Cue the complaints that the Yankees are unstoppable because they spend money, conveniently ignoring the fact that this is their first WS title since 2000.

As much as I dislike the Yankees, I appreciate this at least a little because it's going to make A-Rod critics seem that much sillier in the future: "But he only had 1 hit in the clinching game - THAT is when it REALLY counts!"

I love the style you chose here: The voice of the analyst with the voice of the fan, both reaching the same celebration. I loathe the Yankees, but your piece was still a great read, likely to be my favorite of the post-season. Thanks.

As my brother emailed me earlier today:

First World Series in the old Yankee Stadium (opened 1923):
Yankees win Series. In 6 games. Lost Game 1 at home. Game 6 is won by a veteran left-hander (Pennock).

First World Series in the new Yankee Stadium (opened 2009):
Yankees win Series. In 6 games. Lost game 1 at home. Game 6 is won by a veteran left-hander (Pettitte).

Cue eerie music.

good article again. with the yankees, people tend to focus on the financial side, or talk about the organization's numerous advantages. all of these are valid concerns, but lost in this is the genuine talent and gameplay of the players. at least for one day, i think we should appreciate the baseball that was played before getting back to flaming.

"Cue the complaints that the Yankees are unstoppable because they spend money, conveniently ignoring the fact that this is their first WS title since 2000."

indeed. since when is failing to capitalize on an enormous financial advantage from 2000 to 2008 a reason to consider 2009 some sort of unexpected and/or amazing achievment? We're supposed to congratulate the franchise for getting out of their own way by buying CC Sabthia instead of buying another Carl Pavano? Please.

I liked the article, especially the feel of being on the field afterward from a writer/fan perspective...but I think it's disingenuous to list Gillick and Amaro and NOT list Ed Wade. I'm no fan of Wade, but he was the GM from 1998-2005 and DID play a part in assembling this team. Assigning much of the credit to Arbuckle may be warranted, but Wade also has to be mentioned.

Your article struck the perfect celebratory note for this Yankee fan. The unsung hero for me was Damaso Marte. His contributions this post season reminded me of the contributions Graeme Lloyd made in the 96 post season. Like Marte, not much was expected of Lloyd, but he shut down the big lefthanded bats he faced. Now I don't feel so bad about the Nady Pittsburgh trade, no matter how Tabata ultimately turns out.

Thanks for the fabulous coverage and insight throughout the entire post-season! I loved it.

It was interesting to feel the difference that a competent and focused umpiring crew meant over the last few games, as opposed to those prior. But it did become clear that at least some additional use of replay is necessary going forward.

You "cued" the complaints -- here goes.

Last night, here in LA, I had a friend visit our home during the game who is a long-time Yankee fan. Fortunately, I have brainwashed my kids into hating the Yankees (I am a long time Orioles fan) and he was a little surprised at our vehement hatred of "his" team.

Graciously, my 12 and 16 year olds explained to him that while Jeter and Rivera were great players (and CC for that matter) and had nothing negative to say about them, the rest were "creeps".

Then, my wife asked me why do so many people dislike the Yankees.

Here is what I told her --

"Hon, if at next year's 11-12 year old Little League draft, I got the first five picks in the draft before any other coach got a pick, how do you think the coaches, parents and even kids on the other teams would feel about our team?"

Isn't that the point, Commissioner Selig?

$435 million to 3 guys in the space of 10 days last winter -- isn't that the "first five picks in the Little League draft"?

The lack of a real outcry is as sad as the inevitability of the Yankees' winning last night.

Manuel really blew it by not getting Happ in to face Matsui. The guy has hit homers off him in consecutive at-bats and Pedro was clearly not on the top of his game. Furthermore, even if he gets Matsui out, Pedro only going for another inning or two. It's not like your wasting your bullpen or that you have anything to save it for anyhow.

And if I'm not mistaken, Happ was already warming at that point. If you wanted to stall the game for the minutes he needed to get fully warm you could have. A la the yanks earlier this postseason: send out the pitching coach, throw over to first three times in a row, have the catcher come out and then have Manuel come out. "He didn't have enough time to get warm," cannot be an excuse there.

Btw, was I the only one to notice empty seats behind home plate, especially innings 6 through 9?

Congrats to the Yankees on finally taking full advantage of their massive financial leg up on the rest of baseball. There are plenty of classy players in the organization (Jeter, Mo, Damon, Posada, CC), and I don't begrudge them the success.

However, I'd feel a lot less antagonism toward the organization if it had produced ONE player in the last decade that made any difference at all this post season. Cano is forever on the cusp, Melky is decent, Joba and Hughes show signs of maybe becoming something significant in the future, Gardner still can't hit enough. All of the significant contributors in the post season were big-dollar free agent signings or trades (some of which no other team could have afforded), or products of the last era of organizational talent (Jeter, Posada, Mo, Pettitte).

In an era where there is general agreement that there is a "right" way to put together a successful MLB team (mix young organizational talent with the right blend of veterans), it's irritating to watch the Yankees manage to get out of their own way enough to put the lie to it. It's also supremely irritating to watch a fan base that feels like a 6-year absence from the WS is a "drought", like they're owed a certain percentage of championships as a birthright.

I'm always amazed about how Yankee fans can get so excited about winning the WS. The payroll advantage is the equivalent of a college hoops team getting a free pass to the Final 4 each year. No, getting the pass doesn't ensure victory, but it's pretty close.

Good win by the Yankees, they deserved to win.

Do you think if the Phillies reload or fix the bullpen that is enough to bridge the gap with the Yankees? Or should they take another step to improve the lineup as well by replacing Pedro Feliz with an improved right-handed bat at 3B?

Any other thoughts on what they should do?

My favorite quirky numbers from last night's game. Game 6 occurred on November 4th - 11/4. The win made the Yankees 11-4 in the postseason. It was also the Yankees 114th total win of the season. Propitious...

The worst thing about the Yankees winning is that it's just not all that interesting. This year, for the first time in my life, I actually lost interest in baseball before the World Series was over. Watching the Yankees win yet another World Series was about as impressive as watching a sprinter with a 10 meter head start win a 100 meter race, and as compelling as watching Wal-Mart open a new store. As a baseball addict, I could admire the individual performances (Matsui, Lee, Utley, Rivera) but it was hard to generate any feeling one way of the other about the final outcome.

And has there ever been a six-game series with less real drama than this one?

Baseball is the most beautiful and fascinating team game ever invented. But the business/sport that is MLB is seriously broken, which is why leagues with vastly inferior products (see NFL, NBA) continually clean their clocks in terms of popularity, revenues, and fan interest.

SoxOsPhils - "Post Reply" doesn't work on my computer, so here goes: the Phils need a better bench, especially a decent right-handed bat who can play 1B and left field. A utility infielder who can hit would also really help, as injuries could start to be more of an issue for the Phillies in 2010. And a manager who's willing to bench players or shuffle the lineup a bit would help. Rollins shouldn't be hitting leadoff when his OBP is below the Kingman line.

The bullpen needs to improve, but I think the holes in the Phillies' offense have been overlooked for too long.

With all the hubbub about the Yankees payroll, what amazes me the most is how effective all their players are this late in their careers. I would be surprised if they ever get the same ROI in the upcoming years. I tip my hat to them for staying at the top of their game.

Are the rants everyone keeps going on about payroll and the Yankees really objections to actual payroll per se, or to having large market teams in a league with smaller market teams without adequately designed revenue sharing?

Surely, people aren't actually upset about an owner spending on free agents, but rather that some owners/organizations can't. But if that's the case, why attack the people who actually spend the money instead of the people who could, but choose not to. The owners that choose not to are almost certainly worse for mlb because they are failing to reinvest earnings back into the sport. While the Yankees are still at (or near) the top of potential, there's no reason for that to always be the case. In fact, many analysts think that the Red Sox have more potential for spending power, with being able to draw from a regional fan base comparable to NY and more sports enthused fans. There are many teams that have the potential to spend like the Yankees if they choose to. What are we really upset about? That some teams have owners Willing to spend more than others? or that some teams have locations that Enable them to spend more?

Personally, I'm more concerned with the latter.

Take the analogy of a farmers market (mlb) where different farmers (teams) are all given plots of land of varying sizes and quality (market size and fan enthusiasm). Winning it all could be compared to a farmer earning the most money in the market. But all people seem to be doing is becoming enraged about the farmer who has cultivated all his land and worked the soil well. That's not going to fix the problem guys. Arguing that no farmer should be allowed to spend more than x amount on seed (players) isn't the best thing for the market (sport). Be concerned about and try to fix the actual problem, not the symptom that shows when one farmer with lots of land does it right.

Demand better revenue sharing based on market size, not a salary cap. And don't complain about the one large scale guy who spends well when you're letting the ones who don't off the hook. That just sounds like sour grapes and isn't addressing what you're actually concerned about.

Unless you actually do think that organizations should spend less than they're capable of to field worse teams than they should. In which case, by all means, keep on going.

Joe,
Nothing brilliant to add-you wrote an outstanding column. I've been a Yankee fan since 1955,but your comments while you were actually on the field is something every Yanke fan will appreciate. I must say, my admiration for the Phillies grew as we got deeper into the Series. Really not much difference between these two ball clubs.
Best Regards

"I’m standing at second base at Yankee Stadium!!!... I feel light-headed. I should take some grass."

Joe, I can't believe the Yanks won the Series and all you could think about was getting stoned.

Great article incorporating your inner torment between fan and media member. Giving up any and all public display of your fandom would be the toughest part about being a sportswriter, in my opinion.

I'm always amazed about how Yankee fans can get so excited about winning the WS

It's pure excitement when in 2008 we had to sit through the mediocrity that was Molina as catcher (Posada only played in 51 games in 2008 due to injury), Giambi at first base, a forgettable, weak bench and a starting staff that featured a mediocre Andy Pettitte, the rascal Darrell Rasner, the immortal Sidney Ponson and a mediocre Chien Ming Wang, plus a mediocre pen outside of Rivera with the forgettable Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez and Kyle (the gas can) Farnsworth and, finally, the waste that is Kei Igawa tring to remember how to pitch in the minors.

Is it any wonder the brass went hard after C.C, Tex, and to a lesser extent, Burnett? Tex could have signed with Boston, but didn't, going all out for C.C. was a foregone conclusion (it was no certainty that he would sign with an east coast team) and Burnett was a big gamble as Cashman kept his fingers crossed that Burnett wouldn't get injured (again).

Then Cashman added bits and pieces for the bench and then some of the Yankee prospects blossomed enough to put them to good use in the pen.

The Yankees went for it this year, using money (wisely), brains and the talent on hand. It wasn't all about the money--the least paid Yankee starter, Pettitte, was the pitching star for them while C.C. didn't dominate, Burnette only had 1 good game out of 2 and Teixeira was almost a non-factor as a hitter (though his defense was outstanding--but they didn't get him for his glove).