give DJ second base. I know DJ’s versatility is worth more
than if he just plays second, but watching Gleyber field and run the bases is... there are no words. Just a sick feeling.
Donaldson
I’ve tried. I’ve made excuses. Called him a professional
winner. All kinds of crap to delude myself into thinking he’s not an albatross.
He’s an albatross. A $50 million dollar washout. Can DJ play 2nd AND
3rd at the same time? Get
this lunkhead off the team.
Stanton
I’m back to disliking him. WTF was he doing at the All-Star Game
if he’s hurt? Selfish. How many years are left on his contract?
Gallo
Make it stop! For the love of G-d make it stop!
Pitchers
How many times are we going to take the lead and then have them cough it up in the next inning?
But, more than all of them combined...
BOONE!
It’s not just the incredibly bad decision making.
It’s not just the post-game insipid, disingenuous, fantasy
land industrial grade bullshit.
It’s not just his “loner” on the dugout steps posture, as opposed to
talking strategy with a bench coach.
It’s not just his voice.
It’s not just that he is by far
and away the worst manager the Yankees have had in my lifetime (And yes, I
remember Dallas Green)
It’s that we could have had Buck.
A guy a team plays hard for. Who changes a culture. A guy
who would bench a bonehead like Gleyber and force him to focus. A guy who
inspires! A guy who is as engaged in the
game as the players. Maybe more so.
A manager who… manages.
---
I’m back to hating them. I’m back to wanting them to blow
the division to force Hal to lose Brain and Boone.
If the trade deadline comes and goes and all we add is some reliever with great peripherals and a left fielder with a hard contact rate, I’m done. Life is WAY to short.
Annual Drunk Blog begins: OK, Cashman, do what you're gonna do
Do whacher gonna do. Trade Gallo for a bag of door knobs. Find another Clay Holmes. Get that Castillo guy from Cincy. And don't trade Anthony Volpe, dammit. Also, we need a LF. And somebody to replace Laughing Josh Donaldson at 3B. And a CF? And make space for Tim Locastro. And Juan Soto, icing on the cake. All for that guy, The Martian, whatever.
This is the drunk blog. Didn't I say that already? One draft, one write-thru, no proof read, I got things to do, okay? Big things. I got major things. This goes until Sunday, when my liver explodes. By then the Yankees will be nine up in the AL East, and Joey G will be a plague in the Cashman Boondoggie Museum.
So... last night... well...
Another October team we can't beat. This is getting to be a thing.
Another reason to worry about the rotation. Right now, it's Nestor, Cole and - bullpen?
Another time to reflect on what this team will look like without Aaron Judge. Yikes.
Another reversion to the times when we would score early - and then shut down for the rest of the game.
Without Stanton, it's a huge drop in the order after Anthony Rizzo. And one thing to always remember about Giancarlo: He's only here until the next tweak.
I gotta go. Insobriety needs me. But the Yankees are giving me another reason to drink. Not that I needed one...
Tuesday, July 26, 2022
"Their eyes were watching God."
It was the same day that Tim "Willie Mays was no Ohtani" Kurkjian was being inducted into the sportswriters' wing of the Hall of Fame, so they had a substitute wingman on.
This guy, Jeff Something, led what is apparently now the daily ESPN-MLB veneration of Shohei Ohtani.
Jeff S. referred to how the Great Man had played those immortal back-to-back games, in one of which he drove in 8 runs, and in the other where he struck out 13 batters.
He actually said something along the lines of, "How lucky we are to live in this era and see this amazing ballplayer." The sentiment was quickly echoed by the whole cohort of ESPN experts at the table.
I was a little baffled by this, as almost the exact same tribute had been offered to the Angels' pitching DH at the All-Star break, when Ohtani received the "ESPY" for best baseball player of the year—in a year that's half over. 8 Ribbies! 13 Ks!
I thought, Did he do it AGAIN? Wow, that really IS great!
Turns out...he didn't.
These were the same two games. Played against the last-place, Kansas City Royals. Over a month ago, June 21-22.
Ohtani did indeed drive in 8 runs—in a 12-11, extra-inning loss—then struck out 13 in an eight-inning outing, where he also allowed 2 hits and 0 runs.
As it happened, Ohtani was just coming off a weekend series against the Braves, one in which he had gone 2-11, with 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, and 2 Ks, in 3 games, all of which brought his season batting average around to a mighty .256.
And got banged around for 6 earned runs in as many innings, in his weekly start.
Hey, it happens. Doesn't mean Ohtani isn't an outstanding ballplayer. He is.
But someone who our eyes should be blessed just to have watched?
Sorry. Still not convinced he's better than Willie Mays...
Congratulations, Suzyn, on making the Radio Hall of Fame... but a certain partner is not there. Are you kidding us?
Tomorrow, so does my annual Drunk Blog. It's not pretty. By Thursday, I will be a frazzled, gin-tongued belch, lost within the vomit-laced screams of former college mates - ancient beings, some of whom are Redsock and/or Trump zombies. I will debate them, scrutinize them - infiltrating them like the Antifa kids who disguised themselves as Nazis and attacked the Capital. Beware: It might not be coherent.
Meanwhile, let us now praise great men people - specifically, Suzyn Waldman, who has been inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame. (Breaking News: There is a Radio Hall of Fame.) Suzyn goes in with - I dunno - Giovanni Marconi? Walter Winchell? Fibber McGee? Molly? (The character, not the drug.)
Make no mistake: Suzyn deserves this honor. She is a trailblazer, a Yankee reporter/announcer/icon for 36 years - back to the days of Claudell Washington and Ron Kittle. In that time, she has sold a million AMCO mufflers, a billion Celino & Barnes lawsuits, and a trillion Little Debbie Snack Cakes. Her clubhouse reports always explain what went wrong in today's game, without cruelty. She has served as a de facto mom to countless Yankee rooks, as they stared into a hot mic for their first times and explained their feelings with the ball in the air. Bravo!
The industry's recognition of Suzyn should be a source of Yankee pride, a scarce commodity over the last 20 years.
But something is wrong. For starters, Suzyn's Class of '22 includes Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, formerly of WFAN and currently of Sirius XM.
I don't mean to blame Russo for what radio has become. But he represents a modern problem for mass communication: That the loudest voice gets the platform to influence the most people. I have nothing against The Mad Dog, but he was never known for doing homework. He practices the art of the rant, which involves touching buttons, yelling through mistakes - and never being accountable for the bullshit you spouted. That's the modern standard for radio news: You don't need to know anything. You just need to freeze the dial and sell the crap. In the battle for America's airwaves, in many markets, Alex Jones has won over Edward R. Murrow. That's a tragedy. I won't hang it all on Chris Russo, but his success led to countless knockoffs.
(By the way, I know what you're thinking: If The Mad Dog is in, what about Mike? Well, Francesa was inducted in 2018,)
Which brings me to the nut of this - my own unpolished rant.
What about The Master?
Somehow, the lords of radio have managed to overlook John Sterling. Do you believe it?
Michael Savage is in. The Great Gildersleeve is in. Doctor Demento is in.
John Sterling is not.
Congrats to Suzyn. But this is seriously fucked up.
Thuuuuuugh Radio Hall of Fame is full of shit.
Monday, July 25, 2022
All right, what's the matter NOW?
It's true. As of May 21st, Giancarlo Stanton, the second of our supposed Twin Towers, was batting .309, with a .925 OPS.
Since then, the average has slumped to just .228, and his OPS to a mere .807—both of which would be career season lows for the man who never met a model he couldn't bench press.
Now it looks as though he is hurting again.
His two at-bats in the Star Extravaganza aside, Stanton has started exactly 2 games in the last 8 days, along with 2, fruitless pinch-hitting efforts.
In that stretch, Giancarlo has gone 0-10, with 7 strikeouts, about as awful a record of futility since David Justice's 2001 World Series.
So what's wrong this time?
Well, it's been reported that Stanton has been feeling "exhausted" since even before the All-Star Game.
Sounds as if that it could be Covid. Or something else. Maybe mono?
Hey, young ballplayers get weary, you know they do get weary, and maybe we should try a little tenderness.
That is, at least, what Giancarlo has been trying.
The sporting sporty press has been reporting that, of late, Stanton has a new main squeeze—or press—in actress/model Priscilla Quintana (great name!).
And that he was seen partying with her in some LA night club after his award-winning night.
There are those churls who would say that G.C. just maybe should not have gone out to LA in the first place, if he was feeling so piqued. And that, you know, perhaps his night after receiving the sacred glass bat from Hair Dye Garvey and Billie Jean King should have consisted of retiring early, with a good book and a nice cup of chamomile tea at his bedside.
Not me!
I know that boys will be boys, even—or especially—at $29 mill a year (going up to $32 mill next season). What right do we have to expect regular playing time from Mr. DL, when there are such fetching opportunities in the world?
Instead, I recommend that we indulge him thoroughly, and give him all the time that new love exhaustion requires.
No use risking our bicepped wonder on July games. A good 2 weeks—do I hear a month?—on the DL might be just the ticket, while we use the opportunity to see if Andujar and Florial really can contribute anything to the Yanks this season.
If it should prove that they can, no need to hurry the fragile, 32-year-old slugger back at all.
I say we give him all the time off he needs until next spring. Or whenever the next bench-pressing starts.
A Cashman makeover is imminent, and The Martian looks destined to move
Once again, they will drain the middle rungs of their farm system for an August-September run. You can understand the decision: The 2022 team faces a now-or-never crossroads. There is no point in worrying about 2023. By then, Aaron Judge might be a Dodger, numerous pitchers could be rehabbing from surgery, and Brian Cashman might just be clipping coupons.
Which brings us to The Martian, whose time atop the Yankee hype machine is likely coming to an end.
If you believed in Jasson Dominguez- the 19 year old, switch-hitting, centerfield fantasy who was cruelly compared to Mickey Mantle and Mike Trout - I have bad news. He'll soon be a Red, or a Pirate, or a Royal, or a soldier on some team outside our reality. The Martian is going away.
Yesterday, Dominguez was yanked from the middle of a single A game, after going one for three. Simultaneously, the Yankees pulled shortstop Trey Sweeney, 22, their first round pick from last July, and scratched catcher Josh Breaux from the Scranton lineup. All three are in the Top 20 of Yankee prospects.
When prospects suddenly disappear during games, it means they either were caught with the GM's daughter, or they're cogs in an imminent trade, and the front office fears them tweaking a gonad. Today, Monday, is the regular off-day throughout the minors, giving Cashman 24 hours to consummate something.
What might the threesome bring? They're certainly not enough to pry Juan Soto from the Nats, (probably a pipe dream, anyway.) Luis Castillo from Cincinnati is a possibility, though the Reds claim to want more. Fuck dat. After Soto and/or Brian Reynolds, the notion of getting Anthony Benintendi from KC for a three-month rental doesn't exactly move the needle. I can't see surrendering three top prospects for him. Fuck dat.
It's worth noting who the Yankees didn't pull yesterday:
Miguel Andujar. Poor guy. All he wants is a chance. But he's caught in Wilkes Barre limbo, forever. He will die there at age 75, never escaping Moosic.
Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza. The two top tier SSs (who presumably made Sweeney expendable.)
Austin Wells, the catcher (who did likewise with Breaux.)
But the big name - at least among Yank fans - is Dominguez, who has represented us in two Futures Games. Three years ago, he was the highest paid 16-year-old on Earth, with an otherworldly nickname - prompting a devil's rain of hype upon him throughout the empty pandemic year. It's worth noting that last year, the Yankees again shelled out the biggest Latino teenager contract - this time for a SS named Roderick Arias. But their hype of "Rod-A" has been considerably tamped down. Did they learn a lesson? Or will they now simply restart the catwalk with new meat?
You have to hope that, somewhere in the organization, maybe these kids have an advocate instead of a carnival barker. But as long as the Yankees are willing to bestow outlandish sums of money on 16-year-olds, they will look to recoup their investments by pushing those kids upon us, and assuring us they will be stars.
Get ready, folks, The Martian will soon go away. Another Jackson Melian? (Whose autographed card still goes for $150 on eBay.) Another Jose Tabata? who hit .282 one year for Pittsburgh. Another Ricardo Aramboles? whose autographed card now goes for $20.
Ah, but we remember them, don't we? We don't recall the faces, just the sweet and wondrous hype. Wasn't it magnificent?
Sunday, July 24, 2022
Olympus has fallen
The Yanks no longer possess baseball's best record...
Next to go: Best in league?
We have lost 8 of 12.
Our bullpen is in shambles.
Our batters fail with runners on base.
The calls are not going our way.
Houston is streaking, the Nats are shopping a generational talent, and Cashman is preparing to reshuffle the team with deadline trades.
We need a hero. Is anybody out there?
Saturday, July 23, 2022
You Think I'm Done?
We are three games into the second half of the season, and the sky is falling.
This will be a test of whether Cashman and Boone know what they are doing.
The fan base "knows" there are guys in the minors worth testing. Worth giving a career shot.
And you also know there are a bunch of 35 year old "has beens and never weres" floating around. These guys have better resumes than our untested Scranton kids, but no future. And they will cost the desperate yankees.
Get ready boys and girls.
The shit storm approaches.
On Nemesis
With the former Boston Pilgrims, of course, but also, closer to home, with the New York Giants, Dodgers, and even the Mets.
Over the years, many other would-be challengers have risen up—and promptly been beaten back down into the hold: the Athletics and Tigers, Indians and White Sox. Later the Orioles and Royals and Blue Jays. Even the Braves.
About the only team able to hold their own with us over the many years was the Cardinals, and even that was a close-run thing.
Not so much anymore.
Sadly, none of that is true anymore—if it ever was.
First, the Yanks' long-season triumphs have been coming fewer and further between for some time now.
The Bronx team has not actually finished with the best record in the American League since 2012, ten years ago, and since winning the World Series in 2009, they have only finished first in their division 3 times.
Nor is the postseason the crapshoot Coops likes to pretend it is.
Well, hey, that sounds pretty much like a crapshoot, or even a coin flip, I hear you say. Completely arbitrary!
Not quite.
In those playoffs, the Yanks have gone 6-0 in series, winning 16 games and losing just 2, against one, particular, Midwestern franchise.
I bet you can name them.
C'mon, I know you can! That's right: the Minnesota Twins.
Take away our beloved Twinkies, and since 2002, the Yanks have gone 7-15 in October series, with a record of just 23-38.
Huh. Suddenly sounds a lot less coin-floppy, don't it.
Against the Angels, an old nemesis, the Yanks went 1-2, winning 7 and losing 8 games.
Against Boston, which our boys have not beaten in October since 2003, they are 1-3, and 8-11 in games.
Against Detroit, which had a little run, the Yanks were 0-3, and just 3-10 in games.
And against Houston...0-3 and 5-9 in games. And counting.
Who here does not think that—provided we manage to reach Houston in the playoffs—that record will be even worse, come this November?
Folks, we're talking an aggregate 2-11 in series, and 23-38 in games against our biggest rivals for the past 20 seasons.
It's even worse, if you consider the fact that, when the Texas Rangers and the Tampa Bay Rays raysed (get it?) their ugly heads...they also beat us in the playoffs. Throw in those series, and the Yanks are 2-13 in playoffs and 27-45 in October against our nemeses.
Time to face facts: Brian Cashman's New York Yankees cannot win the big games. And they can't win the big games because The Brain and his boss simply will not address the fact that there are usually one or two teams the Yankees have to beat to get to the World Series.
Cashie & company like to pretend that they're above such sordid considerations, and that all they have to do is treat everybody equally, and build the best team possible, yadayadayada.
Well, bologna ain't just a city in Italy.
You have to pay attention to what your rivals are doing, and what they have, and come up with some way to beat them. PARTICULARLY at a time when baseball is more than ever about winning postseason series.
Case in point is the individual seen cavorting with his fabulous, model/wife/baby mother throughout this post.
Jason Verlander has now been the ace on FIVE, count 'em, FIVE teams that have skunked the Yankees in the playoffs since 2006. The odds are very good that he will do so again this season.
In those playoff series, Verlander has gone 4-1 against our boys, and was the MVP of the 2017 ALCS against us. But he was the guy Brian Cashman took a pass on. For Sonny Gray.
It's way, way past time to face the music, accept the fact that certain teams are our main challenges, and devise a way to beat them. Some of these means presented themselves again this off-season—who would you rather see pitching against Houston? Max Scherzer or Jameson Taillon?—and were once again dismissed.
But unless they do something about it, and quick, we're just going to see more of this again:
A dark night: The loss of Michael King shatters Yankee hopes on so many levels...
There it was: Michael King's pitching arm (or maybe the Yankee season?) - dangling limply, as he walked off the mound. Today, the worst news: Fractured elbow. (Worse than TJ surgery? Dunno.)
Horrified thoughts...
1. King belonged in the all star game. Thus, if you believe every arm has a finite number of pitches in it, before the gaskets blow, this could have happened in Wednesday night's big stupid game. On an emotional note, we're lucky: An all star game injury - we'd never get over it.
2. Unless El Chapo or Jonathan Loaisiga regain their stuff, we are done-dog, big-ass, up-Shit Crick screwed. There is no bridge to Clay Holmes, not even a rope. Wandy Peralta? Lucky Luetge? Be serious. And based on last night, there is no sign that Aroldis is turning the corner.
3. King's injury reminds us of the vulnerability of bullpen rifles. I'm looking at Holmes, who is throwing more high-stress innings than ever before. Last night, I suffered a panic attack that we'd lose both.
4. The Yankees need to call up the National Guard from Scranton, and I don't mean another Manny Banuelos or Brian Weber. It's time to uncork the W's - Waldichuk (3.47 ERA) and/or Wesneski (3.51.) Both are 24, and both throw hard. (I say this with the confident idiocy of a fan on his couch; I defer to the coaches. But we need somebody. Just sayin...)
5. I suppose our best fairy tale hope lies with Albert Abreu, who sometimes looks dominant. (BTW, Suzyn loves him.) But Abreu belongs in Webster's under the definition of "erratic." When he's off, he's really off. Between him and Chapman, no lead will ever be safe.
6. Is it the curse of Scott Proctor, or the folly of Aaron Boone... but are we fated to watch every viable bullpen lug nut get overused until he breaks down? We thought it was Joe Torre's malady. Then Joe Girardi's. Is it just the Yankee way?
7. Maybe we can trade for some of Boston's bullpen aces? Looks like they really shut down Toronto last night.
We knew the second-half wouldn't be like the first. But a double-header sweep, and now this? Are you kidding me, juju gods? You should be ashamed...
Friday, July 22, 2022
The Ju-Ju Gods Have Spoken
You didn't even know they were lusty, great looking babes, did you?
That is part of the agony. Many don't even know baseball.
But they have a sense of justice and will stand up for what is right.
Usually.
Early in yesterday's game, the Yankees trailed by 2 runs, but had the bases loaded with no out.
And our favorite, new addition was at bat. The totally professional and reliable Matt Carpenter.
The gods had allowed him to come back from Hades, and so here he was in Hades 2.0 ( Houston ).
And he smacked a fastball. But right into the glove of the Houston FB for an easy , unassisted DP. They then had Gleyber swing for the fences but come up a few feet short, for out number three.
And that is the message folks.
The Ju-Ju gods have said we are going to come up just a bit short in the second half of the season.
I was ordered to turn off the game and watch re-runs of the 17th stage of the Tour de France. I could not even think about game 2 ( no one wins double headers, right?) because we were going to lose. A certainty, and not worth investing any anguish to watch it unfold.
And that's where I am.
Stuck in the Pyrenees.
The Yanks are done. Sure, they will win a few more games. Maybe even beat Baltimore tonight.
However, when the meat is in the frying pan, the heat will go out. We are not winning it all.
I just keep wondering what the Ju-Ju gods might offer as compensation.
Reconsidering shallow Hal, at least somewhat
Since we're doing report cards...what the heck, I'll thrown in my two cents about the management.
Cashman spent $50 million on Donaldduckinson, an old former star who's aging fast. Hal let him.
Cashman swung a deal with Jeter to take Stanton, at, what, 27 million a year forever? And Hal went with it.
Cashman signed Hicks to a very long-term contract for a LOT of money, given the player. Hal signs the checks. (See also: Damon, Johnny)
Cashman must have wanted Donalduckinson badly, because he put IKF at short when he's actually an excellent third baseman. But, OK with Hal.
Cole got a boatload of money, and Hal said "fine." In fact, Brain has signed "star" pitchers over and over and probably has the worst record of picking busts than any active GM (not that Cole is one, but, "ace?"). Somehow he always passes on the (equally expensive) ones who could've really helped. Funny, that.
Chapman, another big payday, even with him being as old as he was at the time. Hal blessed that, too.
Gallo? Expensive, especially for a guy who can't hit. Especially when you have candidates in AAA who might have filled the bill. Hal didn't seem fazed.
Cashman spent the money on Rizzo, too, which I'm in favor of, and which Hal OKed.
It took Cashman a couple extra years, at least, to give up on Sanchez. So I don't consider him a genius for getting Trevino. And he's kept Gallo too long. Plus, I don't think even a dimwit like Boone would give as much playing time to Gallo as he has--unless Cashman was telling him to.
Basically, bottom line, Hal is cheap relative to his fortune and the team's revenue. But he's not exactly cheap. He's let Cashman sign guys for a lot of money, or take on big salaries, or trade low-pay prospects for big money, generally washed-up vets.
I'm not a fan of Hal (or Boone), but I do think Cashman is the rot in this organization. He's been consistently terrible in his use of money, and the few cheapie jewels he's turned up from the slagheap in no way make up for his general incompetence. In both managing the payroll and managing the farm system.
It's just possible that we could all be fairly happy with Hal and Boone if they didn't have the other twerp making decisions for them. But, as the media has ordained Otani as the new Babe Ruth, the media has ordained Cashman as Cooperstown-bound.
They're not journalists. They're mouthpieces.
Last of the grades! Yes, management gets them, too!
Umm, did I hear someone say “doomsday rant”…?
Aaron Boone
Doug K.
It’s hard to criticize a guy who manages a team that had a 13-game lead at the turn and the best record in baseball, but I’m going to do it anyway.
But before I do…
I really like how pissed off he gets when Judge get called for the low strike. I also like the look of disgust he has on his face during Joey Gallo’s at bats. I’m even starting to understand the mandatory day off thing.
All of that said… Four things.
1) His batting orders are bat shit insane. He always seems to base them on magical thinking. It took him MONTHS to drop Gallo to ninth.
2) The last time the Yankees were great they had Joe Torre handling the clubhouse and Don Zimmer whispering in his ear during the games. Boone, like the cheese, stands alone. Watching. I don’t get game manager from him at all, and he doesn’t have a Zimmer. Not even Hans Zimmer, my personal favorite movie score composer.
3) I HATE HATE HATE his robotic post game PR3000 responses to questions. I get it on one level. Don’t throw your guys under the bus but he’s just a little too positive. “He had good command of his stuff. Take away those two pitches (that were each hit for three run home runs) and he pitched well.”
I keep waiting for him to show a photo of right field and then pull out a sharpie and draw new fences to show that the ball that Donaldson hit to the track to end the game was actually a Home Run and they won.
4) Buck is doing great with the Mets. Buck is worth 3-5 wins a year. He’s a manager! Boone is a caretaker.
Grade: A- (Because success is success)
HoraceClarke66
Pretty funny, Doug! And I completely agree with most of what you write.
Ma Boone really does strike me as being a Torresque, good clubhouse manager/bad field manager type. Which is far from the worst thing you can be in New York.
It would be great to match him up with his own dugout whisperer (Though to be fair, it was Zimmer who advised Joe T. NOT to pitch Mendoza, who had been lights out, in the 8th inning of Game 7 vs. Arizona, but to try to push The Great One through yet another, two-inning save—thus beginning The Yankee Century of Horror.).
Still, point taken. I find Ma quite likable. I love his fiery crusade for his players’ strike zone—gee, if only somebody from the front office would join him in that!—and they seem to like him. I understand, too, that he must go along with the dictates from that Little Man Behind the Curtain, which might account for some of the weirder lineups.
(Judge first and Stanton fourth in Game 2 yesterday? Why?)
On the other hand…
Boone never seems to force the action, never puts on a play, never manages with any sense of urgency. It shows in his team this year, increasingly given to styling at the plate—even on balls that don’t go out—and failing to hustle all the time, as with The Gleyber jaking it down the line in the 9th inning of Game 1 today.
Right now, Boone has a .614 winning percentage as a Yankees manager, behind only Joe McCarthy and Casey Stengel. With a little luck, he might manage to get to 100 wins for the 3rd time in the 4 seasons where it has been possible for him to win that many.
But I’ve yet to see Aaron Boone win a big game. The Yanks are only 11-11 in the posteason with him, and 3-4 in playoff series.
I don’t see where he does anything for this team that any other major-league manager could not do.
C
Brain
Doug K.
It’s hard to criticize a guy who put together a team that had a 13-game lead at the turn and the best record in baseball, but I’m going to do it anyway.
But before I do…
Carpenter was a great get. Trevino was a great get. Nestor was a great sign. Holmes was a great get. We had multiple All-Stars this year.
Also… Getting rid of Sanchez was the greatest example of addition by subtraction in the history of sports. It was better than the Giants getting rid of Jeremy Shockey and hopefully better than the Knicks trading Julius Randle. (But it will be close!)
All of that said… Six Things
1) $50 million for Donaldson?
2) IKF as our “defense first” shortstop? He was a Gold Glove THIRD BASEMAN and was below average at SS.
3) Getting Joey Gallo!
4) Keeping Joey Gallo!
5) Trading four guys for Joey Gallo!
6) Joey Gallo.
Grade: INCOMPLETE (Because he’s going to earn his grade in the next four weeks. We need Soto and a frontline pitcher.)
HoraceClarke66
Who sez it’s hard to criticize? We’re New Yorkers, ain’t we?!
Again, I agree on most of this. Brian Cashman has done what he always does this year, only more so. His dumpster diving has retrieved some real pearls. And even some of the players he always has faith in when nobody else does—looking at you, Aaron Hicks—have contributed.
But…
—He STILL won’t give up on his flops, even when they are hurting the team. As many here have said, July was the month to sit Joey, and see if Andujar and Estevan had anything. Coops would not. Now it’s too late.
And news flash: don’t be surprised if, despite all you hear, Joey is around to the bitter end of this season. Hey, the man who kept Stephen Drew for a year-and-a-half will keep anybody.
— Where Brain was right and I was wrong, was in believing that this starting staff could carry the team. It has—but now it’s not. And it’s begun to pull the pen down with it.
Cooperstown Cashie was engaged in his usual, magical, Stakhanovite thinking: Well, if they pitch like all-stars for half-a-season—or a month—or two weeks, then, dammit, they must BE all-stars!
They’re not.
—Just as Boone can’t win a big game, Cashman can’t make a big trade. Gary Sanchez is gone—3 years too late? The deal to remake the left side of the infield was still a disaster, one that will only look worse as Crusty Donaldson continues to crumble.
Don’t expect any deadline deals to bring a Luis Castillo, much less a Juan Soto. Judging by his past, Cashman is much, much more likely to blow the cream of the farm system on the second or third best pitcher on Pittsburgh or Oakland.
Judging by how players developed in Cashman farm systems actually play in the majors, this won’t be so great a loss. But it won’t bring us the help to save this season.
—Most frustrating of all, Coops refuses to EVER focus on the Yankees’ leading rival in the AL. This started long before Houston began to beat us like a rented donkey, and has gone on for years, with one team after another.
But the Astros are a case in point. Houston’s almost complete dearth of lefties cries out for another effective, lefty hitter. Which we don’t got, and which Cashie has no intention of trying to acquire.
But then, what kind of GM moves his team into a new stadium with a custom-made, rightfield short porch…and then insists that lefties don’t matter?
Brian Cashman, that’s who.
His grade is incomplete? Just look at almost any Yankees playoff outcome for the last 20 years, and you can see the chronicle of a death foretold (Hey, only steal from the best!).
D
Hal and The Back Office
Doug K.
It’s hard to criticize a guy who paid for a team that has a 13-game lead at the turn and the best record in baseball, but I’m going to do it anyway.
But before I do…
He does spend a lot of money on salaries. Always top three. A lot of it is wasted, but that’s on Brain.
That said…
1) He spends the lowest percentage of revenue in MLB.
2) He rarely adds a key piece at the deadline because of “the luxury tax.”
3) He doesn’t have the will to win. This year will be a true test of that because there are some pieces we really should add. (Soto and a frontline pitcher.)
Grade: C
But if you want to know how I really feel about Hal, I refer you back to something I wrote in 2018. It pretty much sums it up. https://johnsterling.blogspot.com/2018/12/damned-yankees.html
HoraceClarke66
Brilliant, Doug!
But my feeling is, just as we can’t blame Boone for what Cooperstown makes him do, we can’t blame Cashman for everything that Hal WON’T do.
Yes, the Yankees have one of the largest payrolls of the game. So why would you NOT fire the GM for losing the same way, year after year?
The reason is that HAL thinks he has found the sweet spot for making money in NYC. Contend every year, but don’t win it all. To get over the top would require (some slight) financial risk—and afterwards, everyone will just want to be paid more!
Every year, the list grows longer and longer of players who—if your New York Yankees had just acquired one of them, and no one else—would have led to multiple championships.
Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Chris Sale, J.T. Realmuto, Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Carlos Correa…the beat goes on. Soto and Castillo will join that list this year.
The reason is that HAL just will not take those risks.
Which…would be his call, if Hal Steinbrenner and his family were independent business people.
They are not.
The ENORMOUS subsidies that the Steinbrenner family has received for half-a-century from the City of New York—including subsidies paid out when this city has been in desperate straits, and that bailed out The Family’s own abject failures in both baseball and shipbuilding—SHOULD have made us their business partners.
At the very least, Hal and folks should feel some obligation to actually try to win it all. For us.
But they don’t.
All our largesse has got us is constantly rising prices for seats, concessions, and broadcasts—and constantly diminishing opportunities to see the Yankees, as Hal has seat after seat pulled out for more luxury boxes. Not to mention the collateral damage that was a beloved, old neighborhood park.
ENOUGH! Hal is not going to go for it all again, at such a time in the city? He ought to be ashamed.
F
Oh, and we didn’t forget:
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