About the Off-Day: Meanderings of My Mind

About the Off-Day: Meanderings of My Mind

By Tim Kabel

July 9, 2-24

***

The Yankees were off yesterday. They lost the weekend series to the Red Sox and have not won a series since they played the Royals June 10-13. The Yankees need to right the ship, but I don’t know if they can. Because of the off-day, I will now amble from topic to topic like a benevolent farmer going from stall to stall at the Chincoteague pony auction.

·       It looks like Gleyber Day will be cancelled after this year.

·       For the next presidential debate, they should simply order two identical pieces of furniture from IKEA, roll them out on the stage, and see who could assemble it first, or at all. That would be a true test.

·       The current state of affairs for the Yankees is not very good but, it could be fixed relatively easily. Clarke Schmidt, JT Brubaker, and Scott Effross should be back fairly soon and could stabilize the bullpen. The Yankees could then acquiore one more solid back end of the bullpen reliever to share the burden with Clay Holmes. 

·       Austin Wells and Ben Rice should play on a daily basis. If the Yankees acquire a solid hitter to be the DH or possibly the first baseman to split those two roles with Rice, it would take care of a few problems. For example, if the Yankees traded for Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., he and Rice could rotate between DH and first base. That would return Trent Grisham to the bench, where he wouldn't have to strain himself making routine plays in the outfield.

·       I just read an article that identifies each state’s most famous sandwich. New York has pastrami on rye. New Jersey has the Taylor ham, egg, and cheese sandwich. (Editor's note - Let's not have the NJ Taylor Ham/Pork Roll debate. :) ) Surprisingly, my state of Connecticut did pretty well. We have the hot, buttered lobster roll. Poor Massachusetts has the fluffernutter. There are some states that I would now not visit based on their sandwich. For example, the sandwich from South Dakota is a pheasant salad sandwich. Imagine a chicken salad sandwich but, instead of the chicken you substitute the ring-necked pheasant, which has to be hunted. Colorado has the Fool's Gold loaf, which is also known as the Elvis sandwich. Apparently, Elvis loved this dish. It involves a hollowed-out loaf of bread which is stuffed with an entire jar of both peanut butter and jelly along with a pound of bacon. It's no wonder that the restaurant is closed, and Elvis has left the building.

·       To continue my notion for retooling the Yankees, Gleyber Torres should go on the IL. Missing a few days here and there for a sore groin is not a good idea. If he's not well enough to play regularly, put him on the IL. Either way, I suspect he may be traded before the deadline. I know the Yankees won't get much for him but, he needs to go. The Yankees could recall Jorbit Vivas and install him at second base for now. That would give them an idea about whether he could handle the position moving forward or if they need to go outside of the organization. When Jon Berti comes back from his injury, he and Oswaldo Cabrera should play third base and DJ LeMahieu should be released. I don't think they could trade him but, having him on the team hurts the chances of making the playoffs. Cabrera could also rotate into second base with Vivas.

·       Ben Rice is playing almost every day. Austin Wells is not.The primary reason is that there is no viable alternative to Rice. Aaron Boone is basically forced to play him. My fear is that when John Berti returns, Boone might want to play Berti at third base and LeMahieu at first, sitting Rice. I could definitely see that happening. 

·       One of the unexpected benefits of my new home is a fully functional pizza oven attached to the garage. It has all the necessary equipment. My son and his girlfriend tried it out this weekend and produced a very nice batch of pizzas. When my son was young, I took him to a culinary institute in our state. I was familiar with them through my job. They offered day courses on the weekend. My son and I went to a parent/child pizza making class. It was very well done and a lot of fun. Apparently, it made much more of an impression on my son than I realized. Sometimes, as a parent, you can do something that is not extremely expensive and doesn't take a lot of time but will form a lasting memory for both you and your child. Those are priceless experiences.

·       Rice should be on the menu every day at Yankee Stadium. Since they have the Judge’s Chambers, perhaps they should come up with the “Rice Paddy”. They don't necessarily have to pull a pool of water out there in the in the stands but, they could make a light green circle over some seats, similar to an actual rice paddy, and serve rice pudding to the people who get those seats.

·       The Yankees will now play six games against the Rays and then the Orioles before heading into the All-Star break. They need to win at least one of those series. If they don't, they will sink deeper in the standings. There is still time but, it will just make things much more difficult if they fall further out of first place.

·       JD Davis and DJ LeMahieu should not be on this team when play resumes after the All-Star break.

·       Why does it seem like every time someone leaves the Yankees, they immediately grow a beard. Has anyone checked to see if John Sterling grew one?

·       The Yankees should invite Fred Stanley back for Old Timers’ Day. They could have him stand next to their current first baseman. Yes, that's right: Chicken and Rice.

·       There are some people who think the Yankees should not get Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. because they believe he is on the decline. He is 25 years old and is currently batting.295 with 13 home runs and 52 RBI. As a reference point, Spencer Jones is 23 and still in AA ball. Imagine Guerrero hitting behind Judge in the lineup. It is a trade that could be done. Combining Guerrero with the additions of Rice, Vivas, and Berti, would make the lineup much more impressive.

·       The Yankees should have traded Giancarlo Stanton when he was on a hot streak. We all knew it was never going to get any better than that. Now, he suffered his inevitable injury and will probably not be as productive when and if he returns. Don't forget, he is under contract for the next three years. He is not going to become more productive and less injury prone during that time. We have just seen the best of Giancarlo Stanton and we probably won't see it again. The Yankees have a habit of holding on to players too long.

·       Aaron Boone is in his seventh season as the Yankees manager. He has never even made it to the World Series. That is unacceptable. He is not a good manager. Unfortunately, he thinks he is, and acts accordingly. If the Yankees do want to make the playoffs and possibly, the World Series this season, they need to replace him as the manager now. I firmly believe that he will continue to play LeMahieu, Torres, Jose Trevino, and Rizzo once he is back. The same would apply to Stanton when he returned. If the Yankees are going to make changes, they need a manager who will work with those changes and take advantage of them. This has gone on long enough. We cannot afford to have another lost season. The Yankees need a new manager now. We can't have another year of the team collapsing and Boone saying, “it's all right there in front of us.” He isn’t lying. By the time the year is finished, every other team will be in front of the Yankees.