Is the new Face of the MLB the Wright choice?

David Wright / Keith Allison

David Wright is the obvious choice to be the new “Face of the MLB.” Whether you support the competition or not, Wright’s long career with the New York Mets is studded with records and achievements, while his charity foundation continues to contribute to numerous causes. He epitomizes the characteristics that are worthy of his new title: loyalty, skill and humanity.

The “Face of the MLB,” needs to be someone who is devoted to the team he is playing for. On that team, they can demonstrate an ability to lead. Wright is exactly that person. As captain of the Mets, he will help his team get back to the World Series, no matter how many obstacles lie in their path.

“If my goal was to win right this second, then obviously, I would’ve been a free agent,” Wright said in a 2014 NorthJersey.com article. “To me, it was more important to show loyalty to the Mets. I grew up rooting for them, they drafted me when I was 18, they’re the only team I’ve ever played for.”

While on the Mets, Wright has put many accomplishments under his belt, including seven all-star games, two Gold Gloves, and the opportunity to play alongside baseball legend Derek Jeter in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Jeter, considered to be the current “Face of the MLB” until he retires at the end of this season, is a person that Wright watched to learn how to be a better player and a better leader.

“Derek, whether he knows it or not, and he probably doesn’t, he’s a guy that being a young athlete in New York, you can not only mold your game after but his leadership skills as well,” Wright said in a 2014 ReviewJournal.com article.

It may seem petty or disrespectful to hold a competition over who gets to be the “Face of the MLB” before Jeter has his last game or like such a prestigious title should be given out with more care, but Wright’s clear place as one of the game’s elites and his familial leadership should be sought after by all athletes. Those skills are worthy of being plastered as the "Face of the MLB."

The legendary sandman enters his final season

Will Mariano Rivera’s retirement lead to the downfall of the New York Yankees’ legacy? The Yankees ace closer has been with the team for 19 seasons and contributed to five World Series wins. Throughout the years he has shown consistency and reliability as a closer and he has been essential in the ninth inning.

Mariano Rivera - Wikimedia Commons

Rivera said that he would have retired at the conclusion of last season if he did not tear his ACL on May 3, 2012. He was on the shelf most of that season; however, he did not want to retire due to an injury. "I didn't want to leave like that," Rivera said in a press conference before the 2013 season. "I felt like I wanted to give everything."

The New York Yankees need Rivera to elevate his abilities with some of their best players including Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, Derek Jeter, and Alex Rodriguez out due to injury. Rivera returned to baseball on April 4, 2013, leaving him a significant amount of time to recover and come back even stronger than last season. Rivera is the most tenured player on the team and his experience will play a major role for winning another World Series.

Although many did not expect the sandman to return after his ACL injury, Rivera has been very consistent this season. He started the season by saving Andy Pettitte’s eight inning performance against the Boston Red Sox in their third game of the season.

The Yankees are looking forward to a better opening to their season as far as they are concerned with their pitching. With some of their best and more reliable batters out pitching is where the Yankees really have to be aggressive. Rivera’s composure and consistency are exactly the attributes that the Yankees need during the pressure situations.

Contributed by Kian Zadeh and Din Islam

Injuries hold the Yankees back from victory

Derek Jeter / By Keith Allison - Flickr.com

The New York Yankees are off to a rocky start this season due to their loss of three superstar players. Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, and Curtis Granderson all were injured prior to the start of the 2013 season, leaving only three players from the 2012 starting lineup present on opening day.

Yankees captain Derek Jeter has been at every opening day for the past 16 seasons; however, he was not able to play in the season opener due to a broken ankle he suffered in the American League Championship Series last October. He played during spring training even though he was in pain, which is what he believes led to breaking his ankle once again. "It was something that I hurt it, I continued to play on it, probably when I shouldn't have," he said to BleacherReport.com. "But I continued to play on it and then eventually it broke."

First baseman Mark Teixeira is also not able to play for the first few months of the 2013 season due to a wrist injury. Teixeira is still staying healthy by working with the team's strength and conditioning coach for two-and-a-half hours each day attempting to stabilize his wrist muscles. It is not known when he will return because the recovery time for a wrist injury is unpredictable."You never know when you're coming back from a wrist. You can have a setback. Everything's always a timetable. Timetables change. Sometimes it's shorter, too," Yankees’ manager Joe Girardi said to Newsday.com.

The Yankees’ center fielder and leading home run hitter Curtis Granderson was also injured during spring training when he took a fastball to his right forearm. He is expected to return to play in mid-May; however, the Yankees want to make sure that he is fully recovered before including him in the lineup. “It’s just something that I’ve thought about. I don’t know how many games he would have in his rehab coming back, and that’s a concern for me. So I want him to be comfortable wherever he’s at, because his bat’s real important to us,” said Girardi to MLB.com.

All three of these players made a tremendous contribution to the 2012 season. Both Jeter and Granderson helped their teams offense, while Teixeira impacted the defense. Jeter had an incredible year, finishing with 216 hits, the most in baseball. Granderson also had a great season; he hit 43 home runs, drove in 106 runs, and was chosen to play in the All-Star game. Teixeira was able to contribute to the defense with his elite fielding; he won the Gold Glove Award for his superior individual fielding performance.

They have acquired new players that will need to help the team both defensively and offensively until their three starters return. Lyle Overbay was acquired by the Yankees from the Boston Red Sox during spring training and has been playing first base due to Teixeira’s absence. Eduardo Núñez and Jayson Nix have replaced Derek Jeter and Vernon Wells is a substitute for Granderson. “You’re talking about high-character guys,” Girardi said of the newcomers in a New York Times article. “Guys that have been calming forces in a clubhouse for many years, guys who have played at a high level, guys who have been in the A.L. East, guys that have been in the championship series.”

The Yankees will need to continue working together as a team without these three starters and make plays that will help them win more games. As of now, the Yankees have lost a few games because they do not have the power that Granderson, Teixeira and Jeter normally provide. “The same goals are going to be there: to win every night,” said Youkilis in a New York Times article.

Contributed by Sahar Saedi and Anya Batista 

Tragedy Strikes the Yankees Morale

After the 9/11 attacks, the Yankees felt awkward playing baseball again. It didn’t feel right playing in front of people that were directly affected by 9/11. “It was awkward because you meet [people] who just lost family members,” expressed Jeter in an ESPN interview. “What do you say?" The thoughts going into a game, after 9/11, was that seeing baseball isn’t what people needed at that point, “There are still looking for people,” Jeter said, “I don’t think it’s the right time to play baseball.”

Yankee players were left scrambling to do what little they could to relieve some pain and tension caused by the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. With the city in shock, Major League Baseball immediately canceled all games. When baseball resumed, the Yankees were playing at Chicago. There was a moment of silence at the game, a fan yelled, "We love you, New York!" and the crowd exploded in cheers. ”[It] just gave you goose bumps when you realized that it was just a country coming together," remembered Joe Torre. "And our baseball was there to distract the people from thinking about the horrors that just went on." During the 9/11 attack, it was awkward to continue sports, for the Yankees, but they felt that it was needed to restore the united nation.

Less than two months after the 9/11 attack, the Yankees were representing America in the 2001 World Series, the World Series that is arguably one of the most memorable in the history of the game. It was a distraction that the World Series provided for the country. “I don’t know if the attacks added to the desire and need to win for us”, said Derek Jeter. “I think what it did is it sort of gave the fans of New York … something that they could cheer for at least three hours a day because it was tough times and people didn’t have too much to smile about.”

Game 4 of that World Series was played at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees down by two runs, had a runner on base. Tino Martinez, the Yankees first baseman came to the plate. The Yankees were going to go down three games to one in the series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but Martinez had other plans, “Tino Martinez hit a home run to tie it and that was as loud as I’ve heard Yankee Stadium,” remarked Jeter. President George Bush came out to throw the ceremonial first pitch. As he did so chants of “USA, USA, USA!” filled Yankee Stadium letting people across the world know that 9/11 would not be forgotten but that America would make it through the devastating experience. .

September of 2001 was one of the toughest times in Yankee’s history. The 9/11 attacks gave the Bronx Bombers the responsibility to carry New York on their shoulders. To call their run in the playoffs inspirational would be an understatement, they didn’t win, and they brought tranquility back to the people of New York City.

After 9/11, the Yankees mentality changed. It gave them a sense of pride and responsibility to wear the black and white pinstripes. The following off-season the Yankees made a couple of high profile moves. The Yankees had a great season, winning 103 games. They were knocked out by the Anaheim Angels in the ALDS (American League Divisional Series) but they still held their heads high.

Contributed by Geoffrey Nathan, Sebastian Villada, Dionys Gutierrez

New York Yankees 2011 season preview

Derek Jeter / Chris Ptacek

 The 2011 Major League Baseball season is among us and the Yankees have already played three games here in New York. The "Bronx Bombers" kicked off their first series against the Detroit Tigers. They are off to a great start considering all of the speculation about their potential. In a recent article, The Detroit Press even considered the Yankees as underdogs this season. One of the main factors that could hinder the Yankee's success is the correlation between age and skill among the players they heavily rely on the most such as Derek Jeter. Last year Jeter faced troublesome contract negotiations with the Yankees; however, manager Joe Girardi said, "I really believe he's going to have a good year," when referring to this season.

Many critics argue that Jeter is losing his ability to play at peak performance as he will turn 37 this June. When playing against the Tigers recently, the shortstop showed some trouble reacting to balls hit to either side of him. Last season, Jeter's batting average sunk to .270, marking his first time going below .300 since 2004. In fact, this year he was bumped to number two on the hitting lineup after Brett Gardner took the top spot. Gardner serves well as a leadoff hitter since he has managed to yield a stable .379 on base average since 2009. It will take the right collaboration between returning stars and new talent in the Yankees roster to create an effective hitting line up this year.

On the other hand, the Yankees must also keep into account their pitching rotation since they were not able to make key acquisitions. Earlier in February 2011, we witnessed the retirement of pitcher Andy Pettitte after several months of public speculation. This event followed an earlier disappointment in December of 2010, when the Yankees failed to sign star pitcher Cliff Lee. The Yankees will have to make good use of relief pitcher Rafael Soriano and starter C.C. Sabathia. Manager Joe Girardi realizes Sabathia's worth and plans not to overwork him after Tuesday night's impressive performance against the Minnesota Twins. After seven innings, the pitcher had allowed only two hits and left the Twins scoreless until Soriano took over. Tonight's game against the Twins; however, proved to be a different story, as Soriano did not allow a single run in the eight inning. Only time will tell whether the Yankees will indeed play the underdog card or find themselves heading straight towards their 28th World Series Title.

Jeter goes for 3,000

Derek Jeter / Wikimedia

As captain of The New York Yankees, Derek Jeter has pulled through for his team numerous times. Jeter, this season, is only 74 hits away from the big 3,000 hits to add to his legendary status as one of the all time great shortstops. Passing Lou Gehrig in 2008, Jeter is the all-time Yankees hits leader. At only age 37, it will be interesting to see how high he can take his hitting to the Hall of Fame list.

There has been some speculation that due to Jeter’s recent swing change, chances of breaking this 3,000 earlier this season is grim. Jeter is practicing shortening his front-foot stride when hitting. However, hitting only a ground-ball single out of two spring training games, this new stance is questionable and will be interesting to see how he will adjust throughout the season.

In an interview with the Washington Post Jeter commented on his new stance. "It just cuts down on bad habits," Jeter said. "Striding too far forward. Tying yourself up. Habits that I got into last year. Trying to just eliminate those. It's just repetition, really. That's the only thing that you're trying to do is just doing it over and over until it becomes natural."