“The Yankees have too many nice guys,” John Jastremski quipped to me when we spoke right before Opening Day.
The host of The Ringer’s popular “New York, New York” podcast wasn’t alone in his opinion. Appearing on CC Sabathia and Ryan Ruocco’s “R2C2” podcast weeks earlier, outfielder Aaron Hicks said this year’s Yankees needed to “have some f*** you.”
An AL East crown, 99 wins, 62 Aaron Judge home runs, and a first-round playoff bye later, mission accomplished, right?
Wrong, dear readers. Sure, the 2022 New York Yankees certainly played with an edge not seen last year, but it’s not quite enough. The lineup, while talented, has been touch and go for a couple of months. The same goes for the bullpen. Clay Holmes is out with a shoulder strain and Aroldis Chapman’s intimidation is practically extinct.
Thus, the Yankees need a rallying cry while they prepare for their ALDS matchup with either the Guardians or the Rays. And where do they find it? Why, in Timmy Trumpet’s viral hit “Narco.”
Cue the record scratch. “JB, are you crazy or just plain dumb? That song belongs to the Mets and Edwin Diaz. What are the Yankees going to do with it?”
The answer is simple: Nothing. Well, nothing significant at least, but let me explain. The New York Yankees are never going to use “Narco” in a playoff game or any game. This won’t be used for crowd-hyping purposes.
Instead, think of all the time the Yankees have right now. They have home-field advantage and five days until Game 1 of their ALDS on Oct. 11. Until then, they’ll have team workouts and practices at Yankee Stadium, and what’s a good workout without some background music?
This is where Timmy Trumpet and “Narco” come into the mix. Remember how Giancarlo Stanton invited a DJ to batting practice back in May? Why not bring him back for a workout or two and he blasts the song once or twice?
Cue the Yankees’ social media team. Someone films a shot of the practice while “Narco” blasts and players take their swings. Suddenly, that’s posted to Instagram, Twitter, everywhere, and with no mention of the song at all. Just a shot of the Yankees working out at their home ballpark, with “Narco” on in the background.
We all know how the fans would respond. #YankeesTwitter would be half outrage, half laughing at this apparent flex on the Mets. #MetsTwitter would be mostly outraged — because how dare the Yankees co-opt a fun Mets trend — though some would probably laugh about it. What are the Yankees doing? Are they so desperate that they have to try to steal Edwin Diaz’s thunder before the playoffs?
Relax, kids. It’s just a song, and a pretty fun one at that. So what if the Yankees use it as background music for a workout once or twice? And then again? Maybe once soon after? And then one more time just for good measure?
You see what I’m getting at, fans. The Yankees need to have a workout to Timmy Trumpet’s “Narco” because why not? It’s a song that doesn’t belong to any team. And if Buck Showalter and the Mets take it personally? That’s on them. It’s nothing personal, and the Captain himself Derek Jeter sums it up best:
.@derekjeter never hated the Mets …
They were "just the Mets" ?? pic.twitter.com/jmm78h2ns2
— ESPN (@espn) July 29, 2022
Seriously. We’re going to let the Mets have all the fun with this banger of a tune? The Yankees can enjoy “Narco” too, but just in a different way. It’s a song for everybody, not just Buck Showalter’s guys in Flushing.
Thus, someone tell Giancarlo Stanton to call up his DJ buddy again. For the next few days, the Bronx needs to be Trumpet Town!
Follow ESNY on Twitter @elitesportsny.
