Letter to the Editor: Learn the fundamentals

Buffalo News (New York)
October 28, 2012 Sunday

Mike Harrington is, as usual, right on the mark. This time, regarding the pathetic collapse of the Yankees.

We Yankee fans know that injuries were a factor in this year's demise, but injuries are a fact of life in professional sports. Yet the problem is more systemic. Harrington shows that arrogance and lack of concern for fundamentals of the game are also key reasons for the downfall. 

Sports franchises always walk a thin line between the financial bottom line and striving for excellence on the field. The Yankee Stadium "experience" has become a gouge for the ordinary fan (and indirectly for the taxpayers of our state) and it won't get better. Dissatisfied fans are beginning to vote with their pocketbooks and are making their displeasure known by cascading "boos" down on a substandard product. 

Perhaps we Bills fans can take notice!

Yankee GM Brian Cashman's remark about long counts and "bruising the ball" are also revealing. We can see that this long ball mentality did not pan out very well. I like Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira, but when opposing teams shifted defensively against them, rarely did they take advantage and not try to pull the ball as Paul O'Neill and Tino Martinez did.

The great Ted Williams left an example of how to deal with these defensive hijinks. Maybe it will sink in as the Pinstripers watch someone else in the World Series, again.

Tim Ellis

Hamburg