The Empire Strikes Back

The Yankees are World Series champs. Even in California, the approximate midpoint of the Yankees' Empire, this just feels right. Andy was dandy. Matsui went out with a bang. Marte finally earned his pinstripes. And Mo was Mo, the greatest of all time. It was a resounding victory: the Yankees put to bed early any lingering doubts about whether or not they could close out the gritty Phillies, jumping ahead 2-0 in the second behind World Series MVP Hideki Matsui's 2-run blast of Pedro Martinez, before finally pulling away in the fifth. After Mo got Shane Victorino to ground out to Robinson Cano, the Yankees celebrated their 27th World Series title in their new home, and their second title this decade. So much for curses. Either one.

Last night's victory raises an interesting and, per this blog, a somewhat provocative question: Are the Yankees the team of the decade? I'll spare you the suspense. Fuck yeah, they are. The numbers don't lie. The Yankees won a MLB-best 965 regular seasons games from 2000-2009, 45 more than the second-winningest team, the Boston Red Sox. They also captured eight American League East titles, also a league best. Further, the Yankees appeared in nine out of 10 postseasons, also a league best, winning 11 total series, again, a league best. I'm sensing a trend here. In the process, the Yankees captured four American League Pennants and two World Series championships. Not bad for a decade's work.

So, Ben, what do you think? Are you ready to concede the millennium's first decade to the Evil Empire?

BEN:

Ah well. We regular folks had to know this day was coming. The Yankees have been loaded with unlucky or malfunctioning talent for eight years; they had to get it together sooner or later. And, as one Yankees fan unironically said to me a few weeks ago, they finally got another star player to take the pressure off A-Rod.

I have to concede. They were baseball's best team this year, and they earned the title, getting hot in June and never really looking back. This is really the team they tried so gregariously to put together for the last eight years, and it finally clicked.

I find "Team of the Decade" to be a bit of a silly debate--it ultimately doesn't have a whole lot of impact. (Do we all instantly remember the team of the 70s? 80s? 90s? Does it matter?) But since we're debating, I guess it depends what "Team of the Decade" means. A lot of people would probably say that it means the best overall team during the ten-year period, in which case, how could I disagree that it's the Yankees? The numbers don't lie.

But there's at least one other thing it could mean. Maybe it's similar to, say, "Man of the Year," in which case it means the team with the most cultural significance, or the most memorable team. And I think that distinction belongs to Boston. The Sox did things never before accomplished in MLB history, as opposed to things only very nearly accomplished since 2000. They also completely changed the entire culture of their organization, and, in their way, rewrote the history of the game. Witness, for instance, how you indulged in seeking out some "curses" that the Yankees reversed. How much meaning would those have without the original?

I'm not sure I ultimately care that much who is "Team of the Decade." I was overjoyed when the Sox won in 2004, and again when they won in 2007. Can't that be enough? Isn't this kind of grandstanding exactly why people hate the Yankees?