Thursday, June 16, 2005

The Tease, Part 2

Let the Junkee fans go ga-ga over last night's win. Let them watch it starry-eyed as another YES Classic. Let them think that Juice-on Giambi will now return to his MVP form. let them think that this team is finally waking up.

Where have I seen this before? Was it just a few weeks ago, when the Junkees were beating another team with a fraction of their payroll, the Oakland A's? When Mike Francesa couldn't shut up about the wall and "crescendo" that the Yankees were building up? When suddenly, the whole team went on a hot streak?

This past Yankee swoon was much more satisfying than the April swoon, and not just because the games in June are a bit more important. For me, the pleasure was seeing all the arrogant Yankee fans ready to pipe up and think they'll cruise to another October, and quickly lose 17-1 to the Sox, and then have the Royals shut them up. And that hot streak, which they were all making a huge deal about? Just a tease. Tino's comeback? Just a tease. Robby Cano as the next Derek Jeter? Just a tease.

So maybe the Yankees will sweep the lowly Pirates. Maybe they'll win a few against a Cub team ravaged by injuries. Maybe they'll even come within a few games of first place. But Yankee fans should know better than to get too excited. Those who forget their mistakes are condemned to repeat them.

And when you think about it, you can't get too excited about last night. Beating Jose Mesa? A guy who will go down in history as one of the only guys to post 300 saves with over a 4.00 career ERA (terrible for a reliever)? Come on. Mesa personifies the joke that the "save" stat is. Let's see Giambi beat BJ Ryan, or Francisco Rodriguez, or Oliver Perez tonight. Then come back to me.

And the last time the Yankees won a series against a team over .500? The first Boston series. Opening day. Been a while, folks.

And anyone notice the O's are still in it (having just swept Houston), even in mid-June? Think they'll fade soon? When, after they get Bedard, Lopez, and Matos off the DL?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Not to detract from the Orioles, but I would like to point out that the Astros suck. They are my NL team and I love them, but man do they suck. The offense is next to useless and you never know if the bullpen is going to come through or, for example, allow seven runs in the ninth like they did on Memorial Day. I just cry for our starting rotation because they are so much better than the team they're playing for (hello, Rogers Clemens and your 4-3-with-a-billion-no-decisions record). Don't get me wrong, I definitely think the O's are in it and gonna stay that way, but sweeping the Astros is like sweeping the Devil Rays (which makes me sad that they're not playing the Yankees this year, heh).