Daniel Lovell has won more than two dozen awards for his columns, editorials and investigative journalism. He is actively addicted to the Internet, soda and New York Yankees baseball.
I haven't written yet this season about the Yankees, primarily because they've been so awful that it's been hard to be optimistic. And it's too early in the season to give up just yet.
Well, now the season's a quarter of the way through, and there haven't been signs yet that the team is coming around. And though the Steinbrenners and Brian Cashman won't listen to me, I have an idea why.
First, "the big three." Ian Kennedy, Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain were billed throughout last season as the future of the Yankees. Nevermind that none of the three was truly tested in the Major Leagues. Or that none had pitched a full season in the majors yet. The organization treated the three young pitchers as saviors for the future -- guys who would ensure Yankees championships for years to come.
Are you serious?
These kids are just kids. Who lives up to that kind of hype? They can never reach those expectations, no matter how well they perform. And labeling them supermen only serves to give them unreal platitudes to reach, instills a false sense of confidence, and will eventually prove to be the downfall of at least two of them.
So far, neither Kennedy nor Hughes has won a game this season. Their ERAs are up around 9. Kennedy just did a stint in the minors to get himself straight, while Hughes has wound up on the DL with a broken rib. Now what?
Well, they say Joba is moving into the starting rotation. He's been nearly lights out this year, all except for one outing. He looks, as always, like a pitcher in control. But can he live up to the reputation he's built as the future ace of the club? Will he be nearly as good when they label him an ace as he is when he's merely a future ace? Time will tell, but my gut tells me Joba's move to the rotation will very quickly humanize him. He'll give up five or six runs in a couple of innings, and will suddenly cease to be the unstoppable forced he's proved to be as setup man for Mariano Rivera. And once the league sees he's hittable, he will get more hittable. And that could be the end of Joba's legend.
It's true the Yankees aren't hitting like, well, Yankees. But the truth is that most of these guys are late starters anyway. Jeter's played well. Cano doesn't ever hit until the second half. Cabrera seems to be just warming up. And Damon, Abreu, Giambi and Matsui ain't spring chickens anymore. I'll wager they hit better when it's warmer outside.
Like most years, I'm not going to give up on the team until after the All-Star break. But the pitching situation is clearly one that needs to be fixed. Now. The "big three" need to pitch like they're in the big leagues. And if they don't, well, I'm guessing it'll mean Cashman's head at the end of the season.
