The Yankees Have Not Been to the World Series Since 2003 - Here's Why They Will Be Back There in 2009
Sports Illustrated had an interesting article about the Yankees pitching staff and their relationship to the key to their success. The last time the New York Yankees reached the World Series in 2003, they had an arsenal of good pitchers - Clemens, Pettite, Wells, among others. Since then, they have never had dominant starting pitching with Clemens and Pettite leaving for Houston, Wells going into pseudo-retirement only to emerge in San Diego. And with so many problems plaguing the pitching staffs of the New York Yankees from 2004 to 2008, including injuries, horrible signings (Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano come to mind), and controversy (Clemens, Pettite, Joba), could the story be turning a new page in this storied franchise's chapter?
When was the last time you could think of a New York Yankees team that was built like this - with Burnett, Sabbathia, Wang, Chamberlin and Hughes? The expectations are there, but this time around, it's not just about the pitchers. For the first time since 2003 and since the Yankees lost some of their most respected hitters - O'Neill, Williams, Martinez, Soriano, among others, they have an offense that looks and hits like the Yankees when they were so dominant. With Tex, Damon, Matsui, Cano, Posada and Jeter, there's more experience, depth and talent on the offensive side than there's been in years.
The only possible stumbling block to the Yankees this year, which actually might be a blessing in disguise, is the controversy surrounding Rodriguez and the fact that he'll be out 6-8 weeks. This will hurt them offensively, but may prove in the long run to be the best thing for the Yankees because it'll allow the team to focus on hitting and give opportunities to guys like Ransom and Cabrera to fill the hole left by Rodriguez. Other things to watch out for is injuries to their aging stars: Posada, Jeter, Damon and Rivera. If they can avoid injuries, keep a healthy team, then the pitching and hitting should do their jobs and win over 100 games this year.
Sports Illustrated had an interesting article about the Yankees pitching staff and their relationship to the key to their success. The last time the New York Yankees reached the World Series in 2003, they had an arsenal of good pitchers - Clemens, Pettite, Wells, among others. Since then, they have never had dominant starting pitching with Clemens and Pettite leaving for Houston, Wells going into pseudo-retirement only to emerge in San Diego. And with so many problems plaguing the pitching staffs of the New York Yankees from 2004 to 2008, including injuries, horrible signings (Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano come to mind), and controversy (Clemens, Pettite, Joba), could the story be turning a new page in this storied franchise's chapter?
When was the last time you could think of a New York Yankees team that was built like this - with Burnett, Sabbathia, Wang, Chamberlin and Hughes? The expectations are there, but this time around, it's not just about the pitchers. For the first time since 2003 and since the Yankees lost some of their most respected hitters - O'Neill, Williams, Martinez, Soriano, among others, they have an offense that looks and hits like the Yankees when they were so dominant. With Tex, Damon, Matsui, Cano, Posada and Jeter, there's more experience, depth and talent on the offensive side than there's been in years.
The only possible stumbling block to the Yankees this year, which actually might be a blessing in disguise, is the controversy surrounding Rodriguez and the fact that he'll be out 6-8 weeks. This will hurt them offensively, but may prove in the long run to be the best thing for the Yankees because it'll allow the team to focus on hitting and give opportunities to guys like Ransom and Cabrera to fill the hole left by Rodriguez. Other things to watch out for is injuries to their aging stars: Posada, Jeter, Damon and Rivera. If they can avoid injuries, keep a healthy team, then the pitching and hitting should do their jobs and win over 100 games this year.
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