A Right to be Angry…

Reality landed firmly with a thud for the Yankees on Monday, in the form of a 6-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox at Cellular Field in Chicago.

New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner has a right to be angry. Vexed. Pissed. New York fans have a right to be feeling something MORE than frustrated. When you weigh the salaries they pay against the results the team produces, could anyone associated with MLB’s premier franchise be anything LESS than infuriated with a 6 games under .500 showing?

Ok… they won 2 outta 3 against the Boston Red Sox, cutting the lead the Sox hold from 13-and-a-half to 12-and-a-half (yippee?), and they should feel pleased about that – but the simple fact is that they still have to get past both Baltimore (1.5 games ahead) & Toronto (2 games ahead) before they can even consider Boston. And they’ve given the Red Sox a huge buffer! Is it ok to set your sights on chasing the wildcard this early in June? I don’t think they have a choice – catching Boston would necessitate not only a massive turn-around on the Yankees fortunes, but a reversal of fortune for the Bo’ Sox would be required as well.

Chasing the wildcard is going to be a tall order too. Currently the Yanks find themselves well behind Detroit (8 games over .500), Seattle (3 games over – now there’s a surprising performance), Oakland and Minnesota (a game a piece)… but at least those targets are possibilities, if somewhat remote.

And even forgetting about the performance as a team, do you think Steinbrenner’s impressed with ever-growning injury list (including my personal favourite oft-injured player: Carl Pavano, who has pitched less than 20 games as a Yankee… for $10 million a year. Nice work if you can get it)? With Jason Giambi’s mouth? With A-Rod’s frequent faux pas, on field and off? With Johnny Damon’s lack-lustre performance? Nuh-uh… and my gut tells me that we’re in for a response from the big guy…