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New York Yankees: A Case Study In Mediocrity

By Steve Contursi

Apr 6, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; General view of fans arriving for the game between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 6, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; General view of fans arriving for the game between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Yankees have been the epitome of mediocre in 2016 and need to begin looking towards the future.

So now it looks like the New York Yankees will not have the fortitude to release Alex Rodriguez after all. Nor will they take the advice of some Yankee insiders to dump Mark Texieria along with him. Instead, they remain delusional in thinking that somehow, someway they still have a chance to climb over the five teams in the race to secure the final Wild Card spot. It ain’t gonna happen.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result (Albert Einstein)

And if the Yankees opt to stand pat with these horrific back end deals made long ago, a winning season in 2017 is also in jeopardy and we’ll be viewing games on YES with all those expensive seats empty again.

Everything with the Yankees seems to be backwards today. They have no problem doling out $200 million for two very pedestrian players in Jacoby Ellsbury and Chase Headley (both 33) but they can’t pull the trigger on Rodriguez and Texieria for $45 million or so.

From Joe Girardi who still insists that Mark Texieria is a vital cog in the Yankee lineup even though he can’t get out of his own way with injuries, to Brian Cashman, who hasn’t made a sensible deal since he stole Didi Gregorious, and all the way to the top with Hal Steinbrenner, who hasn’t yet figured out whether or not he has a passion for baseball  – the Yankees have lost their way.

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You can bet that the front office is wondering – Hey, if we don’t have Rodriguez , Texieria, Aroldis Chapman, and Carlos Beltran, who will the fans buy tickets to see? Except that logic goes by the wayside when you wager a bet and buy a ticket on any given day and expect any of these players to be in the lineup – or for that matter even dressed for the game.

Yes, the Yankees franchise is paved in gold with a winning tradition of 27 World Championships to support that. And lest you think I am a naysayer, I am not. But, I am a realist and a self described sophisticated fan. Don’t patronize me with these altruistic “Go Team Go” platitudes.

Instead, how about giving us a taste of the future with players like Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez (think he can’t benefit from being around Brian McCann every day?) playing three or more times a week. And how about some YES updates on how Greg Bird is doing with his rehab,along with a spotlight on other players whose names we don’t even know yet.

Next: Top 5 Catchers In New York Yankees History

In short, we’ve seen enough of the past. The Core Four is history and so much more. Because you can’t be running these same old and tired players out there every day and expect a different result.

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