Win It For The Boss

The New York Yankees come into the halfway point of the season looking like the Yankee team from their 2009 season. With key departures such as Johnny Damon [Tigers] and last year’s World Series MVP Hideki Matsui [Angels], the Yankees have filled in the missing pieces using their youth. The Yankees traded OutFielder Melky Cabrera and acquired former Yankee pitcher Javier Vasquez. Vasquez had a not so good first stint with the Yanks in 2004, but you can’t help but value his durability. Vasquez has thrown over 200 innings the past couple of years for the Atlanta Braves and looks to help get  the Yankees back to the Fall Classic. The Yankees  now have a steady pitching rotation which already has 3 pitchers with 11 or more wins, C.C. Sabathia with 12 , Phil Hughes with 11, and the veteran 38- year- old left hander Andy Pettitte, who seems to get better with age,. The 38 year old left-hander also with 11 wins.  On offense the Yankees acquired CenterFielder Curtis Granderson to add more athleticism and youth to the Yankee club along with speed and power. The Yankees are currently in first place in the AL East.                As exciting as the Yankee season has been this year in the first half, this week they started the second half playing with heavy hearts. Early and midlast week, former Public address Announcer Bob Sheppard passed away. Sheppard was the Yankees P.A. announcer for nearly 4 decades. Known as “The Voice Of God”, Sheppard made poetry out of his games and has had an impact on players such as Yankee Captain Derek Jeter, who has requested that it be Sheppard’s voice he hears when he comes to bat. Bob Sheppard was 99 years old. The Yankee universe took another blow as the sports world learned of the passing of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner on the morning of July 13. Steinbrenner bought the New York Yankees in 1973, and took a struggling franchise and built them into a championship-caliber team. To many people, George Steinbrenner was a tough hard-nosed businessman who cared so much about winning. The other side people tend not to see was a kind and determined owner who was really involved in the clubhouse and cared about his players. Steinbrenner gave control of the Yankees to his two sons Hank and Hal Steinbrenner in 2007 due to his health issues. George Steinbrenner died at the age of 80.   Now as we get closer and closer to October  with added motivation to repeat as champions, the Yankees must stay consistent and get their timely outs and continue to get a hot bat  from Robinson Cano, as well as receive production from the 3 and 4 spots in the lineup which are held by Mark Teixeira  and Alex Rodriguez. The Yankee lineup from 1 through 9 has been very reliable so far this year and they will need to be swinging hot bats in future playoff matchups with the Red Sox, Twins, Tigers, and Rays. “One game at a time visions are our one goal”, the words of Manager Joe Girardi, and a 28th world championship for the “boss” and the Yankee universe.