REFLECTING ON THE YANKEES FIRST HALF

I have been a Yankee fan a long time. Time and time again I remember something happening with our starting pitching right around the All-Star break and suddenly, in an emergency situation, the Yankees were bringing in guys to fill the holes and hopefully find lightening in a bottle.  Brian Gordan was a perfect example of that last season.  He didn’t pan out, and went to Korea (Read HERE) to continue his baseball career, but he came and tried to win here for the time we had him.

Before that, we had Sidney Ponson…twice and there was even that moment that Tim Redding and Darrell May came to the Yankees in the same day…. That didn’t pan out either, yet, we fought  the good fight and we finally won it all in 2009.  Now, with Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia out, there have been plenty wondering what the Yankees are going to do, yet again.  

Let me start by saying that guys like Ivan Nova, Hiroki Kuroda and Phil Hughes have stepped up big time.  Sure, Hughes wasn’t amazing in his last start by any means, but there’s no denying that the 3 of them knew they needed to come up big and have.  Freddy Garcia was handed the ball in CC’s absence and tamed the Red Sox pretty damn great last Saturday afternoon too…and it’s all part of it.  The goal is to win, and if Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman can work with the parts we have and make it work, they will. If not, believe me, they will not just leave the team and the fans high and dry, they will go out and get help.  Sure Adam Warren wasn’t ready and he’ll go back down and get more work, but I actually believe that Warren was being showed off.  I believe that Warren's debut was Cashman preparing for the Trade Deadline.  I really do.
Guys like Adam Warren or Dellin Betances, maybe even some guys currently on our roster that help out in a lesser role, may be on their way out, because if there is 1 thing I do know, the Yankee brass wants stability.  No, we’re not the "knee jerk" reaction team we used to be, George is gone, but we do think things through and make the right moves. 

Look, I believe that the New York Yankees are on their way to another championship.  When guys like Andruw Jones and Eric Chavez can step up the way they have from the bench, and guys like Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher are starting to get into a groove at the right time, that’s a sign of good things to come. Couple that with Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano and leadership plays a major role.  Just watching Jeet in a post game talking about a loss or a win, it’s comforting.  The guy leads this team by example, he’s truly incredible in everything he does.

There is 1 black eye, although, while his production is not his true self, he has contributed on a smaller scale of sorts…that’s Alex Rodriguez.  Alex is a lightening rod.  If he strikes out, he’s terrible.  If he homers, he’s a God again.  We need to face facts.  Alex is no longer a Super hero, he’s a regular ballplayer.  If we can get 20 homers from him with a .295 AVG, that may be the best we’re going to get.  Now I’m not giving up on him yet, but Kevin Long needs to get in the cage with him, speed up his swing, and convince him that he can still do it.  Because if you look at Alex, while he’s happy these days, he knows things are changing.  Do I think the Yankees will try and trade him off? Never. I think Alex is here to stay unless he doesn’t produce anymore, but something needs to change…he’s got to get that confidence back. He looks like a zombie some days and you know deep down it's eating at him.

Can the Yankees win it all? Yes. Will they get the extra parts they need to rally in the second half? Yes, but let’s face it, if Cashman can continue to move guys around from within, I see no reason why we can’t do it again…I mean, say what you will, but Cashman does know best…we’re just outsiders.

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