About the Off-Day: Meanderings of My Mind

About the Off-Day: Meanderings of My Mind

By Tim Kabel

June 4, 2024

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The Yankees were off yesterday. They finished a very successful West Coast road trip and now they are coming home to play a six-game homestand against the Twins and the Dodgers.  I will plow through a variety of topics like Hoss Cartwright attacking one of Hop Sing’s meals after a long day of ranching.

·       Although the Yankees were off on Memorial Day, they do have scheduled games on both the 4th of July and Labor Day. Hopefully, they will be in first place on both of those holidays. I suspect the roster will look much different by the time we reach Labor Day. There might even be some changes by the 4th of July.

·      Speaking of holidays, I believe that Father's Day is the Rodney Dangerfield of holidays. Mother's Day usually has a lot of fanfare attached to it, deservedly so, but Father's Day sort of gets a collective “oh, well” from everyone. I guess it's better to be an afterthought than not to be thought of at all.

·      I want to elaborate on my thoughts about Giancarlo Stanton. He is batting 231 with 14 home runs and 32 RBI. He is like an old boxer who can't win a fight on points anymore but is just hoping to get lucky with a big punch. He is not having a horrible year. He is still dangerous on occasion and can hit balls very hard and very far when he makes contact. It's when that's the issue. Here is the thing. He is much better this year than he was last year because he made a tremendous effort to come into spring training in great shape. That is just the point. This is the best he is going to be. He's not going to get better during the next three years of his contract. He will regress. Amazingly, he hasn't had any injuries this year. He still runs the bases like Mrs. Ah-Wiggins from The Carol Burnett Show and he can't play the field. I don't even think he knows where the field is. If he were to agree to a trade and the Yankees could find someone who would take him, now is the time to make the move. The Yankees often trade people too late rather than too early. This situation needs to be the exception to that rule. I don't know if Jasson Dominguez will be a superstar. No one does. However, he has a lot more upside and brings much more to the table than Stanton.

·      In my job, I used to go into unsafe situations on occasion. Sometimes, I was threatened. It was part of the job, and it never really bothered me. However, I must say that the most dangerous thing I have ever done is attempt to groom my cat, Nut, with an electric razor specifically designed for cat grooming. It is like tangling with a tiny version of Victor Solazzo from the Godfather who is dressed in a fur coat. Instead of wielding one knife, he has about 20, and they are all as sharp as possible. I feel that David Attenborough should narrate a film of this event. To be clear, Nut is not angry or attempting to attack me. He just wants no part of the grooming process. My wife went out to buy a cat straitjacket that will allow us to bundle him up like Hannibal Lecter so I can groom him in safety. 

·      I think it's very safe to say that Gleyber Torres will not be a New York Yankee next season. The Yankees may not even make him a qualifying offer. That being the case, they should trade him now if they can and bring up one of their minor leaguers, preferably Caleb Durbin once he is fully recovered from his hand injury. The Yankees cannot have a lot of confidence in Torres and if they brought Durbin up now, or soon, they could see what he is capable of. That way, if they don't need to make a trade for a second baseman, they can use their resources for something else, quite possibly a relief pitcher.

·      A few years ago, I discovered a delicacy I had never heard about before. Apparently, it's very big in New Haven, CT but the rest of the world doesn't really know about it. It's called a chocolate-lemon pie. It is a two-crust pie with a lemon filling similar to that which is in a lemon meringue pie. After baking, the top crust is frosted with a thick chocolate ganache. That's it. It has become one of my favorite desserts.

·      I would not be surprised to see the Yankees make a major trade for a first baseman. Anthony Rizzo is fading fast and offers minimal protection in the lineup for Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, or anybody else. If they were able to to acquire a solid hitter with a lot of pop who could play first base, that would help a great deal. Unlike Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres, I think Rizzo could be a valuable bench player. He could play sparingly and probably be an effective pinch hitter. I discussed this on Sunday with EJ Fagan on his podcast, the Bronx Beat, and he advocated making Rizzo a bench player in deference to someone else who could play regularly. 

·      The problem with the Yankees is that DJ LeMahieu is not the hitter he used to be. Neither is Giancarlo Stanton, nor is Anthony Rizzo. Gleyber Torres is also a shadow of what he once was, and he is young. You can't have four weak or questionable spots in the lineup going into the playoffs. Of all those players, LeMahieu is probably the most productive and consistent.

·      After the month that Aaron Judge just had, perhaps we should call him Mr. May instead of Dave Winfield.

·      When I write, whether it's these articles or my novels, I dictate into my computer. Consequently, if I listen to any music, it's instrumental because I don't want my article or novel filled with lyrics from a song. When I edit, I like to listen to certain singers. I have always liked Luciano Pavarotti. I grew up listening to my mother play Perry Como almost every day. I like Celtic Woman and over the past couple of years, I discovered Katherine Jenkins. Her rendition of I Will Always Love You in Italian is just about my favorite song. If you've never heard it, give it a listen.

·      The Yankees definitely need to beef up the lineup in the areas I noted above. However, the bullpen is a major concern. I think that if Clarke Schmidt is able to return at the All-Star break or shortly thereafter, he may be able to slide right into the bullpen and be effective. In addition to that, Ron Marinaccio should be recalled. Clayton Beeter is currently on the IL. If he can return, he could be a bullpen option. In addition, there will be relief pitchers available at or before the trade deadline. The Yankee should explore all those options. The bargain basement, Crazy Eddie approach to building a bullpen needs to be shelved for a while. Again, that can work with one or two pitchers but, not the entire bullpen.

·      If I ever struck it rich, one thing I would like to do is have enough land to have some rescue horses. I grew up with horses and miss having them around. I have no interest in owning an active racehorse, however, a retired racehorse or two or a Mustang rescue from out West would be very nice addition to my life. I've always had a soft spot for horses. That extends to donkeys and mules as well. I would probably even get one of those highland cows too. 

·      Barring injury of course, I don't think the Yankees need to make any acquisitions for the starting rotation. Gerrit Cole should be back soon, and Cody Poteet seems to be an adequate fill in.

·      Clint Eastwood just turned 94 years old last week. He is still making movies. Think about that. He is 94 years old and is still making movies. I'm not even 60 and I have a hard time staying awake during a movie.