In case you missed it - John almost did - Soto's call on March 31 went this way: "There is a Soto photo, a home run in the left field seats! He's Juan-derful, marvelous, and the Yankees have taken a 4-3 lead."
Not exactly an A-bomb from A-Rod. But generally, John's greatest homer calls evolved over time, and in its three-week window, Soto's never got a chance. That said, it was important for the Yankees to lump Soto in with Jeter, Judge, Jorgie and Bern, because - well - it's up to us, we inhabitants of the Yankiverse, to groom him.
That's right. We have one season to make Soto believe there is only one stage, one venue, one mindset in American baseball, and it's to be playing for the New York Yankees. (I say we must make him "believe" this, because I'm not sure if the rest of us do, anymore. )
Listen: The Yankees need Soto, more than he needs them. He is Miguel Cabrera. He is Bryce Harper. He is a future Hall of Famer, and if the Yankees let him walk next winter, because Food Stamps Hal wouldn't open his fanny pack, well, I have some bad news for you: Jasson Dominquez will not replace him.
One of the few negatives of watching Soto this month: Realizing the gap between a generational slugger and Dominguez, or at least the brief glimpse we had of him last September. That's not a knock on The Martian. But at age 21, Soto was breaking down fences, leading his team to the World Series. Dominguez might be good someday. But he's not on Soto's level. Hardly anybody is.
The Yankees have a great tradition - or at least they once had one. That's what will keep Soto. Friday night, the bleachers chanted his name, along with "M-V-P," an unforgettable moment for a young man who just escaped from San Diego. An unbreakable bond? Let's hope so - though we might reconsider booing Judge - because tradition and loyalty might be what it takes to keep him a Yankee.
Other thoughts from John's big day:
1. Not to nitpick, but I was surprised more ex-Yanks didn't submit video tributes. The Yankees played brief messages from Paul O'Neil, Bernie and Jeter. Where was Nick Swisher, Dave Cohen, Robbie Cano, et al? Good grief, anybody with a cell phone could have made one. With each player, the crowd reacted wildly. I sorta expected more.
2. John blew Suzyn's intro: When she shouted, "... and stepping up to the microphone, the legendary voice of the Yankees, John Sterling..." he did not say, "And I thank you, Suzyn..." And - excuse me if I missed something - did anybody anywhere do anything about "You can't predict baseball, Suzyn?"
3. The Yankees gave him cufflinks, a jersey and - huh? - a big screen TV? The thing would barely fit in most three-car garages, not exactly what you give an elder, who might be prone to downsizing. A whopper TV? Weird.
4. Throughout the interviews, you got the feeling John had someplace he'd rather be. He was gracious, of course, and he wore a smile along with his humility. And it was great to see him looking happy. But the takeaway here: Age 85 is a fukkin' bitch, and it's hard to be in the center of everything. He looked as if he couldn't wait to be home with his shoes off.
Let's hope he has many enjoyable years of retirement, on his terms, with "That's Entertainment" on VHS and his shoes off. And maybe watching Juan Soto play in pinstripes.
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13 comments:
Soto is amazing and Judge struck out four times. He was booed, and his reaction was, "I've heard worse."
What the fuck is that? He looks terrible. He looks like Stanton has looked the last couple of years. He suddenly can't hit. Can't see pitches, misses the easy ones (which Stanton is actually hitting sometimes now), and every time he manages to produce, the commentators all start to say, finally, that he's "getting going."
He's not. This isn't Judge. The Yanks used to stink without him and now he stinks. Now, the Yanks stink without Soto. The balance of power has completely shifted. What the hell is going on? With Soto and Judge both being themselves, we could be a juggernaut. But Judge hasn't shown up, and all the pablum spewed by Boone about not being worried is ringing very, very hollow.
Something is wrong. I think we all want to know what it is.
As for the TV, Duque...well, I mean, an 80-foot Angela Lansbury. Hard to argue with that.
The Yankees and Orioles are now tied in the all important loss column.
Fuck CashBrain.
Speaking of pablum spewed by Booooooone, John had this to say in the pre-game presser:
"He jokingly asked in the press conference room if this is 'where Aaron Boone says, ‘I think he’s getting close?’”
Does the whole world know that Boooooone is an idiot?
Given his injury history and legendary streakiness, we never got the Ortiz/Ramirez or Mantle/Maris tandem we were promised with the Stanton signing. Who would have thought that after adding Soto, we still wouldn't have it?
1) The paucity of gifts and tributes
This was very hastily done. Probably no time to do it well and get all the tributes he deserved. This does not bode well for Sterling's health as they felt the need to give him his tribute ASAP.
2) Soto signing here
Last night Soto was at the Knick game (with Gleyber, Clarke Schmidt and one other. Soto was in the middle and looking very comfortable.)
Also in attendance were a number of NY sports legends and heroes, each getting big applause. Add the regular number of notable celebs that the Knicks attract and The Garden and the city was the center of the sports universe.
I don't believe this was lost on a 25 year old who played in Washington and in San Diego. I know money talks but being at The Garden last night had to have made an impression.
JM -
I think you meant 8 foot Angela Lansbury not 80 foot. An 80 foot Angela Lansbury is the stuff of Japenese monster movies.
"Murder, She Stomped"
LOL!!! Yeah, and 80-foot Angela would be bigger than a Drive-In screen. I meant 80-inch.
I agree that the tribute to Sterling appeared hastily thrown together. And he did not look hale and hearty. My mother looked better at 85 than John does.
That would explain why only Tino showed up in person, and only a few guys from the late-90s team sent videos. On the other hand, maybe John wanted it short and sweet and fast, to get it out of the way and move on--which he seemed to want to do very badly. It is possible that he just doesn't care much anymore and doesn't need the money because his triplets are out of school.
Unanswered questions. After he's gone, we might find out the truth.
No way is JD to be considered a replacement for Soto, even though the team could try to spin it that way.
Dominguez will likely be a somewhat better, more likable and energetic version of Gary Sanchez who can actually field his position.
Kinda surprising the boos are already raining down on Judge, although he looked a high school player yesterday. This is more than just age-related decline, nobody falls off the table this quickly. Something’s up, and the team is lying about it as usual
Judge back in CF for today’s game.
They're probably hiding an injury. There was the thing about an abdominal muscle in spring training. Only missed a few games. Thought that was weird. A pulled abdominal muscle can take months to heal, even a year or two. Right from the get-go, he looked like he was swinging gingerly. But this is all like looking through a telescope at stars and other celestial phenomena fifty zillion light years away and trying to explain what's going on up there. Only Ba-Boone and the Yankee cosmonauts know, for now. Then four months from now, we might hear that he needs surgery to repair a double hernia and will be out for a year and a half.
JM - some drive-in screens measured well over 100 feet across - so they could have easily accommodated a reclining Lansbury.
Our drive-ins in Connecticut, for example.
"(earth to Branford - do you read me)"
I sincerely hope that the Yankees Organization did something far more substantial for John privately, behind closed doors than just Reynolds Wrap trophy, a knock-off jersey and an oversized watchman (to be fair I own a similar flatscreen and they're terrific).
I still remain - Unwaveringly Invested
Axisa today on Judge:
1. Slump
2. Injured
3. Shot
4. Cracking under pressure
Like Hammer said only Boooone and his fellow cosmonauts know for sure.
80 inches??? I'd have to fold mine 8 times before I put it back in my pants!
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