04/13: The Big Picture
Posted by: Patrick
The big picture is important. Seeing the big picture is one of the things that makes a good leader. Seeing the big picture is a big reason that Joe Torre is the tops at what he does.
As Yankee fans, sometimes we fail to see the big picture. We focus too much on little details, failing to recognize that different people have different opinions (Torre is a person, yes - with 4 rings, nonetheless). For example, as to the talent of one Andy Phillips. Some feel he should be getting X amount of time and some feel that he shouldn't. Seriously, whatever. It's Andy Phillips. That doesn't make either side wrong or stupid, but I think when such things are a point of contention, this kind of perpetuates the thought of spoiled Yankees fans. Oh my gosh, Torre put Cairo at 1B instead of Phillips! He's crazy! KILL HIM! How must a Pirates or Royals fan be thinking of us right now? "Look at those crazy people."
If they got a Jeter at short stop, that'd make their year. They wouldn't care if they had 2 year olds at the rest of the infield positions. Same for Mo. If they got Mo, it'd make their year. They wouldn't care if they had no infield. Yet, we spend time talking about how clutch Jeter isn't or downplaying his greatness because the media may or may not play it up. Why do we allow ourselves to be influenced by the media to the point where we fail to enjoy having a player like Jeter and instead try to prove that he is less "clutch" than others? Similar with Torre. We haven't won in 6 seasons, so what? We've been in the playoffs every year that he has managed. That's awesome, I don't care what your payroll is. He has given us 4 rings as manager. I'm still getting over the fact that we won at all. To try to say that anyone could have done that or that so and so could have is incredible to me. I'll take the 4 in the hand (or whatever he ends up with) over the 10 or whatever in the bush. Are we fans or what? Enjoy it and bask in it. We're lucky, folks. Lucky. Don't lose sight of this because one day, it'll be gone. All good things must come to an end.
I remember the day we traded for A-Rod. I was at my grandparents house and my grandfather was still alive. It was surreal. How did the Yankees, the best team in baseball on paper, go out and get the player who is widely considered the greatest in baseball? I couldn't believe it. I just thought "Thank goodness I was born a Yankee fan."
People talk about Posada as a worry. Posada is still one of the better catchers in baseball. You see, generally at this stage of the game, the "worries" of Yankee fans are mainly just idle stuff. i.e. "We have a good catcher, but not the best catcher (at this moment)." "We have a good right fielder, but hey, not the best. I wish we had signed Vladdy!" And the like. Even with Tony Womack. We've got a team of stars and all we talk about is Tony Womack?
I don't worry myself with little details here and there when it comes to the Yankees. Why is X starting today? Because Y can't start everyday, that's why. Cairo getting time at 1B is our concern? We have Posada at C, Giambi at DH, Cano at 2B, A-Rod at 3B, Jeter at SS, Matsui in LF, Damon in CF and Sheff in RF. We have Mariano freaking Rivera in the bullpen. We may not have the best rotation in baseball, but it's pretty darn close. And our pen isn't so bad, either. And we have to think about the weakest thing and then use that to complain about Torre, Cashman, Steinbrenner, et all? What's wrong with us? We're people, they're people. Everyone has a different opinion. We can't have the best at every single spot. But, I think some Yankee fans have lost (or had it greatly compromised) the ability to appreciate what we have here.
So, we started 1-4, so what. That's baseball. We could have done things X random fan's way and still been 1-4 (or worse). This is baseball. But, unlike other teams that started 1-4 (or worse), we actually don't have a heck of lot of reasons to worry because we actually have a good, proven, talented team that allows us to write off a slow start as simply "baseball," meaning that you win some, you lose some. For others, they know their team just isn't there and it's going to be a long year. That will happen to us eventually, but that day is not today, even though some may choose to act like it is.
As Yankee fans, sometimes we fail to see the big picture. We focus too much on little details, failing to recognize that different people have different opinions (Torre is a person, yes - with 4 rings, nonetheless). For example, as to the talent of one Andy Phillips. Some feel he should be getting X amount of time and some feel that he shouldn't. Seriously, whatever. It's Andy Phillips. That doesn't make either side wrong or stupid, but I think when such things are a point of contention, this kind of perpetuates the thought of spoiled Yankees fans. Oh my gosh, Torre put Cairo at 1B instead of Phillips! He's crazy! KILL HIM! How must a Pirates or Royals fan be thinking of us right now? "Look at those crazy people."
If they got a Jeter at short stop, that'd make their year. They wouldn't care if they had 2 year olds at the rest of the infield positions. Same for Mo. If they got Mo, it'd make their year. They wouldn't care if they had no infield. Yet, we spend time talking about how clutch Jeter isn't or downplaying his greatness because the media may or may not play it up. Why do we allow ourselves to be influenced by the media to the point where we fail to enjoy having a player like Jeter and instead try to prove that he is less "clutch" than others? Similar with Torre. We haven't won in 6 seasons, so what? We've been in the playoffs every year that he has managed. That's awesome, I don't care what your payroll is. He has given us 4 rings as manager. I'm still getting over the fact that we won at all. To try to say that anyone could have done that or that so and so could have is incredible to me. I'll take the 4 in the hand (or whatever he ends up with) over the 10 or whatever in the bush. Are we fans or what? Enjoy it and bask in it. We're lucky, folks. Lucky. Don't lose sight of this because one day, it'll be gone. All good things must come to an end.
I remember the day we traded for A-Rod. I was at my grandparents house and my grandfather was still alive. It was surreal. How did the Yankees, the best team in baseball on paper, go out and get the player who is widely considered the greatest in baseball? I couldn't believe it. I just thought "Thank goodness I was born a Yankee fan."
People talk about Posada as a worry. Posada is still one of the better catchers in baseball. You see, generally at this stage of the game, the "worries" of Yankee fans are mainly just idle stuff. i.e. "We have a good catcher, but not the best catcher (at this moment)." "We have a good right fielder, but hey, not the best. I wish we had signed Vladdy!" And the like. Even with Tony Womack. We've got a team of stars and all we talk about is Tony Womack?
I don't worry myself with little details here and there when it comes to the Yankees. Why is X starting today? Because Y can't start everyday, that's why. Cairo getting time at 1B is our concern? We have Posada at C, Giambi at DH, Cano at 2B, A-Rod at 3B, Jeter at SS, Matsui in LF, Damon in CF and Sheff in RF. We have Mariano freaking Rivera in the bullpen. We may not have the best rotation in baseball, but it's pretty darn close. And our pen isn't so bad, either. And we have to think about the weakest thing and then use that to complain about Torre, Cashman, Steinbrenner, et all? What's wrong with us? We're people, they're people. Everyone has a different opinion. We can't have the best at every single spot. But, I think some Yankee fans have lost (or had it greatly compromised) the ability to appreciate what we have here.
So, we started 1-4, so what. That's baseball. We could have done things X random fan's way and still been 1-4 (or worse). This is baseball. But, unlike other teams that started 1-4 (or worse), we actually don't have a heck of lot of reasons to worry because we actually have a good, proven, talented team that allows us to write off a slow start as simply "baseball," meaning that you win some, you lose some. For others, they know their team just isn't there and it's going to be a long year. That will happen to us eventually, but that day is not today, even though some may choose to act like it is.
Mike A. wrote: