Instant Karma Is Gonna Git You Sucka

For the past few years, Bernie Williams’ last at-bat in Yankee Stadium was always greeted as if he would be gone the next day. Of course, this is the year of the next day. For the first time since his 17th birthday, Bernie Williams is not wearing pinstripes. Meanwhile the Yanks are in a slump, and Bernie is playing the Beacon Theatre.

I believe in good luck and karma. I believed in the Curse of The Bambino and the Curse of The Black Sox (although the billy-goat is bull shit). And I may end up believing in the Curse of Luis Gonzalez.

That is why not signing Bernie was a mistake. This has caused bad karma and is the reason why the Yanks are doing terribly. (Oh, you thought it was pitching? Please, this is a team so superstitious they used to have monuments in play!) The only way the Yanks can turn this season around is bringing back Bernie. Let him hang out in the dugout and play some jazz guitar. Come on Cashman, the season is on the line! Make it happen!

The Market In The Bronx

Dead last in the AL East after April. A pitching staff that resembles a nursing home or a legion ball team (depending on who’s on the DL). And one of the greatest offensive months in baseball history wasted. Why?

It’s easy to blame pitching. But there is something else going on with this team. Baseball, like the stock market, has cycles. And the Yankee cycle continues despite their archrivals destroying them in 2004, an organ-eye-zation that seems to have put it together, and one that is ready to climb into respectability. (Sorry Orioles, there’s nothing compelling about you. Except your mustaches.)

The infusion of young talent that has kept the Braves afloat has not occurred with the Yanks. Robinson Cano is homegrown, as is Phil Hughes, but the Braves had a whole fleet ready in Richmond (Francoeur, Langerhans, Chuck Jones). The Yanks don’t have that (they even moved their long time triple-A affiliate from Columbus to Scranton). And when your payroll is $190+ million, you can’t rebuild. Hell, you can’t even reload because no one wants your overpriced starters.

Of course, all of this comes down on Joe Torre. And that’s where this is leading. Brian Cashman is not expendable because he is rebuilding the minor league system after years of it being controlled by baseball ops in Tampa. Jeter will remain captain, A-Rod is staying, and you can’t blow up the rotation in May. Of course, Torre has other things to worry about. And in a sign of solidarity, Cashman, Jeter, and A-Rod all defended Torre this weekend.

It’s too early to say how bad the Yanks will finish (they sucked in April and May of 2005 and still won the division). But I keep thinking of that graph Dr. Denslow showed us in Macro during sophomore year. The market will always rise. But there will be dips in the line, too.