New York Yankees: Who Says Money Can't Buy Happiness?

“The Yankees win. Thhheeeeeeeee Yankees win!”

We’ve all heard John Sterling’s famous coined phrase. And depending on where you live, we all love hearing it.

But after going 0-8 against the Boston Red Sox in the first half of the season, who thought we would get to hear it four times in a row against the same team?

The Yanks now sit atop the AL East with a very comfortable 6 1/2 game lead over the BoSox. That’s the biggest lead New York has had since 2006. That lead is largely due to New York’s very expensive offseason pickups.

Remember the beginning of the season when the Bronx Bombers had a losing record and were looking more and more like the ’08 flop team every day? The New York Yankees front office and fan base were more frustrated then George W. Bush with a crossword puzzle.

But now, the Evil Empire and its devoted storm-troopers can sit back and enjoy the winning times with a smug smile on their face (kind of like at the end of the "third" movie when Darth Vader is still alive and the Death Star is being built...yeah I'm a nerd, don't judge me) and it’s well deserved.

After dropping some serious loot that would overshadow P. Diddy's spending sprees on free agents Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, the Yanks are finally reaping the benefits.

It seems as if these guys getting paid--has finally paid off...clever word play, right?

Tex is leading the AL with 29 home runs and is second in RBI with 83. His Gold Glove season along with Robinson Cano’s MUCH improved defense has solidified the right side of the infield. The two combined only have five errors all season!

Hmmm let’s see now, Teixeira is having an unbelievable season on a winning team while Jason Giambi…isn’t even on a Major League roster anymore. I’d say money well spent.

Sabathia is tied for second in the AL with 12 wins and a very solid 3.76 ERA to go with it. He has become the Yanks work horse and routinely goes out and eats up innings to preserve the bullpen.

Burnett has become a dominant stopper and is the go-to-guy after a Yankee loss. Having a 3.67 ERA doesn’t hurt either, I’m sure.

So the haters will continue to mount and spew their never changing argument that you can’t buy a championship. And although I agree with that statement, spending a few extra bucks on some upgrades won’t keep teams from October.

Whoever said money can’t buy happiness definitely wasn’t a Yankee fan.