100 Wins & No Ring?
The Yankees are pretty much a lock to win 100 games (or more) this season – barring a tank job by New York this month.
If they hit the century mark in victories, it will be the 19th time in franchise history that they’ve reached this milestone. In the 18 previous times, they’ve gone on to win the World Series 11 times – when they got rings in 1927, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1941, 1961, 1977, 1978 and 1998.
In 1942, 1954, 1963, 1980, 2002, 2003, and 2004 the Yankees won 100+ games but did not win the World Series that year. (For the record, in 1954, they finished 2nd in the standings and did not play in October.)
If the Yankees win 100 games this season and do not win the World Series, that would make it four times in the last 8 years that New York has won 100+ games and did not win the World Series.
As a Yankees fan, would that bother you? As a baseball fan, in general, what would be your view of a team that wins 100+ games four times in a 8-year span without winning any World Series rings? Would you say they were unlucky or underachieving? Or, something else?
Me? I’ve always viewed the post-2001 Yankees as the team that Cashman built – because guys like O’Neill, Tino, et al, were gone after 2001. So, if the 2009 Yankees win 100+ games and get bounced from the post-season, I would look at this Yankees team the same as the 2002-2007 Yankees – meaning built in a way to win in the regular season but not in the post-season. And, I wouldn’t say they were unlucky or underachieving – just flawed in the sense that they were built to take advantage of their schedule (by beating up on bad teams) and not built to beat the better teams in the league (when they went head-to-head).
Hopefully the Yankees will win the World Series this year and this question is moot. But, just for kicks and giggles, let’s discuss it now. What do you think?
Just for the record, the Yankees have never had a year where they’ve won 106+ games and did not win the World Series that year – because they won rings in 1927, 1932, 1939, 1961, and 1998. So, maybe we should just hope that the Yankees win 106 games this season?
I will be extremely impressed and a very proud Yankee fan if the Yankees finish the 2009 season as AL East Champs, 100 wins or not.
I understand every Yankee fans wants/expects every Yankee team to win a World Series but i’m a Yankee fan that has been brought down a peg in recent years. We lost the division in 2007, missed the playoffs entirely in 2008 and now with the playoffs on the horizon i’m extremely excited for them to come. In other words, I don’t expect the Yankees to be there every year anymore…so when they make it this year i’ll most likely buy my first Yankees AL East Champions t-shirt.
If they lose in the playoffs, than they lose. Seven out of eight teams lose in the playoffs every year and that won’t take away from the ride this team has brought us on in 2009. The goal should be to get to the playoffs, which they’ve done, and hope some combination of skill/luck/magic take over to get you that ring.
To add on…it doesn’t mean I won’t be upset if they don’t win it all! I just won’t be ready to deem the season and the team a complete failure.
YankCrank wrote:
Spot on. The so-called “Steinbrenner Doctrine” was arguably the worst legacy left behind by that boorish, arrogant headcase we used to call an owner.
I hope the Yanks win the World Series this year. I’d be thrilled if they won 100 games. I’d obviously trade the 100th win in favor of the 27th championship. And as much as I feel good about this team and believe they are the best team in baseball, I have no reason to feel like the World Series is their (or my) birthright and thus a loss would only disappoint me in the normal sense but would not devastate me or make me consider the season a failure.
i’m enjoying this season no matter what happens. i want to win the world series every year, but i put too much time into the yankees to be satisfied ONLY if they win the world series.
on your “built to win in the regular season but not the postseason” a few things. one, so the 2003 yankees were good enough to beat a pretty good twins team and a very good red sox team in a gut-wrenching series, but because they got beat by a hot florida team they fall under that category? if rivera locks down game 4, tony clark’s ball doesn’t bounce up into the stands in game 5, or one little thing changes in any of the games, and the yankees beat the red sox in another gut-wrenching series, would they no longer be in that category? there is never giving any credit to the other team (i hear sometimes the other team tries to win the playoff series too), always just inward looking yankee failure?
this doesn’t make any sense to me, and just seems to be way too broad of a generalization that way too many yankee fans are in love with. how is the 2001 team any different than the 2003 or 2004 teams? just because one didn’t win 100 games and one wasn’t cashman’s team (according to you)? in my eyes all three of those teams were very good teams that made costly mistakes at the wrong time while running into good/hot teams. separating 2001 from 2003 in particular (with the pitching being so similar, if not better in 2003) seems a bit ridiculous just because one won 95 games and another 101. those two teams are in the same boat.
The PS is a crap-shoot. I think it’s amazing that they made it to the PS from ’95 to ’07, and it appears they’ll be back this year.
My favorite win was ’96 because of many things but mostly because it was a long time sime since the last one. We haven’t won since 2000, so it’s been a little while and would be nice if we got it this time. If not, I’ll appreciate what a great year they’ve had. Esp guys like Andy, Jeter and Posada.