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ad·ap·ta·tion
n.

1. An alteration or adjustment in structure or habits by which an individual improves its condition in relationship to its environment.

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Adaptation is something that we as fans expect immediately of athletes, especially here in New York. But the reality is, adapting to any new environment takes time. It doesn't matter if the person is me, you, any ordinary Joe Schmoe, or a Major Leaguer, it’s all the same. However, certainly for ball players, the adaptation period would be shortened, right? After all, these guys get traded or become free agents at such a rate nowadays; they should all be used to transitions. And it certainly should be the case when all the transition called for is a switch of uniforms in the same city, right? For Yankees third baseman Robin Ventura, it certainly seems that way.

Robin Ventura is adjusting to his new surroundings quickly.

The word adapting and Ventura were not the primary focus of fans, or even of the media, during Spring Training and the first month of the season. That honor fell upon the Yankees main catch of the off-season, first baseman Jason Giambi. Surely, this first month and a half we have all been bombarded ad nauseam with stories of Giambi and how well he was or, in times when he went 0 for 4 with 3 Ks like on May 5th against Seattle, wasn’t fitting in up in the Bronx. It wouldn’t be right to say that Ventura did not make it onto the radar at all, but certainly he was put on the back burner for the moment.

To be honest, Ventura is not high on my personal list of favorite players. In fact, I was more or less antagonistic toward him all along, mostly because of his production, or in his case, lack thereof, in the last two seasons with the Mets, and therefore, for my fantasy teams. It might not have been right, but it was natural for me then to predict a pessimistic future for our third baseman, at least so much that I would not regret not signing him on for a third year in a row.

Ventura’s acquisition from the Mets via a trade for David Justice was only supposed to fill the Yankees’ gap at third base for so long that star prospect Drew Henson can get another year of Triple-A under his belt before taking the hot corner next season. In the first few games of the season, Ventura did nothing to diffuse that belief when he botched up plays that made fans reminisce about the retired Scott Brosius. If nothing else, the Yankees had picked up Ventura for a similar reason that they had traded for Brosius from Oakland for Kenny Rogers in 1998 (besides Rogers overstaying his welcome) – they needed a defensively reliable, although light hitting, fielder.

Ventura surely had lived up to the little-hit part of the job description – his offensive numbers, especially his average, had taken a nose dive after his career year in 1999. But he is also a “six-time Gold Glove Award winner,” as Michael Kay and Jim Kaat had so repeatedly stated during the Seattle game on May 5. In the 2002 season thus far, Ventura seems to be doing slightly better than he had been last year – including an early barrage of home runs – which would bode well for the Yankees. Let’s hope his bat continues to produce this year, and that the Yankees win with Ventura rather than in spite of him.

After all, he IS Batman in Gotham.

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