These Are Not The 2004 Yankees

Ladies and gentlemen, meet your 2009 American League Champions, the New York Yankees:

After the Yankees won the ALCS last night 4 games to 2, it was pretty clear that these are not your 2004 "choke's on us" Yankees. Actually it was clear before that, but for Yankee fans, it probably was hard to see the proverbial forest for the trees.

The trees in this case would be inviduals like AJ Burnett, Phil Hughes and Nick Swisher. Some would add Andy Pettitte to this mix. I could not believe how many people trashed Pettitte in the days leading up to his start last night. But, come on guys, these trees are stronger than the ones from 2004. They're not as bad as guys like Javier Vasquez and Esteban Loaiza, who were weak little palm trees breaking under the force of Hurricane Bosox. Compared to them, Burnett, Hughes and Swisher are Mighty Sequoias.

This is not to say that this team compares to the 1998 team. Many have said that they do. I don't agree. The '98 team was a magical, once-in-a-lifetime group of guys who, though they worked at it, seemed to come by things easier. It seems to me that this 2009 team had to work harder than the '98 team to get where they are now.

They still have their work cut out for them. The Phillies will not be easy by any sense of the word.

Tomorrow: A World Series preview.