The New York Yankees 2009 Season
How the Bronx Bombers Stole the 2009 World Series Title
Nov 7, 2009
The New York Yankees are on top of the baseball world again after winning the franchise's 27th World Series title, but how they got back to the top is worth checking out, and it seems a tad suspicious.
Co-owner Hank Steinbrenner and team general manager Brian Cashman felt the heat from die-hard Yankees fans when the team missed the playoffs for the first time in 13 years in 2008. Old Yankee Stadium, which was baseball's most iconic stadium, shut the lights and closed its doors without a post-season series.
Tired of watching American League East rivals Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays in their World Series spots, Cashman and Steinbrenner did the only thing they could do; buy their way back to the fall classic and a World Series title.
In the off-season, the Yankees went out and signed highly sought after free agent pitchers A.J Burnett and C.C Sabathia. After signing the two all-stars, the Yankees continued their spending spree and picked up big bopper Mark Teixeira to fill the void at first base left by Jason Giambi.
When the ink dried, the Yankees spent $423.5 million on these three contracts (combined multi-year deals) and brought their single season payroll to a ridiculous $201 million. To put that into perspective, that is more than the Washington Nationals, Florida Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres payrolls combined ($187.6 million).
The Yankees vs. the Salary Cap
Baseball being the only professional sport without a salary cap allowed the Yankees to continue to buy their way towards the top. The lack of a cap has been a controversial topic around the sports world.
MLB Commissioner Bud Selig refuses to allow such a cap happen, even though teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, and even the Boston Red Sox are in support of it.
The New York Yankees however, are strongly opposed to a salary cap, and have gone as far as threatening legal action against the league if it were brought in.
Maybe Hank Steinbrenner fears he and the Yankees organization won't be able to buy any more championships in the future.
2009 Playoff Controversy
In the top of the 11th inning in game two of the American League Divisional Series between the New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins, Joe Mauer hit a controversial foul ball that could have changed the whole outcome of both the game and the series.
Umpire Phil Cuzzi had a perfect view of the foul line and where the ball landed, and still called the ball foul even though replay clearly showed it landed in fair territory by a foot.
The Twins loaded the bases on three straight hits after that foul ball. Had the play been reversed, Minnesota would have scored one or more runs that inning, and giving them the win.
Alex Rodriguez went from World Series goat to hero in game three of the fall classic, thanks to a camera sticking out over the wall in the outfield.
A-Rod's homerun in the fourth inning in game three of the World Series hit a television camera that was hanging over the wall in left field. Had the camera been placed behind the wall like it should have been, A-Rod would have been awarded a double instead of the two-run homerun, again changing the outcome of the game and possibly the series.
Christening Yankee Stadium with a World Series Championship... Again
Old Yankee Stadium opened in the 1923 season. That year, the Yankees went on to beat the New York Giants four games to two, capturing the World Series in the stadium's inaugural season.
In 2009, New Yankee Stadium opened its doors, and low and behold, in this stadium's inaugural season, the Bronx Bombers won the World Series.
An MLB-Yankees Conspiracy Brewing?
Does anyone find it rather odd that A-Rod got nothing more than a slap on the wrist for his steroid use? Or that Bud Selig is still mulling over whether or not punish him for using performance enhancing drugs from 2001-2003?
What about the MLB turning a blind eye to Mariano Rivera spitting on the baseball? Yes folks, it is against the rules to spit on the ball, and should have resulted in Rivera being ejected from the game against the Los Angeles Angels in the 2009 ALCS.
The great debate has started around the world as to whether the fix was in for the Yankees to win the 2009 World Series.
Maybe ten years from now Bud Selig will admit that he wears Yankee print and pin-stripe pajamas, and umpire Phil Cuzzi will come out and admit that Hank Steinbrenner's signature was on the officials pay checks. It's happened in soccer, it's happened in basketball, there's no doubt that it could be happening in baseball too.
