By Rex O’Rourke
New York, NY – They’re just good enough to break your heart. Am I talking about the Mets? Probably. The Yankees? Even more likely. Both squads have gotten it done this week; actually two weeks for the Mutts, and a little home cooking might finally be what the Yanks needed, since the Stadium didn’t seem to offer much of a home field advantage the last time the Yanks slept in their own beds. If I were a Mets fan, I’d still worry about the lack of urgency on the base paths and whether or not that lack of hustle could costs a game or three. Defensively, I’d wonder about David Wright throwing the ball all over the yard at critical times and the overall defensive lapses in the outfield that have already proven to be very costly. They’re aware they were thisclose to October baseball the last two years, aren’t they? Is there a manager that can get them to run hard and slide? As for the Yanks, every time they leg one out, out goes a leg. I think they might be just a little long in the tooth for the long haul. Some of the kids have contributed of late (boy is Brett Gardner fast) and Mark Teixeira has finally found his stroke, but they’re waaaaaaay too streaky. That Mutt rotation, 2 to 5, scares no one. Livan Hernandez is all smoke and mirrors and Ollie Perez? What’s that, your Chien-Ming Wang impersonation? Maybe the Carlos Delgado injury is a chance for someone to step up and show they deserve more AB’s. It certainly can’t hurt defensively. As for the Yankees, outfield defense and clutch hitting still worries me. Alex Rodriguez came through, finally, yesterday. Normally when he’s up with first and second no outs, late in the game, I root for him to strike out (he whiffs entirely too much for a guy with his talent) rather than hit into a DP, which completely kills the rally. As for the Mutts, they should thank their lucky stars they’re in the NL Least. I see both teams having good years. The Mutts will get nipped at the wire for the NL wild card by someone in the Central and the Yankees are no better than a first round flame out even if they make the playoffs. Ah, what do I know? How about a SUBWAY SERIES?!
Until next week,
Rex
