Just when you think the rest of the American League has caught up to the Yankees, they go and set the bar even higher.

We always seem to think that George Steinbrenner's willingness to spend big bucks is the reason the New York Yankees keep winning. Fine. But give the players a little of the credit too.

Mr. Steinbrenner (I don't want to slip up and say Steinbrenner or George) has always been one of the best owners -- if not the best -- in any sport. Why?

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One of the best parts of the Yankee winning tradition is that your ego must be checked at the door. And that means everybody. ”

Because he truly believes the fans deserve the best team he can put on the field. And he does what he can to achieve that result.

The players must still live up to their end of the bargain, and for the last few years they have. Not only do they bust their butts on the field, but most of them are great role models off it too. One of the best parts of the Yankee winning tradition is that your ego must be checked at the door. And that means everybody.

All the new players the Yankees have brought in this year have respected the pinstripe-togetherness clause. And assembling a roster of like-minded players is the result of good, thorough scouting.

When Glenallen Hill joined the club, he immediately cut his hair so his cornrows would not be a topic for the press. No one has griped about playing time, either. Whether it be Jose Canseco or Luis Polonia, the new Yankees just do their best and ride the pine when a teammate takes their spot the next game.

	Luis Sojo can play all four infield positions and is hovering right around the .300 mark.

This winning attitude just makes the job of knocking off the champs that much harder. Even though different players have been injured this year -- including Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, Chuck Knoblauch, David Cone and Orlando Hernandez, to name a few -- whoever filled in did a great job.

Now the team is even stronger, having added David Justice, Canseco, Hill, Polonia, Jose Vizcaino, Denny Neagle and the player who I feel is the most important cog in the machine, Luis Sojo -- the best utility player in baseball today. Of course it helps that Roger Clemens has gotten back to Cy Young stuff, Andy Pettitte is smoking, Neagle is on and so is El Duque. They get the ball to Mariano Rivera.

You can see where I'm going with all of this. The Yanks are going back to the World Series.

I really like Chicago, Seattle, Cleveland, Boston and Oakland. Each team has had a year to be proud of for various reasons. They are all good teams with obvious strengths but also clear weaknesses.

So no matter how the playoff picture pans out, I don't think that any American League team has the pitching or the offense to upend the pinstripe powerhouse this year.