Daily Archives: April 19, 2005

That’s it. I’m fed up. Maybe I’m a couple of days late, but as Alex will tell you, I tend to be both level-headed and optimistic when it comes to my favorite ballclub. Still, after attending last night’s 6-2 loss to the Devil Rays, I want my $5 (actually $13 and change thanks to Ticketmaster) back and an apology, not from the Boss or the skipper, but from the team.

The Yankees have now completed five series on the young season and won just five games. They are tied with the Devil Rays and Royals for the worst record in the American League, and have not recorded consecutive wins since the first two games of the season (which had an off day between them).

On the whole, the problem remains the pitching, the Yankees have the third worst ERA in the majors (only the D-Rays and Rockies are worse, and that’s according to the stats before last night’s 6-2 loss to the Rays). Their team ERA (prior to last night’s game) was 5.65, but they’ve allowed a staggering 6.5 runs per game (including last night) thanks to some very costly errors and their pitchers’ inability to pitch around them.

Last night, despite a noble effort from Randy Johnson, was the 2005 Yankees at their worst. Worse even, in my opinion, than Saturday’s brutal 7-6 loss in a game they lead 6-2 in the seventh inning.

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If George hollars…well, as Joel Sherman suggests, playing the Devil Rays sure can help a slumping team too. As for the early-season slump, Mike Mussina tells Sherman:

“This team right now is the same as a veteran player starting slowly and people not sure if he is off to a slow start or he has lost his skills,” Mussina said. “If a 38-year-old starts badly, the tendency is to think he is done. If a 28-year-old starts poorly, the tendency is to say he is off to a bad start. We are an older team, so there are doubts.”

John Harper elaborates:

Usually the easiest way to dismiss a Steinbrenner rant about his team, especially an April rant, is to find an American League scout at the ballpark and listen to him tick off the reasons why the Yankees will win 100 games with their eyes closed.

Last night, however, one such scout didn’t offer the usual roll of the eyes at the mention of Steinbrenner’s headline-making criticism. Instead he raised his eyebrows and said he wonders if maybe, just maybe, the Yankees’ sluggish play so far is not merely an early-season aberration.

The scout then listed those potential problems, in what he considered the order of priority, from the “geezer bullpen” to the offensive inconsistency, to the age and lack of depth in the starting rotation.

Last night was a good start. Let’s hope Randy Johnson gets his ya ya’s out tonight.

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