Friday, October 23, 2009

Optimist Prime Strikes Again

With some fans still seething after yesterday's game, I figure what's a better time for a healthy dose of Optimism?

The Yankees still lead the series, and only need to win one more game. It won't be easy, but it's still less of a task than that which faces the Angels in having to win two games in New York.

The Yankees are a good team. They aren't soft. You don't win all those walk off games if your team is soft; you win them because your pitching is good enough to hold your opponent and your hitters refuse to die.

This team has surprised, amazed and surpassed many expectations--almost no one thought this team was going to win 103 games, and it did.

You can win one or two games by virtue of luck; you cannot with 103 this way.

The Yankees played .500 against the Angels during the season, and thus it should be no surprise that this series has turned into a long one. All the Yankees really needed to do was win one game in Anaheim--one game in a place where they have not historically played well--and they did just that.

At any rate, given everything that's happened this year, you almost have to agree that there is something idyllic about clinching at home, in the rain.

Baseball, after all, might be built on failure, but it is sustained by optimism. Every Yankee fan knows this.