It ended the only way the Yankees consider the season a success -- with a ticker-tape parade through lower Manhattan celebrating another addition to the team's already rich tradition.
Alex Rodriguez will no longer have to answer questions about his ability to win a World Series.
Joe Girardi has eased the pressure of succeeding Joe Torre by reaching the goal of the number he put on his back -- winning the club's 27th World Series title.
Derek Jeter said he had forgotten how great this feeling was and shared the joy for the fifth time with Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte.
Brian Cashman earned the vindication he sought last year, even if he was of course helped by the Yankees' deep pockets.
Hal Steinbrenner received one of the many keys to the city along with an extra one for his father, George, the Boss for whom everyone around the Yankees said this latest title was won.
And just as much as they savored another championship, it was surely time to go back to work. That's what the Boss said in his statement, that the team was aiming No. 28. That's what Girardi said in announcing he would likely change his number to those digits next year.
This is life around the Yankees, who for better or worse, ambitiousness or arrogance, never quite let the champagne settle on their palates before talking about popping more corks next year.
They are built for potential long-term success, but Cashman will have a difficult minefield to maneuver in splitting the difference between his goal of adding youth and roster flexibility and remembering who has proven to be useful in the postseason.
World Series MVP Hideki Matsui might be the toughest to let go and yet the most likely. The aging Yankees have several players they will need to rotate in the DH slot, and they don't believe Matsui's surgically repaired knees will allow him to play the outfield. Johnny Damon, another postseason star, provides a question as well, though his ability to play left field (albeit with a weak arm) could help them bring him back on a short-term deal.
Pettitte will have to decide if he wants to pitch again, and the Yankees likely not won't be able to offer him a pay cut as they did last season because he ended this one by clinching the AL East title, division series, league championship series and World Series.
Chien-Ming Wang could be the forgotten man after an awful year filled with injuries and poor pitching, but he could be a low-cost option to boost the rotation. Jose Molina, who earned a lot of attention as A.J. Burnett's personal catcher, will be a free agent, and the Yankees have to decide if they can hand the backup duties to Francisco Cervelli. The club also must decide if it will stick to the idea of Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes becoming full-time starters, with the latter facing the same innings issues the former faced after a full year in the bullpen.
Mostly, the Yankees have good problems and a strong core that seems capable of repeating. Of course, when that is the only way the season is considered a success, it makes it a lot more difficult to think of any problems as good ones.
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