The Yankees swept the Bosox, which is good at any time of year, on any occasion. This places the Yankees at 5games behind. Yes, if they could have at least come away from Detroit with a split, and won in Anaheim, it would've been better, but the Yankees are seemingly headed for about 94wins if they keep playing this way. *If*, they keep playing this way, that is.So the consensus right now is that because the Red Sox have an easy schedule, they can simply play .500 ball and stumble across the line at 95wins and win the division. Hence the division is out of reach and the Yankees are looking at taking the Wild Card.
Well, back in 1978, the Yankees were 6.5 games behind the Bosox and still beat them out. I know it's not likely and all that, but on the face of it, I have the following pseudo-analysis to offer.
1) 5 is less than 6.5, last I checked my maths.
2) The 2007 Yankees are a better squad than the 1978 vintage.
3) The 2007 Red Sox may not be as good as the 1978 vintage.
4) The Yankees actually came through the recent tough stretch off schedule better than hoped in spite of the series losses to Anaheim and Detroit. If anything, they've got upside to improve on performances yet - which is a scary thought. The Red Sox actually are going with Manny down for a week and their offense hasn't been what it has been in previous years. I don't know if they have as much upside, going forwards.
So, I don't think the '1978 scenario' is dead just yet. Of course they could come off the boil and lose 5 straight and that would be that. :)
The Moose Is Cooked
It pains me but the low-K Moose has proven to be fatal. In the 16-0 debacle against Detroit, it became clear that right now, you just couldn't trot him out there any more. His replacement will be Ian Kenndey which is surprising in some ways, but my old man would be happy. Like me, he has lost complete faith in Moose for months.
Here is his side of it.
“You start feeling like there’s nothing I can do to change this, and you get a bad attitude, and that’s where I was,” said Mussina, who is 0-3 with a 17.69 earned run average in his last three starts. “Everything I threw, I thought something bad was going to happen.”I like Moose. I have this side that hopes he makes a few adjustments and keeps going, but in all likelihood he's done.
Time away from pitching, Mussina said, may also help his legs feel stronger. Mussina, 38, said his arm was sturdy, but his hamstring has never fully healed since he injured it in April.
The puzzling part, he added, is that the physical concerns are no worse now than they were from June 7 through Aug. 11, when he went 6-4 with a 3.54 E.R.A. But without confidence in his pitches, it has been hard to pick the right ones to throw.
The self-analysis has become so painful for Mussina that he has stopped doing his regular interviews with the author John Feinstein, who is writing a book about Mussina’s season. Mussina would prefer to focus on whatever positives remain.
“Hopefully, it’ll make me a better player and make me learn how to deal with things better, because it’s coming to that time where, eventually, I’m not going to be doing this anymore,” he said. “And I know that. It’s not too far in the future. They didn’t release me or send me down, so I’m still here. That’s a positive.”
My Songs Of The Week
A song about Global Warming Sceptics.
More fun with Magic Garageband, this time a Reggae track.
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