A Constructive Loss? Yes

Well, what can you say, Yankee fans?

How do react to what happened to Darrell Rasner in the first inning of Saturday's game against the Mets? I just shook my head in disbelief as for the second time this season, the Yankees lost a starting pitcher in the first inning of a game due to a liner back to the mound. How much more can this team endure? Between the rainouts, hamstring pulls, and liners back to the mound, the Yankees can't field a consistent starting five. It's very frustrating, because it's still early in the season and you know this team will hit, so if they can just get a consistent rotation going, they will start to win.

So let's get back to "how do you react?"

Maybe we should all react like our Yankees did on Saturday.  As deflating as losing a pitcher to injury for the second time this year is; as deflating as a stagnant offense is;  as deflating as falling 10 games behind the Red Sox is; and as deflating as trailing 8-2 in the early innings is, this team REFUSED to give up.

I know I'm going to anger my critics who constantly deride me for seeing everything "through my pinstriped glasses", but I saw something very important in Saturday's loss to the New York Mets. On Saturday, I saw a Yankee team that through their play said, we are going to fight through this. With all the things that were going wrong and went wrong recently, I saw a group of guys mount a valiant comeback in the the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings of a game they would eventually lose, 10-7. In a game where they could have just packed it in and said "woe is us", these New York Yankees refused to die easily. I like that in a team, and that's why I'm confident this club will turn this season around soon.

On Saturday, I saw Johnny Damon sliding hard into second base breaking up a double play. I saw Derek Jeter "busting" it down the first base line when he hit a routine ground out. I also saw Jorge Posada and Alex Rodriguez try to carry the team victory in the 8th and 9th innings. When I saw the reactions of the players in the Yankee dugout in the late innings, I didn't see a group of guys with their heads down. Instead, I saw everyone cheering on the rallies. If you looked very closely, the Yankees were telling the baseball world, don't count us out just yet.

After the game was over, I also was buoyed by the comments I heard from some of the players. Damon blamed himself for not making what would have been a terrific catch in center on a homer hit by David Wright. Mike Myers said he "let the team down" when he was called in after Rasner got hurt. Alex Rodriguez gave support to Robinson Cano, who had a three error day. There were no excuses in that locker room. As a matter of fact, from the way they played the game, and from their post-game comments, I sensed a confident resolve in this TEAM.

Yes, I know my critics and post 1996 Yankee "fans" only count wins and losses, but I'm different.  There are certain times in a season when I "see" things in a team. I believe I saw something on Saturday, and I assure you, many Yankees will talk about that game as a "spring-board" if they start playing well the rest of the way.

www.yankeetradition.com