Question #47: Waving the white flag?
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- August
- 28
It’s been the popular thing around here this week, that if the Yankees fail to win at least two of three from the Red Sox—and they did fail to do so—they’re done. People are writing obituaries and waving white flags, literally on TV, and playing taps.
But do you really think they’re done? Do you really believe it’s impossible for them to make up seven games over the last 30, when just one year ago, the Mets blew a seven-game lead with 17 left?
When just four years ago, the Red Sox won four in a row after being down 0-3 in the ALCS?
I’m not saying the Yankees will or even can win. They haven’t shown us a single reason to believe they will or can.
But anybody who’s been around this game for more than five minutes should know that things change and over the course of a month-plus worth of baseball remaining, there are still going to be surges—forward and backward.
Of course, if the Yankees lose today and finish the sweep in Boston’s last visit to the Stadium being torn down simply because the Yankees can make more money across the street, their task becomes far more complicated.
But if they win today—why not?—and get it to six games out with 29 left, is that unreasonable?
I guarantee you that at some point in the next week or two, they’ll win three in a row and Boston will lose a couple and it will be down to four games or something like that, and everybody will turn on a dime (breaking their bandwagon/rubbernecks, perhaps) and start saying/writing that they still have those three games in Boston at the end of September and they’re not done yet.
It happens every year in just about every division, especially since the advent of the wild card.
There will be more to this pennant, or wild-card, race yet. … Unless the Yankees fall to nine or 10 behind soon. But as long as they’re a short winning streak away from keeping the season-ending series at Fenway in play, they’re not certifiably dead. Not yet.
I am admittedly one of those – cooked Yankee fans. I have to say tho that – no, those odds are not insurmountable, but if you have also watched this team at all this year… scored (what is it?) 2 or 3 runs or less 40 times this season, batted a collective .220 (or something equally pathetic) with RISP, the number 4 and 5 hitters battine even worse with RISP (and they’re supposed to be the ones who drive in runs), a pitching staff consisting of a shell of a Pettitte, DFA survivor Rasner, DFA pickup Ponson, and perennial injured buttocks man Pavano, regression candidates of the year Cano, Melky, Hughes, and Kennedy, and Capt GIDP Jeter, this 4.5 game deficit seems more like 14.5. I mean todays game with the Jays’ Parrish on the mound should by all counts, be considered an already won game, but with Razz on the mound, it once again depends on whether or not the offense shows up (which hasn’t been all that often this year) or which Razz shows up. All these question marks makes the chances of catching the Sahx not as easy as it should be, and until the Sahx lose Lester, Dice-K and Lester to mysterious arm fatigue disease, AND Papi, Bay, Youk, and Pedroia all forget what a baseball bat is for, the Yanks’ chance (unfortunately) look bleak. They haven’t found their offense all year and have shown no signs of turning the corner on it. The starters literally have to throw a near perfect game lately for the Yanks to have a chance. And with this rotation, that’s about as likely to happen as Obama becoming Hank’s speech writer.
excuse me – 6 game deficit…
let me clarify… I always want to be hopeful, but the ways the Yankees have played this season, there’s no reason to be… it’d just be setting yourself up to be disappointed. They’ve shown no signs of putting it together. Even yesterday’s 2-1 win was indicitive of their lackluster offensive woes. I wish they’d do it, but they not only need to get it together, they also need for the Sahx AND Twins to fall of the map. Lot of things have to come together to make it happen and after 130+ games, I think it’s safe to say that the Yanks have made their bed and now it’s time to lay in it.