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 

The absence of the Colts ultimate weapon

The Indianapolis Colts have always been a great team both offensively and defensively, but who knew that without their star quarterback, Peyton Manning, the team would collapse. Manning is sitting out this year due to a neck injury and the team is suffering heavy damage. The Colts are playing at their worst this season and it doesn’t look like they will be having a comeback anytime soon.

Even with a 53 active man roster, the Colts are having a dreadful season with a record of 0-10. You would think that in those 53 players, 11 or so could play well or at least better than they are now. After the shocking loss against Jacksonville Jaguars, the Colts look like they have given up all hope of winning.

The importance of Manning being with the Colts is apparent during the season. Without this four time MVP quarterback, the Colts are being slaughtered every game. He is the reason why the Colts have been doing so well in the past years, but now that Manning is out the Colts are being pummeled to the bottom of the NFL. "I hate it for Peyton," said Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday, one of Manning's closest friends. "You want him to be healthy, you want him to be back, but you want him to take care of it, too. It's sad when players face tough times, but I know he's strong enough to get through it."

Perhaps it isn’t just Manning’s skill on offensive or defensive, but his ability to be a leader. The team relies on Manning to carry them to victory, which is a lot of pressure, but Manning always seems to deliver. He gives the Colts the spirit to continue fighting even when they are at a loss. Just as an army without its general is unorganized and scattered, a team without its leader is hesitant and inefficient.

The team hopes that Manning will be able to play next year, for without him, they can’t even win. It is surprising how the absence of a single player can affect a team this much. The Colts are still playing their games, but it seems like they aren’t putting much effort into it. Maybe they don't have their star quarterback, but their wide receivers and defenders can't be that bad and they should be able to play offense and defense well even without Manning. The team has to learn to play without relying on him , because he isn't going to be on the Colts forever. The only productive thing they can do now is train a younger quarterback to fill Manning’s position.

Manning is the Colts' ultimate weapon, and the team needs him more than anything, but for now the team just needs to survive this season. The Colts will most likely have a winless season this year and they can’t do much about it. They just have to get past this season and hope that Manning will return strong next year. “Hopefully Peyton will be back, but if he's not maybe I can be one of the guys that can help this ball club," Collins said. "The biggest draw for me coming here was just being with a team that I have a lot of respect for and a lot of history with, and really to be with a great team and play with one of greatest quarterbacks of all time."

Where are the players now?

    The National Basketball Association lockout has been going on for months, giving the players a lot of free time. Both the players and the coaches want more money, and neither of them seem like they are going to budge. With two weeks cut off from the season, and probably more coming, the big question still remains: What are the players going to do now? 
   Some of the players are starting to follow up with their talk and go overseas. Former Utah Jazz point gaurd Deron Williams is now playing for the Besiktas in Turkey. Tony Parker left to go play for his home team, ASVEL Villeurbanne, in France for minimum wage. Other big stars, such as Kobe Bryant, are still debating leaving, though. He wants to go play for Virtus Bologna in Italy.
    "Italy is my home. It's where my dream of playing in the NBA started. This is where I learned the fundamentals, learned to shoot, to pass and to [move] without the ball… all things that when I came back to America, the players my age didn't know how to do because they were only thinking about jumping and dunking," says Bryant. They have stopped all the flashy attempts to lure him, and it is just the deals now. “Help us Obi-Wan Kobe… you are our only hope,” writes a fan to Suite 101.

    Some players are thinking of trying other sports as well. LeBron James tweeted, "When is the deadline for a team to sign a free agent [in the National Football League]?" James was a wide receiver from the pee wee leagues to high school. After practicing once, he tweeted again, this time saying, "Just got done practicing with the St.V Varsity football team, full pads and all. Felt great being back on the field. Should I?" Another player that is looking to play a different sport is Kobe Bryant. Bryant was looking at playing baseball in the Arizona Fall Leagues.

    The majority of the players, especially the rookies, are just waiting it out. They want the deals to be completed so they can go back and play on their teams for the NBA, not anywhere else. Malcom Lee, a Minnesotta Timberwolves rookie, says, "It's the same life [as college]. No income checks are coming in, none of that good stuff that comes with being in the NBA."