The Sudden Rise and Fall of the Yankee Empire

In a matter of only three weeks, a blink of an eye, Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira are out for two months with arm injuries. These injuries add onto A-Rod's wrist injury, who will not be back until after the All-Star Break, and Michael Pineda, who returns from Tommy John surgery in June. This means, if all goes according to plans, that Jeter will be ready for Opening Day and Robbie Cano will be in the cleanup spot without any injuries to himself. Not only has the youth diminished from the Bronx; the talent is slipping away.

Now I'm not writing to call the season quits on March 6 with three weeks before the games begin. I am simply clarifying that April and May will sure as hell be a lot more important than the last month of September. By mid-season, we will all have a clear recognition of which direction the Yankees will be going this year and possibly the next few. The Yankees caught the Red Sox injury bug that was spread all over Boston last season, which resulted in the Sox tanking in last place with only sixty-nine wins. Can this Yankee squad perform and excel without most of the talent and big market players rehabilitating? This Spring Training has now become the most important month of the Bombers 2013 campaign, as we will see which prospects have the capability and potential to start in the show this Spring. Future stars Melky Mesa and Zolio Almonte will need to step up and make a statement to Joe Girardi and the coaches, as their play will be evaluated greatly in the remaining weeks.

It seems likely that GM Brian Cashman, who also is rehabbing a stupid broken foot from Monday (what an idiot) will make some calls and look for a man to temporarily replace those holes in the outfield and infield. Kevin Youkilis was going to be used as a third basemen and designated hitter, but now it seems practical to move him over to first, and give Travis Hafner a lock in the DH spot. And if all goes well with the Captain, Eduardo Nunez would then move over to third, filling up the vacant position. There were many rumors involving ex-Yankee Alfonso Soriano that he may possibly make a return to pinstripes, but no word of an offer has been released. It is definitely possible the Bo-Sox will be playing the Trenton Thunder on April 1st.

Alright, it might sound like I'm throwing in the towel, but I'm not. If it were August with these injuries, than I would certainly be prepping for football season. It hurts to see the millionaire's injuries, but this only gives the future of the Yankees playing time to see what our farm system really has to offer. Who knows what this season has in store for us. I am still ready and excited for baseball, and  I will always be true to the Yanks (even though this was not what I had in mind). It's time to deal adversity and stay optimistic. Critical decisions will be made in a matter of weeks, so buckle up and get ready for a bumpy ride this season; it's going to be a long and dreary one.