My friend, let’s see how the next 10 or 11 days play out I believe at that point on May 9th both the Rays and the Yankees will have played 18 home games and the Red Sox will have played 20 home games (2 more then both the Yankees or the Rays). We’ll see at that time if the Yankees have have been able to maintain their lead or whether they lost it or increased it and against who.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say on Monday May 9th before any games are played the Yankees will have at least a 1.5 game lead over the 2nd place team (the same lead they hold before play today). Could I be wrong? Absolutely. But I don’t think I will be…and that’s just my opinion.

BTW, just a little tidbit of information and I’m sure my friend Ari will find some new way of evaluating the starting rotations that will render what I’m about to say useless but I’ll say it anyway. Through the games played yesterday. The Yankees current starting rotation without (Hughes) had and combined ERA of 3.08 the Red Sox starting rotation a combined ERA of 3.91
Just so people don’t think I’m cherry picking the pitchers even if you include Hughes numbers in the rotation the Yankees ERA for the 6 pitchers is 3.88. Not bad for one ace (CC), one head case (AJ), one very inexperienced rookie (Nova), and 2 re-threads (Colon & Garcia) and Hughes in the later example.
That’s all for this time, until next time. Enjoy.

This is not some cinderella story where everyone wrote the Yankees off and now they’re proving the doubters wrong. This is a 95-win team playing as a 100-win team for the first 22 games in a home-heavy schedule. The only noteworthy thing that’s happened is that your #2 was terrible/hurt while the back end of the rotation has been excellent so far. End result: about what we expected.

As to the consensus handing the WS to the Sox, no one with any sense was doing that, let alone a consensus. Boston was a better team on paper, but only by a couple games, and just because they had the best chance to win the WS doesn’t mean it was better than, like, 10%. Maybe. No one said Boston was a lock, nor even picking them over the field.

It’s easy to think your team is being hated on. But the consensus was not anywhere near as hard on your team as you seem to think.

But I’m in Cincinnati now, where the majestic Ohio River is at critical flood stage and I have a feeling that a hard slide into second tonight might result in the shortstop getting badly flippered.

(*might be slight exaggeration)

BTW before anyone brings up Red Sox injuries the bulk (not all) of their injuries occurred from May 1, 2010 through July 15, 2010. But understand that during that very same time their replacement players played at a winning clip of .615 probably far better then what the regulars would have achieved during that same time.

All I’m saying is that I believe the Yankees are playing far better then anyone expected them to be playing even or especially this early with their current starting rotation with Martin catching and with the “old guy” manning 3rd base and the even “older guy” at SS. Anyone that says they gave the Yankees rotation a lick of a chance after they lost out on Lee and Andy Pettitte retired and with AJ’s inconsistencies (and I’m being kind with that one) are the delusional ones.

…and that’s the truth and my opinion.

I didn’t watch it—I do need to get ready for and go to work, after all. But I’m alright with them airing it (though it is over the top, but at least London is a lot cleaner than it was last week). There’s obviously an interested market willing to sit there for the seven or eight ungodly early hours to watch. I also look at it as a peek inside a different country and their culture.

Now, I’d be interested in whether Seisenta y ocho, kiwicricket and/or proudly canadian had their peepers peeled to the tube for it, since Canadia is England lite (or something) and Down Under was originally a British penal colony.

On the bright side, Soriano, Gardner, Swisher and yes even Jeter should improve, which should offset the return to earth of Granderson and Martin. But those dog days of August, in which you play only 9 home games still loom. I agree by then you will have purchased two or more starters to replace the ones currently occupying the rotation, but it won’t be Carpenter.

And yes, as of today the team you dissed as incapable of having the horses to stay with you throughout 2011, lurk, and when one basks in the glorious sunshine of success, those rays, ah Those Rays, always cast a forbidding shadow.

You have every reason to be happy about your team’s start. But you’re deluding yourself with this false sense of, “We showed them!” There was no one to show.

The remaining schedule:

“2pm-3pm: Mantracker, Extreme Sports
A documentary about the Canadian wilderness. Still more exciting than hearing third-hand news about the type of bread rolls being served at the royal reception.

3pm-4pm: Man v Food, Good Food
A man gorging himself on as much food as he possibly can for an hour. Basically what the wedding guests will be currently doing, but in a slightly more entertaining way.”

Have fun!

Our priorities are skewed like a spitfull of speidies in a Binghamton bar and grill.

Incidentally, if you notice daylight through the ceiling of your plane, make sure your seatbelt is tight, the tips of the handles of your glasses are bent firmly inward, and you’ve sipped the froth off your beer. At least you can be confident that the pressure differential won’t get much of a grip on the top of your head.

Kyle Davies is the worst starting pitcher in the history of the game.

That’s probably what he wrote after he threw his remote at the TV, not during the game but hours afterward, just thinking about the time he wasted watching yet another start by Davies.

Before that, what he wrote makes a strong case that Davies is the worst starting pitcher in the history of the game among those “good” enough to make at least 125+ starts. I’m on board: Davies’ is truly a historical performance.