Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Last Days
He hit the ball like he had so many others at this old stadium. The ball came off his bat true and sound. His bat was quick through the strike zone, as quick as those tired and old shoulders can allow. As quick as any swing he has taken this season.
However, this ball, unlike so many others in the past that have rung down the line, or landed in the seats, made a direct path into the glove of the first baseman. Game over, 2-1.
The man on third base would have scored easily, and while it’s doubtful that the slow-footed runner at first would’ve scored, the game would have been tied, the crowd in a frenzy, life again after a 2-0 9th inning deficit.
The player with the tired shoulders and diminishing skills did a hop of frustration, and shook his head bemoaning his luck. The catcher of the winning team jumped out from home plate, and the pitcher pumped his fist half in relief, half in celebration. The first baseman knew how close the ball was to whizzing by his glove and scattering off down the right-field line and into the corner.
In that moment, the moment of a scalding line drive that almost seemed guided into the opposing player’s glove, the realization of a floundering season came into focus. Not only for a team and a franchise that has been spoiled by success, but for an aging player, a once-great player, with tired arms and the end of a career in sight.
He hit the ball like he had so many others at this old stadium. The ball came off his bat true and sound. His bat was quick through the strike zone, as quick as those tired and old shoulders can allow. As quick as any swing he has taken this season.
However, this ball, unlike so many others in the past that have rung down the line, or landed in the seats, made a direct path into the glove of the first baseman. Game over, 2-1.
The man on third base would have scored easily, and while it’s doubtful that the slow-footed runner at first would’ve scored, the game would have been tied, the crowd in a frenzy, life again after a 2-0 9th inning deficit.
The player with the tired shoulders and diminishing skills did a hop of frustration, and shook his head bemoaning his luck. The catcher of the winning team jumped out from home plate, and the pitcher pumped his fist half in relief, half in celebration. The first baseman knew how close the ball was to whizzing by his glove and scattering off down the right-field line and into the corner.
In that moment, the moment of a scalding line drive that almost seemed guided into the opposing player’s glove, the realization of a floundering season came into focus. Not only for a team and a franchise that has been spoiled by success, but for an aging player, a once-great player, with tired arms and the end of a career in sight.
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Was there a turning point to the end of this team's success?
Probably what has killed most dominate companies / teams. Losing focus on the reasons they were winning in the first place.
Would the 1997 Yankee front office ever pick a guy like Kevin Brown over Andy Pettite? Or is the answer to that "yes", and is it that they always had this philosophy, and just backed into success?
As much as it pains me to say, all sports franchises can learn a lot from the New England Patriots.
Mike
Probably what has killed most dominate companies / teams. Losing focus on the reasons they were winning in the first place.
Would the 1997 Yankee front office ever pick a guy like Kevin Brown over Andy Pettite? Or is the answer to that "yes", and is it that they always had this philosophy, and just backed into success?
As much as it pains me to say, all sports franchises can learn a lot from the New England Patriots.
Mike
Hey Mike,
Thanks for checking in, and the response.
I didn't mean to intimate that I thought that Bernie's AB in the 9th on Tuesday was the "turning point of the season."
This team has 52 losses. In reality, not one is less or more damaging to their post-season chances than another.
*As a fan however, our emotions tell us something different. These last two losses to Chicago *feel* much different than any of the bad losses in April. We're feeling the pressure of time running out. And I have no problem reacting that way, b/c that's what makes being a fan fun, and what makes August and September baseall that much more intense.
I don't know if there's such a thing as one, singular "turning point" when looking at a baseball team... or anything for that matter. If there is, then this Yankee team has dozens of candidates. They could be individual plays, pitches and ABs. Or games, or stretches of games. Or signings from two off-seasons ago, like you mentioned. Or injuries or bad moods or the weather or bad luck or the alignment of Jupiter's moons.
However, when writing about things you have to break things down into some generalities, have some centerpiece to your content.
My only point in writing about that last AB on Tuesday was not to suggest it was the "turning point," but to suggest that for this observer, it seemed to crystalize the reality ("brought into focus" I think is the phrase I used) that this team is probably not going to make the post-season.
But hell, I said back in June that if I was forced to make a definitive statement: this team would not make the playoffs.
It's just that when you feel that to be true in the middle of August it carries a bit more weight.
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Thanks for checking in, and the response.
I didn't mean to intimate that I thought that Bernie's AB in the 9th on Tuesday was the "turning point of the season."
This team has 52 losses. In reality, not one is less or more damaging to their post-season chances than another.
*As a fan however, our emotions tell us something different. These last two losses to Chicago *feel* much different than any of the bad losses in April. We're feeling the pressure of time running out. And I have no problem reacting that way, b/c that's what makes being a fan fun, and what makes August and September baseall that much more intense.
I don't know if there's such a thing as one, singular "turning point" when looking at a baseball team... or anything for that matter. If there is, then this Yankee team has dozens of candidates. They could be individual plays, pitches and ABs. Or games, or stretches of games. Or signings from two off-seasons ago, like you mentioned. Or injuries or bad moods or the weather or bad luck or the alignment of Jupiter's moons.
However, when writing about things you have to break things down into some generalities, have some centerpiece to your content.
My only point in writing about that last AB on Tuesday was not to suggest it was the "turning point," but to suggest that for this observer, it seemed to crystalize the reality ("brought into focus" I think is the phrase I used) that this team is probably not going to make the post-season.
But hell, I said back in June that if I was forced to make a definitive statement: this team would not make the playoffs.
It's just that when you feel that to be true in the middle of August it carries a bit more weight.
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