Hank Steinbrenner is ready for the start of spring training baseball, which he considers a mere formality in the quest for a repeat championship for the New York Yankees. As Yankee Captain Derek Jeter said Wednesday, the mantra for the Bronx Bombers does not change: win it all or the season is a failure.
Steinbrenner thinks the offseason moves made by Yankees general manager Brian Cashman (trading for Curtis Granderson and Javy Vazquez) have improved the team. I would quibble with that notion on the Vazquez end, but he may be right. The Yankees did fulfill Cashman's stated desire to get younger and more flexible. They managed to revamp their roster in a cost-effective way, a goal of Hank's brother Hal after years of what he sees as out-of-control spending by the real Boss: George Steinbrenner.
Yet, I think Jr. Boss & Co. are underestimating the impact of losing both Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon, good guys with clutch bats. The brass is counting on Granderson and Nick Johnson to fill that void both in the lineup and the clubhouse. We'll see if they have the goods to do it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment