Diminishing Returns

I'm sure most are aware by now that the New York Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs last night. As an avowed Yankees hater, this should have brought me great pleasure. After all, have I not told many people that I am more driven by Yankee losses than by wins by my own New York Mets? I'm afraid that sadly last night's exit by the Yankees from the playoffs brought me little excitement.

Who would have guessed that the economic law of diminishing returns would have any bearing on baseball? I suppose that I should qualify the last sentence by asking who would have guessed the law of diminishing returns would have any bearing on my own enjoyment of baseball. For it is quite obvious if one follows the history of the Yankees over the last few years that this principle does apply. For every additional million dollars that the Yankees have spent on some washed up has been/never was who with all likelihood only ever achieved success because of steroid use, how much closer to the championship have they ended up getting? Marginally at best, and even farther away at worse. I mean, the Yankees certainly got a sweet deal with all of that money that they spent on Roger Clemens.

But getting back to the Yankees losing, I find it very hard to get excited about it anymore. This is probably because I am not surprised by the outcome in the very least anymore. The late playoff run that the Yankees put forward over the last two months notwithstanding, did anyone really expect the Yankees to get their acts together after such a disastrous start? This season got to the point where you basically expected Mike Mussina to give up about eight runs or so every time he pitched, or you expected Roger Clemens to go down with a strained hamstring or fatigued right groin every time he pitched.

But alas, it brought to me no great enjoyment other than the fact that I can now bid adieu to the 2007 baseball season.