CAN WE GET THAT "CORE FOUR" MOTIVATION BACK?

I’m a Yankee fan.  When the Yankees lose, I wake up pissed. My day goes on with me wondering what could have been done differently in that game the night before.  Of course, I’m Monday morning quarterbacking…it’s easier that way.   Sure, I can yell at the television during the game, but it makes no difference…no one’s listening.  What am I yelling at? Well, in case you live under a rock, the Yanks are losing quite a bit lately.  And sure, a win here and a loss there isn’t as bad, but losing 9 of 13 stinks on ice.  The problem?  No flow…and my theory, as crazy as it sounds may have everything to do with the changing of the guard…the Core Four is gone.

Now, no one’s blaming the Core Four, especially me, but when the team is missing the key members of the Yankee staff, Jorge Posada hanging it up last season, and Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera both hurt, you need to think about it for a second, Derek Jeter’s the sole “Four” member.  It’s crazy to me.

Now, don’t jump down my throat. Let me walk you through my theory, after all, it’s my blog. Here it goes…The Four were leaders, they were a unit.  Whomever coined the phrase “Core Four” was a  genius because it stuck and now every time we think about those other championships, the “Core Four” is mentioned fondly. 

But now, in this 3 for 13 funk we're in, someone needs to step up, and the “Core One” of Derek Jeter can lead this team through anything, but even HE needs help.  Enter Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira.

Look, back when we were all alittle younger and the Yankees were thriving, if we hit a rough patch, we had something a lot of teams didn’t have…a Godfather of the clubhouse, Jorge Posada.  Jorge Posada didn’t say much but was a fierce competitor and when he needed to speak to the team, he did.  When he said things needed to change, players were eager to please and usually the team turned it around.  Posada believed so much in his team and expected results like he were in charge.  Andy Pettitte was the stopper in any losing streak and he’d usually come in and score a “W” after a 2-game losing streak when it was his turn in the rotation. He wanted the ball and stopped the bleeding and got us back into any series.  And then there was Mariano, the superstar that is praised by all of Major League baseball, yet, he just knows he needs to get the save, because a save translates into a win for his starter. That’s all he knows and it works.

There is no Core Four anymore and while new players like Ichiro Suzuki have come in, it’s not enough to just throw them into the lineup and try to “go”! We need a pep talk, we need a motivation, we need Jorge Posada and the Cour Four, because one thing we could never say about the Core Four is that they were quitters…they never were.

One of my readers, Carol Rubin, God Bless her, said it best.  "The Yankees look like lost puppies."  Think about that for a moment.  That’s not a shot, that’s a reality.  The Yankees don’t have the fire, they look lost during this 3 for 13 rut.  Combine that with that icky problem of runners in scoring position, something the Yankees just can’t seem to conquer and trust me, it doesn’t matter how many good pitchers you have on a team, if you just hit home runs when they don’t count and don’t play situational hitting, you will never be a World Championship team. Don’t believe me?  

This about Jose Vizciano in Game 1 of the 2000 World Series, read HERE.  Think about Johnny Damon in the 2009 World Series being heads up on the basepaths, read HERE. Think about Jerry Hairston Jr. scoring the winning run in Game 2 of the 2009 World Series, read HERE.   

Think about Jorge Posada’s game tying double against the Sox in 2003 (HERE).   Think about key steals and key hits that scored those runs quickly allowing our team to tack on runs, stay in the game and win it.  Now think about us now…nothing.

Long balls are beautiful to watch at Yankee Stadium. Lord knows there was nothing more special than the laser show guys like Scott Brosius, Derek Jeter, Tino Martinez and yes Jorge Posada put on for us over the years… but there was one key difference, they did it when it counted…there were men on base.   Bottom line, no one likes a homer if you only score yourself.

The Yankees need to now re-group and while I’m not fan of replacing history, like the Core Four, let’s just say we need leaders in this Yankee lineup to sit the kids down and say, “This is how we do it here, speed, situational hitting and fun.” Trust me, if the Yankees keep doing that, they will win, as long as their starters keep us in the game. Again, Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira... lead the team, not just by hitting, but my teaching.

Look, it’s August, the Yankees are in first place.  Am I complaining? No, but I want action as a fan of my New York Yankees.  Something stuck with me earlier in the week, and believe me, I have nothing nice to say about Bobby Valentine, but it’s definitely a motivator and should be thought of as such and it should be in the back of every Yankee and Yankee fan’s mind.  When asked if he thought he Yankees would make the playoffs, Valentine said "Maybe they won't get in it...Crazy things happen in this game." (Read HERE)

Sure, Bobby V is a clown, but the Yankees should put that quote up in the Yankee clubhouse on a big banner with Bobby’s name attached to it. If that’s not a motivator, I’m not sure what else is.

Sure, I miss seeing Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada playing hard with Jeet and winning every night, but those days are gone, it’s obvious. We need new leaders, we need new motivators because trust me, if Poe was in that clubhouse right now…he wouldn’t stand for any of this…and that’s why we loved him and the rest of the Core, they never quit…that’s my take anyway.

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