Corner Infielders Conundrum: Who stays, Who goes?

Adams and Overbay vs. Youkilis and Teixeira. The great debate.

Two months ago if I told you these four corner infielders would be battling for two spots, I would have been laughed at. Now, it's a serious situation the Yankees soon must resolve. Both Youkilis and Teixeira are expected back around the first week of June. AKA, next week.

The typical Yankees reaction? It's a good problem to have. Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman are right, it is a good problem. Depth is important, especially when it comes to interleague play; however, what are they going to do about it when it comes down to filling up the lineup card each day?

First, let's hear from Twitter:

@lennysyankees wild stab in the dark: the players making $20 million and $12 million this year will get more playing time.
— Andy C (@23_Andy_C) May 27, 2013

There's no question salaries will be on the minds of Girardi and Cashman when making this decision. Then again, it isn't impossible for the Yankees to go with their guts instead of their wallet. We've seen it before.

@lennysyankees Tex at 1B, Youk at 3B, Adams back up both of those guys and play some as DH against LHP, Overbay traded for fringe prospect
— ZS (@zs190) May 27, 2013

This will likely be what happens as soon as both hobbled vets return. But hopefully it doesn't stay this way for long, and hopefully the Yankees take my advice about Overbay. See my cases for both debates below.

Mo's farewell season

As soon as reports began to surface of Mo's plans to hang up his cleats after the season a friend asked me if I had any plans on Sept. 26. 

At this point of spring training, most of the media already had thrown the Yankees under the bus. They'd say something like, "Look at all of those home runs they lost by letting Nick Swisher, Russell Martin, Raul Ibanez and Eric Chavez get away. They won't make the playoffs without all of that lost power." 

That made Sept. 26 the presumed last date fans would be able to see Mo pitch in the Bronx.

Within a few hours I had my tickets locked up for Mariano Rivera's last hurrah. Six weeks later, those tickets are worth three times as much as I paid.

Jackie Robinson Day in the Bronx

Robinson Cano, who's named after Jackie Robinson and normally wears No. 24 in honor of Jackie Robinson, hit the Yankees' game-winning three-run homer and fielded the game-ending ground ball induced by the only No. 42 left in baseball, Mariano Rivera, to clinch the Yankees' 4-2 victory on Jackie Robinson Day.

Brian Cole's story is a must-read, and I refuse to summarize it for you

The hardest stories to write about are ones like Brian Cole's, a tragedy that is so gut-wrenching that it's almost impossible to capture in words. 

The writer also has to best to be respectful in the way he gathers information but realize that even the most difficult details to repeat cannot and should not be left out.

"This is a story that a lot of writers go their whole careers and they don't get anything like this," said Michael McKnight, the author of "The Best Player You Never Saw" in Sports Illustrated's baseball preview issue. "I just hope I did it justice. It's so powerful. Never came across anything like this."

After reading this eight-page masterpiece, I hope the sources who shared the most moving parts of Cole's story are glad they weren't left out because they help give Cole's story the justice it deserves.

I deleted my several attempts to write an abridged version of Cole's story because it just felt wrong to retell it in blog form. Stories like Cole's are why I hope long-form journalism will continue to exist despite the short attention span of my generation.

2013 MLB predictions – from A-Rod's HBP count to Washington's World Series pursuit

The Angels and Nationals are the two scariest teams on paper heading into 2013, and I just couldn't convince myself to type in any other teams to reach the World Series. Will Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez stifle the thunderous trio of Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton? We'll find out in October.

The Yankees, well, I believe in them more than most do. Many pundits don't give them a fighting chance because of all the home runs lost in the offseason and their aging core, but many have forgotten about one of the most balanced pitching staffs in the majors. Yes, I'm talking about the Yankees.

BUT, I just can't pick them to win the East after watching the Blue Jays win the offseason by a landslide; R.A. Dickey, Jose Reyes and old friend Melky Cabrera are just a few of their prized pickups. Look for the Blue Birds to bolster their bullpen at the break and fly away with the division title...

Anyway, let's get down to it.