Wrap Up: Tues. July 30, 2013: Yankees lose 3-2 to Dodgers:

 Some positives emerged from last night's game. The Yankees 'bullpen pitched well, and Andy Pettite pitched well for the 2nd consecutive start. Yes I know he once again gave up some early innings runs, including a solo hr, but you can't expect more from 41 year old Starting Pitcher and he pitched deep in the game and kept the Yankees in the game. With that said, Jayson Nix at 3rd base instead of Eduardo Nunez or even Bret Littlebridge who has hit surprisingly decently? Jayson Nix is not Mike Schmidt let alone a Luis Sojo (circa late 1990s Yankees' teams) high caliber utility player who could get a key hit every once in awhile. With all due respect to Chris Stewart's admirable defensive as catcher behind the plate this season, he, along with Nix, for the most part, have been ultimate "Black Sabbathesque doom and gloom," potential rally killers in the lineup for the Yankees most of this season. Girardi, especially with no DH playing in National Lea...gue ballparks this week, should really make an effort to get Eduardo Nunez or even Bret Lillibridge's bat in the lineup and to get one of them to play 3rd base. I know Jayson Nix just came off the D.L. and his timing is likely off, but even when Nix was getting regular playing time earlier this season, he was not exactly "setting the world on fire,"nor playing like Cal Ripken Jr. at SS when filling in for Jeter or David Wright filling in at 3rd base for A-Rod. In addition, Cano, for someone who wants to be paid as one of the Top 10 position players in MLB, played like a scared rookie in front of the Hollywood lights (1 for 4 with 2 awful looking strikeouts and a dropped ball in the bottom of the 9th inning that one could argue he should have been able to scoop up). During this upcoming this off-season, the Yankees should offer Cano no more than a 5 year contract as the Yankees offered to Reggie Jackson in the 1976 off-season when he was the same age as Cano is now and was a free agent. If Cano and his agent don't like that offer, then the Yankees could look internally (David Adams?) or better yet see what it takes to get in a possible trade with either the White Sox's Gordon Beckham or the Angels' Howie Kendrick who is arguably the most underrated player in the American League. Supposedly, Brian Cashman is good friends with the White Sox GM, Kenny Williams, so a Gordon Beckham trade may be more feasible. However, Kendrick is the better player and 2nd baseman.

 

"McCarthyism" Reveals Its Ugly Head In MLB (Commissioner's Office)

Bud Selig is arbitrarily singling out Alex Rodriguez, and if Selig does indeed invoke that Commissioner prerogative privilege, he will be abusing his power as Commissioner. Selig turned a blind eye to the PEDs epidemic in the mid to late 1990s-early 2000s because the increase in offense contributed to the renewed popularity of MLB in the wake of the 1994 players'' strike. Also, Bud Selig is a big hypocrite in terms of "preserving the integrity of the game," rationale. Selig is going all "Joe McCarthy," on these Biogenesis implicated MLB players, who ,at the very worst, are only hurting themselves, in terms of their long-term health and the possible dangerous effects of PEDs. Yet, in the case of the Tigers' Miguel Cabrera, who last Spring Training, not too far from where I live in Fort Pierce, was involved in a domestic disturbance involving his wife and also got busted for DUI, which not only could cause harm to himself but could pose as a very real danger to the general driving and pedestrian public, Selig turned a blind eye and did nothing to hold Miguel Cabrera accountable for his irresponsible actions. All Cabrera received was a recommendation to go for counseling which is a big joke. Other alleged PEDs users (2003 Mitchell Report list) and Mark McGwire , who is allowed presently to be the St Louis Cardinals' hitting coach, were never held accountable for their alleged misdeeds which at the time were not prohibited by MLB. On another side note, in my opinion anyway, MLB was better and more entertaining game when PEDS and amphetamines were being used in the mid-late 1990s and early 2000s and when offense and home run numbers were up. People pay a lot of $ to attend MLB games and watch on tv (MLB Extra Innings), and they deserve the maximum entertainment value. Why do you think MLB lost its top spot as most popular sport in the USA to the NFL during the 1960s and early 1970s, aside from Pete Rozelle's NFL innovations (Super Bowl, MNF,, etc)? It was in large due part because MLB, during the 1960s, experienced a steep decline in offense so much so that by 1969, the pitcher's mound was lowered and then the DH was introduced in the American League in 1973. After awhile, fans get bored with a pitcher's duel 1-0 games. I don't want MLB regressing to the point of 1968 when Denny McClain won 31 games and Bob Gibson was pitching with a miniscule 1.27 E.R.A. In general most sports (MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL) flourish when offense is up. MLB 's popularity ascended in the first place during the 1920s with Babe Ruth and home run in which initially Ruth single handedly, would out homer certain MLB teams. :)LOL

The Yankees and Brian Cashman need to put aside their personal antipathy towards Alex Rodriguez, petty feelings, and possible monetary interests aside, and bring back Alex Rodriguez asap. Realistically, fans can't expect A-Rod to produce initially as he did in his prime nor during the 2009 season and post-season. Nonetheless, even at less than 100% capacity, A-Rod will have more productive at bats and be more selective at the plate than Lyle Overbay and Vernon Wells.
Granted the  Tampa Rays' Chris Archer pitched well this afternoon, but the Yankees' hitters, including the veteran hitters, were swinging away at most of Archer's first pitches and manifested poor plate discipline.

  I have one quick fix trade remedy proposal which may rectify the Yankees' current home run drought in which the Yankees don't give up big time prospects but just have to absorb $ and a long term contract. The Yankees acquire Josh Hamilton from the Angels in exchange for Phil Hughes, raised in Southern California, and Joba Chamberlain both of whom are free agents. The Angels who need both SP and bullpen relief help, get a SP and reliever, and the Yankees get a corner outfielder, who can still play CF, with home run power tailored for the short porch at Yankee Stadium (Remember Hamilton's HR display at Yankee Stadium during the 2008 All- Star HR Derby?). Hamilton is only 32 and has about 5 good years left and a change in scenery may benefit him. The Yankees will then have an outfielder, to go along with Granderson when he returns, who is capable of hitting the long ball. The Yankees who currently have Gardner and Ichiro, are speedy and play exceptional defense who get their decent share of singles. However, neither Gardner nor Ichiro drive in runs consistently and also their collective lack of HR power, combined with the losses of Granderson, Ibanez, and Swisher in the OF, and little production from Wells/ Hafner and also from 3rd base is absolutely debilitating the Yankees' offense.

 New York Yankees' 2013 Present Day Woes:

In terms of determining a specific agent or "scapegoat," for the Yankees' challenges this season, Yankees' ownership nor Brian Cashman had no way to forecast all long-term injuries (outside of Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez) that have beset the Yankees, nor anticipate the severe regressions of CC Sabathia and Joba Chamberlain( though I think Chamberlain still has a lot to offer and might still be hampered with that oblique problem from early May because he had pitched well before that injury).
With that said, nonetheless, Yankees' ownership and management, even with a mediocre free agent class last off-season (BJ Upton and Josh Hamilton were the best available free agents each with their own respective question marks), were arguably too complacent and fell asleep at the wheel in not rectifying the loss of home run power (Swisher, Rodriguez, Ibanez, and Russell Martin) with dubious replacement choices. Specifically, Cashman's judgment should really be questioned in signing a one dimensional and injury prone DH in Travis Hafner who can't play the field. Hafner's inability to play defense has hampered Joe Girardi'ss managerial flexibility all season long. Cashman could have either resigned Raul Ibanez, who besides being a more proficient hitter than Hafner can also play a competent OF, or Cashman could have even signed Mike Napoli , who killed the Yankees with 2 hrs this past Sunday night (July 21st), and can play 1st base and even catch in a pinch or better yet sign Cody Ross, a fairly good right handed hitter with pop who can play both 1st base and OF. Also, Cashman should be faulted for signing Kevin Youkilis, whose recent history of back ailments and reduced productivity, should have sent of alarm bells. Instead, Yankees could have groomed Ronnie Mustellier during Spring Training to fill in at 3rd base for A-Rod, or perhaps signed better free agent alternatives compared to Youkilis, including Michael Young, and Jerry Hairston Jr. who was a key utility player for the Yankees back in the 2009 World Series Championship season. Also the decision to demote Brennan Boesch in early June to the minors was a foolhardy decision because Boesch produced offensively during limited playing time in April and May and then sustained a shoulder injury in the minors. At the very least, Boesch could have replaced Hafner and served as the left handed DH or helped spell Ichiro in RF.