Already Over: New York Yankees

There was a time when the Yankees represented all that was beautiful about the world of sports. All the nice buzzwords were appropriate: professionals, leadership, young, hungry, and most importantly, successful. From 1996-2000, the Yankees dominated baseball to the tune of four World Series victories in five years. They were undisputed baseball royalty.

Fast-forward half-a-decade, and we find the deposed emperor perhaps not lacking clothes, but certainly sporting a tattered worn-down version of his previous robes. The buzzwords these days are: old, crabby, overpaid, chokers, and most importantly, losers. Yes, we did get the memo on the five-game sweep of the Sawx. And we know they still win their fair share of regular season games. But that only emphasizes the point, used to be the regular season was a formality for the Yankees, every season they were given automatic VIP passes to Club Playoffs. Now they have to stand in line and hope to get in with the rest of the herd.

Rolling with the rest of the pack wouldn't be so bad if, like the rest of the pack, the NY Yankees paid standard retail prices for their wares. But no, the Yankees, and their two-hundred million dollar payroll, almost double the amount of any other team, prefer to pay designer dollars for K-mart production. Like secret clubs and Gawker, the Yankees are the epitome of overhyped and overpriced New York egomania (yes beloved reader, even at the cost of free we question our value to you). And in true New York style, the Yankees find a sucker to foot the bill, namely the fans. Yes those obstinate obnoxious Bronx Bomber fans who have yet to let the air out of their chest-puffery, despite having over five years since their last title to do so.

Look around you Yankees fans, Rome is crumbling. Randy Johnson, Yankee Stadium, even the owner himself appears to be reaching end-of-days. At the recent ground-breaking for the new stadium, George Steinbrenner III, the notorious micromanaging blowhard who never met a press conference he couldn't dominate, only complained of the heat, and could barely muster an acknowlegement, "It's a pleasure to give this to you people. Enjoy the new stadium. I hope it's wonderful." Hmmm doesn't sound like he's planning to stick around for the grand opening. We're not surprise, because like us, he must know the New York Yankees are already over.