Every so often in this blog I will pose a question about a past yankee move or game or something. I will ask the question and then give my thoughts. Would love some feedback from everyone, I am curious what you think. Today's edition:
2004 Yankees Try To Aquire Randy Johnson at the trade dealine. They fail. Lose the 3-0 series lead to Sox. History is forever changed.
It's been reported many times what the Yankees were offering the D-backs in exchange for Randy Johnson in 2004. A package containing Cano, Wang and Navarro. In the end the D-Backs rejected the offer, the Yankees without a true dominant ace lose the series to the Sox. Then in the next year, Wang and Cano emerge as a new young core of future Yankee teams and potentially still to come Yankee dynasties.
If the trade was made, Johnson would have probably been the difference and the Yankees probably would have beat the Red Sox in 4 or 5 games in the 2004 ALCS. If the Yankees beat the Red Sox, let's assume they would have beaten the Cardnials. The Yankees are Champions. Theo Epstein would have made a few daring moves, like trading Nomar and not had a payoff of a championship. Epstein might not have survived his sabbatical. But enough about how that trade would have impacted the Sox...
If the trade happened in 2004 then in 2005 there would be no Cano and Wang to the rescue, and more to the point they wouldn't be there to prove that the Yankees can and should build from within. In fact, if they traded for Johnson and he helped them win the pennant, then it would have reinforced the notion of trading away the youth and brining in high priced guys.
In fact, I would theorize that Chamberlain, Hughes and Kennedy would be with other organizations, traded off, maybe for good major leaguers, but expensive guys with no upside. Cashman might have quit because Tampa would have been emboldened by trade, too.
The positives of the trade. Well the curse would have continued, and even if the Sox won last year, it was not through the Yankees. The pain of blowing the 3-0 lead would never have happened, either. And Boston fans wouldn't have much to hold over New Yorkers heads.
So what's is my answer? Well every year the pain from that lose goes away. At the time when the trade was being discussed, I said to a friend, "if the Yankees get Johnson, doesn't that take some fun out of it all"? Obviously I never want to go through 2004 again, and it hurt and still hurts. But I am more excited about the Yankee team than any time since 1996. And I am excited about the future of it.
After watching the Football Giants win with young guys and a cinderella story I remember what a great feeling it is watching a team that is not supposed to win, actually win. Now I don't want the Yankees to always be young and under dogs, but I like seeing guys play for the fun and watch these players grow up.
I think this new Yankee youth will pay off with a championship in the next 4 years. And when they win, it'll purge all those 2004 deamons.
So my answer is this: I am glad they didn't trade away Wang and Cano. We'll look back and the 2004 ALCS collapse will turn into a Yankee positive.
What do you guys think?
1 comment:
On a practical and pragmatic level you are probably right, but the fact is I could not disagree with you more. You've heard me say many time (especially after this past year's Super Bowl) that The Universe has to or has righted itself. On strictly an emotional level, because that is all I know when talking about the Yankees, I would have much rathered given up the youth to have kept the Sox away from their first WS. You say the pain of that series slowly goes away for you. Well, not for me. I would give up 5-10 years of sucess for the Yankees to have stopped the Sox from winning the WS. Because the fact is if that butterfly had not flapped its wings maybe the tsnunami that is "Red Sox Nation" would have never formulated. Nothing pisses me off more.
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