The Bronx is Boiling: Volume One

Mar 3, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees shortstop

(2) goes to field a ground ball in the sixth inning against the Washington Nationals in a spring training exhibition game at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit:

-USA TODAY Sports

I love the Yankees. I love them when they add more hardware to the illustrious trophy case just as much as when they flop like last season. Here’s the thing, though. I couldn’t play baseball worth a lick. I hit one “home run” in my life and it was when I was 10-years old. I hit the ball to the pitchers’ mound and after a comedy of errors I crossed home plate. That was my highlight. Thus, when the team I choose to live vicariously through disappoints… I get angry.

My esteemed editors here at Yanks Go Yard see this as a positive characteristic. They have asked me to come at you each week with what, as Peter Griffin would so eloquently put, grinds my gears. Well, with a full week of Spring Training in the books, I have already seen enough. The Bronx is boiling Yankee fans and it’s time for me to blow some steam.

ENOUGH WITH THE DEREK JETER AND MASAHIRO TANAKA COVERAGE!!!

What are these guys, two pandas mating to save their entire race? In case you missed it, the Yankees missed the playoffs last season for just the second time in the last 20 years. There is a whole lot of other equally important news we as fans need to know than whether or not our 40-year old Captain is a little stiff in the knees after not playing for a whole year. Guess what? He’s sore… end of coverage.

Jeter is the man. The day he retired, I immediately posted a Top Ten Jeter Moments piece right here on Yanks Go Yard as well as a personal homage to The Captain on my own blog. Covering his retirement like this is a lot like Mother’s Day. Why do we need one day to tell our mothers how great they are? Why is Jeter’s last season supposed to make us realize how great Jeter has ALWAYS been? Think about it. If Jeter kept quite and announced his retirement at the All Star break, all eyes would be on the fact that Teixeira and Soriano haven’t played a lick yet and Kelly Johnson is our starting third baseman. Yes, that Kelly Johnson.

It’s also an insult to Jeter to cover him like this. He has earned the respect of his fans, teammates, coaches, peers, and arch rivals for keeping his head down and steering clear of controversy for NINETEEN YEARS. Now in his 20th season, the relentless media wants to prod him incessantly, almost setting him up to do something stupid. Give it a rest.

Poor Tanaka. I can hear Phil Rizzuto right now. Ho-ly Cow! There were articles on this poor guy projecting how people hoped his first bullpen sessions were going to go! Every pitch he has thrown has been documented. I think he was playing catch with his wife and there is already a 30 for 30 about it. Then, after the solid two innings he finally pitched, all that we are hearing about is how great this translates to live play. Cashman thinks he will be a third starter, Girardi may be tinkering with the rotation based on pitching styles, blah blah blah. Here’s a quick recap. Tanaka looked great Saturday in two innings worth of work against half of the Phillies’ real line-up. Let’s be patient and watch how things unfold so we get something to really write about. The only thing I care about is that Tanaka is the next Hideo Nomo and not the next Hideki Irabu. Time, not every pitch in Spring Training, will tell me that.

I get it. It’s a social media world now and sports reporting moves at its fastest pace ever. You have to beat everyone to the punch. That’s the way the media works and I’m here a part of it. Don’t get me wrong. I can’t wait to watch Jeter in action this season and I hope Tanaka is worth every dollar. Hearing about it everyday is exhausting though and it’s not even Opening Day. It’s going to be a long season!

The good news is is that the rest of the Yankees performed pretty well this week in the return to game action. I hope to be hearing as much about Jeter and Tanaka in October as much as we do now. I’ll never get tired of that.