It took the entire off-season for Steinbrenner and his New York Yankees to top the amazing off-season moves made by Theo Epstein and the Red Sox.
With spring training just a week away, every team in baseball can now look forward to a season of losing every game to the Yankees thanks to Steinbrenner. With the Yankees now having an all-star at every position except 2nd base, how will they lose? Well, that’s what Sox fans are asking themselves as they pull out their hair knowing that they could have had the best all-around player in baseball if they had just dug deeper in their pockets.
However, the deal looks good for the Rangers because they cleared up some payroll, but what about the $67 million they need to dish out to have A-Rod now play for the Yankees? That sure is a lot of money to give away to not have an all-star player on your team.
The fact of the matter is you either love the Yankees or you hate them. Jim Caple, a writer for ESPN.com asks, “Every team professes to hate the Yankees, complaining that their vast riches allow them to buy up every player in the game and that they are the ruin of everything good and decent in baseball. So why do so many teams insist on strengthening their roster?” Good question. Tom Hicks, the owner of the Rangers, gets the award for being the stupidest businessman on the face of the planet. Not only does the trade strengthen a team that already is considered to be a dynasty, but it strengthens a team that is in the same league as his Texas Rangers.
After all is said and done the Sox really are the only perspective contenders to the now fully stacked Yankees. However, Sox fans nationwide are asking: Why wouldn’t A-Rod play third base for the Red Sox? Why did the Union approve this trade and not the trade to the Red Sox? Why did Aaron Boone have to violate his contract and participate in “contact sports” during the off-season?
Nobody said being a Sox fan was easy, and as Curt Schilling says, “With or without A-Rod the Yankees are going to be real, real good, so let’s move on, let whatever happens happen, and focus on the fact that the best Boston Red Sox team in the last 100 years takes the field in 7 days, for a ride that is guaranteed to be the most memorable of any of our lives over the next 8 months, and enjoy the hell out of it.”
Also, didn’t someone mention that defense and pitching wins championships? Well, last time I checked Clemens and Petitte are no longer in the pin-stripes and are now thankfully in the national league far away from the Red Sox. It certainly looks like deja’ vu for 2003: Sox/Yankees: ALCS. But, we can be sure of is that there won’t be any Pedro/Zimmer or Manny/Clemens technicalities. But who says the drama won’t continue? Brace yourself; the wild ride starts March 5th.
