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The Boston Red Sox are without question the team of the last decade. Sheldon Richardson Jersey For Sale . Theyre won three World Series titles in the last 10 seasons. However the Bosox havent matched the dynastic run of their their most ferocious rivals, the Yankees, who won five Fall Classics between 1996 and 2009 in seven tries over a run of 14 seasons. The most amazing part of that run occurred between 1996 and 2000 when they won four times in five years. The genesis of this run began in 1994, when the Yanks had the best record in the American League going when the season was shut down in August due to a labour dispute that wasnt settled until the following April. In the slightly shortened 05 season, they made the post-season. After going 95-67 under Joe Torre, the Yanks were knocked out by the Angels in the division series. But that was only the beginning. Though their record fell off a bit in 1996 to 90-72, New York was the top team in the American League and ultimately beat Atlanta 4 games to 2 to win their first World Series title since 1978. Four constants in their everyday line-up would emerge in Tino Martinez at first, Derek Jeter at short, Bernie Williams in centre field and Paul ONeill in right. The Yankees starting rotation in 96 was largely made up of star pitchers culled from other teams, such as Kenny Rogers, Jimmy Key, Dwight Gooden and David Cone. The two homegrowns were Andy Pettitte and Ramiro Mendoza. That would change over the next few years as the Yankees developed some of their own and made some big international signings. In their glory years, the Yanks bench was always populated with veteran stars. In 1996, it was the likes of Tim Raines, Darryl Strawberry and Cecil Fielder. Their depth was extraordinary. Though they stumbled in 1997, the Yankees bounced back with their greatest season of this five-year run going 108-54 and sweeping San Diego in the 1998 World Series. By this time Jorge Posada had replaced Joe Girardi as the starter behind the plate, and Chuck Knoblauch had taken over as the second baseman. But Martinez, Jeter, Williams and ONeill were still driving the engine and Mariano Rivera had emerged as a star closer with 36 saves this particular season. The bench was populated with the likes of Chili Davis, Raines and Strawberry and the rotation featured three men who pitched over 200 innings in Andy Pettitte, David Wells and David Cone. They were augmented by Hideki Irabu of Japan and Cuban Orlando Hernandez. In 98, the Yanks had two players who drove in over 100 runs, another with 98 and yet another with 97. This team was loaded in every sense of the word. In 1999, the Yanks win total fell off from 108 to 98. But they were no less of a force. There was only a little bit of tweaking to the every day line-up, with Ricky Ledee supplanting Chad Curtis in left and Chili Davis taking over the bulk of the DH duties. Roger Clemens, who was searching for that first World Series victory, was the new face in the rotation. The Rocket had been picked up in a package deal with the Blue Jays that sent David Wells, Homer Bush and Graeme Lloyd to the Jays. Rivera chalked up 45 saves, and the big four of Martinez, Jeter, Williams and ONeill each drove in over 100 runs. The Yankees swept to a second straight World Series victory, taking out Atlanta for the second time in four years. In 2000, the Yankees were bidding to become the first team since the Oakland As from 1972-74 to win three straight World Series. Outside of Shane Spencer taking over the bulk of the DH duties, the Yankees starting line-up was basically unchanged. The starting pitching was starting to fade a bit though. Three of the starters finished .500 or below. David Cone was nearing the end of a fantastic career and finished 4-14. Lefty Denny Neagle strugged in the Big Apple, going 7-7 and Orlando Hernandez was only 12-13. Twenty starts had to be made by plug in pieces including nine by swingman Mendoza and five by Dwight Gooden. The Yankees as always had that power-laden bench. David Justice and Glenallen Hill combined for 36 homers and 89 runs batted in, with Jose Canseco nearing the end of his career and adding six homers and 16 RBI. The Yankees still had enough left in the tanks to get back to the World Series for a third straight year, where they defeated their cross-town rivals the Mets 4 games to 1. No team has even won back-to-back World Series since the Yankees scored their trifecta, though the Giants did win in 2010 and 2012. Ive just got a feeling with the ever-increasing local TV deals and the parity in the game, it will be a very long time if ever, before we see another three-peat. Wishful Thinking This is purely speculation and wishful thinking by the New York media, but Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York wondered aloud over the weekend if there was some way the Yankees could acquire Jose Reyes from the Blue Jays after the coming season to replace the retiring Derek Jeter. The theory being, if the Jays have another rocky season, they just might swing into rebuild mode and be willing to deal Reyes for a package of younger players. Reyes greatly admires Jeter and still makes his off-season home on Long Island, but trading him to the Yankees doesnt make much sense. If Reyes has a great season, you keep him. If he gets hurt again, or simply has a lousy season, his market value would be low and the Yankees wouldnt want or need him anyway. But as I said, stranger things have happened. Tanaka Watch Yankees skipper Joe Girardi has left the door open for Masahiro Tanaka to start either the third our fourth game of the regular season. If it is the third, its against the Houston Astros. However, if it is the fourth game Tanaka would make his Major League debut in the Blue Jays home opener at Rogers Centre. Heres hoping! Sheldon Richardson Elite Jersey .S. -- Kelsey Rocque remains the only unbeaten womens skip at the Canadian junior curling championships. Authentic Jets Jerseys . The deal, filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, calls for the NCAA to toughen return-to-play rules for players who receive head blows and create a $70 million fund to pay for thousands of current and former athletes to undergo testing to determine whether they suffered brain trauma while playing football and other contact sports.NEW ORLEANS -- John Wall soared over his mascot, and the East stomped on the West in the slam dunk contest. Walls sensational slam finished off a clean sweep for the Washington star, Paul George and Terrence Ross in the contests new battle format, helping the Eastern Conference earn a 2-2 tie against the West on All-Star Saturday night. Answering Sacramento rookie Ben McLemores dunk in which he leaped over Shaquille ONeal seated in a kings throne, Wall took the ball from Wizards mascot G-Man, who held it above his head, then brought it down between his legs and slammed down a two-handed reverse dunk. "It was only my second time doing it. My first time was on Thursday," Wall said. "So I just felt comfortable with myself and I knew it was a dunk that hasnt been done before." Judges Dominique Wilkins, Magic Johnson and Julius Erving all gave the victory to Wall in his matchup, after picking George over Harrison Barnes, and defending champion Ross over Damian Lillard in the first dunk contest with three All-Stars since 1988. San Antonios Marco Belinelli won the 3-point contest, and Lillard and Utah rookie Trey Burke won the skills challenge for the Wests two victories. Miamis Chris Bosh, Wilkins and WNBA star Swin Cash won the nights first event for the East, the shooting stars. The league tried to jazz up All-Star Saturday for its return to New Orleans, with a number of tweaks to the format that werent all positively received. Players were given an entire rack of money balls worth 2 points in the 3-point contest, which they could place at any of the five spots on the floor. The skills challenge became a team relay format, but the biggest change was in the dunk contest, which was broken into two parts. The first was the freestyle portion, where the teams had 90 seconds to execute as many dunks as they could, before the three 1-on-1 matchups in the battle format. The East had already clinched that part by winning the first two, but Wall made it a resounding shutout. McLemore came out wearing a kings robe and trailed by ONeal, who unveiled a "Shaq-Lemore" jersey. He made it over ONeals throne on his second attempt, and ONeal presented him with a crown. But moments later, Wall was the real king. "The slam dunk has returned," said Erving, one of the NBAs most ffamed dunkers.Dawan Landry Jersey. Before that, the new format was confusing to fans and the West players themselves, creating a largely silent crowd during their turn. The East had it all figured out, winning the first stage with a passing and dunking display straight out the Harlem Globetrotters, capped by a three-man dunk where Ross threw if off the backboard to Wall, who lobbed it off the overhead shot clock for George to race in and slam it down. That was just a warm-up for the second round, when Ross, the events defending champion from Toronto, started things off by edging Lillard with an assist on his dunk from rapper Drake. Lillard was the first person to compete in three All-Star Saturday events, adding that to Fridays Rising Stars Challenge and Sundays game to give him the most ambitious itinerary ever. He started 2 for 2 by following Fridays victory by winning the skills challenge for the second straight year, he and Burke beating Michael Carter-Williams and Victor Oladipo by a tenth of a second. But Lillards run was stopped when Belinelli made his final three shots to finish with 19 points, edging him by one to advance to the finals from the West. "I was happy to just be invited to all of them and be able to compete in them, and I wanted to win at least one. And I won the first one, and then I thought there would be some momentum to continue to try and win all three of them," Lillard said. "But I fell short in the 3-point contest, and as you all saw in the dunk contest, they kind of just outclassed us." Bradley Beal had 21 points to win the East bracket, then made his final six shots in the finals to tie Belinelli and force a tiebreaker. Belinelli won it by making six straight shots at one point, sweeping his fourth rack. "I was a little bit nervous at the beginning and I think that I shot like two airballs," Belinelli said. "But in the end I was focused. I really cared about this trophy." Bosh, Wilkins and Cash won their second straight shooting stars title, with Bosh making a pair of halfcourt shots. "I keep asking Coach to let me shoot that shot in the game," Bosh said of Miamis Erik Spoelstra. "He wont let me do it yet, but I think that today will give him confidence if he was watching." The conferences split $500,000 in winnings for charity. ' ' ' |
