Call out the fire brigade! The Yankees team is burning to the ground!
That is a typical New Yorker's response to the news that the Yankees no longer lead the AL East. New Yorkers overreact. First of all, the Rays only have a one-game lead. Second, the loss of the division lead could be a good thing for the Yankees. Complacency in baseball is a terrible thing. The Yankees need to fight through some baseball-related adversity during the regular season if they're going to win in the playoffs. Since it is only the beginning of August, they have plenty of time to make up one game in the standings. Finally, A-Rod will hit his 600th home run any day now, and that's the only thing the Yankees need to start winning consistently again.
The main reason the Yankees have fallen from the top of the AL East is A-Rod's recent struggles. Under constant bombardment from the media about his seeming lack of ability to hit #600, he has gone hitless in his last five games - games where the Yankees have gone 1-4. A-Rod is only human. No one would be able to ignore the criticism and pressure placed on him by the fans - and the media.
History has shown that the Yankees need A-Rod to hit well in order to win. The only playoff series the Yankees won with A-Rod before 2009 was the 2004 Divisional Series against the Twins. We all know how that season ended. He struggled through the next three playoff series - and the Yankees lost all of them. (Of course, Torre was a big reason why they lost those series, but we don't want to drag that long discussion into this post.) In 2009, A-Rod performed well in the playoffs. The Yankees won the World Series. Coincidence? We think not.
In the end, when every pitch in A-Rod's at-bats are scrutinized, when every out he makes is a huge disappointment to the media and the fans, the Yankees end up the losers.
All in all, the outlook for the Yankees is pretty sunny. Especially since Kevin Youkilis's injury guarentees rainy weather in Boston over the next few weeks.
Hydra
6-4-3 double play... Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theeeeeee Yankees win!
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