Ian O'Connor Puts the Jerk in Knee-Jerk.

The Yankees add a decent, if overrated, outfielder, largely in response to losing two all star corner outfielders.

They give up zero prime time prospects. Cano and Wang and Cabrera are still on the team and Hughes is still in the organization.

They add a little bit of salary, but not too much, all things considered. Presumably, it will be a wash in a couple of months when Sheffield comes off the books.

Steinbrenner didn't trade away the future for aging superstars, though he's oddly always accused of doing so. He strengthened the bench and, hopefully, helped out the rotation a little. As usual, at the trading deadline, Steinbrenner avoided a big splash and made a few little splashes.

So, the bottom line is that there is really no course of action that Steinbrenner could have taken that would have not drawn knee-jerk criticism from Ian O'Connor:

"With some $200 million invested in a team in perfectly reasonable playoff position, George Steinbrenner did what no other sports owner would have fathomed."

I think every owner tried to make deadline deals to make their team better. If they haven't fathomed this, then they're very bad owners.


"No, Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle shouldn't be confused with Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter."

Thanks for the head's up, Mr. Baseball Historian.


"But Abreu and Lidle will give the Yankees a slightly better chance of winning their 27th World Series title, and their seventh under Steinbrenner, which is the point of all this."

Exactly.

That's the point of all this.

Which is why you make the deal.


"Things happen in baseball. Crosstown, the Mets were basking in their double-figure divisional lead when Duaner Sanchez was suddenly lost for the season with a shoulder injury suffered in a taxi crash.

So the Mets sent Xavier Nady to Pittsburgh for pitchers Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez."

Enough is enough! This is unfathomable.

The Mets have a 14-game lead and they can't leave well enough alone?

This is gluttony, and gluttony is a sin.

This is why people hate New York and why Mel Gibson hates Jews. This is nothing but a bunch of Zionist, imperialistic New York city slickers robbing hardworking towns like Pittsburgh.

That's not really true, but it sure doesn't help the perception.


"No such event inspired Steinbrenner to make his own deadline moves."

Ian O'Connor's logic teacher done learneded him good. Let's think through that thar proposition:

Exhibit A: In response to Sanchez's injury (Event 1), the Mets traded for two pitchers.

Exhibit B: In response to Matsui's injury (Event 2) and Sheffield's injury (Event 3), the Yankees traded for a corner outfielder.

But in Ian O'Connor's Alternate O'Universe, an injury to a Met player is nothing like an injury to a Yankee player.