About the Off-Day: Meanderings of My Mind

About the Off-Day: Meanderings of My Mind

By Tim Kabel

May 16, 2025

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Yesterday, the Yankees had a day off, after taking two of three from the Seattle Mariners, and four of six on the West Coast trip. The Yankees are 25-18 and in first place in the American League East, four games ahead of the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays. Since there is no game to recap today, I will now dash from topic to topic like my friend Roger perusing one of my articles, looking for a typo. When he finds one, he sounds the same alarm that a submarine makes as it's about to dive.

·       Now that Oswaldo Cabrera is most likely lost for the season and Jazz Chisholm, Jr. remains on the IL, the Yankees will send some combination of Oswald Peraza, Yorbit Vivas, Pablo Reyes, and DJ LeMahieu out to play second and third base every day. There is no definite timetable for Chisholm’s return but hopefully, it won't be too long. However, with that combination of players, two games is too long of a stretch. You are going to read article after article linking the Yankees to every possible third baseman in the world, and a few who aren't possible. Yesterday, I read that Rafael Devers might be an option. That would be an abysmal idea. Devers is a terrible fielder, who has been turned into a DH by the Red Sox. Then, they asked him to play first base due to an injury and he refused. The Yankees should cross ten streets, not just one, to avoid him. As much as I don't love the idea of DJ LeMahieu playing every day, or at all really, I would personally pack him a lunch every day with an inspirational note attached to it, drive him to the stadium, and escort him to the locker room to make sure he was safe before I would welcome Rafael Devers to the Bronx. In situations like this, I always apply the same logic I used when I was a supervisor in Child Protective Services. If something was a bad idea under normal circumstances, it didn't suddenly become a good idea under unusual circumstances. In other words, the Yankees have avoided trading for Nolan Arenado ever since the end of last season. There were reasons for that. Those reasons still exist. I'm not saying the Yankees don't need a new third baseman. They do. However, they need the right third baseman. We don't want the Yankees to panic. They will evaluate the situation carefully and hopefully make the right move. 

·       Now that we are finally getting nice weather, I'm starting to walk more. I use the rollator because it adjusts better to uneven terrain than my cane and it gives me more confidence. I am able to really hit a stride when I'm using it, which is my goal. If no one is home to help me get the chariot down the stairs, I do laps on my fancy extended deck. It may not sound like a lot but, it adds up. It's the same thing with my arm exercises. When I started, I did two sets of fifteen of each of my arm exercises. Now, I do four sets of twenty-five every day. I added in some leg exercises in addition to the walking. I'm sure when the neighbors see me walking back and forth on my deck, they probably think I'm disturbed. That also has its advantages. As the old saying goes, “good fences make good neighbors”, and so does acting like a nut. I agree with Archie Bunker's philosophy: “I don't mind company; I just don't like it to come over and visit.”  

·       As we enter the first game of the Subway Series, it is our first chance to see Juan Soto as he returns to the Bronx. I'm sure he will be greeted warmly and with great affection. Picture Queen Cersei in her walk of shame on Game of Thrones and you pretty much have the picture, except he will be wearing a uniform. At this point, Soto is batting .255 with 8 home runs and 20 RBI. Remember, he granted an interview before Opening Day in which he proclaimed himself the greatest hitter in the history of baseball. Let’s do a little comparison, shall we? Aaron Judge, whom Soto did not even mention in that interview as being someone he considers great, is hitting .412 with 15 home runs and 41 RBI. Paul Goldschmidt is hitting .346 with 5 home runs and 22 RBI. Ben Rice, who is wearing Soto’s old number, is batting .254 with nine home runs and twenty RBI. Ben Rice essentially has identical numbers to Juan Soto. Trent Grisham is hitting .283 with 12 home runs and 22 RBI. Look, I'm sure when all is said and done, Soto will have an excellent season. He's a tremendous player. There is no denying that. However, the Yankees did not plummet off a cliff because he went elsewhere. One thing is clear, Aaron Judge has not been adversely affected by Soto’s absence. Even though Soto will not admit it, Aaron Judge is clearly the better player. Remember, the Yankees did not do well against the Mets at all last year. I expect them to come into this series with a chip on their collective shoulder. 

·       I met with an eye surgeon the other day. I thought he was going to prescribe me a German shepherd and a white cane but instead, he's scheduled me for cataract surgery, which is set for the end of summer. Surprisingly, they don't do both eyes on the same day. Before anyone writes a lengthy thesis on why they wouldn't do such a thing, (you know who you are), I was only joking. The surgeon seemed very competent, knowledgeable, and personable. However, he was the spitting image of Napoleon Dynamite’s brother, Kip. That really filled me with confidence.  While I am recovering, Clancy may have to help me with my typing. When I told our esteemed editor about the situation, I believe his exact words were “Eyes, Schmyes”. That's why you have two of them.” Again, before anyone hires an attorney for me, I am only joking.

·       I expect that now that we are getting into warm weather, the Yankees will begin hitting even more home runs than they already have. I expect Aaron Judge to continue pounding the ball mercilessly, but I also suspect that Ben Rice and Jasson Dominguez will get hot. To me, Dominguez in particular looks as if he's about to go on a real tear. He is built like a fire hydrant, but he can hit the ball extremely hard, and he can fly on the base paths. He also seems to have a cheerful and positive attitude, which is extremely important. 

·       My publisher has just finished the page design process on my second novel, “The Sea Change of Doctor Abernathy”. Next, they will design the cover and then set the monks to chiseling it into stone, which should take a couple of months. I expect it to be foisted on an unsuspecting public by the end of summer. Without giving too much away, there is a component in the book that deals with animal assisted therapy and particularly, emotional support animals. I happened to read a story yesterday about a horse in France named Peyo, who is better known as “Doctor Peyo”. Peyo once competed in dressage events, but now works at the Calais Hospital in the palliative care unit or the Children's Hospital. Peyo instinctively knows which patients to visit and will stand in front of a room and raise his front leg. He has been proven to reduce patients’ anxiety and comfort people in pain. He frequently comforts people right up until their passing. His effect on the patients has reduced their reliance on hard drugs as it allows them to be at peace. This is an amazing story, (which I encourage you to look up online), but it is not unique. Miniature horses, which Peyo is not, are frequently used in this country and others as service animals. It was gratifying for me to read another real-life example of what I have portrayed in my novel. Of course, there are skeptics. My friend Roger stated that there hasn't been a horse, of course, that he would trust since Mr. Ed. 

·       If Will Warren continues his progression, and Luis Gil returns resembling the pitcher he was last year, the Yankees will have three effective members of the starting rotation who were developed in their system. As maligned as the Yankees’ farm system is, they have not only produced those three pitchers but also Jonathan Loaisiga and position players, Austin Wells, JC Escarra, Ben Rice, Anthony Volpe, Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza, Aaron Judge, and Jasson Dominguez. That's pretty impressive, I think.

·       As I was writing this, my wife was doing her Yosemite Sam impression while Clancy was assisting her in folding the laundry. I have decided that once my medical condition improves to the point where I'm no longer homebound, one of the things I'm going to do Is make arrangements for my funeral.  I’m not trying to be maudlin. I don't expect this event to occur for many, many years but this is something that many people do. It is prudent. Furthermore, my wife needs to be tranquilized if she loses her pock-a-book or cell phone, what do you think she would do if I croaked? I already have a cemetery plot. I will be next to my parents, so they can keep an eye on me. Plus, there is a nice diner across the street, in case we get hungry. I will just make all the other arrangements now, so my wife won't have anything to do if that day ever comes. I began thinking what music I would like to have played. At some point during either the wake or the service, I have decided that I would like the following songs played. (I will be hovering in the rafters nodding in approval). Here is my selection: “Ave Maria” by Perry Como, “I Will Always Love You” in Italian by Catherine Jenkins, “Danny Boy” by Ronan Tynan, “Nessun Dorma” by the incomparable Luciano Pavarotti, and “My Way” by André Rieu. Finally, as they lower me into the ground, I want the theme from The Great Escape to be played. If one person in attendance smiles, I'll have achieved my goal.