Yankees try something new -- smart spending

The half-decade from 1996 to 2000 was the lowest-ever period to be a Twins zealot, or a fan of the grand game in general. The salary boom that followed the players strike of 1994-95 had left the Twins as low-budget also-rans.

Worse yet, payroll became the determining factor for winning a World Series more clearly than at any time since the start of free agency in the mid-'70s.

The Yankees were the champions four times: 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000. The only interruption came in 1997, when Florida's Wayne Huizenga bought a World Series title for the sole purpose of showing his fellow owners the folly of the way in which they ran this business.

Most people would cite Joe Carter's home run to give Toronto the 1993 title over Philadelphia as the most dramatic hit we've seen in the World Series in the past 20 years.

Wrong.

The most dramatic hit we've seen was Luis Gonzalez's pop fly over a drawn-in infield that gave Arizona a seventh-game victory against the Yankees in the 2001 World Series.

Take away the Diamondbacks' ugly, unlikely rally against Mariano Rivera and it would have been 5-of-6 for the Yankees, and the World Series would have found itself in an autumn ratings battle with the MLS Cup for years to come.

The Yankees had spent much of this decade throwing millions at players in their 30s ... even 40. It didn't work.

Owner George Steinbrenner had become nonfunctional. His sons, Hal and Hank, took charge. They gave General Manager Brian Cashman the usual limitless budget.

And this time the Yankees did it the right way. They shattered spending records to add stars in their prime: first baseman Mark Teixeira and lefthanded starter CC Sabathia, both 29.

They also paid mightily for A.J. Burnett, 32, but with only 1,376 big-league innings on his right arm. He had a history of injury, and also was coming off a 2008 season in which he made a career-high 34 starts and went 18-10 for Toronto.

The Yankees stumbled through five weeks of the schedule. The outrageous ticket prices in the new Yankee Stadium had created thousands of empty seats. The whole situation seemed rather embarrassing.

Sabathia has pitched well since shutting out Baltimore on May 8. Burnett got started with a 15-0 victory over the Mets and Johan Santana on June 14.

The Yankees' decision to sweep in before Christmas and give Teixeira an eight-year, $180 million contract was deemed ludicrous even by Yankees standards. Halfway through the first season of that contract, the conversation is that Teixeira is a better player and hitter than New Yorkers had imagined.

He's in the middle of the early MVP conversation with the Twins' Joe Mauer and Boston's Jason Bay.

The Yankees have done more to become a very impressive ballclub than bring in three stars for $423.5 million worth of free-agent contacts. They are stronger in the bullpen largely by accident with the arrivals of Phil Hughes, Phil Coke and Alfredo Aceves to support Rivera. And they are stronger in the field by design.

Johnny Damon moved to left last season but also was allowed to play center, where he's terrible.

There has been a tremendous improvement at first, where Teixeira, an exceptional fielder, has replaced the disastrous Jason Giambi.

Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano are mediocre as playmakers in the middle of the infield, but the offensive production makes both assets. And then there's Alex Rodriguez, and you know a red-hot streak will be forthcoming this summer.

The Yanks are back -- maybe all the way to a World Series victory. After nine years, the baseball world should be able to tolerate it.