WHY IT FEELS LIKE THE MARTIN ERA

If George Steinbrenner was still alive and Billy Martin was managing the New York Yankees, it would be a no brainer, If the Yankees lost last night and it was a 7 game losing streak, King George would have had a fit. There would be a leak to the press that would state "Billy Martin was fired", before they even told Billy himself. That firing would be followed by press conferences and interviews with Billy saying George was an asshole. Then, a crush of reporters would be at the clubhouse for days, asking every obvious question in the book. Reggie would be lashing out at the press saying he's carrying the team and the Bronx Zoo would be in full affect. The hirings and firings also happened a lot in the 80’s, but the difference was we weren’t the team we are now. Now, we are a truly great team, lately though, we just look like a bunch of amateurs.

Many have questioned if it’s time that Joe Girardi is put on notice. Look, I’ve always stated that I loved Girardi as a player, but not as much as a manager. But, the bottom line, it is my team and I support my team, whether they are having a 20 game winning streak or they’re stinking up the joint. Joe Girardi isn’t to blame for this latest mess. The Yankees stink right now because the YANKEES stink, not Girardi. He’s not holding the bat. He’s not making the errors. Now, if he was bringing in pitchers who give up leads or if he’s calling for a bunt in a ridiculous situation, I blame him, but this is clearly not a manager situation. That being said, Billy took the team's lumps many times over his tenure in New York, the trouble was, he was a truly talented manager and hence, George and Billy loved each other.

Without question, the 2011 New York Yankees are talented ballplayers. Luckily, the Yankees won last night against the Rays and played decent ball, but 1 win does not a ball club make. We need a streak, a big winning streak to prove we are here to stay. In my opinion, even with tonight's win, all of the Yankees, except Curtis Granderson, need a closed door meeting and all of them, except Granderson, need a kick in the ass. I would never normally endorse this, but maybe Hank Steinbrenner needs to be let out of the cage. Hank Steinbrenner needs to say something so earth shattering to the press about his New York Yankees, even George would roll over.

Yes, It’s true, the New York media train is ridiculous, we saw it with the Posada saga, but ironically, a few days after Billy Martin’s birthday, all I keep thinking about is George, the press and the Bronx Zoo. We need a blast from the past. Perhaps, Hank should call out Alex publicly for making a ton of money and sucking, maybe that would keep him on track. Perhaps Hank reads BYB and will hint that Swisher’s job isn’t safe and Either is waiting in the wings. (Read SWISHER OR ETHIER: THE DEBATE BEGINS). Maybe Hank would even blast CC Monster for having a crappy start. Something needs to happen to ruffle feathers and make the Yankees mad...mad enough to win consistently.

Rumors circulated how after Posada pulled his “removal from the lineup act”, the brass thought about cutting him loose right there and then. Do I endorse that? No, but that’s the kind of thing that needs to happen to open some eyes. Something dramatic. Something that will say to the New York Yankees players, “We’re not messing around, we pay you to win…win.” One thing the Yankees have always done is reward the fans. Trust, me, they will again. Read WHY WE NEED TO SAY A PRAYER. In it, I state the fact that the Yankees are working the phones and thinking about major moves because they need to stop the bleeding. I believe that. Why? Because if they keep losing, the fans will demand it. They’re just staying ahead of the fall out and you need to give them credit for that.

My New York Yankees are winners. We are not losers. The Yankees will fix this and have started by beating the Rays 6-2. But it's true, the New York Yankees are not invincible, but we are a great team and believe me, we will come out of this funk, hopefully starting now. Bottom line, something’s got to give… and even Billy Martin would tell you that.

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