About the Off-Day: Meanderings of My Mind

About the Off-Day: Meanderings of My Mind.

By Tim Kabel

September 24, 2024

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The Yankees were off yesterday after sweeping a series from the Oakland A’s and going 5-1 on the West Coast road trip. The Yankees are in first place in the American League East and lead the Baltimore Orioles by six games with six games left in the season. Barring a monumental collapse, the Yankees will win the American League East and quite possibly have the best record in the American League. They should earn a bye in the first round of the playoffs, which would be tremendous. Since there is no game to recap, I will now move from topic to topic like my new little upstairs neighbor, the Roadrunner, dashing from one end of his apartment to the other while wearing brand new army boots.

·       I received a bit of criticism because in my recent articles, I have not denounced Aaron Boone or called for his firing. I have consistently said and written that I do not believe the Yankees will win the World Series with Aaron Boone as the manager. I stand behind that statement even though they are playing very well right now. I certainly hope he proves me wrong, but I do not think he will. Be that as it may, that is a discussion to have at another time. Right now, I have to give Boone his due, as the Yankees are about to enter the playoffs on a high note. That has happened before in his tenure. Still, it is an achievement. Let's just see what happens after this. It is simply that today is not the day to call for his firing. If the Yankees do manage to win a World Series this season, I will gladly apologize for my anti-Boone comments. Unfortunately, I would not be holding my breath in anticipation of that, as it is far more likely that the Yankees will not be having a parade through the Canyon of Heroes at the end of the season.

·       Last week, I wrote about the Big E without giving much explanation of what it is. The Big E is the Eastern States Exposition, which occurs over the last two weeks of September every year in Springfield Massachusetts. It is essentially an enormous multi-state fair that includes Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. Each state has their own building on the Avenue of States where they provide information about activities and events in their states, and they also have multiple vendors selling goods from each of those states. For example, in the Maine building you can purchase a baked potato that is roughly the size of the little tyke who now lives above me. In addition to the Avenue of States, there are hundreds of other exhibitors, rides, agricultural displays, live entertainment, and just about everything else you could imagine. It is like a State Fair on steroids.

·       For all the wrist-wringing and gnashing of teeth about the fact that Jasson Dominguez might not be ready, he has as many home runs in the 20 games he has been in the Major Leagues this season as Alex Verdugo does since July 7th. It's not as if Dominguez will be replacing Ted Williams or Rickey Henderson in the outfield.

·       I began my “weight loss journey” on Sunday. Surprisingly, there was no one at the dock waving and crying as I began this journey. Perhaps it was a mistake to pack snacks for the trip.

·       I would certainly hope that Clayton Beeter gets in at least two, if not three games before the regular season ends. If he does well, I would not be at all surprised to see him make the postseason roster. He has the potential to strike out batters, which the Yankees need. There will be a lot of things to watch closely in these last six games. Beeter could be one of them.

·       This weekend, I had my 60th birthday party. It was great to see friends and family members I had not seen in a long time. It was a nice day and although I love to cook, I decided to have it catered. The two restaurants I used were extraordinary and did a wonderful job. The bakery I used made a German chocolate cake, which has long been one of my favorites. Wisely, (for once) I postponed my weight loss journey until after this event. I think the party could have been sponsored by the letter B like they do on Sesame Street, since I received a great number of books, bottles of bourbon, and baking equipment.

·       Regardless of how far the Yankees go this postseason, I believe we are seeing the ends of the Yankees’ careers of Gleyber Torres, Alex Verdugo, Clay Holmes, Anthony Rizzo, and DJ LeMahieu. If Brian Cashman can figure out a way to jettison Giancarlo Stanton after the season, I suspect he will do that as well.

·       I suffer from trigger fingers. It's not as exciting as it sounds. I'm not off in the woods like a well-coiffed Elmer Fudd, firing my gun at the local wildlife. Essentially, my fingers are somewhat gnarled. About a week ago, I started wearing bamboo fiber compression gloves, which are already making a big difference. It will take time, but I am very pleased with them so far.

·       I can envision a scenario in which Clay Holmes is left off a later round of the playoffs if he struggles in the initial round. Sadly, he has gone from an All-Star to becoming a virtual cast off in just a few months. I can imagine no world in which the Yankees bring him back after this season.

·       Last week I made my wife and myself a cheese omelet using my cheese of the month from the local dairy farm. I have to say that it was one of the the best omelets I have made in years. Cooking for a loved one is a wonderful way of expressing how you feel about them. It's a relatively simple thing and it can mean a lot to the person you do it for. If you've never tried it, I would suggest it. Now, the first time out-of-the-box don't try to whip up a souffle. Start with something basic and build up. I can actually say that I made a turducken on two occasions. I won't be doing it again because it's too labor intensive and I'm quite satisfied with the way my turkey comes out on Thanksgiving.

·       I have to give Brian Cashman some credit here. Whether or not the Yankees win the World Series this year, they look like they will be contenders for many years. Obviously, the key is to re-sign Juan Soto. If they do that, they will have a tremendous nucleus. Think about the young players they will have moving forward with Soto, Austin wells, Jazz Chisholm, Jr., Anthony Volpe, Jasson Dominguez, Luis Gil, and Clark Schmidt. I believe that Ben Rice can and will develop into a very good left-handed hitting first baseman. What makes this almost brilliant is that many of these players will be much less expensive, allowing the Yankees to concentrate a lot of their financial resources on Soto. Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole are a bit more mature, but it is reasonable to expect that this team could contend for championships for quite a few more years.

·       As I am writing this, the Roadrunner has completed his 430th lap upstairs. I think I'm about to trudge up there with a little cup of cool water to hand him, much like they do for the participants in a marathon.

·       Sadly, I did not receive a Duke Ellis jersey at my birthday party. I suppose there is always Christmas.