Brilliance in the Bronx: Yanks Shuffle the Board for One Last Run at The Stadium

The stage has been set. 9½ games back in the AL East are the New York Yankees, and they’ve got some serious work to do. But hey, my theory of bringing up young talent is beginning to be implemented with the Yankees, and I think they are capable of a late season run that will leave the fans on their feet one last time before Yankee Stadium is demolished. So Mr. Cashman, let’s take a look at your brilliance.

The first order of business was sending outfielder Melky Cabrera down to Triple-A in exchange for 25-year old Brett Gardner, and releasing Richie Sexson on the .250 average, 6 RBI, and 1 home run in 22 games bail he posted. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said the 6 foot 7 first baseman was asked to fill a role that realistically he couldn’t fill. Imagine that—a player not living up to expectations in New York. General manager Brian Cashman told reporters that Sexson would be a good fit for another team. I have the perfect fit for him! How about the Knicks? The last name could be one heckuva selling point for Isiah Thomas’ campaign.

Cabrera wasn’t exactly on top of the stat sheet either. Although he only managed to get 3 hits in 26 at-bats, Cabrera said that he never expected to be sent to the minors this late in the season. Earth to Melky…You’re in the Bronx, and I swear that those guys up in the owner’s box count the times a Yankee is booed and can pull the trap door on you faster than the one at Saddam’s execution.

> Pro Baseball Fans & partner sites feature a great selection of & New York Yankees hats & apparel online and now offer MLB credit cards.

Cabrera should be back on the roster when it expands to 40 on September 1st for the playoffs. This is the best move for him and the Yankees, especially after last night in the Bronx when Brett Gardner earned the fans’ affection as he delivered a bouquet of flowers in the form of a walk-off single in the 13 th inning to defeat the Kansas City Royals 3-2. He’ll definitely be around for a few more games.

39 games remain for the Yanks to make the historical run into the postseason, and they need to start today as they wrap up the series with the Royals. Mike Mussina will take the mound for New York while Brian Bannister will throw for the Royals. “Moose” is 15-7 with a 3.30 ERA, while Bannister looks for luck with his 7-11 mark. If there’s any time to get a kick-start on history, it’s now.

In a race which has so much on the line for the Yankees, they really need games like this. I say this because the Royals are 14 ½ games back in the AL Central; and after last night’s game, someone with no baseball knowledge would’ve sworn the Royals were also in the hunt. Kansas City is playing the spoiler at this point. In fact, I think their motto is: “Ruining playoff hopes for others since 1985.”

Oh well, at least it hasn’t been 86 years yet.

By Tim Gaffney
MLBcenter.com New York Yankees Correspondent

> View all of the MLB baseball news articles from ProBaseball-fans.com.