10. Might: The Most Talented Team. Certainly, they are loaded.
9. Might Not: Talent Doesn't Always Matter. The most talented team isn't necessarily the one that wins. More often, it's the hottest team. And the Yankees are not the hottest team going into the American League Division Series.
8. Might: They're Fresh. They are rested, and have their starting pitching rotation set up the way they like.
7. Might Not: They Could Be Stale. We've seen it before: One team sweeps a series, another goes the full 7 games, and we think the 2nd team is physically and emotionally worn out, and so they won't be ready to face the 1st team. Instead, the 1st team has been waiting a long time, and the 2nd team has the momentum they need, and the 2nd team wins. That could be the case this time, as the Cleveland Guardians have won their Wild Card Series, while the Division-winning Yankees have been waiting to see who their Division Series opponents would be.
6. Might: Good Pitching Beats Good Hitting. In theory, the Yankees have the best starting rotation in baseball, and a very effective bullpen.
5. Might Not: Good Pitching Beats Good Hitting, and Vice Versa. That rotation has proven to be insufficiently reliable before. And the bullpen? There is no definitive closer. Especially now that Aroldis Chapman has been exiled.
4. Might: Bronx Bombers. They have the bats to bomb the opposition out of the yard.
3. Might Not: Gutless Wonders. Those bats frequently don't come through when needed.
2. Might: Pride and Tradition. You've got to figure, at some point, the Yankees' legacy of postseason glory is going to rub off on these guys, right? Right?
1. Might Not: The Opposition. Don't overlook the Cleveland Guardians. And if we get past them, we have to play the Houston Astros, who are still in the Yankees' heads, even if they're not still cheating, ha, ha. And if the Seattle Mariners beat the Astros? Don't think they'll be easy to beat. They could be a "team of destiny."
And even if we somehow win the Pennant, there's no guarantee we'll be able to beat the National League Champions. The Atlanta Braves are still the defending World Champions. And the Los Angeles Dodgers won 110 games, the most of any team since the 2001 Mariners. True, the Yankees beat those Mariners. But these Yankees are not those Yankees.
Conclusion: As they said on medical dramas, I'm not going to lie to you, it doesn't look good.
No comments:
Post a Comment