tonytalkssports My Take on Sports, particularly the Yankees, Maple Leafs and Browns

Will 2012 See The 28th World Championship In The Bronx??

The New York Yankees have won 27 world championships, the most in all of professional sports. As we enter 2012 the question is: Will the Yankees win their 28th world championship?? Before I tell you what I think the answer is to that question, here is something to consider. In the last 10 years, the Yankees have qualified for the playoffs nine times. They won the World Series in 2009 and in 2003 made the World Series and lost to the Florida Marlins. In the remaining seven years, they made the ALCS twice and were eliminated in the first round five times. Oh and by the way, this ten year period includes the most monumental post season collapse in team history: blowing a 3-0 lead in the 2004 ALCS against the Boston Red Sox.

My point in bringing this up is that the Yankees are built to excel in the regular season. Making the playoffs is an accomplishment and the Yankees have been successful since 1995 having only been out of the playoffs once in 2008. However, the Yankees sell to their fans that a season is not a success unless they win it all. That goal was established by George Steinbrenner and as Yankee fans we knew he meant it. A couple of days ago, Randy Levine indicated that this past season was not a success because they didn't win the World Series and it rang as hollow as a three dollar bill. So the question becomes: are the Yankees built to win their 28th World Championship in 2012??

Based on the current roster, the answer to that question is no. General Manager Brian Cashman has done absolutely nothing to improve a team that was knocked out in the first round. Now the argument will be that this is a team which won 97 games in 2011 and won the AL East. But upon further examination, Cashman lucked out with Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia. Colon is not back and Cashman is going to rely once again on Garcia. Offensively, the Yankees benefitted from a monster season by Curtis Granderson. Granderson hit 41 home runs and had 119 RBI's. Both were career bests. Can we believe that Granderson will duplicate those numbers again??? And if he doesn't who will make up that offensive production.

Of course some may say that 2011 also saw a sub-par ARod due to injury and a bad first half of the season for Derek Jeter and the expectation would be that Jeter will pick up where he left off and ARod will be ARod. I would agree with that except for the fact that Jeter will be 38 and ARod will be 37. And there in lies the problem with the Yankees. Where is the youth???? With Jorge Posada leaving, the Yankees only have Jeter and Mariano Rivera left from the glory years. Years that many Yankee fans in their 20's and 30's were spoiled with. In order for the Yankees to win the World Series, they will need their aging stars to perform as they have in the past. They will also need Mark Teixiera to justify the big contract that he signed with the Yankees. And they will need CC Sabathia to be CC Sabathia not to mention Phil Hughes bouncing back and no sophomore slump for Ivan Nova.

I honestly believe that the management team of Hal Steinbrenner, Lonn Trost and Randy Levine are more interested in the financial bottom line than winning. Getting into the playoffs is their goal. It gives them lucrative extra home dates which not only benefits gate receipts but also benefits the YES Network. When looking at the AL East, along with the additional wild card team, I think its a safe bet that the Yankees will make the playoffs. Boston has its problems and Tampa Bay may not have the guns to snag the division away from the Yankees. Once the Yankees get in, its all financial gravy for the Yankee bean counters.

Those of you who read this blog know that I am a Browns and Maple Leaf fan. Both teams have not made the playoffs in years. The Leafs have made improvements, purging their roster and becoming one of the youngest teams in the NHL. Their is hope for long term success. The Browns, on the other hand, seem to be treading water even though they are one of the youngest teams in the NFL. My point in bringing this up is that I can live with rebuilding. If the Yankees came out today and said we are going with youth I wouldn't have a problem with that. Banuelos and Betances were going to get a shot to be in the starting rotation. Jesus Montero was going to catch at least half of the games this year, splitting time with Russell Martin. Eduardo Nunez was going to have more of a role, playing in at least 100 games. But this will never happen because it could jeopardize their chance at making the playoffs and that's what its all about for Hal and the boys.

While the Yankees will make the playoffs, unless something is done between now and opening day, they will not win their 28th Championship. But what is scarier than that is if they don't acquire younger established players via trade or Cashman's prized farm system doesn't come true, that 28th Championship could be years away. One final point, you will notice I did not mention acquiring free agents. The Hal, Trost, Levine trio are hell bent on reducing the Yankees luxury tax assessment. There latest assessment was $14 million, less than the previous year. It would appear the days of signing a Reggie Jackson or a CC Sabathia are gone particularly when they will be paying ARod over $25 million a year for the next 6 years and another $25 million per year for Sabathia for the next 4. You can't reduce luxury tax if you add to those numbers. Hopefully, I'm wrong but if I'm right we are looking at a long dark period that if you are under 35 years old you have never experienced. Having gone through that twice, I can tell you it's not fun when all you have to talk about is days gone by.