Yes, Verlander is a great pitcher.

Yes, Cabrera is a scarier hitter than Jose Bautista.

Yes, our friend Austin Jackson was the kid we hated to give up.

And yes, they have position players like Martinez and Polanco and some setup guy that’s supposed to be as good as D-Rob, plus a closer that dances around the mound after a save.

Doesn’t Verlander look like Luke Wilson, btw?

OK, maybe not.

Anyhow, yes, the Tigers have a lot of strengths, including manager Jim Leyland, who’s always been a favorite of mine. He’s not just a tough guy. He cries, people.

But the Yankees are, quite simply, the Yankees. Detroit may have beaten us in 2006, but we’re  a different team this year. A better team. There’s no dead wood, nobody who makes me roll my eyes every time I see him. (Well, except for Eduardo Scissorhands, but I know I’m in the minority there.) We’re solid. Not perfect, but no team is. We have a nice combination of veterans and newbies, along with players who are right in their prime. And we have a really good bench for a change.

Most of all, especially for Games 1 and 2, we have these.

Oh, and we have one more reason to win: me. I have no interest in writing a sad blog post about how we lost.