The Yankees Lose

The Yankees are in last place. The last time the team ended the regular season in last place was in 1990. I remember those times very well, I was a diehard Yankees fan in NY while the Mets were in the playoffs year after year. Perhaps that explains why I am enjoying the current season and a flashback to times when Andy Hawkins threw a no-hitter and still lost 4-0. In 1988 Rick Rhoden batted 7th as DH, the first pitcher in the AL to start a game as batter since the invention of the DH. In 1988 the Yankees traded Jay Buhner (plus two other players) for soft-hitting Ken Phelps - Buhner went on to hit 307 HR for the Mariners while Phelps hit 17 HR for the Yankees over 2 seasons. Those were the bumbling Yankees I grew up on. I suppose it feels like good old times again, bringing me back to when I was a kid. Before the Yankees won everything and suddenly everyone became a Yankees fan everywhere.

The present is a cleansing of those bandwagon fans and a return to sanity, a time for reflection on a great run in sports. Few franchises ever reach such grandiose successes, the Yankees tempt streaks such as these routinely. So, I'll bide my time until they return to glory. Until then, Joe Torre's days are numbered.