What's The Big Deal?

I keep seeing all of these Facebook and Twitter updates from Yankees fans. They seem genuinely excited that their team is one game away from winning the World Series. I'm happy that these fans can be so enthusiastic about the win because I just keep asking myself "what's the big deal, aren't the Yankees SUPPOSED to win the World Series?"

Yes, I'm a Yankee hater, so you can save your breath. And why shouldn't I be? I mean, cheering for the Yankees is like cheering for Goldman Sachs: it's only a matter of time before they come out on top. I assume Rush Limbaugh loves the Yankees because the team represents his ideal greed-based free-spending super capitalist society.

I know Yankee fans are tired of hearing about the payroll. Money is the front topic of every conversation with a fan of another team, so let's get it out of the way: it's the biggest unfair advantage in pro sports. It's the doing of Major League Baseball and New York just takes advantage of it, but no one can come close to to the Yankees spending habits. I'm not just talking about $200 million payroll, it's the unspoken words behind the payroll. Everyone in baseball knows that in the truculent world of free-agency, New York will be able to outbid any competitor if they choose to.

Is the money all that matters? Of course not. The Mets and Cubs have both proven that spending lots of money doesn't mean success. The difference is that the Yanks can cover free-agency mistakes more easily. Remember Carl Pavano? Kei Igawa? Jason Giambi and his mustache? When these deals go sour, it's enough to derail some teams for years. The Yankees just reload and start shopping again.

Yankees management should be given some credit for this approach. They don't go hide under the bed when mistakes are made in free-agency. They keep searching. Fans know that if the team has a bad year, things will change.

Things did change and finally New York was able to buy the right men for the job. A.J. Burnett, C.C. Sabathia, and Mark Teixeira are all expensive, but great players. They have been solid in doing their jobs and haven't suffered major injuries. That coupled with A-Rod suddenly showing up in the post season have made the Bombers a formidable group. It's a group that boasts the top paid third baseman, shortstop, first baseman, starting pitcher, and releif pither in the game.

The shortstop and relief pitcher are home grown Yankees. That's nice. Yankees fans love to tell me how New York would be a great team even without the big spending. It's true that Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Jorge Posada among a few others form a decent core of players. Then all that you're missing is the entire middle of the batting order, most of the outfield, and the front part of the rotation. I think the work C.C. Sabathia has gotten in the World Series shows just how few pitchers the Yankees have faith in.

It's just part of baseball reality. The Yankees will land the top named free-agents 99.9% of the time and they will eventually win because of it. That's the way baseball is set up.

But don't be upset that people like me learn to hate the Yankees. We aren't brought up to root for the powerful greedy types. We're taught from an early age that that's bad. The Yankees aren't alone though. I won't cheer for Goldman Sachs either.