It’s September, and it looks like the Yanks are out of it. But somehow, deep down, I still have playoff hopes.

I read an article where Brian Cashman was talking about a comeback. What he said was, the Yankees have to shoot to gain one game in the standings every week until their series in Fenway at the end of the month. Just ONE game a week, then, after gaining momentum, running away with the series against Boston. When it’s put that way, I can’t help but have some hope.

I’m back at Boston University for the fall semester, and I’d like nothing better but to spend a eight hours that weekend waiting for tickets behind the Green Monster if it means seeing the Yankees overtake the Red Sox and clinch a playoff spot. They came close to catching the Sox for first place last year. Now, when the situation is much more desperate, I think the Yanks have a roster that can turn up the heat and perform.

Look, tonight the Yanks beat the Rays. Mussina is as close to an ace as the Yankees have, and Pettitte is solid. Jeter is solid, A-Rod is solid, Damon and Abreu are in rare form. Joba came back tonight for some much needed bullpen support, and I think Dan Giese can be another difference-maker in the mid- to late innings. And maybe, just maybe, Phil Hughes can return to replace Ponson and nab a few wins.

It’s certainly not over. The odds are clearly not in the Yanks’ favor. But with their lineup of professional, experienced hitters, they could buckle down and start playing like a team with a purpose. Yet, I can only hope and dream…   

Robinson Cano is SO MUCH BETTER than Dustin Pedroia.

I just wish he had the mentality to do everything he can to help his ball club win games. Pedroia beats him in that department, and that seems to be making all the difference.

Wow! Two entries on one day?! Andrew, you really must have nothing to do.

Wrong. I just really, REALLY, love baseball.

1. Albert Pujols: What else is there to say about Pujols? Ever since he broke into the league he’s been challenging all-time greats like Gehrig. Every time this guy steps up to the plate my eyes are transfixed on the television screen, and he seldom disappoints. Not only a complete hitter with a beautiful stroke, but a great defender and, as far as I can tell, a great teammate and human being.

2. David Wright: Such an exciting young guy for the Mets to have, he’s just a gritty, exciting ballplayer with all the tools. I always remember that crazy barehanded over-the-shoulder catch he made at 3rd. I like him so much that I, a Yankee fan, bought a David Wright shirt while at a game at Shea.

3. Alfonso Soriano: Former Yankee second baseman, and I’m still sad at his departure top Texas for A-Rod. Love watching Sori hit with that huge bat. One of the most powerful leadoff guys in the game with plenty of speed to boot.

4. Hanley Ramirez: This guy is just the man. So many tools, so much time left to put them on display. I can’t wait to watch this guy play for playoff-caliber teams.

5. Ichiro: Such an anomaly. I remember being astonished when he broke into the league in ’01, throwing lasers to third from right field, and hitting singles after pitches bounced in the dirt. Such a unique approach to hitting, and, even after 8 years, you love to see how uptight and frustrated a team can get with him at the dish or on the base[aths.

6. Vladimir Guerrero: Pure. Raw. Hitting Ability. Period. Free swinger, and even though it gets him into trouble, you gotta love watching him take his hacks- especially when he does get hold of one. Also, that arm! I once saw him warming up at Yankee Stadium, throwing long toss from left field over the fence in right. He’s a pure, natural baseball force.  

There you have it. Maybe I’ll make another list of pitcher’s that I really like. Maybe…

Just finished watching another disapppointing loss for the Yanks today against the Jays. They had a 6-2 lead against John Parrish, and it looked like all systems were go until the bullpen lost the lead. Unfortunately, the game was capped by another tragic defeat for A-Rod, whose shot to third ended sourly in a 5-3 double play.

Now, I don’t blame A-Rod for his current struggles. With runners in scoring position, his numbers flucuate from year to year. I have the opinion that clutch hitting is really all based in luck. A-Rod seemed to come through in every high pressure situation last year. This year, his overall stats are still among the best in the league: .306 AVG/ 28 HR/ 80 RBI, and his .968 OPS is right on track with his career mark. Yet he’s grounded into 11 double plays this month alone. 

He looks bad because, in the dire situation that the Yanks have been in all August, he has suffered from bad timing. His hits come with the same frequency as always, but they come early in games rather than later. A-Rod knocked Jeter in today with a single, but was booed in the end for a hard hit ground ball that went straight to 3B Jose Bautista. The ruthless baseball world will point to that play as the squandering of the ball game and possibly the season, and A-Rod will bear the brunt of attacks.

Yet, really, the problem here is this whole Yankee team. They are a stark contrast to the new style of baseball being played by teams such as the Rays and Angels that sit atop their respective divisions. The Yankees, although plagued by injuries, were never nearly as complete as the Rays, Angels, Cubs or Red Sox in 2008. These are teams with resplendent collections of diverse talents. They can all get on base, run, hit for power, and, more importantly, pithc and play defense. The teams aren’t built from superstars, but their mix of youth and veterans makes for a deadly combination of hustle and experience.

The Yankees, on the other hand, have a roster packed with eight-figure salaries and graying hair. Don’t get me wrong, vets like Mo, Moose, Pettitte, Jeter, Abreu, Damon, and A-Rod continue to contribute to the fullest. The depletion of the pitching staff has hurt the Yanks immensely this year. But even with a clicking lineup and solid veteran starters, no one on the Yanks can be a threat on the basepaths like Crawford, no one can track down balls in the outfield like Torri Hunter, and the lineup can’t create runs the ways the Cubs or Angels have done with guys like Theriot and Figgins. The Yanks have experience on the mound, and discipline and power at the plate. They lack sparkplug players that thrive on the subtle, more nuanced aspects of the game. They need a cohesive lineup that can manufacture runs.    

I don’t know how to build such a lineup. I don’t have any specific answers (besides seeing Texiera in pinstripes in ’09). But the 2008 season has showed us that the Yankees have to change their style of play if they want to stay in the hunt for the playoffs in the future.  

Is it…

…a college kid who decides the Sox are his or her favorite team “since I’m in the city anyway”?

…the desire to buy a shirt at Kenmore square that says “Jeter Drinks Wine Coolers” when that sentiment has no relevence to the game of baseball whatsoever?

…a few cute girls in pink Sox jerseys that still wonder where Johnny Damon is and “does he still have that beard?”

…a stomach full of alcohol and a mouth full of insult?

…the courage to confront a Yankees fan (only if you are amidst a huge crowd of other Red Sox fans or driving in a car past said Yankees Fan)? 

…a lack of respect for players and for the game itself?

…a bandwagon?

Look, I know there are plenty of truthful, die-hard fans who live and breathe the Boston Red Sox. I’ve seen and talked to lots of fans who know their team inside and out, and won’t hesitate to engage in a friendly baseball conversation. But, as a Yankees fan at Boston U, I’ve also been a target of what has to be the worst malevolence of any baseball fans throughout the country. I’ve observed some of the worst cases of bandwagonism as well.  

 So please, PLEASE stop bragging about ‘the Nation’ when 75% of Sox fans are either drunk and belligerent or can’t even name a relief pitcher besides Papelbon.

All right, so maybe it’s just because I’m a kid myself, but I think all these old-timers complaining about player celebrations is garbage. Seeing pitchers pump a fist after a strikeout or teams that bombard a batter after a walk-off hit is great for the game. At a time when baseball is trying to regain credibility after an age of steroids and deceit, this type of intensity makes for a cultural image that can keep America watching. 

Now, I understand that SOME celebrations CAN be deleterious to the personal integrity and image of players and teams. I’d be pretty upset to see a guy milk a home run trot when there team is already ahead by 7 or 8 runs. But who is to tell Joba Chamberlain to control his emotions after striking out the side in the eight inning of a one-run game? This is a 22-year-old kid who consistently helps his team and loves doing so. Who’s to say that he has to suppress the enthusiasm and intensity with which he approaches each of his appearances?

MLB is on the cusp of a new era. So many teams have so much talent in this 2008 season, and young players often seem to be at the heart of many clubs’ successes. If the athletic talents of these players come with an innate intensity and desire to win on the field, how can we, as fans, be disappointed?