All Things Bubba

I ended up talking to my boss about Bubba Crosby today.

It was a quiet day in the office. Many people didn't come in, because of the holiday and because of a winter storm warning. Someone brought in a bunch of delicious leftover Christmas cookies, so the morning was spent scarfing down cookies and oohing and aahing over the unexpectedly heavy snowfall. My boss is so busy I often don't see him for days at a time. But today, he came over to talk to me. (Probably as a "holiday greetings" type deal, since he wasn't at the Christmas party.)

He's a Yankees fan, and he knows that I am, too, so he asked me what I thought of the Teixeira signing, and whether I thought the Yankees would sign anyone else. I said they'd probably need another starting pitcher, since Joba can't pitch a whole season and Burnett likely won't, either.

My boss liked the idea of signing Pettitte as a fifth starter type, but said he really wanted a center fielder. I thought the Yankees probably wouldn't spend big bucks on a CFer, because they're expecting Austin Jackson to take over in a year or two.

At that point, out of the blue, my boss asked, "What ever happened to Bubba Crosby?" He'd assumed Bubba had been playing for a team like the Royals, where nobody really notices who's in the lineup. I had to tell him that Bubba hadn't played since he left the Yankees, due to injuries, and was apparently retired now.

My boss then wondered if Bubba had earned even a million dollars playing baseball. I said he probably had, since he was a first round draft pick and got signing bonus of almost a million dollars. "I guess we don't have to feel sorry for him," my boss said.

No, no need to feel sorry for him. But I sure miss him.

Meanwhile, some other faces from the Yankees past were mentioned in Baseball America's latest minor league transaction report. Chad Moeller signed with Baltimore. Jason Lane is now a Jay.

And Bob Klapisch has some interesting things to say about the Teixeira signing. He thinks Teixeira will take Jeter's place in the spotlight - as a star on the field, and in the hearts of fans.

I dunno. People thought that about A-Rod, too, and that didn't happen. Not even close.

It's hard to imagine anyone taking over Jeter's place as the face of the franchise and in the hearts of fans. And yet...it's inevitable, some day. This season will be Jeter's age 35 year. Shortstop is a tough position for an aging player. Jeter is visibly declining, on defense and at the plate. Klapisch points out that Jeter doesn't have the power to be a DH. So where are they going to put him when he can't play SS any more? (And will it even be possible to get him to switch positions, even if there was some place to put him?)

Man, this is going to be tough. Watching Bernie's decline was hard enough. Losing Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera will be very difficult, too. But Jeter...the mind boggles, trying to imagine the Yankees without Derek Jeter.