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About the Off-Day: Meanderings of My Mind

  • Tim Kabel
  • 3 days ago
  • 6 min read

About the Off-Day: Meanderings of My Mind

By Tim Kabel

August 8, 2025

***

Yesterday, the Yankees had a day off after losing two of three games against the Texas Rangers. The good news is that they didn't lose yesterday. These days, that is a rare and beautiful thing. Tonight, the Yankees will open a three-game series against the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees are 61-54 and in third place in the American League East, 6 1/2 games behind the Blue Jays and 2 1/2 games behind the Red Sox. They are clinging to the final wild card position, leading both the Cleveland Guardians and the Texas Rangers by a game and a half. Don't blink because that probably won't last long. Since there is no game to recap today, I will now dash from topic to topic like Aaron Boone trying to plug the holes in his sinking ship. 

 

·      The Yankees are 61-54 today.  On May 30th, they were 35-20. They had a losing record in June; they had a losing record in July. So far in August, the Yankees are 1-5. They will be playing the Houston Astros for the next three games, so don't expect their win-loss record in August to improve very much. Since May 30th, the Yankees have been a sub .500 baseball team. That means they are a losing baseball team. Because they built up a nice cushion at the beginning of the year, they are still seven games above .500, but they have not played well in over two months. Let's be realistic, if this team played any other team in the playoffs right now, they would be eliminated immediately. The Yankees have 46 games left to turn things around. Is there any reason to believe they will do so? The division is practically beyond their grasp at this point. So, if the Yankees make the playoffs, it will be as a Wild Card team. Could the Yankees surprise me and everyone else and storm down the stretch and into the playoffs on a huge winning streak? Of course they could, but that's highly unlikely. The chances of the Yankees returning to the World Series this year are about the same as me being featured in an American Eagle jeans campaign.

 

·      I was scheduled to be off for about ten days later this month, as we were planning a family vacation on a cruise. My cruise went the way of the Titanic because I caught a virus which caused one of my legs to become inflamed and swollen. To the untrained eye, it appeared as if I had the world's worst case of sunburn. Because it was extremely uncomfortable and painful, I had to cancel my trip and reschedule it for next year. That means I will be here watching this debacle of a Yankees’ season and passing on my opinions to you. As if I didn't suffer enough from the leg condition, I now get to watch ten extra Aaron Boone press conferences.

 

·      Trent Grisham is having a very good year for the Yankees. However, it would have made sense to trade him while his value was at its peak. He will be a free agent at the end of the year, and it is unlikely that the Yankees will re-sign him. For his sake, I hope he gets a nice contract with another team. I think it is more likely that the Yankees will resign Cody Bellinger because he is a better overall player than Grisham and is more versatile. He could be the Yankees’ starting first baseman next year, as they will most likely let Paul Goldschmidt go via free agency. Ideally, the Yankees will have an outfield next year of from left to right, Jasson Dominguez, Spencer Jones, and Aaron Judge. Perhaps the uncertainty over whether Aaron Judge would be able to play the field again this year led the Yankees to keep Grisham. However, they certainly could have brought Jones up and they may well do so when the rosters expand.

 

·      I have not provided an update on my fancy weight loss journey lately. I have been on this adventure for a little over 10 months and I have now lost 75 lbs. This was a program supported by the State of Connecticut for its employees and retirees. They cited the many health benefits of the program, and it was provided free of charge. Naturally because it has been successful and many employees and retirees have signed up for it, the state has now decided that those participating in the program must pay a fee every month. It is not a very substantial fee but, there are various stipulations that need to be met. Otherwise, the fee will double for next year. Benevolence only goes so far, I suppose. Regardless, I feel much better and will continue the fancy weight loss journey until I resemble ichabod Crane.

 

·      Let me see if I have this straight. Last week, the Yankees traded for Jake Bird from the Rockies to enhance the bullpen. Three days later, they shipped him to the minor leagues. That doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to me but, what do I know? 

 

·      The fact that the Yankees won the final game against the Texas Rangers is nice, but they still lost 5 of 6 on the road trip and in the month of August. The Yankees have a lot of games against the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Tigers, and Astros in their remaining 46 games. In reality, the way the Yankees have played since May 30th, any opponent will be tough for them. Right now, the Yankees are sinking into the quicksand. Their prospects for making the playoffs do not look great. I honestly thought that Aaron Boone would have been fired by now. I suspected that it would happen after this road trip, even though they won the last game. Maybe they will just let him finish out the season. I don't know what good that will do, but that seems to be the way Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner are leaning. If they wait too much longer, it would be unfair to expect the new manager to turn things around.

 

·      I will be taking time off at the end of the month as I will be having cataract surgery. My surgeon seems optimistic and enthusiastic about my chances for a successful operation. However, he did hand me a brochure for canes and Guide Dogs just in case. Actually, he is extremely positive. That's always something to look for in a surgeon, especially one who will be operating on me. I will have the operation on the left eye at the end of August and the one on the right eye in the middle of September. I should have perfect vision right at the end of September. That will coincide with the end of the Yankees’ season which means I will not have a completely clear view of the disaster that is unfolding in front of us. That's the only good thing about having cataracts.

 

·      Like many others, I have become frustrated with Anthony Volpe. To a lesser degree, I am also frustrated with Austin Wells. However, since I have long stated that Aaron Boone is absolutely dreadful at developing young players, I think it would only be fair to give both of them another chance next year under a new manager. If the Yankees hire someone who is capable of and interested in developing younger players, such as Shelley Duncan, I suspect that both Volpe and Wells will improve. I anticipate that Jasson Dominguez will flourish. If the younger players do not improve under a new manager, then changes can be made.

 

·      On Tuesday night, when Devin Williams was imploding yet again, the cameras on the YES network cut to Aaron Boone. He was looking over his shoulder at the bullpen phone and appeared even more bewildered than usual. David Cone even commented on this fact. If the viewers can see that Boone had no idea what to do and the announcers can see that Boone had no idea what to do, we must assume that Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner noticed it as well. That should have been the straw that broke the camel's back. That should have been enough for them to replace Boone. Yet, there he is still at the helm of the Yankees. I cannot see any way that Boone survives this season. I know he has his apologists and his supporters. There are many folks who think he is a great manager. Great managers have World Series rings. Boone does not. I suspect that Aaron Boone may well be hired by another team. I would be willing to bet that regardless of whatever team he manages, he will never win a World Series. Over the years that I have been writing for SSTN, I have developed the phrases “Boone Proofing” and “Boone-Swoon”. It is time for a new one: “Boone Voyage.”

 

 

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