Ever "The Never" probably deserves better. I mean, he's only 23, he's currently hitting .333 with a HR, and right now, he and Uncle Ben Rice are the main obstructions to an opening day lineup centered around Dominic Smith.
On that note, let me apologize to big Dom Smith fans. I don't mean to single him out as evidence of Yankee malpractice but - well - there, I've done it. Sorry, Smithies.
Right now, I'd say the odds look good that we will experience opening day with Dom the Bomb batting 5th, a touchstone for our growing sense of hopelessness.
Dominic, Pereira and Rice... oh my.
Right now, in various permutations, they represent our depth chart at DH. You can toss in Trent Grisham and Oswaldo Cabrera - there's always room for Jell-O - but the moral of this withering story is simple:
Hope is not a plan.
Apologies to everyone, to be flaring the Bat Signal for Giancarlo Stanton, and to pretend that anyone expected his hot October to roll over into 2025. Nobody thought such things. Yank fans know Giancarlo to be a walking tweak - in the postseason, he couldn't even run - and nobody, not even your Aunt Ginny - expected Stanton to suddenly experience health.
Wait... I take that back.
Apparently, Cooperstown Cashman did. Because the Yankees spent the winter penciling Giancarlo into their 2025 lineup, only to be shocked - SHOCKED! - when two tennis elbows derailed his spring. They're waiting for Stanton to return from NYC on "personal business," which I believe is:
a) He's in line, renewing his NYS drivers license.
b) Plastic surgery on the dimple.
c) Dictating his memoir to Meredith.
d) Launching a rap feud with Drake.
Who knows? But let me go on record here in noting that the problem with Stanton is not his injuries, or his contract, or the way he shimmies after a swinging K:
The problem with Stanton is that the Yankees have nobody to replace him, aside from three enormous leaps of faith, none of which will inspire optimism through the months of April and May, while Stanton is hitting off a tee.
Dominic, Pereira and Rice... oh my.
Delete Stanton and paste in any name you wish... it's a deep, dark hole. And all those hopeful midwinter projections? They've been thrown into that crevice.
Posts
10 comments:
It's all rope-a-dope. While we're distracted by injuries and fretting over who's gonna be gone and for how long, the Martian is secretly taking flies and making spectacular catches, saving his surprise defensive prowess for the regular season.
Volpe is likewise honing what Boone is secretly calling "the most perfect swing I've ever seen, better than Ted Williams."
Third base? No problem. Peraza is knocking the cover off the ball (somewhat secretly), and his fielding is great. With Goldie and him at the corners, we've got the most amazing infield in the AL. I know I'm amazed.
Gil is good, but we've got Stroman. And Fried. And Rodon. And the immortal Cole (boy, you're gonna cover that base...cover that base a long time...)
Here's hoping we see a lot of Grish in left. He doesn't have to hit much surrounded by Cashman's Super Secret Stealth Sneaky All-Stars.
And remember--We. Have. Carrasco.
That's a lot that you're asking us all to do, JM.
My question to you is: Have you forgotten who
your audience is? We can't even remember what
side of our toast to butter let alone remembering
who Carrasco is.
(my apologies....I musta.....
Lost my train of thought
Now arriving on track 7
Better RUN! RUN!! RUN!!!
)
Three hundred million just isn’t worth what it used to be. The 98 Yankees payroll didn’t exceed one hundred and you can’t say inflation has taken root. This whole problem has everything to do with the way the money gets spent. Instead of gathering a team - a real team - The Intern has succumbed to reading the backs of cards hoping to squeeze one last ounce of goodness from players who are well past their sell date.
The only really good news is that the rest of the AL is a morass of mediocrity. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Yankees upended this year by Cleveland or even KC. Lugnuts and spare parts just aren’t going to get the job done.at least not these spare parts.
Okay, it's time for despair with the Yankees. But we must focus on the positives: our robust economy and ever-soaring investment portfolios.
Gil could be back by sometime in May. Stanton will show up around the halfway point. I forget who here said it, but the idea of Stanton not playing until the postseason, when he's at his best, may be getting closer to reality.
And Dick, you are absolutely correct. It's not the money, it's how stupidly the money is usually spent. There was a time when people said the Yankees could just sign a bunch of great players at will, flexing their financial advantage. Well, we do flex that advantage, but very poorly.
Cashman is an albatross. As is Boone. Why does Hal keep them? Beats me.
The hills are alive with the sound of music.
What we’re talking about here is roster construction. Crashman & Co have loaded the roster with aging, overpaid “stars” in an attempt to market the team to the wealthy and the rubes. After the players inevitably succumb to injuries, there’s very little to replace them. I don’t think Stanton will miss the whole season but even when he returns I’m sure it will be on a part time basis as his condition is chronic. I feel for Gil as the team overused him last year with predictable results.
Gonna be an uninspiring, mediocre season with Boone’s gaslighting at fever pitch. At least we can all take solace from a booming economy and a brighter tomorrow for our descendants.
Maybe it’s time to bring back your Clark Kent avatar…because the world needs Superman…
AA...I'm sure that Phil Collins would definitely agree with you.
Post a Comment