New York Yankees Season Preview
Watching any sport is better when there’s a team to hate, and the Yankees are
that team for me. They don’t scare me as much this year as in previous seasons
as they’ve failed to win the World Series since 2000. They are still very strong
and could win it all again. They are the exact opposite of the Red Sox. The Sox
have a good team cursed with bad luck; the Yanks have a good team blessed with
good luck. But luck may not be enough for them this year. I get the feeling this
group isn’t happy as a team, and the pitching staff is old. Roger Clemens and
David Wells are 40 and 39 and to a point in their careers where the slightest
injury could mean the end. Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte have health concerns
of their own, and Cuban defector Jose Contreras has never pitched in the Major
Leagues. This group could be phenomenal, but the whole thing could easily
unravel too. The bullpen has its share of question marks too. Ace closer Mariano
Rivera made three trips to the disabled list in ’02 and they lost Ramiro Mendoza
and Mike Stanton. In their place, they Yanks signed ever-promising, but always
disappointing Antonio Osuna and Atlanta’s star set up man Chris Hammond, whose
stellar 0.95 ERA was likely just a fluke. The offense is still strong with
Alfonso Soriano and Jason Giambi finishing in the top four in AL MVP. Any team
that can afford to have Raul Mondesi and Nick Johnson batting eighth and ninth
has some serious firepower. Every player except Johnson and Hideki Matsui has
hit at least 20 homers in season and been on the All-Star team. Matsui is
another foreign import (Japan) with lots of promise but no Major League
Experience at all. The Yankees committed a combined $53 million to Contreras and
Matsui over the next three years despite their lack of experience. Sometimes
these players turn out to be Ichiro and Orlando Hernandez, but more frequently
they turn out to be Hideki Irabu and Livan Hernandez. Seems like big risk to me.
Line Up 2B Alfonso Soriano, SS Derek Jeter, 1B Jason Giambi, CF Bernie Williams,
C Jorge Posada, LF Hideki Matsui, 3B Robin Ventura, RF Raul Mondesi, DH Nick
Johnson Rotation RH Roger Clemens, LH Andy Pettitte, RH Mike Mussina, LH David
Wells, RH Jose Contreras Closer Mariano Rivera