Grading on a curve.

"He was the first to hit a home run in the new Yankee Stadium the day it opened, but you know his best days and nights were across the street, when Posada was behind the plate for some of the best Yankee teams you will ever see in this world, when he began playing himself to Cooperstown."

Behind the plate, behind the plate.

Let's talk about what it actually means to be behind the plate.


In 1996, Posada had zero playoff at-bats. (You recall Girardi's triple in the World Series, of course.)

In 1997, Posada played 60 games behind the plate. Two postseason at-bats.

In 1998, Posada played 99 games behind the plate. Split time with Girardi in the regular season and the playoffs.

In 1999, Posada played 109 games behind the plate. Split time with Giradi in the regular season and the playoffs.


I always thought that Posada's lack of playing time was a foolish decision by an ex-catcher/manager who was over-valuing Girardi's defensive contributions.

But my opinion doesn't change the following facts:

(1) Posada was not really The Man behind the plate for the Yankees until the 2000 season.

(2) When Lupica is talking about the "best Yankee teams you will ever see in this world," he is not talking about the teams from 2000 forward. In fact, in case you hadn't noticed, Lupica will remind his readers from time to time that the Yankees have won "only" one World Series since 2000.


" 'This is my opinion,' an old catcher named Mike Scioscia said on the field before the game, 'but any conversation you have about the great catchers, Jorge Posada has to be a part of it.' And when it was pointed out to Scioscia that some people see Posada as a borderline Hall of Fame candidate, Scioscia shook his head and said, People who say that about him don't know what they're talking about. He’s a slam-dunk candidate as far as I'm concerned.' "

I will submit an alternate proposal: Mike Scioscia doesn't know what he is talking about.


Posada was great at two things: Walking and hitting homeruns. Which are quite important. A .374 career on-base% and a .474 career slugging% are excellent, especially for catchers.

Nothing else in his game separates him from the pack.

If Posada is a slam-dunk, then you simply have too many slam-dunks.



"Posada, 40 now, came along with Rivera and Jeter and Pettitte, and the Yankees became the Yankees again, and Posada joined a line of great Yankee catchers that started with Bill Dickey, a line that had Yogi in it and Elston Howard and Thurman Munson."

Agreed, but Posada wasn't as good as any of them. (To be fair, Posada was probably better than Howard, but Posada was not as good as the others.)

Posada is not even close to Berra and Dickey, who are in the HOF.

Munson is not in the HOF.

Munson won a rookie of the year, MVP, three Gold Gloves, .357 postseason batting average, .373 World Series batting average, 114 homeruns when Death Valley was 430 feet, and ... I say this with much emphasis ... Thurman Munson would have never been benched in the playoffs for the likes of Joe Girardi.

If Posada is a slam-dunk, what the heck is Munson? What the heck are Benito Santiago and Javy Lopez, for that matter?


"When the Yankees were losing another first-round series to the Tigers in October, losing the fourth first-round series since 2005, Jorge Posada still had enough talent and pride to hit .429, get six hits and look like the toughest out in the batting order once the Tigers had pitched past Robinson Cano."

See?

I told you that Lupica would instantly contradict himself.

Posada was the catcher (DH in 2011) for some of the best Yankee teams you'll ever see in this world ... the kind of Yankee teams that deserve ridicule for losing four first-round playoff series since 2005.