MLB Showdown Obsession

 You don't win 5 World Series championships in a row by accident. You also don't win them with the entirely same lineup. Sure, rising stars like Berra can start to peak right at the onset and contribute the entire way through, but you also need well established superstars like DiMaggio. Guys at all different parts of their careers, some rising up and others on the back half, contribute to a dynasty. For those on the back half, the team needs to find guys to cover for the talent if the team wants to maintain their status on top. The Yankee Clipper would play in what would be his final season. DiMaggio felt he wasn't able to maintain his exacting elite standards. The pending departure of DiMaggio would mean that the Yankees would have a massive hole in the heart of their lineup. With this being year 3 of what would be 5 titles in a row, it stands to reason that the Yankees somehow found a Hall of Fame caliber talent to take over for Joe...to the detriment of the rest of the b...

 There are some seasons that you could make a movie about. The kind where a scrappy team of underdogs rally together, defy the odds and go on an inspired run that no one thought possible. They take the league by surprise, overcome their rivals and claim a spot in the championship. Then, in an award worthy climax, they pull off a once in a lifetime upset over their heavily favored opponent in the final game to claim the championship as the screen fades to black on their celebration...or they get swept in the World Series by the New York Yankees. The 1950 edition of the Yankees went into the summer with Manager Casey Stengel looking to defend their '49 championship. The American League offered their usual competitors in the first division with Boston and Cleveland, but it was the Detroit Tigers that gave them the most trouble, splitting the season series 11-11 and coming the closest to dethroning them from the top, but the Yankees held on by 3 games to win the pennant with a 98-56 re...