IT'S TIME TO NAME A NEW CAPTAIN

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Fans are terrific.  They give us kudos for saying what they are thinking, they give us new material for our posts, they yell at us from time to time and often, they agree with us.  This time, I want to say that this piece falls in line with "they give us kudos for saying what they are thinking."  One of our biggest fans is @dougstro and he agrees with what many other fans are saying either via social media or via conversations with me directly.  It's Time to Name a New Captain for the Yankees and that captain should be Brett Gardner.  

Derek Jeter's departure from the Yankees in 2014 left more than a void at short stop or with fans across America; it left a void at the helm and it is time to fill that void with someone who has been taking on the role unofficially for sometime.  Brett Gardner brings all the characteristics and skills that define "best practices" for leadership across multiple occupations globally.

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"Great leaders create a vision of the future that is vivid and compelling, and that motivates employees to want to achieve it," as reported in Inc. Top 10 Skills Every Great Leader Needs to Succeed.  Gardner continually does this along with the other skills, which include being able to effectively communicate, display high integrity and provide technical expertise and drive to get things done. And we have seen these skills live and in action particularly over the last few games with Gardy's walk-off home run followed by his walk off base hit last night, leading the Yankees to victory and a climb in the AL Standings.

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He leads by not giving up and inspiring others to follow suit.  You see this in his presence, and you feel this in the way he plays the game, with passion and professionalism.  "He's the heart and soul," said Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia. "He's the jokester, he gets everybody going. He's a big part of this team and he has been for a long time. It's great to see him having a good year," reported MLB.com after Gardner's first walk off of the week.

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Time passes and teams' needs change.  It's now the time to name a new captain, and hands down it's got to be Brett Gardner.  He is a leader, driver and role model for this team.  And naming him captain may just be the final competitive edge the Yankees need to lead them into the post season.

--Suzie Pinstripe

BYB Managing Editor
Follow me on Twitter: @suzieprof