Bleeding Yankee Blue: IT'S NOT A SPRINT; IT'S A MARATHON

Sunday, November 1, 2020

IT'S NOT A SPRINT; IT'S A MARATHON

It is Sunday, November 1, 2020. For those of us in the running community or from the New York City Tristate, it is the first Sunday in November which equates to "Marathon Sunday." Normally, myself and 60,000 runners, more than two million spectators from the across the globe would be embarking on a 26.2 journey from my hometown of Staten Island across all five boroughs of New York City. But much like the rest of 2020, this year it is different. We certainly know that the baseball season was different as well. And if we can learn anything from marathon running, it takes time to build a great team, it takes time to train, it takes time to learn and it takes time to overcome difficulties. This year has been anything but simple and we have a long way to go. Keep the mantra, "it's not a sprint; it's a marathon," and we will all be okay.

I think the New York Post put it best in this passage from their article on Saturday afternoon,

"The fans, who love to spend Hal Steinbrenner’s money, are unanimous about the Yankees’ most complete player not leaving via free agency. Manager Aaron Boone and the players certainly want (DJ) LeMahieu back, and he has indicated he would like to stay. So, it’s is a slam dunk, right? Nothing falls into that bin these days due to the COVID-19 pandemic — except that the Yankees will make the $18.9 million qualifying offer to LeMahieu, who led the big leagues with a .364 average."

Source: Yahoo Sports

See signing LeMahieu will be part of a bigger plan. Off loading guys like Gary Sanchez, building a pitching staff around Gerrit Cole, getting more consistency in the bull pen and seeing what you can get from other high performing players for 2020, like Luke Voit are also part of the larger plan.

"Without adding a starter or two, the Yankees would be asking too much of Deivi Garcia, Clarke Schmidt and Mike King, their in-house options for the rotation. And no one knows where Domingo German, recently reinstated by MLB after a long domestic violence suspension, fits," reported the Post.

With the Winter Meetings just about a month a way, things will soon starting heating up. But just like ticking off mile after mile in the race, you have to set a training plan to run a marathon successfully and frankly that takes time. Let's hope the Yankees "are quick but don't hurry," to coin a great coach, and leader John Wooden. "This phrase applies not just to sports, but to every phase of your life. It applies to our expectations of anything we hope to accomplish and how quickly we can expect to get there," according to Success Magazine. I am hopeful we cross the finish line to Spring Training 2021 with a stronger team but that the Yankees are precise in their decisions to get there.