It's Yankee Elimination Day!

This here blog has certain traditions. NFL picks that stink. NBA predictions that are less so. Lists for cheap jokes. And celebrating the small but lovely moments that come your way, not the least of which is Yankee Elimination Day. (We also celebrate Red Sox Elimination Day nearly as hard, but this year's Sox team cared so little, it was hard to really muster up the enthusiasm.)

YED 2014 was especially nice. A team with a $200mm payroll, playing in the most expensive baseball stadium evah, nursing one of the worst everyday players in recent history... oh, so sweet. All while deluding themselves into thinking that everyone loves and can't get enough of Prince Derek, who showed the world just how much Yankee Fan could be duped just like his contemporary in every other MLB town.

This year's Yankee team threw an untold number of pitchers at the problem that was a relentlessly .500 club. It depended on the last days of Carlos Beltran, the continuing slide to irrelevance that is Mark Teixeira, and the wildly overpriced Jacoby Ellsbury... all while letting their own best player, 2B Robinson Cano. walk so that he could be replaced by guys like, we're not kidding, Brian Roberts.

It's as if they weren't really trying, or were completely OK with trawling their way to .500 while cashing in on Jeter's every bowel movement. And it couldn't happen to a nicer fan base.

So... everybody sing!