Posada goes out with class, guts and tears

If last night was Jorge Posada's final game as a member of the New York Yankees, he went out the right way: with class, guts and tears.

Posada showed a lot of class, refusing to blame anyone in particular for the Yankees’ too-quick exit from the playoffs, even though he was surrounded by plenty of culprits. In refusing to cast blame and playing his heart out, Posada more than redeemed himself for the weak moment earlier this year when he pulled himself out of a game against the Boston Red Sox.

Posada played with guts, defying all those who believed he was done after a tough 2011 regular season campaign to hit .429 in the American League Division Series and reach base more than half the time he came to the plate. He tried to put the entire Yankees offense on his shoulders and carry his teammates across the finish line.

But it broke my heart to see Posada unsuccessfully fighting back the tears as he was asked about the possibility of playing his last game in pinstripes. He couldn’t even answer the question, instead talking about how devastating and raw the loss was. But it was obvious that Posada was completely crushed by this defeat, possibly the last moment of a great Yankees career, even though he did everything in his power to prevent it.

Posada showed the baseball world that he still has something left. He is probably too proud to call it quits after this tough season. But I can’t help but wish he would follow in the footsteps of Don Mattingly and retire, never having worn another big-league baseball uniform and cementing his legacy as a core member of multiple World Series championship teams and a truly great Yankee.