The Yankees' Zeroes Brigade might be the most promising aspect of Spring Training, and why Redsock fans are bio-terrorists

Before tromping too far into the weeds, let's note the obvious: Spring training stats mean nothing... nada, zilch, moogah, skleeg...yes... seriously unmitigated skleeg.

Case in point: Last spring, when it didn't matter, DJ LeMahieu hit .205. Yep. You can look it up. He did skleeg. Meanwhile, Greg Bird - our annual King of Spring - batted a crisp .333. (Fun fact: This spring, playing for the Texas Rangers, Birdie is 0-13 with 4 strikeouts. Clearly, he's on the verge of a breakout year.) 

Before tackling the chart on the right, let's ponder an amazing, mind-blowing concept, known to big-time mathematicians as "Small Sample Size." It's pretty complicated, so I won't even try to explain. Most of you wouldn't get it. "SSS," as it's known in the biz, is sort of like a cross between string theory and the way they inject peanut butter into those tiny pretzels. Let's just say that, because of "SSS," the above stats are meaningless... unless, that is, they aren't. 

That said, I want to note the most positive development in Tampa since the Dali Museum opened its exhibit of Augmented Reality: The wave of young arms that lists between 15 and forever on the Yankee depth chart. The above list shows all the Yankees who have yet to give up a run this spring. It's a masterworks of pure, unmitigated "SSS," but I've found that it helps me pass gas. 

Some - like Luis Cessa, now 28 - seem to have been around since the dawn of time. (It's worth remembering, at times, that Cessa was the brighter prospect in the 2015 trade that sent Justin Wilson to Detroit for him and Mean Chad Green.) Do we dare hope that the Yankees' insane loyalty to Cessa - if he had options, he'd have spent most of last year in Scranton - will pay off? Baseball is full of pitchers who figure it out around age 30. Is he another J.A. Happ?

Others, like 25-year-old Brian Keller - a 39th round pick in 2016 who busted through three levels last year, finishing in Scranton - might make an impression that warrants a call-up in May or June. 

Then there is Dan Otero, 35-years-old, who would be attempting a comeback, if he ever did enough to come back to. Could he be one of those guys who get by on guile? 

But right now, the battle for the rotation's fourth and fifth slots seems to be between Cessa, Jordan Montgomery and Jonathan Loaisiga, the man of a thousand misspellings. (I'm leaving out Deivi Garcia, because I don't believe the Yankees would subject the 20-year-old to such early season pressures; they'll let him get his bearings in Scranton.) And I am delighted - rejoicing! - to report that none has yet surrendered a run. Loaisiga, in particular, has thrown three perfect innings, striking out five of the nine batters he's faced. Montgomery has struck out seven of his 14 hitters.

Listen, none of this amounts to skleeg. But we have a tendency here to dwell upon the storm clouds - it's been 10 years since the last parade - even when rain is good for the hemp crops. So, today, with the coronavirus hanging over all of us, I want to leave you with these positive thoughts:

1. We have an abundance of young pitchers. It's not a mirage. It's not YES propaganda. It's real.

2. Nobody in our infield has been hurt yet.

3. The Redsocks new best player, Xander Bogaerts, has an ankle injury and might miss opening day. Yes, Virginia, the juju gods are tweaking other teams.

4. We still have the coolest fan base - as always evidenced by your comments -  and by this gem (from Reddit): 

Just Waiting For The Mail.....

Swimming in lazy circles.

Report will come in hard copy, following a phone call to Brian.

Then, the " spin" has to be written and disseminated.

As soon as I hear...I'll honk or quack.

Boston tomorrow.  You going?

HEAR ME, MR. PENCE: PUT THIS YANKEE TEAM UNDER LOCKDOWN QUARANTINE!

And so we sit on the warming griddle, and wait...

Two weeks ago, every Yankee fan in captivity eyed a 2020 version of Murderer's Row, with an outfield framed by MVP candidates, a batting order without an easy out, and a stream of talent backed-up to Scranton, if not Trenton. We foresaw 110 wins and a ride down the Canyon of Heroes. Two weeks ago. 

Today, the Yankees are touting a 27-year-old utility wrench with a career batting average of .225. Last year, in 63 games for the Marlins, Rosell Herrera hit .200 with 2 HRs and 4 stolen bases.  

But but BUT... he went 3-for-3 yesterday, and so our nation turns is lonely eyes to - gulp - Rosell Herrera. He's "opened some eyes," Aaron Boone said yesterday.

Okay, deep breath, everybody. Before this becomes a panic stroke, let's settle down with a hot pad and glass of Mr. Beam. The sky isn't falling. But those angels on horseback look a bit angrier than we want. 

Today, if I ran the CDC, I would put the Yankees under lock-down quarantine - double-secret probation - and not let them come in contact with any other sports team, aside from the Knicks, because - well - the Knicks...

Clearly, the Yankees have contracted the dreaded Ells-Bird flu virus. If allowed to spread, it will go through MLB clubhouses faster than the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. Can you imagine every team losing its stars to mystery pains, even in their man-boobs? This virus is an existential threat to baseball's economy. And thus, we today are contemplating - insert fart here - Rosell Herrera. 

Okay, let's step back from the cliff. Basically, today's write-ups of Rosell Herrera are merely a great Gammonite tradition: The hustling journeyman who came to camp, rarin'-to-go and ready to rumble! This fits last year's Yankee narrative, when the team found gold teeth in the slag furnace (Urshela, Maybin, Tauchman.) Herrera gives hope for another breakout. He is 7-for-14 this spring. Also, he's a switch hitter. Who doesn't love a veteran's resurrection?

But but BUT... Herrera has one path to an opening day slot, and it involves the Ells-Bird flu. 

Without another key Yankee injury, Herrera should spend April in Scranton. (A caveat: If his contract has an opt-out clause, the Yankees might keep him over Tyler Wade and/or Thairo Estrada, who might have options.) But right now, even without Giancarlo Stanton or Aaron Judge, the outfield still looks jammed-up with talent. (For whatever it's worth: neither Clint Frazier nor Miguel Andujar played in yesterday's blowout loss.) 

Today, Judge goes in for the same dye test MRI that disclosed Luis Severino's partial tear, which sidelined him for the year. As with Sevy, previous MRIs didn't show anything. (I'm wondering, why bother with the other tests?) Keep fingers crossed, put the Luger back under the bed, and don't go near the black sinkhole that formed mysteriously last week. Who across the Yankiverse does NOT expect bad news? Considering the last 12 months, who does NOT foresee Cooperstown Cashman announcing tomorrow that Judge needs surgery, and he hopes to be back in August! 

From that moment on, we will be a tweak away from Rosell Herrera. Shades of Shane Robinson. HEAR ME, MR. PENCE, PUT THIS TEAM UNDER QUARANTINE! We've had enough of this flu. 

Should We Be Concerned?

That Tyler Wade (.067 BA ) is having a better spring than Gary Sanchez?

That our first and second string catchers have a combined .045 BA?

That our best hitter is someone named Herrera?

That Mike Tauchman is sporting a .000 BA in his comeback from injury.

More to follow....

Judge Alert

We have several predictable headlines today:

1.  The medical mysteries continue.

2.  Judge's cranky shoulder

3.  Sent for more tests.

4. " He felt something " while swinging that (whiffle ball) bat.

5.  They don't know what the issue is.

5.  Don't know if Judge will be ready for opening day ( C'mon.  Certainly he can sit on the bench and spit pumpkin seeds ).

6.  " timewise, we'll still be fine " ( this is a " Booneyism".....remember it well. ).

7.  First, we have to get through the next ten days ( Excuse me?  And then what ?)

8.  "We are in a holding pattern trying to figure out what is going on." ( Is this the same holding pattern that Severino was in?).

9.  "There was some issue in that shoulder, going back to when he was drafted." ( that is what one calls a " holding pattern.")

10. Saturday, Judge showed up in street clothes for his workout.  Boone, immediately, sensed that something was amiss.

Editor's Note:  It is not true that Mike Pence is in charge of medical health for the Yankees. 

What is the Over-Under on Judge/Stanton in 2020?

Remember the halcyon days of spring, 2018?  Could it really have been just two years ago?

At the time, we were speculating about what the over/under on Judge and Stanton's home run totals should be.  Why just the summer before, the two big guys had compiled 111 home runs between them.

Hitting together, surely the new Twin Towers would exceed that number, even break the all-time, Yankee Duo mark of 115 set by Mantle and Maris in 1961.

Well, we all know how that worked out.  They combined for all of 65 home runs in 2018 and 30 last year.  Given that rate of decline, the over/under should be 14 for this season, which I think is an even-money bet.

I wish both men well, particularly Judge.  But I have to say, looking at our young, agile lineup, sprinkled with lefties and righties headed into this season, I can't honestly say I'm going to miss either one.

Stanton, a guy who has no good idea of the strike zone and that bizarre swing?  Who can't even play the outfield?

Judge, a much better all-around ballplayer, but still a 6-7, 280-pound behemoth ridiculously misplaced in the No. 2 spot in the order, whose strike zone the umps still can't figure out?

Frankly, I can do without another season of the 363 strikeouts they managed to combine on, in the 270 games they did manage to play in 2018.  Five-and-a-half strikeouts, that is, for every home run.
 
(Mantle and Maris, incidentally, had 179 strikeouts to go with those 115 home runs in the 314 games they played in 1961.  Ruth and Gehrig had 173 Ks to go with their 107 homers in 306 games back in 1927.)

I won't miss the weird, baffled look on Stanton's face after he misses another baseball, like a man who's just seen a ghost.  The pained expression on Judge's mien as he walks back to the dugout having just been called out on another pitch around his ankles.

No thanks.  I can do without "Three true outcomes" baseball, and am looking forward to athletes who can actually run, leap, and stretch again.

Today happens to be the 50th anniversary of the day that fabulous invalid, The Mick, hung up his spikes.  Despite a stunning assortment of injuries, he had managed to play 2,401 games, the most as a Yankee by any man, until Derek Jeter finally passed him.

To reach that number of total games in their careers, Stanton, now 30, would have to play seven seasons of a full, 162 games.  Judge, 27, would have to play 12 such seasons.

Neither man is going to come close to that.  Best we move on now.

As it now stands, the Yankee opening day roster still looks strong

Today, the Yankiverse faces a deep sense of unease. This is not a hoax or a witch hunt. It is very real: 

Something is wrong with Aaron Judge's right pectoral muscle. 

Yes... a barking tit. 

He was supposed to miss a few days. Now, it's another week. I don't want to go full Chicken Little, but we've seen this movie before: Until the monster reveals itself, everything just gets scarier. Right now, Judge's bad boob remains a mystery, and Harrison Ford is too old to save us. 

For now, let's assume Judge and Giancarlo Stanton miss several months. (Considering their histories, we'd be naive to expect anything else.) So, barring yet another plateful of injuries, here's the opening day roster, more or less.

The good news - and we should embrace it, but cautiously - is that this team still looks capable of 95-100 wins. Here's the roster:

Batting orderDJ LeMahieu 2B
Gleyber Torres SS
Miguel Andujar LF
Gary Sanchez C
Luke Voit 1B
Mike Ford DH
Clint Frazier RF
Gio Urshela 3B
Brett Gardner CF

Questions: Can Frazier and Andujar play OF? Are Ford and Urshela for real? Do we have enough LH offense? Do we have a RH DH?

Bench
Kyle Higashioka
Tyler Wade
Thairo Estrada
Mike Tauchman

Questions: Who backs up Higgy, when Sanchez goes down? Do we need another full-time OF? Or a veteran bat (this year's Kendrys Morales?)

RotationGerrit Cole
Masahiro Tanaka
J.A. Happ
Jordan Montgomery
Luis Cessa

Questions: Realistically, who fills the final two slots? Should we dare subject Deivi Garcia, at age 20, to MLB pressures? (I say no.) After Cole, is anything certain? (Another nope.)

Bullpen
Aroldis Chapman
Zack Britton
Adam Ottavino
Tommy Kahnle
Chad Green
Jonathan Holder 
Ben Heller (?)

Questions: Will age catch up to Chapman, Britton, Ottavino? Which Kahnle shows up? Will one of the young arms take over? (We could use another lefty; we have none.)

26th Man: 
Unnamed pitcher or outfielder

What's amazing is what's missing: Stanton, Judge, Hicks, Severino and Paxton. Let's wipe off Sevy; he's gone, maybe for good. Let's assume Stanton never plays more than 60 games in a season; moreover, he's a full-time DH. Hicks and Paxton should return by mid-summer. Judge? It's very troubling, the corrupted jug. 

The real concern: The next set of injuries. We've lost our trade chips. If we lose another key player - or more - this looks like an AL East runner-up. 

Breaking: Judge

This just in from the NY Post:

Yankees trying to solve this Aaron Judge injury mystery

Yep.  As predicted by, well, pretty much all of us here, we're up to the inevitable, "setback," "regressing," "mystery," and "further tests" part of Aaron Judge's inevitable long march to the DL.

Next, we will hear that the new tests are still not indicating anything and Judge is feeling better.

Then we will hear that the Yankees feel they can take of this with an injection/transfusions of Keith Richards' blood/various voodoo rituals.

Then we will hear that, lo and behold, new tests have somehow detected a major tear in his pectoral muscle that will keep Aaron Judge out for the next year.  Or two.

But he'll be back stronger than ever in 2022!

Pence Has A Better Chance of Curing the Coronavirus than German Has of Pitching Again for the Yankees

I don't mean to suggest anything, but I will wager;

1.  That German's " car accident" did not occur on his way to church.

2.  He incurred injuries of some sort.

3.  If we can pay off the right cop in the DR , we can get his alcohol reading from the scene. ( see photo ).

4.  He was not alone in the car.

5.  His girl friend had a fat lip ( for cash, she could claim it was from the impact of the crash ).

6.  Cashman is already looking for trading partners.

I think we have to wake up folks and smell the rotting fish.  This guy is done.

We cannot count on him to come back after game 82, and pitch like an 18-3 competitor. 

MLB will not let this lie fallow.

German is gone.

Why are Yankee spring stats like the coronavirus?

Because we still don't have enough data to know anything for certain.

Here is, in essence, what we do have: the Yankee team stats, minus the Kratzes and Amburgeys. Over four games - one week in the reality TV life of an exhibition team - here are the data. Do with it what you wish. I suggest wrapping carp.

Thoughts? Seriously, why bother? The most significant stats, by far, are for Aaron Judge: zeros, across the board. (By the way, DJ LeMahieu is 2-10, and Gary Sanchez 0-3; neither made the screen-grab. That's life in February.) 

Yes, it's still February - an elongated month. Camps opened 14 days ago, though it seems like - well - two whole weeks. In that period, the Death Star has:

1) lost its No. 2 starter through June
2) lost its newly elevated No. 2 starter for the year
3) voiced its opinions on the Astros scandal
4) welcomed Gerrit Cole
5) touted a gaggle of young, no-name pitchers, most of whom will play in Scranton.
6) lost its opening day DH
7) pretended nothing is wrong with its injury-prone star RF, who has yet to swing a bat.

Four key players are already either out, or waiting for a mystery ailment to cure itself. Until Judge plays, doubts about his shoulder - and maybe his metabolism - will swirl around him. What visited us last year - the injury Babadook, that is - has returned. 

Yesterday, the Yankees announced what weirdly came off as good news: Domingo German - of the 81 game suspension - was not hurt in a car accident somewhere in the Dominican Republic. This would be great news, if the team had a shard of credibility on the matter of injuries. The fact is, the Yankees do not feel compelled to disclose such matters to the public. They must fear a HIPAA violation somewhere. Information is power, and Brian Cashman does not give it away to strangers in the cheap seats. All we know is that German was in a crash, and the Yankees are poo-pooing it, much like the way slurring Larry Kudlow does the virus. Believing anybody conjures up memories of the early years of Wikipedia, as depicted in verse:

Wikipedia, 
The perfect media!
Facts for you,
And they might be true!

Likewise, we really know nothing about Giancarlo Stanton's strained musculature, which now mirrors his strained relations with the Yankee fan base. If Stanton ever returns - last year, he barely phoned himself in - he will be met with a chorus of boos, the likes of which would otherwise be reserved for the buzzer-boy, Jose Altuve. Every swing of the bat, every legged-out infield hit, every slide into third - and Stanton could be gone for another season. He's like a show car that cannot be driven, a sacred chalice that cannot be drank from. And soon, he will become Hal Steinbrenner's rented mule, his go-to excuse for not investing in players. Already, Derek Jeter looks like a genius for jettisoning the guy, and Yankee fans feel betrayed that Derek could have done such evil to his old team. Et tu, Jete?

In less than a week, we have come to rally behind an ascending young outfield of Frazier, Andujar and Tauchman - with de facto Capt. Gardy manning the middle. The problem? All three corner OFs have had their own injury issues, and if any goes down, it's a long, steep drop to Zack Granite, Estevan Florial and the cast of Home Alone 3: Lost in Tampa. 

We are not yet in a full blown Yankee pandemic. But if the CDC was monitoring us, they might pose the question as not 'if," but "when." It's only been two weeks in the life of an exhibition team. Wow. 

A Little ( incoherent ) Who Do You Like, So Far?

I have seen a few "games" and here are some early comments.

1.  I like Mike Ford for first base.  He seems to be a quality, confident hitter. And he is agile around the bag, for a large person.  He knows how to play first base. 

2.  I like Mike Schmidt ( Wait a minute!  Who wouldn't?  He is in the Hall of Fame ).  I may have the first name wrong....he is the pitcher from South Carolina who has already had TJ surgery.     Coney liked him also,  if you were watching yesterday. And, given that he is a college graduate, the time he has put in ( though limited ) at the minor league level, may be enough.

3.  I like Louisaga. ( I still can't spell it....we call him Lasagne ) He has an arm like German.  He has big league experience already,  and he is young.  If he is gaining confidence and poise, he can be a lights out reliever. I think he remains too fast-ball reliant to be a starter, and he needs a second pitch he can rely upon even in relief.  But his potential is high. 

4.  I want to believe in Tyler Wade as a back-up SS.  He is a good glove and can run, but I still remain concerned about his hitting. When he faces " real" pitchers in " real " games,  I have no confidence he will hit anything.  This will be his last shot in NY.  Make it or be gone.

5.  I like  Estrada  (the guy we saw last year....there may be more than one in camp ).  His name starts with a "T" .....and then I'm not sure (Thiro ,Theo ??).  He is a quality infielder...can also play the outfield...and is a good hitter. 

6.  I do not like Mike King yet.  He seems to have a fastball, and that is it. No one can win with just a fastball...and his is average ( mph 92-94 ) but well-placed, I guess ). 

7.  There is a minor league guy who hit a homer ( several games back ) and plays the outfield.  He might have been a really good hitter in AA or AAA last year.  I can't find his name.  I think he runs well, also.  I like him. 

8.  I have no basis for this at all;  but I think Miguel Andujar may become a really good outfielder. I hope they drop the first base thing ASAP.  He can back-up at third, and start in left. 

9.  Not sure what to think about Florial.  Looks competent in CF.  He may have  a psyche that requires him to be in the majors.  In other words, while the Yanks will want to see more of him in AA or AAA, it may drive him nuts to be there......or worse, to a horrible performance.  And a trade.

10.  Red Thunder still scares me as an outfielder.  I have never seen a guy so awkward at his normal position. He played a ball off the wall in RF the other day ( he played the carom well ), and tried to throw the guy out stretching the hit to a double. His throw barely remained in the ball park, and it took three guys backing up the play to finally gather the ball.  I fear that, despite the hard work he has out in, he is a DH or nothing. 

Anyone else?  Always fun to ID guys now who might be huge surprises. 

Yankee depth on display, but can it handle the next injury?

Hokey smoke, Bullwinkle! Turns out, the Death Star isn't alone in facing spring injuries. Boston announced yesterday that Chris Sale will miss opening day, as he recovers from coronavirus? pneumonia. That leaves the Redsocks with three healthy starters, one of whom is Mr. Elbow himself, the walking tweak, Nathan Eovaldi. If Boston wobbles out of the starting gate, don't be surprised if Sale gets Mookied, as the new, enterprising GM launches his first Redsock tear-down. 

Meanwhile, Tampa and Toronto seem to have skated thus far, injury-free. Both ascending teams feature young stars and deep farm systems, and either could be looking to fortifying itself in July, when the Redsock barn sale opens. No matter how potentially weak they might look in February, Boston remains an existential threat to every Yankee season. This we know: They will help anyone who stands in our way. 

But for now, standing in our way is - well - us. 

Every day in Tampa that a key Yankee doesn't go down - that's a good day.

So yesterday was decent. Nobody limped off the field (unless they didn't disclose it, and the news will tumble out today.) Moreover, Clint Frazier and Tyler Wade homered. (Fun fact: Both are now tied with three others for the team HR lead... with one!) Frazier is 2-7, (.286), and on a mini-Bloomberg roll after going 0 for his first two games. (Wade is 1-9.) Of course, these are not small sample sizes. These are statistical Babadooks. Move on, there's nothing to see here.

Still, a HR lets us dream...

In my perfect 2020, Frazier takes over LF and makes it his bitch. His bat more than makes up for his clank-house fielding, and he hits his way to the No. 3 hole, between Judge and Gleyber. Moreover, that "Red Thunder" magnetic personalty catches on in Gotham. (He's already attracted far more attention than warranted, but when he's hitting, he becomes a cover boy.) In his peak season, he could hit 30 dingers and bat .300 - all-star numbers, similar to those of Miguel Andujar two years ago. And while we're fantasizing, Andujar becomes the LF/DH/3B/1B human Swiss army knife - who continues to break DiMaggio's records and fills in everywhere needed. That leaves Mike Tauchman to handle occasional defense and LH platoon necessities. 

Continuing my drug flashback, perfect hallucinatory scenario, Giancarlo Stanton spends the year tweaking gonads and touring Iceland's therapeutic hot springs. 

I don't mean to denigrate Stanton, but clearly, something is wrong with his physique. As he continues to age - he turned 30 in November - the sprains and strains are not going to diminish. He is already stretched too tightly, and soon, the never-ending tweaks will start turning into partial tears. A bad knee begets a bad hip, which launches a bad shoulder. We saw it with Jacoby Ellsbury. It's not Stanton's fault. It's just the reality that he must deal with. Ranting and raging cannot change it. Last year, he played 18 games. This year, he might play fewer. 

More than anyone - even perhaps Severino - Stanton needed an injury-free spring to remind Yankee fans of the player we once so hotly anticipated, but have never truly experienced. Looking at the Stanton we've known, it strains the imagination to think of him playing the outfield in 159 games, as he did in Miami three years ago, when he won the MVP on a second division - 77 wins - team.

Make no mistake: Yesterday was a good day. Nobody carted off. Nobody holding his elbow. How long it will continue is anybody's guess. But it's not random happenstance, all these groins and hammies, ligaments and tendons. It's the team we have. Opening day is a long time away. The Injury List is just getting started.

Pinpointing a bend in time.

Brock Holt.

That's when Luis Severino's arm started to go, and when the Yankees' next dynasty began to fall apart.

It's amazing how precisely you can trace it, if you care to look.  The evening of July 1st, 2018.  Yankee Stadium, the Bronx.  Top of the 7th inning, in what already seems like a distant place and time.

It was another big Sunday night game, in which the Yanks extended a collective middle finger and joyously told all of Red Sox-loving America to suck it.

All in all, it had been a rollicking, glorious evening.  The Yanks were leading, 9-0, having done their customary pulverizing of Mr. David "X-box" Price.  The Bombers, who would go on to win 11-1, would hit six home runs, five of them off Price.

Aaron Hicks hit three.  Aaron Judge hit his 22nd (he would hit only 5 more all year), The Gleyber hit one.  Even Higgy hit one, leading to his teammates giving him the hilarious silent treatment back in the dugout.

Everybody was hitting—9 hits and 8 earned runs off Price in less than four innings.  Giancarlo Stanton (now there's a blast from the past!), recovering from his slow early start, had a single and double, raising his average to .266.  AnDUjar had two hits, Didi had a double.

Even Brandon Drury had a hit, subbing for Stanton.  And Neil Walker actually singled to drive in a run!!

The joint was jumping.

And why not?  The win gave the Yankees a 45-18 record over the past two months, leaving them 54-27, on a 108-win pace at the halfway point.

They had reeled in the Sox, who had jumped 7 1/2 games out in front of our boys at one point, thanks to a 17-2 start.  The Yanks had won the first game of this series, 8-1, behind CC, then lost, 11-0, with Sonny Gray on the mound (Oh, Sonny!)

But now, after taking the rubber game, they were tied for first.  Even-Steven, headed into the second half, and who was to say the Yankees, who had just come within a (tainted) game of the World Series the year before, wouldn't take it?

"As the Yankees were laying their most recent beating on Price, Yankee Stadium hopped and it shook and it throbbed in a way that we've only seen on rare occasions," Mike Vaccaro waxed rhapsodic in the Post.  "If you closed your eyes, you could almost believe you were back in the old park, with all the old acoustics, where the sound of Red Sox-Yankees could cause your heart to quicken and your pulse to race, April to October, as long as those two ancient combatants were sharing the field."

Neither Vaccaro nor any other scribe expressed any concern about the night's starting and winning pitcher.  Why should they?

Severino had become the first pitcher in the majors to reach 13 wins (13-2), lowering his ERA to 1.98.  He had been masterful all night, limiting the Sox to just two singles and three walks, while striking out six.

His only hint of trouble came in the fourth inning, when the Sox put men on second and third with two out, and Sevvy fell behind J.D. Martinez, 2-0.  Disaster loomed.  But Severino fought back, and fanned Martinez with a devastating change-up.

"I thought it was the best spot to throw it, it was the key to the game," the young Yankee pitcher said afterwards.

Could it really be?  Somebody this young, this good?  A pitcher with not only a vibrant young arm but a sage old head?

Afterwards he was showered with praise by his manager, who called him "our ace, and one of the best pitchers in the game."  George King of the Post predicted that "Luis Severino's name will be front and center in the AL Cy Young race..."

What nobody talked about—what nobody noticed—was when Severino came out of the game.

It was the top of the 7th, the Yanks with that comfortable, 9-0 lead.  Sevvy, getting ahead on every hitter now, induced Rafael Devers to ground to short.  He got Brock Holt to ground out to second.

Brock Holt.

Suddenly, Ma Boone was trotting out to the mound, and Sevvy was trotting off to a rousing ovation, Dave Robertson trotting in from the bullpen.

But why?  Why then?

The next batter was Christian Vazquez, a righty hitting .217 at the time, with two harmless fly outs to center on the night.  Severino is a righty.  Robertson is a righty.

Why?  Why then?  With two outs in the inning?

It's not the sort of thing you question on such a night.  Hey, Severino was up to 99 pitches, Boone just wanted to be ultra-cautious with his pitch count.  Good thing the Yanks are so careful about looking after their young arms, heh-heh.

Yeah.

You know the rest of the story.  Luis Severino never pitched that well again in the major leagues.  But the Yankees kept saying he was tipping his pitches.

His record the rest of the way was 6-6, with an ERA near 6.00.  Had to be tipping his pitches.

Cut to October, against the now mighty, division-champion Red Sox.  David Price was still getting pounded by the Yankees, but in his start against the Sox, Sevvy surrendered 6 earned runs in 3 innings, and was gone.

Rumors started circulating that he had shown up very late for the game.  Could drugs be involved??? More pitch tipping?

Well, you know the rest.  The Yanks let their ace dangle.  Talked about minor injuries, and rehabbing.  Brought him back for a few, gallant but futile innings at the end of last season.

Then came the torn rotator cuff.  But how long had it been since the Yanks knew something was really wrong with Luis Severino?

I think it had to be that at-bat against Brock Holt.  It was too subtle for the media boys to catch but somehow, in some way, Sevvy let it be known that he needed out.  Nothing else accounts for the abrupt hook in that situation—and Severino was never the same pitcher again.

Something was going, or had gone.  And rather than seriously examine that, the Yankees swallowed their own line of tried-and-untrue malarkey, and kept pitching, and kept damaging a young man who might have had greatness in him.

Brock Holt.

And so does the world turn on a dime.

Giancarlo Posing For the Fans....

This is a grade 1 calf strain

This Is What I think of Stanton

For the Yankees, injuries were already a pandemic; but now comes the real thing

A month before it even begins, the 2020 baseball season looks like nothing we've ever known.

One team, Houston, has literally become a national pariah; meanwhile, Boston appears on the verge of escaping penalties.

The lords of the game are seeking to jettison the farm systems that, for generations, tethered the sport to its rural American base.

A future work stoppage looms, in part because players believe the owners have widely colluded to keep down salaries.

And now, the season will unfold as coronavirus hits America.

Now, a caveat: It's one thing to blather doom and gloom scenarios about the Yankees, while farting in the cheap seats. That's what fans do, dammit, and to my dying day, I'll fight for our right to rant. It's another thing to sound off on politics or world events, and I generally try not to do that, without a joke or a wink. That said, we might start to ponder the coronavirus' impact on baseball this year. 

Let's face it: The Yankees already face a pandemic of muscle tweaks and gristle strains, and it can no longer be attributed to chance. As Auric Goldfinger said, "Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action." What the Yankees face is "enemy action," or something like that. They have a collection of finely honed china dolls, players who - for reasons beyond their control - are injuries constantly waiting to happen. I do not mean to question their character. They want to play, and when they do, they give it everything they've got. They run into walls. They dive into bases. They throw hard. And they pull something. We know these unfortunate players. None of them can stay on the field. They are:

THE DOOMED PATROL
Aaron Hicks
Giancarlo Stanton
Aaron Judge
Luis Severino
James Paxton

Meanwhile, there is a second tier who, historically, have often gotten hurt. Their next injury - any day now - will vault them into the above list:

THE WAITING ROOM
Gary SanchezClint Frazier
Miguel Andujar
Luke Voit
Zack Britton
Aroldis Chapman
Mike Tauchman
Jonathan Loiasiga
Ben Heller
Jordan Montgomery
Michael King
Brett Gardner

If we are looking for Yankee "iron men," guys who play 140 game seasons, the list is short: DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres, Gio Urshela... damn, that's about it. 

Add to this a potential outbreak of respiratory flu, and 2020 could swing in any direction. Attendance would likely be depressed. Any team hit by just one player, or coach, or franchise official, could find its roster quarantined. If and when the virus gets into major cities, MLB could conceivably play games in empty stadiums, simply for TV audiences. It could be the strangest season in our lifetimes. 

And in this case, it won't matter whether players are injury-prone or veritable Lou Gehrigs. The virus won't care. 

Maybe I'm overstating these fears. Maybe it will be - as many media-fed scares turn out to be - just another load of hype, another Y-2K. I sure dunno. My guess is that last night, watching the Prez on TV, MLB started pondering reaction plans for the coming season. Hold onto your hats, folks. This was supposed to be the Yankee resurgence. Now, everything is on hold. This is going to get crazy. 

I Always Said...This Guy Is A Loser !

Let's hear it for Giancarlo !!

Even though he hasn't played a lick.....Boone says, " He'll be down a bit."  Last year " a bit" was all but three games?

He suffered a grade one calf strain moving from the bubble gum tub to the pumpkin seed vat. 

Personally,  I prefer to see him out for the year.

Signing Giancarlo was the only deal more stupid than the ones for Jacoby and the re-signing of A-Rod ( when the Yankees bid against themselves ).

If Hal were in real estate, he would bid $25 million on the apartment that is asking only $10 million.

Why isn't he running for President?

Right now, somewhere in Florida, this man is smiling.

A Strain, by any other name...

I mean, I'm just amazed at the entire idea of a calf strain that you know will keep you out for over a month.  A calf tear, a calf...I dunno what.

But a "strain?"  This makes the entire word meaningless.

Well, hey.  As a plucky little English comedy group once told us, always look at the bright side of life.

This means that we really will get to see if The Red Menace has anything, and if Tauchman was more than a one-year wonder.  It means that Mike Ford will be sticking around to DH for a good long while.

It means that Miguel Andujar isn't going anywhere, and may even be in left field.  It means that Tyler Wade and, yes, Thairo Estrada, will get a shot at being regular back-ups.  

And it means that we won't have to watch Giancarlo Stanton grimace and grind, and look perplexed as his big, beautiful swing once again flails uselessly through the strike zone.

We love you, Mikey.  Enjoy Florida.  Only 9 more years to go...

STANTON DOWN WITH CALF STRAIN

Who coulda seen this one coming?

Time To Face Reality......

I can tell by the tone of contributors and commenters that many of you are 

still " drinking the Kool-Aid" that: "this is the Yankee's year. "

It isn't.

And we might as well get used to it right now. 

You cannot have the following occur and still believe in anything good:

1.  Lose Paxton to back surgery until June ( likely longer until he is " game ready").

2.  Lose Severino forever.  

3.  Rely on a post-surgical Tanaka to be as "clutch" as he was last season.

4.  Lose German for another half season plus ( he will have to get into game shape, have several starts in the minors, and remember what the fuck he is doing when not beating on his girl friend).

5.  Expect Montgomery to be a healthy version of Andy Pettitte.

6.   Think your bullpen is "lights out" with Betances pitching for the Mets.

7.  Really believe that there is a legitimate starter ...and maybe two....amongst:  Cessa, King, Loaisiga, Schmidt or that 19 year old.  Get fucking real!

8.  Imagine that there will be no more major injuries. We won't get out of spring training without another " hit to the roster," unless everyone just stays in their motel rooms and watches Netflix.

We have to accept the fact that we are already chasing a wild card play-in game.  Accept that Stanton will strike out 230 times with runners in scoring position. Accept that Hicks will hit .220 when he returns.  That Sanchez is not the second coming of anyone.  Accept that Frazier and Andujar will have to be dealt for old, stale, ineffective pitching meat.  

 Expect nothing.  

Drink heavily when the Mets appear headed to the WS.  Drink more when we lose to Toronto and Tampa on a regular basis.  

I don't mean to be negative;  but if we expect nothing, we shall not be disappointed.