PUSH YOURSELF LIKE YOU'RE A NEW YORK YANKEE

 What would you say as a fan  if Joe Girardi set the lineup and Derek Jeter walked up to Joe and told him "You know what Skip...I'm beat. I need a day off." Would you be shocked? Some of you would say "Hey, he's the Cap, give him a day off." Now pretend it was the playoffs and he did that... Different story right? You'd be pissed.

I remember when my love for David Wells changed a bit. I became disappointed in the 2003 World Series, Game 5, when Wells complained that he had back spasms and the Yanks had to pull him. Sure, Wells was legitimately hurt, but I felt like he just gave up. I mean, it was the freaking World Series and everything about it stunk, read HERE! I was disappointed, I thought "there's a finish line, at least try to get there, hurt or not!" Too harsh? Probably. Am I being unfair. Probably...it's just an opinion.

Look,I work hard every single day, in work, in family, in life, like millions of others.  But it's more than hard work... We give results. What does it mean if I work hard but nothing is accomplished? I need a goal and I need to hit that goal...every time. The Yankees strive for that...every day. It wouldn't be a very good team if we had guys deciding they needed to rest and Joe Girardi had to constantly re-order the lineup because dudes were tired. It doesn't work that way. You agree to work, you put on the pinstripes, you sign up for a 162 game season and  you show up to every game and work. And while you work, you think about that "end game"...the goal, the victory.

(In Photo: Francisco Cervelli in 2011)
I think about Francisco Cervelli, with more guts than many players out there.  He pushes himself to the limit and you know what? He knows he's not the best, but when he's on the field, he works hard and most of all, he shows us something.  A lot of us were puzzled when the Yankees made a last minute switch and threw Cervelli down to AAA all season and instead traded for Chris Stewart.  Finally, when the Yankees expanded rosters, they called him up.  Many of us were sure we'd see him, yet, we haven't.  It sucks, but the reality is, Cervelli shows up every day to work because he knows the day he doesn't come in ready is the day the Yankees will need him. That's what team is, and that's why I love Cervelli so much.

I once wrote a piece about loyalty and dedication a while back titled WHY LOYALTY & DEDICATION IS THE YANKEE WAY.  Keep it in your back pocket, read it to your kid, read it to yourself, it's motivational. Because while it may not be historic literature,  it speaks about my New York Yankees and there's a bigger message; you work, stay loyal, you fight and at the end of the day, you make the most of your opportunity, no matter what it is.

That's why I loved Paul O'Neill. Read WHY PAUL O'NEILL HAS A CLEAR MESSAGE: FOCUS, that's his message from his website.

How great would the Yankees be if players didn't want to be there? See what I mean?

Look, I'm ranting but there's actually some truth to all of this. You're not on this earth to have things handed to you. If I see my kids demanding something, I'd love to slap them silly, but in the midst of my busy life, I explain goals and hard work, because these days, some people just don't get it. If you want to live in your shell all your life and never push to the limit, there's not reason to bother. You want that feeling of accomplishment.  You want people to know it was you that did this or did that. You need that finish line in life...every time. I firmly believe that, and in the end, I feel like the hard work pays off especially if you accomplish that goal.  Don't believe me? Ask the 27 time World championship New York Yankees about that. After all, why else do we follow them as fans? They see the finish line, the cross.... it's why we love them so much.

Big opportunity today...get's win again!

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