MY THERAPUTIC RANT TO GET ME THROUGH MY ROUGH PATCH

There's too much going on in the world.  There's this virus, shootings, an election, my kids are getting older and now looking at colleges, that, dare I say are closing down or opened just for a short amount of time before going virtual. Town businesses are boarding up.  Closed. People who take walks will literally cross the street when they see someone coming the other way, to avoid each other.  Not because they don't like each other, but to not make the other feel uncomfortable.  And since George Floyd's death, the unrest is just sad and disturbing.  I was asked the other day why I thought there was so many shootings and death in New York City over the past few months.  

I merely offered perspective. "When the Mayor gets behind Defunding the Police, you almost have to wonder if the police are trying any more."  He wanted an opinion, I gave it. It doesn't mean I like or dislike anyone more or less. Didn't matter. I was quickly hollered at and I haven't talked to that person in 4 days. He doesn't want to. OK then. 

With ALL of this... baseball isn't even an escape for me lately. A 60 game season with a backstop filled with cardboard fans. It's manufactured... it doesn't seem real. None of it does.

I'm not a political person. Never have been, but dare I say I worry about my fellow man. I try to be courteous, kind. I try to make people smile, bring humor to the day to day, but looking around... it's hard. And when I turn the television on, and the Yankees are playing, as much as I love them... as much as I want them to win, it does not feel right.

And then I wonder; will it ever feel right again? 

Thank god for my BYB writing staff.  

They have a much different perspective when they keep BYB alive. They set themselves aside from the day to day tragedy and unraveling and do the right thing... they print Yankee news. They bring Yankee perspective. Thank God they keep this going.  Right now, I'm struggling. Call it writer's block or call it uninterest. I don't know what it is exactly.  What I do know is I'm a true Yankee fan, that can't seem the shake the funk of sadness.

Looking at the standings in the American League, some of it is just strange. The White Sox in first? The Red Sox in last? The A's? First place in the West? Are you kidding? And trust me, in a short season like this, it will be the norm, because of the shortened season. 

In the NL, the San Diego Padres have a real shot! But would they in a full season? I think not. And so what's my point? It feels so artificial. It feels like we're doing it, just to do it.

But then I think, what's the alternative? Nothing? I think I'd feel worse.

I'll tell you something, there was something quite refreshing about seeing a stud like Deivi Garcia on the mound for the Yankees the other night. What would have made it better was if this poor kid didn't have to debut in such a terribly shortened season.  I would have loved to see this kid really shine.  It's unfair, but I guess this is something he will never forget.  The Yankees received a ton of trade requests for the young man, but Cashman did the right thing. While he dangled him out there for the teams to see, when the requests came in and the return was stale, he didn't pull the trigger. In fact, he kept him.  For me personally, I feel like that will prove valuable next season... if the season is full.

And why in the world is Yankee twitter attacking Gerrit Cole? You all wanted him. You got him... and yes, he may be tipping pitches... but he was tipping pitches before he was on the Yankees. Yankee fans are never happy. Cole's a great pitcher. The best part about Cole is he reinvents himself and readjusts when he needs to.  One player does not a team make. Cole is a valuable piece. He'll be fine. If I had to say anything about Cole it's that everyone needs to calm down.

Look, I'm not an unhappy person, but I did bottle up for the past month.  Maybe that's why I didn't write a lot for BYB. Maybe I was feeling depressed, concerned, worried, who knows. I do know this... this post? It was therapeutic. I will tell you this... I feel better right now. I feel rejuvenated. I am getting out of my funk.

I was worried that my emotion for baseball and the New York Yankees was changing. I was worried a few days ago that I wouldn't have the passion to go on with BYB because I was "out of ideas" or "unhappy".  But at the end of the day... with everything falling around all around me, something significant just happened to me.  I came home. I came home to my seconds family... you... and voiced my thoughts so I can work through my funk.

Life isn't always fair. The country isn't always perfect. But one thing for me is certain.... the Yankees will always be there and so will you.

Thank you for letting me rant.  I will power through it again... I appreciate you all.