Back On Track?

Has the Good Ship Steinbrenner finally righted itself? A recent winning streak, which has propelled the team back above the .500 mark, seems to indicate just that.

Obviously, the $200 million squad couldn't be so pathetic forever. Six games against the fading White Sox and awful Pirates also went a long way toward curing the woes. The pitching staff began to get its collective act together about a month ago....right when the hitting went suddenly tits up. Now, led by Bobby Abreu of all people, the bats have awoken. ARod has snapped out of his mini-drought, while Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada have pretty much mashed all sesaon.
Still, to us, some issues remain.

The Bullpen comes immediately to mind. This is a less than stellar bunch to begin with. Throw in the fact that they were way overworked in the first two months and you've got a recipe for a late season meltdown. Having Roger Clemens in the fold equals no rest for the weary, as they will be needed to bail out the aging, fatigued groin hurler. Not much help will be available in the trade market, as everyone will be looking for available arms around the July 31 deadline - most with much more to offer up than the Yankees can.

Seriously, Kyle Farnsworth is always a threat to load the bases, and reminds of a real life Nuke LaLoosh. Scott Proctor is good, but pitches seemingly every day, so how long can his arm hold up? Mike Myers and Ron Villone scare no one. After that it's pretty much a crapshoot getting to Mariano Rivera, who has looked somewhat mortal himself thus far, though that could be attributed to a lack of work - he went almost a month between save opportunites.

No doubt this team will be in the mix come September, most likely contending for the Wild Card. The Red Sox have slowed down a bit, but still have a 9 1/2 game cushion over New York in the Eastern division. Chasing the Wild Card brings with it more issues, as they will be in amongst a group of 4-5 teams, making it difficult to gain ground.

It says here that while certainly a possibility, the 2007 Yankees will ultimately fall short and miss the post season for the first time since 1993. At least, that's what we're hoping for.