Yankees leaders' quotes about focus lend degree of absurdity to team's death rattle

On July 1, after another slumbering Yankees loss to the Tigers, injured captain Aaron Judge made a rare set of pointed remarks to gathered reporters. Instead of pitching platitudes, he directly identified and diagnosed a "lack of focus" as the team's current disease. When Judge speaks, usually his teammates listen, and speaking in any form of specifics should've spoken volumes in that particular circumstance.

In the wake of Judge's remarks, it's especially troubling that the on-field play hasn't looked any more focused than it had prior, and that the team's healthy leaders don't seem to have any idea how to create consistent buy-in or a unified push-back against the baseball universe's demands.

After another bout of drudgery on Sunday, a 6-1 loss to Joe Ryan and the Twins that felt like 12-1 and featured Jazz Chisholm Jr. getting picked off first after recording the game's first hit and an Anthony Volpe error that sent Camilo Doval's inning sideways (surprise), Chisholm and Gerrit Cole's quotes felt haunted by the same warning Judge had put forth when the calendar turned.

The only difference is these comments came several days and a few more losses later.

Yankees still searching for "focus" is a horrible sign amid 1-9 stretch, entering Rays series

Not to be rude, but ... is "focus" not the absolute bare minimum we can expect from a supposed contending team? Then again, when the front office's actions preach that the regular season isn't to be taken seriously, and that just getting into the dance is all that really matters, is anyone surprised that even senior leadership is struggling to turn on the spigot?

As Joel Sherman eloquently put it in his New York Post podcast, this team never just stumbles. They hit death spirals. And they do seem to be "reaching for the All-Star break," looking for a breather and just trying to survive rather than competing through the tape.

It's ok for fans to look at a 1-0 deficit in the first inning - again - and think, "Alright, well ... it's happening again." It's not alright for the team on the field to reflect that resigned attitude. And the Tampa Bay Rays, this week's opponent? They don't have the same problem. They energetically thrive at the margins. The Yankees seem to wilt while checking the calendar with a sideways glance.

Maybe the "lollipop" incident wasn't so galvanizing after all. The Yankees still seem to be grasping at straws, without answers for their plummeting focus while the season ticks away. And if Aaron Judge calling it out didn't change anything, then what will, short of his actual presence in the lineup?

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