John, you write "the Phillies have the only front office that does not employ a statistical analysis."

Is that a typo? They surely employ some statistical analysis, if only of the kind such as that Ryan Howard as their starting first baseman would hit more HR and drive in more runs than Miguel Cairo.

Did you mean, rather, that they don't employ "a statistical analyst"?

Be a bit more careful here, John. As pfrduke notes above, Scioscia didn't make the knee-jerk closer move in game 2. And Torre also has used Broxton 'setup' and then Sherrill 'closing' twice that I know of.

Actually, I'm surprised the editor let that slip by, too.

Whether or not Yankees fans and most BP writers want to admit it or not, the Yankees do have a tremendous advantage over the other teams. I realize they reinvest whereas many teams do not, but they still enjoy a national following, a regional network and an unlimited payroll.

I know BP is pro-player and anti-cap, but there needs to be a cap and a floor in place.

The Yankees are buying the World Series.

"It seems the Yankees are the bane of every mid-market and small-market team in baseball. Whenever the Yankees have success, it seems people associated with those clubs and fans in those cities discredit it because of payroll issues."

I love baseballprospectus but to a man/woman you are Yankee apologists. EVERY year they have a payroll that more than doubles the MLB average and the gap between them and the next highest team usually equals a small to medium market paryoll for an entire team. Try starting a fantasy baseball league with that kind of payroll disparity and see how many takers you get.

Frankly the Yanks should be winning rings more often than they do given their inherent structural advantages.

And its getting worse not better with only one small market team sneaking into the playoffs on day #163 and the rest being large market teams.

Honestly, it is a measure of how far sabermetric analysis has come in influencing front office decisions throughout baseball that money, rather than analysis, separates winners from losers. Until meaningful revenue sharing is imposed dont expect things to change either; geniuses like Beane will constantly be behind the 8 ball.

Some thoughts on the Yankees' revenue advantage

1. It is often said that we have many examples of teams making poor decisions while spending a lot of money. The Yankees make good decisions with their spending.

But

The Yankees' poor decisions are simply ignored or papered over because they (unlike most other teams)can simply write off a bad investment. They are more willing to recognize sunk costs because they have the revenue to be able to afford it.

Also

How difficult is it to identify the best player in free agency every year, and simply pay the most for him. Was there anyone out there who didn't know that Teixera and Sabbathia were good? Soon after they inexplicably did not sign the best free agent at a position where they had a need (Beltran) they missed the playoffs for the first time in 14 years.

2. It is often said that the Yankees (unlike some teams) are willing to invest in their payroll rather than put the money in their pocket. I believe they have sufficient revenue to do both.

3. It is often said that the Yankees are adept at generating revenue. Actually, I think their revenue on the per capita basis for the population in their market is unremarkable. Their market often has 10 times or more population than the teams against which they are competing. They are not making 10 times more revenues.

I still think that rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for the lions against the Christians in the Roman Coliseum.

Like I've said, I will not give them an ounce of credit if they win it all this year. I'll give them credit for the 90's and 2000. Not this time. Not with Aroid, Tex, CC, AJ, Damon, Matsui....sorry.

I love how BP and Yankee apologists act like the Yankee's making the postseason EVERY year but one for about two decades has nothing to do with their massive payroll/revenue advantage.

Might the Rockies look to acquire Dan Uggla from the Marlins? Uggla is rather Hawpe-like from the right side. A third team could be brought in or else 2 separate moves made. Uggla represents a much greater gain over Barmes than any affordable options in the OF over Smith, Fowler, or CarGo. And Barmes would make a fine defensive half of a platoon with the stone handed Uggla.

Thing is.....how many writers at BP are Yankees fans? Joe and Will immediately come to mind. It's natural to be a little biased, even though I don't think those two are bad at all. But BP is a huge Yankees apologist. I've been here six years and there are constants.

Prospectus is anti-owner and pro-player, anti-salary cap, pro-union and very much pro-Yankees. They certainly do ignore payroll when it comes to the success of the Yankees.

What does "Pro Player/Anti Owner" mean?

Are you starting a grass roots movement to protect the multi-billionaire owners from having to share too great a percentage of revenues with the workers that generate them?

Nobody is talking about a salary cap as a solution to the Yankee problem. I'm suggesting true revenue sharing is the solution without the perverse incentives. Honestly, would any of the Yankees reveneue be possible without other teams to play. They have a right to demand more from NY or let them play with themselves, a solution no less than Bill James suggested 25 years ago.