YANKEES LOOK RIPE FOR 28TH CHAMPIONSHIP!

I don't normally write sports blogs, and why I don't know. Sports has been a big part of my life, and i've been a lifetime Yankee fan since I was 5. That makes 42 years for anyone counting. I've stuck through the hard times, the ugly teams, the Steinbrenner Era, and the dynasty of the late 90's to early 2000's.

Once again, Yankee fans have something to chomp on this season. It looks like Brian Cashman has once more worked his magic in the farm system by establishing young amazing talent and pruning them for the bigtime.

The 2017 Yankees dominated Spring Training. With a weak regular season start, at 2 and 4, they went on an 8 game rant pounding out homeruns like true Bronx Bombers, and backed it up with stellar pitching.

Cashman has once again built from the bottom up, a team full of young superstars, with the likes of Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge, Greg Byrd, and Starlin Castro, just to name a few of the top performers. Just like 1996, Cashman has created a tasty soup of new products and veteran provens, such as Chase Headley, who seems to have found his bat this season and is sliding into his position on the team as the newest leader since Jeter! Mix in Matt Holliday, Brent Gardner, Jacob Elsbury, and you have the same mix of talent that lead the Yanks on a tear of 4 World Series Championships in 5 years.

To add to the incredilbe power and precision hitting that has jolted this years' Yanks from last place after 6 games, to a tie for first place in 15 games, with a league leading 10 wins, is the same makeup of pitchers that again backed 4 World Championships in the late 90's.

With C.C. Sebathia seemingly returning to form of prior years, possibly due to feeling the sense of a championship team surrounding him, along with the greatly accomplished and experienced Masahiro Tenaka, are some new faces on the Yanks pitching staff, with the likes of Luis Severino, Adam Warren, and the quick return of Aroldis Chapman. There are other contributors as well, including a resurgence of Michael Pineda, a couple years off from surgery, looking like the pitcher the Yanks have patiently waited to re-emerge.

This group of Yankees have even more than what I've mentioned going for them this season, with a bench that is starting-caliber, and a bullpen that seems unhittable so far. But, with the length of innings that starters are getting into so early in the season, there has not been a whole lot of use for the bullpen thus far, allowing for stronger arms as the season progresses.

Once again, the Bronx Bombers are alive and well, and I don't see anyone stopping their drive to a 28th World Championship this year.

Bravo Brian Cashman, whom has built this team on a limited budget, unlike the huge expenditures of the 90's he had to work with, and whom also was recently on the brink of elimination from his position. Obviously, the new Yankee Brass do know what they are doing, contrary to my and several other fans' opinions, who thought they were tearing the Yankees apart. The higher-ups could foresee Cashman's brilliance, and lucky for all of us Yankee fans, stuck with him.

This should be an exciting season for the Yankees, if everyone stays relatively healthy.  I can not see any games where I live in Germany, but I keep up to date on Yankees.com.

Be sure to catch as many games as you can this year. I think we may see some phenomenal baseball. Aaron Judge has bursted out as the team power house, and we can only be patient in seeing what caliber baseball he continues to play.

Keep your channels tuned to YES channel, if you have it. If you don't, PlaystationTV carries the YES channel, and you don't need a Playstation to use the site. Just a laptop or phone. But beware, if you are in NY, chances are the games may be blacked out, due to the monopoly that is Time Warner Cable, who doesn't even carry the station for upstate New Yorkers. What kind of Cable Giant is that?

Good luck Yanks!! We hope to see you in October, crushing it to your 28th Championship Trophy!!

Written by: Colin Bruce Munro Wood - 4/21/2017 - 10:50AM ET/16:50 German Time

Gemmrigheim, Germany