HOT STOVE PANIC: MARK TEIXEIRA

This past season of Yankee baseball was an interesting one. If we’re looking beyond just baseball (is that even possible?), the world itself saw some crazy stuff. Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan in a heroic operation by our US Navy Seals. We are seeing really crazy weather across the United States that has offered mass blackouts and chaos and that crackpot that predicted the rapture and end of the world ran and hid, while the rest of us laughed in his face. The only truth in his prediction at all was that R.E.M. broke up; so, yeah, if you were a music fan in the 80s and 90s, it was “The End of the World as we Know It.”



So what are Yankee fans concerned with now? Mark Teixeira and his end-of-the-season numbers. There are all sorts of “expert” analysis and speculation that Tex will continue a “downward trend” in his numbers, therefore only adding to the panic among Yankee fans everywhere. Some of the breakdowns I’ve been hearing include: He can longer hit curve balls or change-ups. His batting stance has changed. His average against lefties has slid dramatically because of his “changed stance”.

…Really? Is that all you got?

People…you seem to be ignoring some important facts here. Mark’s On-Base Percentage is still fairly high; he’s a patient hitter and took his share of walks this season. He also took a good amount of hit-by-pitches for the team. And most important of all, his defense is more than pristine. The guy can do a full-on split from first base better than a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader after a co-ed dance class. His quick reaction, scoop-ups and all around precision at first base was a major contributor in getting our Bronx Bombers to the postseason in the first place. In other words, Tex is a team player and that’s what we need.

Look Yankee fans, we can’t have it both ways. We can’t complain about the players that obviously have more concern for their stats than getting a win for the team, and at the same time, complain about a player whose performance wasn’t at his peak statistically but did actually contribute to multiple wins.

I’d love to be able to predict the future and reassure everyone that Mark will return to his peak performance in 2011, but that’s the kind of stuff that got Miss Cleo arrested on fraud charges, and therefore, I won’t do it, despite the fact that I do a mean Jamaican accent impression. It’s all good. The point is the “Hot Stove” isn’t even lukewarm, yet the talking heads and bloggers have already begun next season with gloom and doom predictions for Tex. Not Bleeding Yankee Blue, we know what we have and we love it.

Let’s relax a bit and remember that we have no control over the situation, nor do we have any magic formula for predicting anything. If we have to spend all winter without baseball, let’s just look back at the good times and remember them for what they were. There’s no need to develop an ulcer over “what could have been”, or “what the future holds”. There’s no need for this type of anxiety. If you do suffer from “Hot Stove Panic”, and the condition lasts for more than 4 hours, consult your doctor immediately.

--Christy Lee, BYB Staff Writer



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