It is said that next door neighbors cannot savor the Grand Canyon. Usher grew tired of Heidi Klum's face. By 60, Pete Townsend couldn't hear a note the Who was playing. One tragic flaw of humanity is our incredible ability to overlook the obvious.
So let us now state the obvious:
The heart of the Yankees should bat in the heart of their order.
Bat Derek Jeter third.
Listen: The Yankees are three quarters into a season embodied by two darkly competing Yins and Yangs: We win with homeruns, and we lose with runners left on base. History tells us this formula will fail in the playoffs. Too often, the middle of our order has let us down, in part because it was trying to hit homeruns. Now, we have one of the great leadoff hitters in history - batting ninth. He's showing signs of re-emerging. Meanwhile, our best hitter is leading off. He needs to be in the center of things.
Sir, for the Yankees and for history:
Bat Derek Jeter third.
What? Did somebody out there actually think Jeet can't handle third? Ladies, this is Derek Jeter we're discussing. This isn't Curtis Granderson. And we don't need a homerun slugger hitting third. We have six of them in the lineup. Batting third, we need a single that scores the runner. This season, we have no better clutch hitter than our captain.
Bat Derek Jeter third.
For unexplained reasons, Robbie Cano has tanked lately. He's not hitting. He's not fielding. Surely, he will snap out of it. In the meantime, why bat him in the middle of every rally? Nor have Teixeira and Grandyman hit enough for average to justify batting third. Arod is out. Jeter - now hitting around .320 - has earned the right to bat third.
Consider the lineup:
Ichiro.
Swish.
Jeet.
Robbie.
Tex.
Chavez.
Grandyman.
Jones/Ibanez.
Martin
Bat Derek Jeter third.
Imagine it: The playoffs. The World Series.
"Batting third for the Yankees, the captain, Derek Jeter."
I get goosebumps. Do it, sir, and we will win the World Series.
What a line up!
ReplyDeleteI hope A-Rod does not recover in time to mess this up.
Say, wasn't there a poll about whether or not we should have kept AJ? Usually poll results are trumpeted in a post, with the final numbers for all to see.
ReplyDeleteSince there was no 'AJ was a complete head case in New York and it doesn't matter what he does elsewhere, he would be mediocre at best here,' I was one of the thin plurality that said we don't need his 15 wins. Mainly because if he was here, we'd be enjoying 5 or 7 wins with a equal or more number of losses.
However, even though the choices were badly worded to produce a desired outcome, when I last looked I believe the 'We don't need his 15 wins' was the winner, albeit by a slim margin. A landslide when you consider how the choices were skewed to give the completely opposite result.
I do miss the walk-off pies. Other than that....fare the well, oh homeliest Yankee pitcher since Randy Johnson. May your great stuff actually result in great performance in third-tier media markets until the day you hang up the glove.
I don't get the Dreyfus Affair reference. Am I missing something here?
ReplyDeleteSuzuki has a .294 OBP, even lower than Martin's .302. He has walked only once in 32 games as a Yankee. Since the trade, Seattle has a better record than we do. This is not a coincidence.
ReplyDeleteBut you want him to bat leadoff?
You are dazed and confused.
Duque, you owe these people answers.
ReplyDeleteWith regards to the AJ poll: I happen to know that some people purposely target and at times even change their responses in order to attempt to embarrass me.
ReplyDeleteIt does not work.
The fact is, everybody KNOWS the AJ Burnett trade is a blight upon Yankeekind. My mistake was in believing the voters would be willing to accept this.
With regard to the Dreyfuss Affair relevance: Relevance is in the eye of the beholder.
ReplyDeleteWith regards to Ichiro's on base percentage: Even though it is low, he puts the bat on the ball and is a definite threat to steal. Right now, Russell Martin is ahead of him in the lineup. That means Russell Martin stands a better chance of getting more at bats in a game than Ichiro. Ichiro batting first might just energize this team. And Jeter would drive him in.
ReplyDeleteThere. THERE are your answers, Mustang.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't think I don't know how you voted on the AJ poll. You've made your views quite clear. YOU'RE A CASHMAN ENABLER. Everybody knows it.
I voted '15 wins,' along with the majority. YOUR EFFORT TO SUPPRESS THE VOTE NOTWITHSTANDING.
ReplyDeleteDuque, Duque, Duque...vote suppression never works. Ohio in 2004 and Florida in 2000 (kind of) notwithstanding.
ReplyDeleteYes, Suzuki puts the bat on the ball. But then the ball usually bounces to the second baseman, who throws him out. He can't steal first. He's washed up. Not to mention over the hill.
ReplyDeleteSince the trade: NYY 17-16; Seattle 20-12.