Sometimes it’s easy to look at the game on paper and declare teams victorious before the season even begins. If a team has a great reputation, like the Yankees, clear obstacles to winning a title are overlooked since, well, they are the Yankees. It’s as if the uniform of a perennial winner takes over and makes the task that much easier. There is something to be said about players elevating their game, specifically with pinstripes, but the chore of winning a title in modern sports is harder than ever.

Look back at the game when the Yankees had their dynasties in the twenties, thirties, forties, and fifties. They had to beat eight teams in order to win the pennant. At that point it was a best of seven matchup against the National League, which the Yankees won 20 out of 29 series – an amazing 69% success rate. Today, you have 162 games, interleague play, two rounds before the Series, including a wild five game division series. Free agency, amateur draft, and expansion have all worked in the Yankees favor, but made it harder to achieve the ultimate goal. When you add in the enormous salaries that ballplayers earn (average of $3 million according to the MLBPA), the “hunger” to conquer the MLB grind isn’t the same as the days of Willie, Mickey, and the Duke.

Joe Torre was quoted during last year’s postseason that the “remarkable run” by his nineties Yankees dynasty was a result of luck and dedication. I would add that one is not independent of another. For all the criticism Torre received on the X’s and O’s portion of managing, he has the uncanny ability to get his ballclub’s to harness their potential and dedicate themselves to a common goal. He has appeared in the postseason 14 consecutive seasons. Granted, he always has enjoyed the support of a good roster, something he didn’t have with the Mets, Atlanta, and St. Louis, but not every one of Torre’s postseason appearances were givens. His final 2-3 years with the Yankees were filled with poor starts, lousy starting pitching, and injuries. To his credit, he kept the squad focused and believing in the ultimate goal.

Luck is a whole other discussion. It’s completely intangible and probably will be dismissed by those wanting cold hard statistical analysis. Primarily I believe luck can be a product of good design, but even the great Yankees teams of the nineties shared incredible good fortune. Jeffrey Maier in 96’, numerous acquisitions that panned out for the better and quirky plays such as Jeter’s “flip” in 2001. The fact that the nineties dynasty didn’t suffer one debilitating injury may be the ultimate fortuitous bounce any team can receive.

The Yankees are the only team to repeat as champions the since the implementation of the Wild Card. Sure, Atlanta and Philadelphia have made consecutive World Series appearances, but were unable to seal the deal.  When specifically speaking about the Phillies, ESPN’s Andy Martino said that “distracted by ceremonies, endorsement opportunities, and the attention received after a hard-earned achievement, they were unavoidably changed. The psychology of already having won a World Series was naturally different from that of pursuing the unknown.” There is a lot of hard work that comes with being a World Series champion. The spoils of that accomplishment often take precedence over the work needed to repeat the feat. Even the best the game has to offer is not immune to the natural temptations that come with being human.

That is why Joe Girardi has his work cut out for him this season. Luckily veterans such as Jeter, Posada, Pettitte, and Rivera have been in this position before. It’s hard to imagine they will waste an opportunity to win another one in the twilight of their careers. Can the same be said for first timers such as Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, and Nick Swisher? Will key acquisitions like Nick Johnson and Curtis Granderson make up for the losses? Look at Javier Vazquez’s Chicago team that fell to third place in 2006 just a year after winning it all. Their manager, Ozzie Guillen, was a genius the year before, found himself embroiled in controversy just twelve months later. It’s easy being the hunter, especially if you don’t have expectations, but when you are the hunted the mind can start to play tricks with you. The stakes change, people notice you, and inevitably the pressure mounts.

Fortunately, the Yankees have put themselves in a great position to be “lucky”, but even that may not be enough. The American League, overrated for its strength in previous years, has teams in Seattle, Minnesota, and Boston that some believe have improved. In the case of Seattle they may have enough pitching to stand up to the Yankees. Don’t forget penny pinching Tampa, who still has the talent to make life difficult. This won’t be a cake run, and even if they do get through the AL, a winner take seven game series is no guarantee. Ask the 2001 and 2003 Bronx Bombers about that.

Forget the 56 game hitting streak, back to back no hitters, or perfect game. The hardest task in sports is repeating. Ask any coach in any sport their thoughts on that. Great feats take only one day, repeating requires daily focus, determination, and luck. That combination is in short supply in life, much less the game of baseball.

Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, CC Sabathia, Curtis Granderson, Derek Jeter, Joe Girardi, Joe Torre, Mariano Rivera, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Nick Johnson, Nick Swisher, Oakland A's, Philadelphia Phillies, Repeating as World Series Champion, Seattle Mariners, St Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays