The Yankees just, by all accounts, built the greatest ballpark in history.  I will reserve the right to disagree with that notion until I actually see it. Frankly, it better be. They spent $1.3 BILLION dollars on the thing, and remember they didn’t have to buy the land on which it stands. That came from a land swap with the city. So the thing ought to be the Taj Mahal of Ball.

They spent another half-a-billion dollars on three players in December. Remember December? While some people were wondering how they were going to fill their kid’s Christmas stocking and unemployment numbers were gaining a big head of steam, the New York Yankees were throwing around $20 million dollar salaries like they were bricks of government cheese.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m fine with this. If the New York Yankees want to pump $2 Billion into the economy, I have no intention of standing in their way.  Hank, Hal, knock yourselves out, boys.

I just don’t think you’re going to get the immediate results you’re expecting.

The guys you signed in the off season all have great credentials, but I would expect varying degrees of success. Mark Teixeira will work out immediately, and I think that was the perfect move for this club. He’s a switch hitter with power from both sides of the plate, and may very well be the best natural hitter they’ve had since Don Mattingly retired. Put in between Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, his career average could very easily jump from .290 to .330. He’s young, personable and not as image conscious as a certain third baseman. He’s bounced around a little bit in the past couple years, so he’s used to dealing with new surroundings. The Yankee faithful will be quick to embrace him, and he’ll thrive in the Bronx.

CC Sabathia would seem to be tailor-made for a place like Yankees Stadium. A big powerful southpaw, he should keep opposing managers honest. Tempting as that short-porch looks, you can’t load your lineup with left-handed hitters while Carston Charles is on the mound.

However, Sabathia has always been a second-half pitcher, and it’s going to be interesting to see how he deals with negative New York press after starting 1-2. He’s an emotional guy who has melted down on the mound before. God help him if Boston sluggers Jason Bay and JD Drew go back to back early in a game at the stadium this summer. The boos he’ll hear will be unlike anything he’s ever experienced, and that’s just the kind of thing that can get him completely unwound. It’s going to take him a little time to get acclimated. He’ll be fine by August, but in the short term he’s going to have some tough times.

And speaking of tough times, I have two words for AJ Burnett – Carl Pavano.  There is a grand tradition of mid-to-upper level players putting on pinstripes and coming completely unnerved. Kenny Rogers. Steve Sax. Chuck Knoblauch. Hideki Irabu. But Pavano is the best comparison.

He signed a big contract with New York, and then promptly hurt his shoulder. He made a total of 26 starts for the Bombers, compiling a record of 9-8. But because of the money he was being paid, he became a whipping boy of the fans, the media, and occasionally the front office. Burnett has a history of injury, and of taking a lot of time to recover. He’s got a chronically bum shoulder, and it’s a foregone conclusion that he’ll spend time on the DL this year. That’s not going to help the Yankee cause.

Meanwhile, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera are all starting to age. Even Derek Jeter is on the wrong side of thirty. Alex Rodriguez has all the talent in the world, but the guy’s a train wreck between the ears. There’s too much age on that roster without enough depth (see: Cody Ransom), and too much competition in the division. Sorry Yankee fans. It’s going to be a much better summer in Queens than in The Bronx. The Yankees look to me like a high-priced third place team.