By Steven Booth
The Yankees just proved it’s them and everyone else. the Phillies never really stood a chance unless they had a couple of Cliff Lee clones hanging around. Pedro Martinez is a great comeback story, but starting in Yankee Stadium with the series on the line? Charlie Manuel didn’t have a choice. Martinez was his most effective starter besides Lee (A.J. Happ?), and it is more of a statement of the Yankees dominance than anythiong the Phillies did or didn’t do.
They spent the money wisely this year and calmly went about their business of dominating the baseball season. No one had a chance- not the Phillies, the Dodgers, the Red Sox, or the Angels. The Cardinals would’ve been interesting, but they laid down against the Dodgers, who in turn laid down against the Phillies. Barring significant injuries or decline, the Yanks should win again next year. Teams tend to do funny things in seven and five game series, but anything less than a repeat for the Yankees would be a disappointment.
Meanwhile, back to the Dodgers. Frank McCourt got a little win when a judge agreed with him that he did not have to reinstate Jamie McCourt as CEO. Of course it isn’t that big. The team’s true ownership hasn’t been decided yet, and after all is said and done, there very well may not be anyone named Mc Court in the team’s ownership. If for some reason a very bored Mark Cuban is reading this, please take note.
John Lackey filed for free agency. I’m sure Ned Colletti knows this, so hopefully the owners do too, and are willing to spend a l;ittle cash to bring him over. He is the solid, durable horse they were missing in the postseason. Lackey would take some of the pressure off Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw to be the aces. It seems the Dodgers dropped the ball on getting Cliff Lee, let’s hope the owners don’t let their public cluster%$#* overtake their aggressiveness in the offseason.
You might say that the Yankees are still sleeping off their championship party hangovers, but other teams are moving. The White Sox bagged Mark Teahen, the Braves signed Tim Hudson to a three-year deal, and the Angels locked up Bobby Abreu for a few more years. While the Yankees are sleeping everyone else should be awake.
BTW, I always thought Tim Lincecum looked like a burner. If he throws like that, so what….
November 10th, 2009 at 10:11 am
This divorce is going to curse the Dodgers for years if the team isn’t sold.