An Open Letter to the 2008 NY Yankees

To the 2008 New York Yankees--

Hey. How's it going?

It's not been an easy season for you guys, I imagine. I get that it's a transition year. I get that things haven't gone according to script. Certain pitchers have gotten hurt or lost the strike zone. Certain hitters have missed over a month with injuries. I get that certain bullpen pitchers have not lived up to expectations.

Dude. Guys. You should know more than anyone else here that you can't write a season off on June 11th. 12th. Before the All Star break. I mean, you all know better than anyone else, that it's just a bad idea to give up on a season so early, so, for the love of all that's holy, can you please stop playing like that?

Look. I don't expect you to win 100 games. At this point, I don't expect you to win 90 (though you'll have to if you want to play in October). The thing is, though, I expect you to not give up on a game just because the other team has a lead.

I thought maybe we had gotten over this after last weekend. At least, that was my hope. Maybe we have and I'm just overreacting...but I can't stress how frustrating it is for a fan.

See, there are two ways to play .500. There's the way where you're like the Orioles--a team everyone expected to lose 100 games this year (okay, so technically they still can), a team everyone thought was the only one in the AL East to regress in the off season, and you go on and defy all expectations. It's the .500 where you fight every game, even the losses, and say, 'hey, maybe there's something here'.

Then there's the 2008 Yankee .500. That's the .500 where the effort looks lackluster, barely above minimum. It's where the games you lose are the ones you lost the second the other team scored their first run. It's where you don't get those extra insurance runs with RISP. It's the .500 where you keep waiting for that big run of 10 straight wins to come, to push you firmly over the edge...

...but if you keep waiting, it will never come.

I'm not saying everyone has to play like an all star (though it'd be nice). What I am saying, however, is that you guys have got to remember is that if you play good, sound, fundamental baseball, you'll win some games. If you play each game with heart--if you refuse to give up outs or remember to work each at bat to its fullest--you'll win some more. When you finally figure out that greatness (and a long win streak) comes to those who take it, and not those who wait, for it, you'll find yourselves above .500 for good.


Here's hoping.

Rebecca