I Hope I Can Eat My Words

  I have detected what is wrong with the Yankees, at least in the early going. I recognize that things can change, but still, are have some serious flaws. I don’t know if they can be corrected. 

After another lackluster game, I found myself searching for answers. Why are the Yankees so moribund that I find myself increasingly unable to watch more than an inning, if that? Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is great entertainment if you haven’t seen it in a while, but still, shouldn’t I be watching ace Gerrit Cole mow down the Detroit Tigers and the supposedly power-packed lineup erupting regularly for 5-6 runs with some extra base hits? How come I am turning to see Max Scherzer manhandle the San Francisco Giants, a pretty good team, in his first Citi Field start as a Met? Why am I waiting until 10;10 to view the Dodgers beat up on the defending World Champion Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium?

  I scrupulously avoided the Yankees in Baltimore, where the fans are stuck with a truly moribund team with a low payroll, yet the O’s somehow have New York’s number again this season. Instead, I am checking the scores for my two favorite college baseball teams, Franklin and Marshall and Rutgers. One I played for, one I watched as a boy. Maybe because both are in first place in their conferences, with RU having had an incredible 16 game winning streak, tops in DI, before losing at home on Wednesday to a Princeton Tigers squad which had 4 wins.. 

Anything but turning to the Yankees. I like Michael Kay only so much on YES. People like newbie YES broadcaster Cameron Maybin; I feel he is trying to please the viewers too much with his insight. Give me David Cone, Paul O’Neill (even if he is unvaccinated and still checking in from Ohio) or Ken Singleton. Oh yeah, Ken is retired now. Ugh. 

I cringe when I turn to Channel 576 on Verizon. I look at my CBS Sports and ESPN apps with dread. What will the Yankees do to muck up another game? Will Aaron Judge, the one desirous of $36 million ayear, fail to come through in the clutch? How many home runs does he have—1? That’s right—1!!

Or will Anthony Rizzo be all smiles, both in the dugout and chatting at first base, the position he mans, not the place where he tends to land after a good at bat. He seems to be part of a clique on the team—always interacting with Judge—perhaps because they both entered the season unvaccinated? 

I give Giancarlo Stanton a pass as a team leader, largely because he is not that kind of rah rah guy. Make no mistake, he is underperforming too. It isn’t leadership by example when your on field performance is not peaking. 

D.J LeMahieu may be hitting for average. But with the overabundance of players manning the infield spots, he is the proverbial square peg in a round hole. Does Gleyber Torres, who seemingly is always taking giant cuts at the plate, sit more to allow LeMahieu to play? Or does Manager Aaron Boone, who famously proclaimed that he would find playing time for all, rely on those who are just not hitting or fielding? 

I look at the Angels. Tyler Wade, the first guy off the bench in 2021, who began to hit last season and has oodles of speed, was hitting well over .300 and finally getting the opportunity to play for extended periods and he is doing the job. The Yankees never gave Wade a fair shake, but relied on Torres recapturing some of his magic instead of continuing his downward slide. Even Anthony Velasquez, who gave the Yankees some solid glove work at shortstop and some timely hits, was allowed to leave. He went to Anaheim, and while he didn’t start the season with the team, when David Fletcher went down, he filled in admirably. 

The Yankees gave up more than just some spare parts this off season. Sure, Gary Sanchez was no longer right for New York. He is fitting in nicely with the Twins in the dual role of catcher and DH. 

Spirited players like Wade, Velasquez, Sanchez, Luke Voit, Gio Urshela and Brett Gardner were no longer welcome in the Bronx. While Aaron Hicks is currently leading the team in hitting, that’s not going to continue nor are his play winning games. Josh Donaldson, a wild card wherever he plays, was brought to New York with his big salary. Give me Urshela anytime over him. Isiah Kiner-Falefa is a nice young player; he will be okay overall as a placeholder until top draft choice and New Jersey native Anthony Volpe rises from Double-A Somerset to the big club sometime in the next two years.  I hope it is sooner—he is a can’t miss prospect. Like another guy a number of years ago from Kalamazoo, Michigan with NJ roots: Derek Jeter. 

Gerrit Cole is not pitching like a stud. Whether he is affected by the cold weather, lack of SpiderTack or whatever, this guy is simply no stopper. He was brought in to win games and he could not get out of the second inning in Detroit without walking five and throwing 46 pitches in an inning he didn’t even complete. 

We’re being told to be patient; that he will be reliable and dominant soon. Would we have had to worry like that about Roger Clemens, Andy Petitte or C.C. Sabbathia in their primes? That is a rhetorical question which does not warrant a response. 

Compare this team to the dominant teams managed by Joe Torre (an aside—the Cardinals are giving away a Torre bobblehead when the Yankees travel to St. Louis, the place where he had his success as a player). There is no Jeter on this team, as much as Judge believes he is the leader. No O’Neill, the Warrior, who also won a batting title.

Catching is such a mess. The catchers now with the Yankees can frame pitches. Period. I want a guy who is capable, like Jorge Posada. Or has the heart of a Joe Girardi. 

As good a fielder as Rizzo is, is he as good overall as was Tino Martinez? This team lacks a  Scott Brosius or Wade Boggs. Is any outfielder nearly as good as Bernie Williams?

The pitching may be the strength of this team, notwithstanding Cole’s abysmal start to the season. Luis Severino is seemingly back to being the dominant pitcher he was before his injury. Jordan Montgomery is a very serviceable left-handed starter. Jameson Taillon may be a surprise in his return from surgery. And speaking of big surprises, Nestor Cortes continues to show potential that nobody saw and which few expect to be continued. 

Yet the bullpen is filled with holes. Chad Green is superb, but, as always, he will be burnt out by June from overuse. Jonathan Loiasiga, last year’s bullpen phenom, has struggled. Luis Cessa, a mainstay, is in Cincinnati. There are a lot of names being asked to pitch a lot of early innings to keep the Yankees afloat. What will this do to them come August and September when most needed?

Just to be clear. Aroldis Chapman is an excellent closer. Not the same guy as 4 years ago. Nonetheless he is still top notch. Unfortunately, he is not Mariano Rivera. Then again, who could be?

Let me say this, Aaron Boone gets criticized and receives passes for his mistakes at the same time. I am trying not to compare him with Girardi, Joe Torre or the Mets manager, Buck Showalter, who preceded Torre in the Bronx. 

I thought about who he reminds me of, and it was clear. He is like his father, Phillies stalwart catcher Bob Boone, who accumulated a 371-444 mark as a manager in Kansas City and Cincinnati, where the talent level was markedly less than what is in New York. Boone’s managing style does not light a fire under his players. Like a Joey Cora in Boston, Dusty Baker in Houston or Dave Roberts in LA. 

Lastly, I am underwhelmed by General Manager Brian Cashman. A devotee of analytics, this team is put together based on the math, and that is simply insufficient. For math never measures the intangibles. The Steinbrenner family may be enamored with him, but the fan base apparently is very restless with no World Series win since 2009.

This is Cashman’s team. He put it together and he selected Boone to manage it. He needs to be held accountable if the team fails to win—in a year where the number of playoff participants has been increased. His contract needs to be negotiated for next year. Should he be back if the team hasn’t played to expectations? 

I know it is apples and oranges. Watching the Golden State Warriors play integrated games against Denver and seeing the enthusiasm of the team and its coach, Steve Kerr, made me wonder why the Yankees seem so dead. They are more like one of the other teams which populates YES, the Brooklyn Nets. Good players but something is missing. 

From the top to the bottom, things are missing with the Yankees. I don’t think this team will be a winner in a division as fearsome as the AL East with the likes of Toronto, Tampa Bay and Boston. Especially if the Yanks have trouble with the lowly Orioles. They look more like the 2021-22 Los Angeles Lakers. We know how that turned out. Which, to me, is disheartening. Again. 

Come October, I hope I can eat my words.