A Year. A Review.

I'm starting to see the disgruntled scribblings of Yankee fans on what they perceive as the disturbing inaction of the team to improve itself during this offseason. And it reminds me that there are times I truly question whether I belong among Yankee fans.

"Why didn't we get Gio Gonzalez?" they're asking. "How come we weren't (really) in on Yu Darvish?" (By the way, since when is "Darvish" a Japanese name? Are the Texas Rangers sure about what they're getting here?) "No Mark Buehrle. No C.J. Wilson. This team is deliberately trying to kill itself. I think I'll root for the Mets."

Oh, for crying out loud.

Maybe this is a generational thing. Maybe you had to live through Horace Clarke and Jerry Kenney and then through the geezer period of Danny Tartabull and Jesse Barfield to truly appreciate what's been going on here since 1995. That's a period of 17 years with only ONE failure to make the postseason. Five World Series rings. Seven World Series. Year after year after year of a winning record. Great moments, great victories, great players. What do you people want them to do better?

There was once an axiom that "rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for U.S. Steel." Well, U.S. Steel isn't exactly tearing up the league the way it used to, but the Yankees are still winning their 90-100 games every single year, giving us six great months out of a possible seven, and sometimes the seventh one, as well.

All the team did in 2011 was win 97 games, have the best record in the American League, and come within one clutch hit of the League Championship Series. And that was with a starting rotation that included such luminaries as Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia, the inconsistent Phil Hughes, the unproven Ivan Nova, and the infuriating A.J. Burnett. All at the same time.

But for the fans, that wasn't good enough. They believe Brian Cashman should have completely blown the budget--yes, there's a budget--on an uninspiring cast of free agents, or traded away the future prospects the fans have been salivating over for years for pitchers who might be an okay number two or three starter and might not be able to stand the scrutiny in New York.

Why didn't the Yankees get Gio Gonzalez? Maybe because it didn't seem like a good idea to send Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances and/or Jesus Montero to get him. Why didn't they go nuts on Yu Darvish? Does the name Kei Igawa ring a bell?

When the team began this golden run in 1995, the fans were clamoring that the kids in the Yankees farm system weren't going to be good enough to win. The team hadn't been in a World Series since the early 80s, and it hadn't ended well then. Bringing up a skinny kid shortstop, a spacey outfielder who didn't seem to be concentrating on baseball all the time, an even skinnier starting pitcher and a catcher who couldn't catch seemed like desperation. Rebuilding? In the Bronx? What was wrong with the Yankees? We needed solid major leaguers, like Tony Fernandez, maybe Kenny Lofton. Roger Clemens. That was the guy to trade for. But no moves were made.

We had to settle for Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera.

You want to talk about "true Yankees?" Want to silence those jerks who complain the Yankees "buy championships?" Let's see what Montero and the Killer Bs can do.

I say, nice work, Brian Cashman. Keep on doing what you're not doing. I'll take the 97 wins a year and worry about our chances later.