The Yankee Model: What the Cubs Can Learn from the New World Champs

In some ways, it's the same old story. The Yankees win, the Yankees win, say it 27 times for emphasis.

But for those of us who cast a critical eye on the Yankees' championship romp through a 105-win regular season and a dominant playoff run, there are lessons from which a hopeful contender in 2010 can learn a great deal.

The Cubs are just such a would-be winner, and since I make it my business to always look for new ways the Cubs can exploit potential advantages, it seems prudent to spend some time in meditation on what made the Yankees winners, and what the Cubs must do to match their results.

There's no better place to start, in this case, than at the close. The Yankees won this World Series, as they have the previous four since 1996, as much because of closer Mariano Rivera as for any other reason.

Rivera, 39, returned to his rightful place at the top of the relief pitching world in 2009. His 6.15 WXRL (Expected Wins Added Over Replacement; a metric that takes into account the situations in which a reliever enters and exits the game, thereby eliminating the corrupting influence of mid-inning pitching changes) led the league, remarkably for the first time in his illustrious career.

His 44 saves ranked third in the American League as well. Rivera won't catch Milwaukee's Trevor Hoffman, the all-time leader in that category, but he doesn't need to. He stands already among the greatest relievers of all time.

What can the Cubs take away? Well, for one, the relief ace is a vitally important component to success in both the regular season and the playoffs. Brad Lidge and Jonathan Papelbon, the aces of the last two world champions' bullpens, also dominated their respective leagues from Opening Day to the final out.

For the Cubs, the implication is clear: finding a closer is the first step toward reclaiming their place atop the NL Central. Carlos Marmol, though he succeeded in his last 11 save opportunities after taking over for Kevin Gregg in August, will not be that guy; his walk totals are too high.

So GM Jim Hendry needs to venture into the free agent market, if only for one name: Rafael Soriano.

Soriano, the Atlanta closer, has the command Marmol lacks, and the strikeout ability every good closer needs. He racked up 27 saves for the Braves in 2009, and recorded 102 strikeouts against 27 walks in 75.2 innings.

Another key driving factor in the Yankees' sustained success, however, is already in place to some degree in Chicago. Home-grown talents contributed substantially to New York's title run. Of these, the most notable were Rivera, shortstop Derek Jeter, catcher Jorge Posada, and left-handed starter Andy Pettitte. Pettitte, in fact, won all three clinching games during the Yanks' playoff run.

In its own respect, Chicago has catcher Geovany Soto, the 2008 NL Rookie of the Year; Ryan Theriot, the scrappy shortstop; and Carlos Zambrano, the erstwhile ace who must return to his dominating ways if the team hopes to take the next step next year.

Ultimately, though, the Yankees succeeded primarily on the strength of a new team philosophy, consisting of several different dimensions. First, New York made plate patience a team policy, leading the American League in walks and on-base percentage.

Just as importantly, though, the Yankees maintained chemistry and focus. Their confidence never wavered, which allowed them to weather early-season struggles and the distraction that surrounded Alex Rodriguez throughout spring training and into the season. That focus allowed Rodriguez to rehabilitate both his image and his clubhouse persona after he returned to the team and the lineup.

Chicago, meanwhile, allowed the media circus boiling around right fielder Milton Bradley to hamper their collective intensity and unity.

So lacking for leadership and vitality were they, that even after a stretch in June during which they won five out of six games, and four out of five in walk-off fashion, they could not come together and maintain the momentum: a four-game losing streak to open the ensuing road trip spoiled the trend, and perhaps foreshadowed the rest of the frustrating season.

If the Cubs want to avoid a second straight second-place finish in 2010, they will have to avoid the pitfalls that rendered them one of the league's most disappointing teams of 2009. Providing they do so, they stand an excellent chance of at least returning to the postseason, if not replacing the Yankees at the champions' podium next October...or November, or whenever the Hell the baseball season ends these days.