Tino Martinez is not this good. And Bernie Williams is not this bad.
Just like the Yankees aren't as good as their recent winning streak would lead you to believe. And not as bad as their stumbles out of the gate seemed to indicate.
That's what happens in a 162-game season. The highest of highs and the lowest of lows. What happens in between is what defines a team. Stat people call it reverting to the mean. In a long season, a team generally lives up to what it is, with highs and lows balancing out in the end.
This is what the Yankees are: a good team, not a great team. A contending team, but not a shoo-in to run away with the division. In other words, not as good as George Steinbrenner's wildest dreams and not as bad as his worst nightmares.
It shouldn't come as a surprise. All the bluster of the Yankees' last two offseasons — namely the earth-shattering acquisitions of A-Rod and Randy Johnson — has masked the fact that the Yankees are not the healthiest of organizations. They spend big, they spend unwisely, they don't build from within, and they make a whole lot of rash decisions.
It's kind of a firecracker philosophy. It burns bright and makes people say ooh and aah, but it burns out quickly. Because Steinbrenner has loads of money to pump into the team and loads of influence over general manager Brian Cashman, he's able to keep the firecracker going longer than it should. But it's hard to sustain something when it's fading. That's what the Yankees are finding out this season.
With no farm system to speak of, the Yankees are forced to rely on free agency. Bad decisions are bound to happen. Cases in point: Tony Womack, Carl Pavano, and Jaret Wright. The Yankees hoped Womack would fill a hole at second base. He hasn't come, through, and maybe the Yankees should have seen it coming. Womack is not young. And while he had a career year last season, it was just that — a career year. Add to that the fact that he's had most of his success in the National League, and you've got a recipe for disappointment.
Pavano has been solid for the Yankees, but hardly as spectacular as he was last season with the Marlins. That, too, might not be a surprise. Pavano had never been spectacular before last season, so it was a stretch to expect him to be spectacular again.
And Wright is perhaps the worst signing of all. He excelled last season in a place where it seems any pitcher can excel — in Atlanta, under the magic fingers of Leo Mazzone. Never mind the fact that he hadn't been a consistent starting pitcher since he was flamethrowing rookie for the Indians. The Yankees spent money on him, and before he went down with an injury, he was struggling mightily.
But those mistakes haven't been the only source of trouble. The Yankees lineup isn't nearly as powerful as it once was. First base was a question mark until Martinez stepped up. Second base isn't yet settled. And we've already seen what can happen when a few key guys go cold.
Pitching isn't spectacular, either. The Big Unit is still the best pitcher in baseball, but the guys behind him in the rotation are inconsistent. The bullpen is a mess, and even Mariano Rivera has looked human.
It all amounts to a good team, but not a great team. They have too much talent to struggle mightily, but too many question marks to run away with the division. And it doesn't help the Yankees that the Red Sox aren't worried about that whole curse thing anymore and that the Orioles finally got some pitching to bolster their murderer's row lineup.
It doesn't help the Yankees, but it does help baseball. As fun as it can be to have an evil empire, it's even more fun to beat that empire.
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