TDA Bullpen - Our Writers' Blog

Tuesday, February 17, 2004

So Steinbrenner has done it again. In the much-hyped "arms race" between the BoSox and Yanks, I think New York wins this round (as much as I hate to admit it). But as many writers have pointed out, we shouldn't write them in as champions yet with Alex Rodriguez on board. There are so many factors to consider on a team that's a far cry from the late-90s "dynasty" Yankees:

1) Chemistry: Andy Pettitte's gone. The Rocket followed suit. Now that Alfonso Soriano's out of town, the Yanks are a mixture of disparate elements, and a volitile combination at that. Gary Sheffield has been known to run his mouth to the press quite a bit. Kenny Lofton is penciled in at center field while Bernie Williams, the soul of those four championship-winning teams, still wants to play there rather than DH. Uh-oh. And now, add the highest-paid player in the world to this mixture. The same guy who single-handedly almost destroyed the chemistry of a team he wasn't even a part of (Nomar, Manny and the Red Sox are still recovering). We all know that The Boss doesn't like controversy. We all know that a World Series winning team needs chemistry (just ask the Marlins, Angels and Diamondbacks). If this team underperforms at all, the Yanks will be a mess of grumbling superstars and George will throw a fit, one that not even GM Brian Cashman may not be able to deal with.

2) Age: Let's face it. The Yanks as a whole are no spring chickens. Their youngest player in the starting lineup and rotation is - you guessed it - A-Rod, who isn't exactly a rookie at the age of 28. Injuries could become a factor along with the fact that some of these guys seemed to burn out during the playoffs. Steinbrenner has taken a huge risk by acquiring Kevin Brown while also depending on Jon Lieber, who has spent a year and a half on the disabled list, to carry the pitching load. He could be in for some trouble mid-season if the injury bug starts biting again.

3) The Playoffs: So by game #162, there are five Yankees who have driven in over 100 RBI. They've got two 20-game winners, a closer with 45 saves, and they're the best team in baseball by ten games. So what? They haven't been able to win a ring against younger teams with little to no playoff experience. In my opinion, George traded away his star second basemen simply because Soriano experienced a power outage in the postseason. It could happen again this year. With small payrolls winning championships these days, the Yanks may learn the hard way that $185 million doesn't buy another ring. While we complain that Steinbrenner's pockets are infinitely deep, A-Rod may not be the final piece of the Yankees' puzzle.

posted by Charles Curtis 10:00 AM