A Great Season
I am proud of these Yankees.
I haven't been this proud of a baseball team (Milford Junior Majors Tigers not included) since way back in 2001.
Let the foolish blow hards that give Yankee fans a bad name scream for blood. Let Steinbrenner, aka King George the Short-Sighted, fire people left and right. Let the sharks in the New York media tank have a frenzy.
They simply missed the point.
This team had more holes in it than any Yankee team since 1993. That's right, they were a less complete team than even before the string of World Series titles that spoiled everyone from owners to writers to fans. The rotation in April included one pitcher well past his prime and soon they added another who was even older. Mike Mussina and Roger Clemens combined for over eighty years of living. For much of the season, they both looked very much their age.
Rookies were forced up to the majors far earlier than anticipated. Injuries and bad play will do that.
By April 30, the Yankees stunk. Let's face it, they stunk pretty much through May as well.
Yet Derek Jeter kept hitting. And, well, being Derek Jeter. He put together yet another 200- hit season.
And Jorge Posada had the season of his career. He hit like a young Mike Piazza. And behind the plate he looked more like his younger self.
And then there was Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod, so hated in New York circles last year. A-Rod, the butt of jokes throughout the baseball world. A-Rod, who simply had one of the best single seasons anyone ever had. I've seen players take a team on his shoulders through a series (Reggie in '77, for example). But it is rare when a player does it for a whole season. And that is exactly what he did. In the meantime, he managed to win the hearts of Yankee fans.
They were basically written off by the All-Star break. The wild card seemed to belong to the Indians, Tigers or Mariners. Heck, the Yankees were still below .500.
Then these Yankees showed something that had been missing since that 2001 team. This team had heart. They were filled with it. And their hearts, as well as A-Rod's bat, carried them. They passed Seattle. They passed Detroit. By the last week of the season, they had even closed in on Boston.
Joe Torre had his finest season as a manager. This was an even better season than 2008 for him. In my eyes, he should be AL Manager of the Year.
They faltered in the ALDS. They were beaten, frankly, by a better overall team. Despite what Steinbrenner and others will try to tell you, there is no shame in that.
Nothing should take away what these Yankees accomplished in 2007.
Thank you, Yankees, for an exciting season and a terrific second half.
I haven't been this proud of a baseball team (Milford Junior Majors Tigers not included) since way back in 2001.
Let the foolish blow hards that give Yankee fans a bad name scream for blood. Let Steinbrenner, aka King George the Short-Sighted, fire people left and right. Let the sharks in the New York media tank have a frenzy.
They simply missed the point.
This team had more holes in it than any Yankee team since 1993. That's right, they were a less complete team than even before the string of World Series titles that spoiled everyone from owners to writers to fans. The rotation in April included one pitcher well past his prime and soon they added another who was even older. Mike Mussina and Roger Clemens combined for over eighty years of living. For much of the season, they both looked very much their age.
Rookies were forced up to the majors far earlier than anticipated. Injuries and bad play will do that.
By April 30, the Yankees stunk. Let's face it, they stunk pretty much through May as well.
Yet Derek Jeter kept hitting. And, well, being Derek Jeter. He put together yet another 200- hit season.
And Jorge Posada had the season of his career. He hit like a young Mike Piazza. And behind the plate he looked more like his younger self.
And then there was Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod, so hated in New York circles last year. A-Rod, the butt of jokes throughout the baseball world. A-Rod, who simply had one of the best single seasons anyone ever had. I've seen players take a team on his shoulders through a series (Reggie in '77, for example). But it is rare when a player does it for a whole season. And that is exactly what he did. In the meantime, he managed to win the hearts of Yankee fans.
They were basically written off by the All-Star break. The wild card seemed to belong to the Indians, Tigers or Mariners. Heck, the Yankees were still below .500.
Then these Yankees showed something that had been missing since that 2001 team. This team had heart. They were filled with it. And their hearts, as well as A-Rod's bat, carried them. They passed Seattle. They passed Detroit. By the last week of the season, they had even closed in on Boston.
Joe Torre had his finest season as a manager. This was an even better season than 2008 for him. In my eyes, he should be AL Manager of the Year.
They faltered in the ALDS. They were beaten, frankly, by a better overall team. Despite what Steinbrenner and others will try to tell you, there is no shame in that.
Nothing should take away what these Yankees accomplished in 2007.
Thank you, Yankees, for an exciting season and a terrific second half.
posted by E-Luv at 2:20 PM
1 Comments:
I agree they showed heart, but they were unable to hit the ball in the playoffs, proving once again that pitching wins in the playoffs.
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