Why winning is imperative for Yankees
Posted: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 5:39 PM
This will be the first October in 14 years without baseball at Yankee Stadium. But that didn’t stop an emotional celebration Sunday night as the final game on baseball’s most hallowed field (surrounded by its second structure -- the NEW Yankee Stadium opened in 1977) was played.
The game was irrelevant but thoughts crashed my hard drive watching an elongated postgame scene unfold:
The 2008 Yankees failed. There is only one acceptable goal in New York and it isn’t fighting to finish third in a five-team division. Yet, the players paraded the warning track and were treated warmly by the fans. What an interesting ending --
much of the last two months boos have rained down from those same stands, notably at Alex Rodriguez. But the Yankee Stadium finale allowed all in pinstripes to exit with a smile.
The “real” Yankees -- Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera -- who date to the beginning of the championship run and have played all of their careers – or in Pettitte’s case most of his career -- in the Bronx, showed surprising emotion over the closing of their true baseball home.
Jeter once again displayed why he is, and will always be, the “captain” of the Yankees. His words were heartfelt and properly directed at the fans that support this team at significantly high prices.
Those fans amaze me. Having worked in team sports for most of three decades, I have been schooled in the importance of community involvement. Even in four years with the Mets earlier this decade, I witnessed an intense devotion from Mets majority owner Fred Wilpon towards connecting with New York.
The Yankees are different. They are a Broadway show. They simply announce what time the curtain rises and sell tickets to a performance. There is nothing more expected from either side. The Yankees perform and believe that the ticket holder will enjoy the performance. That’s why winning is so imperative in the Bronx, for it is the only currency the Yankees build with their fans.
FIVE MORE SWINGS:
1. THE METS BETTER HIT…for their bullpen is simply unreliable. The only way they avoid another final week collapse -- at home no less -- is to build enough of a cushion in each game to minimize the bullpen’s impact.
Last year the Mets finished with a 1-7 week at Shea Stadium that lingers in all their minds as the Cubs play four at Shea from Monday to Thursday this week. There was an air of negativity at Shea last September that contributed to the team’s failures. Despite losing the first game of the series against Chicago, the Mets must capitalize on the Cubs having already clinched to pounce on a team simply playing out the final week – not matter how much Cubs manager Lou Piniella.
2. THE CONTENDERS ARE HOME…Philadelphia has Atlanta and Washington to close, the Brewers end with Pittsburgh and the Cubs. A truly awful month for Milwaukee has a chance to be salvaged thanks to continuing failures from the Mets’ bullpen. How fitting that the Cubs will play the biggest role in determining the Brewers’ fate.
3. ONE HEAD-TO-HEAD SHOWDOWN SERIES…is all we get in the final week of the playoff races. That’s Chicago and Minnesota at the Metrodome starting tonight. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen’s crew only needs one win to take the life out of the Twins, two wins makes things comfortable. But we all know how tough the Metrodome can be for visitors. And home field has been astounding in the American League this year -- only the Angels have a winning record on the road. In the National League, it’s the Phillies with the best road mark while the Cubs, Mets and Brewers are also over .500 away from home).
4. JUST A CRAZY THOUGHT…but noticed that Dontrelle Willis had another horrid outing Sunday. At some point, teams decide that a player isn’t going to reverse fortunes without a change. Are the Tigers at that point with Willis? And is San Francisco there with Barry Zito? Out of situations like these trades are born. One big hurdle here: the dollar difference is significant (Detroit owes Willis $22 million; the Giants owe Zito $108 million with buyout). If the Giants want to get out of Zito’s smothering contract, would they consider tossing in a strong young arm (they have several) to entice someone to gamble on Zito? Meanwhile, Willis is someone who could benefit from a move to his home (he was born in Oakland, Calif., as well as pitching in a great pitcher’s park. Like I said, it’s just a crazy thought…
5. HOW PATHETIC DOES SCOTT BORAS LOOK…if the news of a new Pirates-Pedro Alvarez deal is accurate? Reports say the new deal gets Alvarez an extra $400,000 while having his signing bonus spread over four years instead of just two. And for that small (relative) amount, Alvarez has had his reputation smeared, particularly in the Pittsburgh culture that values the work ethic.
Agent Boras likely tells the young man that J.D. Drew and Jason Varitek had similar experiences and survived but isn’t the fact that Alvarez himself agreed to the Pirates’ original offer -- against Boras’ wishes -- a window into the young man’s soul? Is he someone who just wants to play ball and understands all the rewards that follow success?
