AN OPEN LETTER TO JORGE POSADA

Dear Jorge,

I hope this letter finds you well on your birthday today. Happy Birthday pal, you have given us so much in your career and we appreciate all the great years.

Let me start by saying that if there's one thing I love about you Jorge, it's that you have a true love for your team. Not only are you one of the most loved Yankees in recent baseball history, you are part of the Core Four, 4 guys that were home grown and won 5 World Championships together, like brothers.Confidence and passion has always been your way on the field and now, in 2011, after many years of great playing, there appears to be an end to a truly great career. So, I say this as a fan, as a truly fanatical fan that loves my Yankees after God and Family... When the season ends, so should you, because none of us, not one New York Yankees fan can bear to see you as anything other than a New York Yankee. Yeah, I know, you need to prove it to yourself. You need to prove that you can still play every day, maybe still catch half the season, and you know what Jorge? You probably can. I don't doubt it.I tell you what... Lord knows I still love your bat in the lineup and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see you strap on the gear once or twice this year. But the reality is, You and I are both days away from each other's 40th birthday and the writing's on the wall for you ballplayers when you hit that number. Yes, as a regular guy, I feel younger than ever, energetic and ready for anything, but I'm no ballplayer and I can only imagine, things start to get slower and ache more as the days move on. Plus, let's face facts... 40 is the new 50 in baseball years and while that's a harsh reality, it's still a reality.

So what's my point you're asking, right Jorge? Only this; You're a New York Yankee, You're a great New York Yankee and we love you the way you are. Sure, watching you ride the bench is painful to you, Laura and us fans, but we all get it. True, ultimately it's up to you, but know this; no matter what you decide, we'd all be in your corner, but suggesting that you'd like to possibly play next year on another team as a backup catcher on the San Francisco Giants, or Washington Nationals, or even the Baltimore Orioles would kill all of us softly. No one wants to see a pinstriped hero in his final years in road orange and grays, not our Yankee hero, that is. You're a New York Yankee Jorge, you are for life. That's the way we all see you and that's the way we want you to go out, on a high note and hopefully, just hopefully... with one more ring on your finger... a 2011 Yankees Championship ring that is.

Your biggest fan,



-- Casey



By the way...to all you BYB and Posada fans, be sure to check out Uncle Mike's Musings: A Yankee Blog and More, a great baeball blog that put together a terrific Posada dedication piece titled Top 10 Jorge Posada Moments.

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