At SU, we pride ourselves on thoughtful perspectives, an experienced if not over-worked crack research staff and reminding the intergalactic subscriber base when we are right. Well, despite a season’s worth of people telling SU that I was wrong about the Yankees, I would say now that all signs are pointing to what I have been saying all along. This is a mediocre, boring team that is headed toward a win total in the mid-80s for the season. And, the Mets are now peaking and if you have been paying attention, are starting to dominate the back page.
Jacoby Ellsbury now has a sore hip (the guy must get hurt getting out of bed) and may miss the next several games. Brett Gardner is hitting .194 for August and A-Rod has finally hit the wall. Combine that with Teixeira’s sore shin and you have a total stoppage with the offense. Surely this must be the time to get Refsnyder back up here to help spark the offense. And if he comes up and Girardi acutally plays him, will all the sports writers once again say what a genius Cashman is? Or will one brave sole actually wonder why he was sent back down so that Stephen Drew can continue to hit like a pitcher? It’s fine to stay the course in baseball as it’s a long season but A-Rod has over-achieved and this team really needs to sacrifice some defense for some offense. Otherwise, the Yankees will end up battling for the 2nd Wild Card spot of which they have about a 4.5 game lead at the moment.
The Mets, meanwhile, suddenly look like the Toronto Blue Jays and have been flexing their muscles night after night. They are winning again tonight and the Nationals are losing again. They may actually run away and hide at this rate. I still think the Nationals have one last gasp in them but the Mets seem to have other ideas. They are must see tv.
Sports Update Intergalactic 
I saw Brave Sole open for Phish.
Yankees running on fumes and clearly playing for the wild card now- Blue Jays pummeling the Rangers again and have the chance to complete a sweep of a tough 6-game road trip tomorrow. Girardi should also switch Beltran and A-Rod in the order now.
As I sweat my way through Florida, luckily the Yankees haven’t been on TV. But you can just look at the box scores and see how bad they have been. I agree with the A-Rod demotion – might as well play Beltran in the heart of the order until he get hurts too. It’s a team-wide meltdown on offense and rather than project statistics for the full season, it’s more telling to compare these guys to the back of their baseball cards. Guys like Headley have already hit their normal career stats and Gardner is running on fumes. Ellsbury should be fresher as he is injured all the time and has played fewer games. Losing in the wild card game is not a successful season.
Contenders or Pretenders
We have seen this before. When in doubt they seem to turn things around.l When feeling good about these Pinstripes there they go again and teeter totter. The steady personality of (boring) Girardi, at least shown in public hopefully can stir them up a bit. Yes, there are many, many veterans, but they too can use a kick in the pants.
I can live with 1-2 games out before the 7 games against Toronto, but no further out. Hopefully, Toronto, in the middle of flying high will come back down to earth soon. Very rarely does a team sustain such a high for so long.
Of course I am talking like a Yankee fan… but what are you suppose to do… watch Little League playoffs? Not a bad idea. How about watching Serena Williams bench press 200 pounds? Is there anyone who looks half as ripped as she? “Bruce Jenner?” Maybe the hair salon (Ex fire fighter) stylist from Orange is the New Black?
Andy, I actually feel being 1-2 games out before those games with Toronto are too much. You would think Toronto would start to lose a little but if anything, they are getting even hotter. Tulowitzki has finally started to hit as they were basically winning with nothing from him. I don’t think the Yankees are cut out to win a wild card game with their all or nothing offense. I agree that guys get too comfortable. That’s why bringing up Refsnyder and putting him in at 2nd base might at least make someone uncomfortable. Girardi has always protected his players to the nth degree. But he is highly competitive and if the malaise continues you might see him shake things up a little. Problem is that he is so limited given the roster.
While I have always had difficulties telling Donald Trump apart from George Steinbrenner based on their media antics, I do have to give George credit that the Yankees were generally feared when he was constructing the team. The new regime is slightly more impressive than Isiah Thomas in putting together a roster with staying power. I’m guessing that George Costanza really is behind the scenes calling the shots.
As far as Serena goes, I’ve already got my DVR set for April 2026 when the 30 for 30 special comes out to document her health problems from years of steroid abuse.
Paging Dr. Galea! I don’t know about Serena. Tiger Woods was a patient of Dr. Galea but he has never failed a test and certainly Serena hasn’t either. I think she is just a big woman with strong legs and a very competitive spirit. I have never liked her as she does not give credit to the opponent when she loses (although lately she has been better on that front as she never loses). In the past, it was always what she didn’t do vs. the opponent. I think Venus was always that way too. If you look at the top men, it’s totally the opposite. Plus, Serena bullies the linesmen and her meltdown at the US Open was epic. I just cannot get excited about her Grand Slam or her whole act.
Brian Cashman continues to get a pass for years of underwhelming moves. All he has to do now for me is bring up the youngsters and let the chips fall where they may. I don’t need a wild card game loss. I would rather build for the future.