Scrappy, Underdog Yankees Continue Cinderella Season

NEW YORK--In one of this year’s most surprising stories, the New York Yankees have defied the odds and surged to the top of the mighty AL East division, leaving naysayers and doubters in their wake. As of this week, George Steinbrenner’s lovable band of ragtag misfits was leading the AL East by 5 games over the vaunted Boston Red Sox. While not blessed with the most talent in the league, the Yanks are full of spunk and determination, which has earned them the nickname “The Miracle Yanks”.

“We just really believe in ourselves,” says Yankees skipper Joe Torre. “We like being the underdogs. As long as people don’t believe in us, that’s fine. We’ll keep silencing the critics. We may not have all the best big-name free agents here, but we’ve got a lot of heart.”

In an era of highly paid athletes, when the team that has the most money can sign all the best players and literally buy a World Series title, the Yankees are a refreshing change. Full of unproven rookies and castoffs from other teams, the Yankees, dubbed “The Stankees” in the preseason, are proving that there are some things money can’t buy.

The owner of the Yankees, noted philanthropist George Steinbrenner, assembled his team of overachievers the old fashioned way: by developing the talent in the farm system and making some smart, thrifty trades.

“I don’t believe in spending loads of money on the latest flavor of the month slugger, “ says Steinbrenner, relaxing in his modest, simple office above Yankee stadium. “And I’m certainly not going to go around the world dangling huge sacks of cash in front of every foreign prospect I can find. I’m much more concerned with fiscal responsibility. I think you can build a good, solid, fundamentally sound team and still maintain a degree of economic sanity.”

Steinbrenner, who spends his offseason working in soup kitchens and reading to blind schoolchildren, is being rewarded for his patience and persistence with some long awaited success. In these days of instant gratification, Steinbrenner took the road less traveled and slowly put the building blocks together to build a contender.

“A lot of people expect success right away. But me, I just wanted to do the right thing and make some smart decisions. I knew we weren’t going to set the world on fire right away, but I was pretty confident after a few years we would be ready to make an impact.”

His theory has paid off. While the rest of the league has been on a spending spree the past few years, the Yanks have been quietly stockpiling talent. This measured approach is certainly consistent with Steinbrenner’s personal philosophy.

Says Steinbrenner: “For me winning the World Series isn’t everything. I’ve got a wife and family. I’ve got my health. I’ve got the greatest job in the world. So no matter what happens, I’ll be alright.”

While the Yankees currently have the best record in the American league, there are still some doubters out there. Not everyone is sold yet on the Yankees ability to maintain their current level of play.

Says one MLB scout: “We’ve seen this many times before. Every year some spunky young team comes out of the gate fast, strings together a few wins, and gets a little confidence. But remember, it’s a marathon not a sprint. Let’s wait and see how they do come September when the Red Sox make their annual post season push. I just don’t think they have the manpower to keep up with the big boys”

Don’t tell that to the Yankees fans. The long-suffering Bronx faithful have started trickling back into Yankee stadium, sensing a revival of the Yankee’s dynasty. It’s going to be a tough task though, for the Yanks to wrestle the attention away from the cross-town rival and perennial powerhouse New York Mets.

“We know this is Met country, for sure,” says Joe Torre. “They are definitely the glamour boys. But people should take notice. We’ve got a lot of confidence. We’re gonna shock the world”
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