Were John Tesh asked to write a piece on the 1996 New York Yankees, he might harmonize, "Little ballplayers choking, can you see." A 12-game lead with two months remaining meant one thing to the most dominant sports franchise in American professional sporting history--time to retool. In fact, it was time for the Yankees to undergo a complete overhaul, and, along with that, a rebuilding stage.
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One consequence of Watson's decision to move Ruben Sierra: Darryl Strawberry, who had been brought to the Bronx a month earlier to supply some left-handed home run pop, was asked to find a glove and pointed in the direction of the Yankee Stadium outfield. It was a surface he had not formally graced since last year in the opening game of a four-game home series with the Cleveland Indians.
In the bottom of the ninth inning of that game, with the Yankees up by four runs and Indian runners on the bases, Kenny Lofton hit a towering drive towards the short porch in right-field. The Straw-Man declared that he wanted no part of that ball, and he let it bound up against the base of the wall for an extra-base hit.
As the ball was rolling around the grass, former Yankee manager Buck Showalter vowed that Darryl would never again see the outfield grass as a Yankee, replacing him with Dion James, who would not too soon remind us of the divine outfield play of Joe or Mickey.
In addition to placing Darryl in the outfield, current Manager Joe Torre was forced to tell fleet-of-foot outfielder Gerald Williams, possessor of the best arm in the American League, to grab some pine.
Bob Watson had boomed vocipherously that no longer would exciting, fast-paced National League ball be played in the American League East, because now, we can all sit by idly and wait for Cecil or Darryl to catash one.
As luck would have it, since that fateful day in August, the Baltimore Orioles have caught fire and won games by delivering numerous clutch, two-out hits and receiving reliable starting pitching. The Yankees continued to lose.
In a state of utter panic, Watson added Graeme Lloyd, Pat Listach, Ricky Bones, Luis Sojo, and Charlie Hayes. The Orioles continued to win.
On August 9, the Yankees, who had not lost a series in the Bronx all season, began a series with, ironically, the Detroit Tigers and former teammate Ruben Sierra. Since that weekend series, which saw the Yanks lose two out of three at home versus the worst team in all of baseball, they have been able to win only one series at the Stadium in five chances.
Unfortunately for the Orioles, their pennant chase manufactured itself too little and too late. With 16 games left, the Yankees have a three and one-half game lead on the Birds. More importantly, the Yankees are done rebuilding; they have reached some semblance of unity and cohesion.
Tino has allowed us to remember Donnie for the "Hitman" that he was in the 1980s, instead of a player that should be at first base this season. Cotten Eye Joe Girardi, until the infamous number switch with Cecil Fielder, was one of the premier singles hitters in the league, and he could safety squeeze with the best of them.
Derek Jeter's second-half has made the Yankee brass aware that when his career is over, there will be only one remaining single-digit number unretired. With a line-up such as the Yanks', there cannot be any holes. Last year, Tony Fernandez was the starting shortstop and could switch-hit, so at least there would be a hole from both sides of the plate. The '96 Yankees have a Rookie-of-the-Year shortstop, who could bat third in many Major League batting orders, taking up residency in the nine-hole.
That being said, the Orioles can battle all they want with the White Sox for the Wild Card. Cone is back and becomes the best fifth starter in the history of the game. Key has become his old, sly, cunning self again. Pettitte is Pettitte, need I say more.
Here are three pitchers that could battle to be the number one starter on any American League team except for Baltimore, with Mussina, or Seattle, with Johnson.
In the pen, Brian Boehringer has found a home in Bob Wickman's former position of middle-relief. Graeme Lloyd, Dale Polley, Dave Pavlas, and Jeff Nelson can play around with one or two batters when needed. And then, MVP Mariano Rivera and John Wettelend can do what they did in the first couple of months--three above-the-belt strikes and, to borrow a line from ESPN Sportscaster Craig Kilborn, "No Soup for You."
The Bombers have power, speed, and defense--along with better matchup capability than any other team. Those factors, combined with the pinch hitters on the Yankee bench, create a team built for the playoffs.
Now, they just have to get there. And, when they do, you will again be able to recall the games in August versus the Detroit Tigers. For it was against that lowly team that rookie outfielder Ruben Rivera made an all-out diving, writhing, and thriving catch to save a game for Wetteland and the Yanks...the kind of catch that can turn a pennant race around. And to the two Yankee heros named Rivera, legends have been made from less.