From
Marc Carig:
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman leaned against a wall in the visitor’s clubhouse at the Metrodome on Sunday night, seemingly oblivious to the celebration dying down around him.
The Champagne wasn’t even warm yet. But less than an hour after the Yankees clinched their first trip to the American League Championship Series, Cashman’s mind had already drifted toward the Angels, who represent the next obstacle standing between his team and a 27th world championship.
“I think this team is one of our better teams we’ve had in awhile,” Cashman said. “But I also think Anaheim is running out a much improved team too. Clearly, they were able to beat Boston and they haven’t been able to do that before. They’re more equipped. We’re more equipped.”
...
“This team is deeper in pitching,” Cashman said. “This team’s deeper on the bench. This team’s deeper in the bullpen, this team’s deeper offensively and we’re healthy right now.... We’re just stronger and deeper.”
...
“There’s no perfect team that we had,” Cashman said. “Those teams in the past had chances to run the table too. But you’ve got to recognize that this team is deeper, that’s all.”
I feel this is the best team they've had since '03, and maybe even all the way back to '01 team that was at the tail end of baseball's last dynasty. That's as of right now. Winning a ring will obviously change that. It would be their first world series win since 2000, and you'd have to say that this is the at least as good as that team. But I'll stop getting ahead of myself, as of now, all I know is that this team is pretty damn good.
