The Bad Old Days

I have opined in the past that the so-called Golden Era of baseball, the 1950s, was actually the worst period in baseball history. One city monopolized the AL pennant and dominated the NL pennant and the World Series. If you were a fan of any AL squad other than the Yankees, who appeared in 14 of the 16 World Series in that period, you spent a decade and a half banging your head against the wall. Ditto for the NL, at half that rate.

Some of the advantages the Yankees had then, persist -- money, market size, glamour of NYC, tradition. It's natural that they exploit them in order to collect the best players and win championships. Good for them.

Bad for baseball.

Sports is a zero sum proposition. As long as one franchise uses its edge at every level to win all the time, other franchises must, by definition, stumble. Some of them will act on the premise that they can't compete and wallow in futility. That is bad for them, their fans and the league.

Two quick case studies: After 35 years as a fan of the Kansas City Royals, I switched allegiances a few years ago. It became obvious to me that the Royals' ownership had chosen profit over occasional competitiveness, and that there was no hope of my team succeeding on the field. I'm not a fair weather fan, but neither am I an idiot.

Last year, while the Tampa Bay Rays won 100 games, their attendance lagged. That's standard procedure after years of futility. In 2009, fans will flock to the Trop. That binge and purge mentality, and the attendance fluctuations that accompany it, can be avoided, as long as the team is generally competitive. That's not possible if one franchise, endowed beyond all others, attracts an All-Star squad roster and dashes everyone else's hopes.

All of which brings us to the current state of affairs. Let's face it: the Yankees have not dominated baseball the last four years; they didn't even make the playoffs in '08. The signings of CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett (can't they find anyone with a first name?) are not going to change that without other conditions also changing, like the emergence of Hughes, Kennedy or some other prospect, rebound seasons from Cabrera or Cano, or the signing of even more big impact free agents like Mark Teixeira.

What's troubling is that when other teams are facing recessionary restrictions, layoffs and renewed budget consciousness, the Yankees are accepting public money, raising ticket prices and pursuing almost all of the high-priced free agents simultaneously. If this means a new era of Yankee domination, Kansas City Royals fans are not going to meander to other teams (the Nationals in my case; maybe I am an idiot) but to other activities.

The effect on a team like Toronto is even worse. The Blue Jays could have fancied themselves a player in '09, given their strong performance in '08. But with three powerful in-division competitors, a weak Canadian dollar and the resources of the Yankees, it's understandable why they have become passive. It's now dubious whether a large monetary investment in players could yield much return. How can they compete with a rival that outbid the field by $40 million for Sabathia's services?

So you'll understand why I hope Sabathia's weight and workload start wearing him down and Burnett's inconsistency remains his one constant. You'll understand why I'm rooting for Teixeira to sign with one of his non-contending pursuers and why I want the jettisoned Bobby Abreu to have another season like his 1999-2002 stretch where he hit for power and average, walked like a mall rat, stole bases and excelled in the field, all for someone else.

It's why I hope the Yankees overpaid for so little that they're hamstrung financially in their efforts to offset their mistakes. The problem is, they never are. It's baseball fans who are hamstrung, and that's the shame of it.

Wither the Bombers?

It's going to be a very interesting off-season for the New York Yankees. Not since the early 90s has the team been in such flux.

At 89-73 in '08, the Yankees could be said to be at the precipice of playoff contention, except they're not. They are old, slow, defensively creaky and getting more of each. Their best pitcher from last year retired and another veteran hurler is either joining him or poised to continue his career downslide. They have four DHs, no first basemen and an outfield of noodle arms and rubber legs.

That's the bad news for pinstripe partisans. The good news is that they still have some great assets, including the best hitting shortstop-thirdbaseman combination in the league -- maybe even in history. They have $75 million in bad contracts coming off the books and some delicious free agent possibilities. Dismissing Jason Giambi was the right move because his defensive liabilities limit him to a DH role that render him redundant on this team. He'll find employment on a younger, weaker-hitting lineup.

The obvious apple of the Big Apple's eye is Mark Teixeira. Tex is two players in one -- a peak-of-career banger who draws walks and a Gold Glove-caliber first baseman. He fills an open spot on the diamond and his presence would mitigate some of the infield's defensive deficiencies while his bat delivers RBIs in clumps. With a reasonable expectation of some resurgence from Robby Cano at second base, the Yankees would sport a spiffy infield. Of course, the Teixeira option will come at a nine-figure cost, with warm regards from Scott Boras.

Jorge Posada returns, but at 37 and coming off shoulder surgery he'll need an apprentice. Similarly age-enhanced Ivan Rodriguez and talent-challenged Jose Molina don't qualify. Adios amigos! Ring in the new!

The Yankees should re-sign Bobby Abreu despite his age. Both his patience at the plate and his speed are valuable assets to the Bombers and he'll be needed to fill that decrepit patchwork outfield. Among the now-brittle Matsui, Damon and Abreu there'll never be more than two healthy players, and one of these lefties will be needed to platoon with Xavier Nady against righties. Nick Swisher is an adequate stopgap centerfield option, allowing the Yankees the luxury of not relying on Melky Cabrera's unlikely bounceback. One of Damon, Matsui and Posada can DH while Brett Gardner serves as an everyday defensive replacement.

This arrangement allows for the foreseeable breakdown in bodies over 162 games and will give the front office another year to fertilize the farm system or fish for a unheralded studs.

In the rotation, NY would be well-served by signing an average or better lefty starter. Wang and Joba are locks, and the Potential Twins -- Hughes and Kennedy -- will get their chance. Figuring one of them succeeds sufficiently to be a #3 starter, that leaves the rotation one good pitcher short. (Every team needs a better fifth starter; if the fifth starter was a star he wouldn't be a fifth starter.) Banking on Andy Pettitte's return is a fool's errand, but so is banking on a CC signing. He's going to cost an arm and a stomach; the latter is frighteningly prodigious and the former has thrown 700 innings in three years. This will be the most important move the Yankees make.

Bullpens are always fluid entities and this one is no exception. The 39-year-old Panamanian could lose 10% of his effectiveness and still anchor the pen. Beyond him, a couple of lefty-righty options ought to be available from the scrap heap if Brian Cashman is vigilant.

If Cahsman turn the dial a little towards younger, faster and better defense, the Yankees will be able to reload as they compete with the Red Sox and talent-stuffed Rays. If not, the pinstriped machine will lose worn-out parts as the season progresses and grind to a halt in the dust of Boston, Tampa and even Toronto.