The Yankees are Back

I have been very busy recently. I have been looking to make move to California to hold Wine History classes. I am trying to figure out the details and am planning to get much more involved with photography.

That being said I have been following the Yankees on a daily basis. Most days I listen or watch the game. I have been impressed with Brian Cashmens ability this year to supply depth to the bench and the pitching looks promising as well if they can retain quality outings from Mitre and Gaudin.

I do not choose to hide that the Yankees are my favorite team. One of the reasons is the history of the team. The names of all the folks that have their numbers retired and so many great players over the years. This being the year of the inagural season of the New Stadium has brought great satisfaction. Derek Jeter is poised to break Lou Gehrig's all time Yankees hit record and he could not possibly be more deserving. He has put up MVP numbers and has been as consistent as he always been. It strikes me that when we watch Jeter that we have some insight to the older players and the way they played the game.

To me the yankees stand for something--tradition. Tradition is the hallmark of history in that in keeps the history alive and well. Traditions allow the Yankees to remain the same despite the changes from year to year or old to new. Derek Jeter has been the bridge from the old to the new along with Mariano Rivera, Any Petitte and Jorge Posada. These players were on the teams that one the World Series titles and now they are leading the path with a strong mix of youngsters that already are becoming the players that will possibly become Yankees legends of the future. Baseball is time honored and cyclical and there within is ritual.

The Yankees seemed poised for a potential World Series run this year and restoring what many fans feel is the natural order of the baseball world. Of course the other fans will all disagree and will count on the Yankees slumping at the right time in the playoffs and reveling in their disappointment. Still there is something fresh and different about these Yankees. They are more akin to all the teams before that won the World Series in that they have depth and diversity. They lack the weaknesses of the failed team since 2000. Still questions exist about Joba Chamberlain and a new set of rules. AJ Burnett is somewhat inconsistent as he has tended to be over the years dominant at times, but wild with a tendency towards walking people and giving up homeruns. Sabathia is dominating now in August, but can he handle colder weather in October.

The one great lesson from history is that it is set to repeat itself. In baseball once the first World Series has been won by a team they have a chance to repeat history on a yearly basis. The Yankees have been blessed with a tradition of repeating this favorable history. Number 27 would be very special indeed. My money is they wine is this year, however in baseball loss can always be followed by redemtion and this current Yankees ball club is young and should be in close contention each year to wine the World Series for at least the next 6 or 7 years. it is highly possible that they win multiple times much in the same way they did from 1996-2000 or in the '20, '30s, '40s, '50, '60s, and late '70s. This run could very well start in 2009 and run through 2015-2017 with numerous World Series in that time frame. This seems reasonable with the cadre of young players and superstar signigs through that period. The question for me is how long can Derek Jeter continue to play. At 35, jeter looks young and spry this season and is in great shape. It seems plausible that Jeter could get resigned to a deal taking hime through his early 40s. That would exure holding the core group of players together in the infield. With young pitching being the focused. The Yankees will have to trasition some of their aging stars into either more veterans or young talent, but it is the Yankees and they are not afraid to use their pocketbooks if needed to get top talent and retain it. However, Cashmen's in house approach seems to be working.

As long As Girardi gets one series in next 2 years he should be set up for a long terms deal to continue to manage the Yankees. In my opinion he has done an excellent job. I think Torre was great, but all in all Girardi's youth brings fire to this Yankees team and that is what they need to get them over the humb. Torre may very well win a World Series soon with the Dodgers as they have really been building a great club. Girardi knows of the pressure of being the Yankees manager and he has handled the pressure by infusing a passion for play that included fun. The game needs to be fun to be played well and to avoid discouragement that comes with baseball being a game where loses are going to happen and so are some extended slumps. The Yankees have been able to put off their early season woes and grow in strength. They have filled their holes that were gaping at the beginning of season due to injuries.

They need to take it one game at a time and be proud of the traditions and play with joy in their new home. As always it will be exciting to watch.