WHY POSADA-GATE WON’T GO AWAY

(photo: Reuters)
Say what you will about Jorge Posada, you can call him a cry baby or a true Yankee. To me, he's a World Champion Yankee on the decline. Yes, that’s the fairest assessment of the man. Yes, it’s also safe because I won’t piss Laura off writing that, and the fans won’t be on my ass. The bottom line is, we really love Jorge and when all the news broke about "the freak out" this past weekend, it was chaotic and just downright nutty.

I thought for sure it would go away, but it hasn’t. In fact, it's gotten worse. ESPN is reporting that the Yankees will weigh their options about Jorge Posada, if he doesn't hit or slows down even more than he is now. There is a very good chance, this year is officially the last year we see our former All-Star catcher in pinstripes, either finishing the season or getting released by the All-Star break. It saddens me to say the least.

Earlier today, the reports of a trade demand by Jorge took place over the weekend. Plus, we are now hearing that Jorge and Joe Girardi have had bad blood between them going back to 2005 when Girardi was a bench coach for Joe Torre. The fact of the matter is it makes me sick to see one of our Core Four being smeared the way he has all because of a bad day. The next thing you know we’ll find out that he’s sleeping with Arnold Schwarzenegger's maid too. (That is definitely not true.) I joke, but the reality is, this is crazy and if this is the beginning of the end of Posada, I don't want to see it happen.

Look, I've thought this through. I understand Jorge’s personality and what he’s dealing with. We're practically the same age and we’re probably at the same place in our lives emotionally. I understand his thoughts and his frustration. When he saw the lineup card that day, he saw 9^th in the batting order and then he saw red. It wasn’t the place in the order that annoyed him as it was the psychological defeat. It’s like learning you lost your wallet. The blood rushes from your face and you start to think “Was my social security card in there?” You can’t believe what just happened and you panic and get angry.

Jorge Posada is too proud to ever accept defeat and in his anger of the lineup card, he probably stormed into Joe's office and said everything he could think of to make the other party, Girardi and the Yankees, hurt like he was hurting. “I’m not playing” or “trade me” or “I hate you as a manager.” Who knows, the point is he said what he said in a rage. The smartest thing he did was apologize. The best thing the fans did was give him with a standing ovation when he came back, but there is no denying, Mr. Jorge Posada sees the writing on the wall.

Bleeding Yankee Blue has plenty of thoughts about all of this, but at the same time we’re trying not to give you gossip and be part of the hype machine. We truly are concerned about this, and let's face it, once Jorge's finished, Jeter's next... don't get it twisted. The Yankees are still unhappy about the way the contract talks went and they're like elephants, they don't forget.

So, Did Jorge Posada really want to be traded? No, I don't think so. Will the Yankees trade him? No. That's something they wouldn't do. Would they release him? Sadly, in this heated world of Posada-gate, I would have to say, if he's still hitting .175 by the All-Star break, you can say goodbye to the second of the Core Four. It would suck for us all, but it would be a new chapter in Yankeeland....and it would make sense. But that being said, think about this, Jorge has 1 job right now as part of his contract, he needs to get hits. Jorge has this time right now, this shot to regroup and better himself at the plate. Jorge gets paid a nice salary to be a Designated Hitter and if he can snap out of the funk, similarly to how he did last night with the Rays, there is potential for him to hit .260 with 20 home runs for the season. That my friends is respectable and I would accept that, the fans would and the Yankees organization would too. Then, after the season is over, expect Mr. Posada to tip his cap to us fans, say he did the best he could and walk into the sunset with Laura waiting for the Yankees to retire #20. At the end of the day, whether you are critical or not critical of Jorge Posada, one things for sure, he was a damn good catcher, a great hitter and a terrific New York Yankee with more heart than many who have worn the pinstripes before him. That, my friends, is not rumor… that my friends is the God damn truth.

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