Yankees
prove their net worth
Patrick Hodgson
The suspense and anxiety over who would end up being the title-holding team of
the AL East finally reached its climax Saturday at Fenway Park. The Green Monster
proved too small to hold the Yankees down.
The Curse of the Bambino began in 1920 when Red Sox owner, Harry Frazee, sold
Babe Ruth to the Yankees to finance his girlfriend’s play. Ever since then,
Boston has never won a World Series and New York has won 26.
Red Sox fans are worried that the curse may not have really been broken and that
they may have
to endure another 80 years of agony.
It was a day when the sports civilization could see what the New York Yankees
were made of and why the Bronx Bombers had clinched their eighth consecutive
division and ninth in 10 years.
The Yankees found a way to sneak up on the World
Champion Boston Red Sox and found a way to make the sports media that had doubted
them look remorseful.
The Yankees can be assured that this season will never be forgotten, regardless
of what happens in the hunt for October and the hunt for a 27th World Series
victory.
The Yankees entered the season with $200 million plus payroll and expectations
were and still are nothing less than a championship.
Yet, the Yankees somehow found themselves in their worst situation in 39 years
after starting the season with a dreadful 11-19 record. Things got worse as the
season went on and injuries plagued the pitching staff.
The majority of the sports
world then wrote off the most storied franchise in the land, but could you really
blame them?
Entering Saturday’s rubber match with the Red Sox, the Yankees came in
tied with the champs and only had a share of the division lead this season for
less than 20 days.
So what happened? An 8-4 victory over the Red Sox in Manager
Joe Torre called one of the best in his impressive career.
It was a victory in which Randy Johnson proved to General Manager Brian Cashman
and owner George Steinbrenner that he was well worth their investment in the
offseason by striking out eight and improving his record to 5-0 this season against
the Red Sox.
It was also a victory that may have indicated the winner of the American League
Most Valuable Player award as Yankees third basemen Alex Rodriguez, instead of
Red Sox’s DH David Ortiz, in a race to be as tight as the 2000 presidential
election.
Rodriguez found himself with a 4-for-5 performance, which included his 48th homerun
of the season. The news was not all that bad for the defending champion Red Sox
as they too clinched at least a one-game playoff, thanks in part to another Cleveland
Indian loss down the homestretch.
So what is next for the AL East champs? A rematch of the 2002 AL Divisional series
with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim is possible. The Angels won that series
in six games, but think again if you are ready to rule out the Yankees.
The team is battle-tested and my pick to win the World Series. I predicted them
to win their 27th title and refuse to change my pick. For one, their ace Randy
Johnson, has won six straight starts and is peaking at the necessary time.
Not only is he pitching at an incredibly competitive level, but so are his relievers
in the bullpen. Veterans Al Leiter and Shawn Chacon have been nothing less than
stellar down the stretch and are set to step up in the playoffs. And then there
are the bats.
It doesn’t get better than a lineup that contains Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez,
Garry Sheffield and Hideki Matsusi.
Do you really think the suspect pitching of the Angels, Red Sox or the White
Sox could really overpower this
offense? Don’t bet on it.
At the end of the day the Yankees $200 million of talent will prove to be too
much for the would be contenders of the American League or should I say pretenders
of the American League.
If you don’t believe me, just ask the Red Sox nation.
And quite frankly, did the Red Sox really reverse the curse, or did they just
awake the Evil Empire?
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