Are we watching a James Cameron blockbuster in the making or something? Or is he producing and Michael Ray Richardson is directing?
The Yanks have been playing like horseshit freshly baked meadow muffins for much of the second half of the season (they are playing tag with the Mutts for Most Mediocre Record to date), which has caused all kinds of ennui among the rational fans, while the real fans are all-like, “we’re GOING to the playoffs, modammit!”, to which one has to wonder as to what they intend to do there. Rodeo clowns are forbidden from entering the field of play, after all. For all that matter, you might as well see the grounds crew in the lineup the rest of the regular season while the regular suspects perform “Y-M-C-A” during the seventh. At least when you’re drunk out of your mind trying to erase the past couple of months from your memory, you’ll find that dynamic to be a keeper.
My no-fault prediction (aka wild guess) is that Yanks will lose the home field for the wild card, come close to falling out of the playoffs before turning on the boosters to save face and win the one-off, but then fall back and get swept by whomever they face in the divisional series. Then the real fun will begin. I almost think this has to happen in order for the organization to wake up from the nagging sense of complacency that seems to have befallen them recently. Bad baseball has bum-rushed the Stadium and the team plane. You know bad baseball when you see it, so don’t kid yourself. Just hope that the Hail Mary that is Aaron Judge returning to active duty before he’s actually finished healing lands in good hands. Other than that, everything else I speculated could be bullshit pons de la rue (a la mode).
Strange to think of a 95 win season as being a disappointment, yet it feels headed that way. And I'm not sold on Boone from what I've observed..but I guess he's a good clubhouse guy?
[1] I'm not concerned about the win total nearly so much as the quality of play. Somewhere along the line this season, that's been lost. They may say they are a great team, but they look pretty bad, or are just unlucky (maybe both?)
As for Boone, I was a Bam Bam guy last offseason and I haven't really backed off of that too much. He has lots of coaching experience and has been part of championship teams as a coach and manager in the WBC. Plus he had the Yankee pedigree, it was like a homecoming for a prodigal son. In light of that, choosing Boone was like getting hit in the face with a slushball in the August heat. He fits well into the latest managing fad and he has a winning personality apparently, but it just comes off as hollow observing as a semi-casual fan.
The team seems to be winning more games despite themselves which ultimately is a bad thing in the long run, because they will ignore the flaws until they are too big to handle and too late to replace; ie trading for Andrew McCutchen three weeks after they should have gotten him. The likelihood of them playing less than .500 ball would have been much less than with Shane Robinson playing the black hole in the lineup. Just quite a few nagging little annoyances with sub-optimal (heh) decisions that turned out pretty much the way you would expect, but can't justify because the mathematics said otherwise. The only justice is in hindsight.
All that to say, no matter how things turn out this post season, the team can't go into 2019 with the roster as presently constructed, certain coaches included; not if they want to relive their last dynasty run. And I'll reiterate what I said before the season began, I hope Boone turns out to be more Bruce Bochy than Bob Brenly. But then, we had Bam Bam ready to do that!
Yet, Mike Axsia at RAB had a post earlier that gave a rational point of view about the Yanks' current situation that I had to agree with. Isht happens and it sucks, but it's amazing that they've won as much as they have under the circumstances, so they and Boone deserve some credit. If it weren't for the Sox having the season they are and certain players on all the leading teams having their best seasons ever, the Yanks would be looked at as simply coasting and conserving their energy for the postseason sprint. I find that a very tricky train of thought because it puts aside the flaws the team made for themselves, but if they do anything like they did last post season, very few will care and it will in fact justify their approach and mindset. I just think it's fundamentally lazy and unsound to follow sabrmetric algorithms to the letter, that's why I don't support it.
[0] Loved the tone and pace of your post Chyll. Good stuff. Going forward, 'cause there's no place else to go, what do you think about CC coming back? He's probably most everyone's (fans and players alike) favorite Yankee, thrives on pressure and knows how to win, great mentor, but...it seems like this year, especially at the end, he's been running on fumes. Actually, I can't imagine the Yankees without CC, but that day has to come sooner or later. BTW, I don't think for a moment CC is one of issue on this squad...just wondering.
Will the real Bronx Bombers please stand up, please stand up....
What is everyone in synagogue today? Please pray for the Yankees.
Fucking pathetic.
Is this the first game thread of the year with just one participant? The team's not that bad, or is it?
[8] Maybe?
Game thread's on the next post >;)
Woooooooooo!
[9] ooops. [Hides head]
Oh, and thanks for letting me know, Chyll.
[4] About that... CC is one of the natural leaders along with Gardner and maybe Didi. CC is absolutely a Yankee to the bone, but unfortunately there's not much meat left (ironically I might add). He's fabulous when he's on, but on for him was the first half of the season and has been for some time. If he stays, he's automatically your fifth starter, no questions asked. Problem with that is he's the leader of Bullpen Day where the starter puts in 2-4 innings and the bullpen pieces the rest together, and as we've seen over the course of this season, that can be wearing after a while.
I'd say time to put him on the management track. He's got charisma and a helluva lot of knowledge, along with a solid Chip that he had a whole lot to do with getting, so players are going to listen and learn from him. He's one of the last winning pitchers you would call both an ace and a workhorse for the majority of his career; he kept Cleveland relevant throughout the 00s and almost carried Milwaukee through the playoffs by himself before he came over and tag-teamed with AJ Burnett(!) to win the last WS for the Yanks. He deserves a role in the organization befitting his contributions and his presence, just not on game days anymore. Being a big pitcher, I'd hoped he had a lasting effect on Betances (and maybe he has); as much as they've talked about resting guys, it sure seems a lot of guys have hit a wall. CC was not about that in his prime, and that's something that shouldn't be ignored or go to waste.
But I kinda figure he and Cashman will keep two-stepping with year-to-years until either he says enough or a minor leaguer shows enough to not be ignored and they trade/release him.
[12] >;)