Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff
American League East
1. Boston 36-15 --
5. New York 21-29 14 ½ GB
How nice does that look? Take a look at it once more. Doesn’t matter what’s in between (believe me, Baltimore, Toronto and Tampa Bay have no prayer of catching the Red Sox either), this is what the AL East standings look like on May 29th, 2007 and how the #1 spot will look come October.
The race, my friends, is over!
I specifically waited for this day to post a correction to my pre-season prediction of the Yankees winning the division and the Sox taking the Wild Card. The 14 ½ game deficit is significant to those of us who remember 1978 and Boston blowing a 14-game cushion to the Bronx Bombers. Until the miracle of 2004 wiped the slate clean, that collapse ranked right up there with 1986 and 2003 (no need to rehash the specifics) as the three most heartbreaking moments of this Sox fans existence.
Folks, the Yankees aren’t coming back this year. This isn’t 1978, even if many of the current New Yorkers are playing like they’re old enough to have been on that comeback team. The streak of consecutive division title will end at 9, and the wild-card is looking mighty iffy at this point. The Red Sox are far and away the class of major league baseball. Just ask the Tigers and Indians, each who entered Fenway as the 2nd best team in the American League, how good they are. Conversely, we’re too far into the season to expect the Evil Empire to merely snap their fingers and turn the losing around. Something’s missing there. You know it. I know it. And THEY know it.
Which is why they don’t have the “you know whats” to pitch Roger Clemens against Boston this weekend. Like the Wizard of Oz, the 2007 Yankees project a big bad image based solely on reputation. Had their final hope, Clemens, come into Fenway and been slapped around, the curtain would be drawn and they’d be exposed as the washed up old men they’ve become.
I was dead wrong in my pre-season prediction about the Yankees and the AL East. And I couldn’t be happier to admit it!
What do you think? Am I jumping the gun here in burying the Yankees? Do they even have a chance at the wild card, let alone the division?
Comments (5)
I still think with the amount of offesnive power the Yankees have it's still too early in the season to count them out completely... though I don't think they have a prayer's chance of catching the Sox - they were only seven games back of the Wild Card coming into tonight's game- with a huge series coming up against the White Sox
Only time (and games) will tell what the Yankees are made of - but I don't see them catching the Red Sox for the Division Title - JMO
Posted by Gayle | May 30, 2007 3:23 AM
Posted on May 30, 2007 03:23
I agree with Gayle on this one- they wouldn't seem to have a shot at the division but the Central teams will beat up on each other and the West also has a few decent teams that may also beat up on each other while, if the Yankees get some pitching, they'll be playing the Devil Rays, Blue Jays, and Orioles instead of the Indians, Tigers, Twins, A's, Angels, etc.
You also have to expect the Sox to have a few patches where some part of their game (or parts) are just not working. So far they have been pretty consistently good in all areas but over the full season you have to expect a couple of rough stretches where nothing seems to go right. Barring injury I think they've got the AL East locked up. I'm just enjoying the ride so far...
Posted by dboisver | May 30, 2007 9:40 AM
Posted on May 30, 2007 09:40
Teddy I could not agree more with you that no matter how early in the season it is the Yankees are Done cooked the division is in the bag! They have a chance for the wild card if they do what they usually do and buy the best thats out there at the trading deadline. Finally the division is ours again.
Shappy
Posted by Shappy | May 31, 2007 12:42 AM
Posted on May 31, 2007 00:42
Sox have it all this year and should make a run at 100+ wins this season. And they still have John Lester coming back. MLB needs to implement a salary cap, cause I don't think it's fair to the rest of the league. Just because the Yanks don't know how to spend money, could you imagine if teams like the A's or Twins could double their payroll? It's just that the Sox management is a little more competent than the Yanks at this point in time. Other than that, it's all about the payroll.
Posted by T2 | May 31, 2007 10:12 AM
Posted on May 31, 2007 10:12
When your steroid-infested first baseman/DH injures himself DURING HIS HOME RUN TROT you have got serious problems/bad karma going on...
Posted by dboisver | June 1, 2007 10:45 AM
Posted on June 1, 2007 10:45