Enough with the Yankee-panky.(BASEBALL)

Start the drumbeat. Another desperate Yankees offseason is under way, and a dizzying list of free-agent and trade possibilities is making the rounds.

Right fielder Gary Sheffield and catcher Jorge Posada might be dealt. Second baseman Robinson Cano could be bait for Twins center fielder Torii Hunter. Red Sox center fielder Johnny Damon, Orioles closer B.J. Ryan and Padres catcher Ramon Hernandez are among the potential free-agent targets.

So?

The Yankees haven't won the World Series since 2000 and might not win again before 2010, no matter how much money they spend and no matter how many more mercenaries they acquire.

They're too old, too unathletic and too reliant on unheralded performers such as pitchers Aaron Small and Shawn Chacon.

What the Yankees need is an infusion of young talent, similar to what arrived in the mid-1990s--back in the days before owner George Steinbrenner formed the YES Network and started pursuing television stars first, baseball players second.

But unlike the Braves, who advanced as far as the Yankees this season while blending in an impressive array of youngsters, the Yankees possess neither the patience nor the scouting and development savvy to replenish from within.