Six games up on Memorial Day, the Yankees await changes that will transform the team - for better or worse.

 

It's a strange expression - waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Fun fact: It extends back to 1963, the days of Little Peggy March, the diminutive one-hit wonder (I Will Follow Him) who loved to chew tobacco, dress like a rodeo clown, and wear football cleats into restaurants. One night, after a waiter confused her with Little Debbie, the snack cakes princess, Little Peggy cracked. She took off her footwear and beat the poor fellow senseless, not stopping until "the  other shoe dropped."   

Well, the Yankees -six up on the AL East (which is like a 20-point deficit in the 2nd quarter for the Knicks) - face a long, hard, Little Peggy March to October, and right now, they're waiting for multiple shoes to fall. Some of the events that loom...

1. Return of Giancarlo. The made-of-glass DH will be hit the batting order like a massive square peg pounded into a circular hole. Apparently, he won't do a rehab assignment. (Sorry, Scranton, they ditched you again.) Can he run? Will he hit? Is he the end of Ben Rice? Is he the end of civilization? 

Honestly, I dunno. But two entirely different alt-Yankiverses exist - one with Stanton mashing, and one with him battling a prolonged slump. And if it's the latter, a six-game lead is nothing.

2. Boone killing the bullpen. Yesterday, against the miserable Rockies, both Devin Williams and Luke Weaver held the line - barely - not without struggles. It was around this time last year when Clay Holmes ran out of gas and started peeing into a cup. Basically, the problem is this: 

When Boone latches onto a pitcher, he ruins the guy. 

The Yankees haven't seen a full, healthy year from a closer since the days of Mariano. 

Already, Boone is running Weaver ragged, pitching him three nights in a row, after vowing never to do so. (He claims the low pitch count justified it.) Practically every Yankee loss this season came from a bullpen meltdown. The Yankees hope Williams regains the form from last year in Milwaukee. If he doesn't, well, the bullpen is doomed. And the Yankees will follow.

3. The Cashman makeover. Come Aug. 1, again, I dunno know who we'll give up - probably another fullscale raid on the prospects list - but we should expect the Yankee GM-for-life to throw the kitchen sink at 3B, a black hole (thinking Josh Donaldson) for the last few years. 

Last summer, after DJ LeMahieu went down, Cashman traded for Jazz Chisholm, a leap of faith considering his lack of experience at 3B. I don't think they'll try that again. And it leaves LeMahieu with a month to save his twilight-facing career. 

I refuse to play the "What will Cashman do?" game, as it justifies his crimes against the Yankees. But close your eyes and cover your head. The cleats are coming, and Little Peggy is deadly.