Afternoon Baseball

EDIT: Mike says he's sick of this theory. That's probably because I've said it about 400 times over the last few years. I tend to mention things to death if you hang around me long enough.

Looking for a conspiracy theory for the Yanks? Here it is: They don't win when they have anyone who was on the 1995 team who was not on the 1996 championship team, but later returned to the Yanks.

This list includes these players on the 1995 teamwho departed after 1995: Don Mattingly, Sterling Hitchcock, Mike Stanley and Randy Velarde. It also includes Ruben Sierra and Gerald Williams, who were traded in mid-1996.

So...1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 have been the Yankee years without championships.

Stanley was on the 1997 team. Velarde was on the 2001 team. Mattingly has been hitting coach for the 2004-05 teams. Hitchcock was on the 2001-2003 teams. Gerald Wiliams was on the 2001-2002 teams. Ruben Sierra has been on the 2003-2005 teams.

The simple answer, then...Dump Mattingly and Sierra, and the Series will return to New York.