The dismissal of Aroldis Chapman is the right move... and a really bad omen.

By now, everybody knows how the Death Barge "canceled" El Chapo, after he inexplicably failed to make a mandatory team practice Friday. No matter what happens next, at least 2022 won't end with Chapman sweating a waterfall and grinning madly at the juju gods, following another walk-off HR.

The Yankees, a bit self-righteously, say Chapman violated team rules and, as a result, is off the playoffs roster. They fined him and have made it clear that he will never throw another pitch in Pinstripes. I get it. Good riddance. So long, Water Cannon! 

But but but... something here doesn't make sense. 

Okay, let's all agree that Chuck Barris has banged the gong  on El Chapo, who has thrown meatballs for three months (when getting them over the plate.) Every Yank fan in captivity has been railing about Chapman for weeks, and I don't recall anybody suggesting he should be voted onto the playoffs roster due to his grand and distinguished career. Nope. He's been a time bomb, a land mine ready to blow up any Yankee lead. 

Which - sigh - is why it's hard to imagine him skipping practice.

Look, I have no inside channel to Yankee gossip, but if Chapman had any chance of making the playoffs, it was by showing up Friday and displaying perfect command. Anything else, and - well - that's China Town, Jake. 

Which makes me wonder if Chapman knew the decision had been made: He was off the list. Thus, you can almost understand his dejection, and why he would fly to Miami instead. That was a bad idea, a bad example - there's no excuse. But if it's so, the Yankees just self-righteously scapegoated a veteran who has given six years to the team. They're blaming Chapman and throwing him overboard.

So, how will that look to teammates? 

Are they angry at Chapman for letting them down? Or are they watching the organization rip a longtime friend who committed the Cardinal sin of getting old? The guy hasn't had it for months. 

I dunno the answer. I suspect it won't come out until October is over. But make no mistake, this is a bad omen. 

Watching Cleveland, San Diego, Seattle and Philadelphia close games with overwhelmingly strong, lockdown bullpens reminds every Yank fan of our weakness. Even if our starters pitch well, somebody must throw the 8th and 9th. Chapman was never in that mix. But who will step up? 

Other scattered thoughts...

1. Watching Manny Machado and Bryce Harper lead their teams into the second round, I cannot help but remember a cold time a few winters back when both came to NYC, appealing for a free agent contract. Harper was a famous lifelong Yankee fan, and Machado's wife wanted him to play in her home town. 

When they visited, the Yankee front office hid under their beds. They never made either an offer.

If the Yankees had signed one - or both! - we might now be chasing our third ring in recent years. Hal Steinbrenner - (we wouldn't call him Food Stamps) - wouldn't have banked as much money - though, actually, that's debatable. We wouldn't be on the dime to pay Josh Donaldson $21 million per year, and we would have avoided the Joey Gallo debacle. If Harper hadn't broken his thumb this season, he would have challenged for his second straight MVP. Can you imagine the Yankee lineup with him batting ahead of - or behind - Aaron Judge? And put Manny in there, too. Wow. 

It seems to me that, when the biggest market in professional sports has the chance to sign a generational star, it should be a no-brainer. If the guy is still entering his prime, you cannot lose. 

But Hal's self-imposed austerity always puts his financial partners ahead of the fans. This winter, he'll whine about Judge's looming paycheck - and the Gammonites will applaud his generosity - but he might just turn the Yankees into the Angels, by cutting payroll everywhere else (and basically stabbing Judge in the back, pointing to current big contracts as the reason the Yankees cannot add more players.) 

If San Diego or Phily play us in the world series, don't be surprised if Machado and Harper have an extra incentive to make us pay. 

They should be Yankees. 

2. Now that the Mets are done, I have a sick feeling there will be hell to pay.

Owner Steve Cohen might have just added another zero to the Aaron Judge Free Agent Fund. The Mets were built to win this year. This week, they were embarrassed. Next comes the finger-pointing. Then Cohen will start spending anew. Judge will surely be his biggest target. What a poke in the Yankees' eye it would be...