The 2006 New York Yankees: Defying Stereotypes by Staying on Top
Also, before I go on, I’d like to address the Red Sox Nation. You have to stop using the moniker Red Sox Nation. Raiders fans, of the Oakland NFL franchise, have been using Raider Nation for over three decades. Come up with something original, please.
If there’s one person who has become the face of the so-called Baby Bombers, and subsequently the new look of the New York Yankees, it’s Melky Cabrera. Melky has become a fan favorite because of his youthful exuberance, hustle and clutch hitting. His statistics aren’t that amazing (.282 AVG., 4 HR, 32 RBI, .356 OBP), but the Melky appeal goes way beyond stats. He has been in the middle of what seems like every single Yankee rally of the past two months. His homerun stealing catch on a Manny Ramirez fly ball in the 8th inning of a 2-1 game doesn’t seem that spectacular in hindsight (especially next to Gary Matthews’ catch of the year), but the significance of the play at the time speaks volumes in terms of the development of what I’ll call the Melky Legend* (in Yankee lore, the word Legend is thrown around fairly loosely, and this okay, there’s even an Aaron Boone Legend that is only starting to gain momentum).
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying they should etch Cabrera’s name in Cooperstown. I just hope they don’t trade him before the deadline, that’s all I’m saying. If Hideki Matsui came back and hit five homers in a week, I’m sure we’d all forget about Melky for now.
Now let’s talk about the rest of the Baby Bombers, as well as my disdain for that nickname. Other than Melky Cabrera, the rest of the so-called Baby Bombers are hardly, well, babies. Most of them are aging role players who are making the most of their chance in the wake of this plague of injuries. The injury bug has hit no team in Major League Baseball like it has the New York Yankees. Three players, or the entire middle third of the lineup, have been missing for a while. Outfielders Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield, and second baseman Robinson Cano have been out of commission for a long time. Cano will probably be coming back soon, but his arrival date seems to get pushed back daily. The other two won’t be around until September, and they might be so rusty, who knows what we’ll get out of them. Here’s a rundown of some of the “Baby” Bombers who have filled in and done a stellar job:
AARON GUILE:
The Yankees picked up Guile off of the Major League scrapheap known as the Kansas City Royals. Platooning with Bernie Williams, the veteran has added a much needed throwing arm in right field and some timely hitting, namely three homeruns in the past week that have all come in big spots.
ANDY PHILLIPS
Phillips has gotten a lot of at bats this year and the verdict is still out. Playing Andy at first base allows the Yankees to DH Jason Giambi, which really shores up the infield defense. But the knock on Phillips is that he’s been extremely inconsistent at the plate. One week he’ll hit .524 and the next he’s at .038, that won’t cut it in September.
NICK GREEN
Green was a pitiful 3 for 39 this year as a Tampa Bay Devil Ray before the Yankees snatched him up off the waiver wire. Since then, he’s become a .350 hitter in thirteen games this season. He’s also added lineup versatility in late game situations and some much needed rest for Alex Rodriguez’s yips-afflicted throwing arm at third base.
MIGUEL CAIRO
Miguel Cairo’s batting statistics don’t tell half the story of his crucial role on this team. As the main sub for Robinson Cano at second base, Cairo has come up with a lot of big RBI’s in the past month. His bunting skills as well as his ability to play any position are invaluable; he’s even made a spot start in leftfield.
So that brings us to Major League Baseball’s trading deadline. What do GM Brian Cashman and the Yankees do? I’ve already stated that I don’t want to get to rid of Melky. They’ve made a few small deals: picking up troubled pitcher Sidney Ponson for nothing (not good) and upgrading at backup catcher with Sal Fasano (okay). If they could catch lightening in a bottle with a Shawn Chacon or Aaron Small, that would be ideal, but they shouldn’t broker the future over an overpriced outfielder (read: Alfonso Soriano or Bobby Abreu). They could always use another starting pitcher, so I’m not against any dealing, just nothing stupid.
I kind of want to see if the 2006 Yankees can make a run with the team that they’ve got. They’re the unusual underdog, the over-priced behemoth with broken down stars, holding it together with a schizophrenic third baseman (A-Rod), a post-steroid slugger (Giambi), a few old stalwarts (Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada), the scrapheap all-stars, the Melkman and the Captain, Derek Jeter. Most people scoff at the idea that the Yankees could ever be underdogs, but not me, I’m embracing it. Most critics and so-called experts don’t think the Yankees will hang with the Tigers, White Sox and Red Sox, so what good’s our payroll in that respect.
I can’t wait for the five game series in late August against the Red Sox when we’ll see what this version of the Bombers is truly made of.
