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Aaron Boone is the Yankees manager in 2024, and by making the move early, the discussion turns to what counts – building a winning team. Say what you will about Aaron Boone, but he never had an at-bat in a lineup that finished next to last in batting average, 25th in runs scored, and 27th in on-base percentage. Aaron Boone also had nothing to do with the Yankees scoring runs when they had an…

Mets first baseman Pete Alonso is on a self-propelled mission this season, and it’s not too soon to consider appointing him Team Captain. When the Mets 2022 season ended, Pete Alonso says he took a “deep dive” during the offseason into examining where he could improve. The results have followed through the first two months of the regular season, as illustrated by Alonso’s 20 home runs and 46 RBI…

The Yankees came to life in May, going 17-8. But it was all for naught, as they gained only 1.5 games on Tampa Bay. The script must change… The Yankees can take cover in the fact that since May 1, when they were mired in last place with a .500 record and trailing Tampa Bay by 8.5 games, the team has rebounded, moving up to third place while playing .700 baseball (17-8). Of course, the trouble is…

While the Mets look for a power bat at the trade deadline, they can take action now to strengthen the team. Here’s some food for thought… One of these days, the Mets offense and starting pitching is bound to click on the same day, enabling the team to run off a streak that gains meaningful ground on the Braves. Yesterday’s ten runs illustrates the frustration, a sum good enough to win two games,…

The Mets have trashed their preseason plans to give their most prized prospects more seasoning in the minors. Good for them, now stay with it. Mets brass, following a fervent push from fans and media, finally relented with a callup of Mark Vientos that completes a three-player sweep of rookies who are making a play for regular time in the team’s lineup. Now teamed with Vientos, Brett Baty and…

Yankees manager Aaron Boone threw another hissy fit last night, getting tossed again in a trend that’s very disturbing. Aaron Boone was ejected from last night’s game with the Orioles for the third time in the Yankees last ten games for arguing balls and strikes. What is disturbing is, like all managers, Boone knows beforehand that arguing calls by the home plate umpire is fruitless, and MLB…

The weight of Yankees pinstripes has finally crushed Aaron Hicks, a player who joins a long list of players who couldn’t cut it in New York. After eight unremarkable years, Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks has been exiled and freed to explore other opportunities in baseball. Oddly, the Yankees’ decision to DFA(Designate For Assignment) Hicks came at the height of a team resurgence and a modest…

Francisco Lindor loved the moment last night when his base hit gave the Mets a walk-off win. Fans loved it too. But he will never be beloved. Francisco Lindor is a cut above most major league position layers. But he is not exceptional, even though he offers the look of being extraordinary. His smile is broad and engaging, often displayed on the field. In a nutshell, Francisco Lindor draws…

In ways more than the obvious, Aaron Judge is a big man. And never was that more on display than in Toronto this week. Aaron Judge made his mark in Toronto this week in more ways than one. Batting .429, with a .579 OBP and a 1.357 slugging percentage, along with four home runs while just missing a fifth by a hair, Judge helped to take the Yankees from cellar dwellers in the American League East…

Yesterday’s post about MLB having seven-inning games to reduce pitching injuries drew interest, but there’s an even better way than that. Major League Baseball (MLB) fans are tired of messing with the game, even if some of the new rule changes are proving good overall. And yet, the number of injuries to pitchers, especially those in a team’s starting rotation, is growing each year, causing a…

Half of all MLB pitchers were injured last year. Bullpens are taxed every game. The pitch clock works, but a seven-inning game works better.  By most accounts, MLB has scored a home run with the introduction of the pitch clock to speed up games. The typical MLB game this season is shorter by about 30 minutes. Still, the number of injuries to pitchers remains a stigma in the game, especially…

The Mets split the jury with a question when the money poured out to sign a pair of aging pitchers – did they get to the party a year late? The Mets, with the arrival of Steve Cohen, were supposed to have transcended the stumbling and bumbling years of the Wilpons when season after season of disappointment and dysfunction were the main fodder for late-night TV hosts and New York radio. Words of…

Yankees: The Greatest Story Ever Told – Reflections On Baseball

Each year, the Yankees brass tells us they are in it to win it. The “it” is always the same – a World Championship. Talk about clickbait… The Yankees, in the name of Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman, are doing it again. It’s full steam ahead and there will be only one true result for the 2023 season as they make their way toward reforming the team – a World Championship. It’s a familiar refrain…

Yankees: The Renewal Project Just Begins With Aaron Judge – Reflections On Baseball

When the Yankees sign Aaron Judge, the work to overhaul the team will still lie ahead. Here’s a rundown of critical issues needing action. The Yankees have correctly arranged their priorities for the 2023 season by making AL MVP Aaron Judge their “no excuses” free agent signee. But beyond Judge is a host of critical weaknesses that need to be addressed before the Yankees can meet the challenge of…

MLB 2022: Well, That Sure Was Easy, Wasn’t It? – Reflections On Baseball

Fans of MLB have been retaken to the woodpile. We have no recourse except to revel that there will be baseball. But we know… Major League Baseball is back, and for fans like myself –  who really gives a damn about the inner-workings of the pseudo negotiations that took place over the past three months? But rest assured, there is a bitter taste in the mouths of these same fans who see through the…

Steve Cohen Mets 2022 Payroll Draws Fellow Owners Ire

Steve Cohen is off the MLB owner’s reservation, and for that, he’s become a pariah among his peers, a target in a new luxury tax agreement.  When his fellow MLB team owners approved Steve Cohen to replace the fiscal “prudence” of the New York Mets in November 2020, it did not escape notice that four of his peers voted “no.” According to SNY’s Andy Martino, those four owners who opposed Cohen’s…

Paul O’Neill Deserves It But It Isn’t Getting A Bit Ridiculous

News about Paul O’Neill and the retirement of his number has to be met with an open heart by fans. But aren’t the Yankees pushing it a bit? Paul O’Neill was coined “The Warrior” by the late Yankee’s owner George Steinbrenner – and no one has argued the tag for many reasons since then. According to the New York Post, O’Neill was reported as being “stunned” by announcing that his Number 21 would be…