2009 Full of Expectations and Pressures for Yanks

With each day that passes we get another day closer to the first pitch of the 2009 season being thrown. And I for one could not be more excited. With expectations never higher, the Yankees have loaded up for a run at the ever-elusive championship number 27. But with great expectations come great pressure. It can be argued that the pressure of a successful campaign falls heavier on three Yankees more so than others.

Manager, Joe Girardi
Patience from the powers that be will be wearing thin as Girardi has been given stars such as Sabathia, Teixeira, and Burnett over the offseason with which to work with. If he cannot deliver a title with these additions, you can almost guarantee he will be on the hot seat come season’s end. Unfair? Perhaps, so. But considering it was under Girardi’s watch the Yankees missed the postseason for the first time since 1993, another “failure” could mean Girardi’s job.

Pitcher, CC Sabathia
Since 2001, the Yankees have been on a quest to acquire a stud of an ace that could deliver World Series number 27. We have seen the likes of Mike Mussina, Javier Vasquez, Kevin Brown, Randy Johnson, and Carl Pavano come and go with no luck. In fact, all but Mike Mussina can be considered complete and utter disasters. Some would argue that these pitchers with the exception of Mussina just could not handle the pressure of being the Yankee ace. With the scrutiny of the media and the fans bearing down on him, it is Sabathia’s turn to face the mob. Whether it is fair or unfair, the pressure of past failures will also be weighing down on the shoulders of the hefty lefty. Will he be up to the challenge? Or, will he wilt under the new stadiums bright lights?

Third Baseman, Alex Rodriguez
If the pressure of the richest contract in sports history, the toughest fans in the world, and the vicious piranha like media weren’t enough. A-Rod will now have to feel the added pressure that has been bestowed on him by his former manager, Joe Torre’s book, “The Yankee Years.” There is no doubt that Alex will hear A-Fraud chants rain down on him from the crowds at Fenway, Arlington, Seattle, and the rest of the league. He may even hear it from the Bronx faithful from time to time. The fact of the matter is that A-Rod will try to prove wrong each and every word in the chapter devoted solely to him; which would be a near impossible task. By season’s end, the numbers will be there. They are always there. But the only thing that can exorcise the pressures that are haunting A-Rod is a championship; nothing more, nothing less.

-Favad Ali