Now the season starts

Its like summer and autumn, ending and beginning, the championship season starts now, everyone is even and there is an unforgiving smallness to it all, five games will decide if your year has been an on-field success or not.

The Tigers can beat the Yankees, they have more talent everywhere except relief.  They have a better GM, Manager too.  Their fans are not as good or intense or knowledgeable...or as much fun to be around...but that is the end of Yankee advantages.

Verlander is better than CC, Jackson is better than Burnett.  The Yankees do not have a player as talented as Miguel Cabrera, they cannot match Ordonez and Carlos Guillen with their outfield talent either.  The Yankees have an advantage with Posada as a hitter but he is not the defender that Laird is.  The Yankees will be hot or cold they don't play in the steady middle. If the Yankees are hot they might win if Detroit plays beneath its talent...as they have done most of the year.  Jim Leyland has in the past been able to bring the best out of his teams to the playoffs, he seems confident against the Yankees. They have exploitable weaknesses.  The Yankees don't field well, especially in the outfield, don't hit well in situations, they have been stopped often with runners on third and second with no outs or one out.  They rely on the long ball for confidence, and play close games like they are sorting hand grenades.

Yet, this season, the fans and I am included have this sense that this team finds ways to win, finds a hot starting pitcher, finds relievers that can put up late game zeros, finds Matsui when things look bleak, finds ARod to pad a big lead; has the determination of Jeter and Rivera.  The fan believes the Yankees will find a way to beat the more talented teams in the playoff field.  So here's to playoffs and the hope that the Yankees come in hot.