AL Ea$t Champion$ by Jared Carrabis
For one easy payment of $201.5 million, the Yanks are on top


It started with their star playing lying about taking performance enhancing drugs, only to later admit of his steroid usage at the start of spring training.

Yes, it was the start of another great year in the Bronx. Coming off a winter in which the Yankees dropped almost half a billion dollars ($423.5 million) on a top contender for the Cy Young Award (CC Sabathia), an established number two starter (AJ Burnett) and a top contender for the MVP Award (Mark Teixeira), it was time to play baseball.

Oh wait--not yet. George Steinbrenner still had to sign a check for $1.5 billion so that he could cut the rope for the grand opening of the new Yankee Stadium.

Ah, yes. A 20-star hotel that has a baseball field as a feature on the side. The Bronx Bombers couldn't take performance enhancing drugs anymore, so "The Boss" built them a performance enhancing stadium. Once again proving that the pockets of the Yankees are endless, and any player that they covet, or any luxury that they desire will be provided for them.

After being given an 8-0 head start, the Red Sox went on to post a 1-9 record against New York to conclude the season series at nine games a piece. Absolutely incredible.

Of course it stings to watch the Yankees celebrate an AL East title right in our face. I was at Fenway when they did the exact same thing back in 2005. All selfishness aside, the primary goal at the start of each season is to win the division, but if that achievement is out of reach, the goal becomes to get in any way you can.

When asked if he cared about the Yankees winning the division, Kevin Youkilis responded by saying, "I don’t care. I want to get into the playoffs. Once we get there, it’s a whole other game."

As the Red Sox proved in 2004, it doesn't matter how you get there, as long as you get there. Certainly fans of the two respective teams and fans of the game itself foresee an ALCS rematch, or a Part III, if you will, between the Red Sox and Yankees.

Aside from the fans, even the players have a Red Sox Vs. Yankees rematch on their mind come October. "You've got to be prepared for any situation," said David Ortiz. "Hopefully we'll get back here sometime, because I know the way they're playing is great. We might have the chance to face them again, you know?"

The Red Sox now head home for their last seven games of the season. Following a one-run loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, the Rangers helped lower the Red Sox's magic number to two. With a Red Sox win and a Rangers loss on Monday night, Boston would clinch the Wild Card. However, the Rangers are out on the West Coast, so we may not be popping any bottles until after midnight.

In conclusion, I will admit, the Yankees have the better team--now. But when we flip our calendars to October, all bets are off. The odds are certainly stacked against Boston, regardless of how talented of a 25-man roster they may have. But, in my opinion, the Cy Young Award candidate, the two MVP candidates, the highest paid player in the game, the seven players with 22 HR or more, the 14 walk-off wins; all of those intangibles will make beating this team in October that much more enjoyable.

"As of right now, obviously they're the better team," said Bay. "Once the postseason starts, everything else is kind of thrown out the window. At the same time, you'd like to be the team that swept -- no question. Once you get in the playoffs, everything being what it is in the playoffs, I think all momentum is stopped by then."

-Jared Carrabis

To order my debut book, One Fan's Story: If This Hat Could Talk, click HERE!





Published on September 28, 2009

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