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Buck Showalter: Don't Sell Yankees' Jorge Posada Short

NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Jorge Posada has monopolized the sports pages since pulling himself out of the Yankees' lineup on Saturday.

Buck Showalter, manager of the Baltimore Orioles and former Yankees skipper, thinks it's that passion that sets Posada above the rest.

"I've learned over the years never to sell the heart of a guy like Jorge short," Showalter said of his former prospect Wednesday. "He'll probably go crazy here for two days, three days. I'd be surprised if Jorge didn't get it going here."

On Wednesday, The Daily News reported repeated clashes between Posada and Girardi that occurred during the 2005 season, when the current Yankees manager served as bench coach for Joe Torre.

"Girardi couldn't wait to get him out from behind the plate," said the paper's source. "He hated the way (Posada) called a game."

But Showalter defended Posada's catching abilities, again praising the former backstop's "makeup."

"That's one of the reasons we evaluated that he could do the catching thing," said Showalter. "He had the makeup to do it. It's never been a question. ... It's part of why he's been so good."

Showalter added: "He does have that heart. I remember when they moved him from second base to catcher, so I know him a little bit."

The former Yankees skipper was asked how Posada's strife relates to the struggles he had managing an aging Don Mattingly in the mid-90's.

"Someone asked me earlier about comparisons," he said. "That was a whole different situation. Every situation is different."

Will Jorge pull through? Sound off in the comments below...

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