by Dayn Perry

Depending upon your rooting inclinations, that means either the natural order of things has been blessedly and mercifully restored, or baseball is once again a pinstriped hellscape of evil and injustice. After all, when it's the Yankees, there's simply not a sober middle.

Anyhow, the latest Yankees trophy has fans wondering where the 2009 model ranks among the greatest Yankees teams of all time. It's a crowded fray, but Dayn Perry is here sort it out and rank the top 10 for good and all ...

1. 1927

The best Yankees team of all time is also, not surprisingly, the best overall team of all time. The '27 Yanks boasted one of the great offenses ever — an offense fronted, of course, by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. They went 110-44, spent every day of the season in first place, boasted a winning record against every other team in the league, won the pennant by 19 games over Connie Mack's Athletics and swept the World Series.

2. 1939

You can make a compelling case that the '39 Yanks should be No. 1 on this list. They were the only team of the modern era to outscore their opponents by 400 runs or more, and they logged a winning percentage of .702. Joe DiMaggio batted .381, and second baseman Joe Gordon chipped in 28 homers. In the rotation, Red Ruffing and Lefty Gomez both went on make the Hall of Fame. That year, the Yankees beat the Red Sox by 17 games and swept the Reds in the World Series.

3. 1932

Hall of Famers on the '32 squad include Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, Bill Dickey, Joe Sewell — deep breath — Earle Combs, Red Ruffing, Lefty Gomez, Herb Pennock and manager Joe McCarthy. No surprise then that the Yankees won 107 games — topping the Athletics by 13 games — and swept the Cubs in the World Series. In that World Series, Ruth appeared to — but probably didn't — call his shot in the fifth inning of Game 3.

4. 1998

First and foremost on this team's long list of merits is the win total: 114. (And that's despite starting the season 1-4.) The '98 Yankees were a team of uncommon balance. In the lineup and rotation, no single player had a "superstar-caliber" season. But there were no weak spots. Throw in a tremendous bench and Mariano Rivera in the bullpen, and you've got a team that's strong from every angle. In the AL East that year, the Yanks buried the Red Sox by 22 games and went 11-2 through three playoff rounds.

5. 1961

The 1961 Yankees are most famous for Roger Maris breaking the single-season home run record. Sometimes lost in his historic season, though, is a truly great team. Mickey Mantle crushed 54 home runs despite missing time with a hip injury, Elston Howard batted .348, Moose Skowron contributed 28 homers of his own, Whitey Ford won 25 games and Ralph Terry went 16-3. The Yanks stormed to a record of 109-53 (including a 65-16 mark at home) and won the pennant by eight games over the 101-win Tigers. In the World Series, the Yankees bested the Reds in five.

6. 1937

Just ahead of the 1936 team we have ... the 1937 team. Consider the similarities: The '37 Yanks had largely the same roster as the '36 club, a similar record (102-52), a comfortable triumph over the Tigers in the regular season (13 games), and a victory over the Giants in the World Series.

MLB Playoff Central

	Phillies vs. Yankees Yankees win 4-2
Game 6: Yankees 7, Phillies 3 Rosenthal: Yanks cash in with title Kriegel: This title was all business Morosi: Phillies will be back Klapisch: Pettitte shows his worth Matsui's 6 RBIs win him MVP Photos: See the best from Game 6 Video: Rosenthal, elated Yanks chat

7. 1936

By 1936, Babe Ruth was retired, but the Yankees juggernaut continued, um, juggernauting. They went 102-51, crushed the Tigers by 19 1/2 games in the standings and won the World Series over Bill Terry's Giants. Lou Gehrig led the league in slugging and on-base percentage, Bill Dickey hit .362, and a 21-year-old rookie named Joe DiMaggio clouted 29 home runs. On the season, the Yankee offense scored an unthinkable 1,065 runs. In the rotation, every regular won at least 12 games.

8. 1953

The '53 Yankees won a "mere" 99 games, but they led the league in runs scored and fewest runs allowed and claimed the pennant by 8 1/2 games over a tough Indians squad. At one point, Casey Stengel's team won 18 games in a row, and the Yankees went on to win the World Series in six games over the Dodgers. Future Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto and Whitey Ford led the way.

9. 1941

The Summer of '41 is certainly a part of baseball lore. Ted Williams hit .406 for the Red Sox, but the Yankees claimed the pennant with 101 wins and a 17-game margin. Joe DiMaggio hit .357 with 43 doubles, "King Kong" Keller tallied 33 homers and 102 walks, Joe Gordon and Tommy Henrich combined for 55 more bombs and seven different starting pitchers won at least nine games. In the World Series, Yankees pitchers held Brooklyn to just 11 runs in five games (a 4-1 series triumph for New York).

10. 2009

The freshly minted champs barged to 103 wins despite playing an unbalanced schedule in the toughest division in baseball. Derek Jeter authored some of the best numbers of his career, Mark Teixeira hit 39 homers and steadied the infield defense, CC Sabathia turned in a Cy Young-caliber season, Mariano Rivera posted a 1.76 ERA, and Alex Rodriguez thrived after returning from injury. As well, unlike eight other teams on this list, the '09 Yanks fought through a three-tiered playoff system en route to that 27th championship.