$207,108,489 can buy happiness....just not in the Bronx

Although the Yanks avoided the sweep today, I think its safe to say their 2008 season is over. No playoffs for the Yankees for the first time since I was 13 years-old. Now the Yankees are not a terrible team - they have been around 10 games over .500 for most of the second half of the year.

But when you spend 207 million - you get everything that's coming to you.

There were injuries to Posada, Wang, A-rod, Jeter, and Joba. The kids were terrible - Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy have no wins. Zero. This could go down as the worst trade that never happened. Their manager is gone. The Boss is gone. Carl Pavano was hurt (I couldn't resist).

It was a perfect storm of disaster. And now it its final year, the House that Ruth Built is starting to look like the rest of the real estate market.

For some reason I can't stop smiling. Do I feel bad about the injuries? No, not really. Did anyone feel bad when Darth Vader had his hand cut off? My point exactly. Am I sad the stadium is closing? There is a bit of nostalgia - but mostly I am happy to see the Death Star go - because as they close the door on Yankee Stadium they are closing the door on the Joe Torre, George Steinbrenner, and Mariano Rivera era. I have a strange feeling the new era of the Yanks is going to look a lot like the Knicks. There is a new curse of the Bambino - and he lives in the Bronx.