I Just Don't Give a F

Yanks

I am talking about the New York Yankees. Not about them as a team, but their recent stretch of games since the All-Star Break. To be honest, I did not think they had this in them. I thought that they would continue to fade slowly and the season would be all but over by August 25th or so. It turns out that this team has some life. They have gone 9-3 since the All Star Break and now face four games in Kansas City and three more in Baltimore. If they continue this sort of play they could all of the sudden be within five games or so of a playoff spot, easy.

This does not impress me in the least though. When I look at this Yankee team, and the teams the Yankees have put together the past few seasons, this is what they are supposed to do. They put together a relentless line-up that beats up on bad pitching. The type of line-up that hangs 18 and 20 in consecutive games. The problem this year is for the first three months they did not do this. Only now is this team doing what it was supposed to do.

If I am a Yankee fan though, this is not what would excite me. Sure I would be happy that the Yankees are hitting again, but the main problem for the Yanks is still what it has been last year and the year before that. One run games. All any Yankee fan wants to say is, "look at the Yankees record in one run games....a bloop here and a call there and the Yankees would be five games better." Bullshit. The fact remains that they Yankees have suffered in one run games this season and seasons prior due to two reasons. A poor bench and an ineffective bullpen. Both of which are still very evident this season.

Following this stretch of "easy" games, the Yankees will play 17 out of 20 games against Cleveland, Boston, Detroit and Anaheim. The Yankees are going to be able to put up many 10 or 15 spots against those teams. Games are going to be close and will come down to the late innings. Those are the games that will define the Yankee season, not these. I admit, it is good to put yourself back in the race with a strong push against subpar teams, but a playoff spot will be won or lost in that stretch against the class of the AL.

Basically what I am trying to say is, good for you Yankee fans. You have something to root for now, as opposed to three weeks ago. Lets wait and see though. If the Yankees can hold their own during that stretch in August, it may not only propel them into the playoffs, but it may provide them the confidence to perform in these close games the way they would need to in October. I just hope, for the sake of all my friends that happen to be Yankee fans, that either Mattingly or Guidry or the closest person to Torre hits him over the head before he has the chance to go out to the mound and bring Kyle Farnsworth into any type of close game.


Mets

They are coming off a very solid road trip on the West coast. The offense is coming around and the team is rounding into shape in a way. It took a couple weeks to recover from the coaching shuffle. Not that Valentin is hurt, the 2nd Base situation may clear up a bit. Alou is coming back, and Milledge will continue to get playing time in all three outfield spots. The Mets are a veteran team, who has a very strong bench. A key for Randolph will be making sure the veterans are as fresh as they can be in September. The most intriguing situation though for the Mets is the pitching situation and more specifically the Pedro Martinez situation. If his health is unsure on July 31 and Oswalt is out there, do you pull the trigger? How much longer do you stick with Sosa no matter what? Cna the Mets get by if Pedro won't be ready until Sept 1st with Sosa/Pelfrey as their 5th starter? Will pedro have enough time to be effective for a possible October run? So many questions that will slowly become answered in this busy upcoming weeks.

STKAFI