Cano looking good

There has been a lot of talk lately about what the Yankees are to do with Robinson Cano after such a down year. Many thinking trading the slumping second baseman is the best way to deal with the problem and they would be wrong.

What the Yankees need to do is what they have down. The sat Cano when he didn't hustle to send him a message. They reworked his stance to give him a more balanced and consistent approach. And I think the results have become evident in the few weeks since then.

I know that much of what Cano has done has been against team that are in the playoffs already or haven't had a prayer since May, but that doesn't matter to me.

To me what is important is the games don't matter to Cano and he is still working hard to make himself better. That says something about a player that most people thought was lazy and unmotivated. Now he has a nine game hitting streak and he has even walked a couple of times during the streak which is just as many times as he has struck out.

Cano was a big reason the Yankee offense was as flat as it was. When you combine his off-year with the injuries to Matsui, Posada, plus the minor ailments to Jeter and Rodriguez, the Yankee offense loses quite a bit of potency.

Thanks in-part to Cano's hot play and that of the recently hot Brett Gardner, the Yanks crushed the Red Sox last night. It was their second to last meaningful game of the season as their victory eliminated the Sox from the divisional race. It's a bitter sweet victory but it does make me feel a little better that the Rays are division champs.

Today's game is a no show for the Yanks as they are sending Sidney Ponson to the mound. Hopefully he doesn't last to long on the mound. Nobody wants to watch him anymore. Sunday will have some meaning and hopefully the Yanks get it done for Mussina. It will be nice to finally give him something he can he did, rather than something he has almost done.