WHY I'M THINKING ABOUT POSADA AGAIN...

It’s still crazy to me to think that Jorge Posada is not on the New York Yankees this season.  I'm not mad with his decision, after all, it's a personal one and who am I to try and get involved in that... I have a family, I get it. After all,  the best thing he could have done right now was to be home with the family, retire a Yankee for life and enjoy his time, right?   I respect that and he went out on a high note, although truth be told, it was a bumpy ending of 2011.  That being said, I’m sure he is loving life.

I think about him now because don’t think I haven’t noticed Russell Martin’s slow start. We casually addressed it in WHY MANY WONDER IF SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH MARTIN.  He’s only batting .206 this season.  Not exactly Tony Gwynn, but we all know Martin’s better than that with the bat.  I’m waiting for him to explode, but let’s not forget, Martin was signed for his defense much more than his bat.  Brian Cashman once called Martin Munson-like (read HERE)…ironically, Jorge Posada’s idol.  Martin has that flair for the dramatic.  If you search the Internet, there are a ton of great photos of Martin literally in the thick of it, so sure, you have to love that.

It all goes back to Jorge though, who manned that spot for many years for the Yankees.  Sure, Joe Girardi was there early on and slowly but surely, Posada made home plate his home and then he delivered hard every season with both the bat and glove.  There really wasn’t anyone better and if you think about it, but he had to fight for the respect he got.  People didn’t just look at Jorge and holler, “Well he’s Munson-like” because they called him awkward or not a great defensive catcher for a while, kind of unfair if you think about it, because Posada always delivered.  Through years of dedication and pure guts, Jorge became Munson-like in my eyes.  Posada earned it.  You have to respect him.

Now, don’t twist my words, I’m in no way suggesting Martin isn’t Munson-like, in fact, sometimes I really hate comparisons like that because people see things others don’t.  All I’m saying is Jorge Posada was never “expected” to be a great catcher, but he became one.  Russell Martin is a talented catcher and a great replacement to Posada, but I just want that hot defense to now trickle over to his bat.  Come on Russell, we love ya.  How about getting it up to .260 with 20 home runs…I’ll take that…after all, you’re “Munson-like”…remember?

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