Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Wednesday 09/23 Quickie: Yankees,
Vick, Greinke, Reynolds, USC, Barber, More

It feels like we have seen a particularly dense level of "Title or Bust" in 2009:

*UNC in college hoops.
*Lakers (and Cavs) in the NBA.
*Florida in college football.
*Federer at the US Open.
*Tiger in any golf major.

The Yankees have been "title or bust" since they missed the playoffs last year -- maybe even since they last won a World Series, in 2000 -- and they cleared an important milestone yesterday: They clinched a playoff spot.

There are two milestones for the Yankees this year: Make the playoffs, win the World Series. That's it. If they didn't make the playoffs -- well, let's not even think about that; it would have been baseball Armageddon. Besides, it has been a foregone conclusion for months.

If they don't win the World Series, then making the playoffs is kind of a waste -- that's the one thing (maybe the only thing) I admire about the Yankees: They expect championships, and anything less is a massive let-down. Anything else...is failure.

So in today's SN column, let's welcome the Yankees as the first team to make the playoff field -- for their sake, they better be the last team standing, too.

More you'll find in today's column:

*Vick will revolutionize the Wildcat
*Mark Reynolds: 206!
*Greinke for AL Cy -- it's no contest
*Pete Carroll: "Players' coach." Right.
*CBB's best 2-guard: Willie Warren?
*Jahvid Best for Heisman?
*Memo to Plax: "Waiver claim" is a prison euphemism.

Check out the complete column here. More later.

-- D.S.

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