I'm not sure if you heard already, but Jorge Posada took himself out of the Yankees lineup on Saturday night. Joe Girardi had dropped him to ninth in the order (side note, your DH should never bat ninth, Ever!) and Jorge wasn't happy about it. Then a couple hours later, Posada asked Girardi to take him out of the lineup, which Girardi did.
Yankees brass was understandably unhappy about this, but I think everyone's reaction was a bit much. The questions in the media about what would happen if he continued refusing to play and whether they should release him were completely ridiculous. It didn't help that this happened against the Red Sux or that the game was nationally televised, but still. That shouldn't make a difference. Was it handled in the best manner? Absolutely not. Has Jorge Posada earned the right to be given the benefit of the doubt? Absolutely.
Posada met with the media after the game and explained his side of the story. As he explained it, he needed a day to "clear his head." Case closed. Girardi was fine with that. That's why he let Posada have the day off. Regardless of if he was upset about batting ninth, didn't like DHing, was simply frustrated (who wouldn't be?), that's the reason he gave for asking out of the lineup. Joe Girardi was a very good major league catcher for a decade (in fact, he was the Yankees' starting catcher before Posada). He understands that guys need days off from time to time. Obviously the situation was maginifed because of who the player was, what team he plays for, and who their opponent was. But it got blown waaaaaaaaaaay out of proportion incredibly quickly. This isn't Carlos Zambrano and Derrek Lee throwing punches at each other in the Cubs dugout during a game last season.
Yesterday cooler heads prevailed. Posada realized that he was wrong, apologized to Girardi and apologized to GM Brian Cashman. He talked to Derek Jeter, too. Jeter told Posada that he doesn't need to apologize to his teammates. They've all been in similar situations before, and at least one or two of them probably will be in the future. More importantly, Posada is a leader in the clubhouse and a beloved figure among his teammates. They know as well as anybody how frustrating the first six weeks of this season must've been for him. Posada was simply having a bad day and let his emotions get the best of him. It's happened to all of us. It just so happens that we aren't all Major League ballplayers, so nobody seems to notice when we have bad days.
Instead, let's look at the Jorge Posada situation in the bigger picture. He's not hitting at all. We all know this. But add to the fact that he wasn't there mentally on Saturday night. So, now imagine Girardi doesn't take him out of the lineup. Now you've got an unhappy guy who doesn't want to play who's already not hitting anyway. Is that really somebody you want in the lineup? Granted, whether or not he was in there didn't even matter against Josh Beckett, but my point remains. He wasn't going to help the team, so why all the hullabaloo about taking him out of the lineup? If Andruw Jones had hit a game-winning three-run homer, Posada would've looked like a genius for taking himself out.
The problem is that Posada's got to figure things out as a DH. Russell Martin is now the Yankees catcher. He and Curtis Granderson are the only starters who've actually played well all season, so it's not like Martin's coming out of the lineup. Could the Yankees have let Posada know the situation and asked him if he was OK with being the DH this season during the winter? Yes. But they didn't, and Posada seemed fine with the decision anyway, so that's not even really a point worth making.
He's a beloved player, both in the clubhouse and by the fans. Did anyone else notice the reaction he got when he entered as a pinch hitter last night? (That's the real reason why they can't just release him. Imagine the PR hit the Yankees would take.) Posada's one of the "Core Four" ("Core Three" now). We all remember the five championships and everything he's done for the organization. The average Yankee fan's perception of Jorge Posada hasn't changed at all despite all this.
Who knows what's going to happen the rest of this season? Maybe this gave Jorge the kick start he needed to just go on a tear. And so what if it doesn't. He might hit .220 with six homers and 40 RBIs this year. That's OK too. Jorge Posada is a New York Yankee. He's in the last year of his contract and knows he probably won't be re-signed. He knows that. It's hard to imagine him wearing another uniform, so Jorge probably knows in his heart that this is it and resigned himself to that fact. And if that is the case, don't let this taint his final season. He deserves to go out as what he's been for the last 15 years. A beloved Yankee.
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