Sounds simple, Groggus, but I don't think Matsui can stand up to a full season in centerfield. Unless he accepts a day off every couple of weeks, he's going to break down and go into prolonged slumps as he has done in every season with the Yanks. The streak is great but he's not an iron man. He shows the wear and tear with two or three 2-week slumps every year. If he would only sit down once in a while he would easily be a .320, 35 HR, 120 RBI guy every season.

If Matsui plays CF and sits down once in a while, Bubba Crosby would be a great backup/part time CF and LF.

The pitching staff is where I disagree slightly with you, Groggus. It needs a major overhaul.

Mussina is no longer a given. He can be pitching beautifully and suddenly turn into a High School chucker who can't get anybody out. He hasn't been consistent in two years. He's a #1 or #2 pitcher on a second division team. With his inconsistency, he's proven recently that he is not a reliable big game pitcher any more. Not a knock on the guy...he's just older and less reliable. For a team that wants to go the WS again, Moose is at best a #3 guy and quite possibly a #4.

Johnson may or may not be the Big Unit ever again. If he's the Randy Johnson of 2005 again in 2006, then he can't be the ace of your staff. Too inconsistent, too bad too often. He might be a decent #3 guy if he doesn't return to #1 form.

Chacon, Wang and Small have to prove that they are the real deals and not just one season flashes in the pan. Wang looks like the keeper of the group. But I don't see him as a #1 or #2 guy right off the bat. Chacon could be the goods but his career record shows too much inconsistency. Perhaps it was the rarified air in Colorado and maybe he will continue to come up big in the Bronx. He looks to be the ace of the staff right now but he has to start strong and stay that way. Small is the dark horse. He had a great season but was starting to break down with continued use as the season went on. He may still be a servicable #5 guy but he looks to be the one guy from the magnificent surprise trio of 2005 that might not come back to form in 2006.

The minor league pitchers don't look too strong either. Proctor might become a good situational pitcher if he learns to throw strikes consistency.

The rest of the bullpen is a mess. We had to read the handwriting on the wall when Ramiro Mendoza came in to pitch during the last Red Sox series. They need a reliable lefty. They have none now. Leiter? A big maybe.

Jaret Wright? The very definition of Question Mark.

Gordon was way overused. Sturtze was a secret weapon that was overused so much that his secret was discovered and he turned into a punching bag by late August, early September.

Mo is Mo. No problems there but he'll be a year older and that's never a good thing.

So what is the staff? No #1, Maybe Chacon as #2, Johnson #3, Mussina #4 and Wang #5. Does Wright fit in? Is Small a starter or the long reliever?

If the pen doesn't get the major overhaul and turn up some strong reliable arms, 2006 will be a very sad season for Yankees fans. The combination of a weak pen and a manager who is weak in manipulating them will make for a 86-76 season at best, without a playoff spot.

This is only October 2005, so there is plenty of room for tinkering and to turn it around.