Photo credit: @Dlauraposada

The Yankees really know how to put together a great event to send a guy off. If you missed it, no worries – below is a short summary with links to the actual videos of the event. Fair warning: you should probably have a box of Kleenex handy.

• Jorge gave a very emotional speech in which he said “I could never wear another uniform… I will forever be a Yankee.” He acknowledged Mariano’s impact on his five World Series titles (“We wouldn’t have any of those without you”) and joked with Derek Jeter (“I hope you won’t miss me too much”). You can watch his full speech here.
• Thurman Munson’s widow, Diana, spoke about how Jorge brought her back to baseball and how she followed his progress in the box scores every day. She concluded by saying “I’m so honored to have loved two Yankee catchers in my life.” You can (and should) watch her entire speech here.
• Long-time Yankees fans got a chance to thank Jorge and share what his years in pinstripes have meant to them. Video here.

As for future plans, Jorge said he doesn’t have anything in mind at the moment, and says he is looking forward to spending the summer with his family. It seems only fair that his family should have the summer with him, considering we fans have had the privilege of spending the last 17 summers with him.

Thanks for everything, Jorge. We’re going to miss you.

• Mark Feinsand argues that #20 deserves a spot in Monument Park.
• Yogi Berra has some nice words to say about Posada as a player and as a person.
• Jack Curry shares his memories of Jorge.
• Tyler Kepner of the NY Times looks at where Jorge ranks among all-time Yankees catchers.

The other big news yesterday was the Hall of Fame announcement. Congratulations to Barry Larkin on his election!

• Bernie Williams got a total of 55 votes out of the 573 ballots submitted (9.6%). He has a LONG way to go if he is ever going to be elected, but the fact that he exceed the 5% mark means that he will remain on the ballot for at least one more year.
• As for Don Mattingly, this was his 12th year on the ballot, and he received a total of 17.8% of the votes. With only 3 years left of eligibility, it looks as though Mattingly will not be inducted into Cooperstown.

You can follow Robbie (@clarkbar213) and Yanks Go Yard (@YanksGoYardFS) on Twitter and “like” YGY on Facebook.

Photo credit: Bleeding Yankee Blue

I was very happy this afternoon when I saw that Jorge Posada will announce his retirement in the coming weeks. Don’t get me wrong – I love Jorge and will miss him, but I believe that his choice to retire right now instead of attempting to play in the 2012 season is the right one.

When it comes to Jorge (and Jeter and Mo as well), my perception of their actions is driven by purely sentimental reasons.  I’m happy to see Jorge leave the game on a high note. And, most importantly, I’m happy that he won’t be subjected to the same criticisms and drama that were seemingly never ending in 2011.

Jorge definitely had his ups and downs this year, but he went out with a bang in the ALDS, batting .429 with four runs scored and a triple. (A triple! From Jorge!) And all this after being benched indefinitely in August and not knowing when (if ever) he would see more playing time as a Yankee. In the minds of Yankees fans, there has never been any question of whether Jorge has heart. He wears his emotions on his sleeve without apology, which is why Yankees fans have such a deep love for him and his passion for the game.

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Lance Berkman doesn’t mind being an ex-Yankee, however, since he is currently with the St. Louis Cardinals who are playing the Texas Rangers in the World Series.

Lance Berkman-wiki

The Cards know a little something about winning, as well, chalking up 10 World Series titles in their rich history, second only to the Pinstripes 27 crowns.

Berkman basically had time for a cup of coffee and perhaps a bagel during his brief New York stay in 2010, hitting .255 with just a homer and nine RBI in 106 at-bats. Berkman made his mark with the Yanks in the ALDS when the self-nicknamed “Big Puma” homered during the Bombers series win over the Twins.

With 358 career homers and over 1,110 runs scored and RBI in his career, the long-time Houston Astros star is a big hitter, earning six trips to the All Star Game. Despite being squeezed out of a roster spot by the Yanks by first first baseman Mark Teixeira and DH Jorge Posada, you could say Berkman fit in pretty well in St. Loo.

With 31 homers, 94 RBI and a .301 batting average during the regular season the numbers don’t lie. Berkman hasn’t been great in the postseason but he knocked in four runs and crossed home plate eight times over the first two playoff series.

And one of the game’s good guys is in baseball’s biggest showcase. “Big Puma” will take it, for sure.

Photo credit: wikipedia

I’ll just come right out and say it: I hope Jorge Posada retires.

Not because I worry about him taking a roster spot next season and failing to produce. And not because I worry about the Yankees committing more money to aging players.

No, instead my hope that Jorge retires is driven by purely sentimental reasons.  I want to see Jorge leave the game on a high note. And, most importantly, I don’t want to see him subjected to the same criticisms and drama that were seemingly never ending in 2011.

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