Thank god for Brian Cashman

Anyone who knows me knows I am a Yankees fan. A big time Yankees fan at that. That is why the last few years have been so hard on me. (I know, no one who is not a Yankees fan will ever feel sorry for a Yankees fan. We pay to win, we buy our victories, what we do almost amounts to cheating, blah, blah, blah. It will always be the same old cries from baseball's have nots. This particular post will not go into detail about how silly those complaints are.) I have had to watch this team go from top of the heap to perennial contender simply because good ol George would let Brian Cashman be Brian Cashman.

What am I talking about? Lets take a little stroll down memory lane. Lets go to the latter half of the 1990's. You remember then. That is when the New York Yankees were a machine. Joe Torre had come in as manager, and between his leadership and GM Brian Cashman's ability to bring in the right personnel, the Yanks were unbeatable. They won 4 of 5 world series titles, and it was because we brought in the right players, not simply the expensive ones.

What ever happened to acquiring guys like Pauly O'Neil, Scotty Brosius, Tino Martinez, and David Cone? These guys were not necessarily the most talented players at their position, but they did the things the club needed them to do so as a team the Yankees were the best. Sure they still had Derek Jeter, Mike Mussina, and Bernie Williams, player who were amongst the best at their position in the game, but they worked together as a team, within Torre's framwork, to bring the team success.

Things started going downhill soon after the 2000 season. I am not sure if Georgie got too caught up with "staying ahead" of the Red Sox, or why he stopped listening to Cashman, but soon, the Yankees of old were no more. Boston went out into the free agent market and brought in Manny Ramirez. The Yanks, went and added Jason Giambi. Boston goes and acquires Curt Shilling. The Yanks counter by trading for Randy Johnson. Boston tries to bring Alex Rodriguez over from Texas. They fail. Then it was the Yanks turn, and guess what, A-Rod is now the Yankees third baseman.

So, now let's measure again. The Yankees add bats like Giambi, Sheffield, Matsui and Damon. They add arms like Johnson, Wright, and Pavano. Each of these players were amongst the best available when acquired by New York. So as I am sure you can imagine, this is why I am upset that I have gotten to see teams like Arizona, Florida, Anaheim, the Southsiders, and of course those "idiots" having won world championships, while we, the mighty Yankees, simply up payroll again for the next season.

But now it seems the tide is changing. George has decided for one reason or another to listen to one of the games top GM's. At last season's end, George wanted heads to roll, and he wanted Torre's to be the first. Cashman stood up for Joe, and by some blessing, George listened. Torre will stay in the Bronx. Now, one of Steinbrenner's favorite players, Gary Sheffield had to be addressed. If George were calling the shots, Shef would be playing first base for New York. Giambi would become a full time DH, and Abreu would patrol right field. But fortunately for us Yankees fans, George has deferred to his GM, and Shef will take his locker room cancer with him to Detroit. In exchange the Yankees will acquire three top young arms (something you can never have enough of) to their organization. What a deal !!!

This is why tonight, before I fall asleep, I will thank the good lord for keeping my family and friends happy and healthy. I will ask him to help me on my seemingly never ending quest to become re-employed. And I will thank him for giving good ol George the foresight to allow Brian Cashman to earn his paycheck. Thank god for Brian Cashman.

Yankees fans and others... what's your Abstract?