Back to the mundane

I so want to see the Yankees get Randy Johnson. It almost hurts, I want it so bad. When the Yankees are so desperate as to be staking their future on a 41-year-old lefty with a bad back, that's got to be good. Especially when it drives up their payroll even higher and forces them to dump even more of the few prospects they have left in their farm system.

Honestly, I don't really think he'll hold up for a full season. I could be wrong, but that's one heck of a makeshift rotation they're putting together in the Bronx. The only starter they've got who I really worry about is Mike Mussina, and he can be had - the Sox have done so many times. Johnson had a good NL year, but now he's a year older (and 3 years older than Schilling), back in a league with a DH (adding at least half a run to his ERA), and with his back history. Jaret Wright is a joke who had a decent year in Atlanta. But he's still no better than mediocre. Kevin Brown is Kevin Brown - and a shadow of the old Kevin Brown (I can't believe I just used his name three times in a single sentence - that may be a record). They haven't really addressed any of their other issues, plus they still have A-Rod.

The Sox have holes, too - but I think they've got a potential wildcard in Wade Miller. If his rehab has worked OK, they get a pitcher who easily replaces Lowe in the rotation. Wells should be solid for another year, assuming his weight problems are really in the past. And Matt Clement may be ready to make The Leap. Then again, we all said that about Lowe a couple of years ago, and look where that got us (this post-season being the exception). Overall, I'd say a Schilling-Miller-Clement-Wells-Wakefield/Arroyo rotation holds up pretty well against the Yankees' Johnson-Pavano-Mussina-Wright-Brown combo. It's not as clear an advantage as we had on paper last year, but it's not really a big advantage for them, either.

And we've got the championship to show for it all. Neener, neener.