Signs of Armageddon

The past few years have served as a shift in the reality of American League East baseball. The Yankees reign has been challenged and subsequently taken over by the Red Sox, the Blue Jays are contenders and the Orioles... well, the Orioles still suck. But something happened a couple days ago that I never thought I would hear.

The Yankees, led by a Steinbrenner, are jealous of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Seriously.

After watching the youthful Rays sprint out to the AL East lead with 25% of the season in the books, the AL East is paying attention. The Rays swept the Sox a couple weekends ago in Tampa (followed by the Sox returning the favor in Boston the first weekend of may), and have the 2nd best record in the major leagues. But now... jealousy from the Bronx? Perhaps that is the most impressive thing about their season.

In an ESPN story titled "Hank wants Yankees to play more like Rays," Hank Steinbrenner is quoted as saying, "No question, the Rays are a hungry team. That's what our team has to get back."

This is the sign of armageddon...I'm convinced of that much.

The old Yankees, led by George Steinbrenner, would never utter such a phrase. The reason for this is that the Yankees believed that they were the best, and as a result, they played like the best. The air of superiority that they carried into every ballpark was annoying but effective. Mystique and Aura were no longer just strippers at Scores; instead, they were the 10th and 11th players on the field for the dominant MLB franchise. 

With the changing of the guard, however, the Yankees have lost their edge. Now, they readily admit that they just aren't very good. "We haven't done anything yet," Bobby Abreu said. "We haven't been on base and we haven't produced like a team."

Manager Joe Girardi added, "Hank's watched us all year long, and he's not happy. And I don't blame him. I'm not happy. Mr. Cashman's not happy, nobody's happy, and our players aren't happy."

Hold the phone, Joe - maybe Steinbrenner hasn't watched all year long. Steinbrenner didn't even attend the first two games of the series, but still felt qualified to voice his opinion that the Yankees needed to start earning their money. Shouldn't he do the same, and at least show up? Sure, he can watch the game on TV, but so can I. I don't think this will give him the insight necessary to start blasting his team in the media.

Steinbrenner's rants aren't the same as his father's. There aren't effective because in Hank's first few months in charge, he's ranted as much as his dad did in the final couple years of the World Series runs in the late 90's. Hank was running a horse stable last year, and has decided to treat his new ballclub the way you'd treat a horse lagging in the final turn - just keep cracking the whip.

However, the horse will start to get immune to the whip if it's cracked too much and become unmotivated. Perhaps that's what is happening in New York for the Yankees.