Today is Jorge Posada’s 40th birthday, coming in a month of ups and downs for the one of the Key Three members of the New York Yankees.
Posada was crushed when his manager Joe Girardi informed him that he was no longer the regular designated hitter for the Yankees, benching him right before a nationally televised game against the Boston Red Sox. Unlike earlier in the year, Posada swallowed his disappointment and quietly awaited his opportunity. That finally came last Saturday and Posada took advantage of it big time, driving in six runs and proving that he could still contribute to the Yankees. He was rewarded with another start at DH and then a pinch hitting opportunity last night, showing that Girardi means it when he says Posada will still have opportunities to help his team win.
Posada is full of pride and is probably bristling at the idea of spending most of the rest of the season on the bench. But his talk shows that he still believes he has something to offer the game of baseball, even perhaps as a catcher, and he is biding his time until the end of this year, which probably also means the end of his Yankee career. I was hoping that Posada would decide that spending his entire career in pinstripes would be more important than trying to squeeze another year or two out with another team, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Whatever he decides, I hope that Posada can put aside the turbulence of the last two weeks long enough to enjoy his birthday with his friends and family. He has been a great Yankee and deserves some peace, at least for one day.
Happy Birthday, Jorge!
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