The New York Yankees are winning again.  But just a month or so ago, there was much anxiety among the Yankee faithful – the team was losing then, the trade deadline of July 31 was looming, and it was not at all clear that the top brass was going to do anything to address the situation.  At some point at the end of July (I am running on memory here, no links…), Brian Cashman, the General Manager, responsible for trades and the like, let it be known that they were not going to try to acquire any new big-name players.  They were, in short, going to do nothing.

    Looking back on it now, that was exactly the right decision.
 
    The big possibility for a new player was Eric Gagne, the relief pitcher.  The Yankees did not pursue him aggressively, holding on to their young pitchers, and the Red Sox got him.  Wow, what  a relief (so to speak) for New York.  Gagne has now blown two games for Boston, helping the Yankees close to within four games.  (Perhaps some paranoid Bostonians are wondering if the Yankees don’t have a secret deal with Gagne to do just what he is doing now….)

     In doing the Taoist "do nothing" thing, Cashman was putting his faith in two new  pitching prospects, Phil Hughes (who I will likely see on Thursday night when we head down to the city for the game) and Joba Chamberlain.  Both have done quite well so far.  They have yet to face the big  pressure, but they are certainly adding to the team’s confidence now.  And all those hits and runs help, too.

     Just reminds me of the Tao Te Ching: in doing nothing, there’s nothing that is left undone….