THE BOSS IS ALIVE! MY DREAM & YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT

....Only in my dreams, but he is. If I had a nickel for how many times I heard "If the Boss was still alive..." or "I miss the Boss," then I would be a very rich woman. We all have our versions of how this would play out. Last night, I had my own as I was catching up on my Z's. It went a little something like this....I warn you, this is weird.

Losing to the Twins before the All-Star break was unacceptable and disgraceful at home. The Yankees have always had the Twins number, so to end the first half with that embarrassing performance made the Boss a little....cranky. Enter team meeting time.

It was time for someone to step up, but who? Derek Jeter was away from the team and Jorge Posada is off enjoying his retirement. His vocal voice is missing in the clubhouse. Someone had to give the Posada team meeting and right the ship. No one other than the Boss could do that. There he was, walking fast and tall down the clubhouse hallway. He was walking with authority and had a stone cold facial expression.

In the clubhouse, he sat everyone down. He reminded everyone how it was an honor to put the pinstripes on everyday and that everyone had high expectations for this team. That the team needed to work harder. They needed to score runs, play good fundamental baseball, support the pitching staff and swing the bat and make things happen. Being at the bottom of the barrel just wasn't acceptable. "How are we ranked 22nd in runs?!" He hollered. The 24th place in on base percentage, 26th place in batting average and 28th in slugging percentage are even worse. These are not stats that the Yankees should have.

The fans deserve more! Injuries are no excuse either because you have to win with who you have on the field and step up. It was a combination of the Billy Beane speach in Moneyball and a Jorge all in one.

Of course, in true boss style when the team doesn't live up to expectations someone has to take the fall. In this case, it was Kevin Long. It was time for a change, and the Boss knew that. Sure, Long has a reputation as one of the best hitting coaches in the game, but reputation will only take you so far. Eventually, it is time to put up or shut up. The Yankees have struggled with scoring runs for a long time now. The hitters have to take some accountability for that, but if the coach can't help identify the issues and help fix them....then it was time to find someone who could.

After a very quick, but loud meeting Kevin Long was sent packing and Jorge stepped in. Sure, it is a little unrealistic at this point to see Jorge in that role since he just retired but....a girl can dream, right?

Next on the agenda was the lack of offense. The Yankees just don't have enough "pop" in the bat. So to fix that, the Boss put an end to the crazy $189 million payroll cap and started bringing the dollar signs back into the Bronx. He finally put some power back into deflated Brian Cashman's hands and told him he expected some major upgrades by the deadline....or else. Of course, Cashman didn't want to be the next victim so he pulled a move similar to the R.A. Dickey move this past offseason.

He sent Phil Hughes packing to the Seattle Mariners who then offered him a lucrative 4 year deal and shipped Raul Ibanez back. Next, the Boss persuaded the Phillies to part ways with Michael Young and gave them Joba Chamberlain. It was a win-win scenario, so it was bound to happen! The story ended with a happily ever after. Hughes continued his fly ball performances in a more expansive, forgiving ballpark, Joba went to that National League and the Yankees got a couple sluggers in return. They all lived happily ever after.

The boss was cleaning house! We need someone to come in and restore order. I usually don't like it when people speculate about what George Steinbrenner would do if he was here. Fact of the matter is he is not. We wouldn't be here if he were. But....since we are going there tell us what you think!

--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Senior Writer and Editor
Twitter: @NyPrincessJ

 


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