Woe Are They

     Woe to the New York Yankees. Just when GM Brian Cashman has been busy securing enough pitching to help shore up both the starting rotation with veteran J.A. Happ and the overworked bullpen with the acquisition of Zach Britton, disaster stuck. In the form of injuries to Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge.

     Sanchez, whose groin injury is more severe than expected and does not bode well for him as a catcher in the future, supposedly reinjured himself when he and ace Luis Severino were crossed up as to which pitch needed to be thrown. The one that Severino threw eluded Sanchez, causing Sanchez to jog after the ball. The problem with that was that the Tampa Bay player saw that Sanchez was only jogging after the ball and he scored from second base, even when Sanchez tried to run after the ball. This prompted a heated discussion in the dugout between pitcher and catcher.

     Instance number two was in the 9th inning. With Judge on 3rd base ready to score if there was a base hit, Sanchez had golden opportunity to atone for his miscue in the first inning. He hit a sharp grounder to the shortstop--it looked like a certain out at second base to end the game. The problem with that was that Aaron Hicks, who was on first, used his speed, hustle and determination to beat the ball to second--he was safe. Except that Sanchez didn't run out the grounder, only accelerating way too late to beat the shortstop's throw to first. 

     Holy hell broke loose about Sanchez's play on Monday night. I went on Facebook and ranted about it. The New York tabloids went after him. Aaron Boone had to field questions after the game which targeted his catcher's actions.

     Speculation was rampant about what would happen to Sanchez. That Boone would bench him for lack of hustle. Or that he might even be sent to the minors. Whatever the case, it would impact upon the team as t how the situation was handled.

     Until we learned that Sanchez had hurt himself. Nobody was told about this in the dugout and Sanchez's play did not seem to be impacted by the injury. Which ultimately cost the Yankees a crucial game in the standings in their valiant attempt to catch the still red hot Boston Red Sox while warding off Seattle and fast-rising Oakland to maintain home field for the AL Wild Card game.

     Gary Sanchez is now out until late August. Had he not thought about himself, he would have asked to be removed from the game after the first inning. Foolish pride and ego overwhelmed the need to put the team first. To me this is a lack of maturity in a young, talented player who has lost this year with a below .200 batting average, unimpressive power in comparison to last season, and whose catching skills still are not as good as the great throwing ability he has. 

     Where the Yankees go with the catching situation when Sanchez returns and in the future is now murky. Unless he has a great transformation when he come off of the DL, this will be a critical piece in the puzzle for New York. Austin Romine, who is a great backup catcher, will once more be thrust into being an everyday player. Romine, who has hit above his lifetime .228 average, had seen his productivity dip with the extra playing time. Kyle Higashioka can catch a very nice game, but his hitting is even worse than Romine. Such is the unexpected problem facing New York.

     Then there is the totally unexpected problem which arose with an overthrown Joe Junis fastball on Thursday night. That wild pitch hit Aaron Judge in this right wrist. While Judge played through the pain in the 7-2 victory over Kansas City and even managed an infield single, he was removed from the game and sent for X-rays and an CT scan. The damage was a chip fracture to the right wrist.

     The prognosis is that Judge will be able to swing a bat in earnest in about 3 weeks. He is not wearing a cast, nor was surgery determined to be necessary. I think that the doctors and perhaps the Yankees are being very optimistic.  No one said that he would be able to throw in 3 weeks, which, to me sounds like he would return as the DH.

     Meanwhile, Giancarlo Stanton appears to be the logical person to take over in right field in Judge's absence. Stanton was in the midst of a real streak of hitting while the Yankees where paying the Rays. Playing the field instead of mainly being the DH might actually help Stanton even more. He is the sole, real power threat in the lineup. Didi Gregorious and Greg Byrd don't put as much fear into pitchers as Stanton does. And poor Clint Frazier--the highly-touted outfield prospect suffered another apparent head injury while playing at Scranton- Wilkes Barre, placing him back in concussion protocol--all the result of a play in spring training which has derailed his rise within the Yankees' organization. 

     New York has a stretch of games against teams who are not contending. They will rely on their pitching to get them throughout this period. Even there, much-maligned Sonny Gray was hit by a ball on Thursday. There was no word on his prognosis.

     The Yankees will miss the 26 home runs bat of Judge and his defensive capabilities. And as badly as Sanchez had been playing, he still has more pop in his swing than his replacements. As Happ and Britton integrate themselves into the pitching, this should help significantly. 

     Will this be enough to ward off the A's and Mariners? Can the Yankees catch Boston? Or will they swoon with these holes in the lineup and the pitching fails? 

     There is a terrible sense of being woe begotten among New York fans. With good reason. But let's put this all in perspective.

     The marvelous run of Serena Williams to the Wimbledon final wasn't diminished by her loss. That she was even there was a testimonial to the hard work she put in after the major complications she suffered with the birth of her daughter.  She could have woefully accepted doctors' evaluations--but Serena knew something was wrong with her. She pressed on and they found the blood clots which threatened her life. Even with that complication, Serena showed the determination of a fighter and a true champion to get back on the court, let alone make to to the finals of a tough tournament replete with upsets in the women's draw. Serena would not get caught up in the depth of her problem.

     I want to return to the ESPY's of a week plus ago. I thought the criticism of Danica Patrick's performance as the host was unfounded. She handled this toughest assignment well--which was something outside her comfort zone as a now-retired race car driver and current girlfriend of Green Bay Packers' QB Aaron Rodgers. She didn't need the grief.

     I also marveled at the courage of former Buffalo Bills QB Jim Kelly as he battled cancer once more. His courageous fight is an inspiration, and his words were an excellent reminder of how to live life with such a terrible impediment. He learned this from his son, Hunter, who managed to live 8+ years with the disabling Krabbe Leukodystorphy disease. 

     Then there were the hundred women who came on stage to show even greater courage, having stood up to the terrible infliction of indignities by Dr. Larry Nasser at the U.S. Gymnastics Association and at Michigan State. No one believed them until a Michigan State Police detective heard their cries. 

     The monster that Larry Nasser was is now securely behind bars. Those women bear the unimaginable scars of a sick and depraved man and and a culture which robbed them of their childhood and dignity.  Hooray to ESPN for giving them a national platform to speak their minds and to acknowledge the heartfelt thoughts of those in the audience and who watched the show.

     For you who think that the Yankees' situation is bad, or that the Washington Nationals stink and the Mets are far worse off with the plights of Yoenis Cespedes' heels and the childhood disease that Noah Syndergaard picked up in another injury-plagued season--those woes are nothing compared to the events I have enumerated. 

     A woe is defined as deep sorrow, self-pity and grief. Enough with the woes already. Given what I have articulated and placed in context, the plural is another four-letter word which I despise when things are trivial. Nobody says to stop rooting for your team, no matter what their woes are (Jets' fans have hope--the contract impasse with Sam Darnold will get ironed out shortly). 

     We saw what happened in Thailand--an incredible scenario if there ever was one. Those boys and their coach somehow managed to remain alive and with the help of an army of supporters and some incredible divers, they are safe and  alive. If anyone believes that this rescue of everyone in the ave with only one diver's death the only tragedy, wasn't a miracle, then tell me. 

     Thus, Yankees' fans, get over the despair aspect. Look at some real life sports-related situations which I dare say trump the Bombers' plight. The season isn't over yet. Not by a long shot.