THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS

There are many candidates for “The Worst Day of the Year”. For many it’s the 5^th or 6^th of July when you are certain to get stuck in bumper to bumper traffic returning from the beach, lake or country getaway. For others it’s February 2^nd when we wait to see if there will be 6 more weeks of winter. And for the kiddos it’s the first day of school after the fun loving summer days wind down…all solid choices. 

For me it’s the day after Christmas. Why? Because it’s time to return or exchange gifts and go looking for Post Holiday Sales! It’s pure hell. Malls are packed with angry, pushy people. The fun and anticipation of the Christmas season is gone and aside from an overrated New Year’s Eve party (They are ALWAYS overrated) we have nothing but the doldrums of winter staring us in the face…pure hell. 

That’s the way I feel about the 2014 season for the New York Yankees. When we opened the shiny wrapped boxes with the big Christmas bows there was such a feeling of excitement (even if you didn't agree with how much said presents cost). And now we are looking to swap out, get a refund or just re-gift the items to someone else.

Remember as a kid when you might have gotten “doubles” on a particular present? You opened the package to find you already had…oh, let’s say a late 30’s, injury prone DH…like the Yankees did when they gave us Beltran. We already had Soriano, and I understand both players were coming off good seasons, but still. Look at where we are now with those “gifts”.

We basically gave one to Goodwill (The real world equivalent of DFA) in Alfonso Soriano. It’s sad because Sori is a great guy and cares deeply about being a New York Yankee…but Father Time came to collect the borrowed minutes Alfonso was living on last year. And then there is “Charlie Bone Spur”. 

Beltran always wanted to play in the Bronx like his hero Bernie Williams. I’ll admit I loved hearing he was coming to the Yanks…but wished it had been 5 seasons ago. We get next to nothing from Carlos this season. He can’t throw…he can’t hit…his knee hurts…and then he catches one with his face at BP in Cleveland. Can we eBay this guy?

I am a big fan of Brian McCann and with his season I feel like Santa brought me the hot, new video game…only two Christmases later. This version doesn’t hit much and all the other kids are making fun of me for getting such a lame Christmas gift. Now of course I am not saying that McCann is never going to be a great Yankee. I firmly feel he will be. It just might not be this year. He may come into his own as a Bronx Bomber once he has a year to get comfortable…hey, it happens. The brightest lights in all of Sports take some getting use to, folks.

We picked up that slick, top of the order kid from Boston…he’s been pretty solid, but he is not nearly enough to carry this team. I love Jacoby’s game; I’m just waiting on that short porch power to switch on. And to be fair the Yankees didn’t sign Ellsbury to be a 3-hole hitter. The scuffling he has encountered seems to come from pressing. He is a table setter not a middle of the order guy…but this is where he has to be. 

And then there is the gift EVERYBODY wanted! It was THEE item to get this holiday season and the New York Yankees put it under the tree for their fans…and then it broke. For the first half of the season Masahiro Tanaka lived up to the hype, which is damn near impossible to do by the way. And then one night in Cleveland…BOOM! Now, I have no clue as to how bad Tanaka’s injury is, and I am praying to St. Patrick to send my Japanese Ace a “Wee touch of Irish Luck”. But doesn’t this injury sound a heck of a lot like the news that came from Queens about Matt Harvey? I hope it’s just fatigue and that the All-Star Break and rest will be the remedy…but don’t hold your breath. We are in deep here, ladies and gentlemen. 

They spent big and it seems like they did it on the Island of Misfit Toys… 

Hey! Who knows, maybe we can run over to Sam Goody and get a sweet deal on a “Slightly Damaged” Cliff Lee. The really punch in the gut is that he won’t be in the bargain bin.

ATTENTION SHOPPERS THE 2014 SEASON IS CLOSING IN 5 MINUTES. Hurry up and shop!!

** Merry Christmas Yankee Fans…it’ only 6 months away. Good Grief! **

--Mike O'Hara, MLB Fan Cave Host, Season 1
   Twitter: @mikeyoh21    
"Paulie was always my favorite player."
 


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