WHY THE ANTI-YANKEE MACHINE KEEPS ROLLING

Leave it to an ESPN writer to smear the Yankees once again. This time is comes from Hunter Stevens, whom I respect but he’s got it all wrong.

In his piece titled “Why the Royals Are a Better Baseball Team Than the Yankees” I was automatically aggravated after reading it. Presto, he’s got me in the door, now that I read it, it’s time for my rant:

Hunter states that Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar is better than Derek Jeter. Now yes, Jeter has more at bats, more years and more rings and has always had the talent, but the difference between the 2 is Escobar is young and quicker. That at least is what it comes down to for Hunter’s comparison. He also says that Escobar is only batting .220 and Jeter is batting .253. My only argument is, if your going to use simple thinking in your analysis of shortstops, shouldn’t average be included? So yes, while Escobar is quicker, has a better arm and young, it’s obvious he’s more agile but it doesn’t necessarily make him better. Plus, it’s May, we have over 100 games left to play. Let's talk later about this.

Next he criticizes one of the best third baseman in the game, Alex Rodriguez and he compares him to the Royal's third baseman Wilson Betemit. Ok, again, if we’re talking raw numbers and longevity, Alex wins hands down, but Hunter's only argument is that Betemit is batting .316 this year and Alex is only batting .250. Um… that’s how we’re comparing these 2 guys, yet we didn’t compare average with Jeter and Escobar? What is this game we’re playing ESPN, honestly?

You’re Anti-Yankee rants are too transparent…you just don’t like the Yankees. That's fine. I’d rather you say that in the headline. Anyway, there's more on Alex. The other criticism of Alex is that he was fed popcorn from Cameron Diaz and Wilson Betemit would never do that. You’re right Hunter; Betemit could never GET Cameron Diaz.

The next argument is the Yankees are old and the Royals are not. Ok, that’s true to an extent; the Yankees are older, not old. By the way, the Phillies are the oldest in baseball and they are in 1^st place. The Yankees are in second in their division, the Royals are 7 games out in the AL Central. Yes, I’m comparing the Phillies to the Royals and for good reason. It’s clear that age is a factor for Hunter. It’s not a factor after all, is it?

My last point is simple…money. I’ve heard this argument for years. It’s an easy one for anyone who hates the Yankees and it’s tired already. Yes, the Yankees have the most money ever in baseball and if they want a free agent, they can probably go out and get them. But 1 thing’s for sure, that does not ensure a title win every season and the fact that this comes up over and over again among respectable sports writers is ridiculous. If it was true, the Yankees would have at least 35 championships right now and at least 1 each year in the last decade. P.S. The Yankees won 2 in 10 years. Not exactly dominant based on money.(Photo: Reuters)
Look, Hunter Stevens got what he wanted from me. He got me angry, but this got me angrier. He puts the icing on the cake explaining that the Royals visit to the Bronx, their Series win against the Yankees a few weeks back, is all you need to know to understand that the Royals are better. He writes, “It doesn't take a math professor to figure out that whoever wins two games is, by definition, the better team.” You forgot the words “…for that series” to that sentence sir, because a 2 out of 3 game series win, while great and while it’s something I talk about a lot, does not a great baseball team make, unless of course, you win many, many, many Series’ in a season. That my friend makes you the better team.

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