THE YANKEES ARE SUPERHEROES

As you probably know, I am always out there learning.  I am learning at my job, I am learning outside of my job, I am learning about running, and of course I am always learning about the Yankees.  A colleague asked me on Saturday, as I both presented and participated in sessions at the @EvolvingEd Tomorrow's Classroom Today conference, if I watched every Yankee game.  "Of course I do. People ask me to start watching new series during baseball season and I say, 'I have 162 episodes of the Yankees to watch!'" So, I am learning so much about this Yankee team and I have decided that they are superheroes because they have defied the odds, flown above the negativity and are energizing to watch.  In a word, they are fun!

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As the New York Times reported at the end of April, "The Yankees have been fun before, and sometimes that fun actually does result in something tangible: 1996, for instance, when the Yankees didn’t have the highest payroll, when they had a bunch of kids coming together for the first time and a manager, Joe Torre, learning how to win on the fly, too."  The Yankees have flown far since the 1996 team that saw Derek Jeter make his mark.  And this year's team has to the potential to fly to new heights.

 Source: Rich Schultz/Getty Images North America

The 2017 Yankees are superheroes. Not just because they are fun but because they are winners even when they don't win.  The veteran superheroes of Brett Gardner and Matt Holliday make it happen consistently. They own the super power of grit.  They do things for long periods of time, in a consistent way and continue to improve and grow with each at bat.

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"The Yankees' new designated hitter brings a lot to the table ... leadership, power and he showed in spring training that he still has the ability to hit for a high average at 37," reported NJ.com about Matt Holliday's contributions to the Yankees early into the season.  "The power/production party started against the Orioles on April 29, when Gardner hit two homers and drove in four runs. Three games later he reached the seats twice and drove in three runs against the Blue Jays. Then there was Friday’s show, which triggered an animated response from Gardner as he toured the bases," according to the Post.  His animated approach to baseball adds to his superhero powers.  He empowers his teammates with his energy.

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The two Aarons have made a place for themselves in the lineup that you can't ignore as a manager or a fan.  Aaron Hicks can hit and he can hit with an incredible force that has forced Joe Girardi to add him and his bat to the lineup.  Aaron Judge branded himself as the new Yankee right fielder.  He exudes force in his swing, his movement and his ability to conquer his opponents with height, agility and grace both on and off the field.  According to the YES Network the Yankees outfield as an entity of its own, which includes the Aarons, Gardy and Jacoby Ellsbury, are leading MLB in batting average with .306, RBIs with 77, on base percentage at .407 and slugging at .567.  Now those are superhero stats!

Source: Brian Blanco/Getty Images North America

We have some silent heroes too.  The ones who quietly do their job without any fuss, fanfare or notoriety.  Guys like 23-year-old pitcher Luis Severino and 24-year-old pitcher Jordan Montgomery who are quiet learners of the game and patient Austin Romine, who is contributing with his bat, his toughness and his professional respect for his teammates and coaches.  These are superheroes of the team too, contributing to the team's success.

Source: Rich Schultz/Getty Images North America

As a team, the Yankees are a unit of heroes who are working together toward something bigger than the team itself.  They are contributing to the game we love.  They have brought the fun and dynamic energy back to the legacy of the Yankees.  We have waited for this group of superheroes to emerge. And I for one is grateful for what they are contributing to the 2017 season.

I also like to give a shout out to superheroes @JayBilly2 & @nbartley6 for inspiring me to make the connection of the 2017 Yankees to superheroes.  They certainly fit the characteristics of the positive superpowers of the game today!

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof