Mark Teixeira has signed with the New York Yankees and ... if you listen to some media folk, the Red Sox have failed miserably and are in trouble.

Hmm.

Not all are jumping off the Red Sox bandwagon. I heard Steve Phillips of ESPN say he still considered Boston the frontrunners in the AL East.

Of course, New York will be better. Teixeira adds to any lineup.

But Red Sox fans need to remember two things.

One, Boston still has Mike Lowell, with an up-and-coming Lars Anderson coming through the system. Both are question marks since Lowell is coming off hip surgery, and Anderson is not proven, yet. But things are not gloomy.

Two, look at the following list:

Jose Contreras
Alex Rodriguez
Carl Pavana
Johnny Damon

The Red Sox could have obtained or kept those players, but the Yankees beat Boston to them.

And, when each player put on the pinstripes, there was so much angst in New England, and criticism of the Red Sox front office.

Yet, Boston still won.

The Yankees are spending a lot of money (and, true, the Red Sox can hardly cry poorhouse). But while New York took a lot off the books from 2008, the Yankees are locking into long-term contracts. These players better perform, and for a long time.

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