WHY THE YANKEES WILL PLAY THE HAND THEY'RE DEALT

It makes no difference who the Yankees end up with, the Yankees are the Yankees and we play with a desire, guts and alittle luck every single season. Some time we hum through a 10 game winning streak and sometimes we get swept, but it is my theory that if you play it one game at a time and win each series, you will make the playoffs and can definitely win the World Series if the focus is there.

I know, I’m preaching the the choir, but the reality is, I was looking through our BYB archive for 2010 and there was more concern than happiness. Yet, the New York Yankees won 97 games last year with the rotation we had. Pretty impressive if you think about just how inconsistent AJ Burnett was and how the mysterious "Dead Arm" issue affected Phil Hughes. Think about it, Bartolo Colon was a savior… so was the mighty Freddy Garcia.

David Robertson proved the me that he belongs with the big boys for a long long time, he’s dominant, likable and he just hates to lose, plus, he’s a great dude.

Derek Jeter proved everyone wrong who said .270 was the new .290 for Jeet. The guy fell just short of .300, plus, got his 3000^th hit just happened to be a home run. The more I think about just how spectacular that is, the more I’m in awe of the Captain. There is no doubt the guy has an angel on his shoulder.

The Yankees will play with the hand they’re dealt this season, and they'll be fine. Sure, we’ll pick up a few pieces off the scrap heap, cheap, but eager contribute and sure, they’ll be guys that you wouldn’t necessarily think are New York Yankees, but then again, either was Bartolo Colon.

Look, I’m the first one to admit that I was wrong about Colon. I didn’t think he had a shot, yet, I believed Kevin Millwood did. I was wrong. I like to be wrong when it comes to my New York Yankees. That’s a good thing because it’s a true surprise when good things happen.

I believe in my Yankees and alittle bit of luck too. Sure, we can win it all in 2012, but the heart needs to be there and after reflecting on this silly Yankee off season, I’m at peace. Cashman believes in his Yankees, and I believe Cashman. I’ll tell you what, one things for sure, if Cashman’s wrong, the Steinbrenner’s will no doubt tell him he is. But going into January, I’m starting to get excited, Spring Training is closer than we think and we’ll be seeing the boys in blue real soon and let’s be honest… I can’t wait.

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