It’s a far more natural combination than one would expect. Comic books and baseball cards are old friends. They may come from two different worlds but so do chocolate and peanut butter. That mixture has turned out pretty well. This positively exudes “fun.” Baseball is a game after all, and if you can’t have fun with baseball, what’s the point?
"What If," by the way, was a Marvel Comics title that played with possibilities. The series would take existing stories and tweak one element to see how differently it would have turned out. For example, what if Wolverine from the X-Men joined S.H.I.E.L.D. Stuff like that. "What If" needed to be in this title.
The following images were created by BigRalf BxnyYankees. BigRalf is a Major League Yankee fan and artist extraordinaire. This article would not be possible without him.
Thank you BigRalf! Without your talent and dedication, this article wouldn’t nearly be so satisfying to work on, and now to look at. You. Are. Awesome.
Let’s begin:
1. Alfonso Soriano: Iron Man
Iron Man is a technical genius who built a nigh-indestructible suit of armor. That suit allows him to keep fighting no matter what hits him. He commands it’s powerful weapons and uses his affable and easy going personality to keep his fellow heroes on his side.
Alfonso Soriano is also a technical genius at the plate. He has a great history of timely hits, and continues to find ways to play at the Major League level no matter what position he plays. Fonzie is also a tonic in the dressing room, using his own affable personality to help keep his team-mates loose and effective.
You can’t spell S-O-R-I-A-N-O without I-R-O-N, after all.
2. Ichiro: Spider-Man
Although slight in stature, Spider-Man is faster and far stronger than he looks. Tremendously agile, Spidey keeps NYC safe from evil-doers. His keen and inventive mind creates wonders like his famous web shooters among other gadgets.
Spidey’s most endearing characteristic is how he forever comes off as an underdog while using his powers, dedication, and drive to persevere again and again. All of this under the scrutiny of the newspaper the Daily Bugle, who constantly portrays him as a bad guy, and even a threat to New York. Yet Spidey fights on. He won’t quit until he’s dead.
Ichiro isn’t a big guy. But he gets it done. He is still faster than most, can still hit a ball, and his baseball sense is still keen. He still has a cannon from the outfield. A ball thrown from Ichiro comes in fast enough to look like Spidey’s webbing.
People are constantly counting Ichiro out. They say he’s too old. That he didn’t really make 3000 hits. That he should be traded. He lives under the media microscope too. There is no quit in him either. He doesn’t let negative press affect him.
When was the last time you heard a report about Ichiro complaining about his life? Asking everyone to leave him alone? You didn’t. He bears the burden of responsibility like a hero.
3. CC Sabathia: The Punisher
The Punisher is the ultimate seeker of vengeance. The murder of his family motivated this highly trained veteran weapons specialist to search out and destroy the criminal and the callous. No character in all of the superhero genre intimidates like The Punisher can. He can erase you at any time.
CC Sabathia will be looking for payback this year. Certainly, he doesn’t display an overly vengeful personality, but he is famously motivated by his family, community, and career. He is now an elite veteran, and his pitches are his weapons.
Many people talked trash about CC last year. He has been working out hard in the off-season, and will be straining at the leash to prove them wrong. It’s hard to imagine any other pitcher capable of intimidating batters as CC could.
Sabathia will be on a mission to erase as many hitters as he can and punish his critics.
4. Brian McCann: Captain America
Steve Rogers always wanted to wear an American uniform. Born small, Rogers tried again and again to join the Army. But it wasn’t until he underwent the Super-Soldier treatment that he could. He was then given his iconic shield and armored suit.
Rogers went on to be Captain America, leading his fellow heroes against the forces of evil. Cap was the glue needed to keep the powerful, yet eclectic mix of characters in The Avengers focused on their goals. Together, they were all able to defend against any threat, and avenge any wrong.
As he said during his introductory press conference, Brian McCann has wanted to be a Yankee for some time, calling joining the team “one of the best days of my life.” Iconic suit to represent America? One cannot do better than a Yankees uniform. The name is synonymous with “America.” Uncle Sam’s top hat is a team logo. Never mind the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Yankees are really America’s Team.
Now, McCann is charged with managing his pitching staff. Separately talented, each Starter is highly individual, making for a disparate group. Brian will need to form a cohesive unit of heroes from what is right now a big question mark. And there is nobody better suited to the job.
5. David Robertson: Mister Miracle
Perhaps the least familiar of the superheroes listed, Mister Miracle is unique among all of them. Sporting a flashy costume even by comic book standards, Miracle is a born showman. His gimmick? He is a super escape artist.
His adventures were a surreal mix of science fiction soap opera fused with a circus sideshow. Miracle was invariably trapped in a life-threatening situation that he’d need to get out of in order to save the day.
He was so good at it that he earned membership to the fabled Justice League, and more than once was the difference in avoiding galactic cataclysm. Oh and just for fun, Mr. Miracle is the heir to an all-powerful cosmic entity.
David Robertson’s nickname? Houdini. You probably know where this is going. DRob has a knack for getting out of jams. While racking up the Holds and Ws, DRob heads up his High Socks For Hope charity. This organization has, amongst other good deeds, aided relief efforts in Oklahoma when it was devastated by tornadoes.
Robertson cemented his spot with the fabled Yankees by staving off cataclysmic innings. D-Rob is also heir to an all-powerful entity, Mariano Rivera.
6. Mark Teixeira: Thor
The legendary Viking God of Thunder himself. Thor was known for his great strength and ability to control the weather around him. Armed with his mighty hammer Mjolnir, Thor is a legendary warrior, who has had many adventures in ancient and modern lands, winning battles entirely by himself.
His strength and abilities led to overconfidence, and Thor’s father Odin decided to strip him of his power and send him to live on Earth as an ordinary mortal man. This taught Thor humility, compassion, and a new appreciation for his own power. Because of this, Thor became a greater hero than he already was.
Mark Teixeira is also known for his great strength. He holds the MLB record for the most games with homers hit from both sides of the plate, with 13. That will certainly control the atmosphere of the game around him, if not the weather. Armed with three Silver Slugger awards, Tex has waged campaigns through Texas and Atlanta, winning games entirely by himself.
The Baseball Gods seemed to see fit to sit Tex for a while. He missed the vast majority of last season with a wrist injury. Forced to sit and watch with the rest of us mortals, Tex is looking forward to once again become the irresistible force he is known for being.
One side note; it is frequently intimated in the comics and now the movies that Thor highly respects Captain America. It was even alluded that he fought alongside Cap in a previous life. Tex played with our Cap, Brian McCann, in Atlanta for many years before they reunited in the Bronx.
See how perfectly that works?
7. Jacoby Ellsbury: Daredevil
Fast, smart, highly trained, and possessing a “radar sense,” allowing him to sense and track objects, people, and the environment around him without looking, this is a highly effective hero. Daredevil, for those who don’t know, is blind. He patrols Hell’s Kitchen to keep it safe.
This hero has had a turbulent and troubled past. He has fallen in love with a red-clad assassin, Elektra, who has helped bring him both triumph and pain. As a result, DD has gotten mixed up with all kinds of unsavory sorts. More than once, DD has found himself fighting alongside some real jerks as he learned the tricks of his trade.
Jacoby Ellsbury isn’t blind of course, but he is fast, highly trained, and a skilled outfielder when it comes to tracking down fly balls. He sure appears to have a “radar sense” from time to time. He uses it to patrol the outfield and keep it safe.
Ellsbury comes from Boston, home to plenty of red-clad assassins, and he has soared with them and suffered tremendous injuries. Unsavory sorts, indeed. But the days of unshaven team-mates who look as if they don’t shower are behind him. Ellsbury now uses his powers for good, tempered in the fires of the enemy.
If Yankees fans can be blind to their Boston prejudices, Jacoby will reward them with his heroics.
8. Hiroki Kuroda: Hawkeye
Hawkeye has multiple origins. He was a sideshow superstar. He was a criminal, and then he reformed. He was a government agent whose skill and talents were so amazing he began using a bow simply to challenge himself. He has even disguised himself as a ninja, taking the name “Ronin,” Japanese for “Masterless Samurai.”
What is constant about Hawkeye is that he gets his moniker for his deadly aim. Despite his various back stories, what got him membership to The Avengers was his ability. Period.
Hiroki Kuroda has had a well traveled career, lending itself to as many defining moments as Hawkeye’s origins. He won the Olympic Bronze Medal with Team Japan in 2004. He pitched for Nippon
Professional Baseball for 10 years, winning both the 2005 Best Nine Award, and the 2006 NPB ERA Champion.
Kuroda would continue on to the MLB. He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers before coming to the Bronx. Kuroda’s deadly aim has also remained consistent, and he sports a 3.5 Strikeout-to-Walk ratio.
His aim is true, and has served him well enough to bring him to Yankee Stadium to be a Super-Hiro!
9. Brett Gardner: The Flash
The Fastest Man Alive. The Flash wins battles with his blazing speed. He can hit you before you even realize it, and be a mile away when you get up. Many heroes have taken up the mantle of The Flash. There has been a Flash fighting the good fight since before World War II, and by all accounts there will be one continuing the battle into the future.
It’s easy to see the correlation. Brett Gardner is a speedster. He hits and he runs. He makes spectacular, dare I say “Flashy” catches. He even looks like the most famous Flash, Barry Allen.
Brett may not have been the first speedy batter on the Yankees, and realistically, he won’t be the last. But what Gardner brings is indispensable. Speed kills. Fast and Furious. Hit and Run. Fundamentals.
This particular write up wrapped up in a Flash!
10. Derek Jeter: Green Lantern
Never mind that garbage pile of a movie, as superheroes go it’s tough to top Green Lantern. A Green Lantern is chosen by the Guardians of the Universe for their bravery and honesty. In other words, if you are a good person, you can be a Green Lantern.
Green Lantern’s ring brings your imagination to life. Widely considered the most powerful weapon in the universe, the Power Ring is fueled by the wearer’s will. The stronger the hero’s willpower, the more powerful the Green Lantern.
Derek Jeter is no stranger to wearing rings. He has quite a few. He won them with imaginative plays; the face first dive into the stands; the first base line interception of an outfield throw and flip to home to save the game. His indomitable will to win was put on display again and again.
His bravery is unquestioned. The face first dive proved that. When was the last time Derek Jeter was involved in a scandal? Ever? No. He is the consummate Yankee, comporting himself with the easy grace and dignity befitting the Pinstripes. Nobody else could wear a Green Lantern ring.
One last thing; the sector of the universe Earth’s Green Lantern is assigned to protect is designated as Sector 2814. As in Ring 28 in ‘14? That is a good way to look at it.
There you have it. A pantheon of heroes operating out of a fantastic headquarters in New York City, facing down garishly clad opponents every day. Superheroes and baseball have more in common than you think.
And ultimately, none of this matters as long as we have one Yankee superhero show up on a regular basis. One that any Bronx Bomber could channel. Who would that be? Who else!
Batman!
--Chad R. MacDonald
BYB Features Writer
Facebook: New York Yankees the Home of Champions
My Blog: ChadRants
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