The Evil Empire Returns - The 2009 New York Yankees

Cue the evil, foreboding music...The New York Yankees have gone out and bought themselves a monster baseball team and it is the best thing that could happen to Major League Baseball. Baseball is about hating the Yankees, and the Evil Empire is back. For a cool 423.5 million bucks, the Yankees now have added C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeira to an already fearsome lineup. With this, the small market teams are whining and the Red Sox are now back to being the underdog. All things in baseball are now back in order.

Last season saw the up and coming Tampa Bay Devil Rays knock the Yankees down the ladder a bit, but it lacked something. For some reason, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion rather than the incredible upset that it was. The Rays have a tiny fraction of the money that the Yankees do, but the Yankees seemed to be biding their time for 2009. Sure enough, the Yankees reached out and with several quick signatures upon some very heavy checks, built another Yankees dynasty. Are they really that good? Well, let us take a look at their lineup:

Catcher - Jorge Posada - Older catcher that is as good as you can ask for behind the plate.

First Base - Mark Teixeira - One of the best in the league and sure to excel in that lineup of hitters.

Second Base - Robinson Cano - One of the up and coming stars in the league.

Shortstop - Derek Jeter - Still one of the best in the league.

Third Base - Alex Rodriguez - The best in the league.

Left Field - Xavier Nady - Showed signs last season of being among the elite.

Center Field - Brett Gardner - The one wild card in the bunch.

Right Field - Johnny Damon - Still among the most reliable in the league.

DH - Hideki Matsui - Smooth bat with an even smoother attitude.

Bench - Nick Swisher, Melky Cabrera, Wilson Betemit, Cody Ransom, Jose Molina - This group would start on virtually any other Major League ballclub.

Starting Pitchers - C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Chien-Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlain, Phillip Hughes - Are you kidding me? All five have top level stuff, and have the potential to be number one starters. This lineup is scary.

Closer/Bullpen - Mariano Rivera - The perfect exclamation point to the Evil Empire.

This lineup of superstar players for the 2009 New York Yankees do not guarantee a championship. That is the point of the entire Evil Empire. It lays down the annual gauntlet for the rest of the league to chase after. Without the Yankees being loaded, their is no drama in baseball's regular season. It makes every game with the Yankees involved a playoff type game. Every single Major League ball club will be circling the Yankees on their schedules and looking to those games as their measuring stick. Every fan will buy a ticket and hope that their team will slay the Evil Empire that is the New York Yankees. It is the American way. It is what baseball fans do.

When the New York Yankees come calling this summer, we all will take notice. That is the beauty of baseball. When our teams beat the Yankees, we get a special rush of satisfaction that can not be acquired any other way. If the Yankees are not that good, then the rush of excitement is diminished. So thank you New York Yankees. Thanks for spending all that cash and getting the best of the baseball free agents yet again. We are all lining up to battle you.

And I would not want it any other way.