The New York Yankees defeated the Phillies in 6 games to clinch the franchise's 27 the World Series Title. For those of you keeping score at home the Yankees now own 26% of the World Series Trophies. Of all the major sports organizations the Yankees can claim ownership to the most titles. The Yankees can also hold the title of the most polarizing team in all of sports. Because of this love/hate view on the Yankees this seasons accomplishments are summed up in two ways: the fan "finally we put together the right pieces" and the hater: "the best team money could buy", like most instances the reality is somewhere in the middle. The Yankees have always been spenders and most of their titles can be linked to spending the most on the best players but many people forget that for the last 8 years the Yankees have spent a ton of money and have only been rewarded with playoff appearances and epic failures. This years squad actually had a payroll below last years team. Unlike teams of yesteryear this past offseason the Yankees did a good job of evaluating their needs, addressing them, and not just going after names. Their hardwork was rewarded with a title. Was their title bought? In someways yes but a goal was set and a plan was put into place and the necessary objectives were meet and as a result the 27th World Series Title belongs in the Big Apple.
With the Yankees success it is impossible to deny the payroll inequities in baseball. The Yankees had a payroll upwards of 200 million well above the other Top 5 squads who where in the 180-140 range and lightyears ahead of the Marlins, Pirates, etc. Baseball has taken measure to close the gap. Equity sharing was created about 6 years ago and the luxury tax was instituted not long after. There have been talks of instituting a minimum salary for all clubs while a Salary Cap has been talked about but will not be accepted by the MLBPA. All of these items could share the wealth among the teams and all could be beneficial if executed properly. This however is the biggest problem between the have and have not's in baseball, EXECUTION.
To many teams in baseball aren't run properly from the Owner to the GM to the on the field operations. Some owners unlike the Steinbrenners are unwilling to invest their own money for on the field success such as Carl Pohlad of the Twins. Some teams spend money foolishly such as the Kansas City Royals, Gill Meche anyone? Some clubs do a horrific job at evaluating talent the Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates come to mind along with many other teams. If you don't execute all baseball operations properly money will not compensate for this. The Yankees evaluated their team properly this offseason. They focused on the areas that needed addressed mixed in some players that brought personality to their team and created a clubhouse that was energetic and brought life to what had become a stale franchise. The Yankees paid a hefty price for this World Series title but the money wasn't the only reason for the success. Give the devil it's due, Congratulations Yankees, I hope you go another 9 years without one.
College Football
* Once again the top three teams in the land where unimpressive. Florida scored 27 points at home against Vanderbilt while offensively the Tide look like anything but a National Title contender. It is amazing to me that a big time SEC school could be that inconsistent at QB. It took Texas 3Qtrs to run away from Central Florida.
* TCU may be playing like the best team in the country right now. I realize their schedule hasn't been daunting but unlike the other top 7 teams they have been throttling the teams they should be. Only a close contest with Air Force would be considered a letdown.
* The Charlie Weis era is about as close to over as it ever has been. Losing to Navy 2 consecutive times at home will not go unpunished. It's hard to fault Weis in this contest however. When you gain well over 500 yards and don't punt you usually win the games but 2 missed FG and 2 turnovers inside the 10 yard line are hard to overcome. Weis will serve as the fall guy and good cases for his dismissal can be made. To have any hope of returning next year Weis will need 3W's to close out the season and a bowl win. I have a feeling that wouldn't even be enough. Sometime you just need to shoot the bleeding dog and get on with it. This is one of those cases.
* Brian Kelley will be the coach of choice for Notre Dame but if I had my choice Chucky would be roaming the sidlines in South Bend. Gruden would be a home run college coach of Pete Carroll quality.
* I have stated my love for the Pac 10 this year. The top team isn't at the level of either Bama, Florida or Texas but the depth is unreal. Arizona, Oregon, Oregon State, USC, and Stanford are all top 25 worthy while Washington, UCLA, Arizona State and California are all really scary. Only Washington State is a total grease fire.
* The upcoming weekend will be a big weekend for 3 of the 6 remaining unbeatens. TCU faces it's toughest remaining foe in Utah. Cincinnnati must face a dangerous WVU team while Boise State faces in-state rival Idaho who is having it's best season ever albeit a weak 7-3.
NFL
* The Cowboys are surprisingly the quietest 6-2 team in football. The win over the Eagles puts the Cowboys in first in the NFC East. Maybe all these years of disappointments have taken the limelight along with the pressure away from the Cowboys. In the past of course it's December that has been the problem.
* The demise of Tomlinson has been well noted in the world of fantasy football. After watching the Giants game on Sunday though I have to say that the biggest problem for Tomlinson is that O-line of the Chargers on 8 of Tomlinsons 12 carries a defender was in the backfield.
* Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler play the same part. Both are highly touted in analyst world as having all the skills. Both put up great numbers throughout the season but neither seem to be able to guide their teams to victories on a consistent basis. Cutler is a mental mess while Rodgers puts his team in bad situations by holding onto the ball to long and taking to many sacks.
* Colts and Saints remain undefeated while both looked anything but invincible. The Colts allowed the Texans to hang around and the offense for the second consecutive week struggled. The Saints once again got of to a slow start but thanks to some big defensive plays in the second half managed the comeback.
* The Bengals look like a legit Super Bowl squad at this point. The defense is very underrated and has big play potential. Benson provides the most balance of the Carson Palmer regime. The Bengals have the firepower to compete in a shootout and the defensive mindset to handle a low scoring battle.
64/60 Sports
* Later this week I will release my first Fantasy Spin On the Hot Stove Column. All offseason I will inform everyone on how all the trades and free agent signing effect the players in fantasy terms getting you prepared for the upcoming baseball season. After all the fantasy season never ends.
1 comment:
Thank you for the insight.
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