Yankees Go All In

Professional baseball and high stakes poker have a lot in common. Both require skill, aggression, discipline, patience, nerve and preparation. Money matters while luck factors in.

The Yankees are the big players at MLB's table. Every season New York starts with the most chips in a stacked game. Winning is expected. Excuses are on the rail.

The 2008 New York Yankees never made it to the final table. What are the odds? Back to the drawing board, a new deck was stacked with mountains of chips. Pitching was plundered. The road to redemption was paved with gaudy, high-profile stars. Let the game begin.

The '09 season brings to mind the saying, "the more things change, the more they stay the same." The Yanks start with the biggest stack while shrewd opponents exploit flaws. Frustration, bordering on desperation enters the fray: "These guys know that we are all in, Cashman said. "I'm all in, they're all in, our managers, coaches, ownership--we're all in..."--(Yankees' long-time GM, decider and fixer Brian Cashman.)

The Yankees play for the highest stakes in baseball's biggest game. The big player isn't supposed to watch from the rail. There is an old expression in poker, "If you can't spot the fish at the table it's you." The Yanks are still looking.

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