Monday, March 31, 2008

Ready To Begin


Well it's opening day, and in a few short hours, Chien-Ming Wang will take the mound and the season will begin for the Yankees.

What can we expect from the Yankees, and what kind of season is in store for us?

Well, if you've been reading around, you'll see that the majority of the paid sports writers and broadcasters out there are picking at least 2 American League teams that are better than the Yankees. Namely, the Tigers and the Red Sox.. Some also have the Angels, Indians and Mariners as stronger teams this year, but injures and a poor spring for all three teams has some of them second guessing. Still, it's clear that the American League is a beast this year, with some very improved teams.


Whats interesting is a lot of the columnists out there point to an unproven starting rotation as the Yankees main weakness.. But if you look at the Sox, they are in the same basic position with John Lester and Clay Buchholz. The Tigers will mash, but can their starting pitching keep up? And what about their bullpen which was hit hard with injures during the off season..


So it's hard to say. I'm clearly bias, no matter how hard I try not to be. There are a few people out there picking the Yankees to finish third in the division. I don't see that happening. The East will be a brutal division, as both the Blue Jays and the Rays are improved, but The Yankees and Sox are still the most complete teams there.


Overall I think a solid lineup, a good bench, a re-tooled bullpen, and a balanced rotation of veterans and youngsters is going to keep the Yankees in the hunt all season long. They will have their ups and Downs just like any team, but the Yankees are built to win, and I think they have a good shot to.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

dman--

i'm writing a story about yankees fans and would like to talk with you. please let me know the best way to reach you. i'm at chris_smith@newyorkmag.com

thanks.