Within days, the curtain will rise on the 2000 Yankees, who still have all the credentials to call themselves an American League super power. Experience, talent, grace under pressure ... name it, and the Yankees still hold the patent.
So why do some baseball people see the first stones crumbling outside the walls of the Yankee fortress? Why are the Red Sox being embraced as the conquerors-to-be in the East?
|  | | After winning Cy Young Awards in 1997 and 1998, Roger Clemens went 14-10 last year. |
Part of the doubt comes from simple logic --- which says, sooner or later, the Yankees have to grow old and that like in any other sport, dynasties eventually end. The Yankees are certainly the new millennium's monolith, having won three World Series in four years, but their forward-momentum now hinges on two aging right-handers, David Cone and Roger Clemens.
Between them, there are 427 career wins, six Cy Young Awards, and a stunning performance in the 1999 World Series, during which Cone and Clemens combined to allow the Braves just one run in 14 2/3 innings.
Still, both pitchers are 37 and the Yankees are understandably concerned about the number of quality innings left in their arms. Cone might be the model of finesse and brains and late-inning poise, but it's still true the Yankees refused to give him a two-year contract this offseason.
And for all of Clemens' World Series excellence, the Bombers haven't forgotten he won only 14 games in 1999 with a less-than-spectacular 4.60 ERA. Making matters worse was the fact that Clemens was outpitched by David Wells, who won 17 games in Toronto and led the AL in innings pitched after the controversial trade.
There were moments of pre-1999 brilliance this spring, however, as Clemens arrived in camp leaner and more focused than ever. Joe Torre said, "I think Roger spent most of last year trying to prove a point to us, that we made the right decision trading for him. He wasn't himself. I think he's finally gotten comfortable with being a Yankee."
For starters, the Rocket cut back on his weight-lifting regimen, shedding the NFL-lineman look. Instead, he ran harder and longer than ever, pounding out four-mile runs in less than 30 minutes. The benefits were two-fold: not only is Clemens one of the Yankees' best-conditioned athletes, but without the over-developed chest muscles, he was able to increase his arm speed and his fastball was clocked as high as 96 mph in exhibition games.
That's as hard as the Rocket threw all last year, and although there's no guarantee that a better fastball means a better won-loss record, the Yankees are still considering extending Clemens' contract beyond 2000.
There's talk of another two years at close to $28 million -- significant cash, no doubt, but if Clemens posts even modest gains this summer, say 16-18 wins, the Yankees will want him in Pinstripes rather than on the free-agent buffet table next winter.
Clemens insists that trust will be well-placed, if for no other reasons than he's still as fit and disciplined as ever. "I think it's a tribute to my legs that I can still dominate hitters after all this time," the Rocket said. "I've felt very free and loose this spring. It's the best I've felt in a long time this time of the year."
Cone has long since surrendered his throne as a power pitcher, relying now on his deep arsenal of cutters, splitters and two-seamers. At one point this spring, Cone's fastball was as low as 80-84 mph, and even though he's gained velocity in the weeks leading up to Opening Day, he jokes that it'd still be possible to beat major league hitters at 82 mph.
"If my ball had life, and some last second movement, I could still do it," Cone said. "Even in the days when I was throwing 94 mph with the Mets, some of the best games I threw were when I was at 90, because I had more movement at that speed."
The Yankees will gladly accept Cone's downsized fastball, as long as it comes with a guarantee of health. The Yankees used Cone with caution down the stretch last summer, careful to give him plenty of rest between starts.
The plan worked, too, since he was 7-4 with a 1.96 ERA with five or more days' rest. In all, Cone finished with a respectable 12-9 record, although those numbers don't reflect the rebirth the right-hander enjoyed in the first half of the season when he was 9-3 with a 2.54 ERA on July 2.
That's why Cone is still a mystery, in some respects, and why even he acknowledges, "I'm being counted on here." Even if Clemens' fastball regains its muscle and he joins Orlando Hernandez and Andy Pettitte as a dependable starter, it's Cone who could make the difference in the Yankees' postseason fate.
"There's a big difference between having three quality starters and four," said Cone. He's the fourth. He's the link between the dynasty and the collapse. It's no stretch to imagine the Red Sox will be watching -- very closely.
Bob Klapisch of the Bergen (N.J.) Record writes his baseball column each Monday for ESPN.com. | |
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