I hate hearing the term "True Yankee" because it always starts with a ridiculous debate ends in a ridiculous fight and while numbers matter, it's also a matter of personal taste.
People like certain players for certain reasons and a players stats, while they are part of the discussion as well, all of it together helps form a personal opinion for whom they consider to be a "True Yankee". Deep passion for 1 player or another always run deep. What do I mean? This...this is a conversation I had with some of my buddies 24 hours ago.
Mike: "Paul O'Neill is a True Yankee. 4 championships. A total warrior on the field."
Nate: "Bernie Williams is more of a True Yankee than Paul was."
Casey: "I think Derek Jeter is."
All three are "True Yankees" by the way...in my opinion. To others, maybe not. Coincidentally, all three won at least 4 championships. Derek is the exception with 5.
But is that the gauge for what makes Yankee players a "True Yankee"? Yes, they all officially qualify, but how about this group:
Victor: "Alex Rodriguez is a True Yankee, totally clutch in 2009 playoffs, won a ring, MVP awards 2005 and 2007, etc."
Scott: "Mariano Duncan is a True Yankee. Won with the Yanks in 1996."
Jared: "I disagree, I say Chuck Knoblauch is. Part of 3 championship teams."
Ok, big difference. See what I mean? Now, I don't think anyone thinks Mariano Duncan is a "True Yankee", in fact, I bet many of you forgot about him. Chuck Knoblauch... yes, he was part of a good run, but does anyone think of him as a "True Yankee?" Someone does somewhere deep in the heart of Yankeeland, not me.
I brought you though this exercise because I want to make a statement. Ready? "Alex Rodriguez IS a True Yankee." Many will agree, many will tell me that he's not there yet. That, I say, is a matter of opinion.
Joel Sherman's New York Post piece, (HERE) breaks down Alex Rodriguez and his "quest" to become an all-time Yankee. He does this by simply breaking down games played in pinstripes. I found that weird but here's an excerpt:
"He has played more than 1,000 games with the Yankees already (1,027), ranking him 41st all-time. That might not read impressive, but he is about to get in the left lane and go zooming up that chart. If he plays just 140 games this season — his eighth with the Yankees — Rodriguez is going to pass Lou Piniella, Joe Pepitone, Tino Martinez, Hal Chase, Charlie Keller, Clete Boyer, Moose Skowron, Tony Kubek and Tom Tresh and rank 32nd all-time. If he plays another 140 games in 2012, Rodriguez would move by Dave Winfield, Red Rolfe, Roger Peckinpaugh, Horace Clarke, Paul O’Neill, Bo bby Murcer, Tommy Henrich and Bob Meusel into 24th place.
Another 140 after that puts him in the top 20 and, well, you can see where this is going. Rodriguez has seven years left on his contract. If he actually averages 140 games for the duration — no sure thing, obviously, since the deal takes him through his 42nd birthday — he is going to become a 2,000-game man with the Yankees."
Alex Rodriguez is by far, one of my favorite ball players ever. What he's doing in his career is massive. He also overcame everything finally in 2009 and got a ring. And yes, while it was the 2009 Yankees as a team that did it, you know Alex had a HUGE part in those playoffs, he carried them. Alex has MVP's. He has fans and he wants to die a New York Yankee.
So, it brings me back to my point of personal opinion. I don't need games to determine if someone like Alex is a "True Yankee" or not, he is. Hell, I think Nick Swisher is borderline "iconic" while he's in the Bronx, is he a "True Yankee?" Does Swish have a ring with the 2009 team? Yes. Did he have the best season of his career last year in pinstripes? Yes. Yet, he's only been on the Yankees for 2 years going on 3. Funny though, people love him more than Chuck Knoblauch who has 3 rings under his belt. See what I mean? Many probably think Swisher is a "True Yankee". Guess what, I say go with it. If you believe it, say it proud. Again, this comes down to personal opinion, not games played in pinstripes. While I understand tenure is a big factor is all of this, it doesn't matter to me, just show me heart, put up great numbers and show me pinstripe pride, and I'll make my own determination if you're a "True Yankee" or not. After all, I am a "True Fan", or are we going to debate that too?
P.S. I mentioned Swisher's "iconic" presence with the Yanks, be sure to check out Swisher's "iconic" following on Facebook as well WE WANT NICK SWISHER TO HOST SNL.
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