From Worst to First

The worst kind of writer that you can be is the type of writer that I have been: one who does not write. So then, how could I call myself a writer?

In elementary school a teacher once shared with the class the notion that "what you are to be, you are now becoming." I did not totally grasp the severity of the situation at that time, but as with most things in life you begin to understand the deeper meaning of words and events through time and experience, and this particular scenario is no different. What I am to be I have now become, a writer who has not written.

Well not a writer who has not written entirely, but rather a writer which has not wrote enough. Not nearly enough. And for this I apologize. Not to you who reads this, and certainly not to I who writes this, but to the stories, the articles, and the essays themselves. For not applying the due diligence to research. For not displaying the ability to focus. But most of all, for not taking the time to just write.

So once again I sincerely apologize. Not that you were waiting. My stories were.

I will not make them wait any longer.

[*Editor's Note: "There will be appearing from the date of this entry archived pieces which were intended for release and consumption earlier."]

Opportunity Knocks

Sitting at exactly 130 games played, and with 67 of those games recorded as victories, the New York Yankees continue to find themselves embroiled in contention for a post-season berth. Thirty games or more prior, this scribe detailed exactly what it might take for these damned Yankees to do just that: contend for the post-season. Well with 32 games left to play, seemingly a game a day for the rest of this month and all of the next, the Yankees can put themselves in position to do something that would be as amazing as the feat they achieved back in 1978, albeit under less strenuous factors and a wholly different landscape considering how teams make the playoffs in this day and age of baseball, a wild-card or two notwithstanding.

Most have already given the Yankees no shot at making the post-season. And most, to this point, are seemingly correct in their position, for the Yankees have given no indication that they will indeed make it in...to this point. Were the season to end to today they would obviously be correct. And, when the season ends and the Yankees do not make it in they would be correct then too as well. And therein lies the issue. To think and believe they will not make the playoffs is right, however stating that sentiment now is wrong. The season though, does not end today. It still allows though, for the proverbial hot streak. And here we go.

For any to pronounce the Yankees as D.O.A. they may be permitted to do so. The fat lady is already humming, and she may not even need to raise her voice any louder in order to do the job. This is all well and good, but consider this at your own peril, or the peril of the Yankees as it were. The circumstances of the 1978 season are in stark contrast to what these Yankees face. Yet, the hill is just as steep. Yet, all a player ever asked for is the opportunity to play another day. And this is what the Yankees have currently, the opportunity to play another day. Hoping for the opportunity to have the opportunity to play another day. For all that they have not done, it still cannot be counted out. For others, not just that 1978 team, have achieved such a feat. Baseball is the ultimate game of averages, is it not? Then let it play out and see what these last 32 games have to offer. The offer of an above average month of productive, winning baseball. The offer of a hot streak. The offer of opportunity. 

70 Chances: To Be or Not To Be

The second game of a four game set versus the Baltimore Orioles, being played tonight, finds the New York Yankees smack dab in the middle of mediocrity. At 46-46, after competing (not sure if you could really call it that) in 92 games of a 162 game season, the Yankees find themselves with 70 games left with which to really finally get, not just their heads out of water, but their whole selves entirely, after being submerged for much of this season.

Last season the Yankees garnered a spot in the playoffs (although some would say a spot in the play-ins) by winning 87 games; enough to qualify for the 2nd wild-card. They subsequently lost to the Houston Astros, but the fact that they had given themselves a chance, albeit miniscule to compete for a title, is something that was not lost to this scribe. Getting in, if even for a little bit, is way better than getting left out. For so many reasons. If those need to be explained to you, then you haven't really been paying attention to that which you have been observing.

More importantly there is a question to be answered. Rather, a few. The main one being do the Yankees give up on a season which has given its fans more ups and downs than the see-saw at the local neighborhood park? (Ugh, I'm getting sick already!) Do they turn the individual attractive pieces of a team which has not performed well collectively into assets for future campaigns, or do the they stay the course and see if those individual pieces turn into more of a collective whole? Although there is no reason to believe so as evidence has not been provided to this point to give assurances to those notions. No matter, it must be stated that in many situations in life, especially in the world of sports that it takes a while for things to change, and then it doesn't. Things and situations that are seemingly dour and morose forever, sometimes suddenly right themselves and become the opposite of what they were to begin with. (Once again, should you feel the need to have this explained or examples pointed out, you truly have not been paying attention to the sport you have been watching or much less the world you are living in).

Such could be the case for the Yankees.
Could such a case be these Yankees? It could. If the Yankees were to win 20 or more games than they lost of the next 70 for a record of say 45-25. They would finish the season with 91 wins. (Four more than last year, mind you.) And potentially make the playoffs depending upon how the landscape of baseball, as it hits its home strectch, around them forms.

Is this a 91 win team? Who knows? Will the Yankees win more than they lose over these last 70 games? Who knows?
This is a question asked of the front-office, to be answered by it's players. They may not know it yet, but rest assured we will when they do.

Name's the Game

The New York Yankees have such a team that (even if based on name alone) is built for October. Not to say that paper and pen win pennants and titles in a game which is known for humbling its participants, but it's a start, and no team in the history of the game has employed that notion to greater effect than the Yankees. This current batch of Yankees is no different. With names like Granderson, Cano, Sabathia, and Rodriguez, this is a team that is built to operate at a high level. The roster is filled with names of similar ilk. Rivera, Suzuki, Kuroda, and Jeter. You get the point: This is a team that is built to operate at a high level.

Alas, a rash of injuries and misfortune have derailed and delayed all of that. A hole built by a mediocre start at the beginning and into nearly two-thirds of the season due to the absence of some of those names has literally left the Yankees close to dead and buried. If they are to dig their way out it will indeed take the efforts of their recently restored name-machine. They will need their stars to shine brightest in this darkest of holes. The dirt is piling on but there may still be life and valor in that hole, and a team that is built to operate at a high level...a team that has the names to make a difference, a team that is built for October, will soon find out.

Here We Go

So here we go... Not sure where to start, but I do know where I want to finish. Fall is fast approaching and with it all the events that mark the season are preparing themselves to make their autumn debut. NCAA Football starts next weekend. The NFL debuts shortly thereafter. About a month from then NCAA Basketball and the NBA get their time to shine. And even though it started in spring and is the game of summer,America's favorite past-time enters it's homerun stretch as well, as the Fall Classic takes center-stage. And not to mention, it's back-to-school time. Even though I matriculated through the educational system years ago, I always feel this sort of nostalgia when this time of year arrives. To me this is the real beginning of the new year; forget about New Year's Eve!

I start to get visions of bucolic college campuses, packed stadiums (on said college campuses), fight songs, and intense rivalries and tradition. I am romantic about this time of year. Can you tell? So without further ado get ready for the fall. Get ready for 68º weather. Get ready for hoodies, cardigans and pullover sweaters. Get ready for..."the most wonderful time of the year!"