Sports media could not help but repeat and rehash how the Pirates had not won in the Bronx since 1960, and their last trip there was in 2007, the last year of the Torre era. Case in point: always looking to the past. What no one seemed to care to mention was that Gerrit Cole won in the Bronx. Had things gone differently and the Yankees signed him in 2008 when they drafted him this might have given him more than ten or fifteen career victories in the Bronx. Yes, they had a chance to have Gerrit Cole in pinstripes. Why did they not fail to sign Andrew Brackman in an earlier draft instead of Gerrit? Or more importantly why did they not draft Jacoby Ellsbury instead of CJ Henry in 2005? Think about how that would have helped the Bombers out over the last four or five years, and think of how it might have taken away from Boston’s last two championships. Nope, instead the media much like the Yankees brass looked back.
Instead of focusing on retiring numbers and designating days of appreciation to the likes of Tino Martinez the franchise should have been looking forward not backward. Maybe Tino accosted Cashman or Levine the way he supposedly bullied Marlins hitters and that is how Tino Martinez day was born? What is next? Renaming a public school after Tino? Why not rename Mariano Rivera Avenue after Tino? Or what if Cuomo moves to have the monicker of New York changed? Instead of the Empire State it can be the Tino Martinez State. Honestly, the Yankees can designate days for whomever. That is their business, but Yankees fans must rally around what is really important: the fact that even if this team wins a championship the organization has to change the way it operates.
It has to learn from more successful franchises like the Cardinals and the, gulp, Red Sox and develop more talent. The arguement that the team is consistently contending and can not afford to rebuild is mistaken. How do the Rays always find stud frontline starters and they have been competitive since 2007? Or the Cardinals for that matter? What about the Athletics? Yeah, Jacoby Ellsbury and Masahiro Tanaka have been valuable offseason pick ups, and they are still going to probably perform for the majoritiy of their contracts or so it seems, but what if Tanaka turns into CC? Or Ellsbury becomes A-Rod? -Minus the Daily News stories about how he shaves all his body hair. News reporting at its finest indeed. Then the franchise is stuck relying on the Kelly Johnsons of the world and crossing their fingers that someone else’s castoff becomes the next Yangervis Solarte.
Losing to the Mets in the Bronx should have been the last straw. The team needs to begin developing its own players. Yes, the bullpen with the exception of Kelley and Thornton are all homegrown, but how come the organization can not seem to successfully draft and or develop starters. One can argue Nova, but Nova has been around a few years now and has yet to reach the potential the franchise projects for him. Chien Ming Wang was the last successful Yankees starter to come through the farm system since Andy Pettitte. Anchoring a Yankees staff for a few years and winning nineteen games twice before his career was upended by…baserunning. Are the pinstripes now cursed?
Yankee fans need to stop acting like Cubs fans, and make a statement to the front office. Come to the Stadium with you gear inside out if you have to, a la the Clippers, or boycott the food establishments there. Something. Anything. Just make the front office know that this is the Bronx, and fans are tired of sitting around and watching the Yankees draft the Cito Culvers and Andrew Brackmans of the world. No disrespect to those two fellas, but this is not tee ball. Everybody does not win. Draft some real ball players.
There is a solid documentary that came out a few years ago called “Pelotero,” that is currently on Netflix. It follows the adversity and successes of two Dominican ball players vying to get signed by major league clubs once they are eligible. It is a baseball fan’s “Hoop Dreams.” Anyway, in it a top prospect, Miguel Sano, dreams of making as much with his signing bonus as Gary Sanchez. Yup, the Gary Sanchez. The one that the Yankees have been touting now almost as long as Dr. Dre has been promising his next album. Well, Sano is almost ready break into the majors in Minnesota with his Thor-like bat, and Gary Sanchez…? Well, he is still a prospect. Not even in Scranton, and more importantly not even a catcher. So he projects as a DH. Great because the Yankees do not have enough DHs.
Make some noise Yankee fans, or the bleepin Red Sox will continue to win from here forward while the Yankees keep finding days to designate for players like Mike Stanton, Johnny Damon, or Damaso Marte. Mind you all of those guys helped us win in the past, but what about now? What about the future?
