Pretenders to the throne

Every time a story like this comes out, about how the suddenly free-wheeling Mets are now on equal footing with the Bombers, I have to shake my head in disbelief. Names like Billy Wagner, Carlos Delgado, and Paul Lo Duca have been thrown into the mix of earlier acquisitions like Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran. Boston's biggest and best "Idiot" Manny Ramirez may soon join the party.

This collection of hired guns has many a fan and sportswriter comparing these Mets to the crosstown Yanks. To me they miss a very important point. The current Yankees are not led by a gang of free agents. This current team is built around a scaffolding of lifetime Yankees; Derek Jeter being the captain of the ship. As we lose a Bernie Williams, we gain a Robinson Cano.

The lack of movement in this years winter meetings means we're finally getting back to the things that made the current dynasty. I am actually quite relieved we held to our guns and curbing our more Steinbrenner-y freewheeling ways. Same can't be said of the team from Queens. These Mets are built like the Mets of the early 1990's. Remember those years? The Frank Viola, Bobby Bonilla, Eddie Murray, Vince Coleman bleach throwing years that were supposed to set the league on fire? These Mets remind me of those Mets. Big egos, Big money and no big man on campus like Derek Jeter to coalesce them.

With no quiet winners like Hideki Matsui, and no late inning lions like Mariano Rivera I will go out on a limb and predict the Yankees will have a better record than the Mets. I'll even take it a step further and predict the New York's lesser ballclub will wind up second to the Braves. Only father time will prove me right or wrong.