Yankees: Keep Or Dump?

God only knows what the Arsenal fans interested in "body language"

would make of Chapman's reaction to the Altuve home run.

It's time to do a "Keep Or Dump" for the 2019 New York Yankees.

Keep, Easy Choice
17 Aaron Boone, manager: Given the restrictions on him, and the injuries he's dealt with, winning 203 games in 2 seasons is phenomenal. He made some bad choices, but many of those were forced on him. And, unlike the last 3 Yankee managers before him -- Joe Girardi, Joe Torre and Buck Showalter -- he does a great job of standing up for his players. Face it: Before Boonie, when was the last time you heard a Yankee manager refer to his players as "my guys" to an umpire? Was it Billy Martin?

11 Brett Gardner, outfielder: The fact that he's the last remaining player who played home games at the old Yankee Stadium is a nice distinction, but it should be irrelevant. He should be kept because he's our fastest runner, showed surprising power this season, and provides leadership.

18 Didi Gregorius, shortstop: He had a horrid ALCS, but he's a very good hitter, a good fielder, and a positive presence in the clubhouse.

19 Masahiro Tanaka, pitcher: He is a definite Number 2 pitcher, if not the ace we so desperately need.

24 Gary Sanchez, catcher: He needs to be more selective at the plate. If he is, he can once again be a gem.

25 Gleyber Torres, 2nd baseman-shortstop: At times, these last 2 seasons, he's made the trade of Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs look justified. And, certainly, he bore hardly any responsibility for the Yankees flop in the 2018 ALDS against the Red Sox. But in the 2019 ALCS, he had a spectacular Game 1, and then disappeared. When it truly matters, he has proven nothing. Still, he's not quite 23. His best years should be still to come -- but for that trade to be fully justified, he's going to have to help us win at least 1 World Series.

26 DJ LeMahieu, infielder: Given his hitting and his defensive versatility this guy was, hands down, the most valuable player in the American League this season, not counting any Astros.

29 Gio Urshela, 3rd base: He and DJLM were big surprises that I don't think anybody expected to do as well as they did.

31 Aaron Hicks, outfielder: He was plagued with injuries, but he can flat-out play when he's healthy.

36 Mike Ford, 1st baseman: He could be an odd man out, and therefore trade bait, but he's a good hitter.

38 Cameron Maybin, outfielder: He's a good hitter, he's got some power, and, aside from Gardner (2009) and Chapman (2016), he's the one guy on the team with a World Series ring (2017 Houston Astros).

39 Mike Tauchman, outfielder: He's a good backup, and it's too soon to give up on him.

40 Luis Severino, pitcher: We need to see if he's all the way back from injury. If he is, he can be a solid Number 2 pitcher, if not the ace we so desperately need.

41 Miguel Andujar, 3rd baseman: No athlete should lose his job because of injury. And, before getting hurt, he was, like Torres, looking like a prospect for whom a controversial trade might have worked out after all.

45 Luke Voit, 1st baseman: Like Ford, he could be an odd man out, and therefore trade bait, but he's got lots of power.

47 Jordan Montgomery, pitcher: No athlete should lose his job because of injury.

48 Tommy Kahnle, pitcher: He came through for us a lot this season.

53 Zack Britton, pitcher: He's not a closer, but he's a good setup man.

56 Jonathan Holder, pitcher No athlete should lose his job because of injury.

61 Ben Heller, pitcher: No athlete should lose his job because of injury.

65 James Paxton, pitcher: His ALCS matched his regular season: Bad 1st half, very good 2nd half. He's about to turn 31, and probably has at least 5 good years left in him.

66 Kyle Higashioka, catcher: He's better offensively and defensively than Romine.

67 Nestor Cortes Jr., pitcher: He showed us a little, especially as the 2nd man in Green's "starts," and deserves another chance.

68 Dellin Betances, pitcher: No athlete should lose his job because of injury. Besides, if he can come back to full strength, maybe he can become the closer to replace Chapman, or at least the co-closer with Chapman.

73 Mike King, pitcher: It's too soon to judge him.

87 Albert Abreu, pitcher: It's too soon to judge him.

90 Thairo Estrada, infielder: He's a versatile backup.

99 Aaron Judge, outfielder: He showed us some good glove this season -- he made a play in Game 6 of the ALCS that would have been compared to Lou Piniella's play in the Bucky Dent Game if we had won it. -- and his power hitting makes him the face of New York baseball, no matter what the Flushing Heathen say.

Keep, Tough Choice

14 Tyler Wade, infielder: He doesn't yet offer anything that better players don't already offer, but it may be too soon to give up on him.

33 Greg Bird, 1st baseman: A very tough call. No athlete should lose his job because of injury. But when he has played, he hasn't hit. He batted .261 in half a season in 2015, but has batted .194 since. I like the guy, but personal feelings, good or bad, should be irrelevant. He's about to turn 27. He deserves one more chance.

34 J.A. Happ, pitcher: Yes, he's inconsistent. But until we get an ace, or at least a more solid starter than Happ, we have to keep Happ.

43 Jonathan Loaisiga, pitcher: He was shaky this season, but he's young, and it's too soon to give up on him.

54 Aroldis Chapman, pitcher: This may be the toughest call of all, as his meltdowns have been bad, and he did give up a Pennant-losing home run. Not that anybody who's watched the Yankees since the retirements of Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera expected them to win the Pennant, anyway. But what elite closer is available? Until one is, or until we develop one in our farm system, we have to keep Aroldis.

55 Domingo German, pitcher: His status is up in the air, due to legal issues. That suspension really hurt us in the ALCS: Instead of having a rotation of (not necessarily in this order) German, Tanaka, Paxton and Severino, we had one of Tanaka, Paxton, Severino, and all-bullpen. Brian Cashman's refusal to buy an ace starter wasn't necessary as long as German was going 18-4. But with German unavailable, it was obvious that Cashman had blown it. It doesn't look good to have 2 guys on our pitching staff accused of domestic violence (Chapman is the other), and in each case we may never know his level of guilt. But if German can be cleared to play (if not exonerated), I think we have little choice, competitively, but to keep him, however reluctantly.

57 Chad Green, pitcher: We need a reliever who can go at least 2 innings. Unfortunately, he can't go any more than 2 innings. Not even 2 1/3rd.

Dump, Tough Choice
28 Austin Romine, catcher: Awful hitter, and not a major league catcher, either. I'd say Keep, but only if we didn't have Higashioka. That's what makes this a tough choice: We need 3 catchers, but Romine really shouldn't be any of them.

52 CC Sabathia, pitcher: It's out of our hands, as he's retiring, anyway, and it appears to have been right on time: He had half a good season left.

61 Jake Barrett, pitcher: No athlete should lose his job because of injury, but even when healthy, he didn't offer our staff anything that better pitchers weren't already offering.

Dump, Easy Choice
0 Adam Ottavino, pitcher: He is our least consistent pitcher, and he's a head case.

22 Jacoby Ellsbury, outfielder: As recently as May 2015, he was one of the best players in baseball. But he's battled injuries ever since, and hasn't played an inning since September 30, 2017.

27 Giancarlo Stanton, outfielder-designated hitter: This will be the most controversial of my choices, but when we needed him most, the man was invisible: Either injured, or ineffective. He's now gone through 2 postseasons for the Yankees, and has made 2006 Alex Rodriguez look like 1977 Reggie Jackson. If we offer to pay his salary, he can be great trade bait. But we can't keep him. He's like Jack Clark: He feasted off National League pitchers, but, with the Yankees, he was an injury-prone strikeout machine who couldn't play any position well, and wasn't exactly a stabilizing presence in the clubhouse. Some team would improve with him on their roster, but it won't be the Yankees.

30 Edwin Encarnacion, 1st baseman-designated hitter: He's a one-dimensional player who provided power but little else. He didn't put the ball in play enough. That kind of hitting used to be called "oafish clout."

35 Cory Gearrin, pitcher: He is not a major league pitcher.

70 Tyler Lyons, pitcher: He offers us nothing that better pitchers don't already offer.

71 Stephen Tarpley, pitcher: He offers us nothing that better pitchers don't already offer.

72 Chance Adams, pitcher: He is not a major league pitcher.

77 Clint Frazier, outfielder: He is the easiest trade bait we have, and he has to go, because he's got a million-dollar bat, a five-cent glove, and a five-cent head.

85 Luis Cessa, pitcher: In spite of a good ALCS performance, his regular-season performance was atrocious.

Brian Cashman, general manager: The easiest choice of all. To paraphrase the evil Chancellor in V for Vendetta, We are being buried beneath the avalanche of your inadequacies, Mister Cashman!

Yankee Injury Update

On the team website, the Yankees issued the following update as to when the injured players should return:

* Gary Sanchez: Maybe tomorrow. He caught 5 innings in a rehab game for Class A Charleston last night, and Cashman hinted that he could be called up for the game in Anaheim tomorrow night. That sounds a little soon. I'd give him a full series at Double-A or Triple-A first. Maybe play him for Trenton tomorrow, and then the weekend for Scranton. Plus, the way that Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka have played in his absence, there's no reason to rush El Gary back.

* Giancarlo Stanton: May. He is with the team on the Coast, and, according to Cashman, is "moving closer to on-field batting practice."

* Aaron Hicks: May. He is at the minor-league complex in Tampa, swinging a bat and throwing. Boone says he "probably isn't too far off from being ready to play in rehab games."

* Troy Tulowitzki: May. He's at the Tampa complex, taking batting practice and ground balls.

* Dellin Betances: May 25. He will be cleared to resume throwing on May 4, and Brian Cashman says he expects him to return "three weeks after that." So Hicks and Betances give us as close as we're going to get to clear short-term good news on any of these guys.

* Miguel Andujar: Not clear, since they don't yet know if he's going to have surgery on his shoulder. But they are encouraged by his progress, so he could return in May. If he decides to have surgery, though, he's out for the season.

* Aaron Judge: May, probably. Cashman says, "There is no timetable for Judge's return," but, "It will be more than two weeks." Two weeks from today would be May 7.

* Greg Bird: May or June. Given his foot injury, his poor hitting at the start of this season, and the rise of Voit, Bird's return is hardly a priority. We don't want him to be in pain, but having him on the Yankee roster, and fully able to play, wouldn't help much. He may be a career backup from this point onward, through little fault of his own.

* Ben Heller: June. The reliever had Tommy John surgery in April 2018, and is now throwing off a mound.

* Didi Gregorius: Sometime in the Summer. He's at the Tampa complex, taking batting practice and making infield throws. Cashman says his recover "has gone off without a hitch so far." He could be back in June. Then again, Cashman isn't exactly Joe Namath when it comes to making predictions.

* Luis Severino: July. With his recent rotator cuff setback, he's been shut down until May 21. If German can continue to pitch decently as a spot starter, this loss won't be all that big. If Sevy can come back the way he was, it will be a huge boost. Cue another Arsenal reference: It would be "like a new signing."

* Jordan Montgomery: July. He had Tommy John surgery in June 2018, and is working on building up his velocity in Tampa.

* Jacoby Ellsbury: Who knows. He's become the Carl Pavano of position players: Hurt the Yankees in postseason play for another team, came to the Yankees, helped a little, got hurt, and has barely played since. He hasn't played since October 2017, had hip surgery in August 2018, and has been limited to light running.

*

This is also a good time to do a countdown update:

Days until Arsenal play again: 1, tomorrow, at 2:45 PM New York time, away to Wolverhampton Wanderers of the Birmingham area. Despite having advanced to the Semifinal of the UEFA Europa League, Arsenal laid an egg on Easter Sunday, losing 3-2 at home to a not very good team, Crystal Palace of South London, seriously denting their hopes of qualifying for next season's UEFA Champions League and finishing ahead of North London arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Days until the New York Red Bulls play again: 4, next Saturday night at 7:00, at home, their 1st-ever competitive game against MLS expansion team FC Cincinnati.

Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series begins: 37, on May 30, at Yankee Stadium II. (I previously had this incorrectly listed as being at Fenway Park.)

Days until the next Women's World Cup kicks off: 45,  on Friday, June 7, in France. Under 7 weeks. The U.S. team is 3-time and defending Champions.

Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": 46, on Saturday night, June 8, against the Philadelphia Union, at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania. The next game against New York City FC will be on Sunday night, July 14, at Red Bull Arena. The next game against the New England Revolution will be on Saturday night, August 17, at Red Bull Arena. The next game against D.C. United will be on Wednesday night, August 21, at Audi Field in Washington.

Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 56, on Tuesday, June 18, at the brand-new Allianz Field in St. Paul, home of Minnesota United, in the opener of the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Exactly 8 weeks.

Days until the Yankees and Red Sox play each other in London: 67, on June 29. Under 10 weeks.

Days until Arsenal play in America: 83. Under 12 weeks. On July 15, they will visit the Denver suburbs to play the Colorado Rapids. On July 17, they will visit the Los Angeles suburbs to play Bayern Munich. On July 20, they will visit Charlotte to play AS Roma. And on July 23, they will visit the Redskins' stadium in the Washington suburbs to play Real Madrid. This almost certainly means no Emirates Cup this Summer.

Days until the next North London Derby: Unknown, as both Premier League matches, and a League Cup match, have been played this season. The next season starts on August 10, which is 109 days from now, but the PL never puts a Derby on the opening weekend. The Gunners and Spurs usually play each other in N5 in October or November, and then in N17 in February or March.

Days until Rutgers University plays football again: 130, on August 31, home to the University of Massachusetts. A little over 4 months.

Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: Unknown, because the 2019 schedule hasn't been released yet. Usually, the next season begins on the 1st Friday in September, which would be September 6, which would be 136 days. It has been announced that East Brunswick and its arch-rivals, Old Bridge, will no longer play each other on Thanksgiving Day. In fact, many of the local Thanksgiving rivalries have been moved back to the opening night, September 6. Whenever the Big Green play the Purple Bastards, it will be under a new head coach, because Bob Molarz, in charge for the last 6 seasons, has resigned.

Days until the New Jersey Devils play again: Unknown. Traditionally, a new NHL season begins on the 1st Thursday in October, which would be October 3, which is 163 days from now. The new schedule is usually released around June 20 or so. We shall see.

Days until the New Jersey Devils next play a local rival: Unknown. But the Devils never open against either the New York Rangers, a.k.a. The Scum; the New York Islanders; or the Philadelphia Flyers, a.k.a. The Philth.

Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State football game: 221, on Saturday, November 30, at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. A little over 7 months.

Days until my 50th Birthday, at which point I can join AARP and get discounts for travel and game tickets: 239, on December 18, 2019. Under 8 months.

Day until the premiere of the final Star Wars film, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker: 241, on December 20, 2019.

Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Derek Jeter: 273, on January 21, 2020. Under 9 months.

Days until the next Summer Olympics begins in Tokyo, Japan: 458, on July 24, 2020. Under a year and a half, or a little over 15 months.

Days until the next Presidential election, when we can dump the Trump-Pence regime and elect a real Administration: 560, on November 3, 2020. A little over a year and a half, or under 19 months.

Days until a fully-Democratic-controlled Congress can convene, and the Republicans can do nothing about it: 621, on January 3, 2021. Under 2 years, or under 21 months.

Days until Liberation Day: 638, at noon on January 20, 2021. Under 2 years, or under 21 months. Note that this is liberation from the Republican Party, not just from Donald Trump. Having Mike Pence as President wouldn't be better, just differently bad, mixing theocracy with plutocracy, rather than mixing kleptocracy with plutocracy.

Days until the next Winter Olympics begins in Beijing, China: 1,018, on February 4, 2022. Under 3 years, or under 34 months.

Days until the next World Cup is scheduled to kick off: 1,308, on November 21, 2022, in Qatar. Under 4 years, or under 43 months. The charges of corruption against Qatar may yet mean that they will lose the tournament, in which case it will be moved to a nation where it would not be too hot to play it in June and July.

Yankees Win 2019 Opener

This is not NCIS. This is NYY. Okay, we did once have a catcher named Jake Gibbs. But with the New York Yankees, there is only Rule Number 1: Win.

As I've said before, since Divisional Play began in 1969, the average number of wins for the 2nd place team in the American League Eastern Division has been 92. That has remained constant the last few years. Therefore, it usually takes at least 93 wins to win the Division.

One down, 92 to go.

The Yankees opened the 2019 regular season today, at the new Yankee Stadium, against the Baltimore Orioles. New Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera threw out the ceremonial first ball. Masahiro Tanaka took the mound, and the season was underway.

Both teams were wearing commemorations on the left sleeves of their uniforms. The Yankees are wearing black armbands in memory of former pitcher and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, while the Orioles are wearing patches with the number 20 on them, in honor of their Hall of Fame right fielder and manager Frank Robinson. (The Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians will also be so honoring Frank.)

Tanaka got into a little bit of trouble in the top of the 1st, as so often happens. But, this time, he was able to get out of it. The Yankees rewarded him by scoring 3 runs off Oriole starter Andrew Cashner in the bottom of the inning.

Brett Gardner began the Yankees' offensive season by striking out, but Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton hit back-to-back singles to right field, and then Luke Voit hit the team's 1st home run of the season. We're going to be hearing Star Wars jokes for the rest of his career, because his name is Luke, so we might as one out of the way now: The Force is strong in this one.

(So far, nobody's made a Jon Voight joke about him.)

The Yankees tallied again in the bottom of the 3rd. Judge reached on an infield single, and Stanton and Voit drew back-to-back walks. Miguel Andujar grounded into a double play, but it was enough to score Judge and make it 4-0 to the Bronx Bombers.

The Orioles reached Tanaka for a run in the top of the 4th, but he got through the 5th with no further damage, and then the Yankees helped him out again. Cliche alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. Gardner walked, and then so did Judge, and Oriole manager Brandon Hyde, in his 1st regular season game as a major league skipper, had finally seen enough of Cashner.

He brought in Mike Wright, but he issued a 3rd straight walk, to load the bases, to Stanton. How good of a pitcher can you be if you walk Giancarlo Stanton? That guy swings at everything! He's Dave Kingman with better hair! Then Wright hit Voit with a pitch. Obviously, not intentional, because it brought Gardner home. Andujar hit a sacrifice fly to left field, and that brought Judge home. 6-1 Yankees.

The Orioles scored another run in the top of the 6th, and manager Aaron Boone took the ball from Tanaka -- who now had a 4-run lead, and had only thrown 83 pitches -- and gave it to Adam Ottavino. You remember him, the guy who said he'd be able to strike out Babe Ruth every time. Well, he began his redemption for that stupid statement by getting out of the inning and pitching a scoreless 7th. Former Oriole Zach Britton pitched a scoreless 8th. The much-maligned Greg Bird hit a home run, and then Aroldis Chapman slammed the door in the 9th.

Ball game over! Opening Day over! Yankees win! The Yankees win!

Yankees 7, Orioles 2. Winning pitcher, Tanaka (1-0). No save. Losing pitcher, Cashner (0-1).

Tomorrow is a rare day of the year, a scheduled day off on a Friday, the traditional day off after Opening Day, in case of a rainout. On Saturday, at 1:05, James Paxton makes his Yankee debut, starting against Nate Karns. And on Sunday, at 1:05, it's J.A. Happ for the Pinstripes, and Dylan Bundy for the Birds.

One down, 92 -- and 11 -- to. Let's go, Yankees!

Yankees Unload Lumber, Sweep Those Pesky Blue Jays

Those pesky Toronto Blue Jays came into Yankee Stadium for a 3-game weekend series. Lance Lynn started the Friday night game, but allowed 4 runs in the 1st inning, and didn't get past the 4th. Between them, though, Chad Green and David Robertson pitched 3 shutout innings.

The Yankees answered that 4-run Jays 1st inning with 2 runs of their own, and then took the lead on Neil Walker's 3-run home run in the 5th. The Jays tied it in the top of the 5th. Then came the bottom of the 5th. Cliche alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. Aaron Hicks provided one, Miguel Andujar singled him over to 3rd, and Gleyber Torres grounded into a force play that got Hicks home and gave the Yankees the lead.

Giancarlo Stanton hit a home run in the bottom of the 7th to make it Yankees 7, Blue Jays 5. But after one more at-bat, a strikeout by Hicks, it started to rain. Given how far along the game was, the umpires called it, and the current score became official and final. WP: Green (6-2). SV: Robertson (3). LP: Joe Biagini (1-7).

*

Five runs wasn't enough for the Jays on Friday night. Six wasn't close to enough for them yesterday afternoon. Luis Severino wasn't great, but he didn't have to be, as the Yankees broke out the lumber. Didi Gregorius homered in the 1st inning, Stanton did it in the 4th, Andjuar in the 5th, and Greg Bird in the 8th.

Yankees 11, Blue Jays 6. WP: Severino (16-6). No save. LP: Sean Reid-Foley (0-2).

*

The Yankees kept pounding this afternoon, and got the sweep. Bird added another homer in the 1st inning, a grand slam. That was all the cushion that J.A. Happ would need, as he got into the 6th inning, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits, just 1 walk, and 8 strikeouts. Ronald Torreyes contributed 3 hits, Torres 2. In addition to Bird's 4 with 1 swing of the bat, Andujar and Kyle Higashioka each had 2 RBIs.

Yankees 10, Blue Jays 2. WP: Happ (14-6). No save. LP: Ryan Borucki (2-3).

Still, the Yankees are 9 1/2 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the American League Eastern Division. There are 6 weeks to go. We are not winning the Division, and we will have to win a single win-or-go-home game just to set up an AL Division Series matchup with the Sox. Add winning that, and it's a tall order for the Yankees to meet what should have been the minimum requirement for the season: Equaling last season.

Trades for Pitching Help Yanks Take 3 of 4 From Royals

The Yankees came home to play a 4-game weekend series with the Kansas City Royals, who have fallen on hard times since their 2015 World Championship. The series would feature the Pinstriped debut of Zach Britton, the lefthanded reliever formerly of the Baltimore Orioles. On Tuesday, the Yankees sent pitching prospects Dillon Tate, Cody Carroll and Josh Rogers to Baltimore for him. This could be a steal.

The series would also feature the Pinstriped debut of J.A. Happ, a lefthander who'd helped the Philadelphia Phillies win the 2008 World Series, pitched for them against the Yankees in the 2009 World Series, and had pitched well for the Toronto Blue Jays since then, including being named a 1st-time All-Star this year, at the age of 35. The Yankees sent 3rd baseman Brandon Drury and left fielder Billy McKinney to the Jays for pitcher Happ.

The idea is that Britton can provide the lefthanded setup relief that Chasen Shreve so rarely has, and that Happ can fill a hole in the rotation.

*

The Thursday night game was started by Sonny Gray, and he shook off his recent criticism by pitching 5 shutout innings, allowing only 3 hits and 2 walks striking out 5.

Manager Aaron Boone then took him out. Understandable, even though he'd thrown only 75 pitches. Less understandable was choosing Adam Warren to replace him. Warren allowed 2 runs in the top of the 6th. But David Robertson pitched a scoreless 7th, Britton a perfect 8th, and Shreve a scoreless (if 3-hit) 9th.

The Yankees scored 2 runs in the 1st, thanks to some Oriole sloppiness, a hit-by-pitch and an error bunched in with a double and a walk. In the 4th, a double by Austin Romine and a home run by Didi Gregorius made it 6-0. A Greg Bird sacrifice fly added a run in the 5th.

Yankees 7, Royals 2. WP: Gray (8-7). No save. LP: Jakob Junis (5-11).

*

The Friday night game was rained out, forcing a day-night, separate-admissions doubleheader for yesterday. The opener has led to the question: What has happened to Luis Severino? He was damn near unbeatable in the 1st half of the season, but has gotten hit hard in July. He allowed 6 runs, and didn't get out of the 5th inning.

A home run by Giancarlo Stanton didn't make much difference, as the Royals won 10-5. WP: Brad Keller (4-4). No save. LP: Severino (14-4, after starting out 14-1).

The Yankees also scored 5 runs in the nightcap. This time, it was different. But not because the starting pitcher got the job done. That would be CC Sabathia, and he was a bit shaky. He allowed 2 runs in the 1st 5 innings, and Boone panicked, and brought in Jonathan Holder, who wasn't effective, either. Nor was Chad Green, who blew a save. Nor was Britton, who heard his 1st Bronx boo-birds.

Shane Robinson had hit a home run for the Yankees in the 4th, but CC walked former Met star Lucas Duda in the 5th, and that was when Boone started Girardi-ing up with the bullpen. The Royals led 4-3 going into the bottom of the 8th.

You know Johnny Carson's line, "May the bird of paradise fly up your nose"? Well, last night, Greg Bird was the Bird of Paradise. He took Royal reliever Brian Flynn deep to right field for a game-tying home run. Then Neil Walker doubled, and Royal manager Ned Yost had seen enough of Flynn, bringing in Glenn Sparkman.

This didn't work, as Romine singled, Gleyber Torres walked to loaded the bases with nobody out, and Aaron Hicks hit a liner to left that became a sacrifice fly, scoring Walker. In that situation, the Yankees should have gotten more than 1 run.

Especially since Aroldis Chapman once again made the 9th inning interesting, allowing a leadoff single and a walk before getting the last out. Yankees 5, Royals 4. WP: Dellin Betances (2-3). SV: Chapman (27). LP: Flynn (2-2).

*

Today's game was Happ's Yankee debut, and, except for a couple of wild pitches, it went very well: 6 innings, 1 run, 3 hits, just 1 walk, 2 strikeouts. The Girardi (or Cashman) pitch count appears to still be on, because after throwing 96 pitches, Boone took him out. Again, it could have been a mistake, because Green allowed a run in the 7th, and Robertson allowed one in the 8th.

But the Yankees got the runs they needed. In the 1st, Gregorius walked. Cliche alert: Walks can kill you. Hicks hit a home run to make it 2-0. Hicks led off the 4th with a double, and was singled home by Miguel Andujar. The Yankees got 2 more runs in the 5th, and 1 more in the 6th.

This time, Chapman didn't fool around: He faced 3 batters in the 9th, and blew them all away, needing just 16 pitches to strike out the side. Yankees 6, Royals 1. WP: Happ (11-6). SV: Chapman (28). LP: Burch Smith (1-2).

Taking 3 out of 4 at home from such a poor team should be the minimum we expect from a good team. The Yankees did it. However, they remain 5 1/2 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the American League Eastern Division, although only 4 in the loss column. They lead in the race for home-field advantage in the Wild Card Game, but they've never won a Pennant after getting into the Playoffs as the Wild Card, so they need to win the Division. There are 58 games left to play.

Yanks Gain Bad Split In Baltimore

A rainout earlier in the season forced the Yankees into a 4-game series against the Baltimore at Camden Yards, including a doubleheader on Monday. The result was a split that was just 4 runs from becoming a 4-game sweep.

CC Sabathia started the Monday opener, but didn't have good stuff, barely making it into the 6th inning before falling apart. Giancarlo Stanton hit a home run, but the Yankees didn't get enough, as the Orioles won 5-4. WP: Mike Wright Jr. (2-0). SV: Zach Britton (2). LP: Sabathia (6-4).

The nightcap, on the other hand... Sometimes, you'd like to take runs from a blowout win and apply them to games you lost, but baseball just doesn't work that way.

Luis Cessa pitched probably the best game of his career so far, going 6 shutout innings, allowing 3 hits and 3 walks. Aaron Boone then took him out, having thrown only 85 pitches. Giovanny Gallegos went the rest of the way, and was terrible.

But he still got credit for the save, because the save rule is as follows: Credit a pitcher with a save if he is the finishing, but not the winning, pitcher for his team, and he meets 1 of these 3 criteria:

* 1. He comes in with a lead of no more than 3 runs and pitches for at least 1 inning. (Gallegos pitched for more than 1 inning, but the Yankee lead was already 4-0.)

* 2. He comes in with the tying run on base, at bat or on deck. (In other words, 1 of the 1st 2 batters he faces. Gallegos did not qualify here, either.)

* 3. "He pitches effectively for at least 3 innings." What does "effectively" mean? Apparently, it means nothing more than "He didn't blow the lead."

It didn't matter, because, this time, the Yankees got the runs they needed. Brett Gardner and Austin Romine hit home runs, and each man had 3 RBIs on the night. Gardner had 4 hits; Romine, Stanton, Aaron Judge, Didi Gregorius and Neil Walker each had 2.

Yankees 10, Orioles 2. WP: Cessa (1-1). SV: Gallegos (1), though he really didn't deserve it. LP: Yefry Ramirez (0-3, and, yes, I know, the name looks like it's misspelled, but I checked).

*

The Tuesday night game is one of those that will be remembered if the Yankees lose the AL East -- or the AL Wild Card Game -- by 1 game. Masahiro Tanaka did not have good stuff, and he didn't get out of the 5th inning, giving up a home run to Manny Machado to tie the game 3-3, after Greg Bird's home run gave the Yankees the lead in the top half of the inning.

The Yankees made it 5-3 in the top of the 7th, but Machado hit a 2nd home run, this one off Chad Green, and it was 5-5. It remained knotted until the bottom of the 9th. Dellin Betances was sent to the mound, and he began by hitting Caleb Joseph with a pitch. He allowed a double to Adam Jones, putting runners on 2nd and 3rd.

Naturally, Machado was up next, but, with 1st base open and neither his run nor Jones' meaning anything, he was intentionally walked to set up the inning-ending double play, or at least a force play at home.

No such luck: Betances struck Mark Trumbo out, but gave up a game-winning single to Jonathan Schoop, one of those average players who turns into a Hall-of-Famer against the Yankees.

Orioles 6, Yankees 5. WP: Zach Britton (1-0). No save. LP: Betances (1-3).

*

And the Wednesday night starter was Sonny Gray. In the Baltimore bandbox. This is gonna get ugly...

It did, but in the Yankees' favor. Bird hit a grand slam, part of a 5-run 3rd inning for the Bronx Bombers. Tyler Wade hit one out to lead off the 6th. Romine homered in the 7th. And the Yankees got single runs in the 8th and the 9th.

Gray only needed 1 run, pitching perhaps his best game as a Yankee: 6 innings, no runs, 3 hits, just 1 walk, 8 strikeouts. A.J. Cole pitched 2 scorless innings, and Chasen Shreve a perfect 9th.

Yankees 9, Orioles 0. WP: Gray (6-7). No save. LP: Dylan Bundy (6-9).

The games the Yankees won, well, I don't care how the wins come, only that they do. But the games they lost, it's not just that they were lost, but how.

Hopefully, we don't have to remember.

HIX STIX NIX SOX

Yankees vs. Red Sox, weekend series at Yankee Stadium, with 1st place in the American League Eastern Division on the line.

Friday night: Gleyber Torres led off the bottom of the 2nd inning with a triple, and is singled home by Miguel Andujar. Giancarlo Stanton leads off the 4th with a walk. Didi Gregorius doubles. Torres hits a line drive to left, and it's deep enough to score Stanton. Then back-to-back home runs by Andujar and Greg Bird. Yankees 5, Scum 0.

The Sox get a run back in the 5th, but the 7th featured a single by Aaron Hicks and a home run by Aaron Judge. Bird added another home run in the 8th.

CC Sabathia was a beast again. He knows how much New York vs. Boston means. He went 7 innings, allowing 1 run on 6 hits and just 1 walk, striking out 5. Chad Green pitched a perfect inning. So did the much-maligned Chasen Shreve: Even he couldn't blow a 7-run lead.

Yankees 8, Red Sox 1. WP: Sabathia (5-3). No save. LP: Eduardo Rodriguez (9-3).

*

As good as Friday night was, Saturday night was an absolute disaster. Sonny Gray once again proved what everybody but Brian Cashman could see last July: He is no Justin Verlander. Or Chris Sale, for that matter. He didn't get out of the 3rd inning, and it was 6-0 by the time he walked off the mound.

Sale, on the other hand, was brilliant for the Sox, allowing just 3 baserunners: He hit Hicks with a pitch in the 1st -- had it been a different Sox pitcher, I'd have been sure hitting the 1st Yankee batter of the game was a message -- and single by Stanton in the 1st, and a walk to Austin Romine in the 2nd. After that, he retired 16 straight Yankees before being relieved.

Red Sox 11, Yankees 0. WP: Sale (8-4). No Save. LP: Gray (5-6).

*

The pendulum swung back in the Sunday night ESPN game. It was a Sevy Sunday, and Luis Severino was dominant, pitching shutout ball into the 7th inning, allowing just 2 hits, although 3 walks, with 6 strikeouts.

The Yankee bats, meanwhile clobbered old Tampa Bay pain in the neck David Price, who was supposed to be the 2nd example of the Sox proving the old saw that "The Yankees can't hit lefthanders," which was disproven long ago. Judge and Torres took him deep in the 1st inning. Hicks hit one out in the 3rd. Higashiokia homered in the 5th, and Hicks added another in the inning to finish Price off. In the 8th, Hicks hit a 3rd home run. HIX STIX NIX SOX.

Chapman needed the work, so Boone sent him in to protect an 11-run lead in the 9th. Even Shreve couldn't blow that, right? Well, Aroldis gotta Aroldis, so he allowed a run, but that was it. Yankees 11, Red Sox 1. WP: Severino (13-2). No save. LP: Price (9-6).

Taking 2 of 3 against The Scum is always good. Not as good as sweeping 3, but I'll gladly take it.

The Yankees end the series sort-of tied with the Sox for 1st place, 54-27 to the Sox' 56-29. Because we still have 4 games in hand on them due to rainouts, we're 2 games ahead in the all-important loss column.

That's 81 games in. The regular season is half-over. The Yankees are in a good position. But it could be better. Bring on the 2nd half.

Yanks Split With Nats: CC & Didi Heroes, Shreve Goat

On Tuesday night, the Yankees opened a home series with the Washington Nationals. Carsten Charles Sabathia, as has been said in this forum before, is a beast. Manager Aaron Boone took him out after 101 pitches, which only got him into the 6th inning, but he hadn't allowed any runs.

It worked, as the bullpen was strong as well: Chad Green allowed just 1 hit, while Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman allowed none, and none of them walked a batter.

Didi Gregorius hit a home run in the 2nd inning, followed by a walk by Aaron Hicks, a single by Neil Walker that got Hicks to 3rd base, and a sacrifice fly by Austin Romine, which made it 2-0 Yankees. Didi led off the bottom of the 6th with another homer.

Yankees 3, Nationals 0. WP: Sabathia (4-1). SV: Aroldis Chapman (18). LP: Tanner Roark (3-7).

Bryce Harper, whose contract with the Nats runs out after this season, was twice hit by pitches. Is that going to make him want to sign with the Yankees? Come to think of it, he's a right fielder. We already have Aaron Judge to play that position. And we're not exactly lacking in power hitters. So should we sign him? In each case, I use Harper's best-known quote: "That's a clown question, bro."

*

The Nats struck back on Wednesday night, the makeup of a rained-out game. Sonny Gray started, and allowed a run in the top of the 1st. The Yankees tied it in the bottom of the 1st, got a Greg Bird home run in the 2nd, and another run in the 3rd, to make it 3-1.

In the top of the 4th, Juan Soto hit a home run for the Nationals. This is noteworthy because Soto, a 19-year-old Dominican who has gotten off to a great start, was not in the Nats' starting lineup when it was announced for this game, before its postponement. He was still in the minor leagues at the time. In other words, had this game been played as intended, he wouldn't have been eligible for it.

Shades of the 1979 game between the New Jersey Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers, which the Nets had protested, gotten it upheld, had the game set back to the point of the protest, and restarted, but, in the meantime, the teams had made a trade, and so guys played for both teams in the same game, and it was legal.

Anyway, that homer made it 4-3 Nats. Gleyber Torres tied it with a homer in the 5th, but Aaron Boone took Gray out after 5, and brought in Chasen Shreve. Why would you bring Chasen Shreve in to pitch a game you wanted to win? Shreve gave up another homer to Soto in the 7th.

Nationals 5, Yankees 4. WP: Justin Miller (4-0). SV: Sean Doolittle (18). LP: Shreve (2-1).

Shreve has become the new Ted Lilly, Phil Coke, Jeff Weaver, Scott Proctor, Boone Logan and Tyler Clippard: He might be a nice guy, but he should never be brought in to pitch for the Yankees.

I do not include Kyle Farnsworth in that list, because, as we saw, Farnsworth is not a nice person.

Yankees Split Rain-Forced Twinbill With Tigers

A rain-soaked series in Detroit forced the moving of 2 games to a single day, previously an off-day for both the Yankees and the Detroit Tigers.

The opener at Comerica Park saw the Tigers get to Luis Severino early, with a Nick Castellanos single and a Miguel Cabrera double, in the 1st inning. But he cruised the rest of the way, going 8 innings, allowing 2 runs, only 1 earned, on 4 hits and no walks, striking out 10.

He needed runs. He got them, starting with a home run by Gleyber Torres in the 3rd inning. Then came the top of the 4th. Here's what the Yankees did to Tiger starter Drew VerHagen: Home run by Greg Bird, single by Giancarlo Stanton, single by Didi Gregorius, RBI single by Miguel Andujar, RBI single by Clint Frazier, and home run by Austin Romine. Six runs before the Tigers even got an out.

Jonathan Holder was a little shaky in the 9th, allowing 2 runs, and Aaron Boone had to bring Aroldis Chapman in to slam the door. Yankees 7, Tigers 4. WP: Severino (9-1). SV: Chapman (14, and it should never have been a save situation). LP: VerHagen (0-2).

You gotta get run support. The Tigers got 4 runs in each game, losing the 1st, but winning the 2nd.

Yet again, Domingo German proved that he shouldn't have been moved from the bullpen to take the injured Jordan Montgomery's spot in the rotation. The Yankees got a home run from Stanton, but it wasn't enough. Tigers 4, Yankees 2. WP: Mike Fiers (5-3). SV: Shane Greene (15). LP: German (0-4).

Verlander Reminds Us Again That Cashman Is an Idiot

Q: How many times do the Yankees have to fail to beat Justin Verlander in order for people to realize that Brian Cashman blew it by not trading some of his beloved "prospects" for him at last year's trading deadline?

A: At least 3.

The Yankees lost to him in Games 2 and 6 of the 2017 American League Division Series, and are now 0-1 against him in the 2018 regular season. Yes, they won a game he started against them on May 1, but that was by scoring 4 runs in the 9th off a reliever. After 8 innings, it was 0-0, and Verlander had allowed just 3 hits, struck out 14 and walked exactly none.

This time? Greg Bird hit a home run off him in the 7th inning, but nobody was on base, and that was the only run the Yankees got.

Meanwhile, Domingo German, who has shown signs of being a good reliever, got hit hard, and showed that he should not be a starting pitcher.

Astros 5, Yankees 1. WP: Verlander (7-2). No save. LP: German (0-3).

There was one good thing about last night's game: Rudy Giuliani got booed. That's right: The man known as "America's Mayor," whose vicious racism we decided to put aside because he busted insider traders and mafia guys and slashed the City's crime rate, before he became a national security psychopath and a Donald Trump fan, went to Yankee Stadium, probably his favorite place in the world, last night.

And it was his birthday, his 74th. And it was mentioned on the video board during the birthday listings. And Yankee Fans, already angry that Trump claims to be one, booed. And when Giuliani was shown on the board, the boos got harder.

Booed by your favorite team's fans on your own birthday. That had to hurt.

Good.

But Brian Cashman is still an idiot.

Don't tell me how well Gleyber Torres is doing. He must help the Yankees to win at least 1 World Series for that trade to be a success. At least 1.

*

Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series begins: 31, on Friday, June 29, at 7:05, at Yankee Stadium II.

Days until the New York Red Bulls play again: See the next answer.

Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": 4, this coming Saturday night, against the New England Revolution, at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. Their next game against New York City FC will be on Sunday, July 8, at Yankee Stadium II. Unless it's forced to be moved to Citi Field, East Hartford, or, this would be funny, Red Bull Arena. Their 1st game against D.C. United, and their 1st game ever at the new Audi Field, will be on Wednesday night, July 25. Their next game against the Philadelphia Union will be on Sunday, October 21, at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester.

Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 4, this coming Saturday, a "friendly" against Ireland, at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, built on the site of the old national stadium, Lansdowne Road. Last night, they beat Bolivia 3-0 at the Philadelphia Union's stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania. After Dublin, they will face France in Lyon the following Saturday. These 3 games should have been warmups for the World Cup. Alas...

Days until the next World Cup kicks off in Russia: 16, on June 14. A little over 2 weeks. But the U.S. team won't be playing. At least now, Donald Trump doesn't have to choose, and can root for his favorite country, the host nation, Russia.


Days until The Arsenal play again: 58, on Thursday, July 26, against Atlético Madrid in the International Champions Cup, a glorified friendly, at the National Stadium in Singapore.

Days until the 2018 trading deadline, after which we won't have to fear Yankee general manager Brian Cashman trading any proven good players for "prospects": 63, on Tuesday, July 31. Just 9 weeks.

Days until Arsenal play a game with a manager other than Arsène Wenger: 74, in the 2018-19 Premier League season opener, on Saturday, August 11. Time, opponent and location as yet unknown.

Days until the next North London Derby: Unknown, but not until next season. The only thing we know for sure is that you never see a derby on the opening weekend. So, more than 74 days.

Days until Rutgers University plays football again: 95, on Saturday, September 1, home to Texas State University. A little over 3 months.

Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: Unknown. The 2018 schedule hasn't been released yet. But the season opener is usually on the 1st Friday in September. that would be September 7, which is 101 days from now.

Days until the New Jersey Devils next play a local rival: Unknown, as the regular season is over. It is possible that the Devils will play the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but that wouldn't happen unless both teams reach the NHL Eastern Conference Finals. Otherwise, they wouldn't face the Flyers, the New York Rangers or the New York Islanders until the start of the next regular season, which is usually on the 2nd Friday in October. That would be October 12, or 136 days.

Days until the next Congressional election, when we can elect a Democratic Congress that can impeach and remove Donald Trump from the Presidency: 161, on November 6. A little over 5 months.

Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State game: 172, on Saturday, November 17, at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge Thanksgiving high school football game: 177, on Thursday, November 22. Under 6 months.

Days until a Democratic Congress can convene, and the impeachment process can begin: 219, on Thursday, January 3, 2019. A little over 7 months.

Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Mariano Rivera: 239, on January 23, 2019. A little under 8 months.

Days until the next Women's World Cup kicks off: 374, on June 7, 2019, in France. A little over a year, or a little over 12 months. The U.S. team, as 3-time and defending Champions, has, as usual, a better chance than the men's team would have had in 2018 anyway.

Days until the Yankees and Red Sox play each other in London: 396, on June 29, 2019. A little over a year, or exactly 13 months.

Days until my 50th Birthday, at which point I can join AARP and get discounts for travel and game tickets: 568, on December 18, 2019. A little over a year and a half, or a little under 19 months.

Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Derek Jeter: 603, on January 22, 2020. Under 2 years, or under 20 months.

Days until the next Summer Olympics begins in Tokyo, Japan: 787, on July 24, 2020. A little over 2 years, or under 26 months.

Days until the next Presidential election, when we can dump the Trump-Pence regime and elect a real Administration: 889, on November 3, 2020. Under 2 1/2 years, or a little over 29 months.

Days until Liberation Day: 967, at noon on January 20, 2021. Under 3 years, or under 32 months. Note that this is liberation from the Republican Party, not just from Donald Trump. Having Mike Pence as President wouldn't be better, just differently bad, mixing theocracy with plutocracy, rather than mixing kleptocracy with plutocracy.

Days until the next Winter Olympics (after the current one in Pyeongchang, Korea) begins in Beijing, China: 1,347, on February 4, 2022. Under 4 years, or a little over 44 months.

Days until the next World Cup for which the American team will be eligible is scheduled to kick off: 1,637, on November 21, 2022, in Qatar. Under 4 1/2 years, or under 54 months. The charges of corruption against Qatar may yet mean that they will lose the tournament, in which case it will be moved to a nation where it would not be too hot to play it in June and July.

Be There. Aloha.

Admit it: You thought the Yankees were done after those 2 losses in Cleveland. I thought it. I admit it.

Last night was one of those games where the manager/head coach could have looked at his team and said, "I know it looks bad. Well, I want to see who wants to be here next season."

Perhaps the tide had turned for Joe Girardi after his failure to challenge that call in Game 2 in Cleveland. Because when he was introduced before Game 3 of the American League Division Series last night, the entire Stadium seemed to be booing him. It was well-deserved, and he admitted as such in his press conference on the day in between. The people who say, "Girardi has overachieved with these Yankees" were rightly self-muting.

But something happened after that: The Yankees decided, If we're gonna go down, let's go down with all guns blazing, and with all flags flying.

Masahiro Tanaka pitched 7 shutout innings. He gave up no home runs. He pitched better than he had in the 2015 AL Wild Card Game, and he was pumped when he finished the 7th inning with a strikeout. And he got help from a fantastic catch by Aaron Judge, who is known for his slugging, not his defense.

But it was 0-0. The Yankees were hitting no better for him than they had on that dark night 2 years ago. They had only 2 hits.

And then Greg Bird cranked one down the right field line, and the new Yankee Stadium shook like it hasn't since, oh, November 4, 2009.

Girardi sent David Robertson in to pitch the 8th. I couldn't fault him for the decision: 'Hiro had done all that we could have asked him to do, And D-Rob had been solid since his return. But he didn't have much, and only got 1 out.

Girardi asked Aroldis Chapman to get a 5-out save, and, again, a lot of us thought it was over. It wasn't: He got out of the 8th, and, while he allowed a hit in the 9th, he got out of that, too.

Yankees 1, Indians 0. Since Wild Card Games are not officially counted as "Playoffs" by MLB, this was the 1st postseason game won by the Yankees since October 12, 2012 -- 4 days short of 5 years.

Game 4 is tonight -- weather permitting. Luis Severino pitches against Trevor Bauer.

We will not get full revenge over the Boston Red Sox this season. This afternoon, the Houston Astros eliminated them, 3 games to 1. If we come from behind to win this series 3-2, it will be the Astros we play in the AL Championship Series.

Whatever happens the rest of the way, whether it's 1 game or 3 weeks, this team has shown character. They've shown guts. As they say in English soccer, This club's got bottle.

They want to be here next season.

To Hell with "rebuilding": We can still do this. It is not merely possible: Last night's win made it believable.

Tonight, or the next night if it's rained out, and if there's any games after it, as Jack Lord used to say, "Be there. Aloha."

Because these Yankees will be there.

Yanks Begin 2nd Half With Lots of News, Not Much of It Good

Tonight, the Yankees begin the official, though not numerical, 2nd half of the regular season, in Scum Town, facing The Scum at Scumway Park.

As you might have guessed, I want to win these games. The Yankees go into the series 3 1/2 games behind Boston in the American League Eastern Division, 2 in the all-important loss column, having lost 17 of their last 25 games, now only 45-41, 4 games over .500.

Taking at least 3 out of 4 is a must, to send the Red Sox the message that we aren't going to let them run away with the Division, that we are going to battle them to the end. And if we can take all 4, well, sure, that would be even better.

The projected pitching matchups are as follows:

* Tonight, 7:10 PM: Jordan Montgomery vs. Drew Pomerantz.

* Tomorrow, 4:05 PM: Luis Severino vs. Chris Sale.

* Sunday, 1:05 PM, opener of a rain-forced doubleheader: Bryan Mitchell vs. Rick Porcello.

* Sunday, 8:00 PM, the originally-scheduled game of the day: Masahiro Tanaka vs. David Price.

Why is Mitchell starting? Because that was supposed to be Michael Pineda's spot in the rotation, but his elbow is hurting, and he's been told he needs Tommy John surgery -- in his contract year, no less. His contract runs out at the end of this season, and there goes any shot he had at a big payday. Most likely, the Yankees won't try to re-sign him, so he has probably pitched in Pinstripes (and road grays) for the last time. Indeed, there's a not-insignificant chance that he may never appear in the major leagues again.

Mitchell is starting because it's too soon in the rotation for CC Sabathia, who will start in Minnesota on Monday, or Luis Cessa, who will start on Tuesday.

In addition, 1st baseman Greg Bird, who seemed so promising at the end of 2015, but has missed all of last season and most of this season due to injury, may need surgery again. We probably won't see him until Spring Training next year, and possibly never again.

With this in mind, Brian Cashman finally decided to do his job, and fill a major hole. He sent little-used pitcher Tyler Wade to the Milwaukee Brewers for Garrett Cooper. He is expected to make his major league debut tonight, at 1st base. He's 26, and, despite having hit like hell for Triple-A Colorado Springs, the Brewers had not yet chosen to bring him up to The Show. So what does that tell you? It tells me that Cashman was getting a guy on whom his previous team had given up.

There is some good injury news: Matt Holliday, who's been sick, should return tonight. Starlin Castro's had a bad hamstring, but is expected to return tomorrow.

But we need more good news. Can we possibly get it against The Scum this weekend? Stay tuned.

*

Days until The Arsenal play again: 1, tomorrow morning, 6:00 AM our time, as they complete their 2-game excursion in Australia. Having beaten defending A-League Champions Sydney FC 1-0 yesterday, they will play the preceding club's local rivals, Western Sydney Wanderers, also at Stadium Australia in Sydney.


Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 1, tomorrow night at 7:00, in the Group Stage of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, against Nicaragua, at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, home of the NFL's Cleveland Browns. They opened Cup play with a sluggish 3-2 win over Martinique in Nashville.

Days until the Red Bulls play again: 5, next Wednesday night at 7:30, home to the San Jose Earthquakes. This past Wednesday night, they advanced to the Semifinal of the U.S. Open Cup, by, for the 2nd time in 9 days, going on the road and winning a "derby" against the New England Revolution, having taken a league game against them the previous week. It wasn't long ago that Metro couldn't beat the Revs away, no matter what they did.

Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": 23, on Sunday, August 6, against New York City FC at Yankee Stadium. They will next play the Philadelphia Union on Sunday, September 17, at at Red Bull Arena. They will next play the D.C. Scum on Saturday, September 27, at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey. They are not scheduled to play the Revs again this season. The Red Bulls might make the Playoffs, but the Revs probably won't, so they almost certainly won't face each other again until next season.

Days until the Premier League season begins: 28, on Friday, August 11. Just 4 weeks. The Arsenal open the season at home to Leicester City, in a game moved back from the intending opening to suit British TV.

Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series (after this one): 28, on Friday, August 11, at Yankee Stadium.

Days until Rutgers University plays football again: 49, on Friday, September 1, home to the University of Washington. Just 7 weeks.

Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: 56, on Friday night, September 8, home to Sayreville, a "derby." Just 8 weeks.

Days until the New Jersey Devils play again: 85, on Saturday night, October 7, home to the Colorado Avalanche. Under 3 months.

Days until the New Jersey Devils next play a local rival: 92, on Saturday night, October 14, against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in Midtown Manhattan. Their 1st game against the New York Islanders will be on Sunday, January 7, 2018, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn -- and they'll have played the Rangers 3 times by then. Their 1st game against the Philadelphia Flyers will be on Saturday, January 13, 2018, at the Prudential Center in Newark -- and they'll have played the Rangers 3 times and the Islanders once by then. This is a weird schedule. But at least we have it. The NBA usually doesn't release its new season's schedule until August.

Days until the Alex Rodriguez Contract From Hell officially runs out, and the Yankees can spend his salary on new players: 109, on October 31.

Days until the next election for Governor of New Jersey: 116, on Tuesday, November 7. Under 4 months until we elect Phil Murphy, defeat Kim Guadagno, and end Christieism forever. But only if you vote!

Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State football game: 120, on Saturday, November 11, at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania.

Days until the next North London Derby: 127, on Saturday, November 18, at the Emirates Stadium. This game could be moved to the following day, for TV purposes.

Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge Thanksgiving high school football game: 132, on Thursday, November 23, at 10:00 AM. Under 5 months, and thank God it's at home, at Jay Doyle's Green Grove, rather than at that purple shit pit on Route 9.

Days until the next Winter Olympics begins in Pyeongchang, Korea: 214, on February 9, 2018. Under 7 months.

Days until the next World Cup kicks off in Russia: 335, on June 14, 2018. Just 11 months. Has Bruce Arena turned our chances around? Maybe. Or maybe, with the tournament on his soil, Vladimir Putin will tell his bitch Donald Trump to tell Bruce Arena to tank the games. Maybe not. Or maybe only if we end up playing Russia. I don't think Arena will listen. If he doesn't, I hope his life insurance is paid up, because Putin has had people killed for defying him.

Days until September 2018 roster call-ups, when we can finally start to expect seeing most of these wonderful "prospects" for whom Yankee general manager Brian Cashman threw away a chance at the 2016 Playoffs: 414. A little over a year, or 13 1/2 14 months. Of course, Clint Frazier is already up, but we've hardly benefited. We could end up seeing another of them sooner than that, but since most of them are at Double-A Trenton now, if that, who's kidding who?

Days until the next Congressional election: 480, on November 6, 2018. Under a year and a half, or a little under 16 months.

Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Mariano Rivera: 544, on January 9, 2019. A little under a year and a half, or a little under 18 months.

Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Derek Jeter: 909, on January 8, 2020. A little under 2 1/2 years, or a little under 30 months.

Days until the next Summer Olympics begins in Tokyo, Japan: 1,114, on July 24, 2020. A shade over 3 years, or 36 months.

Days until the next Presidential election: 1,576, on November 3, 2020. Under 3 1/2 years, or a little under 40 months.

Days until Liberation Day: 1,654, at noon on January 20, 2021. A little over 3 1/2 years, or a little over 42 months. Note that this is liberation from the Republican Party, not just from Donald Trump. Having Mike Pence as President wouldn't be better, just differently bad, mixing theocracy with plutocracy, rather than mixing kleptocracy with plutocracy.