you really have to play the games and see what happens. they have to keep themselves in position to take advantage in case Boston or Tampa collapses.

look at the 2000 Yankees. On Sept. 10, they were up by 8.5 games on Toronto & 9 on Boston. All but clinched. But then they go 5-16 the rest of the way. Fortunately Toronto and Boston played poorly too. if Boston had gone on a decent 15-7 run, or Toronto 13-6, they’d have won.

Dice-K out for a month. Ortiz out for two months. Beckett and Lowell have been out for a few weeks. Schilling out for the year. Colon has been out for three months. Drew hasn’t played in forever. And Manny left. We can also factor in the under-performers like you did (for Arod and Giambi). Beckett is not having that 07 season. Ortiz couldn’t hit a thing for the first month. Ells is not the star everyone thought he would be. Lugo is still an awful player. And Clay was a disaster.

Every team has injuries and underperfomers. They are never an excuse.

There’s no virtue in being less talented, but there is virtue in giving your best every day, every inning, every at bat. David Eckstein is probably less tlaented than just about every other player in the game, but look what he’s accomplished. Compare Pedroia and Cano in talent and productivity.

I have no problem with players who are easy going, smooth and productive. Nowhere did I write anything to even suggest that, but you manufactured it anyway.

I have a big problem for guys who coast on talent and produce a percentage of what they’re capable of. I don’t think Paul O’Neill was ever themost talented player in the Yankees outfield, but there’s no argument that his passion and fire was an asset. Why is that?

The point — since you can’t figure out on your own — is that ALL types of players can be successful. Guys who are obviously not as big, not as strong and not as fast but bust their butts and do all the little things to help a team win are extremely valuable. They excite fans and they can motivate teammates as well.

“Untalented “scrappy ‘grinder types’” are overrated.”

And they are overrated precisely because this definition of player, people congratulate themselves, is the practical little winner who gets it done, as opposed to the “talented” player who mocks his God-given skill and doesn’t “try.”

But the truth of it is, the notion of this grinder type is utterly romantic: and it has even evolved to the point where people actually believe that a LACK of skill is some moral virtue.

The fact is you can express “trying” in skillful ways. What people don’t see is that their definition of “effort” is limited to the effort that presents itself in one particular way. That’s just stupid.

Did DiMaggio not “try” because he never had to leave his feet to catch a fly ball?

GreenBeret is right. “Scrappy grinders” or gritty players, sorry, don’t remember which term you used – are useful on your 3rd line in ice hockey. They are not only “overrated” in baseball (I wholeheartedly agree) they are media inventions.

Further, you make a big mistake by collapsing this definition of player with guys who give you “tough” at bats. Bobby Abreu is “laid back” in demeanor, so according to your incredibly confining stereotype, he couldn’t possibly be a guy who has “tough” at bats and drives up pitch counts, but that is exactly what he does, and expertly so.

You write in cliches and think in cliches.

(Though PLEASE, some one tell me why A-Rod invariably swings at the first-pitch in pressure situations, whether against Justin Masterson with runners on 1st and 3rd in the 7th or last night against Putz in the 9th when the guy couldn’t find the strike zone with a magnifying glas. WHY WHY WHY!!!!!)

This one time I implore you not to go quietly into the night. Please, keep fighting. If at the end of the day you lose the battle, you lose, but you’ll retain your pride and your dignity if you battle unto the very last.

One more run. One more streak to furnish a little extra drama. One more flourish before i begin counting the days until pitchers and catchers report. Is that too much to ask?