Even Clemens can't save Yankees' season - Sports - recordonline.com - Middletown, NY
Even Clemens can't save Yankees' season
That was the day the Yankees jumped the shark.
That was the day the Yankees went from revered — or at least relevant — to ridiculous.
That was the day the Yankees saw the pride, class and dignity they exuded throughout the Joe Torre Era swept away in a pathetically staged sideshow that filled the ballpark in the Bronx with false drama ... and false hope.
There was Roger Clemens, standing in the owner's box at Yankee Stadium, speaking into a hand-held microphone during the seventh-inning stretch, announcing that George Steinbrenner's henchmen "came and got me out of Texas" and he would be back in pinstripes, trying to pitch the Yankees back to the World Series.
The crowd cheered. The Yankees broadcasters lost their minds. Suddenly, Yankee fans from Montauk to Maui believed again.
The Yankees, despite an awful April, were 14-15, in second place in the American League East, only 5½ games behind the division-leading Boston Red Sox with nearly five months to play.
There was plenty of season left. Their injury-plagued pitching staff was getting healthy. And Clemens, winner of 348 games and seven Cy Young Awards, was on the way.
That was 23 days ago.
Now, the calendar hasn't yet turned to June and the New York Daily News is running an online poll that asks its readers: Do you think the Yankees' season is over?
Things have gotten that bad.
After Tuesday night's 3-2 loss at Toronto, the Yankees are in far worse shape than they were when they made their soul-selling play for Clemens, who isn't expected to pitch for them until next week.
They are 21-29, having lost five straight and eight of 11. They are tied with Tampa Bay at the bottom of the AL East, 14½ games behind the Red Sox. And they are 8½ games back in the AL wild-card chase, trailing seven other teams.
For those of you keeping score at home: The Yankees have gone 7-14 since May 6, the day that was supposed to change everything — but changed nothing.
Truth is, Clemens' arrival next week might already be too late to save the season.
If you figure the Yankees need to win 95 games to make the playoffs, they'll have to go 74-38 the rest of the way. That's 36 games over .500. And judging from what we've seen thus far, that's not going to happen — even with Clemens.
Certainly, injuries have taken a toll. But this team, particularly the pitching staff, isn't as good as it should be. It's not worth the $200 million Yankees general manager Brian Cashman spent to put it together.
Yet, more than a few spoiled, wrongheaded Yankees fans want to blame Torre for the team's demise. And that's just plain silly.
Not only have Torre's teams made the playoffs each of his 11 seasons as the Yankees' manager, they won nine consecutive division titles, went to six World Series and won four championships.
So, please, let's stop this fire-the-manager nonsense. It's not his fault his pitchers are struggling. It's not his fault that half his lineup — Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu, Jason Giambi, Robinson Cano and Hideki Matsui — isn't hitting the way it's supposed to.
This is the GM's mess. And not his first. But unlike the others, even with the $18 million he gave Clemens, the fittingly named Cashman probably won't be able to buy his way out of trouble this time.
Even Clemens can't save Yankees' season - Sports - recordonline.com - Middletown, NY
Even Clemens can't save Yankees' season
That was the day the Yankees jumped the shark.
That was the day the Yankees went from revered — or at least relevant — to ridiculous.
That was the day the Yankees saw the pride, class and dignity they exuded throughout the Joe Torre Era swept away in a pathetically staged sideshow that filled the ballpark in the Bronx with false drama ... and false hope.
There was Roger Clemens, standing in the owner's box at Yankee Stadium, speaking into a hand-held microphone during the seventh-inning stretch, announcing that George Steinbrenner's henchmen "came and got me out of Texas" and he would be back in pinstripes, trying to pitch the Yankees back to the World Series.
The crowd cheered. The Yankees broadcasters lost their minds. Suddenly, Yankee fans from Montauk to Maui believed again.
The Yankees, despite an awful April, were 14-15, in second place in the American League East, only 5½ games behind the division-leading Boston Red Sox with nearly five months to play.
There was plenty of season left. Their injury-plagued pitching staff was getting healthy. And Clemens, winner of 348 games and seven Cy Young Awards, was on the way.
That was 23 days ago.
Now, the calendar hasn't yet turned to June and the New York Daily News is running an online poll that asks its readers: Do you think the Yankees' season is over?
Things have gotten that bad.
After Tuesday night's 3-2 loss at Toronto, the Yankees are in far worse shape than they were when they made their soul-selling play for Clemens, who isn't expected to pitch for them until next week.
They
 are 21-29, having lost five straight and eight of 11. They are tied with Tampa Bay at the bottom of the AL East, 14½ games behind the Red Sox. And they are 8½ games back in the AL wild-card chase, trailing seven other teams.
For those of you keeping score at home: The Yankees have gone 7-14 since May 6, the day that was supposed to change everything — but changed nothing.
Truth is, Clemens' arrival next week might already be too late to save the season.
If you figure the Yankees need to win 95 games to make the playoffs, they'll have to go 74-38 the rest of the way. That's 36 games over .500. And judging from what we've seen thus far, that's not going to happen — even with Clemens.
Certainly, injuries have taken a toll. But this team, particularly the pitching staff, isn't as good as it should be. It's not worth the $200 million Yankees general manager Brian Cashman spent to put it together.
Yet, more than a few spoiled, wrongheaded Yankees fans want to blame Torre for the team's demise. And that's just plain silly.
Not only have Torre's teams made the playoffs each of his 11 seasons as the Yankees' manager, they won nine consecutive division titles, went to six World Series and won four championships.
So, please, let's stop this fire-the-manager nonsense. It's not his fault his pitchers are struggling. It's not his fault that half his lineup — Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu, Jason Giambi, Robinson Cano and Hideki Matsui — isn't hitting the way it's supposed to.
This is the GM's mess. And not his first. But unlike the others, even with the $18 million he gave Clemens, the fittingly named Cashman probably won't be able to buy his way out of trouble this time.