Mystique

When discussing Yankee mystique, most fans, like myself, have trouble pinpointing what it's all about. Why the Yankees have it, and why other teams don't.

It's hard even to define it. An unwavering feeling that the Yankees are going to win, no matter what? A mysterious tendency to almost always deliver in the clutch, an ability that, after time, you almost know is coming?

I think it's the extraordinary plays on the field that create mystique in a team. It's the things they do that usually nobody else does, in ways that nobody else does them, and at times when nobody else has nerves calm enough to execute them. Here's what I'm talking about:

Jeter's dominant first game

Matsui's huge home run.

Defensive excellence and creativity under pressure

Jeter getting to Blackburn, who had been mowing down the lineup

A-Rod's mega-clutchness.

The jam and the escape.

The missile from Tex.

Swisher's execution.

A-Rod's classic at-bat and tying homer.

Posada's clutch follow-up.

The 6-2-5.

Mariano sawing off Mauer en route to the save.

You could see the pressure getting to Swisher, Gardner, Cano, and even Johnny Damon in this series. But for the Yankee veterans and playoff-tested warriors, they played like the professionals they are, totally relaxed and focused in the biggest spots, the highest pressure moments, when average players choke and champions are born.

To me, that's what Yankee mystique is all about...and the pinstripes help too :).