GO TO WORK!

The 2014 season was a bust. Sure, the Yankees won more than they lost, but if you find solace in that stat you’re better off rooting for the Astros. The plain fact is the team wasn’t good enough to be in the playoffs. They were old-ish, expensive, injured and seemingly unmotivated. The only reason the Bronx Bummers were in the hunt until late September was because the rest of the league is fairly mediocre.

I listened to Joe Girardi’s end of the season press conference on the drive back to New York the other day and I have to say I was let down on some of his answers. When asked about how he evaluates his coaches he said everything but how a coach SHOULD be judged…RESULTS!! Look, I think K Long is a fine person. He has had success, but this team was a joke offensively. It is very true that the players have to execute, but the hitting coach has to shoulder some of that responsibility. K Long has to go. Whatever he is doing isn’t working…at all! He might be a great coach, but maybe this group doesn’t gel with him. It could be a chemistry thing. He has to be replaced. Things need a new start at the plate. CALL PAUL O’NEILL. He was obsessed with hitting, practicing his swing in the outfield between batters. He will also put the fear of God into those high priced guys who get paid 22 million a year and hit .216!!

YEP I AM ABSOLUTELY DOGGING MARK TEIXERIA!! I don’t want to hear about the wrist. Jose Bautista had the same problem and he MURDERED the baseball this season. Tex is an anchor and he should absolutely offer to restructure his deal to free up money. He is NOT worth 22 million. He is worth 7 at best and I am being generous. He is a great defensive glove right? Wrong. He was a great defensive glove. He will surely decline in the field as he ages. It’s just Father Time’s formula, gang.

And in 2015 we get ARod back! Joe was asked about that and said, “We expect him to be our 3rd baseman.” I expected that last Indiana Jones movie to be good and that didn’t happen either. Alex will be 40. Alex has two lousy hips and suspect knees. Alex couldn’t catch up to a mid 90’s fastball in 2013…oh, and ALEX DIDN’T PLAY LAST YEAR!!

Chase Headley should play 3rd. ARod can DH and sit the other days. He can sit on the bench and be a harsh reminder that awful contracts will always hurt you in the long run.

We said goodbye to our Captain this year. His send off in the Bronx and in Boston was great…but I KNOW JEET would have traded all the chants and gifts for October baseball. The Yankees will miss him more than they can realize. He may not have been Derek Jeter circa 1999…or even 2011, but he, like Joe Montana, was a winner. He made other believe that they were the best. He was a difference maker. It will take more than JD’s little brother to fill those spikes. And I DON’T WANT STEPHEN BACK! .167? Call Boras and have him make arrangements for you to play elsewhere.

I do have some hope. It’s not all frustration and doom and gloom. I will welcome back these players with open arms – Gardy, Jacoby, Dellin, Prado, Headley, Tanaka, Mike P, Shane, Murphy and Young. Yes, I left out McCann and DRob. I want them back. I think McCann will be much better and he is a leader. DRob is replaceable with Betances emerging, but he is a solid closer. I hope he doesn’t play hardball…he throws too many pitches and if he does the Yanks will let him walk. Know your value, David.

What about the others? Well, sadly we are stuck with most of them. CC is a great guy. He may not be a great pitcher any longer. And the truth is that knee is a badly stacked house of cards. He can cut back on the Cap’n Crunch all he likes; even at 240 there is too much weight on that knee.

Ichiro? I love the guy. I want him to reach 3,000 in the Bronx, but to do it he’d need more playing time than we can give him. I wish him well. He is a class act and a 1st ballot Hall of Famer. It was a pleasure to watch him play.

Folks, this isn’t going to be easy. I don’t love Cashman, but his job will be nearly impossible this off season. They have too much money in too many old and declining players. The farm is improving, but are we patient enough to let them learn on the job and lose more than they win for a few years…we may have no choice. Go to work, Yankees. You got yourselves into this mess. You’ll have to dig yourselves out. We’re rooting for ya.

** The 2014 season was a let down. I wasn’t much fun. It’s over. That’s all. **





 
 --Mike O'Hara
Senior "Features" Writer
Twitter: @mikeyoh21







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