Random Yankees thoughts: spring training edition

There can be only one Evil Empire.

I know the nickname was meant to insult the New York Yankees, but I have always loved it and many Yankee fans and the organization itself have embraced it. Now, even the law recognizes that the Yankees are in fact the Evil Empire and are entitled to legal protection for the nickname. I guess we should thank Boston Red Sox President Larry Lucchino for pinning the moniker on the Yankees (and for the profits that came with it).

·         I love Lady Gaga’s music although I’m not always crazy about her antics. Still, I was looking forward to going to her concert at the Barclays Center (my first time checking out the new arena) with my sister. Unfortunately, Gaga’s hip injury and subsequent surgery put the kibosh on those plans. Never to fear because Alex Rodriguez is on the case. The Yankees third baseman reportedly spoke to Gaga (an archenemy of ARod’s supposed one-time paramour Madonna) to reassure her about the procedure. I’m hoping Gaga makes a quick recovery and can resume her tour in 2013. But the best things come to those who wait. I attended a U2 concert almost exactly a year after it was first scheduled due to Bono’s back injury and it was definitely worth the wait.  

·         So a Core Four reunion is not in the cards. Jorge Posada has vowed that he will not pull an Andy Pettitte and un-retire after a year away from baseball. Not even the pull of another spring training with his best pal Derek Jeter could lure him away from the happy home life he is enjoying. If Posada was still capable of playing at his level, he would have a real shot at his old job with the Yankees, who will likely be desperate for offense and don’t really have a #1 catcher now that Russell Martin has joined AJ Burnett in Pittsburgh.   

 ·         I’m generally in favor of the planned switch of outfield positions for Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner as Gardy has more speed and is clearly the better fielder. I do worry that Granderson, in having to learn how to play a notoriously difficult left field at Yankee Stadium, will let any defensive challenges affect him at the plate, where he will be counted on to produce for the often offensively challenged Yankees. However, Mike Cameron raised a potential safety issue in making the switch, with Granderson having to relinquish his take-charge mentality in the outfield to avoid a collision similar to the one Cameron experienced with New York Mets teammate Carlos Beltran. I distinctly remember that terrifying accident and pray nothing even remotely close to it happens to Granderson and Gardner.  

Hughes takes first step in reclaiming his job

Phil Hughes is fighting to reclaim his job in the New York Yankees starting rotation and he took an important first step yesterday.

The line from his first outing of the spring wasn’t that impressive, but those numbers hardly matter to Joe Girardi and the Yankees. What matters most is the right-hander’s velocity. From that perspective, his outing was a success as Hughes reached as high as 93mph on the radar gun, a number he didn’t reach all last spring in a foreshadowing of his troubles.

But I don’t like the fact that Girardi is openly criticizing Hughes for being overweight last year. Going back to the George Steinbrenner days, I’ve hated the Yankees approach of publicly humiliating their players into submission. I always feel like the Yankees win the battle, but lose the war as the embarrassment breeds long-term resentment by the players that comes back to bite the team in the end. Derek Jeter’s refusal to publicly condemn Jorge Posada when he pulled himself out of a game last year, much to the Yankees’ chagrin, comes to mind. Hughes probably isn’t happy with the public rebuke (he even mentioned that none of the Yankees hierarchy said anything to him last year), but perhaps he can use the comments as motivation.  

But overall, I think the Yankees do want Hughes to pitch well and reclaim his starting job. Hughes is still young and has a lot more upside potential than Garcia, who has been a solid starter for the Yankees (and in all honesty a bit of a savior last year), but is a decade older than Hughes and probably does not have very many years left in his arm. In contrast, if Hughes can get himself back on track, the Yankees can once again breathe a sigh of relief that they will have a young, homegrown starter in their midst for many years to come. 

Will Mariano Rivera really say goodbye?

Will Mariano Rivera really call it quits after the 2012 baseball season is over?

It’s hard to imagine anyone walking away still at the top of their game, as Mo clearly is, but it seems like he is planning to do exactly that at the end of the year. Mo did not directly say he would retire, but he strongly hinted that the end of his unmatchable career is close to completion.

After achieving the all-time saves record last year, Mo has nothing else left to do in baseball. His status as the greatest reliever in the history of baseball is completely secure. He has five World Series rings and will hopefully win a sixth before he calls it quits. Mo could have even decided to join Jorge Posada in retirement this offseason if he didn’t have another year left on his contract. But Mo just has too much integrity to leave the New York Yankees in the lurch like that.

How do you replace an icon? The Yankees are actually in pretty good shape there. David Robertson has proven he has the chops to pitch late innings in tight games and has absolutely no fear of dangerous baseball situations. If Joba Chamberlain can come back from his arm injury, and all reports are that he is making excellent progress, then he can serve as Robertson’s back-up and take over the 8^th inning role. In a worst-case scenario, the Yankees also have Rafael Soriano, who has closer experience, and could try him out in the role.  

But I’m not sure if the Yankees are ready to lose their iconic closer. Even the heir apparent Robertson is unconvinced, suggesting that Rivera could “Brett Favre us”, meaning that he could decide not to retire. I would love it if that were true, but the tone of Mo’s recent comments suggest that as much as he would miss baseball, he is tired of the grind and of being away from his kids so much.

So of course he can call it quits. All good things come to an end eventually. At least we have a chance to say a proper goodbye. 

Posada to get some Hall of Fame love

Unlike Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada won't poll in the single digits in the voting in his first year on the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

Judging from the comments by baseball writers such as Jack Curry and Mark Feinsand (who does not yet have a vote, but will by the time Posada is eligible), the now-retired New York Yankees catcher has a solid chance to make it into the Hall of Fame. Unlike Bernie, whose candidacy was quickly dismissed by multiple writers, Posada's resume has been compared favorably to current catchers in the Hall. That, combined with his postseason success, could put Posada over the magic 75% threshold.

Will Posada make it into the Hall on the first ballot? I don't think so. A number of writers will be supportive of his entrance into the Hall, but not on the first ballot, which they reserve for baseball's immortals. Posada was a great player for many years, but not an immortal on the level of his pal Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, who will both make it in on their first tries. 

Of course, there will be those who put Posada squarely in the Bernie Williams category: good but not great players whose superior postseason credentials mask the fact that they are simply not Hall-caliber. But there may not be enough of them to keep Posada out of the Hall, especially if the stat geeks get on board with his candidacy.

Posada is definitely going to get some love from the baseball writers. The key unanswered questions are how much love and will it eventually be enough? 

For Derek Jeter, laughter through tears

Derek Jeter did his best to put on a happy face at Jorge Posada’s farewell press conference, but the captain of the New York Yankees was clearly saddened by his best pal’s departure.

The Yankees shortstop said all the right things about his dear friend, about how happy he was to see Posada move on to the next phase of his life, but how sad he was for selfish reasons that he wouldn’t have him around anymore. Jeter made a lot of jokes at his pal’s expense, about how Posada had to switch positions from second base to catcher because Jeter refused to try to turn double plays with him, about how Posada could be a big-league manager, as long as Jeter himself didn’t have to play for him. But Jeter seemed so sad during the press conference, looking quite pained as he watched Posada unsuccessfully try to get through all his thank yous without crying.

Jeter recently revealed that he and Posada had breakfast and lunch together every day on the road since they both became big leaguers. Can you imagine that? That’s 20 meals worth of conversation on a 10-day road trip. I personally find that a little weird as I don’t think there is anybody whose company I enjoy that much. You would think at a certain point, they would run out of things to talk about. Apparently, Derek and Jorge never did.  

So what is Jeter going to do on those long road trips without his pal? He could, of course, become friendlier with some of his other teammates and take them out to breakfast and lunch (on Jeter’s dime, of course). But I doubt that’s going to happen too often with any of his teammates, especially his frenemy Alex Rodriguez. As Ian O’Connor noted in his Jeter biography, the Yankees captain puts up barriers that are almost impossible to scale. ARod violated Jeter’s trust and got banished for it. While they eventually called a truce, their friendship never recovered. Perhaps that’s why Jeter and Posada spent so much time together because his long-time teammate was one of the few people Jeter could bring himself to trust.  

But I think the key question is will Posada’s retirement hasten the day when Jeter is no longer the shortstop of the Yankees? I would imagine Jeter will continue to play until he feels he can’t play up to his notoriously high, self-imposed standards. But with Posada gone and Mariano Rivera hinting that his own retirement could be coming soon, Jeter may decide he doesn’t want to be the lone member of the last Yankee dynasty and walk away. By his own admission, Jeter is not as outwardly emotional as Posada so there will be fewer tears as his own farewell press conference, even if the rest of us are crying. 

Sobbing Posada rides off into the sunset

Jorge Posada was not the only one crying yesterday.

I watched Posada’s farewell press conference yesterday with mixed emotions and a lot of tears. I am incredibly grateful that Posada decided retiring as a lifelong member of the New York Yankees was more important than playing another year of baseball, but also so sad that Posada, who has been a fixture for more than 15 years, is no longer with the Yankees. I wonder how they are going to fill the void left by Posada’s departure. I’m not talking about him in the designated hitter role, with Brian Cashman saying he is looking at potential trades for a hitter. I’m talking about whether the Yankees will ever be able to replace the passion and fire Posada brought to the team and the tough love leadership he gave to his teammates.

“I could never wear another uniform,” Posada said. “I will forever be a Yankee.”

I was also sad because Posada is clearly still hurt by the way his Yankees career ended. Posada was not even given a chance to compete for his catcher’s job in spring training last year and was embarrassingly demoted before nationally televised games against the archrival Boston Red Sox. Cashman and Joe Girardi can say whatever they want about Posada being a great Yankee, but knowing his temperament for so long, they could have handled things a lot better last year.

But for the most part, Posada’s press conference was a lovely tribute, particularly when Diana Munson, widow of former Yankees Captain Thurman, praised Posada and said she has loved two catchers in her life. I sobbed uncontrollably when she said that Jorge and Thurman would have been best buds. She knows they were cut from the same cloth.

It was really hard watching an emotional Posada fight tears during his speech, when he saluted his parents and sister in Spanish and told them he loved them, when he expressed his love and gratitude to his wife and kids (with his daughter Paulina, who is quite the ham according to her parents, widely smiling back at him), when he choked up trying to thank his teammates, especially his “brothers” Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, and finally when he praised the Yankees faithful for standing behind him all these years.

“You kept me going when I needed it the most,” Posada said.

It’s a good thing Jorge put the words on paper because otherwise he never would have made it through that speech. I almost didn’t make it through and I was only watching on television, knowing that a great Yankee was leaving a large hole in our hearts, leaving not on his terms, but on the right terms, forever a Yankee. 

Yankees make splash by stealing M's pitching stud

You didn’t really expect the New York Yankees to stand pat heading into spring training did you?

For all the talk of the Yankees’ budget, they managed to find some money for Hiroki Kuroda. With spring training right around the corner, Brian Cashman & Co was simply not comfortable with a rotation of CC Sabathia and a lot of question marks and Kuroda was the best option on the free-agent market. But in the long-term, I really do believe the Yankees are sincere about trying to get under that $189 million figure before the next contractual penalty phase kicks in, as shown by their unwillingness to give Kuroda or any other mediocre free-agent pitcher a multi-year deal.

No, the Yankees did not pry King Felix Hernandez from the Seattle Mariners’ dying hands, as many Yankee fans were clamoring for. But they got the next best thing: another potential stud in 22-year-old Michael Pineda. His 2011 win-loss record was not great, but put the Yankees’ lineup behind his 3.74 ERA and his win total is guaranteed to improve, unless Bobby Valentine is right about the Mariners trading him for a reason.  

The Yankees supposedly thought the world of Hector Noesi, with him rumored to be in the mix for a starting job in the 2012 Yankees rotation, and supposedly had big plans for Jesus Montero. But that could have been the Yankees talking up their prospects in the hopes of trading them for better players, a long-time habit of Cashman & Co.

I, for one, am not going to cry over the loss of Montero even though I liked what I saw of him last year. For all his terrific September at-bats, the Yankees were souring on Montero because they could not find a position for him. They were never sure he would put in the work to become even a decent game caller, the way a defensively-challenged Jorge Posada did in becoming a borderline Hall of Fame candidate. It was quite telling that Montero, as young as he was, was headed for an almost full-time designated hitter role, which would not have been in the Yankees’ best interest as they need to free up that slot to give Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter time off the field without breaking any hitting strides.

I’m a pitching and defense fan first so I’m supportive anytime the Yankees get a veteran arm and a couple of young pitching studs, even if they have to give up a promising power bat. Unlike Bobby V, I approve of these moves. 

Thanks to Keith Allison via Wikipedia for the Michael Pineda photo.  

Bernie gets no love from Hall of Fame voters

Bernie Williams got no love from the Baseball Hall of Fame voters.

Williams only got 9.6% of the vote, which guarantees that he will remain on the ballot for next year, but also means that it is highly unlikely he will ever get anywhere close to the 75% threshold needed for induction into the Hall of Fame. The voters simply didn’t buy his Hall credentials despite a .297 batting average, 287 home runs, 1,257 runs batted in and all his postseason numbers, with Bernie ranking first or second in many categories. They didn’t care that he was a key member of four World Series champion teams and played the glamour position of center field for the New York Yankees.

The result is disappointing, but not surprising. I had been hoping for support in the 20-30% range, but was not optimistic. Bernie’s chances did not look good when New York-based writers such as Jack Curry and Jon Heyman publicly acknowledged their refusal to vote for him.  But it is galling to see Bernie get fewer votes than known cheaters such as Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro. Sure, Bernie’s power numbers do not compare to their numbers, but Bernie was a clean player, which is a lot more than we can say for those guys.  

Other former Yankees again struggled in the voting. Legendary Yankees Captain Don Mattingly only received 17.8% of the vote in his 12^th year on the ballot, making it a virtual certainty that Donnie Baseball will not go into the Hall as a player. Lee Smith received 50.6% of the vote in his 10^th year on the ballot and Gil Hodges is the only player with more than 50% who has failed to gain entrance into the Hall. But too many writers struggle with or scoff at the saves category, Smith’s biggest credential for the Hall with 478 career saves, so I doubt he will make it in. Ruben Sierra, in a total shocker (J.K.), did not get one vote in his first year on the ballot so we won’t have to consider his candidacy ever again.

 

The one positive vote for the Yankees was the 48.7% for Tim Raines, who continues his steady climb toward that magical 75% threshold. Raines, who has the support of prominent writers such as Heyman, has 10 more years of eligibility left so I have high hopes that he will eventually make it into the Hall.

Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada will be on the ballot in four or five years, respectively (assuming the reports that Posada will retire are accurate) and will be interesting candidates for the Hall, although Pettitte does not get my vote because of his admitted human growth hormone use. Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, whenever they decide to call it quits, will be surefire, first-ballot Hall of Fame inductees. But Bernie Williams will never again be a real candidate for the Hall of Fame and that is truly disappointing.  

Posada right to retire as a great Yankee

I was sad to hear the news that Jorge Posada plans to retire from baseball, but thrilled beyond belief that he chose to call it quits after playing his entire career for the New York Yankees.

In a day and age where baseball players go from team to team, it is heartwarming to know that Jorge Posada has apparently decided that playing his whole career for the Yankees was way more important than trying to latch on to another team in a part-time role for a year. This way, he will go down as one of the most critical members of the last Yankee dynasty, with a plaque in Monument Park acknowledging his truly immeasurable contributions.

For the proud Posada, it had to be an extremely tough decision. In truth, after hearing reports of interest from contending teams such as the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies, I thought Posada would decide that he wanted to go out on his own terms rather than let the Yankees determine that he was done. Posada proved he had some baseball still left in him, trying to singlehandedly carry the Yankees past the Detroit Tigers in the first round of the 2011 playoffs. The worst part of the Yankees early exit was watching Posada trying to fight off tears, knowing that this was the end for him in Yankee pinstripes.

The 2011 version of Posada left us with some great moments and one really bad one, which truly reflects the real Jorge Posada. His pride and fiercely competitive nature led him to make some bad decisions over the course of his Yankee career, namely opting out of a game against the archrival Boston Red Sox. But it also helped him bash his way to a borderline Hall of Fame career. On his way out the door, Posada thrilled his supportive fans with several memorable moments this year: stealing his pal Derek Jeter’s thunder with six ribbies and a Grand Slam on the day the Yankees honored Jeter’s successful pursuit of 3,000 hits, the clutch pinch hit to help the Yankees secure the American League East title, his exciting and unexpected appearance as an emergency catcher after being told he would never catch another game for the Yankees. He leaves us with a lot of beautiful memories like those and World Series championships that we can treasure forever.    

Posada absolutely made the right call, one that will ensure he will soon take his place alongside all the other great Yankees. I just hope it’s one he can live with. 

Posada likely to move on from Yankees soon

I’m expecting to hear the disappointing news that Jorge Posada will play baseball for another team next season any day now.

As much as I’d love for Jorge to retire forever being a member of the New York Yankees, the fact that he hasn’t announced his retirement might mean that he still wants to play. Posada’s agent is probably trying to gauge the interest of other baseball teams to see if he can get his client a decent contract that will guarantee him some playing time, which is simply not an option with the Yankees, even if they do end up trading Jesus Montero. Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi clearly see a declining Posada and have not even faked a real interest in bringing him back, something that must be breaking the emotional Posada’s heart.

Rumors have the Tampa Bay Rays in the running for Posada’s services. It makes sense for them as the budget-constrained Rays wouldn’t have to pay him a lot of money and can slot him into the designated hitter spot on a full or part-time basis. Posada would bring a lot of fire and leadership to a playoff-worthy ballclub that could use some help getting over the hump. And as Posada showed the baseball world in the 2011 playoffs, he still has some life left in that bat, despite the Yankees thinking otherwise.

Posada has earned the right to go out on his own terms. I just wish his terms were to only ever play professional baseball in a Yankees uniform. 

Is Jorge Posada's baseball career over?

We know that Jorge Posada’s great career with the New York Yankees is over. He told us that himself. But is his baseball career over or will he do the unthinkable and put on another baseball team’s uniform? Not even Jorge knows right now.

Posada saw the writing on the wall. He didn’t have to be told by Brian Cashman or the Steinbrenners that his great Yankees career was coming to an end, despite a terrific postseason in which he tried to singlehandedly carry the Yankees lineup to victory. In fact, one of the most disappointing things about the Yankees’ early exit was watching Posada unsuccessfully fight back tears, knowing that he would never again put on the Yankees uniform as a big-league player.

But Posada’s successful postseason proved to himself (and apparently to several teams) that he can still play the game of baseball. Plus, Posada has a lot to offer to a team looking for a spark from a fiery veteran with an impressive postseason resume. Would Posada actually put on another team’s uniform? We’ll see. He may decide he needs just one more year to undo the sting of struggling with his designated hitter/bench guy role with the Yankees and the emotions of his demotion during the 2011 regular season.

If Posada’s career is over, then the next question becomes, was it a Hall of Fame-worthy career? His ex-manager Joe Torre, soon to be a Hall of Famer himself, certainly thinks so. Derek Jeter won’t comment on his buddy’s situation unless Posada officially retires, but if he does, then I’m sure the Yankees shortstop will plug his pal’s candidacy for Cooperstown.

As much as I would like to see Jorge walk away never having worn another uniform, I want more to see him walk away from the sport on his own terms. If he feels he needs to play for another team to do that, then he absolutely should. I will still root for Jorge no matter where he goes, unless, of course, it’s Boston!

Girardi steps to the plate for his hitters

Joe Girardi stepped up to the plate to defend his hitters by arguing that their lack of production in the American League Division Series had a lot to do with bad luck. Apparently, he didn’t see what the rest of us saw.

If he had, he would have noticed that Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher failed in key situations in the playoffs for the third consecutive year, which is enough of a sample to indicate that they are simply not clutch postseason players. Girardi would have noticed that Alex Rodriguez, aside from his performance in 2009 (which he definitely deserves a lot of credit for), has reverted to bad form in the playoffs. He would have noticed that his #9 hitter Brett Gardner had as many runs batted in (5) as his 3-4-5 hitters.

“I guess I could have put Gardy fourth,” Girardi said sarcastically when questioned about why he kept running out the exact same lineup in the ALDS.

No, Joe. No one is suggesting that you bat Gardner in the cleanup spot for the New York Yankees. What people are suggesting is that the lineup needs to be shaken up, that ARod, Tex and Swish can’t be allowed to continue coming up short in the playoffs in key situations. The biggest shake-up would be for the Yankees to let Swisher walk away and give right field to one of their young hitting studs, likely Eduardo Nunez, or go shopping for a relatively inexpensive, but clutch veteran.

Moving Robinson Cano into the third spot in the lineup for the playoffs was a good start, a move that Girardi was obviously not afraid to make and should stick to, unless he decides to bat Cano cleanup. But Girardi is going to have to seriously rethink his lineup. Should ARod continue batting fourth? Not if he can’t protect Cano. Who replaces Jorge Posada at designated hitter and where should that person bat? If it’s Jesus Montero, do you put more pressure on the kid by batting him in the middle of the lineup or do you protect him by slotting him seventh, where Posada batted most of the year?

These are legitimate questions and Girardi has to seriously consider them all. Unfortunately for the Yankees, he has plenty of time to think these days.

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.

Who's at fault for Yankees quick playoff exit?

When a good baseball team loses in the playoffs, the natural question is “whose fault was it”? With the New York Yankees, there are a lot of culprits.

We definitely know who is not at fault. Jorge Posada, in what could have been his last games as a Yankee, did everything he could to try to help his team ascend to the next round of the playoffs. Brett Gardner, the #9 hitter, had several clutch hits and made the Detroit Tigers pitchers nervous every time he was on base. And as shocking as this would have seemed going into the American League Division Series, AJ Burnett came through with the best starting pitching performance.

So who takes the blame? I’d start with CC Sabathia. The Yankees ace looked like a contender for a Cy Young award against any team not named the Boston Red Sox this year. And in Game 1 of the American League Division Series, he started off by giving up a home run in the first inning. He had a very rocky start in Game 3 (messed-up routine, tight strike zone, way too many excuses) against Tigers ace Justin Verlander. And when he had a chance to redeem himself last night, he gave up what proved to be the winning run.

But the middle of the vaunted Yankees lineup deserves a large share of the blame. Alex Rodriguez will get most of the attention, which he deserves for his 2 for 18 performance and strikeouts in key situations last night. But Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher both had bad playoff series for the third consecutive year. (For the ultra-popular Swisher, his futility at the plate again might have finally been enough for the Yankees to show him the door). These are the guys the Yankees should be relying on to drive in runs, not Brett Gardner.

I can’t decide right now who deserves the lion’s share of the blame for the Yankees too-quick exit from the playoffs. Maybe in a couple of days, I will get past the disappointment and see things more clearly. For now, I have to make other plans for Saturday night.

Posada's teammates, Yankee fans in his corner

When Jorge Posada came through with a clutch pinch hit to knock in two runs and help the New York Yankees clinch the American League East division, you could see and feel the excitement not only in the stands, but in the Yankees dugout.

Even the normally stoic Derek Jeter was elated by Posada's clutch hit. In speaks volumes not only about Jeter's affection for his long-time pal, but also to the way the rest of his teammates feel about him. It seems that Posada has not engendered any lingering harsh feelings in his clubhouse after his unwise decision to pull himself out of a game against the Boston Red Sox.

Not that I expect any of these good feelings to sway Joe Girardi. The Yankees manager will make his own decision about putting Posada on the postseason roster and emotion won’t play any part in it although some will say Girardi’s lack of affection will (probably the reason he didn’t let Posada catch Mariano Rivera’s record-breaking save). But Girardi indicated that he would put Posada on the playoff roster, probably acknowledging that having Posada’s experienced, battled-tested bat on the bench would be an advantage in the postseason.

But no matter what happens with Posada in October and beyond, he can take comfort in the fact that his teammates and Yankee fans are firmly in his corner.

Yankees prove all the doubters wrong

The New York Yankees just won the American League East division title, proving that pre-season predictions mean absolutely nothing.

Before the start of the 2011 baseball season, many “experts” handed the AL division crown to the Boston Red Sox. Why? Because they had a good offseason, trading for young superstar Adrian Gonzalez and signing free agent Carl Crawford. In contrast, the Yankees were jilted by Cliff Lee, who took less money to join the Philadelphia Phillies’ super rotation. Brian Cashman’s response to that rejection was to sign Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia. Though Cashman might still secretly wish Lee took the pile of dough the Yankees were offering him, he couldn’t be happier with the performances of Colon and Garcia, who deserve a lot of credit for helping to keep the Yankees rotation from falling apart.

What makes the Yankees ascension to the AL East division throne so impressive is the multitude of injuries and the way other players stepped up to fill the voids. Phil Hughes was projected as the #2 starter, but spent most of the first half on the disabled list with inflammation in that valuable pitching arm. But up stepped Ivan Nova, a candidate for the fifth starter spot who forced his way into the Rookie of the Year debate by unexpectedly going 16-4 with a 3.62 ERA in baseball’s toughest division. The Yankees also survived multiple injuries to Alex Rodriguez, their cleanup hitter who has been MIA for most of the second half, and a calf injury that sidelined their captain Derek Jeter, though that was probably a blessing in disguise as Jeter has been on fire since his return.

It’s like Mariano Rivera said yesterday, the Yankees overcame a lot of adversity to get where they are. Calling 2011 a challenging year would be a major understatement. But they never felt sorry for themselves or took their eyes off the prize.

However, the Yankees know this is merely a first step. Next on the agenda for Joe Girardi & Co is securing home-field advantage through the American League playoffs while at the same time resting his regulars during the last week of the season. Thanks to the early division clinch, Girardi can be very judicious in prepping his team for the postseason.

With the playoffs will come more doubts from the “experts.” Some will say that the Yankees will not survive October with their makeshift rotation, that there are too many questions about starters not named CC Sabathia. I say it’s a chance for the Yankees to once again prove all the doubters wrong. Bring it on!

Jorge, YES snubs can't steal Mo's shine

Monday was Mariano Rivera’s special day and not even two noteworthy snubs could ruin it.

It’s clear from Joe Girardi’s decision not to allow Jorge Posada to catch Mo for the historic save that the manager of the New York Yankees cares nothing about Yankee legacies or about Posada’s feelings. Girardi could have sent a clear message that all slights (real or imaginary) were forgiven, that everything was well and good between him and Posada, could have lessened the blow that will come from leaving Posada off the postseason roster by simply allowing the long-time Yankees catcher to get behind the plate one last time to partner with Rivera in closing a Yankees victory. But Girardi couldn’t bring himself to make that simple goodwill gesture, even with the Yankees holding a comfortable lead in the division race. It says a lot about Girardi’s character. But Jorge handled the snub with grace, stopping to happily acknowledge Russell Martin on his way to the mound to congratulate Mariano Rivera.

Even more appalling than Girardi’s refusal to allow Posada to catch Mo was the YES Network’s cutting off Mariano’s press conference right after he took one question in Spanish. As a Puerto Rican Yankee fan celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month, I was incredibly insulted. I have to say that it’s not the first time I’ve felt snubbed when watching a YES press conference (they have often asked Spanish-speaking reporters to wait while the players answered the questions of all the English-speaking journalists first), but I was completely shocked that they would cut away from Mo on the day he broke the all-time saves record. I don’t remember Derek Jeter being cut off on the day he went five for five to pass 3,000 hits.

The full press conference is now up on the YES Network website and Mo apparently did some interviews with Spanish-language outlets afterwards. But I think Mo deserved to speak all day if he wanted (not that he would because he is way too humble for that) and the rest of us deserved the opportunity to listen to everything he had to say, whether it was said in English or Spanish. The powers that run the YES Network may not have even realized it nor did it on purpose, but their decision to cut off Mo’s press conference was incredibly offensive. They owe us better than that.

Even with the snubs, Rivera’s accomplishment ruled the day. I just wish Girardi and the YES Network bosses had truly appreciated it and cooperated fully in the celebration.

Humble Mo on top of baseball world

All you need to know about Mariano Rivera came in the aftermath of his notching save #602 to break the all-time saves record.

His New York Yankees teammates Jorge Posada and Alex Rodriguez had to force him back to the mound to accept the rousing standing ovation he received from the Yankees faithful (damn my job for not allowing me to be there this afternoon). A humble and slightly embarrassed Mo clearly didn’t know what to do standing all by himself on the mound, but he also seemed genuinely touched by the applause from the crowd and from the classy Minnesota Twins.

In his post-game interview, Rivera was asked about someone breaking his brand-new mark -- like that's ever going to happen -- and all Mo said was that he hopes whoever does it has the same respect for the game of baseball that he does. That tells you something else about Rivera, that his love and respect for the game that he grew up playing is more important to him than being considered the greatest closer in baseball history.

Mariano Rivera is on top of the baseball world and it couldn't happen to a better, more humble guy. Congratulations, Mo!

Posada should catch Mo's record save

I can't even describe to you the feeling of pure joy and excitement I experienced on Saturday night watching Jorge Posada don the catcher's gear for the first time in 2011. The only thing that could surpass that good feeling is watching him put on the gear to catch Mariano Rivera's record-breaking save.

Rivera is only one save away from 600 and three saves away from surpassing Trevor Hoffman for the all-time saves record. Having Posada catch Mo for that one inning would make reaching that mark even more special than it already will be. Posada has been on the receiving end for 368 of Mariano Rivera’s saves so it would truly be like a fairy tale to have Posada catch him just one last time. With Derek Jeter out at shortstop, the three longest-tenured members of the New York Yankees, who have celebrated and suffered so much together in their years in baseball, deserve the chance to enjoy the historical feat together.

Judging from Posada’s obvious joy after the game on Saturday, he still has catching in his heart. With this likely being his last year in Yankee pinstripes, I bet it would mean the world to him to be on the field with his friend and long-time colleague for such a remarkable occasion. It might take some of the sting out of what has been a really tough year for Posada.

Kim Jones indicated during last night’s game that Joe Girardi flatly dismissed the idea of putting Posada behind the plate for Rivera’s record-breaking save, reiterating that Posada is only an emergency catcher and Saturday was an emergency. But perhaps Girardi will have a change of heart. In truth, I think it would go a long way toward mending whatever bad feelings Girardi and Posada may have for one another.

I will be in Toronto this weekend so I can hopefully watch history, a moment that will be even more special if the Key Three can celebrate it all together on the field.

Baseball makes 9/11 feel a little better

Today, on the 10th anniversary of the darkest day in American history, baseball made things a little better.

I woke up today and quickly turned on the television, which I don’t normally do on Sunday mornings. But I wanted to watch the 9/11 remembrance ceremonies and offer silent prayers for the victims and their families. And cry. I couldn’t help feeling the sadness and pain all over again as I sat there listening to the names being called one after another. The hardest part was watching the kids who lost parents participate in the roll call. I do know what it’s like to grow up without parents, but I didn’t lose mine in such a horrific, unimaginable way. I can’t even imagine how tough this day is for them.

But baseball has a way of easing some of that pain, just as it did 10 years ago. Somehow just watching two teams putting all they have out there on the field has an inexplicable way of making a lot of people feel better. It started with the moving ceremonial first pitches by the first responders throwing to Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera of the Yankees and Torii Hunter, Mike Scioscia and Jered Weaver of the Angels.

Then there was a game of baseball played under clear blue skies, much like that horrific day in New York City 10 years ago (that’s one of my clearest memories of 9/11, walking up Broadway and thinking about organizing a mass hooky party at work for an afternoon of volley ball before the world changed). It wasn’t the crispiest baseball every played, but that hardly mattered, especially with the feel good story of Austin Romine’s first major league baseball game. Imagine being that kid, unexpectedly receiving a call from Joe Girardi calling him up to the big leagues to play in a game against his older brother, who plays for the Angels, 10 minutes from where he grew up, with his parents in attendance. The game ended with the newest Yankee catching the oldest, the great Rivera as he closes in on the all-time saves record. Really, does it get any better than that?

That’s the beauty of baseball. Somehow watching a baseball game today made me feel better, just as it did 10 years ago after our world was torn apart. So a day that started with sadness ends with a little bit of joy, just as it should.

Thanks to Derek Jensen via Wikipedia for the photo.