The Inevitable is Still Inevitable

As I write this, CC Sabathia is collecting splinters while the Yankee bullpen mops up his 5-2 mess against the Rangers in Game 1 of the ALCS. If Texas hangs on for six more outs, they guarantee themselves one game in the series.

New York enjoys the largest payroll disparity over Texas in all of playoff history and they avoid an over-abundance of Ranger poison pill, Cliff Lee. The Rangers throw Colby Lewis against the World Champs in Games 2 and 5, and Game 1 starter CJ Wilson returns in Games 4 and 7. They're nice young players, but Jorge Posada has seen 114 others just like them. He's not exactly quaking in his stirrups.

You might recall that the last Lone Star playoff triumph against the Yankees was Game 1 of a series more than a decade ago, which impressively preceded nine straight New York victories.

Pay close attention to how the home team reacts on Saturday. Unless their gaze is laser-locked on Game 2, they are toast. One nanosecond of gloating or bemoaning dooms them against the experienced and immensely-talented Gotham juggernaut.

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A moment now to rebut my own statement about the Yankees owning the largest payroll disparity over Texas in all of playoff history, roughly $150 million. Jeter and ARod cash larger checks than the entire roster in Arlington.

At the risk of defending the evil scourge that is the Yankees, much of payroll disparity is really experience disparity. In their first six years of MLB service, players cannot seek market-based compensation. So Josh Hamilton’s salary could bring the entire Kardashian family and still not get into Curtis Granderson’s party. Had Hamilton forgone four years of nostril-toasting, he’d be making enough to buy Cleveland, not counting anything still owned by LeBron.

Of course, the Yankees would be paying that salary, having gorged on the best available free-agent outfielder, so that does undermine my argument. Hamilton may be a crackhead, but as long as he hits 30 homers and scrapes the hair off his face regularly, he’s Yankee material.* I haven't a piercing, a tatoo or a felony conviction on my person, but even if I could slug .600, the Yankees would be put off by my hirsuteness. Just another reason to despise the the franchise, just behind Kim Jong Il and ahead of Mussolini.

*That was just a rhetorical flourish: I admire Josh’s fortitude and wish him good luck, especially the next seven games. But that’s not the way to bet.

b