Game Thread - Anaheim, CA – 08/31/2∂

 

 

Congrats to Redsock fans everywhere. Your radio team has finally achieved full-on, bonkers hate.

Dear Redsock Nation,

For 35 years, your blustery fans whined about John Sterling's rampant shows of favoritism during Yankee radio broadcasts, driven by Jeep. 

You never got over Sterling's shtick, the home run calls and Win-Warbles, and how his voice lilted unto heaven when the Yankees had a lead. You prosecuted John and Suzyn Waldman with the vigor of Rand Paul in a Covid hearing. How dare the Yankees employ flagrant home team announcers, befouling the otherwise pristine Harding & Mazzotti Broadcast Booth! (By the way, hurt your body? Call Harding & Mazzotti!)

Well, today, the Righteous Redsocks - Curt Schilling's chosen team - can bathe in its self-sustaning acrimony, thanks to the radio team of Will Flemming and Will Middlebrooks. They did something Sterling wouldn't have touched in his entire career. They called for a Boston pitcher to "drill" a Yankee batter and pick a fight during the late stage of a 16-1 plastering. 

This came about because Jazz Chisholm stole third in the eighth, with the Yankees leading 14-1. The Boston infield wasn't holding him on, and he basically jogged to third. Defensive indifference. Austin Wells was batting against Boston's Jovani Moran, and in the booth, Flemming was seething over the indignity of Chisholm's move. 

"Wouldn't you sort of like to see Moran drill Wells right here?" Flemming asked.

Well, speaking on behalf of the Yankiverse, YEAH! 

I mean, who wouldn't want a full-on, bench-clearing brawl! We haven't had a bonkers, bare-fisted street rumble in waaaaay too many years. I've wondered what Giancarlo Stanton has been doing in the Yankee dugout. Now I know: He's waiting for his chance to grab little Caleb Durbin and fling him like a Frisbee into the upper deck. Come on, everybody, grab the testosterone and let's do some Hegseth! 

Look, I get it that Chisholm didn't need to steal third. But who cared? Certainly not Boston. They had given up, because their 4-year-old center fielder didn't get the call on a trapped line drive, so - hey - let's pick a fight! Maybe Flemming could punch out Suzyn? And if they hurt their body... well, you know who to call.

Folks, isn't that what is happening all across America? 

Something goes wrong, so drill the nearest guy and let's fight.

I already know what Boston will do about Flemming's words. Nothing. Maybe he'll recant, sorta, with a winky-wink. And if the Yanks play Boston in the postseason - right now, they'd be hosting the Redsocks in a three-game wild card series - what are the odds that somebody doesn't drill Chisholm? 

Yep, congrats to all you Fenway Freedom Fighters. You guys are something. See you in October.

Game Thread – August 30th, 202∂

So, are we ready for Anthony Volpe, edition number four?

Not sure what it means - if anything - but Anthony Volpe yesterday went 1-4 with a walk and two Ks for the Scranton Railwhatevers. He played 3B, as he has done for most of the last three weeks. At Triple A, Volpe is hitting .217 - (23 points below his BA for the Yankees this year) - with 6 HRs in 115 ABs.

Volpe is 25, going on 32. He's been with us since 2023. It seems like forever. Last year, he supposedly played half the season with a bum shoulder. But this year, all healed, his game only continued to unravel. A lot of people expected him to disappear at the trade deadline. But here he is, perhaps ready for another go?

Yesterday's Scranton game ended before George Lombard Jr., in NYC, tweaked his knee batting against Boston. Lombard walked it off, singled, played two more innings and then left, whisked to a hospital for voodoo scans. Immediately, the Yankees revved up their Baghdad Bob machine, saying the injury looks minor and listing Lombard as "day-to-day." After all, 21-year-olds heal fast, right? 

Since joining the team Aug. 4, after Volpe was banished, Lombard has lived several of his own lifetimes. He's been compared to Hall of Fame shortstops. He's been mocked for committing six errors in six games, a record among Yankee shortstops that had not been achieved since 1915. Roger Peckinpaugh, remember him? 

Lombard and Volpe have shared a wondrous and terrifying experience. Both were hoisted on a pedestal as the future of the Yankees - and then hung out to dry. In both cases, their stories are incomplete. Today, their fates will merge on the results of a medical scan.  

Dunno what to make of this splintered seesaw of good and terrible luck. In a Ben Affleck movie, Volpe would return, he'd befriend Lombard, they'd make peace with their dads, they'd compete for Zendaya, and they'd lead the ragtag, loveable Yankees to a world series. Unfortunately, Affleck hates us, and were this a movie, it would be directed by Rob Zombie or the guy who did that Melania flick. 

Today, the Yankees play Boston for the last time in this regular season. Jose Caballero will probably play SS. Nobody calls him the future of the Yankees. But Cabby will have to do. (BTW: Playing SS last night in Scranton was everybody's fave, Oswaldo Cabrera, and he went 1-5, lowering his season average to .286. There's a movie in there, and we know Oswaldo can act from his CarShield commercials.) 

Today decides the four-game home series and our season record against Boston. If the Yankees win, they will not only lead the Redsocks by four games, but they'll hold the tie-breaker, a phantom 5th game. (Fun Fact: That's what killed them last year against Toronto.) They would almost surely secure the first AL wild card, with its limited home field advantage. Also, they can go to the West Coast this week for six games to be played after our bedtimes. No anxiety. Just sleep.

We shall have respite. But until then, we wonder: Who's narrative will play out at SS? The wheel keeps grinding.

º8/29/2∂ – Wicked Double Pissah in da Bronx - Game Two

 

º8/29/2∂ – Wicked Double Pissah in da Bronx - Game One

 

Yanks face Judgement Day, without Judge.

 Wellp, here goes nuthing... 

Across the world, millions of innocent people are fleeing floods, wildfires, maelstroms and war - oblivious to what we of the Yankiverse would manically consider "Doomsday Doubleday Judgement Day" - with two games against Boston that will define 2026, at least until next week.

It's nuts to assign cataclysmic significance to the outcome of a sporting gig, a cultural parlor game, but the ship called "Reason" sailed long ago. In our bug jar, where our feelers barely touch the air holes, we today face six to eight hours of grueling, self-imposed anxiety, as we prepare for two games that will change nothing in our lives, aside from the panicky fact that we can think of nothing else.

The twi-night doubleheader - ahh, a vestige from the distant past - begins at 1:05 p.m., with the nightcap set for 7:15 p.m., give or take. By then, either team could be out of bullpen arms, summoning the dregs from their Triple A wastewater ponds. By then, certain Yankees could be headed back to Scranton, (where Anthony Volpe last night reverted to SS.) By then, one fan base will be drunkenly celebrating, and the other will be measuring nearby bridges.  

And here's the joke. 

Probably, nothing will come of it. 

After all the buildup, all the handwringing, the teams will do what happens in most doubleheaders: They will split. (Yank fans would happily accept such an outcome.) Come Monday, the Yankees fly to LA, with a new time zone and lease on life. Swimmin' pools. Movie stars. 

Today, the Babadook. Next week, San Diego. Keep that in mind, as the terrors descend. They can beat us. They can sweep us. But they can't eliminate us. 

OH SCHLITT ! ! ? ! !

The Only remaining Reason To Watch

In July, 1915, a bunch of my friends gathered around the family radio in Yonkers, New York, to listen to another Yankee game.

But this was no ordinary game. 

In the previous five games the Yankee shortstop, Roger Peckinpaugh, had made an error.  On this day he would make his 6th in 6 games, setting a New York Yankee record.  A record which stood until August 27th of 2026, when rookie shortstop George Lombard would duplicate that feat. 

Roger went on to become an all star shortstop,  until he totally wigged out in a seven game 1925 World Series ( playing, by then, for the Washington Senators ) during which he notched 8 errors.   Of interest, Roger was the American League MVP that same season.

So there is reason to watch tonight.  We may see a new Yankee record established by a rookie.  We can call it the " 8 ball game. "   Those of you who play pool will know the implications here. 

What ever happens, someone should take Lombard to a Yankee bar tonight and be a chaperone whilst he gets hammered.  I recommend Crown Royal shots, draft beers and pickled eggs.  

If Roger can become a league MVP after his ignominious achievement, so can Boy George. 

There is always hope. 

"Seventy percent of life is showing up..."

 ...But the Yankees only show up 70 percent of the time.

Last night was, yet again, Not A Good Faith Effort.

Hey, it was raining most of yesterday, and the grass was really wet, and the crowd was only some 41,000, and the Yanks are just in a pennant race and playing a team that has constantly beaten and cheated and humiliated them over the past 10 years.

You can't expect ballplayers who are making tens of millions of dollars to get up for that. Not against the great Hayden Wesneski, who entered the game with a 4.50 ERA.

Once again, the Un-Clutchedness was appalling. 

Many have written here about this Yankees team's continuing inability to hit with men in scoring position (when they hit at all). But it goes the other way, too. Four of the five Houston runs scored with two outs, just as the vast majority of opponents' runs now score with two outs against your New York Yankees. 

The Venerable Keefe established long ago what a terrible field manager Aaron Boone is. But what many have overlooked is just what an awful clubhouse manager he is, too, utterly unable to keep his teams paying attention throughout the long season.

The June Swoon, the July Die, the August Bust...call it what you will, but I have never seen teams take nothing from something the way that they do under Aaron Boone.

A little winning streak, pitching that keeps them in every game, the bats seeming to break out...

Nope.

Nothing means anything.

Back we go, with another non-effort like last night's. 

Five hits, two errors, 11 more strikeouts, 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, two-hours-and-thirty-seven minutes and done, because who wants to risk their luxury car in a flash flood on the way back to Connecticut? 

And now the rookie's errors have become a thing, on the back page of the Post, because apparently neither Aaron Boone nor any of the aged veterans in the clubhouse have the ability or the inclination to settle the kid.

And now comes the big showdown series against the Red Sox, which means something to old folks like us, but nothing at all to this ever-more-annoying zombie team of Yankees, who seemingly can't wait for the season to be over.

Hey, it was overcast this morning, and you know what kind of a mood that puts you in, and Judge will be back soon, and who knows, maybe the playoff match-ups will be favorable...

Still have to show up, though.

Into the most critical series of the year, the Yankees stagger

Well, here we go. The moment we've dreaded since early June may finally come to pass.

The wolf is at our door.  

Sadly, the Yankees are the hamster, scampering in desperation for three brutal months. Since Aaron Judge went out with a fractured rib, our lineup has been a toothless caravan of Ks and botched RBI opportunities. 

Take last night. In the early innings, they twice failed to score a runner on second with no outs - the fundamental low bar for championship teams. The Yankees fail so regularly, so comfortably, that fans expect to fail when a runner reaches 2B. 

Where have you gone, Paul O'Neill? Is there nobody who can smash a water cooler? Have we all just gone out sailing on Lake America?

As we await Boston, and the possibility of a wipeout weekend, the state of the Yankees is cold and bleak.

Catcher: Despite the YES team's dutiful claims of hope, Austin Wells remains the worst hitting catcher in baseball, especially clueless against lefty pitching, which is the new normal. Last night, he went 0-3 with three Ks. The usual...

Infield: Our future is an unraveling ball of twine held together by George Lombardi Jr., who last night made his sixth error in six games. He's on the back cover. Beginning tonight, the spotlight will burn hotter than ever. It killed Anthony Volpe. Is it coming for Lombard?

Outfield: Aaron Judge says he will return without playing a minor league rehab game. He'll go straight to RF, where he will exercise caution on balls that would otherwise demand that he dive. What could go wrong?

Rotation: Our strong point, though the loss of Ryan Weathers might require a regular bullpen start, and Carlos Rodon is still Carlos Rodon. Generally, we can expect six innings and three runs. 

Bullpen: The loss of Francisco Cruz - elbow - really hurts. Brent Headrick is showing strain, and the once-limitless succession of young arms from Scranton is no more. Last night, we used 35-year-old Justin Topa, signed from the scrap heap barely a week ago.   

Everywhere, a meltdown, waiting to happen. 

The wolf is at the door.

º8/27/2∂ - Ass'Tros √s Yunkeez - "Oh Baby its Cole Outside"

 

 

As George Lombard Jr. approaches the maelstrom, every game is a lifetime

Five nights, five errors, including one that arguably cost a game. 

Is this really happening? 

Please, pour water onto my face. Yell into my ear. Wake me from this existential dread.

Suddenly, the Yankiverse is mumbling, grousing, fearing the worst about George Lombard Jr., piling upon him a lifetime of scrutiny, barely three months into his 21st year.

I, for one, hope that he... 

a) does not read social media
b) does not listen to talk radio
c) does not read this blog

I'd add that he needs a competent shrink, who never utters the most terrifying phrase this week in the Yankiverse.

The Yips.

Nope. Aint going there. It's too early to sound the Mandatory Evacuation alarm. But Yank fans know an iceberg when they see one, and the Brace for Impact light is  flashing. 

Lombard arrived on Aug. 4, a century ago?, rousing our most unbridled hopes since The Martian homered thrice in one game, back in May of 2025. He looked like the Second Coming of Jeet, with an extra dab of Ozzie Smith. We penciled him into Monument Park, if not Cooperstown. 

Now, suddenly, every grounder is a Stephen King novel. It's been three weeks. It feels like three lifetimes. And now comes a Twilight Zone weekend against Boston. A mistake or two could drop the Yankees behind the Redsocks with a thunder of boos that could grease a slide back to Scranton. 

Ah, Scranton. Never has the name of a fine, upstanding city conjured such images of existential torture. 

There - down there - Anthony Volpe is playing 2B, demoted from franchise SS to discarded utility lug nut. Last night, he went 1-4 with a HR, his 6th on the brief season. At SS, Oswaldo Cabrera went 1-3 - no errors. I believe Yank fans would love to see Oswaldo again - he's hitting .279 with 17 HRs - but at SS? Nah. He's stuck there for eternity.

Listen: If Lombard continues to struggle defensively, the Yankees might have to blow up their well-hyped future. Another round of Volpe? Or Max Schuemann? I don't see Ryan McMahon shifting to SS, and Amed Rosario is a lost cause. In Scranton, there is ex-prospect Marco Luciano (age 24, with 22 HRs, .297, who mostly plays 2B.) And in Somerset, a formerly hyped prospect, Roderick Arias, is having his best year. (.272, 14 HRs, age 21.) It's a long, steep drop to the next great hope, Dax Kilby, (.280 in 93 ABs at Single A.) Frankly, there's just Volpe. 

This might be the most important weekend of Lombard's career. Damn. Why don't I just heap more pressure on him, eh?

Tonight... a clean game. Okay? 

A gentle query

WHY IS TRENT GRISHAM STILL PLAYING CENTER FIELD?

Game Thread – 08•2∂•2∂ – RIP Tim Curry

 

 

The Yankee bullpen looks Booned. Ten lost observations

Last 7 days

1. For a while last night, I thought the Yankees would honor Dolly Parton by losing 9 to 5. 

2. Boone's Circle of Trust is leaking. Our mainstays - Brent Headrick and Fernando Cruz  (see chart) - desperately need a week of fine weed and Calgon Bath Oil Beads, but that won't happen, not with Boston approaching. The 6th, 7th and 8th innings now belong to Blackburn and Hill. Blare the sirens. This is Def-Con 4.

3. George Lombard Jr. remains the great Jeterian hope. But four errors in four games have raised rip tide warnings. Suddenly, when the ball gets hit his way, the Yankiverse holds its breath. The franchise cannot afford another infield apparition. If this becomes a mental thing... 

4. Like the guy in Obsession, the horror flick about Natalie Harp, I am clutching my trinket and wishing for Aaron Judge to return... NOW! But but BUT... if he's not ready, he could bring an 0-for-15 weekend. 

5. Sonny Gray is 16-3 and Boston's shot for the Cy Young. He pitches tonight against the Marlins and will probably go Sunday. God knows who will oppose him.

6. If there's anything we've come to know about Will Warren, it's that Boone always leaves him in one batter too long. 

7.  Over the last month, Ben Rice is hitting .158 with three HRs. Yes, he's a fan fave. But batting second, he's coming up in huge situations, and he's not getting it done. 

8. In Scranton, Anthony Volpe is hitting: Two for five last night, playing 2B. The Martian, meanwhile, went 0-4 with three Ks, inexplicably playing CF. And Oswaldo, at SS, 0-4 with three Ks. Come Sept 1, when the rosters expand, help is not on the way.

9. Last night for Scranton, the Railriders used five pitchers, a bullpen start, and gave up six runs. Help is not on the way.

10. I know it's not easy, but when Jazz Chisholm is on 1B, and Austin Wells is batting, there should be an immediate command to steal 2B. Wells is a human GIDP, and his DP grounder killed us last night.

Damn, I hate losing to Jose Altuve. 

Willy on the Hilly – (RIP Dolly) – 08/25/2∂

 

 

With 32 games left, the Yankees prepare for the Gauntlet

Let's face it: None of this fan crapola really matters, because the Dodgers will win, anyway. 

They've ignored the financial constraints faced by the rest of baseball, and who cares if their billionaire owner receives a stern talking-to, they'll have three rings, and we will spend the rest of our lives hearing about it. Shoot me now. 

It won't matter that they will write checks to Shohei Ohtani into the next millennium. Baseball Reference won't even show an asterisk. What they'll remember is that every winter, the Dodgers shelled out for star after star, while the Yankees counted pennies and finished second in the auctions. The Yankee brain trust achieved its one objective: 

Contend into September. 

So, here we are. Promises Kept. Mission Accomplished. The Yankees have 32 games left to catch Tampa and/or fend off Boston. Both are doable. Thirty-two games, and if we win half, we reach the postseason. Add another Wild Card flag and prepare for the crapshoot. Here's what's coming:

Three home v Houston. (Need two)
Four home v Boston. (Must win at least two)
Three in LA v Angels. (Sweep?)
Three in San Diego. (Need two.)
Three home v Colorado. (Sweep?)
Three home (so to speak) against Mets. (Just survive. One?)
Three in Minnesota. (Sweep?)
Three in Arizona. (Two)
Three home v Tampa. (Need two, if they matter)
Three home v Baltimore. (Sweep? If they matter.)

 We won't go the parenthetical 23-9. Expect a three-game losing streak, somewhere, probably around the Mets. But to miss the playoffs would require an A.I. Gene Mauch, Philadelphian collapse. With Aaron Judge returning, it's not hard to imagine the Yankees going 20-12. That would put hard heat on Tampa, who is already enduring 105-degree days in front of invisible crowds. Fifteen thousand fans meant sellouts at Steinbrenner Field. They look paltry in the Tropicana Dome.   

The Yankees play 10 against Boston, Tampa and the Mets. That's your season, folks. Get ready. For better or worse, this weekend could define the 2026 Yankees. But the Dodgers will win, anyway.

The Yankees vanquish Toronto. Finally. Ten observations.

The Yankee Death Barge now sits three below unappreciated Tampa - (average home attendance: woeful 17,128) - three above Boston. Jays and O's are afterthoughts. Ten mental musings...

1. Storm warning issued on George Lombard Jr. Three errors in three days. Not worried, yet. Let's just say, aware of the situation. Lombard has been a huge defensive presence at SS, nearly Jeter Redux. But he needs an error-free few games, or whispers will turn into a siren.

2. The best thing about beating Toronto (with Vlad Jr. barely bothering to run out a grounder): Watching them flounder against Spencer Jones. Already, he has become the guy you hold your pee for. When Jones comes up, nobody runs to the kitchen to get the cheese curds.

3. The Yankees claim Ryan Weathers might return. Too bad we cannot believe anything they say. Last month, Weathers was ticketed for the bullpen. He's had a tough setback, but he's probably back to that assessment.

4.  Jazz Chisholm finally homered yesterday. (He had become the guy who sent you to the kitchen.) But hey, 18 HRs - he could finish around 25 is not chopped liver. Chisholm's problem is the same that attacks most Yankees: Unnecessary hype. And the worst part?  He hyped himself. 

5. We have reached the point where Gerrit Cole must take over the duties as ace of the staff. Cam Schlittler has carried the rotation all season and remains our best shot for the Cy Young. But the onus is now on Cole. He's the tribal elder, the de facto captain of the staff. If Cole comes through, Cooperstown someday will be calling.

6. In Scranton yesterday: Volpe (at 2B) 0-3; The Martian 2-4 with a HR and 4 RBI; and Oswaldo Cabrera - yes, he of the CarShield commercials - at SS, 3-4 with 2 HRs. He's now hitting .292. Come on, Yankees! This guy deserves another shot. You cannot be serious about going the rest of the year with Ryan McMahon. 

7. To catch Tampa and exorcize Boston, it's very simple. All the Yankees must do is get a few hits with runners on base. Yesterday, Ben Rice came through with a huge 2-out single, ending what loomed as a huge lost opportunity. There is nothing scarier across the Yankverse right now than the Yankees with the bases loaded and nobody out. The first guy strikes out. The second guy pops up. And suddenly, the game is on the line.

8. Thus far, Luis Garcia Jr. and Heliot Ramos have fizzled. Both were hitting around .280 when the Yankees traded for them. Both are well below that number. Hopefully, they start hitting... now?

9. They say Judge is near. I'll believe it when I see him. In the meantime, I keep thinking about his return on September 11th - the haunted date - which opens a tough three-game set against the Mets, followed by four against Tampa. That's a date Judge won't want to miss.

10. Prediction: Knicks in five.

Tariff-Free Game Thread – Soriano back in the Bronx ( sorta/kinda )

 

 

For Giancarlo, the end is here, aside from the existential questions

Samuel Beckett must have been a Yank fan. Because here we are - once again, and for all of eternity - waiting for Godot Gio. And - spoiler alert: He's not coming. 

As we all know by now, Giancarlo Stanton this week tweaked his good leg, plunging himself back into the Yankee Limbo of the Lost, his hot tubbed home since April. The Yankees claim he might return in September. Ha ha. We know otherwise. 

He's toast. 

Next time we see him will be mid-February. He'll arrive in Tampa in a swirl of ink and ether. The Gammonites will assemble, and he'll toss out quotes like shelled peanuts to a murder of crows. He'll say he spent the winter working to improve his flexibility and prevent injuries. And for the 11th straight spring, they'll peck at the ground and chew. Meanwhile, we will ponder his existential questions.

1. Will Giancarlo return? 

Nope. Why drag this out? The Yankees will owe him only $15 million next year. That's clam dip money. (The Marlins will pay $10 million.) They can buy him out for 2028, and our long national Yankee nightmare will be over. 

2. Could he return elsewhere?

Maybe. He might even bat in a Grapefruit game, auditioning for the Angels, Marlins, Padres or any team that might take him in a city where he wants to play. He's earned that shot. But the Yankees do not - and will not - need a fulltime DH who is always one step away from the glue factory. They will have no place for him. (I assume he wouldn't go for the Mets or Boston, but sometimes, when longtime stars hit their twilight, things do get acrimonious.) 

3. Does Giancarlo belong in the Hall? 

Nah. I'm sorry. He comes close, sorta. But he needed one last big year - he's 44 HRs shy of 500, just 17 RBIs below 1,200. Baseball Reference publishes several graphics on chances for Cooperstown. On all of them, as you can see, Giancarlo falls short.

Moreover, his time in NYC produced nothing that matters. (Translation: No ring.) And though he had a couple nice playoff games, his .254 postseason BA doesn't leap out. 

Maybe 20 years from now, a doddering Veterans Committee votes him in. But we won't live to see it, and unless he gets heathy, Giancarlo might not, as well.  

4. Did the Yankees win the trade to bring him to NY? 

Yes. Definitely. We gave up Starlin Castro, Jorge Guzman and Jose Devers. None turned out to matter. So, yeah. We won. Whoopie.  (But all that money we spent? It tied us up for a decade. Imagine the free agents we missed.)

4. Was he a great Yankee? 

Yeah, I guesso, sorta, anways... He should get something - a plaque or maybe a vending machine - in Monument Park. They should give him a final Bobblehead Night and present him with a fully-charged grampa scooter. He can fly around the bases.

He deserves a shot on the YES team. Could he be a batting coach? They say he commands respect in the clubhouse. There might be a role for him to play, and I hope the Yankees treat him with dignity. (Unless he joins the Mets. In that case, open the Epstein files.)

Sad day, overall. But honestly, he's done, and it feels as if a big stone has been lifted. I wish him the best. He'll never swing a bat for us in a real game again. Samuel Beckett saw the future. We were always just living it out. The Giancarlo show is over. Somebody, buy me a drink.

I still say we're better with him than without him

Last year, Stanton--the man who puts the "I" in IL--played in 77 games. He hit 24 dingers with an OPS of .944.

His constant getting-over-PEDs type of injuries are annoying as hell. Basically because we could really, really, REALLY use somebody who can rack up an OPS of .944 and, on average, hit homers in a third of the games he's in. 

At the moment, as I think you've probably noticed, we can't hit and have trouble scoring runs. And to me, not scoring runs is a much bigger problem than a guy who can't run.

So I continue to say that we're better off when Stanton plays than when he doesn't. Sadly, he doesn't play very much. Of course, that's even more true of Judge. It's even true of Bellinger, if the only alternative we have is Helium. What a waste of space.

Speaking of Cody, he had the quote of the day yesterday after playing left field for six innings with Scranton.

"That was good to get those in there to feel good."

As Steve Martin once said, some people have a way with words, and some people..not have way, I guess.

The Game Shred - Weather'n the BJs - 08/22/2∂ - Bronx, NY

 

STOP THE PRESSES!

 

CALAMITY! CATASTROPHE! TROUBLE AND STRIFE!

The Ever-Injured Man is...INJURED AGAIN!

Giancarlo falls while running to rehab his injured whateveritwas. And is injured. And maybe out for the season.

Oh, the HUMIDITY! Or something like that.

Mickey Mantle, in 18 years of playing with a bone disease and an improperly repaired ACL, missed a total of 255 regular-season games. 

Giancarlo Stanton, in 9 seasons of juicing, has missed something like two or three times that many with your New York Yankees.

And...this is good news. Clears up a roster spot, AND means we don't have to listen to people talk about what a great clutch player he is anymore.

Yanks are hottest in AL East, and other brain bursts from the Saturday Leaderboards

Tampa is burning up. Gruesome, unbearable heat. Clocks melting, and not in a Salvidor Dali way. Nobody goes to ball games. (Wednesday, hosting the Blue Jays, a mere 13,000 showed up.) 

Meanwhile, the Rays are sniffing the exits. (Friday, the city signed a hostage deal to keep them in Tampa, for now. It requires the sacrifice of every family's first-born.) Worst of all - for Tampoans, anyway - the Yankees keep creeping closer, now one measly weekend series behind. 

Meanwhile, every Yank win pushes Toronto into a death spiral. Vlad Jr. - "I'd never be a Yankee/Wait, I'll join the Yankees/Check that: I'll never be a Yankee" - Guerrero will soon return. Who cares? He's hitting .263 with 7 HRs. Worst year of his career. And he'll never be a Yankee.

By this time next week, we're playing two against Boston. Biggest day of 2026. 

Meanwhile, in a shameful indictment of modern homer ball, only three qualifying American League players are batting over .300. Pathetic. 

Meanwhile, at least 10 hitters should belt more than 30 HRs

. 

The only offensive category that features multiple Yankees is Stolen Bases.

By the way, Cody Bellinger has 10. But I doubt he'll be running much, after he returns. (Spencer Jones - 7 SBs, not yet thrown out) has a better chance, unless he's in Scranton. 

Volpe homered again in Triple A. And Luis Durango - the Slapper, down at Somerset - went 2 for 3. I gotta go. Running off with my human printer.

BAD DEALS NEVER DIE ( Right, Aaron !?! ) º8/21/2∂

 

 

Tea glasses to Trebek: What we learned this week from David Cone

True confession: I love listening to David Cone, the Yankee prefect of pop culture. And nothing inspires Conean epiphanies like a three-game sweep in Baltimore. 

This week, by watching YES, we learned: 

1. As a pregame ritual while with the Mets, Coney watched Jeopardy every night. (It aired at 6 p.m.) It calmed his nerves.

2. Coney has no interest in appearing on the show - not even Sports Jeopardy - because he's no good at it. 

3. Coney once met Alex Trebek; he seemed a nice guy.

4. In a down moment, Coney asked if Michael Kay really uses his eyeglasses to stir coffee, an act of questionable hygiene that boothmate Joe Girardi recently unearthed. 

5. Kay's response was, yes, but it's tea, not coffee; he even showed the eyepiece.  

6. Coney did not comment further, though his facial expression seemed to show either bemusement or repressed horror. 

7. It's hard to imagine this being the end of Tea Gate.

8. Coney referred to dropping curveballs as "Tumbling Dice" and felt compelled to note the Rolling Stones song of that title. Kay, famously dense on the subject of classic rock, responded by joking that his oversized head - a subject of various memes - cannot store such data.

9.  Kay has been wooing broadcast partners with their favorite snacks. Last night, he surprised Coney with Peanut M&Ms. By the 8th inning, Coney had devoured them and flattened the bag. 

10. It's difficult for Kay to bring snacks for Meredith Marakovits, because she's into "health" foods. 

Damn. No space to discuss the game. I need a "human printer." 

But the picture has a mustache

Oh, man. Class A. I feel bad for the guy. And I'll always put the blame for the Freeman grand slam on Boone. Possibly his dumbest move in a decade of dumb moves.

What's really sad is that some fans will always remember that as the defining moment of his Yankees career. Me, I'll go with the sneakers that had a mustache.

I always thought he would never make another All-Star team, that it was a fluke. But I'd be happy to eat my words if he can make a big comeback.

Thanks to BITTY for the INSPIRATION for today's Game Thread!

MAKE MINE AN XL ! 

(OPTIONAL BACKSIDE)

 

 

Down in Somerset, the Yankees have a little guy who is running wild

His name is Luis Durango. Write it down, so you can refer to it when he's traded for an air fryer.

The Yankees stole him from Cleveland in the 2024 Rule 5 draft, the minors' version. After bouncing around single A last year, something clicked. This year, Durango has shot through three levels of the Yankee system, hitting a combined .338 with an OPS of .807.

That's not why this guy is so interesting.

Unlike other Yank farmhands, who live for the Three True Outcomes - HR, K, W - Durango models himself after Ichiro, Charlie Lau and Wee Willie Keeler, whisking the ball into spaces the defense cannot guard. He's a slap hitter, a banjo hitter, somebody who actually puts the ball into play. A reverse Joey Gallo. What a concept!

Here's a refreshing note: Durango has no HRs this year, not one. He has fanned only 30 times in 221 at-bats - (Spencer Jones has 61 in 146) - and he has stolen 43 bases.

Obviously, Durango...

a) Has a long way to go to prove himself in the majors.
b) Is still just a small sample size.
c) Is a tad old for Double A.
d) Will never play for the Yankees; some team that values base runners will take him off our hands.

Still, imagine: A Yankee hitter who doesn't swing out of his helmet. 

Pinch me. 

Happy 49 Day!

 

Yep, it's that time of year again. 

Every single major-league baseball team has now lost at least 49 games.

Why is this day different than all other days, you ask?

Because it means that no team can possibly break the all-time record set by the 1998 New York Yankees—the greatest team in baseball history—of 125, combined regular- and postseason wins.

No team can win more than 113 games, and therefore the maximum 11 postseason wins possible will only get them to 124 wins.

[Checks math]

Yes, that's correct.  

What's that you say? A team could theoretically win 112 or 113 games, still finish second in their incredible division, and then have to win 13 games to take a World Series?

Yes, that's theoretically possible. But as Bob Dole would say, you know and I know and the American people know that ain't happenin'. 

And besides, that would mean the "greatest team ever" is not a first-place team. Impossible!

The 1998 team it is. And yes, they really are the greatest ever.

First, take out every team before the color line was finally broken.  You can't be the greatest ever if everybody isn't allowed to play.

Next, consider the fact that the 1998 Yanks went 13-3 in inter-league play, including a 3-1 pasting of the Atlanta Braves, who had the best record in the NL. (And no, I'm still not over that blown call that cost the Yanks a sweep of the Mets, which would've put them at 14-2.) 

Add the four-game sweep of the Padres in the World Series, and they played 17-3, .850 ball against the Senior Circuit (really, 18-2, .900 ball).

Finally there's the fact that, while juicing was already widespread in baseball—this was the year of the McGuire-Sosa Race of the Chemically Abetted—there was no known juicer (at the time!) on the Yanks.

So...they played unjuiced against juiced and still won a record number of game.

Case closed. Enjoy 49 Day, a full 11 days before the end of August. Is that great or what?

 

Uh-oh. George Lombard Jr. is starting to conjure the J-word. Ten mental meanderings about the Yankees.

 1. It's happening... again.

The NYC media meat grinder is gearing up to portray George Lombard Jr. as the next Jeter. Damn. 

Nothing good can come of this. There is one result, one comparison, and it always leads to one conclusion: Disappointment. Lombard looks like a fine, young, developing SS; that's not nothing. But comparing him to Jeter is how the machine destroys upcoming Yankees. It crushed Volpe. It crushed The Martian. Now, it's honing the guns on Lombard. 

The guy is 44 ABs into an MLB career. Let him breathe.

2. Nasty Nestor "Ocasio" Cortes just signed with the Phillies. Bravo! Guy hasn't pitched all year, returning from an injury. He's only 31. Last we remember, he answered Boone's horrible, ridiculous, call in the 2024 World Series and gave up a game-winning HR to Freddie Freeman, his first pitch in 37 days. It wasn't his fault. Boone had no business sending him out there.

We ended up trading Nestor to Milwaukee for Devon Williams - for whom we crashed the iconic Yankee beard ban - along with Caleb Durbin, now Boston's sparkplug 3B. What a terrible deal. Thank you, Mr. Cashman. 

Bad deals never die.

3. Ryan McMahon - the ballplayer, not the Onondaga County (NY) Executive - jammed his thumb sliding into 2B last night. They say x-rays came back negative, but we're reached the point where any injury can knock out a player until next spring. McMahon has disappointed all year. The Yankees don't need another injury, but how hard can it be to replace a guy who's hitting .216? 

4. FYI: Down in Scranton, Oswaldo Cabrera is batting .290 and playing 3B. Come on, Yankees, the guy deserves another shot! 

5. In some respects, a Yankee sweep tonight might do Baltimore a favor. The dreadful state of the AL has allowed the O's - five games below .500 - to chase that final wild card slot. These last two nights, they sure don't look like a playoff team. Just sayin...

6. Sad to hear Baltimore screaming that MLB should install lasers on the foul lines, because they might have gotten screwed by Pete Alonzo's foul ball/HR last night.  Good luck with that. I'm sorry, but baseball doesn't need more technology.

7.  Last night for Scranton, Anthony Volpe went 0-4 with three Ks. He's hitting .222. Damn. I hope he can turn around his career, but he really needs to play for a different organization.

8. Also, The Martian, Jasson Dominguez, went 1-3 with a walk. He's hitting .275 for Scranton. It's been a completely lost year. But he's still only 23, two years younger than Spencer Jones.

9. Watching the struggles of Jackson Holliday and Roman Anthony, who is getting another run in Boston, it's remindful of the pressures of being the Number One prospect in baseball. (Or being compared to Jeter; see No. 1.)

10. We're four up on Boston in the loss column. Eleven up on Toronto. We better damn well beat the Jays this weekend. (And they might have Vlad Jr. back. Uh-oh.) 

•Game•Thread• •8•19•26• •WHAT• •WILL• •WILL• •DO• ?

 

In October, will the Yankees try an "Operation: Hail Aaron?"

According to the Yankees - whose pristine record of delivering the raw truth would rival that of Baghdad Bob, if he worked for Microsoft - Giancarlo Stanton has been spotted "running the bases and doing agility drills in the outfield." 

Altogether now: Hooray.

So, he's running the bases and doing cardio? 

Can he open a 24-ounce snack pack of Fritos? 

Could someone - anyone - kindly explain to me why we should anticipate the return of Giancarlo Stanton?

Before continuing, a caveat: 

Honestly, I don't seek to impugn Stanton, who is clearly injured. To my knowledge, nobody has ever spotted him break-dancing in clubs after midnight. He's just a huge, tightly-wound, electrified cadaver, who risks a barking binky with every swing of his Bababook and who - at the unmerciful age of 36 - has the health record of someone who just visited a Ruby Tuesday's salad bar full of diarrhea lettuce. 

Supposedly, he'll be back in early September. 

So, what then? 

Despite those agility drills, there is no way Stanton will play the OF. Ever. He's a DH, pure and simple, and any ground ball off his bat is a DP that your gramma could turn. Stanton will return a few days before Aaron Judge, who in a perfect world would be the DH. But to keep Stanton in the lineup, and pray for his good health, the Yankees will have to play Judge in RF. 

Considering that Cody Bellinger should return next week, will the Yankees shoot the moon? 

Could they run an "Operation: Hail Aaron?" That would put Judge in RF, Bellinger in LF, Grisham in CF, and Stanton as DH. First base would be Ben Rice, unless his batting struggles continue - in which case, gulp, would they try him at catcher? For months now, the idea has been that Rice is too valuable a hitter to subject to the rigors of catching. But that argument requires Rice to hit - something he hasn't done that since that awful Home Run Derby. (Note to self: The last two Yankees to take part in the HR massacre were Rice and Jazz Chisholm, and both have tanked ever since.) I'm not sure about his defense, but even a slumping Rice would bring more offense than Austin Wells. Would the Yankees try? 

The batting order for Operation: Hail Aaron: 

Grisham CF
Judge RF 
Bellinger LF
Stanton DH
Garcia 1B
Rice C
Lombard SS
Chisholm 2B
McMahon 3B

Yeah, it falls off at the bottom, especially if Chisholm remains a wipeout. But that's more reason to load big hitters at the top. Beginning this weekend, against Toronto, the Yankees must play every series like it's the postseason. And from now on, every injury is a season-ender. If that puts an end to Stanton's year, so be it. It's time to break glass, starting with Stanton's cyrstal hamstrings.

Game Dread – Come on Carlos – Show us whatcha got

You Win With Winners

 “We play today. We win today. Das it.”

All pro athletes have talent, even the ones we make fun of, (Cough. Volpe. Cough.) that said, there are athletes that just know how to win. Players that use their will and determination to find an extra gear when it’s all on the line.

Jeter. Brunson. Manning.

NOTE: I wanted to add a New York Jet to this list but the best I could do was Joe Namath. I was thinking about using Marc Sanchez (Two AFC Championship appearances) but he couldn’t even win a bar fight against a sixty-nine year-old. So no…

But I digress…

When the NY Giants (of beloved memory) hired John Harbaugh to be their Head Coach and de facto undisputed leader of the entire organization, the Giants finally did something to change not just the personnel but the culture of the team. 

They brought in a guy who on the Lombardi Scale of “Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.” is around an eight out of ten.

He has high expectations, he drills the crap out of fundamentals, and broaches no bullshit. 

They may not make the playoffs this year, talent matters too, but they will give 100% and they will care. They are learning how to win and they will get there.

He has high expectations, he drills the crap out of fundamentals, and broaches no bullshit.

Winning starts at the top.  

--

The Knicks (in five!!!!) turned the franchise around by adding winners. The Nova Knicks. Two NCAA Championships. OG Anunoby, a ring with Toronto, Mike Brown (Three  Championships with the Warriors.)  

Guys who know what it takes and how to win. 

Interesting side note: I saw a YouTube short about Brunson vs. Wembanyama. Apparently Brunson has never lost a “championship” elimination game. HS State Championship. NCAA x 2, NBA. Wembanyama lost every single one he’s been in.

The Yankee roster has only one player who has won a World Series (Cole) and is riddled with guys acquired from the worst franchises in baseball. Guys for whom losing has always been a way of life. 

This doesn’t mean that they don’t have talent. It just means that they come from places where losing is easier to accept.

On the current Yankee 26-man Roster

Bednar – Pirates

Blackburn – A’s

Cruz -  Reds

De Los Santos – Pirates

Headrick – Twins

Weathers – Marlins

--

Ali Sanchez  - Marlins

Jazz – Marlins

Garcia Jr. – Nationals

McMahon – Rockies

Ramos – Giants (bad while he was there)

That’s eleven players out of twenty-six who come from losing cultures.

Add the Yankees who came up under Aaron Boone and it becomes easy to see why the team has lengthy slumps and gets bounced so easily from the playoffs.  

--

Aaron Boone is not a winner.  

Let’s compare and contrast a few quotes shall we?

“Look, I think everyone that goes in the playoffs, there's pressure in these games. There's a lot on the line, there's a lot to play for, you want to do well” - Aaron Boone

NOTE: “Do well” is not win.  “Do well” is not embarrass yourself.  Be happy with your effort. Have some success. Some.

Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser. — Vince Lombardi
--

“I think a great culture can look a lot of different ways. Sometimes it's guys that get along great and it's a good, solid, healthy work environment.” Aaron Boone

“Hopefully, one of my gifts will be that I'll be able to, you know, say something that's I guess considered critical without being a jerk.” Aaron Boone

“The only thing I believe is this: A player does not have to like a manager and he does not have to respect a manager. All he has to do is obey the rules.”— Sparky Anderson

--

“Hopefully I'm part of creating an environment that a player feels like he can come in and be himself.”  Aaron Boone

“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination.
- Tommy Lasorda

--

They need a culture change.

Lombard Jr. and Schlittler have what it takes so maybe it’s a start. Hopefully it doesn't get sapped out of them. I don't think it will. You can see it in their eyes. 

They need support. 

The Yankees need to do more. Much more. They need a manager who HATES hates to lose. Who sets the tone. 

They need a GM who doesn’t just look at data but looks for players who hate to lose.  A few years ago Bryce Harper wanted to be our Paul O’Neil. Cashman never made him an offer.     

No more talk about “good swings” and “getting there”  and “It’s all in front of us.”

Because as Vince Lombardi put it…

“Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while... you don't do things right once in a while... you do them right all the time. Winning is habit." 

"If you can accept losing, you can't win.”

This team accepts losing.

We don't.