Garbage Juice: Yankee Repeat? Fugetaboutit!!!

Well, it appears that the Braves faithful came out in droves yesterday to see why their team is not going to win this season with a record day for traffic on the blog.  Let's see if Yankee fans can beat that today.  I have no doubt they can check in on their iPhone 4s, iPads, Blackberries, the dashboard of their BMWs, or whatever other silver-spoon piece of technology they can afford now that gets internet.  That said, let's jump into the reason that the Yankees are not repeating as World Series champions this season.

Looking at this team on paper, they look like a straight up lock for a repeat.  I mean, I was actually thinking about this the other day.  Just about every player that starts for the Yankees is a fantasy baseball starter - that's impressive.  What's more impressive?  If you tried, you wouldn't be able to get every Yankee player on your fantasy roster because they'd be taken before you could take all of them in a draft - that's really impressive.  Do fantasy stats win championships though?  Nope.  You can't be afraid of a Yankee team because it's filled with stars.  Look at 2001 through 2009 - great teams, lots of stars, good regular season success, but no role players, and most of all, no championships. 

Last year the team was able to put it all together and win one - why? They had the desire to finally prove everyone wrong.  They don't have that this year.After last season, everyone forgets that the reason that the team won so many championships in the late 90s was because of home grown talent and good role players - guys like the core 4, Scott Brosius, Mike Stanton, El Duque, Bernie Williams, etc.  Now, it's all players that have been bought.  This is an old argument, but it serves still as a good reminder that this team is not the team of the late 90s, it's still a team of egos and businessmen brought in because of their performance elsewhere.  It will get you wins all season, but unless you can put it together in the post-season, it doesn't matter.  The one thing they had going for them last year was that they hadn't won one in a while - now they don't have that.

Also, while this team has put together wins, they are severely under-performing this season.  A first place record can often cause people to gloss over the performances of the individual players.  Derek Jeter, the new Mother Teresa of sports and poster boy captain, is skating by with a .276 average and little power at this point.  A-Rod and Texiera have lots of RBIs but not much else.  Robbie Cano has had an awesome year, but when your average drops from the .360s to the .330s, it's from a drop in production (.276 batting average in July).  And I just can't trust all of the pitching.  CC is good but after that (and after he matches up with David Price who can throw 100MPH on his 100th pitch) you have AJ Burnett and his ERA of almost 5, Phil Hughes who's had a terrible 2nd half (2-3 4.88 ERA since the break), Javy Vazquez who has an ERA of almost 5, and Andy Pettite who was doing great until an injury which is just showing he's still good but old and can't keep going this late in the season.  Mariano is still there and untouchable but the rest of the pen is marginal at best.

So, sit back in your $2500 seats Yankee fans.  Gear up for those playoffs.  Be confident.  But, don't forget that the Sox and the Rays are not out of this yet, their teams hate you, they are getting healthier, and they are getting hungry for a championship because they haven't just won one.  So, keep making fun of us over in Queens, and we'll be there to remind you, 2nd place is just first loser.

Again, Spiteful? Yes.  Kinda convoluted? Yes.  Does it make me feel better? A little.

Drink it up.