My Team's in the Playoffs...and Yours?

For the ninth year in a row the Yankees have won the American League East division and are on their way to the postseason. I won't even mention the Red Sox since nothing can be said about them at this point. Ortiz will be swinging a club while Jeter will be swinging a bat. The competition will be the A's, Twins, and Tigers although all three teams have had little success and postseason experience in the last few years.

The Yankees lineup has the depth most teams wish they had. Mussina is not injured after all and questions still remain about Randy Johnson. However, the Yanks do have other pitching options if they need it, younger and less experienced, but options nonetheless. Sheffield and Matsui are back in action so their options are endless.

I do see them in the World Series and I do see them playing their cross-town rivals, the Mets. Subway Series 2006 with the same result as the last time...Yankees winning their 27th World Series title, and once they win I will no doubt here the same complaints I've heard for the past 10 years...they bought their ring. I think we all know by now that any blabber about Yankees and payroll is null in void at this point. Let's take a look.

Yes, the Yankees can afford the salaries of top players such as Johnson, Damon, Giambi, Rodriguez and Sheffield but ask yourself this: Are these players playing like the top money makers they are? The answer is no. They may be having a pretty good season but not one of these players are dominating in any way. Who is dominating on the Yankees? Jeter, Rivera, Wang, Cabrera, and Cano; players who came from the Yankees farm system, not purchased. So you can't say Yankees are buying championships because the top money makers on the team are producing as they should and quite frankly the Yankees haven't won in ring in six years. That excuse is nothing but an envious cop-out statement by folks who don't care to realize that the Yankees are one of the best managed teams in baseball.

So if the Yankees win the Series this year I don't want to hear any complaining from anyone. This injury-plagued season is much like the injury-plagued season of 1996, you know, the season that started the modern Yankees dynasty. Now it's time for another.