Never mind the controversy. Keep your eye on the lie.

 

Thanks to everyone for heeding our Peerless Leader's advice and not jumping headfirst into another fruitless, brickbat-hurling internet controversy over whether or not the city of New York should continue its current vaccine protocols. We're smarter than that here, and thank goodness.

What we should keep our eyes on is the recent, lava flow of verbiage that speweth from the mouth of Brian "Pretty in Pink" Cashman, our much-revered general manager. 

This was in response to Aaron Judge's recent comments on whether or not the supposed franchise player, "generational talent," and the man MLB once planned to make the symbols of today's baseball, would indeed like to re-sign with the Yankees.

Many have criticized Judge's vaccine response for being Aaron Rodgerian, in its mealy-mouthed, word-salad answer about whether or not he'd taken the needle.

But when it came to signing with the Yankees, the Judge spoke right from the heart:

"...I'd be honored and blessed" to sign a new contract with your Bronx Bombers said the big guy.  

"There's no better place to play on this planet. I strongly believe that, and I've been vocal about that. I want to stay here in pinstripes."

Phew! Well, problem solved. Because we know that F.S. Hal and Brain Cashman want the same, right?

After all, Hal and Cashie spent most of the off-season telling us that the Yanks darest not bring any of a bumper crop of shortstops to NYC, because amongst other commitments—looking at you, NYCFC soccer condo complex—they just HAD to sign Aaron Judge to a monster, multi-year contract. 

Of course...last year, while we Yankees fans went without the meat, and cursed the bread, pleading and begging the Yanks' braintrust to make the deal that would put the team over the top, word leaked down from the Olympian heights of whatever building Cashie was climbing that we couldn't afford to do THAT, because...

...We were going to sign a great player from that bumper crop of shortstops.

Huh.  

And those of us long in tooth and nail will think back, back, to the halcyon days of 2018, when it seemed we were oh, so close to taking it all, and we begged great Cashie for succor, for that one more player to take us over the top. And with his frown, and wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Brain let it be known that the Yankees could afford no such thing, because... 

...We were surely going to sign Manny Machado and Bryce Harper when they were free agents that off-season.

Huh.

But hey, that couldn't POSSIBLY be the case THIS time.  I mean, surely, surely, surely Hal and the Brain are serious about signing our "generational talent."   

Right?

Well, here is what Cashie had to say on the subject:

"Our intent would be, we'd like to have him back if we can. Like everything else, just like trades and free agency, you have to be on the same page and common ground. The only way to find out is to have some conversations, first and foremost. Those will happen...We're happy he's a Yankee, and it'd be great if we could make him a Yankee for longer."

Um, total commitment, right? I mean, it couldn't be that Cashie and Hal were just using a potential Judge signing as another excuse not to go over the dreaded luxury tax barrier and commit to winning.

Could it?