The Captain's Official Met/Yankee 2006 Preview Part 1

The warm air, the chirping of the birds, the smell of fresh grass, can only mean one thing. Another baseball season is upon us. In New York, we are blessed with the greatest sports franchises around. And, in my opinion, New York owns two of the greatest sports rivalries of all time. The New York Mets and the New York Yankees. And, of course, we have the The Yankees' heated rivalry with the Boston Red Sox.

In the offseason, as is the norm, some familiar faces have departed, while new names emerge. So, as we enter the 2006 season, what can we expect? While we don't know for sure, we do know that we are in for another thrill ride, as only New York can deliver.

Let's start with the Yankees. After a disappointing performance in the 2005 playoffs, the Yankees once again look to World Series glory, acquiring former Boston Red Sox namestay, Johnny Damon. In the Captain's opinion, here's what the Yankee fans may expect.

Pros

The Yankees continue to possess a solid nucleus of consistent hitting. Jeter, A-Rod, Matsui, Sheffield - -I'd take any of these guys to be in a "game-on-the-line" situation. Individually, they all are poised to make an impact.

Robbie Cano - -simply put, he is a future legend. He's almost the complete package, and that package is complete as he gains more experience in fielding. Once he gets more experienced defensively, watch out.

The name "Yankees" exudes legacy and greatness. Just their presence alone effects other teams psychologically, leading to many victories.

And finally, Mariano Rivera -- he's getting older, but he's still the best and most dominant closer in the game.

Problem areas

Notice when I was speaking about Jeter and A-Rod in the first bullet, I said "Individually". Baseball is a team sport, and I truly feel that too many all-star cooks are spoling the broth in the Bronx. The team is beginning to gel, but now you add Johnny Damon to the mix -- what will that do to the chemistry?

Pitching -- while solid, this is an area of question. Johnson isn't getting any youunger and his age showed at the end of last year. Mussina is solid but inconsistent. Chacon and Wang are bright spots, but are not top-starter caliber just yet.

Bullpen -- simply put, it's a mess. Besides Rivera, there are very few bright spots here.

And finally, we have the team's psyche. You have to address the fact that you have a team that can dominate the regular season, but flail in the playoffs. Will that be a factor again?

The Captain's Predicition

Based on all of the above, I think we can say that Yankee will have approximately 95 wins and 67 losses. They'll win the AL East over Boston. In the playoffs, it's too early to tell whether they be the monster Yanks of the late 90's, or whether they'll be the current incarnation from last year.

Stay tuned for the Met preview.

Re: The Captain's Official Met/Yankee 2006 Preview Part 1

well stated...

i am going to have to disagree with the gelling og the team. I have felt that if anything this is something that the Yankees do well. Take in these new "hot" commodities and make it work (in the sense of the team psyche).

But for the most part i am in agreement

Re: The Captain's Official Met/Yankee 2006 Preview Part 1

thanks

and it wouldn't be YOU if you didn't disagree with SOMETHING

Re: The Captain's Official Met/Yankee 2006 Preview Part 1

Posted by CaptainCharisma424

thanks

and it wouldn't be YOU if you didn't disagree with SOMETHING

Re: The Captain's Official Met/Yankee 2006 Preview Part 1

and i must say i feel the same BIG QUESTION MARK for the Met season as well



Interesting i hope it chall be

Re: The Captain's Official Met/Yankee 2006 Preview Part 1

Posted by Redhead

and i must say i feel the same BIG QUESTION MARK for the Met season as well



Interesting i hope it chall be

Re: The Captain's Official Met/Yankee 2006 Preview Part 1

I agree with everything you said except for Cano. I don't see bright things for him. Rember when there was 2nd baseman named Soriano that was supposed to be the next great Yankee? I think Cano is a decent player (much better than what the Mets ahve at second base), but I wouldn't call him a legend just yet.

Re: The Captain's Official Met/Yankee 2006 Preview Part 1

Re: The Captain's Official Met/Yankee 2006 Preview Part 1