Toronto and Tampa went to the mat, and nobody came out with a Ryan McBroom. The teams split four games, and now, even a BJ wipeout in our final three-game set can flip them into first. The Yank magic number is 13, and the waiting lines of rehabbing reinforcements at Scranton and Somerset rival those who are mourning the Queen.
Again, let's thank our benefactors - the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation - aka the fabled '22 Redsocks, who delivered a two-night master class in Creative Ballgame Blowing - with a Little League HR and a failure to touch first. Bravo, Boston!
But but but... before continuing, the IT IS HIGH disclaimer: Any hopeful rebroadcast, retransmission or account of this blog - anything registering as optimism - without the express written consent of the Juju Gods, is prohibited.
I am not saying the Yankees will win anything. Hell, they could lose the last 19 games. That's how scarily unhinged this team can be. But we'll probably split the final three weeks, and if so, the Rays and BJs - who must play each other four more times - will run out of Sterno.
This we know:
1. The Yankees are touting Luis Severino as a playoff starter. It's fun to think, eh? But last night for Scranton, Setback Sevy went 4.1 innings and gave up two runs. Not exactly dominant. Also, we've been here before - in 2019, the Yankees carefully brought him back for their October run. He started one game against Houston and pitched - gulp - 4.1 innings and gave up two runs. I dunno about this, Scoob.
2. Harrison Bader had a big night in Double A: Three for four with two doubles. Fine. I accept that he's a fine MLB player, a sterling CF. But the question remains: Is his plantar fascitis in check? If so, he can help us. If not, we're screwed. The Yankee front office desperately wants us to think the Jordan Montgomery deal will pan out. Frankly, the team should have never been put in this position. If all we needed was a great fielding CF, they could have signed Jackie Bradley Jr. off the scrap heap. A lot will be riding on Bader this October. I believe it includes - well, see No. 3.
3. Today, Jon Heyman in the Murdoch Post offers "Four Reasons Derek Jeter won't replace Brian Cashman for Yankee GM." What a dream crusher. And Killjoy's reasons are rather gnarly: 1. Cashman has a winning record? 2. Hal values stability? 3. Jeter doesn't want the job? 4. There's no reason to think Jeter would do better. (By the way, this is not a reason; it's an opinion.)
Listen: If the Yankees blow another October, especially if they go out early, the franchise will hit an iceberg. Aaron Judge might leave, and Hal will no longer have the insufferably awful Mets to lean on. I believe Cashman will have had enough. He'll either be kicked upstairs, or he'll simply retire - take a year off and return somewhere else. I believe the Yankees intend to reunite with Jeter in some way. I doubt he'd manage. The YES booth? Nah. GM? Yep. That's it. As for Heyman, he's just doing his job, tamping down controversy and creating a diversion as the season dwindles down.
4. There was an exquisite YES moment Wednesday night when a trivia graphic flashed the names of Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury. It prompted David Cone to channel all Yankee fans - and say he missed Gardy. The ensuing silence between Michael Kay and John Flaherty left Coney out to dry. He had to either explain the comment, walk it back or stay silent. He finally addressed it, over the chuckles of his boothmates, stressing that he wasn't taking a slap at Ellsbury.
Awkward as shit, but another reason why Cone is the most entertaining and endearing Yankee announcer since Phil Rizzuto.
Team most likely to beat the Yankees in the playoffs?
ReplyDeleteI don't see them getting past either Tampa or Houston and I'm also worried about Seattle and Toronto and Cleveland.
I saw a graphic on the screen the other night about the Yankee bullpen, as though it had been effective recently. But it seems to me that we give up runs in the 9th inning every game. Not a good sign.
I miss the way he slammed the roof
ReplyDeleteI miss his anger at a goof
I miss his longtime Yankee cred
I miss his oddly lightbulb head
I miss Dr. Seuss.
ReplyDeleteConey once had an awkward moment in the Mutts bullpen. At least for some people in the stands.
Who besides Boone and Cashman think replacing German with Severino is a good thing at this point, given all the circumstances?
ReplyDeleteShow of hands, please.
Epic post today, d@@@@K!
ReplyDeleteI do like Coney
That ain’t Baloney
He’s a one and only
He’s Coney
He's my One and Oney
ReplyDeleteThe additional off-script bantah at Fenway between cOney and Flaherty about how the walk back together to the hotel would become a crawl was also a fun moment.
ReplyDeleteConey is my homey!
ReplyDeleteThat said, I don't really miss Brett Gardner. Yes, he was a steady plus defender in CF. And yes he hit some homers in some big spots. And yes he was a lefty hitter. But overall, was he the guy you wanted up there with the game on the line? Well, probably better than a lot of Yankees. Better than Stanton. But it was high time that he retired. I'm shocked that Cashman didn't bring him back again. The thing we miss, as JM points out, is Gardner's passion and intensity. He had that in droves.
I never got why the umps used to yell at him for banging on the dugout roof with the end of his bat. The ASS-stros were banging on garbage cans to cheat. That banging was allowed for the entire year. No one accused Gardner of cheating by banging on the dugout roof. So why was Gardner's banging illegal? Seems like selective enforcement to me.
I think Rufus means the time Cone jerked off in front of a woman in the stands while he was in the bullpen. Very peculiar act on his part.
ReplyDelete<---waves hand at JM. German has done well this year (surprisingly). But Sevy is a more dominant pitcher. Replacing him with Lucky Luis makes the bullpen better. Perhaps they might consider keeping Herman as the fourth starter and using Taillon and Montas in the pen. Of course, Cashman won't allow Montas to be used in relief as that would prove his acquisition at the expense of Montgomery to be a big mistake.
A friend of mine is a Cards fan. He thanked me for Monty. I told him Cashman is an idiot.
ReplyDeleteSevy coming back from injury yet again doesn't fill me with confidence that he'll be the dominant Sevy. Just a feeling. And German is doing fine. I might put Severino in the pen to see how he does against real hitters before throwing him into the rotation. But that's me.
Quite correct Carl. I believe it was in response to the traditional new Orleans greeting "show me your tits". Or rather in response to her doing so.
ReplyDeleteQuick hits:
ReplyDelete-Don’t miss Gardner. Good player for us for many years. Now gone/Moving on…
-Not confident at all for Severino in the post. He was out pitched by German this year.
-Team most likely to beat us in the playoffs? Any of them not named Minnesota.
-Nervous about the Brewers series. We have trouble when the other team plays competent baseball.
Beautiful poem, JM. And AA!
ReplyDeleteI like Coney, too, his dubious exploits as a player notwithstanding. And I say...Sevvy would make, potentially, a great replacement for Chappie in the pen. You put him in the rotations, you're just asking for another setback.
Gotta go with Hammer on Gardy. I loved his intensity and commitment, too. But he never should've been more than a number 4 outfielder.
ReplyDeleteEvery year, he would wear down and be a wreck late in the season. He was a very poor postseason performer—just .211 with a .565 OPS in 68 October games. And it was time for him to go.
I don't actually want Gardy back, but keep in mind the guys we're currently carrying on this team. Low .200s BA and 10 home runs is looking pretty good right now compared to some of these clowns, especially with competent defense.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with 999 and Hoss. Put Sevvy in the pen and start German. It makes a lot of sense. Which is why the Yankees will do the opposite.
I agree with you guys, Severino has to go to the bullpen. No need to touch German when he's pitching well. Might even do Severino good to pitch out of the pen. Might even help the Yankees a lot. He could be both a long man and short man. He could finish off a game when the starter went 5 or 6. He could come in a pitch 1 or 2 innings in a tight game, if you needed a short reliever. With both Severino and Schmidt as long men, that could greatly relieve the workload on the one inning relievers.
ReplyDeleteBut again, as JM says, if it makes sense, why would the Yankees do it? This organization always has to do everything back-ass-wards.
I noticed the deafening silence when Cone mentioned Gardy. I guess Gardy wouldn't come back at Hal's price and has become "persona non grata". This team really needed Gardy, but he got old.
ReplyDeleteDuque has freakin' stripped ever last rusty gear in that addled coconut of his.
ReplyDelete8:10PM start. See you in the game thread.
De rigueur fuck.