Under The Knife

Neifi's Coming

by Will Carroll

It was just a couple weeks ago, sitting in Mickey Mantle's restaurant, that my pal Jay Jaffe said that there was no such thing as a paranoid Yankees fan. Paranoid Yankees owner? Maybe.

I'm sure Jay will want to reconsider that statement as the Sox continue to surge and the Yanks continue to…well, choke is a strong word for September, isn't it? Teams slump and surge throughout the season, and the timing of those swells is what makes a season exciting. I'm not writing off the Yankees, and I'm not yet ready to give Theo Epstein an apology for all the things I said about that trade, but baseball analysis (if you can call what I do "analysis") is humbling. Even the smartest and the best miss things and stare at the opaque window of front offices and clubhouses blankly.

It's never a good sign when Neifi Perez is coming. For the Cubs, the slick-fielding, slack-hitting shortstop will come up and immediately give some relief to Nomar Garciaparra. He'll be in the lineup just occasionally, leaving many to wonder why he's on the roster at all. However, given the alternative of Ramon Martinez, Perez doesn't look so bad. Martinez has been exposed in anything but a fill-in role, while Perez has been Neifi Perez for a long time now, something that counts with Dusty Baker. Garciaparra played two games on the Montreal turf, something of a surprise, and showed no ill effects.
The Cubs are worried that Aramis Ramirez may never heal. "Never" is a strong term. They're worried that he won't heal this season. Ramirez has been put into Edgar Martinez station-to-station mode in hopes that his bat is enough. The Cubs looked for a third baseman at the deadline, yet couldn't find one at the right price. Ramirez, like Garciaparra, will be spotted out regularly, but the demands of the wild-card race will often overrule injury concerns.

The Cubs gave us some more information on Todd Hollandsworth when they made the trade for Ben Grieve. Moises Alou and Sammy Sosa--especially Alou--need days off, something they haven't gotten since Hollandsworth injured his right shin. The trades for Grieve and Mike Difelice give the Cubs a stronger bench but little extra flexibility. Cubs sources tell me that Hollandsworth is still expected back; the trade is merely hedging their bets. It remains to be seen how they will structure their playoff roster.

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MORE BY WILL CARROLL 2004-09-06 - Under The Knife: After the Rain 2004-09-03 - Under The Knife: Pennant Pain 2004-09-02 - Under The Knife: Scattered 2004-09-01 - Under The Knife: Neifi's Coming 2004-08-31 - Under The Knife: A Light Day 2004-08-30 - Under The Knife: Thirty Games Left 2004-08-27 - Under The Knife: Where's the Drama? More...	MORE UNDER THE KNIFE 2004-09-06 - Under The Knife: After the Rain 2004-09-03 - Under The Knife: Pennant Pain 2004-09-02 - Under The Knife: Scattered 2004-09-01 - Under The Knife: Neifi's Coming 2004-08-31 - Under The Knife: A Light Day 2004-08-30 - Under The Knife: Thirty Games Left 2004-08-27 - Under The Knife: Where's the Drama? More...