So as we barrel forward into the 2010 season, the first decade of the 21st century, "the aughts" is now forever behind us. And I found myself musing on the drive home from work recently, was there a "Team of the Aughts" and if so, who was it?
I started wondering this because it occured to me that my first three full decades of baseball fandom all at least arguably had one team (for one season!) be the defining -- that's not necessarily the same as best -- team of that decade.
For instance, in the 1970's ...
... the team of the decade, with apologies to the Fightin' A's of the early part of the decade and to the George-luvs-Billy Yankee teams of the late part of the decade, the "team of the 1970s" was clearly the 1975 Cincinnati Reds (also apologies to the '76 Reds, who may have had more talent than their year's previous rendition, and who swept the Yankees in the World Series). The '75 Reds were The Big Red Machine, won 70 of their first 100 to pretty much wrap up the division by the start of August and overcame the legendary Fisk Game 6 homer to get sized for rings.
Then came the 1980s ... I won't spend too much time here so as to not aggravate any old memories. But the 1984 Detroit Tigers were a magical team -- they started 35-5, to pretty much wrap up the division by the middle of May and went on to ride their "Bless You Boys" rallying cry to a dominant World Series title over the Padres. The '84 Tigers weren't the most talented team of that decade, but they damn sure helped define it for the baseball world.
In the 1990s -- if you hate everything defined by pinstripes and trophies in the Bronx, you might want to skip over this paragraph about the 1998 New York Yankees. The '98 Bronx Bombers won 114 regular-season games, and when you add in their run through the then-still-kinda-new three-rung post-season, finished the year an astounding 125-50. And, oh by the way, swept the Padres in the World Series. (Boy, the Pads have had tough luck in drawing World Series opponents, huh?)
Perhaps most amazing is that they accomplished this with a roster stuffed with guys -- pitchers and hitters -- who are solidly in the Hall of Really Good, but with only two clear-cut Hall of Famers on the roster -- Derek Jeter, who was in just his third full season that year; and Mariano Rivera, in just his second season closing in the Yankee bullpen. Hideki Irabu made 28 starts. Chad Curtis was the everyday left fielder. The team leaders in homers (Tino Martinez) and steals Chuck Knoblauch) had 28 and 31, respectively. This was not a team of legendary players -- but it will be seen as a legendary team, the team of the 1990s.
So, then ...
So, Bauxites, what team name and season do you slot after that fourth bullet? Honestly, I don't even know who to suggest. There have been a number of interesting teams, a few we might call "great," but the elusive "great and interesting" combination eludes me -- am I missing an obvious candidate? (Yes, yes, the '04 Red Sox busted that billion-year-old "curse" -- do they get the nod just for that?)
In each of the other decades, I was able to quickly, and without looking anything up, compile a very short list of candidates that immediately focused on one, described above. The Aughts don't really do that ... are we too close? Is it the '04 Red Sox, really? Your suggestions are hereby invited, as well as your criticisms of or disagreements with my selections for the past three decades. For our older Bauxites who remember the '60s and '50s, what fills the bullets that'd go above those shown earlier? (My gut says the '55 Dodgers and the '69 Mets, but that's all before my baseball brain was in full fan mode.)
Fire away!
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20100320032758685