Boz pays homage to the gritty, gutsy, scrappy, first place 2013 underdog Yankees:

Perhaps for the first time in their history, the Yankees now epitomize exactly the kind of team that always used to try to beat them: a group of inspired-by-adversity, too-old-or-too-young, one-last-chance players who band together to prove that baseball is a team game, not just an aggregation of talent and fat contracts.

Put a few all-star seasons, such as Cano’s 31 RBI, Kiroda’s 1.99 ERA and Rivera’s 16 ...

“Things stay fresh in my mind,” Girardi said. “I’ve seen Hafner hit home runs to left-center in big parks; I’ve seen him pull balls; I’ve seen him work counts. I’ve seen Lyle be a double monster his whole career and play great defense at first base. I remember saying, ‘Oh, my goodness, can you believe how close he’s playing to second base?’ I remember seeing Vernon hit balls out on us. I remember Youk taking Mo deep.

“So I believe in these guys. I believe they can still ...

“You have no idea how important it was to bring in some of these guys,” closer J.J. Putz said, “especially a guy like Hinske.”

Hinske, 35, has never been a .300 hitter in the major leagues. He’s never belted 25 or more home runs in a season, either. But it’s all the intangibles he offers that makes him just as valuable as a superstar.

“Having those kinds of guys is huge,” Hinske said. “It doesn’t have to be one person. It doesn’t have to be an everyday player. It just ...

Young is not likely to officially waive his no-trade clause without some sort of compensation. The Rangers must also still gain approval of MLB commissioner Bud Selig due to the large amount of cash (more than $10 million) the Rangers are sending Philadelphia. As with all deals, it would not be official until Young passes a physical for Philadelphia.

The Rangers will receive 25-year-old RHP Josh Lindblom and a minor leaguer, believed to be 22-year-old RHP Lisalverto Bonilla.

If the Rangers ...