OPINION

By Richard Justice

updated 8:37 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2008

So, you're up in arms about Mark Teixeira signing with the Yankees? You think it's a terrible thing. You're thinking baseball is ruined.

You've got it all wrong, friend. You've been given the best Christmas present of all, and you don't even know it.

The Yankees are the gift that keeps on giving. We've just been guaranteed a great season no matter how it plays out.

Besides, if the Yankees win, how will their fans feel? Will this be the kind of championship they're proud of? Will it reflect the greatness of the Yankees, or the fact that the Yankees did it with a sledgehammer?

In some ways, the Yankees can't win no matter how much they win. Isn't that a beautiful thing? And if they don't win, there'll be a firestorm to end all firestorms.

If I'm commissioner Bud Selig, I'm cracking opening the bubbly a few days early because the Yankees spent almost half a billion dollars on C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Teixeira. Could Manny Ramirez and Ben Sheets be next? Even better.

Baseball pushed aside the 8,000 NFL playoff scenarios being broadcast on ESPN and printed in newspapers around the U.S. When the NFL should be busy hyping one of its most interesting weekends, we're talking baseball.

People who have focused on the extraordinary amount of money the Yankees have spent are missing the point. I will concede that $423.5 million for three players is quite a bit of coin, and that one team having nine players making a combined $152.1 million next season is eye-catching.

But to focus on the numbers -- as amazing as the numbers are -- is to miss the point.

"At the rate the Yankees are going, I'm not sure anyone can compete with them," Brewers owner Mark Attanasio told Bloomberg News in an e-mail. "Frankly, the sport might need a salary cap."

This is silly talk. This is the same guy who fired his manager with 20 minutes left in the season. This guy doesn't get it. If he owns the Brewers long enough, he'll understand that when the Yankees are really good, every other team benefits.

What have the Yankees won anyway? How good are they? Have you checked out their outfield? It's Xavier Nady, Johnny Damon and Melky Cabrera (with Nick Swisher in the mix). Does that group scare anyone? Tampa Bay's outfield is Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton and Matt Joyce. Boston's is Jason Bay, Jacoby Ellsbury and J.D. Drew.

Advantage, Rays.

Want to compare rotations? The Bombers have Sabathia, Burnett and Chien-Ming Wang at the top and Joba Chamberlain and probably Andy Pettitte in the last two spots. The Red Sox have Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Daisuke Matsuzaka for a front three and Justin Masterson/Clay Buchholz and Tim Wakefield at the back. The Rays? James Shields, Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza, David Price and Andy Sonnanstine.

Which rotation do you like most? Which group has done more in October?

I love how the media -- and even owners like this Milwaukee guy -- award the World Series to the Yankees before Christmas.

Have they forgotten what a choking dog Alex Rodriguez is in the playoffs? Are our memories that short? Check out Kevin Youkilis' 2008 numbers? Are Teixeira's that much better?

There's also a fascinating psychology around the Yankees. If they don't win the World Series, their season will be a colossal flop. No other team in baseball will be playing with this kind of pressure, and, frankly, A-Rod hasn't always dealt with pressure real well.

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This time last year, we couldn't wait to give Detroit the World Series trophy. We conveniently overlooked a long list of weaknesses. Hey, that's what we do.

What if the Yankees start 0-1? Can you imagine what the coverage will be like? Pressure on Bombers to Win Tomorrow. C.C. Flops in Debut. Tex Chokes in Opener.

That kind of stuff can get in your head after awhile.

Every slump will be news, and if the Yankees struggle for a few weeks, there will be a feeding frenzy. Watching manager Joe Girardi come undone and co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner issue his public threats and A-Rod try to make it about him will make the summer fly by.

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