NEW YORK YANKEES - BASEBALL'S BEST

The New York Yankees are on top once again. By winning their 27th World Series championship last night, they have risen once again as the best team in baseball. In storybook fashion, the NY Yankees who played their first season in their new 1 Billion dollar stadium, christened it in style by adding one more championship to their hallowed history.

To the group of Yankees that have been a part of the last 4 World Series Championships, this puts the icing on the cake for them and their exceptional careers. Between them, they now own 20 Championship rings. Pretty amazing in an era of free agency and parity. For Derek, Jeter, Mariano RiveraMariano Rivera, Andy Pettite and Jorge PosadaJorge Posada, this championship will no doubt hold a special place in their hearts. It had been 9 years since this foursome celebrated a World Series victory. This may have been their last one together.

This was also a bittersweet win for other Yankees on this team who may not be back again next year. Hidecki Matsui, Johnny DamonJohnny Damon, Damaso MarteDamaso Marte, Andy Pettite may have all worn the uniform of the New York Yankees for the last time. With last night's win, they will forever be remembered as World Series Champions with the greatest franchise in sports, the New York Yankees.

For the newcomers who joined the team, the likes of Sabathia, Texeira, & Burnett, they must be feeling a sigh of relieve as this championship validates the enormous free agent contracts paid to them to help bring this team to the promise land. This is one time where no one can say, they did not earn their money.

Those 9 figure contracts paid to them will seem miniscule to Yankee fans who may have complained especially when it was done in a time of economic downturn. At a time when many baseball fans across the country were struggling to put food on the table, it did not seem fair to pay 3 players the astronomical sum of $450 million dollars.

For all the young and rookie players that held so much promise but at the same time brougt about many uncertainties, this will uplift their self confidence and perhaps create that hunger to win and win again. They need not look any further to see what a win in the World Series can do than to look at the careers of Jeter, Posada, Rivera and Posada.

To the Manager & coaching staff, this win represents a sense of belonging. A sense that they can indeed win without the big shadow of Joe TorreJoe Torre lurking in the halls of Yankee Stadium. It puts to rest the notions of players revolting or mistrusting it's leadership. This is now their team. They can hang their hat on the fact that through their leadership and direction, they molded and led a team of diverse personalities and big egoes to perform for a common goal. The goal of not only getting to the World Series but winning it.

To the ownership, this win will have special significance to the Steinbrenner's who have regained the confidence of it's fan's by recommitting to the excellence and winning tradition of Mr. George SteinbrennerGeorge Steinbrenner himself. A man who had the foresight to to invest 10 million dollars in the greatest franchise in the world and turn it into a billion dollar enterprise. A man who wanted nothing more than to win at all costs. Never one to cut corners when it came to bringing the best talent, his passion and love for the game was always front and center. This win is for all the years of giving and dedication that the players proudly take to the field for 7 months every year.

Mr. Steinbrenner's absence from last night's victory did not go unnoticed as many in the crowd of 50k plus, made it known that they aprreciated his love of the game and his passion for the Yankees. This win is for you.

To the Yankee hater's, Metfans, Phiilies fans, Red Sox Fans and others, this win invokes thoughts of what could have been, may have been and should have been. To me this win represents, what is good about this country.

Baseball represents something that each and everyone of us can relate to. The joy of winning, the dissapointments and setbacks, the triumphs, the hardships, the sense of hope each die hard fan holds unto. Hope always springs eternal. It is a game that binds generations together. They celebrate, they rejoice, they laugh, they cry. It takes us back to a simpler time. It takes us back to an innocent time. For that I thank the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies. Thank you for taking many of us back to that place in time.

As a Metfan, I will close out by saying, "Wait til next year".