It's Manny Day, and the future of the Yankees is at stake

Yogi Berra once said, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

Today, the Yankees hit that fork in the road.

Manny Machado is coming for a chat.  

He'll sit down with Brian Cashman. They'll start by lamenting the cold weather - (it's winter, you know) - and the traffic, and the malls, and the cab drivers, and all the shopping they still must do before Christmas. Manny will tell a story about the blight in Baltimore, and Cash will match it with one about White Plains. Talk will turn to the Kardashians, Springsteen on Broadway, Ariana Grande, the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and other topics that - when added to an internet post - are likely to draw outside clicks. Then, abruptly, the small talk will end. Each man will lean forward and stare into the other's eyes for 30 long seconds. At that point, they will either fight or fuck.

This is it, the fulcrum day for the future of humankind.

If conversation soars, if the minds meld, and if the numbers line up, Machado could become a Yankees fixture for the next decade. For better or worse.

If talks go sideways, if the franchise's public poor-mouthing is real, rather than a negotiating tactic, both sides will take different routes. For better or worse.

I cannot list all the ramifications of this today. It's beyond my capabilities. Hinging upon these discussions are the assorted fates of Miguel Andujar, Didi Gregorius, Clint Frazier, Aaron Boone, Giancarlo Stanton, Cashman, global warming, gun control, the stock market, Robert Mueller... maybe even Bryce Harper. The impact will cascade throughout the Yankee system, from Randy Levine's golden office urinal down to the pitted infields of Charleston and Pulaski... to the empty ballpark where Troy Tulowitski worked out yesterday before a smattering of scouts, and along the Canyon of Heroes, which could resound with future parades - or remain silent for the rest of our lives.

There are two Yankiverses - one with Manny, one without him. And the most maddening part of this day is quite simple: 

I don't know which I prefer.

But I do know this. This is no day to celebrate the signing of Scranton bullpen lug nut Rex Brothers, or to ponder the likelihood of Jacoby Ellsbury ever playing in another game, or whether Gary Sanchez is learning how to block pitches. They are inconsequential matters.

Today, I am hereby calling for a freeze on all speculation concerning pitchers and catchers. Whatever we think doesn't matter. Because tomorrow - or sometime soon - the Yankiverse as we know it will be newly defined.  

Folks, this is Manny Day. We have reached the fork in the road. We have no choice but to follow Yogi's instructions. It's time to take it. For better or worse.