The year is slipping past.  We are about to reach the three quarter mark on the regular season.  It has been a very eventful year, and I think it is worth organizing my thoughts on the mainnpoints.

How is the year going?  We are the best team in baseball!  Other than that, things are good.

First, how are the free agent additions playing.  Great.  Mark Texiera is playing like a first round Hall of Fame candidate.  I had no idea this guy was this good.  I do not think I've ever seen a better defensive first baseman.  If you have, who was it?  I have seen others about as good, no one clearly better.  He's a fine hitter and switching is a plus.

CC and AJ have done what was expected.  Many feared one or the other would not make it in NYC.  Clearly they can pitch here.  I hope they continue to enjoy good health.  They haven't blown our doors off yet.  That's fine, get hot in the fall please.

Andy Pettitte is having a bounce back year.  Once again is a man to count on.

How about the home grown talent?

Cano is continuing to improve and is becoming a great second baseman.  I do not understand why you, the serious fans do not love him.  He's just a very talented hitter with a great glove and a plus arm.  What Yankee was better there all around?  You'll be watching black and white movies to find a candidate.

Melky Cabrera was, before last season began, being compared here and else where to a young Bernie Williams.  He had a lost year and we didn't expect much from him this year.  He has worked hard, shown improved attittude and skills.  I now think he has a good chance to be a better player over his career than Bernie.  But I am not one of those who would retire Bernie's number.  He wasn't a great player. He had a very nice career.

Brett Gardener started the year as someone who we hope would hold the fort until we got someone better.  That someone might or might not be Austin Jackson.  He has adapted to big league pitching and proved himself to be a plus defender in CF.  His development was a surprise and a major plus for the team going forward.  I'd love to see him in pinstripes for a long time.  He pushes Melky to right in my idea of the future.

More after the jump.

We also saw very good performance from Ramiro Pena and Frank Cervelli.  They have more to prove, because their good performances are now filed under "small sample size."  But last winter I said we needed to bring in a catcher and a future shortstop, because I didn't think we had either in the system.  My opinion has been revised.

How about the young arms.  In this group I put Joba, Phil Hughes, Phil Coke, Al Aceves, Dave Robertson and Mark Melancon.  These guys have all made nice to very nice progress this year.  I can now say all but Melacon are established big league pitchers.  None of them are prospects anymore.  Joba and Hughes have the potential to be great.  Aceves is very good, I wonder how good.  I think he's better than he gets credit for.

I hope Ian Kennedy is not leaving us.  We have two shoes to drop.  Two of the Yankees trades have included a "player to be named later."

Add to this good news the fact that Jeter and Damon are having better years than I expected.

From my point of view our biggest downside is having to watch Posada flail at AJ's pitches.  How did we get to this point?  I know Jorge is slipping.  I know AJ is hard to catch.  But really, this is very hard to watch.  I wonder if Posada will retire?

The catcher position is our only real hole going forward from the year.

I estimate the probability the Yankees can will the WS is up to between .25 and .30.  This is up from .125 coming out of Spring Training.

Life is good.  I can't even find the energy to complain about the new stadium, other than to say it's a big disappointment to me.