An Enemy in Pinstripes

 Say there's this guy you've known for a while now. He's good at what he does, but he's a huge jerk, and nobody you know likes him. Then one day, some years later, you see him again, proposing to your sister. Now, like it or not, you're gonna be in the same family as this clown.

That's the best way of describing Kevin Youkilis' rumored contract with the Yankees. He's marrying into the family, and none of the fans will want him there initially.

But, really, once you look at it a little bit, it makes sense. Really, it does.

Please, fellow Yankee fans. Put down the pitchforks for just a second and hear me out.

First of all, we needed a new third baseman. A-Rod won't be playing too much this coming year, and our only backup just fled to Arizona. So, logically, a hard-hitting third baseman would really help, even if it is Youkilis. McGehee isn't coming back either, I might add. Signing Youk may be our only hope of having a decent offensive (and defensive) power at that position. Eduardo Nunez is an amazing defensive player, but he can't hit.

Secondly, not only do we need him, but he needs us. Last year was not the best year for Kevin Youkilis. Sure, the week of the trade he was a great ballplayer, but he fell apart. Last year, the Greek God of Walks fell behind in the walks division. Which should not happen. It's like Chipotle running out of tortillas. He needs a team like the Yankees in order to bounce back, and get back into the spotlight. Hell, it helped Raul Ibanez.

Lastly, you have to remember that we've been pretty good with signing the enemy. Wade Boggs was a menacing player for Boston. So what did we do? We signed him, and he became a menacing player with a world series ring. Johnny Damon was a scruffy, annoying player. So we signed his ass and made him less universally hated. Red Ruffing, Hideki Okajima, and so many others were menacing Red Sox made lovable by being Yankees.

Babe Ruth was a Boston Red Sock, before his sale to the Yanks. From then on he'd be remembered as a Yankee and nothing less.

So maybe this will be good, for both Youkilis and the Yanks. Maybe, if it happens, we'll finally have a corner we can trust, for the first time since 2007. Maybe Youk will get his second ring.

Anything can happen, as this signing has taught me (the hard way). If the trade goes through, Youk will drop from my Least Favorite Players list, one that Cody Ross already heads.

Part of me just wants the contract to go through. Just to see what happens.