Thursday, September 27, 2018

Epitaph of the 2018 Yankees: They always pissed us off

Last night, as the Rays were taking command, Suzyn Waldman blew a gasket. Once again, she said, this Yankee team cannot sustain a winning streak. She'd thought winning the first two in Tampa would launch something, a charge that  captured the Wild Card home field. After all, the Rays no longer cared. They were phoning it in. Sweep the series, and the Yanks could sleepwalk through Boston this weekend, knowing the games didn't matter.

Nope, didn't happen. Not our style. 

Instead, the Yankees pissed a game away in the eighth, and then gave their fans a pineapple colonoscopy in the ninth, losing by one. Oakland won on the West Coast, and our magic number remains stuck at two with four games to go. We can still lose that advantage. And, frankly, nothing in the 2018 Yankee fossil record suggests this team is above such a Met-like collapse.

If I were the A's, Redsocks - or anybody, for that matter - to beat the Yankees in October, I would simply do the following:

1. Never give Miguel Andujar a first-pitch strike. Throw them in the dirt. He loves to swing at the first pitch. Last night, with the Rays' closer looking wild as a dingo, Andjuar popped up the first pitch, which was well off the plate. He is a great hitting talent. He is not a smart player.

2. Add a base-stealer to your roster. Want to wreck the Yankee bullpen closers? Replace a man on first with a speed demon, a David Roberts. It blows the mind of Dellin Betances. Frankly, it does everyone's. Gary Sanchez won't call sliders in the dirt. You can launch a huge inning. One runner, that's all.

3. Run out every grounder. Andujar double-clutches on routine plays, sometimes throwing late to first. With the exception of Didi, the infield is weak, defensively. Any ball can be kicked, any throw short-hopped. 

4. Don't be afraid to walk Aaron Judge. The batters behind him, especially Giancarlo Stanton, are a train wreck. (And Didi will be hitting with a bad wrist.) For some reason, the Yankees hope this will magically change, that the 3-4-5 in the order will start producing. But last night, it was stunning to see Luke Voit batting third. It's as if Boone were throwing in the towel, going with whomever is hot. Not long ago, Voit was hitting eighth. Now, third? Amazing.

5. Bring in fresh pitchers constantly. The Yankees don't do well against the Tampa model. For the Redsocks, simply bring in Stephen Wright, the knuckleballer. The Yankees cannot touch him, and they will not change their swings to accommodate the change. He can throw multiple innings, multiple games. His very presence will change a game.

Listen: It's been a decent year, in wins and losses. Trouble is, this was supposed to be something more. This was going to be the season that launched a Yankee resurgence, maybe even a dynasty. All that young talent - Judge, Sanchez, Bird, Frazier, Torres - they were going to be cresting. Now... I dunno. I guess we could still get hot, but the omens are everywhere. And Suzyn had it right:

The single most consistent aspect of the 2018 Yankees is that whenever they seem to jell, they leave us unfulfilled. And the greatest disappointment is probably yet to come.

(Both Mustang and I will be exhibiting at the Baltimore ComicCon this weekend. If you happen to be in the neighborhood, look for the AHOY Comics table and say hello. Also, forgive me in advance if my posts look a bit ragged. Hangovers can do that to you.) 

15 comments:

KD said...

Andujar has flaws I know but I look straight past them. Love does that to a guy, you know? so cut Miggy some slack. if he gets traded during the Hot Stove, I don't want to blame IIH for putting the notion into Coops head.

duque, as this season is in its final days, I want you to know that, once again, you've made Yankees Beisbol much more interesting and fun for this crazy and obsessed fan. (and your supporting cast, as always, are fun-multipliers. I did miss Mustang, however, but we know he's very busy these days.) This season we gots educated as well. (Hoss showed up!) we also got to know this wacky WW person. good grief what a character. her interactions with Buck's Puckered will be remembered by me until my dying days. did things get a little out of hand sometimes? maybe. but once I let go of any butthurt the creep inflicted, it all became part of the fun. It was eventually tamed by the group by simply not responding. we became the basketball that does not bounce and the game was suddenly over. a life lesson, of sorts. Bottom line is that I love all you guys.

KD said...

you guys also helped me over a very serious situation this year with your love and compassion. I'll never forget that.

now, let's beat the fucking A's, no matter where the game is played. Believe in ICS!!!

Ken of Brooklyn said...

Hey KD, I'll pile on with the love as well!
I don't comment as much as all of you, but I'm constantly amazed (daily) by everyone's comedy and insight, you ALL keep things in perspective for me. I don't think I could have survived another rollercoaster pineapple filled year without you, gawd/goddess bless the merry pranksters of the Good Ship IIHIIFIIC!

ranger_lp said...

BTW...are you going to have a booth at NYCC? My son and I have passes for Sunday. I know you already have a panel scheduled for Saturday I believe.

HoraceClarke66 said...

Thanks so much KD—and all of you! I know: this has been a disappointing year for the Yankees but, I think, a stellar year at IIHIIFIIC.

Unlike the ballteam that drives us so crazy, everyone here was filled with passion, all year long.

I think we should thank, above all, our leaders, Peerless and Dauntless, El Duque and Alphonso, for making this site so much more than just another spot where we mull over WFC+OBASPQR, or whatever the latest stat is.

As the Yankees have demonstrated by default, you still gotta have heart. This site has it in buckets. (Assuming, you know, that hearts come in buckets.)

KD, here's hoping that next year brings a much better time for you, personally, and all good fortune in our lives away from Yankeeland.

JM said...

KD, you're getting me all kind of misty, man.

I should be enjoying this season more, I agree with you on Miggy and I feel the same way about Torres, and yet I dread the postseason when I should be looking forward to it.

Sound like a Yankees fan.

HoraceClarke66 said...

Now...as to Andujar, no, they definitely SHOULD NOT trade him.

But really, they should consider left field, where his arm would be a great asset.

Acquiring Manny would also greatly bolster the infield defense, and they should accept the reality that there's very little hope Red Thunder will return, Stanton is a pig in a poke, and they need...Harper.

I shudder to write this about a man who is hitting all of .244 or so, and often seems to be one enormous ego. Also, I noticed yesterday that Machado has grounded into an appalling 24 double-plays this year, the kind of number you usually see from guys who are 38 and have had five knee operations.

And we need Corbin before our starting rotation falls completely apart. They had some startling stats on YES last night about many fewer fastballs Tanaka throws every year.

But the fact is, now that Coops has wrecked the roster and smashed the future with a ball-peen hammer, we just need bodies. Don't expect any of them to get better, either—instruction, like strategy, is not what we do.

In short, much like so many rivals, we have become what our leading nemesis is—or, that is, USED TO BE.

The Red Sox we knew and loved for the patsies they usually proved to be, were big, sloppy, stupid teams that sadly neglected most of the fine points of the game. For us going forward—that's our best hope, and maybe, like the Sox, we'll get an occasional pennant or even a ring.

Otherwise, we are talking about Shane Robinson and Neil Walker types, taking on a revivified American League, and that will be REALLY ugly.

HoraceClarke66 said...

Also, speaking of Luke Voit hitting third, has anyone heard any explanation for why Boone continues to refuse to bat Judge and Stanton back-to-back?

That seemed to work for the two minutes he did it...then he stopped.

Alphonso said...

As the Brooklyn Dodgers used to say, " Wait until next year !"

Luis pitches better on the road anyway. Doesn't he?

ranger_lp said...

As luxury tax champions, they will try to get both Harper and Machado during the winter. That will make for a murderers row lineup. Not sure what happens to Miggy in that scenario. Bird is expendable with Harper at 1B. As for Sanchez, his groin is affecting his hitting and his hitting is affecting his catching. And his catching is affecting his diet and his diet is affecting his psyche. I could go on for awhile...

Anonymous said...

Manny plus P-I-T-C-H-I-N-G!

Also, and I'm serious, hasn't Luke Voit earned a shot at next year's 1st baseman job?

I know that our history is filled with Shane Spencers and Kevin Mass (Wow, how do you make his name a plural? Mass's? Screw it!) Kevin Mass type players. (That works)

If this is the actual player then he should be our 1st baseman going forward. I like him. He deserves the chance to be the full time guy.

Plus as future Luxury Tax Champions of 2024 he would be inexpensive thus freeing up more money for P-I-T-C-H-I-N-G!

Doug K.



HoraceClarke66 said...

Voit definitely deserves a shot. So does McBroom, next spring. Bird should be out, finally. I would trade him before spring training.

OF should be Judge, Harper, Andujar, with Hicks spelling everyone and Stanton getting an occasional start. Stanton should also get some starts at first.

If they can't or won't trade ICS, he should also do some first base, but they need him mostly to be a catcher.

I fear, though, that whoever thought the Yanks would go cheap—Doug K.?—is right. They'll bring back the team pretty much as is, and let the Phillies sign Harper and Manny. Next year they will be in third.

Anonymous said...

SORRY I'M LATE TO THIS THREAD....

JUST WANT TO SAY, I ENJOY YOU ALL, AND I FEEL PART OF THE IIHIIFIIC FAMILY....

NOW....

LETS BLAST OAKLAND'S TEETH OUT!

P.S.) FROM WHAT WE ALL HAVE BEEN WITNESSING, COOL HAND LUKE SHOULD STAY IN THE 3 HOLE!
HE IS HITTING BULLETS, TAKING THE BALL THE OTHER WAY, AND MAKING CONTACT ALMOST EVERY TIME UP! WHAT A PHENOMENAL SURPRISE HE HAS BEEN!

Anonymous said...

OH, AND NEXT YEAR?

BRYCE
CORBIN
KEUCHEL

WE MUST GET A BIG LEFTY BAT.....

SORRY, NO MANNY M. (INTERESTING STAT ON THE DP'S, HOSS)...

LEAVE ANDUJAR AT 3RD, (PRAY HE WORKS HARD IN THE OFF SEASON AND SPRING TRAINING)....TELL AROD TO STOP FUCKING J-LO FOR 10 MINUTES, AND START WORKING WITH ANDUJAR AT 3RD.....ISN'T HE STILL ON THE PAYROLL?...GET ON THAT, HAL (AND COOP)!

GIVE JUSTUS THE #5 STARTER ROLE AT THE END OF SPRING TRAINING....

SORRY, NO MORE CC....

PITCHING FIXED.

KEEP LUKE AT 1ST...

SEND BIRD TO AAA....(LIKE ALPHONSO SAYS, DON'T BRING HIM BACK TILL HE HITS .310, WITH POWER, IN SCRANTON)...THAT'S HIS PENANCE.

KEEP TARPLEY/DUMP COLE....

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