WHY THE YANKS SHOULD LEARN FROM CERVELLI'S PASSION

Say what you will about the Francisco Cervelli fist pump.  Many call it silly and over the top.  Some, like Michael Kay and Mike Lupica are embarrassed by it, read HERE.  They’ve actually said on the radio that Cervelli needs to “act like he’s been there before.”  I call all that bunk.  We need the passion, we need the spark and we need the Yankees to ignite a run for the ages. Perhaps last night's 7-0 win against the Rays will start that... It starts with confidence, then situational hitting and pitching. Throw in a little passion and that’s your formula. I’ve often wondered if having Cervelli on the team right now would have helped that energy that we’re lacking. 

Make no mistake, it is my opinion that Francisco Cervelli was screwed on the last day of Spring Training when he was sent to AAA and replaced as the backup catcher by Chris Stewart.  Sure, it was a baseball move, but Cervelli lost his mojo at that point. Look, I’m not the only one who believes Cervelli was surprised.  I recently chatted it up with one of my writing idols, Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record who said this of the Cervelli situation:

 

Pete Caldera:  At the time, I thought it was a tough deal, too.  Plus, Cervelli had a pretty good spring and you could see how blindsided he was by the whole thing. You felt for him, naturally, because he's a nice guy and a pro.  But the club had its reasons, they knew something about how Chris Stewart could help, and it's hard to argue the move based on how it turned out. At the end of the day, as they say, it was a baseball decision.

Read Caldera’s full interview here, NO ONE DOES THE YANKEES BETTER THAN PETE CALDERA.

The point is though, passion plays a big part in the Yankees solid performance on the field and without it, I almost feel like my New York Yankees are a little flat...a lot of strikeouts, a lot of RISP lately...it's a mess and it only gets worse before it gets better sometimes. Look at Alex Rodriguez last night...0-4 and 2 more strikeouts.

You’re asking “What’s the point of this bro?” The point is we lost the energy and the spark….I don’t know where it went but right now, our drive is different.  Does it mean bringing Cervelli up and letting him ride the bench will artificially insert the passion we need in the Yankees clubhouse? Not exactly, but the idea is there…

We need a move or a moment, 1 thing that the Yankees will do on the field that lets them realize that they have the talent and they can win it all. Maybe it was Andy Pettitte and his amazing performance last night...maybe it was Russell Martin's Grand Slam. Hopefully it is. When it comes to these athletes, no one likes to lose and anyone who tells you they don’t care if they lose is full of crap. Everyone wants to win, but there are 162 games, the strategy is the win 162, but if you can’t do that, you win the series.  If you lose 1 game that night, the players know they need to then win 2 in a row and win the series.

Derek Jeter says it all the time, “One game at a time”... and he's got 5 rings now. I believe that too. 

Look, I’m a believer in earning your keep, working hard and performing to the best of your ability every day.  Cervelli showed a positive example when he was out there. He loves the game and he wanted the world to know it.  I’m not sure this “going through the motions” attitude the Yankees have lately is too great.  But at the end of the day, I do believe in my boys.  Bottom line, it’s about a moment, 1 single moment that lifts my Yankees attitude up. Maybe it’s an outstanding catch in center, maybe it’s a come from behind win in the Bronx on the next home stand, but there needs to be something to trigger raw emotion….and I feel like it’s coming…do you?

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