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FuriousGiorge
Of course most people then qualify it and realize that it's early and the Yankees will be fine, probably win 100 games and the AL East. They then usually use all those same reasons above for why the Yankees haven't recently, nor will they this year, win the World Series. Hopefully most people can look through this nonsense and realize that the Yankees are as capable as winning the World Series this year as they have been in any year, and either through bad luck or more often poorly-timed bad playing just haven't gotten it done in the postseason. The Yankees will be fine this year.
But what will get buried is that this Yankee team as currently constructed shows more and more cracks which are then hastily filled in with plaster every year. The difference between this incarnation of the Yankees and the 1996-2000 team isn't that the older team "knew how to win" or was filled with character guys or any of the other bullshit that people will claim as an answer. The difference was that that Yankee team had a core of young players to build on, guys who were getting better rather than worse, and that the holes not filled with homegrown talent was filled with less-pricey veterans who were easy to discard if unproductive and major finds if they performed. As the Yankees saw their core get older they felt they had to replace departing players not with mid-range free agents but with big-ticket splashes, so that now when a Giambi or a Kevin Brown proves ineffective or injured or both, even the Yankees find it difficult to simply dump them and chalk them up as sunk costs. 2 or 3 years ago people figured the Yankees would be able to reload every year with the priciest free agents and I think it's become increasingly clear that 1) even the Yankees have budgetary constraints and 2) that big-time free agents will ultimately lead you into a self-perpetuating cost spiral, as their contracts invariably get higher as their production drops and you are forced (or think you are forced) to replace them with another superstar and are therefore at the mercy of the highest end of the market as well as whatever player(s) happen to be available at the time. The current Yankee dynasty will end, and soon, not because of the character of the players the Yankees have pursued or even because management has done a terribly awful job, but because the Yankees are pushing the limits of chasing bad contracts with more bad contracts, and the core of players they developed (Jeter, Posada, Bernie Williams, Rivera) are getting close to the point where their production will be problematic to the team's success and there will be no one to replace them but more bad contracts.
The Yankees
April 18, 2005 at 08:58PM View BBCode
Well, it seems to officially be "Chicken Little day" for the forecasters and analysts with regards to the Yankees. They're too old, too dysfunctional, too many egos, not enough "true Yankees", too expensive, and Steinbrenner is about to go apeshit and tear the team to bits.Of course most people then qualify it and realize that it's early and the Yankees will be fine, probably win 100 games and the AL East. They then usually use all those same reasons above for why the Yankees haven't recently, nor will they this year, win the World Series. Hopefully most people can look through this nonsense and realize that the Yankees are as capable as winning the World Series this year as they have been in any year, and either through bad luck or more often poorly-timed bad playing just haven't gotten it done in the postseason. The Yankees will be fine this year.
But what will get buried is that this Yankee team as currently constructed shows more and more cracks which are then hastily filled in with plaster every year. The difference between this incarnation of the Yankees and the 1996-2000 team isn't that the older team "knew how to win" or was filled with character guys or any of the other bullshit that people will claim as an answer. The difference was that that Yankee team had a core of young players to build on, guys who were getting better rather than worse, and that the holes not filled with homegrown talent was filled with less-pricey veterans who were easy to discard if unproductive and major finds if they performed. As the Yankees saw their core get older they felt they had to replace departing players not with mid-range free agents but with big-ticket splashes, so that now when a Giambi or a Kevin Brown proves ineffective or injured or both, even the Yankees find it difficult to simply dump them and chalk them up as sunk costs. 2 or 3 years ago people figured the Yankees would be able to reload every year with the priciest free agents and I think it's become increasingly clear that 1) even the Yankees have budgetary constraints and 2) that big-time free agents will ultimately lead you into a self-perpetuating cost spiral, as their contracts invariably get higher as their production drops and you are forced (or think you are forced) to replace them with another superstar and are therefore at the mercy of the highest end of the market as well as whatever player(s) happen to be available at the time. The current Yankee dynasty will end, and soon, not because of the character of the players the Yankees have pursued or even because management has done a terribly awful job, but because the Yankees are pushing the limits of chasing bad contracts with more bad contracts, and the core of players they developed (Jeter, Posada, Bernie Williams, Rivera) are getting close to the point where their production will be problematic to the team's success and there will be no one to replace them but more bad contracts.
Smocko
What most people forget is that even the era of perpetuation through huge free agent contracts will only last as long as Steinbrenner is alive. After which the Yankees will probably have to get back to normal competition, which will be hard with the carcasses of bad contracts loading down the organization.
As for this year, the staff has its problems, but even Kevin Brown is perfectly capable of being an effective 5th starter. The team should pick up and get through the regular season fine, maybe as the wild card, but will be very dangerous in the playoffs with Randy Johnson able to pitch on three days rest (or even no days rest as he did in 2001).
April 18, 2005 at 09:44PM View BBCode
Agreed, Atlanta has managed things much better. After the 2001 Series there was still hope of a retooling dynasty, but the huge contracts given to Giambi and Mussina have brought the team to its current position.What most people forget is that even the era of perpetuation through huge free agent contracts will only last as long as Steinbrenner is alive. After which the Yankees will probably have to get back to normal competition, which will be hard with the carcasses of bad contracts loading down the organization.
As for this year, the staff has its problems, but even Kevin Brown is perfectly capable of being an effective 5th starter. The team should pick up and get through the regular season fine, maybe as the wild card, but will be very dangerous in the playoffs with Randy Johnson able to pitch on three days rest (or even no days rest as he did in 2001).
sycophantman
April 19, 2005 at 12:45AM View BBCode
If karma exists, than the Yankees will indeed start to fall apart...Pages: 1