It has been said that Alexander the Great's finest quality was his ability to inspire loyalty in his men. This ability enabled him to become one of the most successful military commanders in Western history. And it might be a stretch to compare Alexander to Mr. Girardi, but today's events showed me something.
As the crescendo rose to a deafening roar, as fans, players, and the media shouted from the rooftops at the Yankees to start hitting or else, the team responded as any multi-million dollar group would. They went down in order for the first 5 innings of the game.
Pitching well, Joba allowed a home run in the 5th that put the Braves ahead 1-0. In the top of the 6th, Gardner worked a walk. But before a pitch was thrown to Cervelli, Gardner was picked off on a bad call. Girardi dashed onto the field to protest. Nearby fans shouted angrily and gestured profanely at Girardi (Atlanta is one of the Yankee-despising capitals of the world, and with good reason). Girardi was tossed. And that's when the Yankee bats awoke, starting with Cervelli.
I wrote yesterday that the Yankees looked like they didn't care about the outcome. I still think I might have been wrong. But watching the game yesterday, one can no longer deny that the source of the Yankees' struggles was mental. Because when Girardi was tossed, the Yankee bats utterly exploded. Cervelli sent the next pitch into the seats, pumping his fist on his way around the bases. Players in the dugout came alive. Jeter lined one into left, Damon lashed a ball into center. Even A-Rod smoked an 0-2, 2 out fastball with the bases loaded in a tie game, hitting one into center field, bringing in two, and giving the Yankees the lead for good. Silenced for 5 innings, the Yankees smacked around nearly every pitcher they saw on their way to winning the game 8-4.
A game like this makes one think that the Yankees struggles were mental. The amelioration of these troubles is the responsibility of the coaching staff. Girardi needs to find a better way to motivate his players, but one thing can be said for him. For all his issues with player motivation and his judgement in allowing pitchers to stay on the mound too long, Girardi seems to have earned the loyalty of his players. And loyalty is the most important thing a manager, or a military commander like Alexander, must have from his group. When he has that, anything is possible.
By the way, it was fun to watch Mariano bat yesterday. The pitchers in the dugout were beside themselves watching Mariano sky one into center in the second at bat of his career. Good entertainment. And a good decision by Pena to allow Mariano to come in when Bruney was struggling to finish the 8th.
Projection for this road trip: 4-5
Result: 2-3
Result: 2-3
Games remaining: 4
No comments:
Post a Comment