It’s almost trite to ask what people initially think about when they ponder the New York Yankees and the postseason.
Some will say a team resting on the ink of a paycheck, while others will say an indelible mark on baseball’s identity.
But when you clear the air on a seemingly endless argument, you’re left with the only topic that is forward focus: The 2010 ALCS.
This matchup was almost written in the realm of possibilities a long time ago. Many fans began to realize the Rangers were not only running away with their division late in the summer but also that they were more legit than they have been in some 10 years.
The Yankees, on the other hand, were steeped in a divisional battle all year long with a Tampa Bay team that was considered one of only two teams that could actually beat the Rangers.
The Yankees were the second; the Rays failed.
And with that, we saw tonight why people believe the Yankees can, in fact, beat this high-powered Rangers team. They overcame last night’s drubbing and a collection of losses that, to some, were unexpected and rose above adversity with the injury to their power first baseman Mark Teixeira.
But in the dark lurks the Texas Ranger.
The Yankees are a well-oiled machine and a well-coached team. With that said, you have to believe that Girardi and company are now feeling the pressure of the torrent bats of Texas and their overpowering pitching staff.
Across the diamond, Texas manager Ron Washington is burning an indelible worry into the crawls of the Yankees coaching staff, as if to say: We aren’t going to go away; we’re just as good as you are!
But the Yankees have a stigma of their own: Just try and beat us!
And that, folks, is the new stage setting for Game 6!
All things considered, it doesn’t matter whether you are a Yankees fan or a Rangers fan because either side of the coin has to admit they couldn’t have asked for a better, more exhilarating series as we have on our hands right now.
The Yankees may be the perennial favorite, but the Rangers are that one history-making underdog that often gets underestimated.
The bottom line is: Is it another year of the inevitable for the Yankees, or has fate found a new friend in Texas?
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