Wow. I can see Yankees fans, despite there recent failures are still alive and well.
Here are my reasons why they will not!

1.Competition
The Red Sox may have struggled last year but I would still put the bats of Ortiz and Rameriez up against any combination of Yankees hitters. The Blue Jays are no scrubs either. There potential is sky high and if they get hot they could blow anyone out of the water. The Orioles are a little less consistent but they have led the division before and if they can get hot in September they may just have enough to sneak through. The Devil Rays are very very young but are better than people give them credit and there farm system brings them a lot of depth.

2. Yankees Farm
The old days of the Yankees infallible scouting staff are over. There farm teams are suffering due to there over paying big name stars. If this goes on for much longer they will not only miss there division but finish mid-pack, regardless of there stars.

3. A-rod
He can't get it done under pressure. Plain and simple. He may be the best active player and by the time he retires, maybe the best all-time, but when he is cold, he's bitter and the whole team suffers.

4. The Fans
Yankees have the most rotten fans in professional sports. Even if the Yankees are winning, there are still boos from the crowd. No matter how good the Yankees are, they wont be hot all season long. When they start to lose the fans will leave.

5. Giambi
Once described as the "best power-hitter to wear pin-stripes since Ruth" is now off the roids and is actually a half decent hitter, but no where close to what everyone thought and that's alot of money to pay for a decent hitter.

6. Pitching
Say what you want, they don't have pitching they had when they made there title runs. Pettite and Mussina are old and the rest of the starters seem to suffer when Yankee bats get cold. Rivera is one of the best relievers in the game, but recent contract issues have me doubting his motivation. Even if he is in tip-top shape (which is age tells me he's not), he will be the only one in the pen that is.

7. AL talent
There are other teams in the AL that could beat the Yankees on a regular basis, or at the very least 50% of the time. The Angels, Twins, White Sox, A's, and Tigers not only have the talent to do so, but also the motivation. Unlike the Yankees, there players are fighting for a title.

8. Motivation
If you are getting paid more than any other player at your position in the league, you have a long and unchangeable contract and you have to play for the worst fans and the most backward Owner in MLB history, would you be motivated to go the extra mile?

Time is ticking for the Yankees to achieve there goal. Win, Lose or Draw, the Yankees days at the top are numbered. I give them a 33 1/3 to win there division this year and after this year slim to none.

Learn more about this author, Adam Smith.
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