AS RIVALRIES GO

One of the oldest continuous rivalries seems to take on an interesting dimension these days!

The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox are in a race for last place, or so it seems. Currently the Sox are in the lead, holding a solid one game lead under the Yankees. The Red Sox seem to be with a win streak on their way up, while the New York seems intent on moving on down.

It seems that the pitching has not been that reliable, and the talk of the leagues is that the hitters can’t hit in situations where they have men in scoring position. Couple that with the power outage of Alex Rodriquez and the poor hitting of Mark Teixeira and his recent ailments.

The question is quickly becoming: when will the Steinbrenner’s lose patience with the GM Cashen and Manager Girardi?

Nothing would discourage an owner more than a $200 Million payroll and not wins. This is a team who is struggling early on that thrives on the tradition of winning and nothing less. It also expects its millionaires to hit with runners in scoring position, which is what they are paid for.

Derrick Jeter is the only steady force the Yankees seem to have right now. Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson have not come through in the clutch, and Swisher seems to have disappeared.

This weekend, one quarter of the season is over, every team is still in it. But the Yankees are the same old team, with an emphasis on old. The fact to the matter is how much longer will Jeter hold up? How much long longer will A-Rod, with his surgically repaired knees hold up and is his power affected by the wear and tear? I would start to look for grumblings coming out of the front office after the Memorial Day weekend, and the owners making statements about change.

That’s all I wrote, folks!