The big wheel turns, and the Yanks jettison 45

Yesterday, the Yankees - richest team in baseball, by far: estimated worth of $5 billion, according to Forbes - released 45 minor league players, cutting their June payroll by about $72,000. Chickenfeed, eh?

Almost all are no-names, lost boys that you never knew. The one name that leaps out is Austin DeCarr, a third-round pick from a few years back, who couldn't stay healthy. So it goes. After all the work, the discipline and the devotion to a dream, professional baseball remains a cosmic lottery: One torn tendon, one weakened elbow.. and - poof - it's over. All that potential, all that excitement through high school, all that future fame and glory, the certainty of the cheerleaders - gone. Time to sell insurance.  

Though it's sad to see dreams die, this is merely a rite of June - the annual culling of the herd. The Yankees are doing what they always do - and what everyone does, actually: Cutting players, who will be replaced later this month by newly drafted youngsters. Shedding skin. It's time for a new crop of young men, each convinced of his infallibility, each who will slowly learn the terror of dealing with balls that actually curve in mid-flight. They will devote themselves to the game. They will play the lottery. 

These day, everything feels so different. At least 20 cities will lose minor league teams forever; they won't even get a chance to officially say goodbye. The owners are now reportedly proposing a 50-game MLB season, ending around Halloween, with the playoffs in southern climates. Considering the state of American cities, and the chance for continued unrest, can a made-for-TV baseball season actually reclaim relevance? Can baseball matter?

Well, I sure dunno. I respect the idea that a few extremely overpaid suits - fearing they could end up like the unfortunate 45 - are seeking to negotiate a 2020 season. I suppose we should support them, but fukkit: My heart is not in this. A four-month season? I see four months until the election. Things are going to get much worse. Tanks in America cities?

I hope the 45 ex-Yankee farmhands can find last chances, perhaps with other teams. Supposedly, the Yankee system is deeper than most, so maybe a few can hook-up with a franchise and keep the dream alive. Someday, maybe they'll take revenge upon their former employer. It will make a nice story, even if told at our expense. I just hope we'll be around to appreciate it.