Yankees haven't won anything yet

Okay, so the Yankees have Alex Rodriguez. Big deal. I'm tired of people saying we should just hand the World Series trophey over to them because the season isn't worth playing.

If having -- or adding -- one great position player can make such a huge difference in baseball, why was A-Rod never even able to get his Rangers out of last place during his stay in Texas?

The answer is because pitching is more important in Major League Baseball and I'm not sure New York has enough to go all the way. There is no question that A-Rod will improve the Yankees offense and defense (who would you rather have, Aaron Boone or Rodriguez?) and the Bombers will have an outstanding lineup, but it has been proven time and again that pitching is the name of the game if you want to win a championship.

It's also pathetic to hear people whine all the time about George Steinbrenner coming up with so many great players. Hey, the guy is an absolute control freak, but all he cares about is winning. Honestly, I think he would continue to pay for the best players available even if he and his partners were losing money every year (which they are not).

I hate the Yankees as much as the next common baseball fan, but I can respect a guy who has such a passion to win. The thing is, the last few years have proven that the Yankees can't buy championships at will. A lot of things have to happen right, which makes the club's run from 1998-00 so impressive in itself.

As I said, though, the Yankees pitching is very much in question. Not to make the playoffs, they always do that, but to win it all. After all, they are putting a lot of their hopes and dreams on the questionable back of Kevin Brown. And Jose Contreras? The jury is still out on him. Yes, they have Mike Mussina, and he is a great pitcher, but do they have any other proven horses?

New York has as good a chance as anybody to come out of the American League. The thing is, so does Boston, Oakland, Seattle, Anaheim, Minnesota, and Kansas City. Baseball -- with all its financial inequalities -- is still a sport where any team with some good arms and a decent lineup has a chance to take home the big prize if it gets hot in the fall.

Small market clubs from Oakland, Minnesota and Florida have all proven that fact during the past few years.

My prediction is that Brown will be on the DL by June and the Yankees will find themselves in a season-long dog fight with the Red Sox for the AL East crown. Don't forget that Baltimore has added some talent, too, and Toronto has a very solid club. I expect the Yankees to be in the playoffs come October, but this will be no cake walk for the Pinstripers.

Remember, anything can happen to even the most talented teams during the course of a long season. After all, weren't we ready to anoint the Lakers NBA champs in November?

E-mail me with questions or comments bryan_horwath@yahoo.com