- A payroll $182 million higher.
- 7 more regular season wins with run differential 176 points higher.
- An MLB-leading 254 home runs vs. a near worst 127.
- Home field advantage in short five-game series.
- Aaron Judge.
Yet, I couldn't resist the allure of an ALDS bet with my friend (and dyed in the wool Yankees fan) Dan Schwartz on the outcome of the Guardians/Yankees ALDS series. The stakes? The loser must write a blog post heaping praise upon on the other team.
I lost, so here it goes.
Experience matters. This holds true in sports as it does in litigation.
The average age of the Yankees rosters is 30.12 years, the oldest in the American League. The Guardians? 26.42 years, the youngest in all of baseball. This is the Yankees sixth consecutive year in the playoffs. The last time the Guardians made the playoffs they were called the Indians. They haven't won a playoff series since 2016, and the only person on their current roster to play in that World Series was Jose Ramirez. The Guardians young nucleus will continue to win for a few more years until such time as they cannot afford to resign their very young and exciting nucleus of Steven Kwan (25), Andres Gimenez (24), Oscar Gonzalez (24), Triston McKenzie (25), or Emmanuel Clase (24). Heck, even former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber is only 27.
Litigation is no different. Yes, the lawyers with less experience can win a case. In fact, they often do. They can work harder and smarter. Facts are facts and law is law, and no matter how seasoned you are, it's hard to escape bad facts and contrary law. Heck, in the first case I ever tried (and won) to a jury I was a fifth-year lawyer who never had done an opening or closing in a courtroom, and my opposing counsel was a member of the 50-year club. Having more experience doesn't equate to win rate. But it also doesn't hurt. And sometimes, the side with "more" wins. Experience matters. In a close enough case, it can be the difference.
So, congrats to the Yankees (and, by extension, Dan). We'll see you again next season, where a healthy Jose Ramirez and a team with a year of postseason experience under its belt will bring about a very different result.
Here's what I read and listened to this past week that I think you should also be reading and listening to.
Labor Relatedly Episode 5 with Jon Hyman and Michael VanDervort — via DriveThru HR
Ticketmaster is Destroying Live Music — via More Perfect Union
Apple Store workers in Oklahoma vote to unionize — via The Verge
If you manage by seat or face time, your employees will find a way to get around it — via Evil HR Lady, Suzanne Lucas
We need to tell our remote employees they can't take care of young kids while they're working — via Ask a Manager
EEOC Releases New Mandatory Poster for Employers — via Dan Schwartz's Connecticut Employment Law Blog
Workplace emoji DON'Ts — via Employment & Labor Insider
Missing Magic Contract Language Aces Party Out of $1.2 Million — via EntertainHR
Lawyers Are Turned Off from Blogging by All the Inauthentic "Legal Blogs" — via Real Lawyers Have Blogs
How Social Background Checks Preserve Work Culture — via TalentCulture