The Yankees Need a B-12 Shot
| 9
|
by user Bwell316
Remember way back in the first month of the season when the Yankees had no pitching? I do. No one could go past 5 innings, and when a pitcher did get past 5 innings he left the game injured. I remember the "experts" (keep in mind ESPN states that Steve Phillips, a man who once recruited one-legged, 350 pound Mo Vaughn to play in the National League, is a baseball expert) saying that if the Yankees could get their pitching straightened out they could get their season turned around. Well, with that said, the Yankees have, for the most part, got their pitching settled down and are even getting quality starts. That means the season should have turned around by now right? Wait, let's see, oh right, no!
The Yankee offense looks old, lethargic, and clueless. This has been coming for a couple of years now, as usually when the offense starts sputtering a trade (Bobby Abreu) or a young player (Robby Cano) inject a little life into the lineup and it's good to go. Is there an impending trade out there to fix this lineup? A young hitter to spark something? No, there isn't. Robinson Cano's lack of plate patience is being exposed every day, as I believe he leads the league in strikeouts and pop-ups and looks more and more like a left handed, power-less, slower version of the man he pretty much replaced at second, Alfonso Soriano. So that doesn't help. Jason Giambi looks like he is 55 years old, and not in the Julio Franco-way, either. He struck out on a 3-2 pitch against Billy Wagner last night on a ball that wasn't even close (this is where a Yankees announcer would chime in with a "He's not seeing the ball well right now", which is a nice way of saying "He sucks ass at the plate right now"). I now see why Philly fans were begging the Phils to trade Abreu, because when he starts to slump, he acts like he is dying of a terminal illness and drags the entire top of the lineup down with him. Think about this for a second. Jorge "I pee on my hands to prevent blisters" Posada and Derek Jeter are in the top 4 in hitting in the AL right now, and they were only able to get 2 runs off of Oliver Freakin Perez last night? What the hell is the problem here? This lineup was supposed to score 1000 runs this year wasn't it? Are they going to score 500 at this pace? When did Joe Torre, who was once praised for bringing a National League style to the Yankees, stop using the hit and run, or letting Damon and Jeter steal bases? Did I miss a memo or something? Did the spirit of Earl Weaver infect Torre for good? What's the issue here?
The issue is this lineup does not have a Paul O'Neill, Kevin Youkilis type in it. Someone that breaks their bat over their knee if they strike out. Someone who throws their helmet down the right-field line if they ground into a dp. It's a bunch of "ho-hum, oh well we'll get them tomorrow" looks like that make me want to light up everything I own with pinstripes on it with a Zippo and gasoline. I really thought I could get behind this team this year with subtractions of Gary Sheffield and Randy Johnson, guys I thought who epitomized the hired gun atmosphere the Yankees had fostered since 2002. Instead I find myself irritated and trying to figure out what this team is missing. You know who would be an absolutely tremendous fit for this team? A guy I consider "The Human B-12 Shot", Eric Byrnes. The D'Backs have plenty of young outfielders, I am sure they could swing a deal for him. I know he doesn't make alot of money, but I think a guy like him could make a HUGE difference in the dynamic of this team of lethargic all-stars. Hell maybe he could even teach Melky Cabrera to be a difference maker and an energy changer. Yeah, I know, it sounds crazy, almost as crazy as signing Gary Sheffield to a free agent contract in 2004 when Vladimir Guerrero was available, but hey, it's worth a shot. Brian Cashman wanted control over this team, and he has it now (for the most part), so it's time to look back at those teams from the late 90's, figure out how you can model this current version after one of them, and salvage this sinking ship before I have to watch an AL playoff consisting of Boston, Detroit, Cleveland and Oakland.
