That. Was. Pathetic.

I know it's early. I know the season isn't even 10 games old. But I'm getting a little tired of watching the same game over and over and over. The Yankees offense is just downright pathetic right now. 2 runs? That's it. 2 measly runs. And the possibility exists that it's not going to get any better any time soon. Jeter's been ruled out for the series with a quad strain. And now according to Pete Abraham, Posada is likely headed to the DL with a bum shoulder. I can hear the pessimists now. "The Yankees were stupid for giving a 36 year old catcher a 3 year deal." That may turn tout to be true but come on, every Yankees fan was a fan of that deal. He'll be fine. Molina may not be as sweet with the stick but he's no slouch. I can tell you who this doesn't bode well for...and that's Jason Varitek. There's already talk in Sox camp that they don't want to bring him back. If Posada misses significant time it'll certainly raise questions in the Sox front office about retaining Varitek. In the end, I'm sure they'll bring him back. They should. He's the heart and soul of that team and without him their pitching staff won't be nearly as good as they are, or better yet, are perceived to be. I wouldn't mind in the least the two parting ways.

The Phranchise didn't have it tonight. His command was awful, almost non-existent. He issued 6 hits, walked 4 and hit a batter. I don't think his bad outing is any cause for alarm. I don't want to blame his outing on the elements but I'm sure they were a factor. Bannister wasn't exactly on his game either. I'm sure the weather played a little part. It didn't help either that the defense behind him was sloppy. Abreu bobbles a ball. Betemit can't catch the throws down from Posada. they didn't do him any favors. Surprisingly, the Yankees were still in the game when he left in the 4th.

The offense just plain sucks right now. They had Bannister on the ropes in the second but Cano goes down swinging. Royals pitchers struck out 11 Yankees, led by A-Rod with the golden sombrero. What's up with that guy? 5 straight Ks with 4 straight looking. And they're not even balls. MVPs don't do that. And you know it's sad when they flash an in-game box score and the Yankee player of note is Wilson Betemit. He was the highlighted player at the time as he was 1-3 with an RBI. Betemit is awful. The Yankees are in trouble if Jeter ends up being out long term. More on that in a separate post.

I really hope other teams aren't paying attention to these ball games because we're seeing the blueprint on how to beat the Yankees. Speed kills. The Royals swiped 5 bases. The Yankees have now allowed 13 stolen bases in 8 games. Surprisingly, they've caught 6 base-runners and one of the catcher's has a bum wing. Teams can put runners into scoring position very easily against the Yankees if they're aggressive enough. Like I said, speed kills.

Mother Nature hasn't exactly been kind to the Yankees so far. They've played in some pretty cold weather and I'm sure that's had some effect on the bats. Problem is: 2 teams play in the same conditions. We can't use it as an excuse. The schedule also hasn't really been kind to the boys either. The Opening Day rainout forces them to play 20 straight games. I'm not sure why the schedule makers had them play a day game after a night game when they had to travel. That doesn't make much sense. I know it was KC's opener but you mean to tell me there wasn't a more suitable team to schedule? A head scratcher to say the least. Almost as much as why they play 18 of the first 27 games on the road. But that's how it goes. Everyone at some point in the season has the schedule working against them. It's not a good excuse.

Ian Kennedy gets the ball tomorrow and looks to bounce back from a really bad first outing. It won't be easy for him if the offense doesn't show up. No Jeter. No Posada. Battered and bruised. Hope Ike brings his A-game.

J-Boogie