In case you haven’t noticed, The New York Yankees have been on fire
and been playing some fantastic baseball for the past seven weeks. The team
is hitting well and pitching well. The Bronx Bombers are now loaded with
some great young arms and some live young bats. In addition, they now
have a deep roster with a good mix of veterans and young players. The
Yankee management has provided Joe Torre with lots of different options
and the team is now equipped with a great bench.
Even if a player or two goes down with an injury, it seems that the Yankees
are now rich enough with talent to weather the loss and fill the vacancy without
losing much offense or defense at most of the positions.
In my view, this is the best and healthiest club that A-Rod has ever been
a part of. I believe that the Yankees will make that playoffs and I think they
have enough momentum and confidence to challenge their rivals from Bean
Town. This was not the case at the start of the season, as the Red Sox looked
to be a much better team on paper than did the Yankees.
Alex Rodriguez has proven that he is an outstanding hitter and fielder.
He has put up some incredible offensive statistics and he is on track to surpass
Barry Bonds as the home run king.
He has also been an excellent third baseman since arriving in New York
and has made all the routine plays and a ton of fantastic plays at third base.
At times, he has looked like Brooks Robinson at the hot corner.
There is no question that he will make it to the
Hall Of Fame on the first
ballot and he will be looked upon as one of the all-time great players-even if
he stopped playing now.
Earlier in the year, I wrote a column about how he might leave New York
if the Yankees and he do poorly in the playoffs. It appears that he is really enjoying
his teammates and the Big Apple now and I think it may make sense for him to
stay here given the kind of talent that is surrounding him now.
If he really wants some championship rings, he ought to remain as member of
the Yankees. To me, they look like they have the kind of nucleus of players that will
allow them to create a baseball dynasty for the next three or four years.
Stick around A-Rod. You will win some championships here and if you
are patient you could break the home run record in a beautiful new ball park.
The fans seem to be loving you and that adoration will grow exponentially if you stay in
New York.
If you don’t win it all this year, it looks like multiple championships are
just around the corner. Being part of a baseball dynasty and breaking some
of the games most revered records ought to be enough motivation to remain
in The Bronx for the rest of your career.
Jay P. Granat, Ph.D. is a Psychotherapist in River Edge, NJ. He frequently writes
on sports and sport psychology. He is the
Founder of www.StayInTheZone.com