About the Off-Season: Meanderings of My Mind

By Tim Kabel

February 22, 2024

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I am back. Unlike our esteemed editor, Dr Semendinger, I was not on a cruise. What I was doing would be more comparable to being chained next to Charlton Heston in the galley of the slave ship in Ben-Hur.The process of moving from the home where I resided for twenty years would not be described as smooth sailing. It was as if we hit an iceberg, were attacked by not only sharks but orcas as well, endured a mutiny and a tremendous case of seasickness. As I am settling in and recovering from this ordeal, spring training is underway. There is a lot to discuss. I will now wander from topic to topic like The Basset Hound of Sorrow going from food dish to food dish, looking for kibble. 

• There continue to be rumors that the Yankees are looking to sign Blake Snell. There are reports that they have offered him another contract. He remains unsigned, as do Jordan Montgomery and Cody Bellinger. Apparently, the Yankees were the only team that made him an offer so far, It would not be far-fetched for the Yankees to work something out and sign him. It would be a good move. 

•  My wife developed the flu the day before our move. She went to the new place to manage things there while I remained at the old home to finish packing and supervising the move. She called me to report that the refrigerator was not working. Three technicians came out to survey the situation and came to the conclusion that the refrigerator was not working. We were offered the use of the refrigerator in the second-floor apartment, as no one is residing there. Guess what? That refrigerator didn't work either. After the refrigerator was replaced, it was determined that the fault lay not with the refrigerator but with the electrical outlet. It was eventually replaced. Then, two of the burners on the stove didn't work. It was subsequently determined that the oven didn't work eirher. All of these issues were remedied. The property management company has been very responsive. However, I must note that George and Weezy never had problems like this. 

• Gleyber Torres has proclaimed that he wants to be a “Yankee for Life.” That would not be the worst move the team could make. I don't see many better options and offensively, he has been improving and is less streaky. 

• Moving reminds me a lot of spring training. You gather everything together at the beginning and then you make your initial cuts. With the move, things you know you won't use, need or want, you discard in some fashion. Later in the process, you make a second set of cuts. Once you arrive at the new abode, you go through things more carefully and cut out items you no longer need or want. At the end of a move and at the end of spring training, ideally everything is exactly how you want it  

• It seems likely that Juan Soto will be batting second in the Yankees’ lineup ahead of Aaron Judge. If it were up to me, i would put Alex Verdugo second, Judge third, and Soto fourth. It would lengthen the lineup and since Verdugo gets on base a lot, it would increase the number of RBI opportunities for both Judge and Soto. 

• As I mentioned in an earlier article, I had always wanted to try duck confit. I finally did it last week. It was one of those relatively rare occasions when something lived up to my expectations. It was delicious. Being benevolent, I shared some with my kitten, Nut. His tongue whipped across his face like the giant brushes at a car wash, removing any speck or crumb of the delicacy from his face. It is something we will have to have again. As an aside, Nut does not perceive that I am ever eating my meal. He views it as we are eating our meal. I am comfortable with that arrangement 

•  The only issue with where Judge and Soto and even Verdugo will bat in the lineup is the question of who will bat leadoff. Many people have speculated that it will be DJ LaMahieu. That is a possibility. However, he will turn 36 years old in July. He has been declining in the past few years and has been injured fairly often. I don't know if he can be relied upon to be a regular player and more importantly, the leadoff hitter. 

• There is nothing better in the world than finding your soulmate. When you are with that person you know you were meant to be with, everything works out. You complement each other. For instance, during this move, my wife called me from the new place and stated that we would never be able to fit a table and chairs in the dining area. We would also not be able to fit a sofa and maybe not even a second chair in the living room. We certainly couldn't fit our bed in the bedroom. Well, last night we ate dinner at the table and chairs I had delivered last week. She sat for a while on the couch that also came last week while I sat in my recliner and looked at another recliner as well as a very large cedar chest that functions as a coffee table. After that, we went to sleep in our bed, which fits snugly in the bedroom. Everything worked out just fine. 

•  Apparently, Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rodon are in fine fettle this spring and Nestor was very impressive while pitching batting practice the other day, striking out Juan Soto three times. If they are both solid this year, the Yankees should have a formidable starting rotation. If they do add Snell, it could be one of the best in Baseball. 

• One of the adjustments i am making in my new home is that I am learning how to use a gas stove. I lived in an apartment that had a gas stove 25 years ago, but I wasn't there long, and it was a long time ago. Now that everything is working, I cooked my first meal in the new place the other night. Naturally, it was a Paul Prudhomme recipe. It had sliced peppers, mushrooms, onions, carrots, and pastrami in a cream sauce. I served it with a fresh burrata in the middle with a little bit of red pepper flakes over the top. I used rotini pasta to absorb all that sauce. 

• Giancarlo Stanton is notably slimmer and in better shape entering spring training. I don't know if that will help him avoid injury, but it does demonstrate effort and commitment to the team. 

• Living in my new home, I feel a little like Napoleon on Elba. You do know why Napoleon went there, correct? He wanted some Elba room. 

• If Brian Cashman makes one more big addition, whether it be Blake Snell or Cody Bellinger, he will have had a tremendous off-season. As it stands now, he had a very good off-season. The heat is now on Aaron Boone to deliver a Championship. 

• Jasson Dominguez appears to be ahead of schedule in his recovery. That is a wonderful thing but, based on the way he moved through the farm system and his reported work ethic, it is not a surprise.  

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