{"id":53,"date":"2005-04-02T16:40:51","date_gmt":"2005-04-02T21:40:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jetnation.com\/?p=53"},"modified":"2005-04-02T16:40:51","modified_gmt":"2005-04-02T21:40:51","slug":"dollars-steroids-and-a-dream-jetsbosoxfan-breaks-down-the-05-yanks-sox-rivalry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/2005\/04\/02\/dollars-steroids-and-a-dream-jetsbosoxfan-breaks-down-the-05-yanks-sox-rivalry\/","title":{"rendered":"Dollars, Steroids, and a Dream: JetsBosoxFan Breaks Down the 05 Yanks-Sox Rivalry"},"content":{"rendered":"

by: Jet\/BosoxFan
\nContributing Columnist<\/em><\/p>\n

Greetings and salutations<\/strong><\/em> to all Major League Baseball fans residing in our beloved cyber-home known as JetNation.com. The 2005 season is upon us and it is shaping up to be another track meet between the Mighty Red Sox Nation and the Bronx Bombers. Brace yourselves for seven grueling months of speculation as to which MLB juggernaut will win the title.<\/p>\n

And the 2005 title will undoubtedly be awarded to the New York Yankees\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6the title of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Biggest, Most Expensive Choke-Artists Ever\u00e2\u20ac\u00bf of course! Expect this $200+ million bunch of hired mercenaries to outdo the cataclysmic 2004 Yankee product ($185 million) that came unraveled at the seams as the world watched intently. There are several factors that will contribute to this inevitable occurrence:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1. The Curse of A-Rod: <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

While Alex Rodriguez is a five tool player with the richest contract in the history of sports, he still brings more baggage to the table than even he is worth. Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s begin the A-Rod drama as a Seattle Mariner. While a key member of a relative fantasy team (Unit\/Griffey\/Martinez\/A-Rod) from 1995-2000 that never quite won anything of substance, A-Rod became a free agent after the 2000 season. On his way out the door, he tells the Seattle fans \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t go to the place that throws the most money at me.\u00e2\u20ac\u00bf Famous last words! His agent $cott Bora$ brokers a 10 year-$250 million deal with Texas and A-Rod\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s once pristine image is tarnished. Still, he has never really accomplished anything. But now, it is PERCEIVED that he is the best player in baseball because he is the highest paid. So now Texas will be vastly improved right? They have Michael Jordan & Wayne Gretzky combined into one glorious package right? Wrong! Texas finishes the 2001 season with a pathetic record of 73-89 (2 whole games higher than the previous season with no<\/em> A-Rod.) But in their first A-Rod-less season, Seattle finishes with a record of 116-46, the best in the Majors by far.<\/p>\n

So, A-Rod stays in Texas for three years, and they finish in last place for all three of those years managing 73, 72, and 71 wins respectively in A-Rod\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s three seasons. He is traded to the Yankees in the offseason of 2004 for Alphonso Soriano minus a bunch of cash after an \u00e2\u20ac\u0153unsuccessful\u00e2\u20ac\u00bf attempt by the Red Sox to acquire him for Manny Ramirez plus cash. He needlessly blasts Buck Showalter on his way out saying he prefers to play for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A manager who has played the game before.\u00e2\u20ac\u00bf Texas, now sans A-Rod, competes for a playoff spot until late September and finishes with 89 wins.<\/p>\n

And now A-Rod is a Yankee. It seemed almost as if it was an order of the universe. Ruth, DiMaggio, Mantle, Gehrig, Ford, Jackson\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6and Rodriguez. He belongs with the legends of Yankee lore, right? Wrong again! He became an immediate black eye to the legacy of the Yankees. From the awkward press conference featuring A-Rod and Derek Jeter obviously pretending to like each other after a history of A-Rod cutting down DJ\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6to A-Rod being loudly booed in just about every stadium the Yankees played last year including Yankee Stadium\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6to Jeter himself being booed going 0-for-April due to the distraction of his new 3B\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6to A-Rod being criticized by the NY media in his first season under the microscope for leaving a small village worth of Yankees in scoring position\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6to the A-Rod getting a face full of Jason Varitek\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mitt after being told by the badass catcher \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t throw at .260 hitters\u00e2\u20ac\u00bf on July 24, an event that sparked the historic drive into the history books\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6to A-Rod going 3-17 in games 5, 6, and 7 of the ALCS\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6to the un-Yankeelike bush league \u00e2\u20ac\u0153slap\u00e2\u20ac\u00bf play of game 6 that cost NYY the game and irked even ardent Yankee homers leading an anonymous teammate to suggest \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Alex wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t risk his pretty body to take out the pitcher in that spot\u00e2\u20ac\u00bf\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6to the offseason verbal barrage he has been subjected to by damn near every member of Red Sox Nation\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6to the conspicuous silence heard by his teammates (a perfect opportunity for Jeter to rescue the heavily tarnished image of his \u00e2\u20ac\u0153best friend\u00e2\u20ac\u00bf…Ponderous, man!<\/p>\n

If Babe Ruth-to-NY was the worst trade ever made by the Red Sox, NOT trading World Series MVP Manny Ramirez for A-Rod was the best move ever made. Alex Rodriguez will desecrate the Yankee image worse than any damage done by the BALCO boys before it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all said and done. Clearly, A-Rod and his unfortunate number 13 have upset the Babe and the rest of the baseball gods. Tony Clark\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ground rule double in Game 5 anyone? Take it from me Yankee fans, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gonna be a rough century!<\/p>\n

2.George Steinbrenner: <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The man whose pocketbook is SOLELY to credit for the run of 4 titles from 1996-2000 is also to blame for the severe drought of underachieving that has been plaguing the New York Yankees for four years and counting. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s right folks, George has taken the ship and he has sunk it! The dynasty that was built by Gene \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Stick\u00e2\u20ac\u00bf Michael and Buck Showalter in the early 90\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s (while the most despised figure in sports was in exile) has been dismantled piece by piece by the maniacal old man himself. He has replaced nearly all the ingredients of the World Series winning formula (Pettite\/O\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Neil\/Brosius\/Tino) with big name, high-priced free agents from other teams (Mussina\/Giambi\/Contreras\/A-Rod\/Gordon\/Sheffield) causing his payroll, already the highest in baseball for a decade to catapult well beyond the stratosphere. *It should be noted that George has re-signed the corpse that is Tino Martinez.<\/em><\/p>\n

But there is a problem\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6none of these guys he brought in have won ANYTHING and none of them have even played well in big games. Simply put, Fat George wrecked his own \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Premium on pitching\u00e2\u20ac\u00bf dynasty because he cannot contain his gluttonous desire to steal the offensive mantelpiece of another team. He, in essence, pushed Andy Pettite out the door because he was too busy courting Gary Sheffield. This forced perennial Cy Young winner Roger Clemens to follow Andy P. to Houston. David Wells has taken the Babe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s number 3 and an incentive-laden contract to the Fenway mound. Joe Torre is left praying his geriatric pitching staff can throw 6 respectable innings so Mariano (personal of the Boston Red Sox) can close out the game until his right arm falls off.<\/p>\n

Now the $200 million Yanks are left with a ton of offense and a bunch of question marks on the pitching staff. It is the mid-80\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all over again in the Bronx. Don Mattingly is already there\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6I heard Rickey Henderson, Jack Clark, and Steve Kemp are vying for roster spots before Spring Training is over. And this current motley crew George has pieced together is as unYankeelike as it gets.<\/p>\n

A-Rod, Giam-boo, Sheffield, Johnson, Kevin Brown\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6each one is more detestable than the next. Diehard Yankee fans have to chug fifths of Kaopectate before each game in an effort to cheer these guys on. We already know the pitching staff is a major question mark. But the bullpen certainly leaves nothing to the imagination. Torre is praying Mariano\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bursitis is never heard from again because he knows he can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t trust anyone else in ANYTHING CLOSE to a big spot. We know Flash Gordon (who finally helped the Red Sox win a postseason game last fall) is garbage\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6but rest assured the likes of Paul Quantrill, Steve Karsay, 50 year-old Mike Stanton, and Felix Rodriguez won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see the light of day. So that leaves the Great Mariano, Derek \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Captain Overrated\u00e2\u20ac\u00bf Jeter, Jorge Posada, and what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s left of Bernie Williams to hold down the fort for the 2005 New York Yankees. Not bloody likely.<\/p>\n

So, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve established that the accursed Yankees are sure to be no match for the Mighty Red Sox Nation. While one team is preoccupied with overspending, under-performing, and shooting steroids\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6the other is busy exercising 86 year-old demons and pounding shots of Jack Daniels before rewriting history books!<\/p>\n

Oh, and the world champs have even gotten better using the old addition by subtraction formula. No more puke-inducing Dominican Diva performances against the Yankees, No more watching D-Lowe implode with his sinkerball that resembles my little brother (Always high and never works,) no more Nomahhh sitting out of a game while Jetes dives into the stands (by the way, get used to this one: Ed-gar\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bet-ter,) no more awful at-bats by Gabe Kapler thanks to the addition of pro\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pro Jay Payton, no more undercover Yankees in our camp like Ramiro Mendoza who was obviously paid off by George to murder us for 2 years\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6oh, and no more Curse of the Bambino!!!<\/p>\n

Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what the Olde Towne Team is left with:<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> The most feared 1-9 lineup in the non-segregated history of baseball (CF Johnny, RF Trot, LF SuperManny, DH Big Papi, SS Renteria, 1B \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Cowboy Up\u00e2\u20ac\u00bf, C V-Tek the Beast, 3B Mueller, 2B Bellhorn\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6or as Yankee fans now refer to him: Mark \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Bleepin\u00e2\u20ac\u00bf Bellhorn.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Curt \u00e2\u20ac\u0153John Wayne Re-incarnated\u00e2\u20ac\u00bf Schilling anchoring a rotation of savvy, big game battle tested vets Wells\/Wale and impressive young guns Arroyo\/Clement not to mention one of the deepest bullpens in team history<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> The best GM in all of sports\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6big market money ball at it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s finest! After picking Big Schill for a few AA scrubs and a bag of Wilson baseballs, is there any doubt that Theo isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the best in the game? David Ortiz for $1.3 million anyone? Plus, he had the STONES to blow Nomah out of town in the middle of a freakin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 pennant race. OC, my man, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be missed<\/p>\n

Bottom line: Both teams will contend for most of the season. Both teams will spend as much as humanly possible to gain leverage on the other. Boston will undoubtedly prevail for the aforementioned reasons! Expect eternal strife and unrest to plague the 2005 Yankees. Do not expect chemical enhancement to help them as Sheffield and Juicin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Jason are sure to watch more than their share of moonshots die on the warning track. And expect the Bleacher Creatures\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s your daddy\u00e2\u20ac\u00bf chants directed at the Red Sox in April, May, and June to morph into \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s your caddy?\u00e2\u20ac\u00bf chants directed at A-Rod and the Yanks by September after the mega-chokejob has come to fruition!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by: Jet\/BosoxFan Contributing Columnist Greetings and salutations to all Major League Baseball fans residing in our beloved cyber-home known as JetNation.com. The 2005 season is upon us and it is shaping up to be another track meet between the Mighty Red Sox Nation and the Bronx Bombers. Brace yourselves for seven grueling months of speculation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[226,6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-53","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-baseball","7":"category-featured-editorials"},"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peLffi-R","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}