One parade is not nearly enough.
There should be a parade next year and the year after that, too. A Yankees victory parade should become as common as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, with the talent they have and their ability to outspend the competition.
Money doesn’t guarantee success (look at the Mets), but it sure beats the alternative. To the Yankees’ credit they now all understand what it takes to be a champion. They know it takes playing as a team to win and they know what the Summer Game is all about in October and November.
The home clubhouse at Yankee Stadium was a pretty quiet place yesterday. The only sign of the World Series celebration that came after their Game 6 triumph were champagne bottles stashed in some of the lockers.
All the nameplates had been removed, leaving a stainless steel bracket above each locker, kind of fitting for a team that was once known as U.S. Steel. A.J. Burnett, Mr. Pie in the Face, was out of energy. When approached by a reporter he said, “Talk to you in 95 days, sir.”
In a strange way, that was the perfect comment for the state of these world champion Yankees. Yesterday was a day for fans, players and Yankees officials to celebrate: Yes the Yankees won the World Series again, but this must be the start of something big, not the end of a long, hard road.
So much is being made of the Yankees’ 27th world championship, but the reality is the Yankees have only two championships since 2000, despite outspending the competition by a wide margin. The Red Sox have won two since 2004.
I hate to disagree with Post colleague David Wells, but winning championships in 2000 and 2009, despite the huge financial advantage over the Red Sox and a Godzilla advantage over everyone else, does not make you the Team of the Decade.
It doesn’t even make the Yankees the AL East’s Team of the Decade.
At best the Yankees are tied with the Red Sox for that honor. As championships go, this was an excellent start, a step in the right direction, but the competition was weak throughout the postseason and considering that the Yankees have much of the same cast returning next year, they need to win another championship and then another to truly stand out to be that dynasty.
The fact the Red Sox were swept away in the first round shows you how far they have fallen.
The 1949-53 Yankees of Joe DiMaggio and Yogi Berra won five straight World Series. Back then there was no amateur draft, so the Yankees could stockpile young stars, something they can’t do today, but anytime you can go out and pick up CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and Burnett on the free agent market, that’s a huge advantage.
Don’t get me wrong, these Yankees accomplished great things, but this should be the start of greatness. There’s the $1.5 billion ballpark that is a huge advantage to them because the Yankees can afford to sign the big hitters. Big hitters love small ballparks.
These Yankees must do something great like the 1927 Yankees, who won the pennant by 19 games over the Philadelphia A’s, a team that had Hall of Famers everywhere, including Ty Cobb, Jimmie Foxx and Lefty Grove, and then swept the Pirates. That’s a statement.
Alex Rodriguez is in his prime; Derek Jeter says he’s not old. So go out and win again and maybe next year in the World Series the Yankees will face a team with more than one legit starter and a manager who might want to take out a completely gassed Pedro Martinez with two outs, the bases loaded and Hideki Matsui (who must be re-signed) at the plate.
Jeter’s earlier championship Yankees won four times in five years. These Yankees can accomplish similar greatness. Winning this championship was a moment of triumph, but only a moment. The Yankees must pull this off again next season.
One parade is not nearly enough.