About the Off-Day: Meanderings of My Mind

About the Off-Day: Meanderings of My Mind

By Tim Kabel

July 16, 2024

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The Yankees are off until Friday for the All-Star break. They will resume play Friday evening at home against the Tampa Bay Rays They will start the nominal second-half of the season in second place in the American League East. Whether they remain there is the question. While it is possible the Yankees will finish the year in first place, would anybody be surprised if they finished in third place, or even fourth place?

Because of the off-day yesterday, I will now stroll from topic to topic as if I were at a farmer's market with money to spend and time to kill.

·       The Yankees have 64 games left to play this season. Anthony Rizzo should not play in any of them. He did a fine job while he was here but, there is no point to rush him back from his injury, just so he can resume his mediocre play of this season. He is no longer an effective player and would not help the team.

·       Yesterday, I went to the cardiologist, and they put a heart monitor on me, which I will have to wear for a week. It's nothing serious; it's just a routine procedure. My doctor said I can buy green bananas if I want to. I'm just glad that I wasn't wearing it on Sunday during the 9th inning. It might have exploded. 

·       I was unaware that the Baltimore Orioles have a section of their stands called “the pasture” where fans come dressed in cow costumes in honor of Baltimore outfielder Colton Cowser. I guess that's nice. After all, the Yankees have “The Judge’s Chambers’, but I think Judge is a considerably better player than Cowser. Besides, I can't think of any circumstance that would make me wear a cow costume and sit in the sweltering stands on days when the temperature is at or above 100°. It's a good thing Greg “The Bull” Luzinski is not still playing. They would have a stadium full of bulls and cows whenever the Orioles played the Phillies. Besides, at his age, Luzinski might pull a calf muscle.

·       What I wrote about Anthony Rizzo also applies to DJ LeMahieu. He is finished and having him on the team for the rest of this season would not be a good thing. I read that some people think he should be there to serve as a defensive replacement for Ben Rice, but I would not waste a roster spot for that. Besides, does anyone really believe that Aaron Boone would consistently sit LeMahieu on the bench? As long as Aaron Boone is the manager, he will find a way to play “his guys.”

·       If Bill Skowron were still playing, the Yankees could have a section of the stands called “The Forest”, with fans dressed as moose. Bullwinkle and Mr. Moose could get in for free. Speaking of Mr. Moose, in what branch of the military did Captain Kangaroo serve?

·       The Yankees need to start making trades as soon as possible. They cannot afford to fritter away more games and lose more days waiting. If there are no deals to be made, that's one thing but, I suspect there are. They need to upgrade at third base and second base. They also need bullpen help. By bullpen help, I mean legitimate relief pitchers who have not been released by six other organizations this season. Some of those players work out, some of them don't. The Yankees need to trade for proven relief pitchers who are currently getting the job done.

·       (Read this one out loud) People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. People named Clay Holmes shouldn't throw baseballs.

·       If the Yankees are banking on receiving major contributions from DJ LeMahieu, Anthony Rizzo, and Giancarlo Stanton for the remainder of this season, they are making a big mistake. I only bring up Rizzo because I strongly believe that if he does return before the end of the season, Boone will play him over Rice. That cannot happen. I'm not saying that Rice is a superstar. We're not sure what he will be ultimately but, he is finding his way and appears to have a tremendous upside. Rizzo looked as if he were completely done as a player. LeMahieu appears the same way. Stanton was having a good season but as usual, he suffered an injury. There are reports that he might be ready shortly after the All-Star break concludes. That would not be a good thing because, Stanton usually takes quite a while to round into form. By skipping the rehab assignment process, he will be doing all of that adjusting at the Major League level. I don't think we can expect much from him this season.

·       My wife is the sweetest person I have ever met but, she is a little naive. She thought the book, Fifty Shades of Grey. was about a hairstylist at a retirement home.

·       To clarify my position, I think DJ LeMahieu should be released at this point. I think Anthony Rizzo should simply finish out the season on the IL. Giancarlo Stanton should not be rushed back from his injury and should definitely complete a rehab assignment. As far as Gleyber Torres is concerned, the Yankees need to acquire someone else to play second base and they should trade him for whatever they can get. He will not be on the team next year, so, he should be traded while they can get something for him.

·       I have to agree with Suzyn Waldman. I don't like the idea of players being miked up during regular season games. It takes their focus off the game and frankly it does the same for the fans who are busy listening to whatever the player is talking about rather than watching the actual game. It's like having someone talk during a movie. By the way, yesterday when Juan Soto was miked up, he said that he has two stylists who will help him choose his outfit for the red-carpet ceremony for the All-Star game. Red-carpet ceremony? Two stylists? I wonder how many stylists Ted Williams had to pick his outfit. Oh yes, it was Uncle Sam. It's a different world.

·       Speaking of different worlds and changes in perspective, when The Golden Girls came on TV forty years ago, people of my generation thought it was a show about a bunch of old ladies. Well, now that I'm about to be 60, things look a little different. At the time the show started, Bea Arthur was 63 years old, Betty White was 52 years old, and Rue McClanahan was 51 years old. As I write this, Salma Hayek is 57 years old, Jennifer Lopez is about to turn 55, Monica Bellucci is 59, and Halle Berry is 57. Nobody thinks of them as old ladies.  Things have changed.  In this case, for the better.  My wife is 58 and she is about as youthful, energetic, and beautiful as a college student.

·       Apparently, the Yankees are interested in acquiring Garrett Crochet from the White Sox. Although starting pitching is not the Yankees’ most glaring need, if they did acquire him, they could potentially trade one of their other starters to fill a position player need. So, if Cashman can knit a trade together for Crochet, I won't needle him about it

·       I recently watched Jaws again. I had not seen it in a few years. It holds up well, considering it's almost 50 years old. However, I have a few thoughts. First, I was not allowed to see the movie in the theater when it came out. My brother was going to take me to see it. That was a big deal because, he never took me any place. However, my mother forbade me from seeing it because one of my cousins saw it and had a nightmare. I tried explaining to my mother that my cousin was a knucklehead, and I shouldn't suffer for his actions but, as usual, she was unyielding. Now, here's the part of the movie that doesn't make a lot of sense. The entire premise of the movie is that shark attacks were uncommon, and totally unheard of in Amity. The mayor and others brushed off the notion of shark attacks as if it was totally preposterous. I know they had financial reasons for doing so but, still the whole point was that essentially no one in the town had ever seen a shark. Now, this is the tricky part. How did Quint make his living? He was a shark hunter! In the scenes before he heads out to sea with Sheriff Brody and Matt Hooper, Quint and his minions are seen boiling shark jaws, presumably from sharks that Quint caught. His shop is liberally decorated with shark jaws. If the waters around Amity were shark-free, how could Quint make a living? You don't think about things like that when you're 10 years old, watching a movie in the theater.

·       Although I advocated replacing Aaron Boone during the All-Star break, I don't believe they will do so. He will finish out the season as the manager and I firmly believe the team will not win the World Series. However, they need to give it their best shot. Since Boone will be there, the best form of Boone-proofing is to rid the roster of the washed-up players he likes to start all the time and remove them as options. He will then be forced to play newer players who could conceivably help the team win. In other words, if the Yankees field a team with Ben Rice at first base, Jonathan India at second base, Matt Chapman at third base, and Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. as the DH, that would be far superior to a team with Anthony Rizzo at first base, Gleyber Torres at second base, DJ LeMahieu at third base, and Giancarlo Stanton as the designated hitter. In addition, Guerrero and Rice could pivot back and forth between DH and first base, sharing both roles. India would also be the leadoff hitter they have been looking for. I discussed this with EJ Fagan on his Bronx Beat podcast on Sunday.

Anyway, there are two weeks left before the trading deadline. The Yankees should do something before play resumes on Friday but even if they don't, they do need to make moves. Hopefully they will make some of the ones i have suggested.