One of the most underrated elements of a team is the chemistry that exists within the clubhouse. Athletes are temperamental beings and if there is even one thing that off sets the delicate balance that they operate under their play can be affected.
Teams need to be on the same page, and if even one player feels that he is more important than the rest of the team there can be friction.
New York is the media capital of the world, and therefore the New York teams are covered by more press than any of the other teams. Nothing escapes the media and if an athlete can't handle that constant spotlight they are likely to flounder in New York.
If a team is filled with superstars the attention often shifts to the individuals, not the team, and that can definitely affect the clubhouse. Not to mention if the media picks up on the vibe that the clubhouse is not harmonious, they will feed on that to no end.
The Yankee championship teams had great chemistry. That doesn't mean that everyone got along all the time, but they all were on the same page and didn't let anything get in the way of their goal. The motto of the '96 team was "We play today, we win today."
They had a one game at a time approach and that led to their success. The team was a mix of veterans like Wade Boggs, David Cone and Paul O'Neill and young guys like Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, and Mariano Rivera. It's important for a team to have guys that have the experience for the high pressure situations, and young guys that can bring that fresh hunger and desire that veterans don't necessarily have.
The '98 team was much of the same. If you asked any player that was on that team they will tell you that every day they felt like they were going to win. That might explain why the team went on to win 114 regular season game (125 when the post season is added in) and the World Series.
There were no real big names on those teams, but guys that had the ability to do great things when combined with the other players. It doesn't matter how great one player is, if they can't find a way to work with the other guys out on the field success is less likely to occur.
Now, I am in no way getting on the band wagon of those who want to bash A-Rod, but it is no secret that the guy creates a lot of media attention and it's not always good attention. From the moment he was traded to New York, the headlines were about how he had committed to playing for Boston and once the players' union wouldn't approve the contract he ended up with the Yankees.
When Alex goes 0-4 with three strike outs during a game in May, it gets blown up as if it's a playoff game. If Paul O'Neill went 0-4 it would get mentioned, but it wouldn't be the centerpiece of the news.
Of course there was the time when Alex was photographed going into a strip club with a blond that wasn't his wife, which went over really well. Then there was his blurred relationship with Madonna, and then his split/divorce from his wife which created more attention for him. My favorite though is last year during the World Series when he opted out of his contract with the Yankees during Game Four; that left a great impression on everyone.
11 comments Last one added 6 months ago — Leave a Comment
matt elias 7 months ago
I think chemistry in baseball is overrated, look at the 1978 Yankees. They hated eachother and won. Also any team that doesn't win its always blamed on chemistry and any team that wins its because they were a great group who got along well. Besides Pavano, I dont see anyone on the Yankees who was a problem toward chemistry. I dont see A-Rod sitting by himself in the dugout. He is joking with Cano and Melky all the time. In fact he got them to workout with him and hopefully that will help their careers. Sheffield all the players liked when he was in town and try to find one Yankee say a bad thing about Giambi. I bet you cant. In fact last year he took the September call outs out for dinner and explained life in the majors to them.
Maybe some guys were distractions to the team but even the championship years had that. Roger Clemens vs. Piazza or David Wells issues.
We watching on TV can not decide the chemistry of teams, we aren't in the clubhouse everyday seeing what goes on.
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Marisa Scolamiero 7 months ago
I agree that we don't see or know everything that goes on in the clubhouse. And the 78 Yankees didn't hate each other--Reggie Jackson was the biggest distraction on that team, but otherwise the rest of the guys had all been playing together for a few years, and were not a bunch of superstars because free agency didn't exist back then the way it is now.
I was simply trying to point out that the teams that were successful during the dynasty years did not have such big names and as a result of not having the attention fall on the individuals the teams were able to perform better. I am not saying that Alex sits on the bench by himself or that anyone dislikes Giambi because I think Giambi probably is a nice guy. I am saying that guys like Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, and David Cone didn't draw the kind of personal attention to themselves that those guys do. Everyone was on the same page and there wasn't all this other crap in the way which allowed them to be successful.
Sometimes there are other factors that exist that can affect a team and I think chemistry is one of them.
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Travis Miller 7 months ago
I agree completely on chemistry. This goes deep into my hatred for Derek Jeter, so I'll try to be as civil as possible here because I respect your writing and I've followed your Yankees articles and I'm very intrigued.
Do you think Jeter REALLY a leader on the team? He was trained by all the right people, namely Bernie Williams, one of the most respected Yankees of this generation.
With all the A-Rod drama, Jeter doesn't go out of his way to stick up for him, he waits until the last second when he's finally cornered about it to comment.
Of course, A-Rod is in his own stratosphere, and doesn't seem to show interest in being a leader on the team either, but with the "C" on his chest, I think Jeter, who has perfected the art of dealing with New York media, should act more like a captain when such issues arise.
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Marisa Scolamiero 7 months ago
Thanks for the comment Travis. I'm a huge Jeter fan and I have to admit sometimes I wish that he would say more publicly and stand up for Alex, but then again that's just not his way. Bernie was one of the quietest players to go through the Bronx and I think the fans loved Bernie for his quiet way as well as his ability to produce...in the same way that they loved Paul O'Neill for his fiery ways.
I can understand why you would say that he should be more vocal, but maybe there are things he says to Alex on the side that we don't know about. Mattingly was much of the same way--he didn't say much publicly and was very big on keeping things "in house" which I think is fine.
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Rob Abruzzese 7 months ago
Please. There were so many teams throughout history that had negative chemistry and won. Want to know how the Yankees fell from grace? Pitching. In the 90's they had Cone, Wells, Clemens, Pettitte, Ed Duque, Gooden, Key. If they had crap pitchers they were the number 5 starter at best. 21st century they decided they needed to get younger with crap like Javy Vazquez and Jeff Weaver. This is not that complicated that you need 3 parts.
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Marisa Scolamiero 7 months ago
I completely agree with you Rob--pitching was the definite downfall which is what Part 4 will cover. My point is that there is always more than one contributing factor to a team's downfall. It was definitely a huge mistake when they went after guys like Vazquez, Weaver, Kevin Brown, Jaret Wright and Carl Pavano.
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Rob Abruzzese 7 months ago
Oh and many people on the 78 Yankees did hate each other. Go read Bronx Zoo by Sparky Lyle. They were constantly criticizing each other and nobody trusted one another. Reggie Jackson wasn't nearly the biggest of their problems. And how can you win the WS in 77 and 78 with the manager threatened to be fired every two weeks if chemistry matters that much? WAH.
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Marisa Scolamiero 7 months ago
The 78 team may have criticized each other, but they were still able to get it done. I think there is a big difference between not getting along and not getting along and being on the same page. The 78 team was not full of a bunch of superstars that were concerned with themselves. They were unique that's for sure, and their manager was even more unique but they were able to succeed because they all had the same goal in mind with limited distractions.
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John Storey 7 months ago
I understand the importance, but don't know if chemistry is really why the Yankees have not had a lot of recent success. Today, the Yankees have a mix of veterans and young guys and the ‘98 Yankees were filled with stars of the day (Jeter, Martinez, O'Neil and Williams). Martinez, Jeter, O'Neil and Williams were all MVP candidates during the Yankee dynasty. Oh, Hey TRAVIS... I like how in your bio you are all about your editing skills and your writing credentials. You might want to review this statement: "Do you think Jeter REALLY a leader on the team?"- And to answer your question: Yes. Jeter is a great leader and motivator- kind of like Varitek but produces.
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Marisa Scolamiero 7 months ago
Thanks for the comment John. The Yankees have more veterans than anything else. Their starting catcher, short stop, third baseman, and most of their outfielders are all over 30. The exceptions to that are Cano, Gardner, Wang, Joba and a few other pitchers who don't factor into the every day team. The championship teams were filled with stars but not by the standards of a superstar like today with guys like A-Rod, Giambi, etc who were signed based on their ability to be able to carry a team. Martinez, O'Neill, and Williams were considered good players, but that's all and they mixed in well with the other guys and the results were fantastic. Sometimes when you try to take too many superstars they don't mesh well together because each one is used to being the big name on whatever team they played for before. Having to share that spot light can be difficult for some guys which goes back to my original point that chemistry plays a factor into a team's success.
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J.C. Ayvazi 6 months ago
Like you, I believe chemistry is important.
A heartless (gutless) team with bad chemistry has an excuse to lose, and will. A battling team with turmoil will agree to hate each other off the field, but are professional enough to take it out on the opposing team on the field.
The late 70's Yankee teams were somewhat like the early 70's Battlin' Oakland A's, which also featured Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter.
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