Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies

Yanks find new path to same result

Despite personnel and makeup concerns, New York prevails in East as it chases first title since 2000.

NEW YORK - They're too old. They had too much turnover. Their pitching isn't good enough. They lost too much of their heart and soul. They don't have enough depth. Their new players hadn't proved they can play in New York.

Since the first day of spring training in Tampa, all the way to Japan and back and throughout the six-month season, the Yankees have heard all kinds of reasons why they weren't going to be able to win again.

And now that they have won an American League-high 101 games, and now that they have finished first in the East division for the seventh straight time, and now that they are making their 10th consecutive postseason appearance starting tonight against the Twins, they have an answer for anyone who still doubts them.

"We feel," slugger Gary Sheffield said Monday, "like we're going to win it all."

The Yankees have reason to be confident. But there is also cause for concern.

This team is different than the previous versions. There have been significant changes, to their lineup and their makeup. There are questions that have to be answered. There is some validity to the skepticism, if not the criticisms.

This team has been a work in progress, adjusting to the latest infusion of big-name stars, responding to challenges from the Red Sox, reacting to a series of injuries and inconsistent performances, adapting to a new, and necessary, style of play.

To this point, it has worked out pretty good.

"I know everybody has questions," Game 1 starter Mike Mussina said. "They've had questions all year, and we've won 101 games. So I don't know what else we're supposed to do."

About the only thing they can do to make everyone happy is to win the World Series, which they haven't done since 2000, an eternity on the Steinbrennerian calendar.

With a spoiled fan base and an insatiable owner, it isn't enough for the Yankees to finish first in their division or advance through a couple of playoff series, and they know it.

"Getting to a World Series doesn't make it a successful year," Derek Jeter said. "The bottom line is you have to win."

Their postseason pattern has been to win with dominant pitching, but this group is trying to do it differently.

Going into the first round, they barely have enough healthy arms to get through the day. The rotation is so tattered, the choices for Games 3 and 4 are one pitcher with a sore shoulder (Orlando Hernandez), one recovering from a broken hand (Kevin Brown) and one who is having trouble getting anybody out (Javier Vazquez).

The level of concern was obvious Monday, when Steinbrenner resorted to issuing one of his motivational statements, saying, in part, "I'm just hopeful the pitching is okay and that we play championship baseball."

This Yankees team has won with offense.

It ranked second in the majors with 897 runs. It shared the major-league lead with 242 home runs, including 15 or more from eight players. It set a major-league record with 61 come-from-behind victories, including nine times from at least four runs down.

"I think we have come to rely more on the offense than in past years," manager Joe Torre said. "I think with the number of come-from-behind victories we've had this year, I think we have abilities this year that we have not had in the past."

There is another big difference. They have several key players, such as Sheffield and Alex Rodriguez, who are going to experience their first postseason in pinstripes, and all the pressure that comes with it.

"It's going to be different," Rodriguez said.

"You can talk about it all you want, but you still have to experience it," said Jeter, a veteran of eight. "These are veteran guys; it's not like they're guys that haven't experienced things before. Sheff's been on teams that have won, Alex has been on teams that have won. It's not New York, but they've still been in big situations."

Torre insists that he doesn't have any concerns, that six series with the Red Sox provided a representative sample of what the postseason would be like and that he is happy with the way the team galvanized. Given all the injuries, he said, "you wonder how you won 100 games. But I think that's saying something about how this ballclub performs."

The Yankees have had turnover before, going on without key players such as John Wetteland, David Cone, Jimmy Key, Tino Martinez. This year, it's Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte who are missing.

"It's something we're used to have happening to us," Torre said.

The questions really aren't that new, either.

"That seems to be the thing every year," Jeter said. "People seem to question everything we do, and here we have the best record in the league."

Some things never change.

TODAY

Dodgers at Cardinals, 1:09 p.m., ESPN

Red Sox at Angels, 4:09 p.m., ESPN

Twins at Yankees, 8:19 p.m., Ch.13