SUCCESS: The Yankees have done this more than any other team in baseball--winning the World Series. (STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images)
As a Texas Rangers fan growing up, I was a Yankee-hater. They eliminated my Rangers in 1996, 1998, and 1999—the only years the franchise ever went to the playoffs.
In those years, the Yankees went on to win their 23rd, 24th, and 25th World Series. The Rangers have yet to win one.
I recently watched the 2001 movie “61*” which told the story of the 1961 home run race between Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle as they tried to break Babe Ruth’s single season home run record.
Roger Maris went on to break Ruth’s record on the last day of the season, smashing his 61st home run deep to right field off of Boston hurler Tracy Stallard.
That 1961 Yankees team consisted of three future Hall of Famers—Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, and Whitey Ford. That team also had eight All-Stars and won their 19th World Series.
It made me think. Am I “drinking the Hateraid” for valid reasons?
So I sat down and took a long, hard look at the Yankees organization, and a little bit of its history. I think it’s worth acknowledging.
Domination
The New York Yankees have dominated a major professional sport like no one else has. They have played in 39 World Series and won 26 times. The next most dominant team is the St. Louis Cardinals and they have “only” won 10 World Series.
The Bronx Bombers have played in at least one World Series in every decade since the 1920s. The 1980s was the only decade that they did not win the World Series.
Their best decade was the 1950s with six championships. In that 10-year span, they appeared in eight World Series. And the two they lost were lost in seven games. With Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Billy Martin, Phil Rizzuto, and Whitey Ford, the Yankees were pretty much unstoppable.
The only other team to come close to that kind of domination in the four major North American sports is the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens, who have played in 35 Stanley Cup Finals and won 24 times.
Oddly enough, the 1950s proved to be the best years for the Canadiens, as they went to the finals every season except for the 1949–50 season. They also brought home five Stanley Cups in a row in that decade.
The Greats
Some of the greatest baseball players of all-time have donned the pinstripes.
Babe Ruth started it all for the Yankees. Before his acquisition, the Yankees had not even made it to the postseason. In 15 seasons, he led the Yanks to their first four World Series championships.
Hall of Famers Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, and Reggie Jackson all brought championships to the Yankees.
While Billy Martin, Roger Maris, and Don Mattingly are not currently in the Hall of Fame, they are still considered Yankee greats.
Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera have spent the last 15 seasons with the Yankees and when they retire, they too will be considered Yankee greats.
This year, the Yankees started off slowly, most notably losing their first eight games to the rival Red Sox. After the All-Star break however, they have been on fire, losing only once to the Red Sox in seven games, and currently post the best record in baseball.
Moneyball
A championship is expected every year. The dry spell (no World Series title since 2000) hasn’t gone unnoticed by owner George Steinbrenner. After not making the playoffs last season, Mr. Steinbrenner went on an off-season spending spree, picking up pitching aces CC Sabathia ($161 million over seven years) and A.J. Burnett ($82.5 million over five years). He also added slugging first baseman Mark Teixeira ($180 million over eight years).
Yankee-haters say that the Yanks attempt to buy World Series championships.
But baseball does not have a salary cap. They have a luxury tax, and as long as Mr. Steinbrenner is willing to put up the money, the Yankees are not breaking any rules.
With success comes more money, and 26 championships have brought higher merchandise sales, put more people in the more expensive seats, and generated plenty of endorsement and partnership deals.
How else is Mr. Steinbrenner supposed to invest his money? You can’t blame an owner for doing whatever he can to make his team better.
In the end, I will probably never root for the Yankees (unless of course them winning helps my Rangers in some way). But after looking into their history and understanding what the franchise has accomplished, I can’t help but admire what they have achieved.
I will don my Red Sox hat whenever they face the Yankees, but I will refrain from the “Yankees Suck” chants. A team that has won 26 world championships definitely does not suck. They know how to win. I wish my team could do that.
