Derek Jeter Announces Retirement

Derek Jeter breaking the hits record at the old stadium, by chris.ptacek (I was at this game).

Well, this is an announcement that every Yankee fan dreaded. We knew it was coming relatively sooner rather than later, but we didn't expect that it would come quite this soon. Yesterday, February 12th, 2014, the beloved Yankee Captain Derek Jeter announced on his Facebook page that he was going to be retiring after the 2014 season.

I always thought that Derek Jeter would continue to play for as long as he could, that he would only ride off into the sunset when his presence was becoming a burden rather than a boon to the team. Perhaps he thinks that that point has been reached.

Let's face it, that ankle injury from the 2012 ALCS was a pretty serious one, and unfortunately Derek Jeter isn't in his 20's anymore. You can't shrug off these kinds of injuries so quickly when you're nearing forty, and some of them just stay with you. Perhaps Derek just doesn't see himself being the player he once was.

This is only my speculation, as he hasn't made mention of it, but I think it is a reasonable one.

And so like last year, we will have a circus. Hopefully the team will be in better condition than it was previously. Hopefully the Captain's farewell tour won't completely overshadow the rest of the team like Mo's did last year. Hopefully the team will make a run into October.

But these are only hopes at this point. The only certainty is that the circus will happen, and it will be a melancholy one. Currently I've got Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr's reunion performance of Hey Jude stuck in my head and it's appropriate for this occasion. It will be a sad song, but Jeter and the Yankees will hopefully make it better, combined with all the other happy memories we already have.

It's the end of an era. With Jeter's retirement, the last active link to the 90's Dynasty will end. But beyond that, Derek Jeter was the symbol of the Yankees for the past twenty years, even more so than Mariano Rivera was. He was also the symbol for Major League Baseball, not just in his popularity, but in a more profound way- the fact that in the steroids era, you didn't need to cheat to win.

It's also the end of an era in my life. The Captain was a link to my childhood. For as long as I can remember, Derek Jeter was the Yankees' shortstop, or hell, even further, he was the Yankees. It is going to be truly strange without him being there. Derek Jeter's retirement is a symbol of the definitive close of a chapter on my life's journey.

It's sad, but we were all truly privileged to see this man play for two decades and lead the team to a World Championship for a quarter of that time. We wouldn't be feeling this way if it was not.

In the meantime, Derek has one more year left, and we as Yankee fans need to enjoy it for all it's worth.

Carlos Beltran Joins the Yankees

Carlos Beltran, donning the number 36, was officially unveiled as a New York Yankee yesterday, and he signified his excitement for the coming year. The contract is worth three years and $45 million, a move some have questioned. Was it wise for the club to spend that much when, all things together, Cano would have been a wiser investment? Undoubtedly it seems to some to signal the same old formula that has usually not panned out for the New York Yankees: the signing of a veteran player in the sunset or twilight of his career for an amount of money that would be better used to pursuing younger players.

Nonetheless, Carlos Beltran is coming off of two solid years, with a combined average of .2825, 56 home runs, 181 RBIs, and an on-base percentage of .3425. These aren't stellar stats, but they are solid ones, and will certainly help a team which struggled to put runs on the board last year.

That seems to be the main focus of the Yankee office this off-season. The team that's known as the Bronx Bombers, after all, wasn't exactly bombing last year. Perhaps this drove a psychological defense mechanism deep into the heart of the office, creating a reaction originating from a strong need to correct this defect.

Still, with the acquisition of these new bats, and the return of at least Jeter and Teixeira, the offense will be (mostly) fine. What's really needed right now is additional arms to the pitching staff.

We will watch with interest as the off-season continues.

Jacoby Ellsbury is Now a Yankee

Today the newest Yankee was revealed, Jacoby Ellsbury, who is to don the number 22 next season. It was a rapid move for the Yankees and the deal fell through quickly. Ellsbury again and again mentioned how excited he was to be joining the Yankees (he doesn't seem to have a flair for these press conferences, I must say), and that he was committed to being part of the core of the future team.

Some have been rubbing their heads at this quick acquisition by the Yankees, especially when the pitching staff has been so lacking (in an era where pitching is dominant again, no less). These people have generally questioned why Ellsbury was so quick to get a seven-year deal while Robbie Cano was let go so comparatively easily.

Whatever the case, Ellsbury brings a lot to the lineup- speed and a healthy dose of power. If indeed he and Bret Gardner are on the same team next year (Michael Kay and others have remarked that the acquisition of Ellsbury fills Bret Gardner's role, making a trade of him for a decent pitcher a more likely possibility), they will be able to make a lot of things happen to move runners across the field and into scoring position. It will healthily compliment the other new bats that were brought in to plug the gaps in the Yankee offensive line that was so uncharacteristically weak last year.

Only time will tell whether this investment was worth a possible go for more pitching, especially in the bullpen. We will await the next few adventures for the start of a verdict.

"One of the Best Days of My Life"

So said Brian McCann at his press conference yesterday, wherein he was officially revealed as the newest New York Yankee, donning the number 34. Signing a five-year, $85 million contract with the club, it seems to me like a good deal for a catcher approaching thirty.

One of the biggest weaknesses in the Yankees' lineup throughout the 2013 campaign was the absence of a reliable bat behind the plate. While you don't expect a catcher to be a .300+ hitter (this is what makes the Joe Mauers of the world so exceptional), the combined batting stats of the various Yankee catchers last season, led by Chris Stewart due to the omnipresent injury bug, were dismal. A combined average of .242, a total of 8 home runs, 38 RBIs, and a combined on-base percentage of .312. McCann by himself beats all of those.

I take the fact that he's a seven-time All Star with a grain of salt, because as we know, position players in that game are decided by fan voting. Not the most reliable method. Still, it is a nice accolade to have on any player's resumes.

Not least of his line items, McCann has a reputation of working well with pitchers and improving pitching staffs. His presence tends to decrease a pitcher's ERA. This can only be good news, especially with a team that struggled to score runs last year. In that situation, it is imperative to prevent the opposing team from scoring, and this is a role Brian McCann seems to fit.

Overall, I'm please with this move. The Yankees signed a desirable free agent to fill a much-needed gap in the team's line, all without breaking the bank. But these pats on the back are easy, the real test will come next year. Many free agent deals have fell well short of expectations in the past, and this is something to keep in mind.

But for now, congratulations to the Yankees and Brian McCann. Let's play ball!

A Congratulatory Note

To the Red Sox and their fans. I didn't want to have to do this but you gotta give credit where it's due. Congratulations to the Red Sox and their fans on their 2013 World Series win. You all put together a hell of a team and bounced back from an extremely disappointing 2012 season in the best way. Well done.

Now the onus is on the Yankees to do the same.

BEING: Mariano - A Review

Fox Sports recently released a documentary about Mariano Rivera's life and career entitled BEING: Mariano. Heartwarming is really the only word I have to describe it, and it is a must-see for every Yankee fan.

The documentary, aside from spinning the Mariano Rivera narrative- his early life in Panama, how he wound up in pinstripes, and the big league career that will no doubt be familiar to any Yankee fan, also showed him in a much more human light- an angle that wasn't about the game of baseball, but rather the man himself.

Priceless footage is sprinkled throughout the entirety of the show regarding Mariano's life behind the scenes of the game, showcasing his thoughts and interactions throughout his final season, and revealing to the audience that Mariano is indeed, a very mortal man, who while enjoying his final season, was also greatly relieved as it slowly came to an end, and how he made sure to give thanks to the game wherever he went, just as he received its thanks.

The life of Mariano Rivera, the family man is also showcased to us. We catch a glimpse into Mariano's next phase in life: the rebuilding of an old church near his home. Family drives everything that Mariano has done, and the viewer can seemingly put himself in Mariano's shoes and feel his relief to now be able to spend more time with them.

Humorous and intimate moments with his teammates are also presented, including a golden segment of a fishing trip in late August that Mariano and his family went on with a number of teammates, including Andy Pettite. Andy was revealed as having caught the biggest fish.

Overall the documentary is well worth watching and is a more intimate version of Yankeeography. It does its job of humanizing Mariano and baseball in general very well, and plenty of laughs can also be found. The folks at Fox really did a good job with this one, and I'm not one that usually praises that company.

My Mariano Rivera Bobblehead Experience

This is a little late, but I thought I'd share my experience of going to the Mariano Rivera bobblehead game on September 24th. My father bought three tickets explicitly because they were giving away the bobbleheads (and we couldn't get tickets to the final home game at any rate because they were all sold out).

We needed to leave early- even earlier than usual (around 4 P.M.) so we could make sure we were one of the first 18,000 fans in attendance to get the bobblehead. After eating a quick couple of pizzas (because we didn't want to get hungry during the game and we all know food is massively overpriced at the Stadium), we got on the 4 train and met my brother on the platform of the Yankee Stadium stop a bit later.

We were surprised at how many people were already there waiting in line, around two hours before game time. Our tickets suggested that we go to Gate 2, so we walked all the way around the stadium to get there. The line was long as hell there two, and went across the street on the other side. We all moaned because we thought that there was no way in hell we were going to get the Mariano Rivera bobblehead.

We waited in line for around 45 minutes, wondering what the hell was going on. Movement was slow at best. Turns out we later learned through someone on their smartphone with a twitter app (ah, the useful uselessness of modern technology) that the truck carrying the bobbleheads broke down, and when the line finally moved and we got to the gate,we were to our pleasure surprised that we would indeed get our bobbleheads- though we got a voucher for them to pick them up later.

The game was a terrible blow out. When I found out later that some people had missed multiple innings after the bobbleheads arrived, I can remind them that they really didn't miss out on much. I wanted to get the bobbleheads before the game ended. My dad didn't. He was right, as we would find out later.

After the game ended, there was no one really telling us where to go to get the bobbleheads. We needed to walk around the stadium- only to see a huge line, and then walk around the stadium again to get to the back of it. My father and I were really angry. My brother didn't really care, but he isn't much of a baseball fan anyway.

Given how long that line was, and how far we were away from the one area of the stadium where they were giving away the bobbleheads (only at one gate, when it really should have been at all exits), we thought we were going to be there for hours. Some of the Yankee Stadium employees even chided us that we would be there until 1 in the morning. How very professional of them.

My line at the time was that this situation is something that I'd expect from a place like the DMV, not from a supposedly first-class organization like the New York Yankees.

To my utter delight and relief however, the line began to move quickly after about fifteen minutes or so, and we got out relatively alright. Far better it seems, than the people who waited during the game itself. Dad 1, me 0.

A few days later the Yankees showed their professionalism by giving all ticket holders to that game a free game in the 2014 season (just as my dad said they should do while on the line). Faith restored.

And hey, I got the bobblehead.