The Yankees can look forward to a break in the routine when they meet the White Sox on Thursday in Dyersville, Iowa. For once, cheers to MLB.
Nearly all Yankees players are too young to remember Derek Jeter, much less the names of the Yankees attached to the retired numbers that banner the outfield at Yankee Stadium.
But I’ll bet every one of the Yankees has seen the movie “Field Of Dreams” (watch the trailer again) and has come away with a feeling of nostalgia and appreciation for the game of baseball they rarely get to express.
Nor will this group of Yankees players take or have the time to recall the days and nights when their hopes and dream were only that, as they slept two to a room at the nearest Best Western in cities like Dyersville, scattered across the country on their way to “The Show”.
Almost certainly, though, the movie will be replayed by the Yankees on their charter flight to our nation’s breadbasket, with memories stirred as Iowa corn farmer (Kevin Costner) hears voices and interprets them as a command to build a baseball…
Yankees: Wait, There’s A Bonus…
Almost as a bonus to what MLB has planned for festivities they’ve had two years to plan when last year’s game had to be canceled, there’s a major league game that counts in the standings between the Yankees and the AL Central-leading White Sox.
Custom-made uniforms will be worn by both teams. While the Yankees uniform is not necessarily retro, the White Sox have gone all the way with old-style threads that will remind of Shoeless Joe Jackson emerging from the cornfields.
Following today’s game with Seattle, the Yankees fly to Kansas City for a three-game set with the Royals, before leaving Wednesday following a day game for Dyersville. Both the Yankees and the White Sox have Friday off before resuming their series in Chicago.
Yankees: Pardon The Interruption
The Yankees have other things on their mind for now, though, as they seek to sweep the Mariners at the Stadium, and hopefully inching ever closer in the American League East Standings. Alas, the Yankees bats went quiet as they sustained a 2-0 shutout while the Rays won and the Red Sox lost to Toronto.
At the 21-7, the Yankees have the best record in baseball since the All-Star game, and that surge has brought to with one game of the second-place Red Sox in the loss column, and only one game behind Oakland for the second Wild Card spot in the AL.
Oddly, few believed the Red Sox were as good as they were showing before hitting a 2-8 wall, and few believed the Yankees were as poor a team as they were showing now at (8-2).
Even more intriguing are the names of Yankees making contributions, players who were barely thought of a month ago.
Relievers Stephen Ridings, Joely Rodriguez, and Clay Holmes, together with newfound and effective starters Luis Gil and Nestor Cortes Jr., Brian Cashman has completely revamped the Yankees bullpen in a matter of weeks, and the change is noticeable.
What might have been devasting a month ago, the Yankees are barely blinking after losing Aroldis Chapman for an indeterminate amount of time, thanks to the emergence of Jonathan Loaisiga and Lucas Luetge.
Yankees: Everybody Deserves A Break
Sometimes, there’s a bit of luck too, as on the same day Anthony Rizzo is quarantined for 10-days after receiving a positive COVID test, there’s Luke Voit coming off the IL to man first base.
No one said it better than Yogi Berra, when he innocently muttered, “Ninety percent of this game is mental, and the other half is physical”, but there comes a time when the mental strain needs a break, even for the surging Yankees.
The diversion offered by the Field Of Dreams game is precisely what the Yankees need to escape, even if it’s only for a few hours, to dress differently, play on a field they’ve never seen, and to “talk baseball” in ways they rarely can.
That doesn’t mean the spotlight won’t be shining on the Yankees and White Sox, not with FOX-TV and its crew covering the game, but the “feel” of the game for players and fans alike will be different from the norm.
A Rare Tip Of The Cap To MLB
And for that, Major League Baseball deserves a tip of the cap, a rarity of praise mentioned here and elsewhere of late.
Check that, minus the interview that is sure to take place with Commissioner Rob Manfred as he takes full credit for making the game happen with an eye to a much-needed plus on his legacy.
For the Yankees, their goal is to arrive for the game in high spirits, fresh off a series win in Kansas City that allows them to fully enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime experience they can tell their grandchildren about – and one that not even Derek Jeter will be able to do…
Here’s What Readers Are Saying…
Ross Mazin So excited
Closing Published Comments And Final Thoughts
This was not one of those articles meant for an exchange of thoughts, thus we are together in an appreciation for your “Likes” as we await the fun that lies ahead.
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
