http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/sports/baseball/26review.html?_r=1&hp

The hallmark of the Yankees who won World Series championships in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 was gritty team play: they weren’t famous for a roster of flashy superstars or power hitters; rather, they were a resolute band of brothers, who put collective play above individual stats — an ensemble distinguished by its chemistry on the field and in the clubhouse, a team renowned for its resourcefulness, its determination and its ability to grind out win after win after win.

Let's see:

- Jorge Posada

- Tino Martinez

- Derek Jeter

- Bernie Williams

- David Cone

- Andy Pettititte

- Roger Clemens

- Mariano Rivera

Yeah, it's clearly a team full of Willie Bloomquists.

However, after the opening paragraph and into it, the reveiwer FINALLY gets it. It's just irritating that it takes them a few paragraphs.

Torre and Verducci note that as the core of the old guard from the championship years dwindled — Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius, Chuck Knoblauch and Paul O’Neill were all history by 2002 — the front office tended to turn to imported All-Stars, who failed to congeal into an effective ensemble. The farm system, which had produced the likes of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams and Rivera, was increasingly neglected, and Steinbrenner began to indulge his taste for what Torre calls “big boppers” like Jason Giambi, who the manager felt “wasn’t part of what we prided ourselves on: playing well defensively.”