Who's on first? The fate of the '24 Yankees. That's Who.

In our measly, flea-infested lifetimes, we have been lucky enough to witness three great Yankee teams:

The Mantle/Maris Era (1961-62)

The Reggie/Munson Era (1977-78)

The Jeter/Mariano Era (1996, 1998-2000)

Frankly, it's been a great ride. No other ballclub can boast three modern dynasties, multiple championships with the same core of players. For all their current financial bluster,  the Dodgers have just one: Koufax/Drysdale (1963, 1965.) Then there's Oakland (Rickie/Catfish 1972-74), Cincinnati (Bench/Morgan 1975-76), Toronto (Alomar/Carter 1992-93), Boston (Manny/Papi 2004, 2007) San Francisco (Posey/Bumgarner 2010, 2012, 2014.) The rest are all Mungo/Jerrys- that is, one-hit wonders.

One earmark of every great Yankee team was a star 1B, who anchors the batting order: Moose Skowron, Chris Chamblis, Tino Martinez. (What were we thinking with Lyle Overbay, Chris Carter, Greg Bird?) 

Which brings us to Anthony Rizzo... 

Last night, as you probably know, Rizzo belted two HRs - one sixth of his entire 2023 output - in a gleeful basting of Toronto, shown on YES. Over the previous two seasons, Rizzo averaged 26 HRs and nearly 70 RBIs, protecting Aaron Judge in the lineup. (In Judge's great season, Rizzo and a younger Giancarlo Stanton followed him.)

Last year, Rizzo endured the most bizarre Yankee injury since Henry Cotto speared his ear with a Q-Tip. He was jostled in a collision and suffered a concussion, which the Yankees failed to diagnose for a month, while the poor guy flailed at pitches. They didn't bring him back in September, after he had seemed to recover, while the team steadily collapsed into a second-tier status. 

Last night, Rizzo gave Yankee fans a taste of what might be in 2024: Two HRs, including a grand slam, and big smiles across the dugout. Don't get me wrong: He won't hit 40 (his career peak is 32). But Rizzo could double his total from last year (12) and certainly drive in more than 41 runs (his RBI output in '23.) 

If Rizzo returns to form, the Yankees have a chance. They might just have that slugging 1B, which characterized all their championship teams. (In 2009, Mark Teixiera.) If he fails, well, they have nobody else, and - frankly - a history that offers little hope.

Ah, spring!