Upon reflection, my life as a Yankees fan is not just defined by their championship teams; it is also marked by certain players who stood out to me more than others.
Reaching
deep into my memory, I recall Mel Stottlemyre putting up 15 or 16 wins a
season while on some God-awful teams. He was a brief ray of sunlight
in a dark period for my Bombers.
Next,
my all-time favorite Yankee signified a re-birth for the men in
pinstripes. Thurman Munson embodied all that I pictured myself being
as a professional baseball player; if I had ever reached that level of
the sport. His grittiness and deep passion for the game represented (to
me) what every player should strive to be.
It’s no coincidence that Munson’s peak years were also the seasons that saw the Yankees return to past glory.
It’s also no coincidence that when we lost our beloved backstop the team started a downhill slide into the 1980’s. The very dark 80’s.
Not unlike Stottlemeyre’s 1970’s, the dust bowl that was the 1980’s for the Yankees had its own ray of sunshine.
That came in the form of Donald Arthur Mattingly, aka “Donnie Baseball”. Mattingly
was the best first baseman in the game during his 14 seasons, and while
the teams he played on only managed to reach the postseason just once
(in his final year), he gave Yankee fans a hero to root for during one
of the worst eras in franchise history.
The
two decades since Mattingly finally conceded to his back issues and
hung up the spikes have been among the most successful in franchise
history.
They are, of course, represented by the “Core Four” and Bernie.
Jeter
has officially announced that 2014 will be his final season. I can’t
help but wonder if the “cycle” I have come to know is about to take
another turn into irrelevance.
As a
lifelong follower of the greatest sports franchise, I can honestly say
that I have never seen a smarter ballplayer than Derek Jeter.
Like
the others that defined their eras to me, Jeter has combined his
intellect with poise, passion and great leadership. His ability to rise
to the occasion time and again places him among the Yankees immortals.
There
are so many “Jeter” moments that their memories all seem to run
together. The “play” against Oakland, the dive into the stands to
catch a ball against the Red Sox, the November home run and the day he
had his 3000th hit. All help to define nearly 20 years of success for the Yankees.
We have but one more year with him.
Who will define the next decade of Yankees baseball for me? It’s too early to tell.
The
“Jeter era” has been different from the others in one regard; you
always knew that you were witnessing greatness. With Stottlemeyre,
Munson and Mattingly I had to reflect on the past to realize they were
the ones that stood out to me. Not so with “Jeets”.
One
only needed to look at how he conducted himself – the confidence and
unflappable nature that emanated from him - to affirm that we had a
player who wasn’t going to let us lose. Hook up the wagon to him and
stay out of his way.
Now that wonderful ride is coming to an end.
He has been unequivocally the greatest shortstop the New York Yankees have ever had. No one else is even close.
A lifetime .312 batting average, more than 3000 hits, and a warehouse full of incredible, clutch plays and hits.
An
era is closing and a new one awaits us. Like a parent sending a child
off to college, you don’t want to let go of the past and keep your kid
with you forever, but you always knew the day would come when you’d have
to let go.
I, for one, am not looking forward to it but have always known it was inevitable.
--Steve Skinner, BYB Guest Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1
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