From Steve Lombardi:
Do the Yankees have to go on and win the World Series for this season to be considered “great”? Or, would it be enough just to reach the World Series – and the outcome of the Fall Classic doesn’t matter? Or, do the Yankees even have to win the ALCS for this season to be considered “great”? What if it’s a hard fought ALCS that goes six or seven games, and, in the end, the Yankees lose – but do it in a manner that’s not embarrassing (and they just get beat by a team who played better)? Is that “enough” for you, as a Yankees fan, to say this season was a success?
Me? I want to say “As long as they play hard, and don’t give away the ALCS, I can live with that.” But, deep down, inside, I want them to reach the World Series – at a minimum. And, if they get there, I’m probably not going to be “O.K.” with it if they lose.
I think that the 2009 season has already been a success, and anything that happens from this point forward will not change that. This team gave us one of the most thrilling seasons in recent memory, with tons of walk-offs and exciting moments to go with 103 wins and a division title. Will I be disappointed if they fail to win the World Series? Certainly. They are the best team in baseball, and should come out on top. However, the best team does not always win, and these Yankees can fall victim to a slightly lesser club in a short series. Declaring a season a failure without a championship is a bit obnoxious and would probably be considered ridiculous anywhere but New York and possibly Boston.
How about you? Can the 2009 season be considered successful without a World Series Championship?
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
9 Responses to Discussion: How Far Is Good Enough?
Leave a Reply
TIQ IQ
I consider making the WS at the very least important.
Dominating the Angels is not required (though that would be nice)
But if a team is built to win championships, that is what you would expect. Of course, I am not saying a continued title drought would be a FAILURE persay… rather I would be disappointed.
World series or the season is a failure!!! No excuses, no exceptions! You don’t spend over 200 million a year to not win the world series, this team isn’t built to “compete” it’s built to win and dominate.
I think that they need to beat the Angels to put that demon to bed. They have to beat Torre in order to avoid the Torre-Girardi B.S. Losing to the Phillies would be more tolerable, but still dissapointing. When you are the best team with home field, it is a bit dissappointing if you do not win.
Plus the AL is much better than the NL this year and which ever team wins the ALCS will win the world series.
I think the Yankees have the best 1-2-3 starters of the remaining teams. They certainly have the best pen and the best linup and they have a very good bench and home field. Anything short of a world series win at this point will be very dissapointing.
Exactly!
I’ll be disappointed if the Yankees fail to get past the Angels — I am big on exorcising all the demons of seasons past. If the team does beat the Angels, I would expect it to also defeat the NL champs. But quirky things happen in a short series, a pitcher or hitter suddenly gets very hot (or cold), and I’ll live with a long, hard-fought World Series even if the Yankees come out on the wrong end.
WS or bust, that’s what they play for, that’s what they must have! Every player comes to this team to win a WS ring or they wouldn’t put up with New York at all…the toughest town to play in.
162 games for what…the WS, oh yeah, money also. Even A-Rod figured it out, great stats only count if the team wins.
I wouldn’t be satisfied with anything other then a WS ring. Would I find it unacceptable…No!
I would remember the Pittsburgh and Yankee WS of old…the better team lost.
I completely agree with this post. I was recently explaining this to my fiance. She says rooting for a sports team is futile because the only thing considered a success is a championship, and those are rare. I pointed out how much fun I have had watching the 2009 Yankees and how I’ll always have those memories. Shut her up pretty fast – even though she accused me of lying. True story.