This April start looks great so far, minus yesterday's loss to the White Sox. Players that aren't hitting are usually being picked up by players who are. The long ball is exciting to watch, especially if it's happening at the right time, and it is. Plus, the pitching has been a truly pleasant surprise, despite hiccups by Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova.
When things were in a holding pattern during the winter, what were the biggest concerns...do you remember? Well, for starters, everyone was down on Joba and everyone had written off AJ. Patience and Yankee fans don't mix and at the time, say December, we were all over these guys without giving them the opportunity to work out the kinks. Luckily, the Zen Master Larry Rothschild showed up and found some mechanical flaws that Dave Eiland or even the pitchers themselves didn't see. That right there reinvented Joba and AJ and so far, so good.
Garcia and Colon. Sounds like a law firm, but it's not. We signed these two to minor league deals and bitched about why we needed these "losers" in the first place. Remember? Clearly, these two veterans are not losers and they are proving it every appearance they make. It's a story in the making if these guys can push this hard still say, come September, and right now, they are really demonstrating pride and heart every time they're handed the ball.You need to give Tony Pena credit when it comes to Colon. He managed Colon in the Dominican Winter League and saw something he liked...heart. He knew Colon had something left and begged the Yanks to give him a shot. They did and life is good right now. Pena, a former catcher himself, is truly a baseball man, and he's respected in all of baseball. It was a good move the Yankees made and thank God for Pena.
The Captain. It was evident to the New York sports media that Jeter was an old man and they just used words like "sad" and "pathetic" when describing our guy. These are the same sports media that praised him before 2010. Like I've stated so many times...shame on them. No one in New York ever factors in a slump. Automatically it's assumed that all sports athletes are Supermen and their stats stick and stay with them, no matter what. Derek Jeter needs more respect, not from the fans, we love him, but from the New York sports media that wrote this guy off. Fact: Jeter will decline over time. Not a Fact: he's done. Back off the Cap.
Russell Martin. At the time, I was thrilled about Martin coming to the Bronx, but there were a ton of question marks and Cashman was under pressure to explain himself. Why would we sign an injury prone catcher? That was the question. Well, no one expected Russell Martin to look like a leader on the Yankees. He is. He appears to have needed a scenery change and the hits keep coming. Let's not forget that he's also learning a whole new pitching staff which he's done so fr with ease. It's a True Hollywood Story if he keeps this up. Cashman deserves a lot of credit here. I call it Cashman's "Diamond in the Rough". Martin, much like Swisher was in 2009, is a surprise...for the better.The Good Lord is looking out for my New York Yankees and things are clicking. Yes, there are some minor concerns, when are there not? But right now the Yankees have something real good. A mix of great veterans and youngsters that will keep the line moving as we get to another World Championship. I can already smell it.
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