Jorge Posada has been an incredible and stabilizing part of this franchise for ten years. The handling of the revolving door of pitchers (and the personalities that go along with big name pitchers) has been nothing short of amazing and Kissingeresque. We think of Mariano Rivera and his worth to this organization and the guy behind the plate orchestrating his performance, ninety five percent of the time, has been Jorge Posada. Don't think that has nothing to do with some of Mariano's' success. There is a comfort level there that most fans take for granted.
There is a toughness and grittiness about him that is part O'Neil and an arrogance and respect and work ethic like a Clemens. His leadership can be linked to a Jetter persona with a bit more outspokenness. He plays hurt and makes no excuses. His offense is among the best in all of baseball at his position. He is coach able. Look at his reaction and play from his working relationship with Pena. After ten plus grueling years behind the plate (remember he plays an extra five to nineteen high pressured playoff games a year) He is only getting better.
When all is said and done, he will be compaired to the best Yankee catchers of all time. Here's hoping he plays at this level for as long as he wishes and retires on his terms. He deserves nothing less.
If swagger were king the New York Yankees would be next in line for the throne. If smiles were gold the Yankees would be worthy of the kings ransom. There is a definite feeling surrounding this Yankee team that only confidence, and hard fought battle experience can provide. I can sense it and if I can sense it just imagine how those who physically go through this daily season grind must feel. Look at the bench in the Yankee offensive part of an inning. I see a lot of talking, a lot of joking and a lot of smiling. No Alfred E. Newman " What me Worry?" going on here. Even Ron Guidry (Snidley Wiplash) seems to be uncontrollably unable to keep from wetting himself on occasion. Although Gator seems to find humor in a lot of dugout behavior.
This new found outward team confidence seemed to have leaped out to the general baseball public the day of the trading deadline. July 31st. I know that players always say that they do not read the local sports pages but we know better. The players love ESPN and Baseball Tonight and the all too famous Highlight Plays of the Day. With the media also jumping on the Yankee bandwagon it just puts a stamp on the players overall self confidence. How could it not. Thank God for the media, this time, as far as Yankee fans are concerned.
If there were doubts by the players (maybe not the Fab Four) before the trading deadline that management was standing pat on it's current roster, Brian Cashman made true believers that we play to win now.
The team had been doing their usual second half surge and momentum was building. The shot in the arm that Cashman administered to his team is a cure for any lingering ailment concerning Doubtfulitis.
The Red Sox are not done making moves and have this uncanny knack of pulling games out in their last at bats. That builds character but a dangerous way to play the game. The Ortiz and Manny factor is very formidable and one that scares every major league team that has to face that duo. Injuries are mounting for the Sox. The Yankees have managed their injuries as well as any team ever has. The Red Sox need to prove they can do it also. I personally would rather have gone through the war than approach the war. Advantage Yankees. Swagger and confidence. Advantage Yankees.
This has been a very intriguing year for the New York Yankees and we still have fifty-eight games to play. I like the swagger and smile approach.
As I looked throughout the standings this morning I noticed that the Yankees have the second best record in baseball percentage wise. The oh so wise baseball analysts are all saying that the Yankees are now the team to beat.
It's funny how most of baseball, myself included, had depicted this team as a smoke and mirror magical act. Yet they continued to be right in contention all season long. They have three HOFers playing regularly and five overall. No other team has that make up.
I will now add a sixth HOFer into the mix. Brian Cashman. I did not like the Ponson acquisition but that was because of my personal disdain for the man. The deal was a wise and logical one and it came at no expense. Brian Cashman has made some stellar moves in the past despite having to fight his way through all the red tape and haggling of the three headed GM debacle. I wonder, given the authority he seems to have now and not having to deal with that obstacle, if the Kevin Brown type of acquisitions would have transpired. I'm beginning to think not.
The Yankee team is making it's usual second half drive with an attitude of swagger once again. The result of Brian Cashman and his ability to make the right moves and do things his way 90% of the time.(I'll give the Steinbrenner factor a 10% nudge, after all he is The Boss).
So being the fence sitter that I am I will now fall to the Yankee bandwagon side and say The Yankees are the team to beat. Three quality starters and a bull pen that is looking better each day. Abreu doesn't hurt either.
Looking at the Yankees in the last five or six days and we see a team that is out of sync. Well it is about time. For the last month the Yankees have been fighting a valiant battle against the forces of nature, including Mother Nature. Injuries and illness have been mounting on the Yankees as fast as Joe Torre changes his relief pitchers. Until Wednesday, of this past week, the Yankees were winning that battle. Winning with a mixture of recruits from their minor league ranks and the walking wounded from their commissioned veterans. Button pushing was not an option.
Two wins to start a four game series at home against the rival Red Sox, this past week, and the Yankees and their fans were feeling pretty good about themselves. Things were falling the Yankees way even though their captain, Derek Jeter, was on the shelf with a bruised thumb on his throwing hand. Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez were recovering from a stomach virus. Robinson Cano, Melky Caberra and Andy Phillips were stepping up to the plate and delivering and playing some stellar defense. Miguel Cairo was filling in at short and third, also putting in some quality at bats and playing solid defense. Then Mother Nature stepped in and we all know you don’t fool Mother Nature.
Wednesday the rains came and cancelled a game and momentum. With that it also washed away the Yankee fans confidence that this new Yankee team look was the wave of the future. One that could capture the magic of that 1996 season. Four losses will command soul searching for any good team. This is still a good team and character has to be nurtured.
The present Yankee squad is a very good mix of some seasoned championship veterans, All-Stars, and rookies who are hungry. With a coaching staff that is second to none in experience, why be concerned? Well, for one, they have huge problems with all but one aspect of their pitching staff. Mariano Rivera. Unfortunately Mariano cannot start, or relieve himself (other than bathroom breaks) for three innings and close the game. Otherwise the Yankees could weather out this passing storm without pushing any panic buttons.
With the cross town Mets starting to look like a World Series caliber team I sense fingers of Yankee fans searching for the delete, panic and quick fix buttons. You know the ones. They are as big as Stienbrenner’s payroll. I’m hoping that Yankee brass, Cahsman,The Boss, whoever, are restraining from reading the media and fan reaction then doing something stupid. Yankee pitching is the problem and that should be the focus for improvement by management. Forget about adding corner outfielders who are thumpers at the expense of young talent. The veterans will produce and the rookies will follow. We’ve experienced that so why rock the boat. It will happen again.
It has been suggested that Randy Johnson go into the bull pen and pitch long or short relief. Hard to do at his age and at this point of his career. Intriguing thought though, but that won’t happen. With Octavio Dotel in the shadows his performance alone could have a ironing effect on the whole bull pen. That is of course if he comes back and pitches like his talent allows him. Big if.
The Yankees are hovering around first place and no American League East team seems capable of running away from the pact. There are still six weeks left to the trading deadline. By then, the teams who are willing to dump players and salaries will be well known. At that time the Yankees will have a very good idea of how well this current group of players will mesh. I subscribe to the patience theory here. After all, come late August and September the Yankees could have a very formidable bench with the return of Matsui and or Sheffield, although I think it is a stretch to include Sheffield here.
Jeter, A-Rod, Giambi and Damon will all come around and the rest will follow. Pitching, pitching, pitching that is the problem and has been the problem for four or five years. So let management focus and address those issues and back off the panic button when it comes to offense. Don’t be pressured into media and fan reaction for once. This is still a quality team with the foundation to be a contender for many years.
Billy Crystal said it best. " You look marvelous." That is what this current batch of Yankee hat pickings are staring to look like. Speed, energy, power, youth and a great spattering of veterans. This is a far cry from the Yankees starters at the beginning of this 2006 campaign towards a twenty-seventh World Title. When things looked the bleakest for this injury plagued Yankee team somehow the stars aligned and chemistry took over.
The reacquisition of Miguel Ciaro, who spent last season with the cross town senior circuit Mets, has been invaluable as a replacement player off the bench. He has spelled Giambi at first, Cano at second, Jeter at short and last night A-Rod at third. He can even play the outfield and in a pinch go behind the plate. He plays each of these positions like he is a regular. Just watch his split decision making in crucial situations; always throwing to the right place at the right time. He has quality at bats plus his hustle and enthusiasm are second to none. We don't read much about him, but he is so important to this Yankee team. Management knows this and my hat's off to General Manager Brian Cashman for his diligence in bringing Ciaro back.
The sudden emergence of Andy Phillips was something the Yankees expected but were unable to patiently develop on the senior squad. He plays a very good defensive first base and has started to hit like he did in the minor leagues. He has some power and also shows signs of smart decision making plus he's young. This is a pretty good combination.
Melky Cebrera just continues to impress on a daily basis. He seems best suited for left field. That is the primary position he will probably play for the rest of the time Matsui is out of the lineup. His batting eye is stellar and will eventually lead to some power. I am equally impressed with his strong and accurate throwing arm. He displayed a little of it in right field last week and continues to show his arm off in left. He is presently tied for the league lead in out field assists. He has accomplished this while only being in the majors since May. He is young, energetic and infectiously happy. That is a welcome combination.
Robinson Cano is a solid hitter and a very good second baseman. He makes the hard plays look easy ,and at times, makes the easy plays look hard. He is very aggressive at the plate and often swings at the first pitch no matter what the situation. It is unwise to tinker with this aggressiveness as he will eventually become more disciplined. Patience needs to be nurtured. Another young, and infectiously happy player in a kids' game played by adults. What's not to love?
Now lets turn to the vets. Derek Jeter is having a career year, if that is at all possible. The only thing missing is an MVP award. Could this be the year? Injuries aside, Jorge Posada is having a very good season and his leadership behind the plate is a stabling force to the pitching staff. Johnny Damon is fighting through injuries and we know what he brings to the table. Great teammate, great attitude, a very good batting eye and always clutch.
Jason Giambi is starting to get adjusted to the DH role that is meant for just this kind of player. Keeping Giambi in this role for the majority of time will allow Andy Phillips to continue to improve on his talent. This could prove to be a very productive and smart combination.
I save A-Rod for last. We all know the rub on A-Rod and I'll be the first to admit that he frustrates me to no end at times. I started to analyze why I feel this way: he has the numbers, the clutch hits, and he even plays a pretty good third base. So why do I feel his is not so clutch? It's because A-Rod always seems to step up to the plate with runners on base or in scoring position. This is a fact. The Yankees have runners on base in just about every inning. That A-Rod does not deliver six out of ten times is magnified because he is A-Rod. Folks, A-Rod does deliver. Statistics bear this one out and this is what twenty-five million a year gets you. Sorry A-Rod, I feel like I owe you an apology as this is a pretty good combination.
Pitching is still what counts for the most part and the Yankees are doing alright in that area as well: quietly being in the top tier of the league with it's team ERA. We all know the value of a solid bull pen. It is probably, at this moment, the weakest link in the chain. Where would we be without Rivera? Enough said.
So far management has done the right thing and not knee jerked themselves into a position of weakness. Let's hope they too continue be a good combination and stand pat for the time being; it seems to be working.
Billy Crystal, thank you for the inspiration and Yankees, "You look marvelous."
