Research? Every other baseball fan is doing it, Dave, so why should we duplicate their efforts?

As your timeless piece illustrates, some things never change, especially in New York. Why Steinbrenner thinks he should start a season by alienating Giambi and criticizing Jeter, we'll never know. Now that he's been bumped off the tabloid headlines by his old pal David Cone, who knows what George will do next?

My favourite fictional Steinbrenner portrayal isn't on Seinfeld, though that's always a funny bit. Check the bargain book bins for The Year I Owned The Yankees, by Sparky Lyle (with David Fisher). The notorious cake-sitter gets corporate backing and becomes the new Boss, which doesn't sit well with the old Boss.

WOO-HOO!!!!

20,000 visitors to the Batter's Box! Un-freakin'-believable. You guys have made the long, cold winter enjoyable. Thank you all.

http://www.Bluejayway.ca
The only one who can end this Yankee dynasty is King George. The more he interfers, the more infighting, the longer he'll wait for his next ring.

The only one who can end this Yankee dynasty is King George.

Uh, guys, I hate to bring this up being a Yankee fan and all, but "dynasty" is a terribly overused term in the world of sports. I think to apply it to a team that hasn't won the championship either of the past two years is stretching the credibility of the idea. Are the Rams a dynasty in the NFL?

Even in the five World Series in a six-year stretch run of 1996-2001, I think it's difficult to claim the Yankees were the best team in the regular season in any but the magical 114-win season of 1998.

Please don't think I'm complaining; that little mini-dynasty, while nothing compared to the run Casey's Yanks had, was sheer greatness after the pain and suffering of the Steve Kemp Era. But to suggest the 2003 Yankees are part of an ongoing dynasty (a massive cash cow and PR machine, yes) ... I don't see it.

For all the hoo-hah over the team's "seven aces," New York's pitching -- which is what got it the titles in those years outside of '98 -- is verrrrry shaky.

Mussina and Weaver
Though neither is Seaver

Then there's Boomer and Andy
Lefties' health ain't quite dandy

And while Clemens (40!) grows old
Can Contreras pitch in the cold?

Oh - Hitch?
Can't pitch.

It's late, or I would compose similar verses about the state of the bullpen, which in many ways is even more questionable.

Look, I fully expect the Yankees to win 100 games and go deep into the playoffs. But -- as much as I could be expelled from Pinstripe Nation for admitting this -- I would also not be at all surprised if they stumbled in at about 79-83 and Joe Torre, Brian Cashman and a bunch of veteran players were suddenly looking for work.

As your timeless piece illustrates, some things never change.

This is non-baseball related, but one of my best friends finished every paper he wrote in college with the banal "The more things change, the more they stay the same." In honor of him, yours truly did that on my final paper as an undergraduate, only to be greeted with a B- and this comment: "Weak conclusion."

Oh, and Coach: The Year I Owned the Yankees is one of the funniest books I've read. Among my favorite moments: when the Yankees get to the playoffs against the A's and intentionally walk Jose Canseco every at-bat (for the series Canseco has one "very-frustrated" strikeout plus 20 walks or something); when, against Dave Stewart in the playoffs, they don't swing the bat for the first seven innings or so ("Through six innings Stewart was pitching a no-hitter. A no-swinger, in fact."); and when they would use the scoreboard to psyche out the opposing team ("Wade Boggs has never had a hit against Pitcher XYX.") Of course, Boggs didn't have an at-bat against pitcher XYX, but who's counting?

Mick: what BB was missing, until now, was its own Score Bard. Please, if you become addicted to the "Random Diamond Notes Generator" -- it makes Gammons completely obsolete -- do not blame me.

Gitz, thanks for validating my "sense" of humour. Sparky is clever, and Fisher hits all the right notes connecting the zaniness. You should try to find Home Game, by Toronto novelist Paul Quarrington of Whale Music fame. If you know about the old House of David baseball team, imagine a winner-take-all game between them and a pickup team of circus sideshow freaks, led by Roy Hobbs. The Amazon.ca description says "walks the straight but delicate line between absurdity and compassion with dazzling style and expertise" -- much like this site -- and here's an independent review:

"The book enchants, as if the Brothers Grimm and the Brothers Marx had conspired to perform pratfalls while Freud was looking on, shaking his head." -- Toronto Star