We're going to be just fine!
Why? If you read between the lines it becomes obvious that last weekend's pathetic, embarrassing, horrendous showing on national TV and to our armed forces around the world, was just a little bit of gamesmanship designed to sand bag our future opponents.
Nine stolen bases? That doesn't happen in little league, much less to an All-Star Catcher.
Sure, let future teams think their offense can run wild and them BANG! Trevino comes to life and nails a guy at second with the game on the line!
Clever Cashman
Last night we stood witness to the brilliant execution of Brian’s master plan to destroy the Red Sox. Think about it, they have a new GM, Craig Breslow, who has been tasked with reviving a moribund franchise. They have been truly marginal all year and he is about to embark on his first trading deadline.
Cashman lured them into a Pyric Series Victory™
Prior to this weekend the Sox had to be in “Sell” mode. But now, with taking two out of three from the NL Champion Phillies, and humiliating the AL’s best he has to go, “Hmmmmn this team is just a couple of pieces away. Certainly a Wild Cad spot is attainable."
And so, he will switch to "Buy",
insuring that the Red Sox remain, essentially losers for another three years. By not going into full tank
mode they don’t get that full and lasting rebuild, the likes of which the Orioles, and the Astros before them just completed.
Rizzo
As to Rizzo’s “injury”. It appears he was hip checked into
falling on his sword.
Rizzo is an honorable man who knows that he is at the end
and can not play to his standard. I saw the slow motion of the collision and
the aftermath. It didn’t look too bad. Yet there he was writhing on the ground like a French soccer experiencing nicotine withdrawal during a match. No longer a “Danger Man” Rizzo did the honorable thing. He hurt
himself.
Let’s see Ben Rice for seven days. It’s a tough call because he’s just learning first but, why not?
If the other problematic Yankees lack this level of nobility perhaps the Yankees could arrange for a golf cart containing Torres, Stanton, and DJ to have a minor fender bender. Have Gleyber drive.
“But officer I thought I could get across the intersection. Who knew there was a school bus in the crosswalk? “
As to the bullpen…
Cole back. Poteet to middle relief as he becomes the next
Michael King. This will reduce the number of times Weaver and Tonkin are called upon.
Find a real closer and give Holmes less stressful innings and he will straighten out as well.
Gil will figure it out.
Stroman is our number four not our
number one or two. He’s a very good number four. He’s not an ace. He’s a better
than average four who more often then not gives us enough for us to stay in the
game. And we were in the game right up until that bases loaded meltdown by the
offense.
So Take a deep breath... now cough. Again, cough.
The Yankees will be fine. You have a hernia.
One, two, three problems.
ReplyDeleteHAL is still the owner.
Ca$hole is still the incompetent intern GM.
The "conditioning" staff is still an injury producing juggernaut.
In the immortal words of Michael Ray Richardson:
ReplyDelete"The ship be sinkin."
I didn't know that last night's baseball game turned into a track meet...
ReplyDeletePretty funny, Doug! And I admire Kevin's noble sentiments.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm with AA. I don't believe. And yes, we have turned into the old Red Sox. Happened 20 years ago, thanks to HAL and Cash, this weird shape-shifting, karma-bending event—and it won't change back as long as Hal Steinbrenner is running this team...
...First, let's get the number of stolen bases down—though I know it was hard to keep count.
ReplyDeleteThere were nine (9). Nine. 9 out of 10.
Yes, that's on our catcher, exposed overnight. Yes, that's on our pitchers.
But also, yes, that's on our manager, who was also exposed last night. Who the hell lets that happen? I've never even heard of anything like it. Well, yes, back on June 28, 1907, when a dead-armed Branch Rickey allowed 13 stolen bases to the Washington Senators. But that was a long time ago!
The horrible fact of the matter is that Aaron Boone is a bad field manager AND a bad clubhouse manager, one who cannot stop meltdown's like last nights—or the much bigger one a-coming—from happening...
Yeah, Hoss, but aside from that...
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of hernias, wow is my doctor confused. Well, he's getting old. Last week during my physical, he grabbed my knees with his hands and asked me to cough. Then he hit my balls with a hammer.
ReplyDeleteNine! Uh oh...
ReplyDeleteHey look I know that we're banging into the same wall we hit every year. Our GM is a yutz. He has no plan. Our owner is always willing to do the minimum but rarely more than that. Our manager is not a field general...
But here's the thing. I have to watch this crap. And while my tongue was so firmly up my cheek I dislodged a filling with its side they could still fix this. It's not that tough.
Poteet will go to the pen on Cole's return. He actually could take Michael King's place. Which would shore up the pen dramatically.
A first baseman can be found. I still want to see Ben Rice.
And Stanton will tweak. He's got to. He ALWAYS does. It's just a matter of time. The Martian's injury is concerning though. He was going to take Stanton's place.
So I'm not ready to abandon the ship even though it is starting to list.
Pollyanna? Maybe. Or, I'm just in a good mood today.
ReplyDelete"Defeat is one thing; disgrace is another."
—Winston Churchill
But I think it actually goes deeper than that, Doug.
First, for all the analytics, character counts. Aside for a few scattered exceptions, this team has none. Certainly, Rodon and Stroman have demonstrated over the years that they have none, and yet they were both signed up...
ReplyDeleteLamont Wade Jr. I have no idea what it would take to get him, or even if the Giants were willing to trade him, but we could sure use him.
...As for the incessant injuries, well, no surprise. Rizzo getting hurt might actually be a break. (Another Cheap Hal acquisition, when we could Bryce Harper or Freddie Freeman on first.)
ReplyDeleteBut yes, The Martian—aka, "The Next Andujar"— is hurt. I would bet dollars-to-doughnuts that Gil will go down after another start or two. This is just inevitable, due to the Yankees' suicidal training methods, which continue no matter how many top prospects are wrecked.
A big regret? They didn't trade The Martian for Soto back in 2022. Soto—one of the very few current Yankees with character, or a pulse—might have taken the team over the top that year, and we would have King in the bullpen now.
Sure, we would be marveling over how well The Martian is doing with a rational team that does not purposefully destroy its best young players. But in our hearts, we would know that Marzie would never be doing that well in the Bronx...
...And yes, Doug, you're right: a fish rots from the head down.
ReplyDeleteCashman has once again failed to bring home a team boasting three of the most talented players in the game.
He is enabled by yet another of the nepo babies who have made the New York sporting scene such an utter disaster.
"Same as it ever was..."
MLB.com has the Yankees at #1 in their power rankings. And doesn't that last sentence sound just like someone who doesn't watch the team every day and doesn't really see what's going on?
ReplyDelete"The Yankees have just gone through a stretch of schedule as brutal as any team in baseball: Since June 4, they’ve played the Twins, Dodgers, Royals and Red Sox at Fenway Park. They mercifully finally get a day off on Monday, but there’s no rest after that: They’ll face the Orioles in what should be a gripping series at Yankee Stadium, with the Braves on tap just after that. The Yankees keep passing every test. Can you believe how nervous everyone was about them heading into the year?"
"Sunday’s display appeared to be more about the Red Sox targeting Trevino, whose average pop time to second base ranks second-worst in the Majors (2.07 seconds). With an average velocity of 71.3 mph, Trevino’s arm strength ranks last in the Majors."
ReplyDeleteHad anyone here heard about this before yesterday's game, ever? I know I didn't. When did he start sucking so badly? And then there's this prime bullshit:
"Trevino has made up the difference with excellent blocking and pitch framing; in that latter category, he continues to rate as the Majors’ best."
Blocking, great. Pitch framing? Puh-leez. I've always thought that was overrated. Apologists always trotted that out to prop up McCann when he sucked for us.
These skills are nice, but they do not make up for being so bad at throwing out base runners. Great, now we need an effective catcher in addition to everything else.
So why hasn't every other team tried to steal bases against us? C'mon...Red Sox scouting can't be that much better than every other team?
ReplyDeleteHoss, I do not regret keeping The Martian. Now, they have them both. And Soto would not have put them over the top in '22. My belief is Jasson will become a star or superstar in the not-too-distant future(provided he stays healthy). And character/maturity for his age is what set him apart from other highly-rated prospects. As you said, they need more players like that. It appears he has a left-side oblique injury. Thankfully, it isn't on his right elbow where he had surgery last year. Oblique strains take, on average, about 3-4 weeks for a strain 1. Strain 2 can take 10 weeks. This means he will most likely be back before the playoffs.
ReplyDeleteAs for their catching situation: Send down Wells. He will never be an above-average player. Perhaps not even average. Bring up "Uncle" Ben Rice to backup behind the plate and spot duty at first. Concurrently, promote Augustin Ramirez to Scranton. He is the next Yankee's long-term solution. Some have said he is a generational talent. Catchers usually take more time to mature and grow than other position players, but he is said to have decent skills except has problems with balls in the dirt (sound familiar?), which also impacts his "squat-to-throw" time.
Ranger, I have no idea why other teams haven't taken advantage of Trevino's bad arm. Maybe a lot of teams still don't believe in trying to steal thanks to analytics. Or maybe teams don't have any or many guys with better than average speed.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good question. If Trevino is as bad as his stats say he is, how have we dodged that bullet so much before this weekend?
Let's see if other teams see what happened last night and start running against us a lot more.
Carl - I agree. I'd like to see what Rice can do and yes, promote Augustin Ramirez.
ReplyDeleteCole is starting on Wednesday...
ReplyDeleteGood points, Carl Weitz, but I have given up on the Yankees' ability to develop ANY young talent who abides by the instructions of their coaches and trainers. Judge became the superstar he is because he went out and got his own people; any Yankee youth who wishes to do the same should take a good look at his example.
ReplyDeleteRizzo out with a broken arm. Well Cashman had better think up something quick. One more injury to the infield and we are...fucked.
ReplyDelete@ Horace....Your last comment I agree with you 100%. The Yankees either have the most inept coaches in baseball, or they were, as Willie Bell once wrote, "Born under a bad sign".
ReplyDelete@ Kevin....Rizzo gone with a broken arm, eh? I'll be the first to make the prediction: Cashman makes another incredibly ignorant trade, way overpaying for a washed-up Paul Goldschmidt.
I would be sweet justice if they traded for Vlad Jr. and made him cut his hair. Then cut him when Rizzo returns.
ReplyDeleteIf that doesn't work out, we know Ca$hole likes to bring back guys that sucked on the Yankees before. Joey Gallo has been playing a lot at first and he's injured. Just the type of guy the intern likes.
Seriously, I have to joke about this, because we know the intern will absolutely fuck it up.