Here we Yankee fans are, in an unfamiliar place. Our Bombers have spent the lion's share of the last decade rolling through the AL playoffs and finding their way to the pennant. Now Torre is gone, Bernie is gone, O'Neill is gone, even Sojo is gone ... almost all of our sleep-tight reliables have found their way to the great beyond of baseball, and we are faced with a group that still engenders the recent past, but nudges us on toward the future. It's a rough spot. Perhaps it's for the best ... like the Earth itself, a baseball team needs traumatic, even apocalyptic upheaval for intelligent life to regenerate and renew the field. The Yankees have just witnessed their own personal extinction-level event, and the fallout still lingers. The Red Sox, drawing upon young, bright and new-aged management, have already found a lot of their youthful new generation, and in their way, are struggling with the geriatrics of their own victorious past (See Ortiz, Ramirez). What is the Yankees' future? When will the next glorious run be?
Surely, there should always be a mix of youth (did I say youtes?) and experience, moreso concerning the mound than the field. Having Moose and Pettite in the pen with our farmboys is an invaluable commodity. This whole injury bug that set Hughes, Kennedy and the like back has set the youth movement back half again as much, without a doubt. Those that were to have made their chops on the mound this season are gonna have to take another look at the importance of conditioning and commitment before walking through that hallowed bullpen door next year. They might still have Moose to learn from, maybe even Pettite. But we need someone who can talk to the young pitchers and make sure they GET IT, and get it as old school as possible.
So. We have a young manager who sure the hell knows World Series-caliber pitching, and World Series-caliber catching. We also happen to have a World Series-caliber catcher still on the roster in Posada. Posada's understudy, Molina, may just take his place as a regular behind the plate for the rest of this year and next; he's doing a hell of a job calling games and throwing out steals. I like him a lot and thank God we have him this year. But we have a couple of sharp-catching young fellers on the farm who need to be given the opportunity to come up and take advantage of an incredible schooling experience; professors Posada, Girardi, Pettite and Mussina, at their service.
Then there are those other pesky outgoing contracts I mentioned earlier. There's Damon, who should be given his fare-thee-well at the earliest opportunity. Time to work in a more consistent lead-off hitter. Then we have Abreu, and after consideration of arguments put forth by some pretty sharp FN posters, I gotta admit that he could be a great teacher to any young batters in the Yankees' lineup, and be an intelligent re-sign. He's the only guy who still shows Torre-like patience at the plate, and that kind of patience seemed to have done the job over the last decade or so.
Let Matsui hang in with Abreu on a concurrent sentence; what he lacks in physical stability as an outfielder, he makes up for with his bat and that Japanese... how do you say? Ah, yes... Je ne se HAIIIYAH! I just can't write off Matsui yet. I get the feeling that if he goes less than 2-for-4, he's in the dojo praying to his father's sensei and trying to get better each and every day.
Ok, so, I ramble a bit ... but here's the point that weighs heaviest on my mind: It's time to get younger. We just signed Mariano and Jorge to four-year deals. We put Joba into the rotation after our young studs went down and called it "the orginal plan." Would Joba really be there if Hughes and Kennedy were on the mound? Who will fill Mariano's shoes? ... and I don't mean Mariano's shoes NOW, I mean Mariano's shoes when Wetteland was the stopper. So is Cashman still our guy? Yes, he did great work, but like the world, baseball has changed in the last decade. Maybe, to ensure the Yankees' future, rather than sending people into local bars to pick up hitters and pitchers. we need to follow the Red Sox's example, and send someone into the dorm lounge at MIT and ask: "Hey! Anyone here want to be a GM?"
Melanie Fitzpatrick
Alison Preston
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For the most part i agree with many of your thoughts and ideas, but the very last part of your blog did touch a sensitivity. And though i recently mumbled some negativity about Cashman in a FN thread, I believe, he is one of the better GM minds in the game today and if given the time he will put forth a team that will rival the team that Gene Michael put together in the Nineties. And we all know what that team eventually did.
4192jc (Don't give…
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I hear you, Joe. Just seems to me he's had plenty of time, and time may be passing him by ...
Atro Steals Yer Base
World Champs, NY
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All us yankee fans know of the great traditions and equally great teams of the past. MY father's 1927 yankee's, my own childhood memories of the 1950's yankees, and of course the great 1961 yankees. My children reminisce over the 1998 great yankee team and the prolific winning with joe Torre at the helm for over a decade. Now we have a new era and a new challenge. We find ourselves with some aging and some good young talent mixed in. Joe Girardi is now at the helm. It's way to early to tell with Mr. Girardi, although he has made some questionable moves in the late innings, he certainly has worked the bull pen I think better that Joe Torre, by spreading out the workload. Injuries, oh yeah we had to deal with our share of losses last year and early on this year. Now we find ourselves with a new regime in Hal, Hank, and with the keeping of GM Cashman. I do not question Mr. Cashman's moves with position players, but I believe he has not signed, in the recent past, great pitching for the yankees. But before I start to chastise him, I want to mention what is the thorn in the side of the yankees right now. It is the size of the payroll which ballooned under George. I think the Lux tax is an annoying thorn in their side. The youth movement shows this. They traded for good minor league players, signed some and developed some. They may not have had the best nine, but they certainly, in my opinion, have a solid top 40. Over 162 game schedule, it is the team with the most reserves whio can hang in there. The trading deadline will soon come to an end. I would be very suprised to see any block buster type trades for a high paying pitcher. The yankees showed what their business plan was when they let Sanatana, CC, Bedard, Blanton, etc. go. It is the reduction of their payroll, a reduction of their Lux Tax, and cheap but smart signings of rent a stick or arm, (a la Ponson and Sexson) to get them fighting through the end of the year. They remian close only with 4.5 games back at this time. Is this current team a team that can blow everybody away? No, but they can compete and win and still make the playoffs. Now with the 2009 year promising to bring a large reduction in payroll and a releasing of more funds for smart signings, I thnk the yankees can continue to compete and more importantly continue to bring the best team in baseball to the great City of New York.
The Original Tony
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Well said, Tony! You just earned yourself a nice homecooked plate of zoseege and peppers.
Atro Steals Yer Base
World Champs, NY
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Agreed on agreeing. Good blog.
I'd keep Abreau, let Damon go...could we do better than Giambi at DH, if his current pace continues? He's 1st or 2nd on the team in almost every big offensive category. Dunno. A healthy Matsui wouldn't be so bad. Picking up Teixeira would be awesome. Hopefully Gardner turns into a batter. Melky seems like a career .255 hitter.
I'd like Posada's bat and Molina's arm on the same body, but too bad for me. If there's a brilliant prospect, he should a chance to catch a game or two.
The rotation, oddly, is better than last year. But it's a fool's game to hang one's hopes on two aging veterans. We'll need help there.
No worries about Mo yet, and the rest of the pen seems pretty young and solid right now. I'm OK with it.
Yankee64
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On the GM front, we're victims of our own success. Yeah, I'd love another team that will win four WS in five years. Duh.
What we can expect is a team that's competitive in October. That should be our standard of success, and I like the job Cashman's doing.
Yankee64
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On the GM front, we're victims of our own success. Yeah, I'd love another team that will win four WS in five years. Duh.
What we can expect is a team that's competitive in October. That should be our standard of success, and I like the job Cashman's doing.
Yankee64 | 07/21/08, 10:54 AM
If you say so, 64. I suppose I'm willing to let him ride it out through the '09 season. But we better have something good, with a median age of less than 32.
Atro Steals Yer Base
World Champs, NY
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Well said, Tony! You just earned yourself a nice homecooked plate of zoseege and peppers.
Atro Steals Your Base | 07/21/08, 10:46 AM
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hey don't knock it until you try it. That reminds me, time for lunch!
The Original Tony
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