That Good Night

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

The New York Yankees have not read Dylan Thomas. They have gone gentle and losing into six of the last eight good nights, and in none of those six losses have they put a single baserunner on in the ninth. Their record is identical to Tampa Bay's (see the standings), and it's not because Tampa has been playing well. Prior to winning three in a row over the reigning AL East champs, the pathetic Rays had dropped eight straight. Which only emphasizes how far the Yankees have fallen.

Are the Yankees a bad team? By no means. They have a fearsome roster. King George III has purchased the top players from Baltimore, Oakland, Seattle, Japan, Los Angeles, Arizona, and Florida. However, their depth is simply not very um... deep. The starting rotation was (or at least, seemed) unparalleled at the season's start. But with two of the starters on the DL and one failing miserably, their two best starters have ERA's above 4 and records of 2-2. Hardly the "Five Aces" that we feared on April 1st.

Things could still come around for the Yanks (God forbid), but it will be nearly impossible for them to make worthwhile acquisitions. Their salaries are stretching to the sky, and they have very little talent to offer - even among their 'stars'. Overpaid, underachieving stars from the 1990's won't get much more than a bucket of balls at the trading deadline.

This is the first time InstantReplay has devoted a post to the New Yorkers. It's fitting, is it not, to turn the spotlight on them at this moment? After all, it's been 30 years since they started this poorly.