A lot of good thoughts today on where we go from here.
Truth is, championship windows are smaller than the one Goldfinger flew out of.
Hoss wrote earlier about the 1976 Reds. Despite the overwhelming dominance of that year's Big Red Machine, they were never heard from again.
So what's it going to take to get us over the top? El Duque says, we need pitching. He's right.
Let's face it the road ahead is filled with Scherzers, and Buehlers, and Verlanders. Our only German is named Domingo. That’s not going to get it done.
So who?
Mildred suggested Montas and his proven ability to beat the Astros. That’s one. We need Astro Killers. Plus if we trade for him we get to write, “Oh look, they've caught Montag uh, Montas."
It’s OK to trade prospects. Even if it’s one of Volpe and Peraza. Gleyber has reclaimed his spot at 2B so really only shortstop is open in the near future.
As far as trading our pitchers go… Sears and Schmidt seem like keepers.
(Hey! Schmidt! There’s a German. He totally stays.) However, Tallion is expendable.
So Tallion, one of the two shortstops, AnDUjar (Just because he
wants to go and he deserves the playing time) and one other guy. That’s a strong package.
If we're trading with Cincinnati for Castillo the above package might work as well. Especially with Tallion…
“He pitches like he should play for Cincinnati... Cincinnati. WKRAP.”
What ever package we put together for the Reds should include Gallo under the "Look how well Sonny Gray did when he went to Cinci from the Yankees." School of Trades.
As an final aside… I miss Sonny Gray mostly because writing parody songs about him was so easy.
Found this from earlier “To The Tune of Sunny Skies”
Sonny Gray throws for the Yankees
He doesn't know how to pitch.
He serves it over the plate or far away
We’re all in mourning
Throwing his whole career away.
He doesn’t let us down slowly.
We know we’re gonna lose in the end.
And Austin Romine non withstanding
Sonny Gray hasn't a friend.
Sonny Gray’s pitches are soaring
Over the wall in right.
I guess he just has to cry from time to time.
Everyone's scoring.
And it’s hard to win when you’re behind.
Looking at the standings in the morning
Reading all the guys from “It is High”
Looking at the trades that got away.
Wondering if where we are is worth
The things we’ve been through
Ending with a putz named Sonny Gray.
---
Sigh. Simpler times.
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94 comments:
When Luis Castillo came up a few years back he appeared to be a bit overwhelmed with THE SHOW.
So team Ca$h had better kick those wheels of his really hard if they plan to extract him from small market Cin-City.
Because if he can't handle NYC then we have another twitch on our hands.
AKA: TWITCH - TWITCH.
Speaking of beating the Astros, do you know who is the best active hitter vs. Justin Verlander (min. 20 PA)?
1B José Abreu
.370/.431/.826 (1.258 OPS) in 51 PA
Abreu is in the last year of his contract, and the White Sox are under .500.
But I don't think acquiring Abreu has any chance of happening.
Abreu is the de facto captain of the White Sox, and they want him there for life.
Also the Yankees have nowhere to put Abreu with Rizzo at 1B and Donaldson/Stanton taking most of the DH plate appearances.
Would be nice to have that bat vs. Verlander in October though.
True that, Zach. I always felt it was (another) huge mistake of Coops not to sign Abreu when he first busted out of Cuba, and his money didn't even count against the salary cap.
Another guy who, if we'd just signed him, would probably have won us another couple of rings.
But then, you could say that about so many players. For instance, Patrick Corbin, who I wanted, has definitely proved to be a flop. But he might well have won us that 2019 ring—which would've made it all worthwhile...
Zach, Mildred —thanks for the info on Montas and Castillo. I do worry that each has Sonny Gray written all over them. Castillo led the NL in losses and walks last year. Montas pitches in Oakland's Grand Canyon.
Neither will come cheap—and neither, I fear, matches up to Verlander or Scherzer.
So...could the "solution" be to just streeeeetch the arms of a couple of our starters by bringing up Clarke Kent Schmidt and Sears & Roebuck for spot starts? Have it so that everybody except our Ace of Whines, who would probably cry about altering his routine, is getting an extra day or two of rest from here on in?
Might be worth it...
...As for outfielders, I think Zach has it right. Babe Benintendi should come cheap. If not, forget him. Brian Reynolds will come dear...and maybe that means we should forget him, too.
I'm STILL in favor of bringing up Florial AND Miggy. So we only have 45 relievers.
Gallo? Get whatever you can for him...
...And yes, Doug K., Sonny Gray's name was perfect for abuse.
I remember writing musical parodies about him for this site, to the tunes of "Penny Lane" and "Benny and the Jets" ("Sonny Sends Regrets"). Plus, of course, there were always riffs on "When Sonny Gets Blue."
Good times. Bad pitching, but good times.
If Andujar and/or Florial are truly to be a big part of what we’re doing this year, then we need to see more of then NOW, especially Florial. Do not wait until 8/3. that means Gallo has to go NOW, which may mean simply releasing him without recompense… I can’t think what other position player could be released (traded?) Gonzalez? IKF? Now that Hicks is hot we may never get rid of him, or has his recent hot streak bumped up his value where he may be tradable, especially if we eat part of his salary? Pitching: yes to Schmidt/Sears. Don’t lose sight of the fact that Severino + Taillon will be free agents next year, and may need replacing. We need young pitching, and we just might have it. I’d rather see more of them at the MLB level. As far as the execrable Chapman, he is fit only for mop up duty. Trade him if you can, otherwise he should be released, but 99.99% sure the team won’t do that.
Finally, I’m still seething over how badly Boone managed in Boston. He is an apparatchik, a slave to preconceived notions who mindlessly follows the company line. The reason the team is doing better is because the players are (well, were) performing better. He will surely sink us in October if nothing else does.
Born to Run 9 9 9 - I'm always tempted to refer to you as Clark or Superman or Kal-el. Maybe even Mr Reeves . . .
But those are great points - especially with Boone
Great success tends to sweep the weaknesses under the astro turf.
If it ain't broke - Boone is a bubble-blowing genius.
The Boston series was so cringe worthy at times that I may have hurt myself.
Maybe Judge will go yard a couple of times and dull the pain . . .
Castillo is another one of the White Whales.
As soon as we acquire him, he will suck, or overthrow trying to impress and tear a muscle in his arm.
I'd go with a young flamethrower Remember the ikimpact KRod had when he came up? It seems to me that it would be harder for the League to catch up with reliever than a starter like the. Whom the league has definitely caught up to.
AA, just don’t call me late to dinner…
What gives with tonight’s lineup? Judge not playing? No Carpenter?
But Gallo is sure in there…
Don't understand why our guys need days off after a day off.
Don't understand why we never play the hot hand. Actually, I do understand that: the Sabremetricious don't believe the hot hand exists. Nor do they believe in clutch. The testimony of thousands of ballplayers, coaches, and managers over the course of 150 years counts for nothing, compared to their stat sheets.
And yes, Florial and Andujar, NOW. The fact that we are STILL starting Gallo bodes no well.
Hoss, or how about the simple logic of playing Carpenter at YS, especially against a RH pitcher?
And why the hell is Gallo staring ahead of him? I know it’s HOPE Week, but still…
In other news Loaisiga moves up to SWB and… (a flourish of trumpets) Rortvedt start another rehab
this time at Hudson Valley.
He does exist! Time to look for Bigfoot
True, 999. But the bigger question is...
WHY IS GALLO STILL ON THE TEAM???
The YES extended, Rain Delay pregame duo going on about "possible moves." The most controversial they will go is that "Gallo has struggled."
Boone asked why Judge and Carpenter are not in the lineup. He even admits that a righty is going tomorrow...but has no reason whatsoever, save that he loves the idea of Carpenter getting in later, "for a big spot today."
O-kay.
Oh, and he says that he is taking advantage of the off-day to give Judge "a day off plus one."
Uh-huh. Judge will have 2-3 days off for the All-Star break. And if this lead holds up, he can take day after day off in Sept.
I wonder how long this "it's not actually raining" delay will last?
Gallo gone very soon - just keep b r e a t h I n g
The Yankees need a better weather service.
But of course, the thunderstorm is still supposedly coming, so we will get as few innings as possible out of Cole.
Well-planned.
Well, hey, two runs!
Can I just say again how much I hate watching Giancarlo Stanton hit? Another useless K tonight.
And we have this idiot for at least another 5 years. Good Lord.
Maybe Gallo doesn't have any more bats now to hit with and has no choice but to retire . . . .
I can strike out four times a game. Where's my contract?
Side show Bob has entered the yankee dugout. He is wearing number 13.
Forget pitching, it will cost too much.
Get rid of sideshow Bob and bring up Miggy or Florial or even Locastro.
You still have your minor league guys and you've improved the team.
Given that Cleveland changed their team name from the Indians to the Guardians - the time has come for Cincinnati to change their name from the REDS to something less inflammatory.
(what the hell is it with OHIO anyway - jeez - even their state capitol is named after Columbus)
I propose that we come up with a few great possibilities and officially submit our choice to all the necessary parties required to make the change.
Here are some possibilities:
The Cincinnati Red Hots
The Cincinnati Reads
The Cincinnati Rainbows
The Cincinnati Monthlies
The Cincinnati Carnations
The Cincinnati Tomato Cans
Thoughts?
Names?
Say what you want about Giancarlo, Horace, but he’s on his way to a 40/100 year.
Given its history of porcine production, the Cincinnati Pigs would be appropriate.
Is this the injury that sidelines Hicks?
He was due.
here's that HICKS moment - darn it
Let’s hope so. Better call Estevan.
This could be the break the Yankees need.
Or Miggy.
Mr. Glass
Or both
Now, if Gallo disappears, let's bring up Florial or Locastro. I'm thinking Florial is trade bait.
AA,
The obvious rename is Commodores.
Hicks gets hot - gets hurt. It's really unbelievable.
Hicks may still be OK to play - Next year . . .
Rufus, Cincinnati Fireballs. The singular version was an early 60s tune. I have the 45, but I forget who did it. Johnny somebody.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O95Agnyiry0
JM, Never remember it, but found it fairly quick on googly-goo.
I was going for the obvious reds=commies low humor.
Cincinnati Rednecks.
The O'Neills.
Ah, yes. Johnny Burnett.
I bought that and some other singles off an alcoholic I knew in Saratoga. He swung by every so often to sell stuff to buy beer. A few quarts. Kinda sad.
His apartment was spacious and had almost nothing in it. A bed, a dresser, a small table and chair. It shocked me at the time.
The Cincinnati Bolsheviks
Boy, Cole can sure be an ace against a crap team.
JM,
Genny cream ale? Early 80s it was still 69c a quart. The regular genny was 59c a quart (up from 49, which almost caused riots).
How the hell does Torres NOT beat that throw into the bag? The centerfielder wasn't even hustling on it.
Does ANYBODY slide legs first anymore?
Two historical notes:
—Yes, DickAllen, for many a year in the 19th century, Cincinnati was known as "Porkopolis." I'm not making this up!
—And yes, AA, such as the fever pitch of McCarthyism that the team actually changed its name to the "Redlegs" for several years.
And the very first name of the Cincinnati team? "Red Stockings." They moved to Boston early on, and eventually became...the Braves. But the name lived on in Boston lore, and led the new AL team to take it up.
The replay on Torres shows him making pretty much every base running error:
—Not running hard out of the box, assuming it's a sure double and nothing else (A constant problem for Yankees this year.)
—Taking a weirdly wide turn around second.
—Going wide and losing momentum headed toward third.
—Starting his slide too early and really ending up a little short of the bag.
It was like a clinic on how not to run the bases.
Hicks' x-ray was negative. Which is good. But I'm sure this will still be 2 weeks on the DL.
Rufus, he always bought Bud. Always.
Toronto just edged Philly, too bad.
But Boston lost to TB again. Heheheheheh.
Baltimore about to get to .500.
Love that King. And another great at-bat by Stanton, incidentally, watching a ball right down the middle. Ah, well.
How about :
The Cincinnati Schotts
or
The Cincinnati Marges
JM,
Well Spud's Mackenzie was a hell of a pitch dog.
JM - he always bought Bud Harrelson?
AA,
Like I said the Cincinnati Rednecks.
A Brandon Drury citing! Remember him? Actually having a very good year this year, with the Red Weddings.
We packaged him with Billy McKinney, for J.A. Happ. McKinney is still in the majors, too, believe it or not—hitting .096 for the A's. Maybe we could get him for Gallo?
Doug-
I appreciate your desire.
However, Major League Baseball is going to want something soft, yet manly; strong but gentle; big but dainty.
Why not the Cincinnati Red Roses
Holmes is fucking this up. Is Chapman's presence contagious?
Cincinnati Red Commie Bastards.
Fucking Holmes. Unreal.
This is it. Darkness falls ... Doom comes ...
Nightmare indeed. Wow. Just like Chapman. Incredible.
Oh. Wandy. Yeah. That'll help. Perfect choice.
Chapmanesque.
And Trevino fucks up.
Wandy facing Weird Al.
Fucking hell.
Wow. Really coming back to earth.
Unfucking unbelievable…
They were all righties. Peralta has trouble against righties
And Torres' inability to run like a human being looking bigger and bigger.
Glad we rested Judge, too. Fuck it—too many games just tossed away.
How does Boone not know that
Too little, too late.
Boone historically gives games away. He's an idiot.
Third game in a row the relief has screwed up.
Strikes out on ball four.
Clay Chapman
Judge is a terrible pinch hitter.
This guy is wild. Pity Judge didn't take that last one.
Suddenly, we look desperate, LeMahieu trying to fake the ump on what was a strike. But at least he got the walk.
This is a Pineapple in the making
Fucking amazing. Jesus Christ.
It’s official… the collapse has started…
Pineapple.
And yet again, the Man Who Cannot Run gets thrown out on the slowest DP in history.
Bad, bad, bad, all around, starting with the manager.
Nice way for Gleyber to stare at the ball instead of running hard all the way. That deserves a one game benching.
So, the strategy of "resting" Judge turns into "giving him one at-bat against their best pitcher." Brilliant use of resources.
And yes, Carl Weitz, Torres is an incredible imbecile on the bases. He should have had that triple in his pocket, and he should never have been thrown out at first in the ninth. Shades of him take 20 minutes to get up the first base line against Boston in 2018.
A humbling loss. The worst loss of the year - so far. Poor play, horrible managing. From the staring lineup
to the 9th inning follies, a managerial shitshow. We’re back to giving away games .
More shit fielding from falafel. We need a better SS. Lousy baserunning - looking at you, Torres.
Blowing leads? This is the best team in baseball? Blowing leads Just like last year.
JUST LIKE LAST YEAR.
Wow how awful that was - perhaps we shall name them The Cincinnati Yankees Killers
When a team is going great, they almost don't need a manager to do anything but fill out the lineup card and get out of the way.
But when a team starts to struggle, as all teams must sooner or later, you get to find out about the manager, and this one stinks.
Pitch Peralta against righties? AGAIN?
Sit your best hitter? AGAIN?
Boooooone will ultimately cost this team dearly down the road. He's already been a suspect in these last three losses.
"Breathe deep the gathering gloom..."
Jumping Jehoshaphat! I'm glad I went to bed. Even reading the box score is ugly. Boone is exceeding expectations in finding even more idiotic ways to blow a game.
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