About the Off-Day: Meanderings of My Mind

About the Off-Day: Meanderings of My Mind

By Tim Kabel

May 2, 2025

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Yesterday, the Yankees had a day off, after ending April with an 18-13 record for the season. They sit in first place 1.5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox. Since there is no game to recap today, I will now scramble from topic to topic like a bear emerging from hibernation and hitting every bird feeder, trash can, and dumpster he can find. 

·      I am flabbergasted, dumbfounded, gob smacked and astonished.  DJ LeMahieu suffered an injury setback in his rehab assignment. He required a cortisone shot. He could very well be the only person in the history of sports to require a cortisone shot as a result of receiving a cortisone shot. The DJ LeMahieu watch has been temporarily placed on hold. He might possibly resume rehabilitation type activities today but that is not definite. Aaron Boone has hired private security to guard the number 2 pencil that he has ready and waiting to fill DJ LeMahieu’s name in as the starting third baseman. Meanwhile, Oswaldo Cabrera is batting .291 for the season, which is not too shabby.

·       I had my physical yesterday and here is an update on my “fancy weight loss journey”. So far, I have lost forty pounds. Actually, that's not such a big deal. My British friend once lost fifty pounds in one day.  Of course, that was at the racetrack. By following the exercise regimen I created, I am now able to raise my left hand over my head even though my shoulder is permanently dislocated. Previously, I could only reach my ear. This will come in handy in case I ever have to surrender or if I have an answer to a question and want to be called upon. If this continues, I will be ready for the next Olympics. All I need is a foam finger, a bottle of seltzer, and some healthy snacks.

·      Last year, Aaron Judge won his second Most Valuable Player award. What makes that even more impressive is that he was basically missing in action for the month of April. This year, he ended April batting .427 with an OPS of 1.282, 50 hits, 10 home runs, and 32 RBI. If Judge remains healthy, he might wind up having an even better year this year than he did last year. He is truly amazing. However, I'm sure there is someone, somewhere saying “yeah, but he only has one triple and he's been caught stealing twice.”

·      For a minute there last week, it seemed as if Shedeur Sanders was going to have to follow in his father's footsteps by joining the Yankees, since he wasn't selected until the third day of the NFL draft. I don't know that much about the young man. He seems to be extremely talented. However, it reminds me of Game of Thrones when king Joffrey screamed, “I am the king.” His grandfather, Tywin Lannister, responded by saying, “Any man who must say, ‘I am the king’, is no true king.” In other words, sometimes the number and severity of headaches a person brings to a situation can outweigh any talent or abilities he might have. That is a lesson that is best learned when a person is young because they will have time to correct things. After all, Shedeur Sanders was drafted. There have been many star players who were taken late in the draft in every sport. It's like anything else, once you are in the door, it doesn't really matter how you got there. If you weren't the first choice for a job but you have it anyway, you can still be a success. Remember, Ernest Borgnine was the first choice to play Don Corleone in the Godfather, not Marlon Brando

·      Ben Rice is batting.266 with eight home runs. If this continues, or possibly improves, it will be extremely difficult for Aaron Boone to replace Rice in the lineup with Giancarlo Stanton if and when he returns. Yesterday, the Yankees claimed outfielder Bryan de la Cruz off waivers from the Atlanta Braves and optioned him to AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre. To make room for de la Cruz, the Yankees transferred Giancarlo Stanton to the 60-day Injured List. The clubhouse attendants won't need to iron Stanton’s uniform anytime soon.

·      Although the Yankees are in first place, there is a reason to be concerned. As everybody knows, championship teams win the games they are supposed to win. The Yankee should not have lost two of three games to the Baltimore Orioles. Right now, the Orioles are not a good team. Will Warren is a work in progress and Carlos Carrasco is wildly inconsistent. Marcus Stroman does not appear to be close to making a return and let's face facts, he's not very good. I don't know that he would be an improvement over either Warren or Carrasco. The Yankees cannot afford to keep sending out two pitchers who are essentially toss ups every time they take the mound. They could live with one but, two is pushing it. Of the two, I would stick with Will Warren, because there is more potential with him than there is with Carrasco. There have been some trades made in the Major Leagues already and the Yankees could make one if they really wanted to. It's not even a matter of wanting to, at this point, they need to.

·      It appears that every time Jasson Dominguez seems as if he's about to go on a run, he is removed from the lineup. Whether that is late in the game for a defensive replacement or an off-day, it doesn't really matter. He's just not in the lineup. There have been games where he has had two or three hits and then is off the next day. There's a lot involved in developing a young player. Building their confidence is one of the most important parts of it. Aaron Boone has never been very good at this. He is not going to improve. Dominguez seems as if he has a healthy attitude and ample confidence. I'm sure he will go off on that tear very soon and then it will be difficult for Boone to pull him out of the lineup. Not impossible because after all, we are talking about Aaron Boone here, but difficult. 

·      My kitten, Clancy, has discovered how much fun he can have with my wristwatch. Normally, I leave it on my nightstand when I go to sleep. However, he now picks it up in his teeth, like a dog, and hides it. He seems to like the shiny metal. He has also discovered Q-tips. Apparently, Q-tips are like Lincoln Logs for cats. He takes them and scatters them about the bathroom in random places. Having Clancy is like having a lovable but mischievous toddler in a fur coat. He has also realized that his magnificent tail is something with which he can express himself. He marches around the house, using it to punctuate the air as he goes. He wraps it around my legs or my wife's legs when we are near him. At night, he runs it across my forehead before I go to sleep. He seems to be very proud of it. One of the best things about Clancy is that he is very patient and receptive when I groom or wash him, which is not always the case with cats. By the way although as I noted in an earlier column, my wife cannot turn the TV on, Clancy can. Frequently at around 2:30 in the morning the TV clicks on. I don't know if he has a favorite program. Perhaps, he will teach my wife how to turn it on.

·      I was on record as saying that the Yankees should not have re-signed Trent Grisham. Based on his career and the numbers he put up as a Yankee last year, it did not seem to be a good idea. Well, I must look pretty foolish right about now. He is off to a tremendous start and deserves to play regularly. However, my only concern is that Aaron Boone will not know enough to pull the plug if and when Grisham reverts to form. In other words, if Grisham crashes at some point this season, which I suspect he will based on his career, will Boone realize that he rode a good thing for as long as he could and then return Grisham to a utility role or will he continue to try to milk every last drop out of Grisham. To me, Boone seems like a gambler who does not realize that his hot streak is over and continues to throw money into the poker game until he has nothing. If by chance, Grisham maintains a hot pace throughout the year, then he will deserve to play as much as possible. However, that would be a drastic change from everything he has done previously in his career. Still, stranger things have happened. Let's just hope against hope that Boone knows what he's doing.

·       Finally, welcome to the newest member of the STN team, Clay Gregory. I'm sure you will do extremely well. Welcome aboard.