Ten years later, the East may fall again

BY JON BERKON

In 1982, Ronald Reagan declared to the British House of Commons that in order to defeat the "Evil Empire," the United States and other free democracies needed to build up their arms to match the potency of the Soviet Union's. For five long and tortured years, baseball fans and GMs have searched for ways to topple the team that many (including this writer) see as the actual evil empire, the New York Yankees. The Braves, Red Sox, Orioles, and Mets have all failed at this gargantuan task. But this year, the Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Mariners stand poised to put the '90s Yankee dynasty on the ash heap of history, as Reagan once claimed that America would do to the Soviets.

NEWSMAKERS The upstart Mariners and A's hope to dethrone the mighty Yankee's.

These two teams are in this position because they have copied the enemy's formula for success, not only by leading a call to (pitching) arms, but also by building an offense on hitters with high on-base percentages. If either Seattle or Oakland can knock the Bombers back to the Bronx, it will not only satisfy the millions of baseball fans disgusted with watching the Yankees sip champagne in October, but it will also provide a blueprint for teams to compete with baseball's high roller.

The Yankees of the '90s showed that in baseball, unlike in other professional sports, it is possible to win consistently without a big-name superstar. During their five-year run, only Tino Martinez in 1997 hit 40 home runs or more. These Yankees have dominated the competition partly because they got on base 40 percent of the time, providing countless opportunities to produce runs. The Yankees' success has also depended upon the superb playoff performances of their pitchers, especially Mariano Rivera. With a career playoff ERA under 1.00, Rivera has prevented teams from mounting comebacks. The importance of the bullpen can be explained by any Mets fan who watched Armando Benitez blow Game 1 and witnessed Rivera close the door on Games 2, 4, and 5 in last year's World Series.

Though the Mariners and Athletics lack the fiscal resources of the Bombers, they have built themselves in ways similar to the four-time champs. After losing superstars Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr., and Alex Rodriguez in three straight years, Seattle decided to dump its few high-salary athletes in favor of a reliable pitching contingent and a consistent line-up. Seattle leads the league with a 3.59 ERA and will enter the postseason with the best bullpen in recent history. Led by Kazuhiro Sasaki, whose 41 saves place him second in the league, the Mariners should be as effective at closing games as the Yankees have done to playoff opponents in the past.

Similarly, the Athletics hope to challenge the Yanks with their three strongest arms, Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, and Barry Zito. The threesome is 44-22 with a 3.51 ERA; in the second half of the season, they are 20-5 with a spectacular 3.10 ERA. In building their dynasty, the Yankees have capitalized on their stadium's lopsided dimensions, which favor left-handed pitchers. With lefties Zito and Mulder, the A's could match the Yanks pitch-for-pitch come playoff time.

Yet the Mariners' and Athletics' emphasis on arms has not precluded them from scoring runs. Although their power numbers are less than stellar, Seattle and Oakland are at the top of the league in runs scored and on-base percentage.

Unlike in the academic world, MLB general managers have no qualms about plagiarizing the strategies of others. While finances may prevent the small-market Mariners and A's from continuing their assault on the Yankees, other teams will hopefully follow their lead.

Reagan saw America as the city on the hill singularly able to counter the Soviets, but we desperate Yankee-haters would be willing to accept any band of freedom fighters, just as long as they can prevent another year of Yankee dominance.

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