A lesson in mythology by way of Steinbrenner

There is a creature in mythology. Well, there are a whole mess of creatures in mythology, but for today we're dealing with Ouroboros.

Ouroboros was a snake, but what made this snake newsworthy was the fact that he was eating his own tail.

Over thousands of years the image of a snake eating itself has served to illustrate many a point and cause many a head to be scratched.

Was he killing himself or feeding himself? Was he the end of the cycle or the beginning? Does he really taste like chicken?

And just what in the hell does this have to do with the New York Yankees?

Glad you asked.

Baseball is in sorry shape. Every year fully three quarters of the teams can rule themselves out by June.

Sure, a surprise might sneak through but come autumn you can count on the usual suspects making their runs. Those suspects are almost always the ones who carry the biggest kitty to the poker table. Money talks in the real world, but in baseball it shouts.

Shouting loudest of all year in and year out are the Bronx Bombers. With no safeguards in place, George Steinbrenner throws money around like a sailor on shore leave.

Compounding things is the bundles of money he gets from broadcast rights to the Yanks. Each year he can count on getting enough from those rights to fully fund a team like the Twins. That point is not lost on the analysts. They bray night and day about the inequities in those broadcast deals.

Which brings us back to the snake.

New York is one of, if not the, largest TV and radio market in the world. With a population of around 8 million and many of the largest media conglomerates with headquarters in the city, all of America knows what happens in the Big Apple. If a tree falls in Central Park we will all hear it.

The problem as I see it is that for all its size and scope, New York City accounts for but 3% of this country's population. Certainly, many of our fathers and grandfathers entered this land through Ellis Island and it holds a special place in nearly everyone's hearts and minds, especially since September. However the United States does not end once you go west of the Passiac River.

We play ball in Minnesota. They play it in Pittsburgh. Rumors even have it being played as far west as Oakland. If you check the boxscores you'll find upwards of 30 other Non-Yankee teams in the major leagues.

The problem is the same networks that pound their chests about Yankee dominance and broadcast rights are the same ones feeding you every tidbit of Yankee info 24/7.

For example during the NCAA Hockey Championships, between periods ESPN had an abbreviated SportsCenter. Since the game, (won by the Golden Gophers, thanks for asking) went into OT, that meant three such highlight shows. Between periods 1 and 2, we saw Jason Giambi hit a long foul ball. We saw a Ron Coomer homerun and an El Duque strikeout. Funny thing, we saw it again between the second and third periods. Hey, look, there it is again going into OT! All told between pre-games, post-games, SportsCenters and Baseball Tonights you can count on seeing Yankee highlights 22 of a possible 24 hours.

If you're a Twins fan, set your clocks for the last 10 minutes right before the Phoenix Coyotes highlight reel. If you're a Royals fan, maybe you can catch a pitch or two on your local news. If you're a Devil Rays fan, well, you have my sympathy.

The point is the Yankees don't need any help. They have fans, they have millions of dollars, and they have exposure. If you're serious about leveling the playing field, show America a Reds game every now and then. The Yanks should never be a Game of the Week; they should never be televised nationally. Sports Illustrated should prohibit them from appearing on the cover. Derek Jeter should never host Saturday Night Live. I think even he would agree to that one. Ugh.

Giving Steinbrenner and the Yankees one more advantage over the rest of the league is that much more for Ouroboros to munch on. Eat to live? Eat to die? Time will tell. I'm betting on the Last Supper.

Next time: Yggdrasil, the Norse World Tree, and how it relates to Mike Fratello.