This Yankees team can be special if they answer this one question

The Yankees just had a successful first half. They are four games over .500 and in a position to make a playoff run. Make no mistake; the 2017 Yankees can still be a special team. The only question is, will they?

Yankees, you just had a memorable first four months. You showed us big wins and big comebacks. And my…god was it exciting. Players, young and old, played with guts and draped themselves with glory. Batting averages went up and down but the effort, the effort was always there.

And you did it with power and speed. You had a fourteen and three runs in April. There were beat downs on both the Orioles and Red Sox. We’ve seen home runs rain from the sky and power hitters smart enough to take their walks. Late inning rallies and walk off wins have become routine.

YES has been playing The Comeback on a loop during the All-Star break.

And of course, there has been Aaron Judge. He has gone from potential bust to potential MVP. Judge has redefined what it means to call yourself a power hitter in this game. His list of accolades has grown from best rookie to best Yankee, to best player in the game. And the face of baseball.

But most of all have been the home runs. Judge has sent lightning bolts towards the heavens that came down like rain on the opponents, making them fear their nights spent at Yankees stadiums. Aaron has hit balls to places no one thought possible and turned speculations about possible .500 foot home runs into a class by himself.

A Master Class

And the whole world watched you teach that class at the All-Star game. Your home runs lifted your team and the fans. We now expect big things and will demand no less.

Because, Yankees, you can still be whatever you want to be. Yes, you have to fix your bullpen; I think you will and soon. But you have everything you want right in front of you. You’re in a position to make a second half run and become the team you can be.

More from Yanks Go Yard

That’s what you did in the first half. You showed you could play like the best team in baseball. Now, we believe you can and will be that team in the second half. The question is, do you believe it?

I guess we’ll find out. We’ll see if you know what it means to play for the Yankees. You see, we are aware you can wear the uniforms of players such as Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig. Now we’ll see if you can fill their shoes.

Those players did great things and performed legendary feats in their second halves; will you?

I guarantee you that if this were ancient Greece, Homer would wander around telling of the heroic deeds and unbelievable accomplishments of Ruth and Mantle. What will he sing about you when the 2017 Yankees season is complete? Will you rise to be an almost god like Achilles, or quail at the conflict, as did Hector? Will your song be one of everlasting glory or ignominious defeat?

Musing on Greatness

The choice is in your hands. Every time you hit or pitch or throw the ball in from the outfield, you will make a choice. If you choose to put every bit of effort and focus into every moment you spend, not just on the field but preparing to be on the field, you might have a chance. If you squeeze every ounce of ability from your bodies, you could overcome all the obstacles in your way and rise to Yankees glory.

Because it takes more than what mere mortals can do. There are the baseball gods to contend with. To curry favor with them, you have to play hard every day and take nothing for granted. You have to give of yourself for one more run, one more hit, one more base. Do that, and the gods might smile on you. Don’t, and you become the Mets.

I think you will. I believe that you are going to go out and get serious. Because you’ve had the fun first half and all the high fives. You’ve had career starts and career stats. You’ve been All-Stars and impact rookies. That’s great.

To Be or Not To Be, That is the Question

But it means nothing now. Now, all that matters is today’s game. And when that one’s done it doesn’t matter anymore, and all that matters is the next game. Think like that, and there will continue to be the next game for some time.

And so it begins, the second half. What will you do, Yankees players? Will you go out and take what you want, by force? Do you have the will to go out and play to the best of your abilities, every night from now on? Do you have the guts to become great? To rise up and become Yankees legends?

Next: A Look Back at an Article that Predicted the Impact of Aaron Judge

We know you can; we’ve seen the talent. We know you can go out and be the best team in baseball, with the games most intimidating player at its heart. The only real question is, do you believe it? Yankees fans, and you Yankees players are about to find out.

Now, once again: Play Ball.

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