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Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Off-day musing: How a Manny became a Gleyber

Big news in the Dodgerverse: Manny Banuelos could start tonight's game! Remember Manny, the sweet Yankee lefty who was going to be the Second Coming of Louisiana Guidry? Last time we oogled Manny, he was 23 and pitching in Scranton, coming back from surgery. He'd been our great hope - our Sevy before there was a Sevy - and then one day, evil Brian Cashman sent him off in a trade.

It was New Year's Day, 2015, to be exact: We traded Manny to Atlanta for journeyman reliever David Carpenter and Chasen Shreve, two bullpen lug nuts. Carpenter peed the bed and was gone by mid-July. Shreve has somehow lasted three years as the 25th roster man. Perhaps no modern Yankee pitcher runs out of gas so spectacularly. His survival testifies to the Yankees inability to find situational lefties.

But Carpenter's trade fetched us a middling 2B prospect named Tony Randa, who bounced to the Nats and Reds, where in 2016 he amassed 67 plate appearances and hit .183. Randa is now - drum roll, please - a Redsock. Or, more specifically, a Pawsock, playing for Boston's Scranton. 

But wait... Randa was part of the famous deal of Dec. 28, 2015 with the Reds itching to shed Aroldis Chapman, after shooting us his garage door. Cashman traded Randa, former Yankee first-round pick Eric Jagielo (the man selected before Aaron Judge), and pitchers Caleb Cotham and Rookie Davis. 

Jagielo is now a 26 year old Marlin farmhand, hitting .226 in the Southern League. Cotham is 30 and apparently out of baseball. Davis - considered the Steiner Collectible in the trade - remains a Red. He's expected to return this season, following surgery.

But wait... in mid-2016, the Yankees traded Chapman to those children of destiny, the Cubs. We received Adam Warren (again), outfielder Rashad Crawford, Billy McKinney (who has revived his prospect stock) and a fellow named Gleyber Torres.

So there you have it, folks. It's as complicated as Game of Thrones. Somehow, whenever Gleyber comes up, the spirit of Manny Banuelos lives in his bat. 

And if tonight, Gleyber goes 0-5, while Manny hurls a shutout for LA, let's gather on a hillside and scream into the vortex, as loudly as possible, "CASHMAN, YOU SUCK!" It's our job, right?

9 comments:

Local Bargain Jerk said...


Before I begin reading IIH each morning, I scan the logo to make sure that it still says:

     As Brett Gardner steps up to the plate, stepping up to the microphone is
     the Voice of the New York Yankees, John Sterling.


On rare occasions it's something different and I'm glad for the diversion.

In this morning's Duque offering, I think I spotted a pretty a pretty good candidate for a replacement phrase. We might consider leaving it up there for a day or two at some point:

     Let's gather on a hillside and scream into the vortex, as loudly as possible,
     "CASHMAN, YOU SUCK!"  It's our job, right?


Any takers?

Anonymous said...

MAN, DID THAT DAVID CARPENTER SUCK.

ANOTHER NATIONAL LEAGUE RELIEF "GEM" BROUGHT IN BY COOP.

THAT IS WHO HE WAS REALLY SALIVATING OVER.

Parson Tom said...

Screaming is good emotional and physical exercise, especially when directed at people/things who can't hear me. When Cashman dos something stupid, as he undoubtedly soon will, let's set up a time when we all can gather on our personal hillsides and let him hear about it -- cosmic hearing if not literally hearing us.

That bit of poetry pretty much captures a fan's torture. Leave it up, as LBJ suggests.



JM said...

I third that motion. Great line for the top o' the blog.

TheWinWarblist said...

Let's get warmed up early, shall we? A-hem ... "CASHMAN, YOU SUCK!" "CASHMAN, YOU SUCK!" "CASHMAN, YOU SUCK!" "CASHMAN, YOU SUCK!" "CASHMAN, YOU SUCK!" "CASHMAN, YOU SUCK!"

TheWinWarblist said...

Let us gather upon the hillside.

So endeth the JuJu.

Blessed be the Scooter, to you all.

JM said...

Amen.

TheWinWarblist said...

Benedícat vos omnípotens Ruthus, et Scooter, et Mantleus, et Spíritus Jeterus.

Local Bargain Jerk said...


Ahhh, I returned to see what others thought of my proposal but was pleased to find instead that the masthead slogan has already changed.

Fun, fun, fun, fun.