HEY YANKEES, JUST KEEP FIGHTING!

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I had a hunch it would be 2-3 against the Sox.  Not too shabby and really quite a great display by the Yankees in this past series.  Last night they were continuing to fight. Giancarlo Stanton's grand slam happened right at the right time, but you always knew the Sox would come back because that's how it works when we are talking about this amazing rivalry.

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What hurts the most was to see the Sox celebration on the field in the Bronx.  Their way of rubbing it in just as much as it is them celebrating a great season. Look, I cannot stand the Red Sox, but this is baseball, and respect is a major part of it.  When team's play good, at least for me, I tip my cap.  They ran away with the division.  It wasn't close.  That speaks volumes.  I'd love to credit Alex Cora or Aaron Boone for good season's for the Sox and Yanks, but I don't think it's them as much it is about the teams themselves. These organizations were building these teams for a few years now and having these young managers in place is just a way to get them acquainted with the role and allow the GM's to pull strings on many occasions.

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Plus, Boone doesn't have much of a strategy other than the be friends with his team.  The Yankees won a ton of games on their own, not because of Aaron Boone, let's get that straight. It's clear he's the puppet in this scenario. And in the end, it's just that the Sox were better... that's it.

But the Yankees just need to keep fighting.  They have at this point won 93 games.  That's a symbol of a great ball club believe it or not.  AND... not only that, they did it young. Now they just need to keep going.  We still have games to play and it would be ideal to push the A's back a bit in the wild card.

Photo: USA Today

But think about the Yankees and all they accomplished this season.  Aaron Judge out for a while, Jakob Junis has been getting threats every since.  Mainly because Judge was on his way to the MVP.  But no matter, it's a good possibility it could go to Miguel Andujar.

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Luke Voit is literally the Yankees first baseman now.  Greg Bird is pretty much benched. You gotta wonder what they do with Bird after this season, although, truth be told, I don't think Bird is done, I just think Bird had a terrible season full of inconsistency.

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You have a guy like JA Happ who came to the Bronx and became a superstar.  I had doubts, but I ain't a hater either.  I am thrilled for this guy, and dare I say... I want him to be that Wild Card starter.  The dude earned it.

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Severino had a break out year.  Tanaka's arm didn't fall off and he plugged away and CC Sabathia… one of my favorite Yankees ever just keeps going like a Duracell battery.

The point is this team has had plenty of setbacks.  Have I mentioned Gary Sanchez? Yet, we keep fighting no matter what.  93 wins is nothing to spit at... it's gold.  We just need to keep going... keep fight and keep winning. And then... we have to turn it up a notch and win in the playoffs.

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For this team that's been handed a whole lot of issues along the way... I have no doubt they can do it.  Big Picture says so.

Let's go Yanks!

50 & THE INSPIRATIONAL JOURNEY OF AARON JUDGE

"Judge is back, Dad! Big time!"

--My 15 year old

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My son said that on Saturday, a few days before he hit number 50.  The truth is my son's been watching Judge all season.  The hot streaks, the struggles, and some would suggest he's analyzing Aaron Judge and internalizing his own journey in youth baseball. For years it was never easy for him in a "Daddy Baseball" mentality.  But he stayed patient, he never quit working and through it all, he emerged as one of the better hitters in our area, and he was recognized for it, and that makes me kind of proud.  Hard work and determination was a huge part of that. But he also learned disappointment, much failure, being picked on by peers and all of that, but he did learn one truly valuable lesson... "one game at the time."  These days, he feels pretty good, but it took a lot of learning to get there.

Now he watches Aaron Judge and while my son is not a home run hitter at all, he recognizes the pitches coming in to Aaron's wheelhouse and how Judge went from not being able to lay off the outside pitch to waiting on it, recognizing the ball coming out the pitchers hand, and re-adjusting.  Judge did it.  So did my own kid.  And watching my boy totally absorbed in a rookie like Judge makes me very happy.

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Aaron Judge hit 2 yesterday.  Number 49 and 50.  Sports Illustrated has the story:

"Since the calendar turned to September, it's been another story. Judge's home run on September 3 against the Red Sox, his 38th of the year, ended a season-high 15-game drought. He's hit 12 since then, including seven in his last six games, capped by back-to-back two-homer games against the Blue Jays on Sunday and the Royals on Monday. In Monday’s third inning, he tied McGwire's record with a 389-footer to right centerfield off Jakob Junis, and then in the seventh, he broke it via a 408-footer to left center off Trevor Cahill. For the month, he’s now hitting .307/.444/.893 with 13 homers and 26 RBIs."

Photo: Getty Images

What makes all of this sweeter is that the Yankees are playing so well.  But the story of Aaron Judge is one of folklore in a lot of ways. It's almost not believable. His journey has been amazing to watch, and for my son, Aaron Judge has a new fan, big time.  In the end, even if the Yankees don't succeed this season and win it all, Aaron Judge has inspired a fan base, and that my friends brings a big goofy smile to my face.

Congrats to Aaron, you deserve everything positive coming your way, kid.  Thanks for inspiring.


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