A Few Thoughts After My 20th Reunion From Clifton High School

Last night was the Clifton High School Class of 1999 20th reunion.  First of all, I can not even believe that it's been 20 years, so I'll just start with that.  Aside from that, I can't believe how positive of a night last was, all around, and for many reasons.

The thing that hits me the most is that for 4 hours last night, there was a room full of people who was genuinely happy to be together, be out, be partying, be friends and just living life.  I have been feeling a little down lately on what feels like a time where the world wants to complain, argue, compete about who is busier or has it  harder in life and look down on others for their opinions about things.  Last night, every person was met with a smile - even if you did not know them (or was not quite sure if you knew them . . . . . . . ) because we were all there for a common purpose - to have a great time and celebrate that we spent anywhere from 1 day and 13 years of our childhoods together in some way in what I believe was an amazing place to grow up - Clifton, NJ.

• There was nothing to complain about.  I mean sure - I guess if you wanted to, you could have found stuff to complain about  - nothing is perfect and not everything is for everyone, but that's the thing. . . . . nobody was complaining, even if there was something to complain about.  That was refreshing and exciting.  
• No one was arguing (at least no one that I saw!)  I've planned many a party, event and social gathering.  The amount of time spent debating every tiny detail just to have others tell you everything that is wrong about the decisions you make it agonizing!  I'm sure there were many debates between the team of organizers about how to put everything together, but once we were there, the guests all showed their appreciation for everything and I was not involved in any conversations about everything that was "Wrong" about the party.  Only everything that was great about it!  Again - so refreshing!
• There was no competition.    No competitions about who has more kids. No competing about who's kids are older and why certain ages of the kids make life easier or harder.  No competing about who has a harder job, a longer commute, less time to get things done, sleeps less or has to deal with more crap.  Instead it was all about praising each other for how wonderful they look, how they love seeing your social media updates and how happy we all were to see how happy everyone else is.  REFRESHING!
• None of the toxic debates about politics, religion and all the things that people get heated about.  At least not in my presence.  For one night, there were no worries.  It did not matter if anyone disagreed about important topics or had differing opinions about very important things.  The only thing that mattered is that we were a part of the Class of '99 (or a guest of someone from the class) and we were there to party.

Ya know what else?  Today, all day I kept wanting to check Facebook because it was just constant positive buzz about what a great time everyone had.  Pictures, long reminiscing posts, words of appreciation and a desire to try to make sure we don't wait another 10 years to do it again.  The tricky part is that while we are all on a high from the great time, Monday morning will be here before you know it and everyone will be back to work - back home after their weekend of friends, Hot Grill, Rutt's Hut, Bruno's, Giants games, Tick Tock Diner, disco fries and Taylor Ham Egg & Cheese sandwiches - and the likelihood is that all the excitement may wear off and we'll have good memories and potentially lose touch again because life gets in the way.  That's why I LOVE large group events.  The larger the group, the more likely people are to try to get in on the action; get a sitter, book a flight, take a long drive, get a hotel room.  It's hard to keep in touch with everyone all the time.  So now the challenge is to try to keep the momentum going - not every week or even every month, but maybe once or twice a year, to try to put something together that can get a bunch of people together.  Ya know, even with the great turnout, it still is likely that 2/3 to 3/4 of the graduating class members were not there.  There are still events to be planned, parties to be attended and fun to be had and we don't have to wait until we are 48 to do it.  Personally, I have a plan to try to create something for next summer that would be a way for me contribute to this effort.  In typical Joey V style, I'm going to set up a class of '99 Yankee game trip and tailgate for next season.  Nothing major, but who knows, maybe 50 (or 10, or 500) of us will come together and have a good time, a fun tailgate and not completely lose touch.

Ya know what's interesting about reunions? Most people either love them or hate them.  Not the actual event, the idea of them.  I can't tell you how many people told me they have NO USE for a reunion.  They say things like "They didn't talk to me in high school, why would I want to talk to them now?"  or "If I wanted to stay in touch with someone, I did."  Or even something like "Why would I want to see all those people"  This morning I have seen a number of posts or comments from people that did not come saying they wished they had gone or they regret not going based on how fun it looked, even some that said they were not planning to come but decided last minute to attend and were so glad that they did!  In my opinion, it really does not matter all that much how perfect or imperfect high school was.  It's been 20 years.  We are all grown up.  We are teachers, doctors, mechanics, chefs, coaches, architects, administrative assistants, actors, electricians, movers, lawyers, business owners, authors, gamers, landscapers, painters, cashiers, musicians, bloggers, bankers . . . .. whatever.  We have our group of friends, but the HS cliques are gone.  It's not about who you were friends with in 12th grade on the day of graduation or who you decorated your car with on that day.  It's about the relationships you had from the beginning. 

Last night, I had about 3 minutes to talk with someone who reminded me that we were in it together starting in KINDERGARTEN!  Mrs. Bielen's class at School #5.  There were only a few of us there that went back that far together.  We tried to scan the room and see how many of us there were.  There was at least 1 more and another who joined us in elementary school in 5th grade.  We did not really hang out all that much after school 5, but there was no real reason for it.  The school just got bigger.  We had no problem with each other and we always had a connection - we just did not spend as much time with each other anymore.  Then there was a crew of people who I was really tight with in middle school at Woodrow Wilson MS.  If you asked me back then, I would have guessed they were going to be a huge part of my life forever.  But we drifted, early in high school, as happens in life. Again, if I spoke to any of them for 5 minutes last night, it was a lot - there were so many people there - but there was such a joy in reliving old memories with them and I got a feeling that they were truly as happy to see me as I was them.  Now we are all friends on Facebook and we see each other's posts and we all remember each other exists, but let's be real - there are just not enough hours in the day to find time to see everyone.  Does that mean that we are dead to each other?  Heck no!  Have we gone separate ways?  Yes.  Was it on purpose?  no.  It's life.  There was another crew of people that I was real tight with in MS and it carried over into high school and grew to include people from CCMS.  We were in band together until graduation, but even that group drifted and morphed a bit to where we were friends and classmates, but didn't really hang out together.  (a number of us reconnected after college and do see each other a couple times a year.)  In 10th grade, I started hanging out with some senior band people and when they graduated, I got tight with the incoming freshman class  That group is probably the group of people who have lasted the longest in my most direct circle of friends I spend time with, by the way.  I did not spend a whole lot of social time in high school with the people I graduated with, but I spent 8 periods a day with them for all 4 years, and had countless memories with them from that as well as various school events and of course School 5, WWMS, Little League (Western Division represent!) CCD, band, choir, talent shows, prom, homecoming, etc.  You don't have to be best friends with someone to be happy to see them and you didn't need to be tight with them every day of your childhood for them to still matter.  There are also people that I really did not hang out with much at all before college who are a part of my life now as we somehow connected later in life.  And that was what last night was all about to me.

I was a little disappointed as the night went on because I actually developed a little bit of a headache that was messing with me.  It was from talking really loud and from smiling too much.  I know it sounds weird, but that happens to me sometimes.  I was screaming my head off and talking a lot at the Yankee game the night before, put in a full day of work with my marching band and then came to the reunion.  My voice was shot before I even arrived and I was having such a great time that the head was starting to hurt.  Because of that, I bailed on the after party.  This is the 2nd time that this has happened in the past couple months where I was literally getting happy headaches.  Weird, but there are much worse reasons to get the ol' headache.  (And no, it was not from drinking too much.)

One last thing about last night - Some people were surprised that Kristyn came with me.  I guess a lot of spouses did not want to come or stayed home with the kids whatever.  I'll tell you what - she can hang with the best of them!  First of all, she was able to get into conversations with people she never even met before and she was right at home.  She did not need me to hover over her and I did not have to be afraid to talk to someone else while she was in a conversation with one of my friends.  Everyone seemed to feel like they knew her already because we share so much on Facebook, and what was really cool was being able to put faces to all the stories I have told her in the past.  Countless times last night I said to her, "remember this story - That was this person!"  That was really cool for me.  I like to tell stories and reminisce and it was great to be able to bring her into the part of my life she was not around for.  I enjoyed that a ton and she actually knew more people than she realized she would.

So I have no idea who will read this and how far anyone will actually make it into this long, drawn out and potentially boring post, but if you are still here, I hope that it inspires you to go to your reunions, make time to remember the fun times from your past, reach out to an old friend here and there and smile a little bit each day even when life gets crazy.  I smiled for 4 straight hours last night and can't wait for another night like that where we can just forget everything and just have a great time with great people.

Lastly - I'm impressed at how our crew can still party!  Great job everyone and I hope to see you all again soon.  To Jill and the rest of the planning crew - I know you've heard it a ton the past 24 hours, but thanks again for all you did to make last night a success.  As a person who plans a lot of events, I regret not being a part of the process at least in a small way, but you nailed every aspect of it and thanks for that.  Class of ' 99 - Stay posted in March/April for an announcement about a Yankee game trip this summer that I plan to put together for us and as we all wrote in each other's yearbooks . . . . "K.I.T."

Joey V

Are we REALLY "worried" about the Yankees players returning from injury?

Howdy friends!  I'm hear to talk everyone off the ledge about being scared about what will happen to the chemistry of the Yankees when everyone comes back.  I think people are trying to get a little too cute about how they think the right way to build a team is and about what builds long-term stability in a franchise. 

So tomorrow night, Didi Gregorius will be coming back from the IL.  He has been out since the playoffs ended after having Tommy John surgery.  There have been many who were out earlier in the year and many still yet to come back, but I feel like Didi is the biggest one coming back from the longest injury and signifies the beginning of the end of all the ridiculousness that they have endured this year with relation to injuries. 

First, let's go through the list of injuries this year so far:

GONE AND CAME BACK ALREADY

1. Aaron Hicks (Back)
2. Gary Sanchez (calf)
3. CC Sabathia (heart, Knee)
4. DJ Lemahieu (knee - no IL, but about a week off)
5. James Paxton (knee)
6. Clint Frazier (Ankle)

GONE AND NOT BACK YET:

1. Aaron Judge (Strained oblique)
2. Troy Tulowitzki (Strained calf)
3. Giancarlo Stanton (Various)
4. Miguel Andujar (Shoulder - out for season)
5. Greg Bird (Plantar Fascia)
6. Luis Severino (lat)
7. Didi Gregorius (Tommy John)
8. Dellin Betances (Shoulder, Elbow)
9. Jonathan Loaisiga (Shoulder)
10. Jordan MOntgomery (Tommy John)
11. Ben Heller (Tommy John)
12. Jacoby Ellsbury (hip and everything else)
13. Jake Barrett (Shoulder)

So let's start with the list of those who got injured and came back already.  This is a significant chunk of a team.  Aaron Hicks had a bad back, as soon as the ink dried on his new 7 year contract.  Was out for the first 7-8 weeks or so.  Raised some eyebrows.  He does not get the credit he deserves.  Batting average is rising slowly and he's getting some clutch hits.    Sanchez was out for a minute and everyone was all excited that ROMINE would get his chance to shine.  C'mon everybody.  Get a grip. (by the way, not hearing any complaints about his defense, now that he is hitting again!)  Sabathia was out twice already!  Actually 3 times - 5 game suspension for last year issue, then the heart and then the knee.  And then Paxton goes down for a bit - that's 2/5 of the rotation that has gone and come back already.  Throw in about a week of Lemahieu being out - I'm convinced he would have been in the IL if there was any room there for him!  And of course, Clint Frazier who is hitting the tar off the ball but can't catch a damn cold in the outfield.  So let's think about what things looked like while all of these guys were out in addition to the guys who are still out.  This was a sample lineup from a game against the Royals.  (Remember, no matter how many injuries have mounted, Aaron Boone is going to give people days off.  SOmeone good will be out of the lineup every day.  That's baseball in 2019. 

1 - DJ Lemahieu

2 - Luke Voit

3 - Brett Gardner

4 - Clint Frazier

5 - Mike Tauchman

6 - Gio Urshela

7 - Mike Ford

8 - Austin Romine

9 - Tyler Wade

Starting pitching:

1 - German

2 - Happ

3 - Tanaka

4 - Opener (Paxton was out)

5 - Opener (CC was out)

Ok, in the batting order, 1&2 look good right now because they are absolutely raking and 2 months in, they are the real deal.  Gardner batting 3rd?  Be honest, how many of you were pissed they resigned him this year?  And he's batting 3rd?  Truth be told, he's been a nice guy to have around.  I for one, am thankful that he was resigned, considering the playing time he's getting, but he should be batting 9th and/or a great bench player and turning the lineup around.  Not batting 3rd!  Clint Frazier 4 - not bad but not expected to be getting those type of at-bats.  At least he has stepped up. (of course, he got injured shortly thereafter also!)  Ok, now 5 - Mike Tauchman.  Here's a guy that everyone was "concerned" about losing at one point when Frazier was injured and ready to come back.  He batted .211 everybody!  211!  Get a grip.  Yes, he had some key hits and actually came up with 13 RBI in 95 at bats.  Not bad.  But he batted 211!  And for most of the time, he was under 200.  Let's not talk about him as is he is Lou Gehrig taking over for Wally Pipp!  He batted 211.  6 - Gio Urshela. This guy has been a revelation.  He's one that would have been tricky had Andujar not opted for season ending surgery.  And not because of any sort of concern about team chemistry, but because he is crushing it and Andujar is a killer too. That was gonna be a logjam, but it's not - until next year.  7 - Mike Ford.  Ok, at one point, people were writing - yes, being published - saying "Should the Yankees bring back Mike Ford to platoon with Luke Voit  for issues like "righty-lefty" stuff.   COME ON PEOPLE!  He batted. 179.  1 homer and 2 RBI.  He walked a bunch of times, but really?  I understand - the Yankees kept winning, but it was not because Mike Ford was lighting it up.  H e actually batted 5th a couple of times.  Wow!   8 - Austin Romine - everyone has this love affair with Romine.  I don't get it.  He's batting .209 with 1 homer and 11 RBI in 86 at bats.  His OPS is .486.  That's silly low.  Nice catcher.  Good back up.  Happy we have him for when Sanchez goes down with injury, but enough with the preferring him over Sanchez stuff.  Put it to bed.  Take that opinion out back and shoot it, please.  And 9 - Tyler Wade.    Loving his .204 batting average this year.  Scorching .520 OPS and 0 homers with 5 RBI.  He had a hot week and everyone's like "WE NEED TYLER WADE!  DOWN WITH STANTON!"

Now, don't get me wrong.  I'm blown away by what they were able to do with a lineup like that.  In spite of all the issues, they took care of business and they found ways to win.  It's quite impressive.  But people were actually worried about Hicks coming back and hoping that Sanchez would stay injured.  I'm sorry, a team with Hicks and Sanchez destroys any team with Mike Tauchman and Kyle Higashioka.  Case closed. 

Ok, let's move on to now.  Lots of people who need to come back.  Let's realize that Andujar is OUT of the picture for this year.   We'll ignore him until 2020.  I'll tell you the moves that will have to happen when people come back.  

The thing I can not deal with hearing is that "when all these guys back, it's going to hurt their chemistry."  Or "I don't want to mess up what we have going on."  Guess what - at the trading deadline every year, teams that are doing well end up going out there and adding players that will help their team.  They move a few guys out, replace them with "better" players and the ones who do the best job of that go on to win the World Series.  Good teams, upgrading their teams!  Each of the following players coming back, making the team whole - this will put the Yankees over the top and change make them unstoppable. 

1. Didi Gregorius - 1st one coming back.  When he comes back, the logical answer SHOULD be Kendrys Morales.  Had a nice career, but it should not continue here.  I'm cool with him getting the boot and that is a hell of an upgrade for the team overall. 
2. Giancarlo Stanton - Everyone is worried that when he comes back, he'll "upset what's going on with this team."  Ok, I understand - you are happy with the fact that they don't strike out a ton right now.  Let's check the stats.  This year, they are on pace for 1,417 strikeouts. (Thats 525 in 60 games so far.)  Last year, they struck out 1,421 times.  Interesting, everyone claims that they are such a better "contact team" this year, but they are on basically the exact same strikeout pace as last year - and that's without Judge and Stanton.  Things that make you go "hmmmmm?" 1 more thing, the Red Sox have 501 strikouts already this year, and everyone likes to claim that they are "not that type of team." Anyway - Stanton is a former MVP who had 38 homeruns and 100 RBI last year while hitting .265.  (league average was .248)  So, let me ask you - The Yankees had Cameron Maybin in the outfield tonight.   To his credit, he's hitting in the .280s this year and has had some nice clutch his.  But he's a career .255 with an OPS under .700.  He had NO TEAM this year until the Yankees were desperate for someone other than Mike Ford.  He's a nice story, but if he's still on the team in September, then it's probably a problem.  
3. Aaron Judge - When Judge comes back, you are probably looking at Thairo Estrada going back down.  He has been great and is going to have a nice career.  He's one of those guys who you are sad to see sent down and has earned playing time in the majors.  HE IS NOT AARON JUDGE! I want you to look me in the eye and tell me that you will be disappointed to replace Thairo Estrada with Aaron Judge.  I dare you.  Go ahead, make my day!  I don't need to say any more about this. BTW, who you want in Right - Judge or Clint Frazier?
4. Dellin Betances - Currently, in the Yankee bullpen, you have David Hale and Luis Cessa.  Now, David Hale has pitched well, but I think he's low man on the totem pole.  I happen to not be a fan of Luis Cessa, so I'd like to see him go, BUT he has served his purpose and has more experience than Hale.  It doesn't really matter.  Someone will get injured again and they'll both be up at some point.  (I'm sure we'll see Stephen Tarpley at some point too!)  Just glad that their bullpen is ON lately and again, Hale has been nice, but he is NOT DELLIN BETANCES!  See ya later, David!
5. Luis Severino - Have you noticed that the Yankees have had to use "openers" lately?  They had 4 starters on the IL at one point - Sevy, CC, Loaisiga and Paxton.  They doesn't even mention Montgomery - he's so far forgotten, it's not even funny for a guy who actually got Rookie of the Year votes a couple years ago!  Domingo German has been amazing, but he is on an innings limit.  Severino will return to slide into German's spot and they'll STILL be short pitching due to typical injury stuff throughout a season.  How in the hell does his return hurt anyone?

Those 5 additions make the team whole.  They don't even need to do anything at the deadline.  Their deadline deals are with the Injured list! Now for the rest of the injuries that don't REALLY mean a ton except hurting the depth of the team:  If Ellsbury ever plays again for the Yankees, we are in trouble!  OF course, we really could have used him in April.   Ellsbury may be overpaid, but he'd have been better than Mike Ford and Mike Tauchman with Gardner in center!

1. Troy Tulowitzki - It was a cheap lottery ticket.  His injury paved the way for Thairo Estrada.  If someone else goes down, they should bring up Estrada.  Tulo is done.  Let's release him and move on. 
2. Greg Bird - Voit is the real deal. I'm done with Bird.  This decade's Joba Chamberlain.
3. Jonathan Loaisiga - would be nice to have him around, but he's only up if someone's injured.  We have German/Severino, Paxton, CC, Tanaka and Happ.  Some say that is not enough for the playoffs - If Sevy is back, I go to war with this. If not, will need someone else.  But I'll sit CC if we can get Scherzer.  :-)
4. Jordan MOntgomery Not a factor
5. Ben Heller - not a factor
6. Jacoby Ellsbury - please stay home!
7. Jake Barrett - not a factor
8. Miguel Andujar (out for season)

So what's the point in the end?  I really and truly appreciate what's going on in Yankee land right now. It's been a magical season so far.  They are finding ways to win.  Lemahieu is batting close to .500 with RISP.  Urshela seems like the real deal, but only time will tell.  German is going to be a great pitcher in this league.  The bullpen is out of this world.  Sanchez has proven that last year was an injury riddled fluke.  Gardner has been beneficial to have.  Voit is not Kevin Maas or Shane Spencer.  Gleyber has not taken a step back.  Paxton is settling in.  Chapman can get guys out with 100 MPH (as opposed to 105.)  Chad Green's ERA is slowly coming back down.  Ottavino does not give up a hit, ever!  Maybin has been surprisingly helpful - a 1996-ish type of guy.  Clint Frazier can HIT!  (can't really field, though . . . . . )

To think that the team as presently constituted is build to win over the long haul is silly.  They are hot.  They are clicking.  People have literally asked me "why not build a team like the Rays?  It works, clearly."  Yes, it works, and then they tear it down and build with youth and hope that it will work again, year after year.  Or guys who had career years return to looking more like the numbers on the back of their baseball cards the next year.  Sometimes they are bad, sometimes they are surprisingly great.  THAT DOES NOT WORK IN NYC!!  We can not operate like that.  Because more often than not, teams like that fade.  Kansas City is just 1 example in 2014 - great start, but they were not ready.   2015 they were!  I feel like a team does that every year - teams like the Rays, A's, Twins, Mariners (13-2 start), Mets, Reds, Royals, Padres . . . . .  But the Yankees don't need to tear down and restart.  They rebuilt without ever sucking in 2017!   It's working!  

They are on a hot streak and ya know what - it's very possible something special could happen this year, even if those 5 guys don't come back.  But all the guys having career years in their stead - you think it's gonna happen again next year?  Look at this year's Red Sox. Last year - juggernaut.  This year - not so much.  Not too many huge changes - just not clicking the same.  And these are BIG players on their team.  The little guys the Yanks have - Maybin, Estrada, Romine, Ford, Tauchman, Wade - these are not long term guys.  They may catch fire and it may last as a group for a year, but if you want to sustain for the next 7 years, you gotta have Stanton, Judge, Sevy, Sanchez, Hicks, Didi . . . . . . Long term stability, proven commodities and AWESOME PLAYERS!  

To the little guys - I'll put the Yankees 40-man roster up against anyone in the league.  I thank you for your time and service.   I am NOT scared of a September injury because you have gained experience and proven you can do it.  There is a chance you will become trade bait - helping the Yankees build and retool for the future and keep the farm system strong.  There's a chance we'll see you many times the rest of this year, with the way the injuries have been hitting this team.  

People are worried about "how we'll get everyone at bats" and what-not.  I retort by saying "What a versatile team!"

POSITION PLAYERS:

• Luke Voit at 1st
• Gleyber at 2nd
• DIDI at SS
• Urshela at 3B
• Lemahieu can play 1st, 2nd or 3rd giving each player 1 day off a week.  Didi gets 2 days off a week, move Gleyber to SS and DJ plays 2nd.  DH 1 day a week and then sit 1 days a week and be a ridiculous pinch hitter. 
• Judge in RF
• Hicks in CF
• Stanton in LF (Remember - there are only 3 bench spots BUT the DH counts as a 4th roving spot, so you can carry 5 outfielders)
• Frazier can give Judge a day a week in right, Stanton 2 days a week to be DH instead of LF and be the DH for 1 day a week.  Killer bench guy on the other days. 
• Gardner is the 5th outfielder, but he'll give Stanton a day or 2 to be DH or completely off and scan spell Hicks in CF 1x a week.  
• Sanchez - Catches
• Romine - catch 2 days a week.  1 for Sanchez day off, 1 for Sanchez DH

PITCHERS

• Severino
• Paxton
• Tanaka
• Happ
• CC (German innings limit over)
• Chapman
• Betances
• Britton
• Holder
• Kahnle
• Ottavino
• Chad Green
• Cessa

Let's look at tonight's lineup

1. Lemahieu
2. Hicks
3. Voit
4. Sanchez
5. Morales
6. Frazier
7. Urshela
8. Estrada
9. Maybin. 

BENCH 1 - Gardner

BENCH 2 - Torres

BENCH 3 - Romine

NOW, Let's look at our line up in the playoffs if everyone is healthy. 

1. Lemahieu (DH)
2. Judge (RF)
3. Voit (1B)
4. Stanton (LF)
5. Sanchez (C)
6. Torres (2B)
7. Didi (SS)
8. Hicks (CF)
9. Urshela (3B)

BENCH 1 - Gardner

BENCH 2 - Frazier

BENCH 3 - Romine

Come on.  Don't even try to tell me you'd prefer tonight's lineup. 

See you all in the World Series - with our full and versatile team of position players, a solid bench, a stable yet not perfect rotation and the best bullpen in the league.  I'll take my chances with that.  Let's just make sure to hook Maybin, Estrada, Tauchman, Ford and Wade some nice "Legends" seats so they can be at the "Serious October Baseball" too. 

JOEY V

2019 Yankee Preview By Joey V

Ok everyone, I know that you have been dying to hear my thoughts about the upcoming Yankee season . . . . . . . riiiiiiight . . . . . . but nevertheless, I'm going to give them to you.  

People have lots of opinions on lots of things and I certainly have mine, that's for sure.  I'm taking a VERY positive approach to this season of Yankee baseball and this post is going to take you player by player, through why I think this is going to be a great great season.

Now of course, you never know what's going to happen.  After all, look at the Washington Nationals last year!  You can also say to look at the Oakland Athletics last year.  Every year, there are surprises, disappointments, etc. But I'm ready to rock for what has the potential of being a very special season as well as many to come.  Here we go:

Let's start by looking at the current 40-man roster:  (As of March 28, 2019)

Pitchers

1. Albert Abreu
2. Domingo Acevedo
3. Chance Adams
4. Dellin Betances
5. Zack Britton
6. Luis Cessa
7. Aroldis Chapman
8. Domingo German
9. Chad Green
10. J.A. Happ
11. Joe Harvey
12. Ben Heller
13. JOnathan Holder
14. Tommy Kahnle
15. Jonathan Loaisiga
16. Jordan Montgomery
17. Adam Ottavino
18. James Paxton
19. CC Sabathia
20. Luis Severino
21. Masahiro Tanaka
22. Stephen Tarpley

Catchers:

1. Kyle Higashioka
2. Austin Romine
3. Gary Sanchez

Infielders:

1. Miguel Andujar
2. Greg Bird
3. Thairo Estrada
4. Didi Gregorious
5. DJ Lemahieu
6. Gleyber Torres
7. Troy Tulowitzki
8. Luke Voit
9. Tyler Wade

Outfielders:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury
2. Clint Frazier
3. Brett Gardner
4. Aaron Hicks
5. Aaron Judge
6. Mike Tauchman
7. Giancarlo Stanton

Nice list, I'd say!  Team won 100 games last year but then got waxed by the Red Sox in the playoffs. Red Sox were pretty unstoppable last year. Tip of the cap to them.  Not this year, though!  Yankees are comin' atcha!

So let's go one man at a time through what I expect the opening day roster to be, and talk about how happy I am with this team.

1. Right Field - AARON JUDGE! - Ok, so let's start off with the 2017 Rookie of the Year.  The Judge & The Jury . . . . Aaron Judge!  He busted on the scene in 2017 after a pretty horrifying start to the career in 2016 in August/September. I think he struck out 42 out of his 84 at-bats that summer.  EEK.  But since then, Aaron Judge has become something special.  His first full year ended with something like 52 homers and 114 RBI.  Last year, he followed up with a solid 1st half, and then missed about 50-55 games due to injury.  Was not smacking the cover off the ball in the end of the season when he came back, but still finished with solid numbers.  Considering they won 100 games last year, and Judge missed 1/3 of the season - I'd say it's safe to say that they are going to get MORE out of Judge this year than last year.  I'm not a "WAR" guy, but I'd say that's worth a couple wins!      
2. Center Field - AARON HICKS - (This part of the blog was written weeks before the season) Today, Hicks signed a 7-year, $70 Million contract extension.  This effectively takes them officially out of the Bryce Harper sweepstakes and I'm ok with this.  Obviously, Harper is one of the best, but looking long term, they are going to have to pay some of their own guys in the near future, and having Stanton AND Harper (or Machado) could have made that tough.  Hicks - at $10,000,000/year - believe it or not is a steal.  Remember, they got Gardner for 4 years and $52 mill a while ago.  I think that Hicks is really figuring it out and is also quite a defender.  He "hit it to the sticks" a career high 27 times last year.  Batting average could use a little work and hopefully it will come up 20-30 points of so.  We'll see.  That being said, Very fair contract for someone who will hold down the fort in center for the next 7 years.  For all of those who pine for the days of 1996-2000 when not everyone on the team was a superstar - and everyone wants to talk about the Scott Brosius's of the world, that's what Hicks is.  Solid player, not a superstar, but a hard-ass worker.  Now I think that Hicks is a "Cashman guy."  He traded for him, he believed in him and so far, he keeps getting better.  Cashman really doubled down today with this contract - in terms of committing long term - and I think it will pay off.  Dollars per pound - this will be a good signing.  
3. Left Field - BRETT GARDNER- Well, he is listed as top of the depth chart, but I'm not sure I expect him to play TOO much.  Gotta figure that Stanton will play there whenever Sanchez is the DH - maybe 20 games, and whenever anyone else need to DH - say another 15 games.  Clint Frazier who is probably likely to make the team will hopefully come along and eventually take the spot away from Gardner for the most part (say 50 games to be conservative) and that leaves about 77 games for Gardner to play, which may be on the high side, but may be just about right - starting half the games.  This was a signing that goes against the grain of "Analytics" because it was totally a "Veteran leadership" move.  They like him in the clubhouse.  He and CC are the longest standing Yankees and they brought them both back on team friendly AND player friendly deals, in my opinion.  They wanted to be and the Yankees like what they have to offer.  I'm cool with it, as long as they realize that the idea is to try to find the replacement for Gardner.  He is no longer the long-term answer and hopefully Clint Frazier will be.  If not, then they'll have to go elsewhere next year.  I think Gardner is a perfect and comfortable insurance policy on Frazier and someone who will have some hot streaks and Gardy will still go Yardy 12-15 times, even in limited work while playing a nice left field.  I mean, it's also possible that they keep working on Stanton in left field and he eventually takes more time out there, but I'm not sure.  The way people talk, that's not necessarily a thing.  I'm just not sure that Stanton is a full time DH at this point in his career, just because of a potential switch from Right Field to Left Field.  We'll see.    
   
4. DH, Left Field & Occasional Right Field - GIANCARLO STANTON - My goodness, talk about a guy who gets NO love.  Some call him the most over-rated player.  I call him now one of the most under-rated.  Everyone talks about his TERRIBLE season from this past year.  38 homeruns and 100 RBI.  I heard people say on the radio today how if Bryce Harper played for the Phillies, that he'd be a 40 homerun guy, as if that was some ridiculous feat.  Stanton almost broke 40, ON A "BAD" YEAR!!!!!  I know he struck out a lot, and he looked bad doing it.  I know that it seems that everyone figured him out and was able to make him look terrible with whatever breaking pitch it is that he can't hit.  (I'm not good about understanding pitching and stuff like that, in terms of knowing what pitch is coming next and recognizing what type of pitch it is by the movement on it.)  And they say that he was a compiler of numbers and none of it happened when it was important.  Remember when he carried the Yankees the first 3-4 weeks that Judge was out?  I think that was just a preview of whats' coming in the next 8-9 years - however long he is under contract for, what until 2053?  Oh wait, that's Bobby Bonilla and the Mets . . . . . . Anyway, I'll take 38/100 on a bad year.  That's for sure.  Can't wait to see a good year!  Look past those two 5-strikeout games.  Look past the terrible strikeout in the playoffs.  Many say that it "takes time to get used to playing in New York."   Give Stanton the benefit of the doubt.  In his "getting used to it" year, he hit 38 freaking homeruns and drove in 100 runs.  I predict 45-50 this year, and 110 RBI.  Mark my words. I mean, I am publishing this, so I'll go back over it at the end of the season and laugh at myself for all the things I get wrong - but you better give me credit for what I'm right about.  Oh and by the way, I heard this recommended homerun call for Stanton early last year, but clearly John Sterling didn't use it:  "Giancarlo Stanton . . . . DROPS THE MIC"  Still think that would have been the best!      
5. Extra Outfielder - CLINT FRAZIER - This is make-or-break year for Red Thunder.  (which by the way, he HATES that nickname and wants it to go away!)  He came with a lot of hype.  Remember how we got him?  In the trade for Andrew Miller.  He was a big piece in that trade. They also got Justus Sheffield and the Indians got a great end of season for Andrew Miller and then an Andrew Miller who was on and off the DL (Now, the "IL.") and eventually left for St. Louis.  The Yankees turned Sheffield into James Paxton and now are looking to see what they get out of Clint Frazier.  I'd say they are ahead on the deal for themselves - Miller would be gone and instead they have a few years coming of Paxton + a "wild card" in Clint.  He could end up not being a major piece to the team.  These head injuries can really screw with a dude.  He was a highly touted prospect and still has the opportunity to become something pretty big, if things come together.  I'd THINK the hope is that he comes along, plays well and becomes the left fielder, relegating Gardner to bench duty by the end of the year, and the left fielder of the future is here.  That being said, he could flake out and the yanks will be fine with what they have and the real "problem" will be next year, since they will not have found their left fielder of the future.  (Which I'm still not convinced that it can't be Stanton, just sayin' . . . . . . .   So  if he can stay on the field, we'll see.  Could be nothing, could really fly.  We'll see how this one turns out.  March 30 update - Clint Frazier did not make the team out of spring training.  That being said, I still expect to see him later in the year.  If not, he will fizzle into baseball oblivion as someone who unfortunately didn't pan out.  We'll see.  I'm staying positive and hoping for the best for him.
6. Roving Outfielder - MICHAEL TAUCHMAN - (This is a March 30 addition, as he was traded for after I wrote the position players in.  He was an emergency grab due to Aaron Hicks being on the shelf, Clint Frazier not being ready for MLB yet and Jacoby Ellsbury's round robin of injuries that seemingly will not stop happening.  I don't expect to see all that much of him, since the Yankees bench is deep and they can play Stanton in Left Field, but he's a pro from what I hear.  I'd be shocked if he's still here by the all-star break.
7. 3rd Base - MIGUEL ANDUJAR - So we are on to the infield and this is a very interesting one to me.  Miguel Andujar - the guy who everyone is just begging to run out of town.  My goodness, people are seriously impatient and have some seriously ridiculous expectations.  People were itching to sign Manny Machado and trade Andujar.  People were itching to trade Andujar for Nolan Arenado.  All everyone was worried about was getting rid of him.  Getting rid of a young, controllable and over-achieving rookie player who came up a year ahead of schedule and was almost the rookie of the year, if it weren't for the first legitimate 2-way player since Babe Ruth:  Shohei Ohtani.  The kid was unreal this year at the plate.   He was less than stellar in the field.  Sure.  I'm not going to spout numbers about errors and stuff like that because that doesn't tell the whole story.  I'm sure to those who watched every single inning of every single game, and really know their baseball, they may see some stuff that can be improved.  Of course.  My eyes are not that advanced.  But c'mon - this is a guy who was NOT READY TO COME UP LAST YEAR.  They traded for Brandon Drury because they needed to give Miggy another year to hone his craft.  Then all he does is hit 27 homeruns, 92 RBI and hit .297!!  And everyone wants to get rid of him because they are just so sure that he will never amount to anything in the future.  I'm sorry - $550,000/year for the next 3 years and then say $8 million, $13 million and $18 million in arbitration - if things go well for him?  Then maybe a big 5 year - $100 million contract at that point if he turns out to be all that.  (We could only be so lucky!)  Or $30 million/year for the next 10 years?  I know it's not "my money" but if you can have a not yet ripe Andujar for 550k, why would I want them to pay 30 mil for Machado and be stuck with him 10 years from now?  If Andujar never improves and does exactly what he did last year for the next 10 years, I'd be able to "get Miggy with it!"  I think the 92 runs he drives in will make up for the couple of runs his defense gives up worse than his replacement, per dollar.  That being said, again, he was never scheduled to be in the majors last year.  Give the kid a chance.    My goodness.  Remember - for a couple years - everyone was running Daniel Murphy out of town until he went to the Nationals.  Suddenly, no one cared about him being a bad defender or being a "man without a position."  All they saw was hit batting stats and everyone complained that the Mets let him go.  Suddenly, everyone claims they never wanted to get rid of him.  Appreciate that Andujar put up numbers a year early, way beyond expected and he should get better in the field.   All we ever say is that we need "home-grown Yankees . . "  "like the Core Four" and what not.  Well, here's a shot at a legit home-grown that will be cheap for a near future. I'm ready for a huge sophomore season for my boy Miggy.                                       
8. Shortstop - TROY TULOWITZKI - Well, well, well . . . . . . Troy Tulowitski is a Yankee.  Imagine that 4-5 years ago!  Sounds like a dream come true.  Too bad it's 2019 and he was released by the Blue Jays who are still going to pay him an insane amount of money, to play for the Yankees!  That being said, great move for the Yankees.  Personally, I think a move like that solidifies the fact that they see Didi as a huge part of the future of the team and found a legitimate fill-in for him this year.  Boone said that Tulo will play 7 of 10 days, at best, assuming health.  Fill in the other days with Gleyber Torres and put Lemahiu at 2nd on those days.  This is of course until they need to ease Didi back into the lineup, slowly - which will likely happen right around the time Tulo is exhausted and old and needs to play less anyway.  Upside - HUGE.  Who knows - maybe a 2nd wind for Troy.  Downside - if he's terrible, they can use Gleyber at short and DJ at 2nd and Tulo becomes a waste on the bench who plays when the other guys need a blow.  They can't trade him - that's part of the deal.  I think the risk/reward is in the positive and they are paying him league minimum.  The one thing I hate about it is that he is limited - not really able to play any other positions and in the event that he sucks, he will be a complete waste of a roster spot.  I happen to want to think positively.  I say he starts 81 games this year, hits 11 homers and drives in 43 runs.  bats .270 and plays a solid shortstop.  If he does that while holding down the fort for Didi, I think it's a victory for everyone.  Of course, he may pull a muscle in Spring Training and go on the Jacoby Ellsbury recovery plan or find out that his heel problem did not "heel" very well and he can't play 7 games in 10 days.  We'll see!   MARCH 30 UPDATE - I saw John STerling after the game today.  I missed his HR call because I saw it live.  I tried to run to the bathroom to hear the homerun call since they play the radio in there, but missed it . . . .not enough of a delay.  I told Sterling this story after the game and he laughed and said that he should tell people that his calls make people go to the bathroom.  :-)  Regardless, he told me his call was "Tulo-HIT-ski!"  Yup - I got my own live homerun call right from Sterling's mouth.  Killer!
9.  Shortstop #2 - DIDI GREGORIOUS***NOT ON THE ACTIVE ROSTER***  Sir Didi is injured and will be out until June . . .. or July . . . . maybe August. . . . . who the heck knows.  Last year - HUGE April, rough May/June - ended off with solid power numbers and a slightly sub-par batting average while being contagiously awesome in the clubhouse and publicly.  I'm not going to make believe I know what goes on in behind closed doors, but from everything I hear, he's an incredibly guy to have around the team.  He's great to the fans, has a ton of personality and reminds everyone that it is supposed to be FUN to play baseball.  He is in a contract year and hopefully all he has to do is come back and show that he can play again, and sign himself a decent contract for 4-5 years - you think 5 years and $75 million would be fair? with a mutual option for $13 million year 6 and a $2 million buyout?  I'd sign up for that - as long as he is ok for August and September.  I can't really make predictions for his season but I do know that I am glad he is a Yankee and I would bet that he is not the type of guy who will rehab in Tampa for the next 4 months.  He'll be around and doing everything he can to lift the spirits and efforts of the team.   
   
10. 2nd Base - GLEYBER TORRES - So speaking of Rookie of the year consideration - 2016 - Gary Sanchez (2nd), 2017 - Aaron Judge (1st), 2018 - Miguel Andujar (2nd) AND Gleyber Torres (3rd)!!!  This guy, as opposed to Miggy, was a little behind schedule because he slid into home poorly a few years ago.  They set him back a little bit.  But he came up and did everything he was supposed to do.  They traded away Starlin Castro for Stanton, paving the way for Torres to get up here without having to ditch Didi - which I love.  Nice to have a 2nd baseman who can easily slide over to Shortstop if needed, by the way.   The concern people have is that he will go through the "Sophomore slump."  Of course, that is always a concern.  But then again, it's also a concern that I may oversleep my alarm and be late to work.  But I don't avoid getting a job because of that and my bosses don't stop hiring people because they may oversleep.  So i'm not going to expect less of Gleyber because other people MAY have had a sophomore slump.  The idea is that players who are good will improve their first bunch of years, head into their prime and then crush it from 26-30 before father time (who is undefeated) starts to take over.  So I have to assume that Gleyber will get better.  How?  Well, I think last year he got a little tired.  It was a long season and he never went through that much baseball in 1 place before.  It started to show and he tailed off a little.  Earlier in the year, he seemed a shoe-in for Rookie of the year (of course, that was while everyone assumed Ohtani was not going to be able to keep it up.)  I can't hold it against him for hitting a wall.  He had a great rookie campaign and assuming he conditions himself to run through that wall this year, he should take a step forward in 2019.  We'll see if I'm right, sometime around "Gleyber Day  Weekend."    
11.  1st Base - LUKE VOIT/GREG BIRD - Cool Hand Luke and the Birdman of New York . . . . . This one is tough, but surprise surprise - I can put a positive spin on it, believe it or not!  I have Luke Voit making the 25-man roster, leaving Greg Bird in the dust.  So let's start with Voit.  This is another situation of people being Jaded as can be.  Came to the Yankees in return for . . . . . was it Chasen Shreve?  Oh yea - and Giovanny Gallegos!  Was a nobody with the Cardinals - was basically blocked for most of his career there from 1st base, and was traded to the Yankees as they moved Tyler Austin out of town to Minnesota. . . . . . really a nice series of smooth moves to overhaul the 40-man roster and give some freedom with options/etc to the minors - and end up with Luke Voit, in the end - who may be a diamond in the rough.  He lit the league on fire when he came up the 2nd time - after a short and failed time up, then a demotion to Scranton, before he came up for good.  So he comes up late in the year and does what he does.  Suddenly people are throwing names out there like KEVIN MAAS (1990) and SHANE SPENCER (1998).   Here's the problem . . . . . . . He had the strong run at the end of last year.  Why in God's name do we just assume that because he came up late in the season and did well that he's destined to suck and never amount to anything else in the future?  That is the most asinine thing I have ever heard of.  Ya know who had a KILLER August and September in 2016?  Gary Sanchez.  And what did he do in 2017?  He crushed it again.  (Now, i know he was terrible in 2018, but we'll talk about him later)   Think about it - there are 2 cases that Yankee fans talk bout of people who kill it for 1-2 months and then suck from there on our.  Maas and Spencer. 2 PLAYERS!   If he comes back this year and does nothing, then we can put him on the list.  But I can not for the life of me understand what he has done that makes everyone assume that he will suck this year.  Because Shane Spencer did it 20 years ago?  or Because Kevin Maas did it 29 years ago?   How about the fact that all we've seen is Voit be awesome.  Maybe he'll stay awesome!  Now - - - - - - - Greg Bird - they don't have room on the 25-man roster for both, so here's what I have to say.  It would be a total drag if Greg Bird were to officially become the next Shane Spencer or Kevin Maas . . . . . . I mean if you think about it, he's really a better candidate for that title.  Greg Bird has one last shot right now, in Spring Training, to prove himself.  If he doesn't, the job is Voit's.  But if, just consider, Bird shows signs of what he was supposed to be and actually makes this team over Voit, then that means he is killing it, and they can only be good news for the Yankees.  My money is on Voit, but if Bird makes the team over Voit, then there is something good in store for this team AND then they'll have a pretty solid trade chip in the other one.  MARCH 30 UPDATE - They both made the team due to injuries.  I can actually see this lasting awhile, since injuries are a part of the game.  Would not be shocked to see them both up here most of the season IF Bird can get some hits.
12. 2nd Base & Roving Infielder - DJ LEMAHIEU - So I don't truly know a ton about Lemahieu.  I can only really say what I have heard from people I trust, whether they be sports radio hosts, analysts, MLB people and friends who know a ton more than me that I typically agree with.  I did not really think he was a necessary addition based on his initial comments.  I think I heard him saying that he was not really experienced playing anywhere other than 2nd base, and we have Gleyber Torres, so what gives?  A back-up 2nd basemen?  But Boone has other thoughts.  Look at it this way.  Give Torres a day off a week (1.5 days off in a 10 day span.)  Then consider that Boone said Tulo will be scheduled to play 7 of 10 days, if he is healthy.  That's 3 days out of 10 where Gleyber moves to SS and DJ plays 2nd.  Then rotate that DH spot around because let's face it, Stanton is gonna play some LF and the Yankees can go with the hot bat, so let's say he DH's 10 games or so, that's another 1/2 day out of 10.  THEN it turns out that he took a lot of reps at 1st.  Now assuming that the world is healthy, there may not be room for both Bird AND Voit, so DJ gets a game a week at 1B.  We just found 96 starts for DJ Lemahieu already, without even trying.  Not to forget injuries, hot hand, defensive replacements, yadda yadda yadda - sounds like it will be easy to get him about 400 at-bats.  He is supposed to be a good "Bat to ball" guy - on a team that is notorious for striking out too much.  We'll see.  I mean, no offense to Tyler Wade, but if you can get DJ as a replacement for Tyler Wade, I'd to it every day and twice on Sunday.  Of course, at $10+ Million?  Hey - it's not my money.  What do I care?
13. Catcher - GARY SANCHEZ - Oh My . .  . . . . the Gary Sanchez Debate.  I'll tell you what, it's true.  That Gary IS Scary!   In my opinion, Sanchez is going to KILL IT this year.  What Am I basing this on?  Have I any insider info?  Nope.  Am I going to pretend to see something that I and only I have figured out?  heck no!  Was I a fly on the wall in his doctor's office and saw all the scans to confirm that he has a 100% clear bill of health?  Did I talk to his shrink to find out what was up in his head?  no sir-ee Bob!  It's called "A HUNCH!"  Everyone is all over him for his defense.  I can think of some other not so hot New York City defenders at the position when they came up - Hip Hip . . . . JORGE!  And of course, the savior, Mike PIazza - I don't remember him winning a bunch of gold gloves (I don't think . . . . . )  He has a cannon for an arm - this is not Rube Baker from Major League II.  Dude can throw a guy out.   He's a little of a butcher behind the plate.  What does that mean - well, I don't know for sure but I think he can get better.  If it's such a liability, then I have to trust the coaches to work with him.  The bottom line is that he can flat out hit.  Last year was not exactly a good year for him at the plate.  Let's go backward though - 2017 - CRUSHED IT.  2016 - was almost rookie of the year, and he was only up for 2 months!!!  (and this is while Aaron Judge was striking out 42 out of 84 plate appearances during his debut.)  If he can get close to what he's capable at the plate, I can deal with what he does behind it.  I think the reward far outweighs the pain.   The RBIs will far outweigh the passed balls.  No contest.   Sanchez is going for 35 and 90 this year and then I can tell everyone "I told you so."  His defense - it just has to be better.  A little better.  Show some progress and I can defend it.  
    
14. Backup Catcher - AUSTIN ROMINE - Austin Romine is a professional backup catcher who is competent to step in and play for a month if needed.  In fact, he is certainly a better defender than Sanchez, so in that regard, he's an upgrade when he plays in THAT area.  He had a good run in 2018 early in the season and was batting well over .300.  Everyone got all crazy about how he has to be the starter and we gotta get rid of Sanchez.  He ended the season at .244 which was better than Sanchez (LAST YEAR) and all but c'mon - it's .244!    Let's be clear, I'm not badmouthing Romine.  He's a nice backup catcher.  I think he would probably start on a lot of teams - the Mets sure as hell would have been better last year with him!  But let's curb all the talk about him being better overall than Sanchez, until Sanchez has another sucky year in 2019.  THEN I'll start listening, but . . . . . . . see #12.  I'm not expecting that.  Can't wait to tell everyone "I told you so!"  
15. #1 Starter - LUIS SEVERINO - So they inked him to a 4 year, $40 million contract and he proceeded to hit the DL immediately.  I'm not really all that worried, but I'm no doctor.  He had an amazing first half in 2018 and a putred 2nd half.  He was a Cy Young Candidate for the first 3 1/2 months.  If he can get even close to that for the most part, then that will be awesome.  I personally think that the pitching staff is pretty solid with what they have.  Maybe no 100% #1 guy to be trusted, since Sevy has been inconsistent, but they have 3 high end #2s in my mind, in Severino, Tanaka and Paxton and a low end #2 in Happ as well as the best #5 anyone has in CC, but we'll get to them later.  Severino can go either way, but we know he has it in there.  I'm pumped to see what he does when he comes off the Injured List.  (My apologies for calling it the "DL" earlier in the post. I'm not fixing it.  It's not a typo.  I bet there are many that don't know it changed, but it's not the IL, not the DL.   GO SEVERINO!  
16. #2 Starter - MASAHIRO TANAKA - Tanaka has been pitching with a partially torn arm for years.  He "SHOULD HAVE HAD" Tommy John Surgery year ago.  Everyone is waiting for his arm to fall off, but it has not.  He has not quite lived up to the contract that he signed, in my opinion, but I have to trust that he'll be solid this year.  He always comes through in the big games and has ace stuff.  Again - inconsistent at times, but I would not say that Tanaka has been a problem at all for the Yankees.  He's still young too.   Will his arm fall off - eventually . . . . . everyone's does at some point.  RIght now, in Tanaka we trust.  (Had a pretty darn good opening day start!)   
    
17. #3 Starter - JAMES PAXTON - He was a Mariner, so I'd be lying if I tried to say I know everything about him.  I know nothing about him except what people say on the radio, because really - who cares about the Mariners?  Here's the bottom line - Paxton was one of the trading prizes of the 2018-2019 offseason in MLB.  Aside from signing Corbin, he was the guy people wanted.  We traded Justus Sheffield for him which may hurt, but Sheffield is still unproven and Paxton is supposed to be something special.  Just gotta keep him healthy.  For THIS YEAR, Sheffield would be a question mark and Paxton is really not.  Let's also think about what they REALLY gave up for Paxton - will make you feel better.  2 years ago, they traded Andrew Miller to Cleveland for Sheffield and Clint Frazier.  Miller's contact ran out, he was injured and left for St. Louis.  Sheffield is traded for Paxton and Clint Frazier is still an unknown.  But bottom line is that the Yankees in the end got Paxton NOW for Andrew Miller TWO YEARS AGO and they have Red Thunder waiting in the wings for a possible job down the line.  Good deal if you ask me!
18. #4 Starter - J.A. HAPP - In case you are not sure, he likes to be called "JAY," not "JAY AY."  Got him on a good deal - 2 years, $35 mil or so.  For the way he pitched last year, I'll take that!  Was killer in August and September.  Only had one shot at the post season and the Yankees really wet the bed in that series.  I expect him to be serious this year.  As the #4 guy, I bet he wins 14-15 games with a 3.67 ERA.  I'll take that.  Crazy that this is what $17 Million gets, but that's the market now.  I dig this signing.  Will make them better for the season - hopefully we won't have to see Luis Cessa make a start this year.  :-)
19. #5 Starter - CARSTEN CHARLES SABATHIA - And this is officially the "Swan Song" for Cheeseburger Cheeseburger Sabathia.  He announced that he will retire after this season.  He said he would have likely retired after 2018 had they won the World Series, but clearly that did not happen.  CC is clearly not what he used to be.  He has had to change his style over the years.  If you are expecting the old CC, then you will be disappointed.  But let's be real.  Last year, 9-7 with a 3.65 ERA.  That's legit stuff for a #5 starter!  I defy you to find 5 teams that have a better #5 than the Yankees have in CC.  He may only last 5 innings, but with the Yankees bullpen - that's just fine!  They are ready for that.  Show me a mid-3s ERA again and 150+ innings and I'll take that to the bank in his retirement year.  From what I hear, amazing guy in the clubhouse too. I know, I know - I'm not in the clubhouse.  How would I know that?  Well, when you listen to a lot of sports radio, watch the pre and post game shows, etc, you hear not just the talk show hosts talk, but you hear from the ACTUAL players.  They tell stories.  They explain WHY he's great "in the clubhouse."  Things like renting out a bar or a banquet room in the team hotel to watch the NCAA tournament, or renting out a bowling alley for the team on an off night in a different city, giving the young guys a chance to hang with the older guys in a non-work setting.  Doing things for EVERYONE.  Making the team a unit and not just a bunch of cliques.  We should ALL learn from this.  
    
20. #6 Starter - Jonathan Loaisiga - I hear that if they need another starter, he'll be the first one up.  I believe he's known as the Yankees #2 prospect.  Showed some skill last year in the limited chances that he had.  Too early to tell, but an experienced guy to take the ball every 5th day if they are in need. 
21. Closer - AROLDIS CHAPMAN - I remember the first time I saw him pitch as a Yankee.  I was in a suite in right field - my old group ticket rep Austin Avery hooked me up.  We enjoyed the suite life for the afternoon but when Girardi called for "Chappy," we were NOT going to miss that.  My god, the fire graphics around the stadium . . . . . . the fire engine sounds over the speakers . .  . . .And then the speed that the ball just left his hand and got to the plate was unimaginable!  They to trade him for Gleyber Torres and GET HIM BACK!!??!?!?!?!  Genius.  I do not think he can keep up the 103 MPH Fastballs.  I'm sure there is some coming off of that at this point.  But he's a great pitcher.  I think the pressure is off with Britton and Betances being there who are also experienced as closers (although Betances was never great in the role for more than a game or 2 at a time.)  Anyway, one of the greatest closers in the league.  Every team would be lucky to have him.  There may be some who are currently "better" or have a better year, but he's been doing it for awhile now and I'll take him!                                                                                  
22. Set-Up Man - DELLIN BETANCES - He's starting the year on the IL, but he'll be ok.  Has been up and down as a Yankee and people have been calling for the Yankees to trade him at multiple times, but patience is a virtue and he really seemed to respond well to Aaron Boone as his new manager next year.  He was a killer last year.  It's a walk year too, so he's gonna wanna prove something. I think he wants to stay here, so I expect a lot from him this year as he tries to solidify his spot here and make himself some money.  His ups have been SOOOOOO great and his downs have been pretty brutal.  But to quote things that have been said about Daniel Murphy, he has not been a "net negative!"  I think the positive far outweigh the struggles.  Looking for Dellin to be Dealin' this year.   
    
23. Set-Up Man - ZACH BRITTON - The Yanks traded him in the great Orioles fire-sale of 2018.  As Mike Draney would say, "Hashtag Birdland, Hashtag Bros before O's"  :-) Was not sure what he would be coming off big injuries, but he did well in the pen for the yankees.  They resigned him and he basically took the spot of David Robertson.  Let's be clear - Britton was THE BEST CLOSER in baseball for a stretch of time, prior to his injuries.  And he is one of 2-3 set up men leading to Chapman?  YES PLEASE!  This is going to be a huge full season addition.  So excited for this. 
24. Set-Up Man - ADAM OTTAVINO - This guy is supposed to be the real deal.  So much talk abou thim and what he's supposed to be.  People were mad because he said he would strike out Babe Ruth 9 times out of 10 or something like that, years ago.  He came back and made a commercial making fun of himself.  Did you know he grew up in NYC and was a huge Yankee fan?  Coming home is a huge trip for him.  He's going to be that swing guy - the way Cleveland used Andrew Miller when they traded for him a few years ago.  Will do whatever he's asked to do.  He just wants to pitch and get people out.  If this guy is what everyone says he is, we are in for a treat!                                                                                                                                                                                   
25. Relief Pitcher - CHAD GREEN - People talked 2 years ago about how he may have been the Yankees best reliever.  I think that MAY have been a stretch, but he was lights out for a majority of 2017.  He was certainly their most consistent, but unproven as to whether it would continue or not.  He was decent in 2018, but far from what he was.  I'll take what he did in  2018 to be their #5 reliever in 2019.  Still above average.  Would love for him to unhittable again.  What would be something else!   
      
26. Relief Pitcher - JONATHAN HOLDER - This guy came out of NOWHERE.  I used to think "oh crap, Holder's coming in."  Then he suddenly went on this crazy streak last year of appearances without giving up runs.  Wait, what?   I won't "hold my breath," but if he has turned a corner and is that 2018 version of Holder, that puts this bullpen over the edge, if you ask me.  Looking forward to seeing what he has in store for us this year.  Disclaimer, he blew the game today, March 30.  Not literally a blown save, but gave up 2 9th inning runs that ended up being the difference.)    
    
27. Relief Pitcher - Tommy Kahnle - This guy was a "throw in" in the David Robertson trade a few years ago. He was a killer back then.  Last year, he ended up in Scranton for a long time.  Hoping that he bounces back and doesn't suck.   Nice guy - signed for me twice without blinking - once in Baltimore at game and once after the game at Yankee stadium outside Gate 6.  Likeable guy, but can he still pitch?  I hope so. 
28. Relief Pitcher - Luis Cessa - This guy makes me nervous.  He's hung around though, so they must see something in him.  Not a huge fan, but I don't expect him to be a HUGE part of the team.  Just a part of the relief corps - up and down from Scranton, eat up some innings, spot start, good swing guy to have in the arsennal, but if he has to play a big part on the team, that is not good. 
29. Relief Pitcher - Stephen Tarpley -  We'll see.  Short stints up here last year.  The club seems to like him a lot.  I think he only made the team this year due to injuries (CC, SEVY & BETANCES all starting on the shelf.)  Here's to hoping he takes the next step and shoves Cessa aside.  Cessa will get a job somewhere else, he's decent.  I would just rather see Tarpley do something.  They MUST trust him.  They put him on the post season roster and gave him important inning in September 2018.  We'll see. 
30. Pitcher Domingo German -  This guy could be a real wild card for the Yankees.  He showed signs of brilliance,and signs of inexperience last year.  Definitely could go either way, but just like my wife's blood type, I will continue to "B Positive" about pretty much everything.   Not sure exactly where they see him on this team, but it would be nice if he can be the guy who is the heir apparent to the #5 slot in the rotation when CC retires.   

Well, that's it.  I think I got everyone who made the opening day roster + injured guys who WILL be back at some point.   As you can see, I have high hopes for this team and expect great things. I know that I am overly positive and that not everything can come true.  I made all positive predictions and some people will under perform and under achieve.  That being said, it's the beginning of the season.  Everyone gets to have a clean slate and everyone can be poised and ready for greatness.  I do think this is the year for the Yankees.  I have not been this confident since 2009, when I proclaimed to a co-worker that they WILL get to the World Series on opening day.  We made a pretty hefty bet - he took the field, and I took the Yankees.  I won!  Turned those winnings around on my cousin who's a Phillies fan and bet him on the World Series and took that down too.  I'm that confident, although I'd never bet straight up on that again, now that sports betting is legal - 1:1 betting in the preseason for World Series odds would be RIDICULOUS!  Could the Yanks fall apart and suck?  Sure.  Look at the Nationals last year.  Who knows what injuries may pop up.  Will the Red Sox be ridiculous again this year?  Maybe (but that bullpen . . . . . )  Houston is locking up all their young guys and are set to be good for a long long time, but that's only really an issue for one series in October.  As Randy Quaid said at the beginning of Major League II:  This is the year we go ALL THE WAY!

My Road To Becoming a Huge Yankee Fan

So I started watching baseball in 1989.  My first actual memory of Major League Baseball was watching the 1989 World Series.  This was the Oakland A's vs the San Francisco Giants.  I was sitting up in my parents' bedroom and all of the sudden, there was an earthquake on tv!  I do not know officially if this part of the story is true, but ingrained in my memory is Phil Rizzuto saying "HOLY COW! WE'RE HAVING AN EARTHQUAKE!"  I truly don't know if he was even on the air or not, but that sticks in my mind, true or not.

Regardless, I know I had to be watching baseball that season, otherwise I would not have cared about the World Series.  That being said, I don't remember anything before that.  Combined with Aunt Arlene giving me a Jose Canseco baseball card collecting book (Mike Draney got the Don Mattingly one) for Christmas, I naturally liked the A's for a short period of time.  They were the hot team, and I ended up collecting 132 different Jose Canseco cards through the years.  (If you want to see them, I still have the collection in my basement somewhere.)

This was THE book!

In 1990, I remember sitting in the TV room and Grandma and Grandpa Pizzano were over, hanging in the living room with my mom.  They called me in and I yelled back out to them with excitement:  WAIT!  I'm watching the Yankee game and there is someone who's batting who's so good they call him "BAM BAM!"  So I watched Hensley Meulens' at bat and then went out to the family.

That season ended with the A's in another World Series (which I'm pretty sure I watched them lose from my parents bedroom in our Pocono house) and then a birthday present from Grandma and Grandpa. . . . . .  A video tape of the 1990 New York Mets season.  I watched that video tape OVER AND OVER AND OVER again.  I had it memorized about as well as I do any episode of Saved By the Bell.  I knew every detail, down to the black cat that crossed past the dugout, the "chin music" from Frank Viola, the opening scene showing the chains on the spring training fence for the lockout, the Pittsburgh pirates dominance, I can hear the guys voice in my head while i type this.  So I knew everything there is to know about the 1990 New York Mets, so of course, I followed them for a minute.

My first baseball game - it was a Mets vs. Braves game with dad and Grandpa.  The Braves won 3-2 and after the game, we went to the Hearth.  My dad and I went to town on a bottle of ketchup during that meal, that's for sure!   And back then, I still liked pickles, which was always a highlight of the Hearth, for anyone who remembers that.

My 2nd game was the Yankees vs the A's.  My dad almost got a foul ball at that game, but he lost out because he was not willing to crawl under some woman's seat to get it.  Stump Merrill was thrown out of that game and the final score was 10-8.  I don't actually remember who won, but I am pretty sure that was the score.

My first autograph (besides MC Hammer) - was at the Raritan Expo Center in Edison.  Dad brought me to meet Mickey Mantle, Frank Robinson and Monte Irvin.  This was the beginning of the hobby that I still am big into, in fact, probably bigger now than ever before.  But considering my first run at autographing being Mickey Mantle, I would say that I was set up on a path to have that as a hobby for a long time coming.  The interesting thing about this is that while my Dad (and Mom) took me to games as a kid and helped nurture his young son's interest in sports, he was never really all that into watching sports on a daily basis.  This was possibly because he was up at 3AM or earlier every day to go to work and really was not going to make it through a whole game anyway.   We were REALLY into collecting baseball cards and when I say collecting cards, I mean 10s of thousands of cards.  We'll get to that another day.  But looking back on things, I am not sure what made him decide to bring me to meet Mickey Mantle and the others.  I'm sure I didn't ask for it, in fact, I probably had no idea how big of a deal this actually was.  He must have seen an advertisement for it somewhere and felt like it would be a great opportunity for us.  27 years later, I don't really care WHY.  All I care is that we did it.  Whatever made him decide to bring me to this, it was a GREAT decision and one of my favorite memories as a kid.  AND I have this ball and a photo of me with the Mick hanging in my basement.  Thanks Dad!

(BTW, $37 to meet Mickey, get the autograph and take the photo! Only $17 for Frank Robinson)

And just for good measure, my MC Hammer autograph . . . . . 

Then there were the Braves who were for some reason on EVERY NIGHT on TBS during a big portion of my childhood.  In addition to this, I'm pretty sure that Jay Brock went to Braves Spring training when I was in 3rd or 4th grade, so we were kinda looking at lots of baseball cards and stuff for the Braves before he went out there.  I had my own little tomahawk and even . . . . . . the most embarrassing part - I had my own braves Jacket.  (by the way, My mom will NEVER let me live down the fact that i left that jacket on a bus in 6th grade)  I even made a tomahawk out of paper.  What a wack job.

In 1993, the Rockies and Marlins came into existence, so the "in" thing was to like one of those.  I chose the Rockies.  That lasted about as long as it takes to buy a hat.  That was it.  Anyone remember who was the first pick in that expansion draft?  David Nied mean anything to you?  :-)

In what must have been 6th grade, my dad and Mr. Brock signed me and Jay up for a 1-week baseball camp at Yankee Stadium.  If nothing yet cemented my Yankee fandom, this was about to put things over the top.  We spent a week playing on the field at Yankee Stadium.  Joe Peppitone and Roy White were the guest alumni clinicians and it was a dream come true week.

With that camp came 2 free tickets to one of two games of our choice.  We chose September 4, 1993.  This turned out to be Jim Abbott's no hitter vs. the Cleveland Indians.  We had LOGE level seats.  I'll never forget the last out.  After Randy Velarde threw that ball across the diamond to secure the final out, I through my soda up in the air, realized what I had done, looked over at the guy who it landed on - he looked at me and we both just shrugged our shoulders and got back to screaming and cheering!

1994 was the Strike year and 1995 was upon us.  This is where I can remember things starting to really matter to me, more than just being a kid who think he likes baseball.  I recall a band dance at the church by the jug-handle on Broad Street near Colfax Ave.  It was playoff time and the Yankees were playing the Seattle Mariners.  This was the first time that I really felt like I could not keep my eyes (or ears) off of the game.  I cared SOOOO much what was going to happen in that series.  There was a small tv in the kitchen that i guess the adults were watching while they chaperoned and I had my walkman on so I can listen.  I went outside to listen during the big times or disappeared to the tv if possible.  As we all know, they lost that series, but I was absolutely hooked at that point.  Lucky for me, the Yankees were about to start their most recent run of greatness.  By the way, does anyone remember the OTHER song they tried to have the grounds crew do besides YMCA that year?   It failed miserably, but I will never forget.  Imagine if it stuck?  The Macarena.  :-)

So that's the "short story" of where my baseball fan life began and how it led me to the Yankees.  It's funny.  I ask my student often which teams they like, in whatever sport they follow.  They are often so non-committal.  If they do give me an answer, I always find myself asking them HOW they became a fan of those teams.  It's usually just based on something cool that happened to that team recently or whatever the hot team is.  Sometimes it's because their dad loved that team and often, the kids now don't follow teams, they follow players.  I have no judgment on them if they are not sure, or if they change teams, or if they have a favorite team but then also follow another team that is actually good.  It's what kids do.

I have no shame in the fact that I bounced from the A's to the Mets to the Braves to the Rockies, etc.  If you notice, in there was a constant bounce back to the Yankees.  On tv, going to games, getting autographs, playing on the field for a week, etc. . . . . but when you are 9 and trying to watch baseball and get interested, the 1990 NY Yankees, outside of 2+ months of Kevin Maas (who i met at Herman's Sporting Goods in the Willowbrook Mall, BTW) were not really something that was easy to watch.

(Kevin Maas @Herman's)

They were kind of boring.  Those other teams that I watched, for however brief as it may have been, kept me interested in the game enough to keep watching the Yankees, develop a love for the game and wait it out until my deep down favorite team was entertaining to watch.  Who knew they'd become what they did!  Lucky me.

These days, they Yankees can go through a 20 year losing streak and nothing would take me away.  (talk to the Knicks die-hards about that . . . . . )  Lucky for me, I don't foresee that happening any time soon.