The Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon

Every Yankee fan on Earth has some ideas of how to gain more than middling success in the post-season next year. Ben had a good take on it, and I’m going to throw in my 2 cents.

A. Rod

An article in the New York Times made the suggestion:

At the risk of sounding indulgent, this bromide may loosely translate into Hot Stove scripture: “Waive that no-trade clause as soon as you can, and get as far away as possible from Derek Jeter.”

I think that A. Rod is one of the best bargains in baseball. He could be the best all-round player in the game right now, next to Pujols, and $5 million of his salary is being payed by Texas. However, he doesn’t fit in. Damon and Abreu joined the team and talk and act like they’ve been there forever. They just fit.

Maybe it’s the media, maybe it’s the fans, maybe it’s his own head, but he’s found himself in a state where he simply cannot perform to the best of his abilities. The same Times article noted that A. Rod has books on Tibetan wisdom in his locker. I know that all players are supersticious, but the greatest players in the game need to be cocky. They need to shine in the toughest spots, rise to the occassion, and simply act like they’re the best. For all the crap that people give Jeter for being overrated, having less-than-ideal range at short, etc., he acts and talks like he deserves to be treated like one of the best players in the game, and he is clutch when he needs to be. No book on Tibetan philosophy gives you that John Wayne mannish bad-assitude you need to win.

So I agree with the Times: A. Rod should waive his no-trade clause. The Yankees should get a great, young pitcher or 3 for him, and A. Rod should go be THE superstar on some team in which he’ll act like one.

Outfield

Ben’s definitely right: Williams, Matsui, Sheffield, Abreu, Melky Cabrera, Damon…too many. I think that Damon, Abreu, and Cabrera are no-brainers, the first two because they fit in better on the team than any Yankee acquired since 2000, and the third because I just love the kid, he’s young, has a cannon for a throw, and I would love for him to be a Yankee for life. I don’t know what Bernie’s contract is like, but I’d feel dirty in my soul to let that man leave the Yankees. He doesn’t even have to play; make him a batting coach or something. He and Don Mattingly–the reason I always wore number 23 on my jersies growing up–can teach some hitting, drink some beers afterwards, and hang out in the Bronx for life, where they both belong.

Personally, I’d trade Sheffield. Matsui’s a better defender and an extremely clutch hitter. As Jeremy says, he’s the Yankee he least wants up at bat against the Sox when there are runners in scoring position in a tight game. Plus the guy played more than 1200 games in a row for the Yanks. The other possibility is to get rid of Giambi and have Sheffield bat DH. Whichever player is more likely to get us pitchers I’d be happy losing. It’s not like the Yankees would die without either bat.

Torre

Trade him for some pitchers and let Mattingly run the team Just kidding. Joe’s awesome, it’s silly to get rid of him. Concentrate on pitching, Cashman, and I’m going to stop now before I really beat this horse that’s already pretty messy.