The Yankee Way?

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I never liked Brandon Walsh. Why not you ask? I think it was just that he was too good. He never made mistakes, always got the girl, had all the accolades, etc.

Is Brandon a good guy? Of course he is, but he is hard to relate to. Its easier to relate with the bonehead shenanigans of Steve Sanders or the little brother complex of David Silver.

But Brandon. He did things the right way. You might even say, he did things... "THE YANKEE WAY."

Derek Jeter is the Brandon Walsh of the Yankees. He is squeaky clean, extremely talented, beloved and a killer with the ladies. It is for the reasons that he is so hatable -- he is too perfect.

At the same time, Derek Jeter was a godsend for the Yankees. He became their unquestioned leader in a 10-year period leading up to the present, during which the Yankees became every idealic name you could use to describe an organization:

"America's Team," "Best franchise in sports," etc.

With Derek Jeter -- he of the squeaky clean and classy image and, yes, superior talent -- at the forefront, we were re-introduced to the "Yankee way" of doing things.

The "Yankee way" is often written about in the papers. It is the all-class, all-winning, no-facial hair, fun-loving-but-serious organization.

This idea was cultivated in an era of profound success. Indeed, the reason this concept solidified to so great an extent was that the Yankees were always winning in the late 90's and they happened to be led by a ton of great guys.

Jeter
Williams
Rivera
Posada
Pettitte
T. Martinez

Its hard to find anything wrong with these guys. They were great baseball players who were good guys. They didn't beat their wives or cheat (well, they didn't cheat on baseball. As for their wives, your guess is as good as mine until Jose Conseco releases the sequel to his hit smash "Juiced" entitled "Still Juicing: The Yankee Years"). They did things the "Yankee way" and all of a sudden the Yankees became a team built on the aura produced by some combination of history, present success, and destiny.

As for me, I think the "Yankee Way" is crap.

To read about it all the time sickens me because it no longer exists, especially in recent times.

But how 'bout these players doing things the "Yankee Way."

Jason Giambi taking steroids... The Yankee Way.

Randy Johnson hitting reporters (can I call them colleagues yet?)... The Yankee Way

Jaret Wright with a glob of chew... The Yankee Way

Gary Sheffield calling out his teammates, attacking fans...The Yankee Way

This concept is so outdated it is sickening. Yes, the Yankees were a class organization in the late 90's and basically put together the perfect lineup of talent and quality people. That may be why the team won 4 World Series' in 5 years.

But things have changed. Talent and quality have been replaced with greed and money.

You think the Yankees went after the Big Unit because he was a good guy? Of course not. Unit has always been labeled an introvert, terrible with the media and reclusive in the clubhouse.

Did they bring in Jason Giambi for his morals? No, the guy killed the ball while partying like a rockstar.

How about trading for Sheffield? This guy has been tagged one of the game's bigger assholes since his first day in the league.

It's time that this idea of the "Yankee Way" of running a franchise is finally wiped out. It is truly hypocritical.

There is no greater indication of this hypocrisy than with the current Bernie Williams situation.

As an angry, bitter Mets fan, there is bascially nothing bad to say about Bernie Williams. Ok, thats not true. Bernie Williams throws like a girl.

But here is a guy that was a great hitter, great leader and terrific guy in the New York area for more than ten years. He represented everything the Yankees claim to represent.

So now Bernie's career has reached its twilight. He is looking to come back to the one uniform he has ever worn, in a limited role, so that maybe he can win another championship or maybe because he just isn't ready to hang up the spikes yet.

He is not looking for a ton of money. All he wants to do is be a Yankee. He wants to continue representing the Yankees the way he so proudly has for over a decade.

Their response? We'' think about it, Bernie and let you know if you are a good fall back.

See Bernie Williams just isn't good any more. He could never throw, but now he's lost his range as an outfielder and has a slow bat.

Would I want him on the Mets? Not at all.

But hasn't this guy earned his right to be a Yankee? To be their 4th or 5th outfielder? To be a switch hitter off the bench?

This isn't like the Knicks situation with Patrick Ewing, where the team needed to move on and he was ready for that. (Editor's note: I completely disagree with this claim.)

The Yankees don't need to move on from Bernie Williams, but they might possibly force him to do that.

This is because Bernie Williams doesn't fit the mold of the new "Yankee Way," where baseball is a business and greed has replaced morals.

This to me, just isn't right.

Uh huh, yeah.

Sippy Momo