Looks like I picked...

 

...the RIGHT year to watch FIFA World Cup action!

Sure, it's a ridiculously corrupt international tournament, with the world's worst tiebreaker (penalty kicks is like deciding the World Series by having a fungo-hitting contest), but it will be very heaven compared to this year's Yankees season.

And GO KNICKS!

(Sorry to cut in, AA, just wanted to get this off my chest before you do the game thread.)

Without Judge, the Yankees are toothless and tired. Ten takeaways.

Bad omen. Horrible...

Aaron Judge needs more tests. That mystery booboo on his ribs? It might be a bruise. But when have more tests ever brought good news? The Yankees can Baghdad Bob this, but increasingly, it looks like Judge missing weeks - not days. Jose Caballero won't cut it in RF. The Yankees are on the verge of being swept at home by the first playoff-bound team they've seen since mid-May. (Afternoon game today.)   

Ten takeaways...

1. Anthony Volpe is flatlining - 2 for his last 17 - and revisiting his old neighborhood, the .220. batting average. This is bad. We appreciated Caballero at SS, but Yank fans secretly thought Volpe would return, hit, and take the job, once and for all. Over the last few games, we're seeing the Old Volpe, who gets his pitch and hits a harmless pop fly. The guy hustles, and he's fielding decently. But .220 won't cut it. 

2. At Scranton, George Lombard Jr. isn't knocking down fences. Last night, the future Yankee SS went 0-2. At Triple A, over 31 games (114 ABs) he is hitting .193. Lombard is only 21, among the youngest sprites in the International League. The Yankees claim is glove is MLB-ready. If he starts hitting, would the Yankees vault him into the pressure cooker of a pennant race? Yeah, probably. 

3. The Martian starts a rehab assignment tomorrow. This is his chance. The Yankees need an outfielder, and Jasson Dominguez he needs a shot. In the meantime, why not retrying Spencer Jones? 

4. By the way, Jones went 1-3 last night for Scranton. Guy's hitting .268 on the season in Triple A.  

5. Against Cleveland, the Yankee bullpen has been undressed. In both losses, it's been our kryptonite. Last night, it was earnest Tim Hill, formerly of the Circle of Trust. His ERA is now above 4.50 and - get this - he's one of our better relievers. Don't get me started on Greg Bird and Camilo Doval. They have become signs of the apocalypse. 

6. Lost in the shuffle, Oswaldo Cabrera - of the CarShield commercial -is facing an existential crisis. Down in Scranton, he's hitting a Volpesque .222 and playing everywhere. (Last night, RF and 3B; he went 1-3 with a SB.) Oswaldo has been one of the most popular Yankees, and everyone remembers how, last year, he broke his leg sliding into home and came up asking whether he was out or safe? He's 27.  

7. Without Judge, It's Bellinger Time? The Yankees are paying him Judge money. Somebody has to protect Ben Rice in the order. He's hitting .272 with 8 HRs. He needs to get hot. 

8. Aaron Boone will soon decide: Giancarlo or Goldy? They have three DHs, and two can play 1B. Paul Goldschmidt has been hot lately. Would Boonie sit him for Giancarlo Stanton? Would they platoon Ben Rice? Something's gotta give.

9. Tampa is crumbling. They've lost 8 of 10. Remember how Nick Martinez shut us down on May 22? Last night, he got pounded by Detroit: 6 earned runs in four innings. The AL East looks weaker than in many years. It means that Boston, for all its strife thus far, is still in it. And they visit this weekend.

10. This weekend, nobody will give a shit about the Yankees/Redsocks. The Knicks could be on the verge of an NBA championship, and NYC will be going wild. The Yankees might just get to see what Canyon of Heroes looks like. Maybe it will give them ideas... 

No Judgeness, No Peace

Somebody hand me my powder blue tracksuit 

and medallion necklace. 

Game Thread – Swoon Third – 2026 – Which is your favorite Brian Cashman Joint ?

BRIAN  KLANSMAN

er, uhm

INSIDE (cash) MAN

how 'bout

MO (was much) BETTER BLUES

or

HE (ain't) GOT GAME

perhaps this

DUMBEST LOWEST

and finally

DOES THE WRONG THING

News item: Experts predict Yankees' June Swoon.

 

I'm sorry, what year is it again? 

How long has this season been going on? Since the Late Middle Ages, maybe? Or am I thinking of my own age? (Not "late middle age," that's for sure. I is OLD.)

But I digress. Yankees' now annual "June Swoon" expected? 

Aren't we about to launch on at least our third swoon this season already?

This Yankees season has already had more ups and downs than the venerable "Yankee Cannonball," one of the many attractions at Canobie Lake Park, just outside beautiful Salem, New Hampshire. This message brought to you by Canobie Lake Park—it's a lark!

As I recall—and remember, it's been decades—the first Yankee swoon came after our 8-2 start, when we went 2-7 against the Wandering A's, Rays, and Angels.

Next there was...May, and the wonderful 5-10 schneid, including the beatdown in Baltimore, and the pitiful Mets with a walk-off win of that series.

A constant, crazy mélange of injuries, recoveries, meltdowns, smash-ups, call-ups, and send-downs, that all ends up with José Caballero in right field...just as we sort of knew he would—the same way that we knew, back in 2023, that IKF would end up in center field for us.  

The injuries keep on a-comin', of course. Now Judge, which is sad, except that in a way it's a relief knowing that it's not simply time which is dragging him down. If he's out for any period of time, forget it, because there is nothing left behind him.

Like an old shirt, this team and its pathetic farm system has finally worn through.

Sure, this year's injury list was extended by the need for our nepo baby, greedhead owner to make still more ad money out in left field. But beyond The Martian, so far we're talking:

Judge

Stanton

Rice

Caballero

Fried

Various bullpen lug nuts, and now...

Cam Schlittler. 

You heard it here first. That start last night had all the earmarks of an injured pitcher trying to cover up his injury. It's a pity—though with that name, he was never going to be a great anyway.

So, whatta we got? June Swoon, then the July Cry, August Disgust, and the September Dismember?

Oh, the fun we'll have!

Aaron Judge's injury is why the Yankees haven't traded The Martian and Mr. Jones

Well, it's here...

Hurricane season. The doomsday glacier. The apocalypse. The Babadook. Friday the 13th.  Chernobyl. Ebola...

The wolf is at our door. 

Aaron Judge is going for tests.

In the movie "Armageddon," the world turns to Bruce Willis, who recruits a scrappy-but-lovable team of miners, including Steve Buscemi and Ben Affleck, to save humanity from an evil asteroid. Despite their hijinks, they come together and do the job, though Willis remains behind, in case of a sequel. 

Instead of Bruce Willis, the Yankees have Aaron Boone, who flags Doomsday every time he signals to the bullpen.  

That leaves Yankees entering June with a glowing rock on the horizon. 

For now, they're listing Judge as "day to day." This is what they always do.  When Gerrit Cole, two springs ago, felt a twinge, they listed him as "day to day." If Christie McAuliffe (Rest in Peace) had been a Yankee, after the entire world watched her spaceship explode, Brian Cashman would have still listed her as "day to day."

Considering Judge's history, and the Yankees' rightful concerns, we should expect him to miss at least two weeks. That means facing Cleveland, Boston Cleveland again, Toronto and the White Sox, rolling deep into June without our cornerstone slugger. And before you say "Giancarlo!" keep in mind that we already have a rotating DH in Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt. We have a gaping hole in RF, and Jose Caballero cannot fill it. 

But but BUT... when one door closes... 

This is why Cashman has not yet traded for a bullpen lug nut. This is why we still trot out Camilo Doval in close games. This is why we still have The Martian, why we still have Spencer Jones. 

This is their moment, their opportunity, a time when either, or both, can show themselves to be longtime Yankees.  

In his last three games, since returning to Scranton, Jones is 1-for-6 with three Ks and a SB. Overall, in Triple A, he is hitting .267 with 13 HRs and 47 RBIs. (He's still 2nd in the International League.) He can play LF or RF. This is the two-week stint he didn't get in May. 

As for Jasson Dominguez? He needs to immediately begin a rehab assignment in Scranton. After a few games in Triple A - presumably proving that he can hit - the Martian should vault into the Bronx. If Jones isn't hitting, Dominguez should take over.

This might be their last best chances to prove themselves before the Aug. 1 trade deadline. 

The Yankees cannot gamble with Judge. Whatever the tests say, he'll need time to heal. It's too early to threaten a season with a nagging injury. Also, it's unnecessary, especially when you've waited years to see what the kids can do. 

Listen: We can save humanity without leaving Bruce Willis behind. That said, Affleck could be expendable. (He's a Redsock fan, after all.)

 WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE TACKLE BOONE WHEN HE TRIES TO PUT DOVAL INTO A GAME?

WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE SEND DOVAL OUT FOR COFFEE WHENEVER THE TACKLE FAILS TO STOP HIM?

AND . . . SO IT BEGINS . . . (game thread)

Over the first two months, Cam Schlittler is the AL Cy Young

It's hard to discuss Cam Schlittler without bursting into tears. Guy's an angel from heaven, an emissary from God, a living saint from Weymouth, MA, the heart of Redsock Country. Every time he fans a batter, somewhere, a Boston fan throws up.

Where would we be without him? Probably 2nd place in the hot mess AL East, which is - well - where we are. But instead of being two behind Tampa, we'd be seven back, fighting off hateful Toronto. And every 5th day, our listed starter would be "TBD," if not Jake Bird. 

Yesterday, we discussed how Ben Rice has saved the Yankee offense. Today, let's go even further, some felony-grade, juju blaspheme. (Yes, I certainly fear sparking juju god retaliation, but as a teller of truth and sayer of sooth, I have no choice but to continue. Also, I should add that I recently aced my regular cognitive exam, amazing the doctors with my ability to identify a squirrel.) So here goes...

The Yankees - despite their system-draining deadline trades - have baseball's best young hitter and best young pitcher.

There. I said it. Whatever happens, it's on me. Because in all of American sports, there is nothing more freakishly fragile than a young pitcher's arm, and I just put a target on the Yankees' best hope. Dare we believe that Schlittler can last the regular season and still be bringing it in October? In this modern era, how many young pitchers do such a thing?

In February, Schlittler turned 25. Last year, combining MLB and the minors, he threw 149 innings. This year, he's thrown 72, which puts him on a trajectory to surpass 200. That should make us nervous, but the reality is that nobody in baseball knows how to handle a dominating young workhorse like Schlittler, and Boonie is gonna do what Boonie always does: Climb aboard the horse and ride until it fails.  

As of today, Schlittler ranks 5th in innings, 3rd in wins and 5th in strikeouts, with the best ERA in the AL. He would start the All-Star Game, if the Yankees let him. (They should not.)

If the season ended today, the Yankees would make the expanded playoffs - MLB's version of little league participation trophies. Schlittler would start game one of the wild card series. After 200 innings, he would face this schedule.  

Gerrit Cole would start game two. (Actually, if he keeps pitching like he has been, Cole could do game one.) Then it's Max Fried or Carlos Rodon, with Will Warren and Ryan Weathers going into the bullpen. 

The Yankees have gotten used to Cam Schlittler throwing a quality start every 5th day. But they better ease up on the pedal. When the angel flies down from heaven, you ought not ruin him.

Tonight, he stars against Cleveland. Godspeed. 

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Without jinxing him (that is, remaining vulgar and cynical) let us now ponder the season that Ben Rice is having

For many moons now, whenever Aaron Judge steps to the plate, Yank fans drunkenly break into a chant of "Hurt-Your-Body? Call Harding Mazzoti!"   "EM-VEE-PEE... EM-VEE-PEE..."

From now on, after Judge hits, they should just keep chanting.

 

Entering the month of June, Ben Rice is a prime contender - actually, THE bull-goose frontrunner - to win the AL Triple Crown, the first since 2012, when Miguel Cabrera did it. (Before him, Carl Yastrzemski, in 1967.; both are in the Hall.)

You can look it up. Today, Rice is tied for 3rd in HRs...

He leads the AL in RBIs. 

He is 3rd in batting average.

He leads all of MLB in OPS. He should be the AL All-Star 1B and receive a bigger marketing deal than selling Ben's Original Boil-in-Bag Long Grain Rice. 

Most of all, Rice could be a generational rarity - the lifelong Yankee star, which appears maybe once a decade. A player who wears only pinstripes. This is more than simply playing for one team - Zolio Almonte, CJ Nitkowski, Colter Bean, etc. - blips, who hatch like mayflies, don the NY and disappear. This is the Yankee equivalent of being a Five-Timer Host of SNL.

Since 2000, here's the list of iconic Yankee Lifers: They only played for one team.  

Derek Jeter
Mariano Rivera
Jorge Posada
Bernie Williams
Brett Gardner
Masahiro Tanaka

Today, we have a few active candidates. 

Aaron Judge (duh)
Ben Rice
Cam Schlittler 
Jasson Dominguez
Anthony Volpe

Yes, we're reading a lot into The Martian and Volpe, whose careers are still in front of them. Same with Rice and Schlittler. And could Judge join another team at the end of his career? You can't be a Yankee Lifer if you wear a forbidden jersey. 

Consider some non-lifers, who remain great Yanks. (Since 2000)

Paul O'Neill
Andy Pettite
Orlando Hernandez
Hideki Matsui 
DJ LeMahiue

And those who squandered their chances, and shall live forever in Yankee infamy:

Robinson Cano
Juan Soto

Okay, let's not put Rice in the Hall, just yet. Let him win the Triple Crown. (And note to juju gods, this is not a jinx. We're not saying Rice is any good. In fact, he's terrible, okay? So keep your curses to yourselves.)

Today's Game Thread Rorschach – WHAT IS IT THAT YOU SEE ?

 

If the Yankees fall in a late-night, West Coast forest, did anybody watch?

So, before it ended, so, so, late on the West Coast... dija go beddy-bye? Hit the hay? Catch some shuteye? Chase some Z's? Spank some clams? Plow some fur? 

I sure did. 

I mean, why stay up? Yanks were down 2-0 after the 1st, 5-1 in the 8th. No SNL. No Colbert. Not even Benny Hill. Not gonna lie. I took the snap, surveyed the rush, and punted. Straight to the Land of Nod. Or the state of New Jersey. Wasn't gonna watch. 

Turns out, the A's did everything possible, short of bringing in Neville Chamberlain, to give the game away. Four straight walks, three with the bases loaded, following a razor-thin strike call challenged by Goldy. In the end, we refused their magnanimous generosity. It shouldn't have been close, and my hope is that all of you doused the lights to avoid getting your blood pressure tazed. This is how it ended. And I can't even blame Jazz for swinging: On a 2-2 count, he had no choice but to guard the plate. 

Oh well... Tampa and Toronto lost. We're still three games out. Today's game is at 4:05 p.m. Monday begets June and the days are still getting longer. Sacramento! We're coming for you!

Game Thread - Saturday Night in the SAC with your New York Yankees !

DO I REALLY LOOK LIKE A GUY WITH A PLAN ?

(My Zimmer Head)

 

The Yankees need to own Sutter Health Park, home to the homeless

 By now, you know the Yankees last night manhandled Kansas City Oakland Las Vegas Sacramento by a score of 8-2. 

But how well do you know Sutter Health Park, home to both the Vegas A's and the Sacramento River Cats?

Ten Fun Facts about Sutter Health Park...

1. The stadium opened in 2000, at 400 Ballpark Drive.

2. Between 2000 and 2019, it was called Raley Field, after a regional supermarket chain.

3. After it opened, Sacramento led the minor leagues in attendance for 9 straight seasons.

4. It has a seating capacity of 14,014, including portable lawn chairs. 

5. Last year, the A's drew an average of 9,487 - lowest in MLB history.

6. This year, they are averaging 10,696 at home.

7. It is the lowest MLB home attendance figure, below Pittsburgh (17,915) Tampa (16,958) and Miami (12,556.) 

8. The only former River Cats player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame is Mike Piazza. 

9. The River Cats - San Francisco's affiliate in the Pacific Coast League - use the stadium when the A's are not in town.

10. The Vegas A's are owned by John Fisher, heir to the Gap retail chain. The PCL River Cats are owned by the Sacramento Kings.

Next year, the A's will move to a $2 billion, 33,000-seat park on the Vegas Strip. 

The Yankees need a sweep.

The A's play like the Keystone Yankees

 

"I got it! I got it!"

"I don't got it..."

We're mopping the floor with the really bad teams. That's what this roster was constructed to do, so I guess Cashman really is a genius, after all.

The Road'on √s Severed'rino Game Thread – May 29, 2026 – (Boone sure LOVES his greens!)

 

Dammot. Now you've done it.

 Never impugn the Emerald City. Not during a Syracuse summer. (Penned by our own occasional commentor, the great Gary Frenay.)

Can Sacramento top this?

Don't Be Mocking Sacramento

“The town is Lodi on steroids, Ventura Highway on last call. Didn't Warren or Joni ever get drunk there? Thinking white bread, glistening Newsome hair, Stepford crowds... If so, Yank fans could dominate tonight. This is why the Yankee brand name must be preserved. Sacramento, my memento, heaven sent-o, you big Pimento... “

Says the guy from “Syracuse”  Gateway to Utica. 

Well, maybe you can mock “Paint You Wagon” a movie that reduced uber macho stars Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin to, “All Singin’! All Dancin’! “semi-cucks in a musical about the California Gold Rush. 

I’ll give you that one although it had a few really good songs, “They Call The Wind Mariah” comes to mind.

That said…

Since graduating from college, in what was apparently another century and another timeline ago, I have lived in a number of places… Queens, Los Angeles, San Francisco, The Coachella Valley and Sacramento. (Twice!).

They all have their respective charms.

I lived on Ditmars Blvd in Queens where I learned to pronounce Gyro correctly and lived so close to the old LaGuardia Airport that I could hit a five iron from the roof of my building and bring down a jet.  

Lived in the Hollywood Hills for fourteen years so close to the Hollywood Bowl that I could hit a three iron and kill Zubin Mehta.

San Francisco was my favorite, but, after my son was born my wife and I would put him in the stroller and then attach a bungee cord to it and ourselves in case we accidently let go during our walk and he plummeted down the hills at 60 MPH and wound up in the bay.

Living in the desert was extraordinary, especially for a kid who grew up where the sky was a rectangle between the buildings, or later in Westchester where the vista was constantly interrupted by hills and trees and places where George Washington slept.  

In the desert I had a deck with a 250 square-mile view. I would watch storms come in and mountain ranges on fire.  Float in my pool at 3AM and watch satellites and shooting stars.

All of the above places above were better than Sacramento. 

I get it.

But... There’s nothing wrong with Sacramento.  “There’s Nothing Wrong With Sacramento” being a failed slogan from the tourist board in the 1990’s.  

It was a great place to raise my kids. Little League, State Fairs (My daughter got a blue ribbon for an art project, thank you very much.) and I could park in front of my house. (I’m looking at you San Francisco!)

Simple pleasures.

We’re the Farm to Fork Capital of the World (A slightly more successful slogan from the 2020’s) beating out Sac-A-Tomatoes, which, if you’ve ever driven the down the 5 passing  truck after truck filled with tomatoes you’d understand why.  

As far as baseball goes it’s a minor league town. Our AAA team is the Sacramento River Cats, the San Francisco Giants AAA team.

Look, we didn’t ask for the A’s, but it's very cool that they are here. Besides Sacramento has provided no small number of MLB players of note, including Yankee first baseman and sad story, Nick Johnson. 

As an aside... When  I went to a game last year I ended up sitting next to his Pop. Nick went to my ex-wife’s HS.  

Small town.  

Field level seats are comparatively cheap as there is no upper deck to speak of and no moat! So the Hoity Toity and the Hoi Polloi can freely intermingle.

Among notable players and oddly, MLB managers, from here are…

Larry Bowa

Dusty Baker

Aaron Judge (Apparently he was born here. So bite me.)  

Derek Lee

Buck Martinez

John McNamara

Steve Sax

And Greg Vaughn

Oh and…  wait for it… Scott Boras.

Compare and contrast with…

I know Sacramento is only the temporary home for the A’s, and that’s okay, but like the town itself, it was easy. Easy to get inexpensive tickets.  Easy in and out of the stadium lot. (And we have lots of In-N-Outs) 

Plus, my tomatoes are just starting to come in. You know what else is coming in? 

The Yankees. 

Next month, we can can crush Boston, and other vapid thoughts on a West Coast swing

Ten sweet thoughts for a West Coast sojourn: 

1. Why is there no one, great, iconic song about Sacramento? (See right.) The town is Lodi on steroids, Ventura Highway on last call. Didn't Warren or Joni ever get drunk there? Thinking white bread, glistening Newsome hair, Stepford crowds... If so, Yank fans could dominate tonight. This is why the Yankee brand name must be preserved. Sacramento, my memento, heaven sent-o, you big Pimento...  

2. JC Escara is supposedly trying to switch-hit. I say, you go, guy! He's hitting .200. Can he do worse?

3. Yank fans haven't fully appreciated Boston's rancid first two months. I know, I know... it's too soon to crow. But we play them seven times in June. We can scuttle them. Last winter, no fans in baseball had higher hopes. It's delicious now, watching them slink from bush to bush, avoiding eye-contact, as the totality of their failure emerges. They are Ebola. Seven games. If we win five, Boston's done.  

4. The Athletic - the Gray Lady's sports page - lists bullpen and RH catcher as our trade deadline needs. (Christian Vazquez, finishing his journey?) But the failure of Ryan McMahon leaves 3B open. (Question: could - gulp - Rafael Devers still play 3B?)

5. For now, the Yankee farms offer no solution. George Lombard Jr. won't take over SS. Carlos Legrange walks too many. We have two outfielders - The Martian and Spencer Jones - and Anthony Volpe. That means trades. That means we are in Cooperstown Cashman's hands, and - I swear it - if he blows it again, if he botches another July 31, we must hit the streets in a violent insurrection and burn the Stadium to the ground. August 1, our new Independence Day!

6. Speaking of Cooperstown, let's hold up. Really now... who here expected Gerrit Cole to be lights-out? We may be witnessing a Hall of Fame-level career elevation. If Cole continues, the Yankees could have baseball's best rotation. This could change everything in the AL East. This is not Colter Bean coming up from Scranton and throwing a few scoreless innings. This is a great pitcher who might have just been granted a second lease on life. This is fucking huge.

7. Here's something that's not fucking huge: Giancarlo is said to be swinging a bat. Whoopie. Will he do better than Paul Goldschmidt? (.863 OPS.) The Yankees need to look at output, not exit velocity. Stanton should stay out until he can all-out sprint to second on a line drive off the wall. Until then, he's a GIDP waiting to happen.

8. Somehow, the Yankees must add a closer. Let's face it: Bednar won't last. One far-flung possibility: Rafael Montero, a 35-year-old former Met/Astro/Ranger, now a Scranton Railrider. He missed spring training because of a VISA issue. (ICE OUT OF TAMPA. NOW!) He's thrown 10 innings at Triple A, been knocked around - 5.91 ERA.) But in 2023, for Houston, guy was a killer. Gotta believe that, if he shows anything, he gets a call.

9. Jazz Chisholm (.724 OPS) must start hitting lefties. If not, he will be platooned. He will not like it - not one bit - and he will not hide the fact that he does not like it, not one bit. At that point, all the talk about how masterful Boone has been - keeping Volpe and Jose Caballero in harmony - will fly out the window. If Chisholm starts hitting, all will be fine. If he doesn't, a time bomb starts ticking. 

10. Here's how the Yankees win it in 2026: Judge and Rice remain the best 1-2 punch in baseball, while Cole and Schlittler become the best 1-2 punch in pitching. Also, we add a closer. In the musical name of Sacramentos - eat my Mentos! - sing loud, people! Let them hear you in Bakersfield! 

The straw that stirs the Metamucil

Reggie is 80! Interviewed on the subject, he instantly flashed geriatric cred, answering the first question by listing everything he has for breakfast: 

MLB.com: You look better than ever. How do you stay fit at age 80?

Reggie Jackson: You give your blessings and your thanks to God. I try to focus on physicality, my health and eating good meals. I usually start off with some fruit and coffee in the morning, a glass of juice, maybe waffles or pancakes with scrambled eggs. I eat some cereal, but I’m careful. There is a lot of sugar. I try to stay away from a lot of sugar, if you will.

 Full interview

 

Aaron Judge's walk-off HR win discombobulated Tampa. So, can the Yankees stay combobulated for a while?

At the end of every day, the deep and magical New York Yankees turn out to be a simple parlor trick - a bobblehead to be tweaked, a chant to be uttered, a set of snakes to be handled. 

And at the heart of every mystery - every streak, hot or cold - you find Mr. Aaron Judge. 

If he's hitting, we thrive. If he's not, we suck.  

Over the last four games - victories - Judge is 5 for 14 with one HR, a walk-off blast that averted a home park sweep by Tampa that would have haunted us the rest of 2026. 

Before that homer, he'd gone 2-for-23 against Tampa, Toronto and the Mets - teams that hate us with the heat of a million suns - with the Yankees losing four of six. 

Long before there were Gammonites, the Murrays and Lardners used to say, "As Mantle goes, so go the Yankees." Nothing was ever truer. Even though he was surrounded by perhaps the greatest lineup in history, Mickey set the tone for every streak, every championship. He embodied the Yankees. 

Well, as Judge goes, so goes this team. Nothing compares to the moment when he steps to the plate, his presence somehow even larger than his frame. When Judge swings and lifts a ball, even if it's a routine fly, time stops and the universe shudders.

We just happened to be alive in the era of Aaron Judge.

Which is why this is the most critical season in our modern lives.  

Listen: There may be no baseball in 2027. The owners and players have fortified their war chests with so much money that neither side will feel the pinch of a labor stoppage. A big, cold darkness is coming. If there is a 2027 season, it might be the size of a walnut. Emerging from it, in 2028, Judge would be 36 and, quite possibly, robbed of his last great year.  

That leaves 2026 as the year for Judge to win a ring. 

If the Yankees fail, they will have squandered the greatest slugger in modern history and leave the Dodgers as baseball's legacy team. 

I cannot stress this enough: Between now and October, the Yankees must address huge holes in their daily lineup, their 26-man roster and, most importantly, their bullpen. They are going to need to trade young players, a Faustian bargain from which is no escape. As Kissinger once said, the key to success with Mephistopheles is getting a good deal. 

Brace yourselves for the trades that are coming. But this needs to be the year Aaron Judge gets a ring. 

One and a half and the A's coming up

 Tampa has lost four in a row. Is the frost on the pumpkin? Is the bloom off the rose? Is you is or is you ain't my baby?