FORGET IT. THE YANKEES WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE FALL CLASSIC ANYWAY

Last night I cannot blame on Aaron Boone. Crazy right?

But as a whole, in the bonehead moves he has made, in our 4th place finish last year... in the way he over tinkers, befriends his players, argues balls and strikes in meaningless games, and just plain sucks as a manager because of his inexperience, and now because we have gotten to the World Series and lost it, it only makes sense that we say goodbye to this guy and turn the page on making the Yankee organization leadership brighter and better moving forward. This HAS to be the end of the Boone Era. The experiment didn't work... not even alittle bit! Hal, are you listening?

Look, the Yankees were never supposed to be in the World Series this year.  Let's not fool ourselves. The Yankees have been so inconsistent all season, so the idea of making it to the World Series was a gift.  Did I hope they won this year? Of course, but do I think they actually are the best team in baseball, nope.  I'm a realist, this Yankee team is deeply flawed.

The Yankees made a few minor offseason tweaks even though we all knew they needed better pitching and that was the priority.  We got Juan Soto instead. Now, don't get me wrong, Juan Soto was fantastic, I loved seeing him in pinstripes, but as I said then, we got this guy for one year, what happens if we DON'T win it all?  And here we are... we didn't win it all.  And so, what happens next?

For one, Juan Soto will be a free agent.  That's big.  Seems like we had one opportunity, and it was just now, and yet, we didn't win. And so, if he leaves, do you really think we have what it takes to try and win again? We were lucky to get to the World Series this year WITH Juan Soto. If Juan Soto leaves, you can forget our chances. And that is where you really need to go after our Yankees front office and lightweight manager Aaron Boone.

Leadership in any business is vital, and this guy just doesn't have what it takes to lead this Yankees team.  

It's been a long time since Boone has been in the driver's seat. Here's the problem; he doesn't know how to drive stick.  This isn't a team you just hand over to a JV coach and say, "Here, try and tinker with this." These are the New York Yankees. They are celebrities, personalities and they are wearing the pinstripes and so the stakes are much higher.  While many people didn't like Joe Torre taking over after Buck Showalter in the 90's, the one thing Joe Torre had was experience. He was a long-time player and a manager, and while not a successful manager, he understood the game and surrounded himself with wisdom. In other words, he had a plan.  

I see Aaron Boone as a guy who wants to hang out with the celebrity Yankees, have barbeques, a few drinks, play a pickup basketball game with Cortes and Judge, and just enjoy life as a millionaire. The problem? He's not actually doing his job.  Being in the friend zone with Gerrit Cole doesn't win you a championship.  He doesn't understand the stakes, He doesn't understand much of anything.  

And I'll take it further. Better, smarter and more experienced managers in baseball have been fired for way less than what Boone's mistakes have led this Yankee team over the years.  Buck Showalter is probably one of the most respected baseball minds in the game and the Mets lost a few years ago, and they cut him loose right away.  Billy Martin was back and forth with George Steinbrenner for years, but when he couldn't win, he'd be fired. It was pretty simple.  

The White Sox fired La Russa after the club got off to a 26–38 start in 1986, yet LaRussa is one of only two managers in MLB history to win World Series championships in both the American and National leagues.  What's my point? My point is Boone should have been fired years ago. He's terrible.

Now last night's game you cannot blame on Aaron Boone. The 5th inning for the Yankees was the strangest thing I've ever seen.  You always hear that errors will cost you ballgames, and last night it was evident. It was big. It was horrible.  The Yankee club should be embarrassed. But let me be clear, errors are part of the game, and while no one wants to see the Yankees fold like they did, the bigger issue is our leadership.

Hal Steinbrenner either doesn't have his finger on the pulse or Brian Cashman has fooled him enough to handle this team and tricked big Hal into believing that "close enough" with Aaron Boone is "good enough" and the bottom line is as fans, we are very in tune with what's going on, but as fans we also love to watch our team win it all.  Us fans spend the money, and we root hard only to be heartbroken and then we do it all over again the next year with our shitty manager and a wish and a prayer that we can retain Juan Soto long term.  

None of it makes sense, yet we do it anyway. It's a trap. It's an abusive relationship and we're the ones getting mind fucked every season. And so, my biggest gripe with this team is simple; the management is stale, the hunger only comes when we hit home runs, and the idea of manufacturing runs is a very small part of the Yankees game and that my friends has been going on since the days of Jason Giambi.  We will never break the mold if the manager gives Hal what he "thinks" he wants.  Boone does not think for himself. Boone panders. Boone does what he's told. In essence, Boone isn't running this team as a true manager would.  

I will give Joe Girardi credit for one thing; he was tough as nails when it came to managing this club. He wasn't the best at it, but he also didn't bend over and tried his best to manage the team his way.  Many times, it didn't work, but one time it did and 2009 was glorious.

But 2009 was a long time ago and everyone knows that Aaron Boone's not winning us a championship.  I mean, that lineup never changed in this World Series and there were major problems with our hitting.  I am still baffled by the fact that Boone started Jose Trevino because Austin Wells was slumping just to then pinch-hit Wells for Trevino later in that game anyway.  That's a manager that doesn't trust himself and it's embarrassing.

And so now the season is over.  Last night will I PRAY brings real changes to the New York Yankees manager and coaching staff.  Seeing the Dodgers celebrate at Yankee Stadium was sad, but this is the game.  Someone had to lose and why not us... we don't have leadership anyway.

Finally, I'll leave you with this; Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" is a staple for the Yankees when we win at the Stadium.  Last night the Yankees played that song while the Dodgers were celebrating.  While this was a total mind fuck for many of your fans, I clearly understood why they did it.  There are 2 reasons actually and while it's my opinion, I know I'm right. 

For one, it was a Thank you. It was a Thank you to the Yankees for the fight. It was a Thank You to us fans for sticking around and believing in the pinstripes. It was a "so long" as we head into the winter, not a "Goodbye".  Maybe it's my maturity, maybe I just understand symbolism, but for the love of God for silly fans and this Jomboy hack to make it appear that the Yankees "messed up" for playing that song are just ridiculous.

idc what it costs, Juan Soto needs to be a Yankee for life

You can't let this generational talent and attitude walk out the front doorpic.twitter.com/yd7a7eh1sr

— Mike Salvatore (@MikeSalvatore10) October 31, 2024

I have been a fan of this team since the old Yankee stadium, 1981, Yankees vs. Dodgers Game 1 of the World Series.  Even before that in '78 when I saw Ron Guidry strike out 18 Angels, but definitely in that World Series. The fans were loud, it just made sense to me that the Yankees were my team. And so, yes, I understand symbolism. I understand appreciation. The Yankees organization as a whole may not appear to be about the fans, but even they understood the gut punch last night.  It was a peace offering, a "we're sorry, but thank you". It was supposed to make you feel good about our team. And Secondly, they probably snuck this in too; While Sinatra was a Hoboken kid, he was a Dodgers fan. 

I know, I know, your brain just exploded. Well calm down, it's not that deep. It's symbolism and a gesture all the same. You may not have gotten it, but it was actually nice and guys like Jomboy make it about them and it's not. 

And so now we crawl into our caves and wait.  Hopefully Boone gets canned, it just makes sense at this point.  Hopefully the Yankees can figure out a way to retain Juan Soto while getting another top starting pitcher.  Hopefully we will see the fall classic next year and we win with a new manager and new hunger and an Aaron Judge who just tees off every at bat.

To our Bleeding Yankee Blue audience.  You are loyal, you are wonderful, and we thank you for your support and love. Many of you have been reading BYB since we started in September 2010. That is a long time, and we love you very much.  To the newbies, yeah, we complain about our Yankees a lot here, but we also celebrate them. Thank you for finding us and we hope you enjoy the ride.

Congrats to the Yankees for making it this far. You weren't supposed to be here, but you did prove many of us wrong and I respect the hell out of that.  I always will.

Go Yanks.

See you all in the offseason. We will not stop writing and will bring you as much news, info and humor as we can.  Thanks for reading Bleeding Yankee Blue.

-- Robert Casey
Chief & Head writer of Bleeding Yankee Blue
Twitter: @BleednYankeeBlu

BOONE DISRESPECTS YANKEE PROGRESS WITH ONE HORRENDOUS DECISION

It was an obvious choice for every Yankee fan watching that game last night. In fact, I was proud of the YES network guys who were clearly chomping at the bit to say something about the horrendous Boone decision to bring Nestor Cortes into the game to pitch to arguably one of the best hitters in the game in Freddie Freeman with the bases loaded.  I have said this many times on Bleeding Yankee Blue and I have said it all season; when it truly comes time to strategizing matchups in tough spots for the New York Yankees, Aaron Boone cannot and is not capable to make a good decision. Last night, in the World Series, Boone decided to give Cortes a rehab shot when it was the worst possible time to do it, and it didn't go well for the Yankees. In fact, it exposed him for what he is; 

Rattled.

Inexperienced.

Not Qualified.

Weak.

I applaud Jack Curry, John Flaherty, Bob Lorenz and Michael Kay. They did everything they could without crossing the line to blast Aaron Boone on the worst decision of his managing career.  They were baffled and confused.  They even asked Joe Girardi and he took a shot at Boone suggesting Hill was sitting right there, experience in the post season, weird delivery, lefty and Boone went with Cortes, who is really no longer qualified for that kind of pressure.

I don't know who Andy was in the press room, but he was the guy that I want to shake hands with. Boone was asked why he went with Cortes. He said he liked the "lefty-lefty" match up.   But Andy, much like me was baffled by that answer and he pressed him.  Of course, Boone thought he'd be safe in that press room, but he wasn't and also didn't have an answer. In fact, Boone couldn't answer at all. Why? Well, because he didn't have a strategy... he was exposed for making a horrendous decision.

Aaron Boone disrespected the Yankees progress last night.  Gerrit Cole pitched a good game.  Boone took him out "because he was laboring".  Note to the millions of people watching. Cole was NOT laboring, in fact, he was humming.  Aaron Boone went to the bullpen too soon.  Boone strategized the bullpen like it was Game 7 when anyone can tell you his pick of qualified pitching after Cole was plentiful.  

And so, what he did for the Yankees was back them into a corner with using his bullpen too early, essentially erasing his closer and then made every attempt to try and piece it together.  And what do you do to reward a solid Tim Hill in the World Series? You pass him up for a rehab inning guy who hasn't pitched since September, and dare I say, looked terrified and equally confused that he was even on the mound.

Giancarlo Stanton puts the Yankees ahead.  Erased cause Boone overthinks and is not qualified. The Yankees take a 3-2 lead... erased because the bullpen was used up the wrong way.   He undid everything in that game to not only prove to the Yankee fan base that the World Series is not important to him.  He acted like it was April 15th or something.  The lack of skill, urgency and confidence in Aaron Boone is the exact reason why I have been banging the drum of dread when it comes to the New York Yankees manager. It's the wrong guy, plain and simple.  Aaron Boone has no business managing this ballclub. I mean let's face it, the wins we got were wins Judge, Soto and company got.  You don't need to manage hard in a long season when your two top hitters are hitting.  

I'll say this again. When things get hard, when there are men on base, a struggling pitcher, a team that needs runs, and the need for a manager to TRULY manage a team, this is when Aaron Boone does not understand his job.  That's why guys like Bruce Bochy are successful. Longevity. This is why Tony LaRussa was. Longevity. This is why Joe Torre was. Longevity. Oh yeah... and they are also part of baseball royalty.  They are respected, have a track record and understand the game and finding it on their own.   Boone will never compare to them and never will be successful.  He was handed the job IMO because of his baseball pedigree, the Yankee front office new they were getting a puppet with this guy and his real only claim to fame is hitting a home run to advance to the World Series against the Boston Red Sox with NOW MEANS NOTHING because we never won that World Series and that jack ass injured himself in that same offseason because he was playing a pick-up basketball game.  What's my point? The dude's soft and inexperienced. I don't know how many times I need to say it.  And last night he did the New York Yankees a disservice.  He proved that he doesn't know how to do his job. 

The players are doing their best to not talk trash in public about Aaron Boone, but trust me, every one of them know that he blew that game last night.  

The Los Angeles Dodgers are really, really good.  This wasn't an exhibition.  Boone didn't know where he was last night and I have news for you, I hope to God that Hal got on the phone with this dude and ripped him to shreds.  THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR LAST NIGHT'S LOSS. It's not like Cortes was the only one available.  It's pretty unreal.

So now the Yankees are in the hole and have to dig out, not by anything they did.  The best we can do in LA right now is get a split.  But what if they don't? Look, the Yankees can do it, but it has to come down to them. I have no faith that Aaron Boone will lead us.  Neither should you.

Say a prayer, cause this World Series just got more complicated and difficult because the guy driving doesn't know how. 

It shouldn't be this way. Us Yankee fans do not deserve this. #FireBoone. Go Yanks.

GOING OFF ON THE NEW YORK YANKEES

Or as I said the other night on Twitter... the Zombies.

They're a loser.

Fans are pissed... even now.  I mean what an embarassment that this team couldn't get it done.  But look, this is what happens when teams are streaky. You never know what you're gonna get.  Now look, I blame Boone. Not just for the Wild Card game, but for the entire season.  I mean, being honest here, the players have to be responsible for a one game loss like that, it's embarassing, but I have always said and I will always believe that if you don't have the right leader leading the ship to victory, you ain't gonna win anything. 

Joe Girardi was a pretty damn good manager, but even he was let go because he couldn't win in the playoffs. It comes down the leaders. 

We've seen Michael Kay launching on this team and on guys like Joey Gallo for weeks.  I'm thrilled he did because it needed to be said.

Gallo was the wrong guy to pick up and now it looks like we have control for him for next year. OMG. Sure, defense is solid with Joey, but that's about it. He was exposed in New York. You gotta wonder what will happen to this guy.  The city is too big for this guy and will literally eat him alive. And it showed... he was cracked.

Suzyn Waldman went off the other night.  Audio here, but here is what she said:

"If what they think they're doing offensively is the right thing, then they either have the wrong players or they aren't paying attention.  We can go through this pitching staff, who did what and who didn't do what. The thing that happened this year Sweeny to me, is they did not hit. And we saw this at the beginning of the year, they were supposed to pummel everybody... "

"Did you not see how good this offense was when they didn't have big people in there? When Giocarlo Stanton is at his best, he can't be pitched to, but that is not all the time. I'm not saying you have to lay down a bunt, I'm really not, but there's gonna be other things that you can do. Look at the Red Sox. Look at Tampa Bay, they hit. They have scored more runs than anybody, so they're not just sitting there and playing small ball, but when they need it, when they get men on and they get them in. And there were stakes tonight, why in the world would anyone send their runner, just from third base? You play at this level, you're gonna make mistakes you're gonna lose."

"How long do you do this with Gary Sanchez? How many years do you do this? They keep bringing in people, and look, we love Gary Sanchez, he's trying, they change his catching every single year, they bring in a new person. How many catching instructors? And if they're gonna go with the way they're doing, that alot of veteran catchers won't do, this together, knees down cause you can't move, alot of veteran catchers do not do it. If theyre gonna keep changing him. I mean maybe, and it's too late now, I thought they were gonna have a great offensive catcher. If he isn't Johnny Bench who cares if he hits 40 home runs. We've seen that before and it works. But if they're gonna do the same kind of offense, who knows what they're gonna do. I dont know how along with the same thing, banging your head against the wall."

I mean Suzyn came off hot and she should. Someone within that Yankee group, announcer or management needs to be HONEST. The team is trash with the exception of a few guys.  But this is a perfect example of failing up.  Guys in high back office positions that are more fascinated with a big name than actually winning are in charge.  We need a change and we need it fast.

Even CC Sabathia was going off.

Larry Brown Sports writes:

"He questioned how the Yankees could lose to Boston in 2018 and 2021 with the same core, while the two Red Sox teams were radically different and overhauled.

“Our core lost to a team in ’18 that’s not even the same Red Sox … Mookie (Betts), Jackie Bradley, (Andrew) Benintendi … they traded all them,” Sabathia said, via Chris Bengel of CBS Sports. “We still have the same core. We come back to Boston four years later and lost to a completely different core … What the f— are we doing wrong?”

The bottom line is enough is enough. The Yankees are a winning franchise, but it's clear that while many of the players must go, we must find and weed out the weak thinkers in the front office and managerial role.  I gotta be honest, I don't know if I can fault a guy like Brian Cashman here.  He has put a decent team on the field with a few big duds, but no one really thought those duds would be as bad as they have been.  On paper, this team has what it takes, but that's on paper.

Someone with balls needs to make swift changes. If that means Hal fires Aaron Boone, PLEASE DO IT. If you look at this coaching staff and really thinks they are a winning combination, here's a crack pipe... smoke deep.  Phil Nevin is the most experienced coach we have on the Yankees coaching staff... AND EVEN HE BLEW IT THE OTHER NIGHT SENDING AARON JUDGE HOME. You need to clean house... you need experience.  Perfect example? 

Look at Tony LaRussa.  I know... people think he's abrasive, he's crazy. Guess what... he's also experienced.  The White Sox are in the playoffs.  Look at Dusty Baker... experience? Yea. Are the Astros in the playoffs? Yup.  Alex Cora is a piece of garbage, a total clown, but he does have a decent baseball mind, much better than Aaron Boone.  Playoffs? Yup. Dave Roberts. Kevin Cash. I mean... HEY YANKEES, ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?

Boone doesn't have what it takes to be a leader, but let's go deeper.  Yankee brass needs to start vetting their front office folks.  Give a long hard look. This isn't about collecting players for photo ops. This is the MLB. We are watching teams pass us by and we are the laughing stock of the league.

I have news for you... if Boone and this coaching staff isn't fired this off season, I will for the rest of my time start watching these games on TV. I will not pay a dime to go to that ballpark.  Not worth it for me... not until they ditch this coaching staff with Boone out the door first.

Inexperience has been exposed. You're losing fans in droves, Hal. You're even losing your loyal broadcasters around you too!  You need to fix it.

PUT BOONE BACK IN THE BOOTH AND BUCK SHOWALTER IN THE DUGOUT!

We've already said this but this Aaron Boone experiment just hasn't worked. I don't think this failing Yankees team is all Boone's fault because he didn't create the roster debacle we have but good managers can overcome challenges and still find ways to win. Then we have Boone and he has already

proven that he can't. He's too soft.

That's why when Boone's contract expires at the end of the season it is time to move on. This is his fourth year managing and the last time a Yankee's manager continued to manage a fifth year without winning a championship was back in 1922. The odds of Boone escaping that stat are slim to none, 

honestly. Yes, I am still taking into account that this 2021, but the Yankees are all about analytics now right? You can't ignore those stats and the Yankees can't either.

I don't buy into all of these new age baseball ideas like analytics. Some of it is useful, but not everything. It's time to switch things up a bit and I really think someone of old school thought can still bring some new life into this organization. we desperately need it and there's one fan favorite manager that may be able to do it.

I don't think it is a bad idea to give Buck Showalter another shot. He's had a good long look at the Yankees this season with his work as a YES Network analyst so he has seen their weaknesses and he has a track record of revamping underperforming teams quickly. He has come in as teams start rebuilding and left teams in true contention mode. The Yankees need a serious rebuild, and Showalter can help get the job done if the Yankees will accept old-school history that has worked and their new way of thinking hasn't.

The Yankees are so stuck on this heavy analytic based strategy that hasn't worked well. Hiring younger and inexperienced skipper and pitching coach has not helped the Yankees win and old-school thinking still works. Look at how well the White Sox have done under Tony La Russa. Drama aside, they are 

in first place now and earlier in the winter were not favored to be a contender in their division.

The idea of Buck Showalter as a manager for the Yankees goes against the Yankees new ideology, but his track record speaks for itself. He has what it takes to transform this organization going forward. He's not soft, and we've watched soft all season now. Boone is soft, and Showalter is not. Put Boone back in the booth and leave the skipper duties, to Buck!

  --Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

     BYB Managing Editor

    Twitter: @nyprincessj

MANAGER MOVES COME QUICK

It's day one of the off season, and there are just a few updates I gotta tell you about involving manager and coach personnel.  No... Joe Girardi did not get fired. Many believe he should be, but to be honest, he shouldn't be... but that's another post for another time.

The Rockies manager Walt Weiss:  First off, if you aren't familiar with Walt, he's the manager of the Rockies and he's been there for 4 years. Well, Weiss stepped down as manager.  ESPN writes:

"Walt Weiss made his way around Coors Field on Sunday to say so long to the Colorado Rockies fans for the season.

Turns out, his farewell was for good, too.

Weiss is out as Rockies manager after four seasons in charge. In a statement Monday, the team said Weiss has decided to step down."

The Diamondbacks Dave Stewart, Tony LaRussa and manager Chip Hale: Stewart was the GM for the Diamondbacks... Hale was the manager.  Well, both were fired.  According to AZCentral.com:

"The Diamondbacks, fresh off perhaps the most disappointing season in club history, cleaned house on Monday, firing General Manager Dave Stewart and manager Chip Hale and seemingly doing the same with Tony La Russa...

 (In Photo: Dave Stewart)

La Russa, a Hall of Fame manager, had never worked in a front office before the Diamondbacks put him atop their baseball operations department in May 2014. Four months later, the club hired Stewart, who hadn’t worked as an executive for 13 years."

The Marlins coach Barry Bonds: Bonds is gone.

USA Today writes: " Barry Bonds will be fired after just one season as Miami Marlins hitting coach..."

A few big names, a few teams looking to change gears.  You gotta love that.  It's the baseball off season... and it's here for crying out loud!

A GIANT WIN FOR US ALL!

The 2014 MLB season is officially in the books. Hats off to the World Champion San Francisco Giants on winning their 3rd title in the last 5 years. Are they a dynasty? I would say they are pretty darn close. Look, as Yankee fans we equate dynasties to the Pinstriped run of the late 1990’s and 2000s. Could the Giants hang with those clubs? I don’t see it, but I’m admittedly biased. The 1998 club for example…no, sorry Buster, you and your buddies up in the Bay can’t touch that crew of Bronx Bombers.

The bottom line is that the Giants play great team baseball. They get timely hits. They play smart on the base path and the can pitch…Bumgarner was OUTSTANDING! That guy was hands down the MVP. The entire Giants team earned that title and did it the right way…they worked for it.

I’d also like to tip my cap to the Kansas City Royals. They are a great group of young players and will be back in my opinion. As long as they continue to make smart moves and keep their homegrown guys in Royal Blue. They are a fun club to watch (when not playing the Yanks of course). It was a great World Series.

The question is what do the rest of us who don’t root for the Giants get out of this? In the Bronx we got to send off our beloved Captain. It would have been great to see him take his final bow in the Fall Classic, but all the same it was a nice swan song for Derek Jeter. Hey, only one team can win it all so the rest of us have to look for something good to take away from the disappointment of not getting that ring. Chin up Baseball Fans around the country! YOU! UP IN BAHSTIN! Crack a smile, kid! Hey dere pail on duh Nort side! Open an Old Style and celebrate! Yo brah! Dude, cheer up out there in LA, dawg! We all have something to feel stoked about! Don’t be so down in the mouth, partner! Even down south you can still feel good I reckon! Why? BECAUSE BUD SELIG IS OUTTA HERE!

That’s right the warlock that stood watch over the game has finally left the building. I have made no secret that I have never thought much of the former (feels great to type that) commissioner. He ran the game like a corrupt administration. If there was a scandal they covered it up like no other. If they didn’t like a player they’d scapegoat him while championing another who paid homage to the crown of King Bud. I’d rehash the steroid era, but we ALL know that story. When it was profitable for him Selig didn’t know anything about it, and when it made him look bad he “cleaned up” the game. I had just about enough of Bud 5 years ago, but like the ego maniacal clown he is, Bud stuck around…WAY PAST HIS WELCOME!

Now will Rob Manfred, the man that will succeed “BUD The Not So GREAT”, be a much better commissioner? I don’t have that answer. I will give him a chance, but I think he served in the Selig Regime long enough to epitomize the Who’s classic lyric, “MEET THE NEW BOSS! SAME AS THE OLD BOSS!” I guess time will tell.

If nothing else we won’t have to listen to Bud and his self-righteous nonsense any longer. We won’t have to stomach the likes of Joe Buck paying tribute to the man who always put himself before the game. I feel that like the Hall of Fame vote, players and former managers should hold the reigns on the American Pastime. There should be a select committee that decides who goes to Cooperstown and who does not. The Sport writers can get bent. They should have ZERO say in that process in my opinion. And when it come to the big office at MLB headquarters in New York…well, I think a Joe Torre, Tony LaRussa or maybe even a Derek Sanderson Jeter should occupy that position.

Take care, Bud. We won’t see you in 2015 and that is something we can all look forward to!

** Nobody says it better than the late, great Ray Charles! **




 
 --Mike O'Hara
Senior "Features" Writer
Twitter: @mikeyoh21



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FINDING WAYS TO KEEP WINNING

When a marathon runner trains for a race in the fall, the training starts at the beginning of the summer and on through the middle of the fall.  Marathon runners run through heat, humidity, wind and rain. They run in all terrains- trails, sand, asphalt, boards and treadmills.  They run because they find a way to keep going.

Last week I had the opportunity to hear psychologist and University of Pennsylvania Professor Dr. Angela Duckworth speak to educators at a convention in Washington D.C.  Her talk and research centers on grit and self control and how the two predict success in life.

"Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it's a marathon, not a sprint," stated Duckworth in a recent Ted Talk.

As I listened to Duckworth speak, I reflected on the days previous- the days I spent with Derek Jeter. After the shock and awe of his dramatic retirement, it came down to one thing: "how will the Yankees find ways to keep winning after Jeter?"  

The St. Louis Cardinals certainly found a way to win against the possible Cy Young Award and MVP winning pitcher, Clayton Kershaw.  According to Alexis Garcia, in her piece earlier this week CARDINALS BEAT MATTINGLY & THE DODGERS,  "Credit is also due to the Cardinals who just find a way to win. This is their fourth trip in four years to the NLDS and is manager Mike Matheny’s third NLDS appearance in a row since taking over for Tony LaRussa in 2012."  

I feel like this was our team in the late '90s and early 2000s under the then rookie Derek Jeter.  Some how we lost that luster, or perhaps grit.  Or maybe it's the chemistry of the now New York Yankee team who just doesn't have grit in the majority of players.  I will tell you who appears to have grit.  Brett Gardner, Chase Headley, Ichiro Suzuki, Dellin Betances and David Phelps all have grit, but for the rest of them, not so much.  So what does that mean?  Well in the words of Duckworth, it means that "we need to be gritty about getting our kids grittier."  Or we need to be gritty about getting our players grittier.  And that means, grit needs to outweigh lackluster on our 2015 team.  

I am not pleased that Brian Cashman was signed to three more years as General Manager, but I am happy that Kevin Long is gone and I am hopeful that Larry Rothchild is on his way out the door too. See if our management doesn't have perseverance and grit how can we expect our players to have it?  "Grit equips individuals to pursue especially challenging aims over years and even decades," states Duckworth.  I could not agree more.  I don't see that kind of mindset in management.

And when it comes to teams winning, they have to have the gritty make up of players to do the job, year after year.  Look at the teams that have been kicking around in the win column over the last several years, who just find a way to win.  Teams like the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers certainly have grit. Up and coming teams like the Kansas City Royals and the Baltimore Orioles have grit.  In particular, I would like to highlight the Royals who have shown me so much in the way of determination and hard work.  To come this far from facing elimination at the end of the season, to winning the Wild Card game and then putting the Los Angeles Angels in their place, I have to say, "Wow!"  Their outfield is stellar and the energy just exudes winning.  

So how can the Yankees find a way to win again and be consistent like they were in the early Jeter years?  It's team make up, it's team mindset and it's grit.  So when our GM goes shopping this year, I hope grit is on the top of his list, so we can win again.

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @suzieprof


 




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CARDINALS BEAT MATTINGLY & THE DODGERS!

For Clayton Kershaw, it was deja vu all over again.

The Dodgers ace had another costly seventh inning and allowed three runs as the St. Louis Cardinals came from behind to win 3-2 and advance to the NLCS.

It all started just as it did in Game 1—Matt Holliday led off the inning with a single, followed by another base hit from Jhonny Peralta. Then first baseman Matt Adams came to the plate and drilled a hanging curveball over the right field fence for a three-run homer.


Kershaw—who is contender for both the Cy Young and MVP awards—had a forgettable postseason. He had an ERA over 6 against the Cardinals and could not make it out of the seventh inning in both starts.

But Kershaw’s under performance was not the reason why the $290 million Dodgers payroll failed to advance yet again in the postseason. All year long, the team has struggled with RISP and the bullpen has been garbage—at BEST. Add that in with Mattingly’s constant tinkering with the lineup and you have an underachieving lot. You may be able to get away with these deficiencies in the regular season, but they show up big time in the postseason. And that’s what did the Dodgers in.

Mattingly’s decision to bench Yasiel Puig in favor of Andre Ethier didn’t seem to factor in the game. Puig had eight strikeouts in 12 plate appearances against the Cardinals. And while Ethier was picked off at third in the sixth, let’s not forget the Puig made the most outs on the bases (not counting steals) than anyone in the Major Leagues this year. 

Credit is also due to the Cardinals who just find a way to win. This is their fourth trip in four years to the NLDS and is manager Mike Matheny’s third NLDS appearance in a row since taking over for Tony LaRussa in 2012.

--Alexis Garcia, BYB's "Eye on MLB" Columnist
Twitter:  @heylexyg



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