Yankees parade of the past reminds of the fractured present

The Yankees poured it on yesterday with a statement about their legacy that few even try to copy. Quietly. the Baby Bombers got a glimpse of what it means to wear the Pinstripes and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

The Yankees put on their annual display of remembrances of the past as each player got their moment in the sun, hearing the cheers from the crowd one more precious time.

But back in the clubhouse, there were 25 men, some young and some tired and worn from the grind of a season that has yet to reach the halfway point.

A penny for their thoughts. but it has to be something like, “Geez, this was all so easy a mere two weeks ago. What the hell happened?”

And maybe if they had a minute or two with a Bernie Williams or a Tino Martinez, or the player tagged with the “Warrior” by George Steinbrenner, things could be placed in perspective a bit.

But the season moves on and it waits for no one.

Video courtesy of the YES Network

The Yankees limp out of the Stadium with another loss to the Texas Rangers, falling one run short instead of one run ahead when Gary Sanchez, representing the winning run, took a called third strike to end the game.

And it didn’t help matters when the team learned that Aaron Hicks has an oblique injury that will keep him out of the lineup for 3-4 weeks. This, while Jacoby Ellsbury is rehabbing in the minors, gives no comfort to Joe Girardi, who was hoping that having four outfielders would give him a chance to give Brett Gardner a much-needed blow.

Hello again, Mr. Murphy. And suddenly, what was is no more. The team that was in double digits over .500 is now a mere seven over.

But the cup somehow stays half full as no one in the American League East can take advantage of the Yankees opening the door. And a glance at the standings, somehow, still show the team in first place by .001 percentage points over the Red Sox, who are only 4-6 over their last ten games.

The question everyone wants answers to is how long can it last? And will the team be able to regroup in Chicago over the next four days before moving on to Houston to face the best team in baseball?

Turning the page

Yesterday’s game was telling, though, in other ways that remind yet again of Murphy’s Law that states, if anything can go wrong, it will. The Yankees, for example, outhit the Rangers and added to their home run total with a three-run blast by from Sanchez and a solo shot by Ronald Torreyes.

Other bright spots included three hits from Chase Headley, who some say is fighting for his baseball life, or at least his job at third base. And the Yankees new “Ole Reliable”,  Aaron Judge had his usual game with two hits, a run scored, and one driven in.

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But all of this came on a day when the starting pitching took the day off, with Michael Pineda managing only four innings, giving up seven earned runs and three home runs, leaving his team with a deficit that, on this day, they would never overcome.

They always say that good pitching and timely hitting is the winning formula in baseball. But for the Yankees at the moment, ne’er the twain shall meet.

And they also say that things tend to even out in baseball and you’re never as good as you were on a hot streak, not as bad as you look during a cold spell.

And if we throw in, what goes up must come down, that just about covers the cliches. But as we know, the games are played on the field, even while Brian Cashman sits in his office trying to come up with ways to improve the team.

Can’t escape the building pressure

Three out of four in Chicago is a must. And when you talk about must-win games in June, you know something is a little off. The Red Sox draw the Twins, who amazingly still stand atop the AL Central standings, and they follow with the enigmatic Blue Jays on the road while the Yankees attempt to fight off the Astros.

We said this a week ago when the Yankees arrived home to a change of scenery and a chance to recover from that ugly trip out West. That didn’t work out so well. Now, the team gets another opportunity in the sport where there’s always tomorrow.

Yankees patient approach will save the season in July, or sink it in June

If the Yankees can start winning again, we will see them transform into a super team over the next few weeks. They will prove themselves patient predators.

Even so, tonight would be the perfect place to start as Jordan Montgomery takes the ball as, would you believe it, the Yankees stopper.