I’m a Yankee fan.
When the Yankees lose, I wake up pissed. My day goes on with me
wondering what could have been done differently in that game the night before.
Of course, I’m Monday morning quarterbacking…it’s
easier that way.
Sure, I can yell at the television during the
game, but it makes no difference…no one’s listening.
What am I yelling at? Well, in case you live
under a rock, the Yanks are losing quite a bit lately.
And sure, a win here and a loss there isn’t
as bad, but losing 9 of 13 stinks on ice.
The problem?
No flow…and my
theory, as crazy as it sounds may have everything to do with the changing of
the guard…the Core Four is gone.
Now, no one’s blaming the Core Four, especially me, but when
the team is missing the key members of the Yankee staff, Jorge Posada hanging
it up last season, and
Andy Pettitte and
Mariano Rivera both hurt, you need to
think about it for a second,
Derek Jeter’s the sole “Four” member.
It’s crazy to me.
Now, don’t jump down my throat. Let me walk you through my
theory, after all, it’s my blog. Here it goes…The Four were leaders, they were
a unit.
Whomever coined the phrase “Core
Four” was a
genius because it stuck
and now every time we think about those other championships, the “Core Four” is mentioned fondly.
But now, in this 3 for 13 funk we're in, someone needs to step up, and the “Core One” of Derek Jeter
can lead this team through anything, but even HE needs help.
Enter
Curtis Granderson,
Robinson Cano and
Mark Teixeira.
Look, back when we were all alittle younger and the Yankees
were thriving, if we hit a rough patch, we had something a lot of teams didn’t
have…a Godfather of the clubhouse, Jorge Posada.
Jorge Posada didn’t say much but was a fierce competitor and when he needed to speak to the team, he did.
When he said things needed to change, players
were eager to please and usually the team turned it around.
Posada believed so much in his team and
expected results like he were in charge.
Andy Pettitte was the stopper in any losing streak and he’d usually come
in and score a “W” after a 2-game losing streak when it was his turn in the
rotation. He wanted the ball and stopped the bleeding and got us back into any
series.
And then there was Mariano, the
superstar that is praised by all of Major League baseball, yet, he just knows
he needs to get the save, because a save translates into a win for his starter.
That’s all he knows and it works.
There is no Core Four anymore and while new players like
Ichiro Suzuki have come in, it’s not enough to just throw them into the lineup
and try to “go”! We need a pep talk, we need a motivation, we need Jorge Posada
and the Cour Four, because one thing we could never say about the Core Four is
that they were quitters…they never were.
One of my readers, Carol Rubin, God Bless her, said it
best.
"The Yankees look like lost
puppies."
Think about that for a
moment.
That’s not a shot, that’s a
reality.
The Yankees don’t have the
fire, they look lost during this 3 for 13 rut.
Combine that with
that icky problem of runners in scoring position, something the Yankees just
can’t seem to conquer and trust me, it doesn’t matter how many good pitchers
you have on a team, if you just hit home runs when they don’t count and don’t
play situational hitting, you will never be a World Championship team. Don’t
believe me?
This about
Jose Vizciano in
Game 1 of the 2000 World Series, read
HERE.
Think
about
Johnny Damon in the 2009 World Series being heads up on the basepaths, read
HERE.
Think about
Jerry Hairston Jr. scoring the winning run in Game 2 of the 2009 World Series, read
HERE.
Think
about Jorge Posada’s game tying double against the Sox in 2003 (
HERE).
Think about key
steals and key hits that scored those runs quickly allowing our team to tack on
runs, stay in the game and win it.
Now
think about us now…nothing.
Long balls are beautiful to watch at Yankee Stadium. Lord
knows there was nothing more special than the laser show guys like
Scott Brosius,
Derek Jeter,
Tino Martinez and yes Jorge Posada put on for us over the years…
but there was one key difference, they did it when it counted…there were men on
base.
Bottom line, no one likes a homer
if you only score yourself.
The Yankees need to now re-group and while I’m not fan of
replacing history, like the Core Four, let’s just say we need leaders in this
Yankee lineup to sit the kids down and say, “This is how we do it here, speed,
situational hitting and fun.” Trust me, if the Yankees keep doing that, they
will win, as long as their starters keep us in the game. Again, Robinson Cano,
Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira... lead the team, not just by hitting, but my teaching.
Look, it’s August, the Yankees are in first place.
Am I complaining? No, but I want action as a
fan of my New York Yankees.
Something
stuck with me earlier in the week, and believe me, I have nothing nice to say
about Bobby Valentine, but it’s definitely a motivator and should be thought of as
such and it should be in the back of every Yankee and Yankee fan’s mind.
When asked if he thought he Yankees would
make the playoffs, Valentine said
"Maybe they won't get in it...Crazy things happen in this game." (Read
HERE)
Sure, Bobby V is a clown, but the Yankees should put that quote up
in the Yankee clubhouse on a big banner with Bobby’s name attached to it. If
that’s not a motivator, I’m not sure what else is.
Sure, I miss seeing Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Jorge
Posada playing hard with Jeet and winning every night, but those days are gone,
it’s obvious. We need new leaders, we need new motivators because trust me, if
Poe was in that clubhouse right now…he wouldn’t stand for any of this…and that’s
why we loved him and the rest of the Core, they never quit…that’s my take anyway.
