Yankees doing dandy

National | Sports | John Dawson

Yankees doing dandy

A bit more than a year ago, The Onion, a satire newspaper, led off a story somewhat prophetically. "With a week to go before pitchers and catchers report for spring training, the New York Yankees shored up their pitching, hitting, and defense Monday by signing every player in professional baseball," the paper joked. If only it were true -- or that efficient. Then, Red Sox fans could really have something to complain about. Not only could Boston fans say the Yankees truly were trying to buy a World Series, but Bostonians could finally give up hope. (What hope is there when Pedro and Nomar play for New York?)

This year's non-pinstriped baseball fan may be convinced the 2004 Yankees are using a "killing them softly" approach. Sure, trading for Alex Rodriguez was a big help for their lineup. But adding Gary Sheffield and Kenny Lofton should have taken care of that. New York lost Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens but added Kevin Brown and Javier Vazquez. The real benefit of the Yankees off-season may wind up being Paul Quantrill and Tom Gordon, both relief pitchers signed to bridge the gap between New York's ace starters and closer Mariano Rivera. It may not be the sizzle, but it's the steak. As Hall-of-Fame pitcher Bob Gibson said: "The two most important things in life: good friends and a strong bullpen." And every team is in need -- now and in August.