The final countdown

It won't hit me for awhile, but in nine days, Yankee Stadium will be closed forever. Yeah, a fabulous new ballpark is opening next season, but the old House that Ruth Built has meant so much to so many, for so long.

I'll have my say, as will players old and new, on September 21, but for these next nine days it's the fans' chance to share their thoughts. A few weeks ago, my mother suggested a story about a patient of hers — she's an office manager for a chiropractic center — whose father was once an advance scout for the Yankees. This week I caught up with Robert Cuccinello, a retired detective from the Nassau County Police Department. As one reader put it, "These unknown human stories woven into all the big stuff are some of the most interesting ones for me."

Robert is a great guy and it's proof how much of an emotional impact a team and Yankee Stadium can have on people.

Meanwhile, David Justice pulled no punches in our latest column. He's been saying all season the Yankees weren't a championship caliber team, but little did we know they weren't even a playoff caliber team. It's been easy for fans to blame Joe Girardi, Brian Cashman and Alex Rodriguez, but Derek Jeter is essentially Teflon.

David played with Jeter in 2000 and 2001. He knows he has the respect of the team, which is why he urged the Yankees captain to be much more vocal. Forget this lead by example stuff. "He knows what it takes to win. Express it. He has the respect of each of his teammates, so vocalize it," he writes.

Easier said than done. It's also easy for the casual fan to forget that Justice owns two World Series rings and played in six World Series. The man's a winner and he was never afraid to call anyone out. Neither of us suggest Jeter is afraid, but some of the younger players — read Robinson Cano — need to be scared straight. "They're kids," said Crash Davis. "Scare 'em."