Saturday, April 19, 2008

Don't Panic

I should not be the one making this post. I actually have a lot to panic about--like, for instance, the fact that I'm graduating on 11 May, and even if I do get into graduate school, I'm not entirely sure I want to go. Or I could panic about certain assignments that make me really want to do some serious damage to my rented property.

One thing, however, I am not panicking about is the Yankees. I can't believe I have to write this on 19 April, but already there are people calling Hughes a bust and calling for Brian Cashman's head.

Slow down. Take a breath. It's going to be a rocky month. Even if the Yankees were completely healthy and everyone playing to their full potential, a stretch with 18 of 20 on the road and the only two at home against your biggest rival would be rough. That, so far, the Yankees are 9-9, is somewhat of a miracle given the injuries to Jeter, Posada, Molina, and the taxing that the bullpen is undergoing while certain starters (I'm looking at you, Mike Mussina) are underperforming and other starters are in their first full year of major league pitching.

For those of you up in arms, check out the rookie stats for John Smoltz on http://www.baseball-reference.com

He's not the only one like that...you might also be interested in Johan Santana.

I'm not saying Phil Hughes or Ian Kennedy will be the next Smoltz or Santana; hopefully they'll be the next Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, but what I am saying is that if you'e going to call them busts on 19 April, you are seriously misguided.

Same with calling for Joe Girardi's head.

He's made some boneheaded moves, sure, name me a manager who hasn't, but he's also done the one thing Joe Torre didn't do--he's spread the workload over the 'pen, and hasn't ridden one guy a là Scott Proctor/Luis Vizcaino/Paul Quantrill/etc.

If the Yankees are still struggling on Memorial Day, then I understand concern, but being at a .500 pace when you play eighteen of twenty on the road, when you lose considerable time from Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter, when you go your first thirteen games not playing in weather above 65 F (including a few monsoons), 9-9 is something of a miracle.

Yes, it's a possibility that the Yankees might not make the playoffs this year, but you know what? I would sacrifice that if it meant laying the foundation for a dynasty to come.

The Yankees are in a better shape now than they've been any year since 2001.

5 comments:

  1. You can never go wrong with the philosophy of Douglas Adams The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

    You bring a lot of sanity to world filled with fans ready to jump off a cliff. Even if the Yankees are at .500 on Memorial Day, I wouldn't panic. There's a heck of a lot of baseball to be played and until the team makes its run, playing about .500 is acceptable. Nobody is running away with the division or wild card yet. Cleveland and Detroit both look pretty bad early too. I still think the Wild Card will come out of the East, and the Yanks anded Sox will both make the playoffs yet again.

    ReplyDelete
  2. False - They did not play 18 of their first 20 games on the road this season.

    ReplyDelete
  3. If I said first 20, that's my mistake, but they DO play 18 of 20 on the road.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The Yankees are in a stretch where they play 18 of 20 on the road with only one off day coming on the road no less) so I think the point is still very valid. So far they are 5-6 over that stretch, which is satisfactory. Tread water in April, get fat in July and August.

    ReplyDelete
  5. There is no need to panic about the Yankees. They have had a lot of injuries and played in horrible weather. Players are starting to combe back and the weather is heating up. So will the Yanks.
    And Rebecca - don't panic about graduate school and graduation. It will all work out.

    ReplyDelete