RECOGNIZING LOST "ENERGY" IS THE KEY TO TURNING YANKEES SEASON AROUND

I learned something Tuesday night watching the Yankees sluggish performance against the Red Sox.  Besides 38 year old Derek Jeter, we have a bunch of Yankees in a routine that they can't escape and routine brings robots, guys who show up the same approach to the plate, the same approach in the outfield and don't change a thing, even though they are clearly struggling.  I hate that. I don't care how long you've been in the major leagues, you still play to improve. You still play for longevity.  You still play to win the whole damn thing, but I'm not sensing that from my New York Yankees. Sure, the Yankees win once in a while, but celebrating a 13 to 3 win over Balitmore from way back on Sunday is old news. We need constant wins and it's all because the Yankees have no youthful energy...I believe that. Why you ask?  A perfect example is watching a guy like Sox kid Pedro Ciriaco.

Now let's be honest, the Red Sox and Ciriaco are playing for nothing. They have absolutely no shot at anything, except maybe beating the Blue Jays so they're not be stuck in the cellar come the last day of the season. But this piece is not about last place, it's about first place and how the Yankees may not win the division unless they open their eyes and watch a kid like Ciriaco, a kid who has more passion on a losing team then most of the Yankees combined right now. Derek Jeter is doing his best as the captain of the team, you have to admire his heart, but he can't do it alone.  Maybe all that toughness caught up with him when he tweaked something in his leg last night in Boston, read HERE.  Ichiro Suzuki may be a singles hitter these days, but at least the guys getting on base.  Now the Yanks have to hit him home.  I mean come on! You know what disappointed me? I watched Robinson Cano hit a weak grounder to second on Tuesday night and jog to first. JOG! Not sprint or run... jog. What if Dustin Pedroia bobbled it? You never know. What the hell happened to playing hard on the Yankees?  It's gone, yet Pedro Ciriaco's playing hard for nothing...not even a Wild Card spot. The difference is routine.

I've stated it before, I am so sick of the same exact ritual every night that the Yankees play.  After their "routine", it's topped off with sluggish play, lifeless bats and a games that are just out of reach or we only win by a close margin. I guess that's why that 13-3 blowout in Baltimore was so exciting, we were actually scoring runs for a change.  The trouble with Jeter is, he leads by example. I say "the trouble with" because he plays so damn hard and if the others don't follow, let's just say a tweak in the leg, like tonight, hurts. 

Now I am in not saying we have NO heart, but let's face it, the Yanks aren't playing great baseball.  That's the difference.  Jeter has been making things happen for months now but baseball has never ever been won by just 1 man. So I ask you, what the hell is going on with my New York Yankees?

I've talked to true fans, some bigger than me that have wrapped it up this season.  They have seriously packed it in, substituting football for baseball because they refuse to be heartbroken by the Yankees and the whispers of collapse.  I won't do that, but I also won't  go "all in" either lately, I'm not "in love" with my team right now. Right now, I'm the cautious fan. Bottom line, I hate where my Yankees are right now and I'm not afraid to tell you, as much faith as I have in them, there are serious problems. But let's face it,  it starts with an energy... like the energy  in that Ciriaco kid.  Ciriaco is the little engine that could.  The Yankees? They're a team with the same routine of normalcy and no energy injected in the month of September.

So, this is what it is... they either play better baseball and shake the monkey off their back or they're headed home at the end of September... I'm not willing to accept that, after all, these are my New York Yankees...we ain't quitters.

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