Yankees, Your Fans Need to See Some Fire!

Does anyone remember the fits Paul O'Neill used to throw when he was not performing up to his own expectation?  No water cooler was safe.  Does anyone remember Don Zimmer charging an athlete half his age, over what we will call, a small disagreement between the Red Sox and the Yankees, a few years back?  How about Jorge Posada, exchanging words with Mr "I just tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy", in the same game.  Billy Martin!  Need I say more?  Our Yankee fire has gone all the way to the top of the organization, all the way to the boss, for many years.

Joba Chamberlain gets a bad rap for his raw showing of emotion.  Is he showing his opponents up?  Or is he so pumped about being a Yankee, and succeeding, he cant hide it?  Should that fire be extinguished?  Should it be fanned? 

Shelley Duncan was judged for going in spikes high on Iwamura in Spring Training, after a Yankee catcher Francisco Cervelli, had his wrist broken in a less than meaningful game, due to a hard play at the plate.  Hadn't the stage been set?  Didn't Tampa, and all of baseball for that matter, expect some sort of retaliation? 

A-rod had his chance in the same series to get some pay back at the plate, but opted to stand up right and wait to be tagged without incident.  Why did a younger less established player take the lead in this case?  Why didnt A-rod put his stamp, as a veteran, on this incident?  Did he lay down intentionally, or was he trying to set the tone for the fact that it was over, a dead issue?  That too can be seen as leadership.  If so he should be applauded, but it sets a tone no matter which way he chose to go.

One thing is for sure.  The fire seen in years past seems to be idle.  The embers are there but the flame has long since dissipated.  There are flashes.  Recently the captain went on a tear, thrusting himself to the top of the Yankee record books in hits at the Cathedral.  That isn't the sign of a man believing that his season is over, and thinking it's just a matter of time before the end.  That's the sign of a battle tested veteran who doesn't know how to lay down.  A man with DNA that will never allow weakness. 

During the same stretch New York fans saw their fine second baseman Robbie Cano benched for lack of hustle.  Let's repeat that.  Robbie Cano benched for lack of hustle.  That really does not sound right does it?  That is a sign of a rookie, in comparison to other teammates, knowing not only is his season over, it was quite a disappointment to boot.

There is a kid by the name of Melky Cabrera, known around the club house as Leche.  This kid has a howitzer attached to his shoulder and has shown promise at the dish over the years.  He walks some of the most hallowed ground in all of baseball.  Well, he walked it, but not anymore.  He too was pulled from everyday play and even sent down to the minors, to learn again what it means to be hungry.  Why, what is missing?  Who wouldn't give their all to roam center field for the Yankees?  Who wouldn't offer up their soul? 

Are Leche and Cano having so much fun being Yankees that they forgot what it really means, to be honored and talented enough, to actually be presented the opportunity to wear those stripes?  That is probably not the case but it's hard to argue otherwise.  Their performances don't lend themselves to an alternate argument.

What about Alex -I cant get a clutch hit if my life depended on it- Rodriguez.  This guy hits more meaningless home runs than Yankee fans would care to remember.  Does he really think every hit needs to be a home run?  Is he not one of the most talented baseball players this generation will see?  He seems to out think himself, over evaluate, and stress himself into failure with such ease.  Why the contrast of failure mixed with talent and individual success?

A deep raging fire has burned in the hearts of the greatest athletes on the greatest teams spanning all sports history.  That hunger drives men to lay down their egos, fears of failure, self distractions, even insecurities.  That fire burns so hot that nothing else can be considered above or beyond the success of self and those standing next to them.  The brands they represented took precedence over all.  This deep raging fire has made giants of sheep, and the equal pressure that accompanies it has made mice of men.

Yankee fans saw that fire in years past.  Yankee fans could feel the heat when O'neill would decimate a water cooler, or throw his helmet in disgust.  The flame stood strong when Jorge Posada came out of the dugout to clearly let Pedro Martinez know he was, well for lack of better words, playing with fire. 

Who could deny the flames flickering from the great Billy Martin, both in his playing days and as a manager?  Remember when he pulled the star of stars at the time, Reggie Jackson, for not hustling?  Do you remember the hatred in George Brett's eyes when they called back that home run.  That move, on Billy's part, was stirring, it got the blood pumping. 

Can you feel it when Joba gets that strike out?  Can you see it in Shelley Duncan's eyes when asked "What will you do if you round third base and there's a play at the plate?"  It's there.  It just is not being fanned quite hard enough.  How about the aggression of this kid Brett Gardner?  Is he fun to watch on the bases or what?  He's not so great with the stick but is he ever hungry?

There is honor and discipline involved with being a Yankee.  There is an expectation of carrying your chin high, your back straight, your chest out.  There is an expectation of pure excellence.  This has remained unchanged by time, ownership, or management.  One thing that seems to come and go though is the desire.  The heat. 

The embers are glowing, they need to be fanned.  Joe Girardi must light a fire under his players.  He needs to fan those embers now so it carries into next year. 

Cano, you can be a staple of the Yankee infield for years to come.  You can never lay down, never.  Joba, you can be the next great pitcher of this generation no matter where you play.  You can never change your approach.  Let your emotions fly.  Phil Hughes, don't listen to the expectations.  Do what brought you to us, do what you know how to do and the rest will come.

He needs to remind his veteran players of who they are.  A-rod, your the best New York, or even the world may ever see.  The talent is there.  Stop trying so hard and be who you are, a legendary talent.  Johnny D, your a nuisance, your a pest who can drive a pitching staff crazy.  You were a leader once on a great historical team, don't get lost amongst other Yankee leaders.  Step up with them and lead.  Jeter, just keep on being Jeter.  Posada doesn't need a lick of advice on possessing fire and drive.

The point here is the New York Yankees have seemed dormant on all fronts this year.  Dormancy is not the Yankee way.  Someone in a leadership position would do well to make this a front and center issue.  The Yanks need to wear their emotions on their sleeve.  They need to leave it all on the field every game.  No more excuses in April and May that say, well the season is young, there's still 146 games left to play because in the end it may come down to one game.  No more tipping your hat to opposing pitchers.  If they beat you today, tomorrow let them know it was a fluke.    

The Yanks need to wake up and put their hitting shoes on.  No longer can they lay idle and expect the mystique or aura to carry them.  No more can they rely on their individual greatness to gain success.  They need to rely on each other, and it turn be reliable.  They need to pull together and become a team, a team with heart, a team with fire.  Girardi is the perfect man for the job in that sense.  He too is full of fire.  Look back to his days with the Marlins.  Where was Mr. Nice Guy then?  He needs to quit tip toeing around and show his true colors.  Lead Girardi, Lead.  The time is now.  It is necessary for the future of this organization if success is as important as the hot air that has been issued to the fans recently.

New York and Yankee fans everywhere expect and deserve better than the mediocrity they have been subjected to this year.  Complacency wont do.  Yankee fans expect a forest fire of heart and emotion, and hopefully they will get it in years to come.

Make no mistake, the Yankees are underdogs now.  The Yankees have a lot to prove if they still want to compete with the organizations that have risen from their own ashes to become great stories for all of baseball.  I think that is great motivation for a push in the right direction.  Answer the call Yankees, your fans are waiting.