Yankees & Mets Season Preview!

Yankees Preview:
It’s hard to believe the economy is in shambles, company lay-offs are commonplace, and filing for unemployment is a weekly tradition for many, but you would never know it from looking at the Yankees. Over $400 million was spent on all of three players this offseason in an attempt for the team to right their always-playoff bound ship.

CC Sabathia. AJ Burnett. Mark Teixiera.


The Yankees certainly know from recent experience that buying championships doesn’t work, just ask Randy Johnson, Jason Giambi or Carl Pavano. Investing money in Sabathia though, a bonafide #1 pitcher, and Mark Teixeira, a perfect All-Star compliment player to a team already built with All-Stars are two key additions that appear to have no downside. A bit more skepticism surrounds Burnett, on the other hand, who brings with him only one solid year in the majors and questions surrounding his makeup for New York and concerns over his previous DL stints.

Regardless, the Yankees team this season does have a different feel to it, and it’s not just because they’re playing in the $1.6 billion new Yankee Stadium. It’s because for the first time since the dynasty years, the Yankees are built around solid starting pitching and great clubhouse guys (additions like Teixeira and Nick Swisher).

So Joe Girardi and the Yanks appear to be very optimistic to start the season. But it does look like for the first time in many years, they have every reason to believe they can bring back a championship to New York.


Mets Preview:
Nothing has been more painful for the Mets and their fans than the prior two Septembers. Monumental collapses occurred not once, but TWICE in the past two seasons for a team that looked primed to do some serious damage in the playoffs. But the Achilles heel last season wasn’t the starting staff or the revived offense led by the soon-to-be free agent Carlos Delgado, it was the bullpen.

So what did GM Omar Minaya do? He got not one, but two All-Star closers to anchor the pen. K-Rod, who broke the all-time single season saves record last year, and J.J. Putz from Seattle will shorten games this season at the new Citifield Park.

What Minaya didn’t do was listen to the fans who rioted outside the SNY studios chanting “Sign Manny Ramirez.” Albeit a great addition to the lineup, the cost of dollars and risk of tainting the clubhouse chemistry were reasons enough to pass on Ramirez. Newly-signed Gary Sheffield, if healthy and has enough left in his 40-year-old tank, could provide the same level of intimidation to pitchers and power as Ramirez if he comes through the way his uncle, Dwight Gooden wishes.

All in all, the Mets have just too much talent on their team to allow for THIRD straight September collapse. The lineup is well-balanced, Santana is poised to reach 20 wins the way he should have last year, and the Mets are determined to play hard for the entire 162 games this season, which includes those games in September.

LET’S PLAY BALL!