He Knew He Was Right

At the start of his career, he was the second best catcher on the Yankees. For a few years after that, he was the second best catcher in New York. But, there is no denying Jorge Posada was a very essential part of the Yankees' success for so many years. That switch hitting bat of his lived in the middle of an always potent Yankee lineup, and created pitching matchup problems for the opponent. Despite some ups and downs with the press as his career slowed down, he always has seemed so worthy of our respect and admiration. Some will argue that he is a Hall of Famer, others will argue the opposite. Maybe he does have too few hits to cement his legacy. Perhaps that double off Pedro in the 2003 playoffs was his grandest hit, and even that was eclipsed by what Boone did to end that series. As he says here, however, he "did come out to play everyday", and for a catcher, that's no small feat. We'll miss you, Jorge. Your browser does not support iframes. and Your br...

For as much as my father has given me, I must give my mom credit for my great taste in sports. From the time I was very young, I remember her stories about going to baseball games as a little girl, about her favorite Yankee players and all that. She was also a Giants fan, Rangers fan, and Knicks fan, and definitely had her favorite players from these teams in every era: LT--her initials too, a fact she was well aware of--was a definite favorite, as was Frank Gifford. So was Willis Reed. And Mike Richter. But, it was baseball I talked to her about the most. Mickey was a favorite. Joe D too. On the 70s teams, I remember her talking about two players more than any other: Ron Guidry and Rich Gossage--Louisiana Lightning and the Goose. One the skinny pitcher that struck out everybody, and the other the intimidating closer. In 1996, while her cancer was in remission, the Yankees had that first championship year in 18 seasons. I remember her taking note of the 7th- and 8th-inning pitcher....

To me, there were two George Steinbrenners: The one often vilified in the newspapers before his suspension, and then the one most of us forgave when he returned from it. I was sometimes amused but mostly did not care for the first incarnation of him, grew to like him while he served that suspension, and thought more highly of the humbler iteration we Yankee fans witnessed in the background for most of these last 17 or so years. Steinbrenner had already made good use of the revolving door he installed at the manager’s office in Yankee Stadium and had already coined the sarcastic phrase “Mr. May” before I met him in either 1982 or 1983. In the early 1980s, I worked as a caddy on a private golf course, one where many famous people played. I had grown indifferent to celebrity appearances (aside from perhaps Mickey Mantle…), and when told that I would be Steinbrenner’s caddy, I treated him and his playing partner like I would anybody else. Mr. Steinbrenner was pleasant though; more pleasant...