The way things have worked out, when the Yankees have been winning their games, so have the Boston Red Sox been winning theirs; and when the Yankees lose, so do the Red Sox.
It is a bit inconvenient that, in the last week, the Oakland Athletics and the Tampa Bay Rays both seemed to roll over and play dead for the Sox, including, the other day, the Rays blowing a 3-run lead in the 9th inning and then allowing 7 runs in the 15th
With exactly 2 weeks to go in the regular season, here's where things stand:
* The Yankees Trail the Red Sox by 3 games in the American League Eastern Division, with 13 to play for each team.
* The Cleveland Indians have clinched the American League Central Division, thanks to their 22-game winning streak, broken yesterday, but it was the longest in Major League Baseball since the 1916 New York Giants won 26 straight.
* The Houston Astros have clinched the American League West.
* If the current standings hold, the AL Wild Card Game will be at the new Yankee Stadium, with the Yankees hosting the Minnesota Twins. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim still have a shot of getting into it, while nobody else's shot is realistic at this point.
But, as we saw in 2015, the Yankees hosting the Wild Card Game makes no difference, because Joe Girardi cannot be trusted to win a win-or-go-home game.
Granted, there are many teams whose fans would love to trade places with ours. Look at the Mets: They would love to exchange their problems for ours, if they could also get our strengths in exchange for theirs.
But if the Yankees are to have a legitimate shot at winning the World Series, they must win the Division. And, with 13 games to go, it looks like they won't, especially since they don't play the Red Sox again during the regular season.
Here is the remaining schedule for both teams:
* Tonight, each team begins a 3-game series: The Yankees at home to the Twins, and the Red Sox away to the Orioles.
* Both teams have this Thursday off.
* On Friday each team starts a series: The Yankees away to the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Red Sox in an Interleague series, away to the Cincinnati Reds.
* The following Monday, the Yankees come home and play the makeup of a rained-out game with the Kansas City Royals, while the Red Sox begin a 4-game home series with the Blue Jays.
* The next day the Yankees begin a 3-game home series with the Rays.
* On Thursday the Red Sox begin their last series of the season, 4 games at home to the Astros.
* And on Friday, the last series of the season begins: The Yankees hosting the Blue Jays.
If I were running the Yankees -- which, of course, I'm not, and if I were, this decision would have been made by me a long time ago...
These last 2 weeks would be a referendum on field manager Joe Girardi and general manager Brian Cashman.
If the Yankees advance to the American League Division Series, as 1 of the last 4 teams in the League, and 1 of the last 8 teams in Major League Baseball, then, given what we were told at the beginning of the season, this season could be considered a success.
Granted, the only real measure of a Yankee season success is winning the World Series. But get the Yankees into the Division Series, and they will at least have a shot at winning the World Series. If they don't make it that far -- if they fail to make the Playoffs, or they lose the Wild Card Game -- then they have no shot, and the season is absolutely a failure.
If the Yankees don't reach the Division Series, even if they win the Wild Card (which now seems likely), there is no viable reason, no serious reason, no legitimate reason to keep Girardi and Cashman in their current jobs.
Girardi's job is to lead the Yankees to win the World Series. Cashman's job is to get him the players he needs to do that.
Given the choice between the two, that I must keep one or the other, I would keep Cashman, because Girardi is the one with the most direct effect, the one whose decisions are clear immediately after, or even during games, whereas Cashman's decisions only become definitive after the season. Cashman could say, "I gave him the players he needed to do the job, but he couldn't do it."
When I think about how the Yankees are 3 games out with 13 to play, and that Girardi has blown 22 games with his stupid pitching moves this season alone, and that if he'd blown only 18 of them instead of 22, we would now be 1 game in 1st place...
I never again want to hear anybody tell me that Girardi is a good manager.
This is it. These 2 weeks are the referendum. Girardi's legacy is on the line. Cashman's should be as well.
A manager with the resources that Girardi has had should have more than 1 Pennant on his resume.
In 9 previous seasons as Yankee manager, he has won 1 World Series, won 1 Pennant, won exactly 6 American League Championship Series games (losing 10), and since 2010 has won only 1 postseason round (the 2012 ALDS).
Unacceptable.
I hope Hal Steinbrenner will use these next 2 weeks and the Wild Card Game (if necessary) as a referendum on Girardi and Cashman, and tell them that their jobs depend on getting to the ALDS.
He won't tell them that, of course. He still trusts them completely.
These next 2 weeks will determine whether Yankee fans can trust them at all.
*
The countdown has been checked and corrected:
Days until The Arsenal play again: 2, on Wednesday, 2:45 PM our time, home to Doncaster Rovers in the 3rd Round of the League Cup. Yesterday, they held defending Premier League Champions Chelsea to a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge. It was the 4th time in their last 5 games against the Chavs that they had at least avoided defeat, including a 3-0 over them last season and wins in this year's FA Cup and FA Community Shield. It was a big message that they are no longer going to be pushed around by anyone.
Days until the Red Bulls play again: 2, this Wednesday night at 8:30 Eastern Time, against Sporting Kansas City, at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, in the Final of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the American version of England's FA Cup. They drew at home to the Philadelphia Union yesterday, and have all but clinched a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs. It's about jockeying for position now. But Wednesday night is a chance for Metro to win one of the two biggest trophies (the other being the MLS Cup, the not-as-prestigious Supporters' Shield having already been won twice) for the 1st time in their 22-season history. Metro previously reached the Open Cup Final in 2003, then still under the New York/New Jersey MetroStars name, losing to the Chicago Fire.
Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: 5, this Saturday afternoon, away to Monroe, a neighboring school but, with few previous meetings, not exactly a "derby." EB lost its opener to Piscataway, 48-21; and last Friday to Sayreville, 35-0. The Monroe Falcons are also 0-2, so maybe the Bears have a shot in this one.
Days until Rutgers University plays football again: 5, at 3:30 PM on Saturday afternoon, away to the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. After clowning their way to home losses of 30-14 to the University of Washington and 16-13 to Eastern Michigan, the Scarlet Knights took their frustrations out on historically black school Morgan State of Baltimore, and beat them 65-0. That may end up being more points than Rutgers will score in their remaining games combined. Now, they have to play away to the Cornhuskers. This could get ugly.
Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": 9, a week from this Wednesday, at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, against the D.C. Scum. They are not scheduled to play New York City FC, the New England Revolution, or the Philadelphia Union again this season. The only rivalry that could be played in the Playoffs is the one with Man City NYC. But Philly U and the Revs won't be faced again until next season.
Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 18, on Friday night, October 6, against Panama, at Orlando City Stadium. This game will probably decide which of these teams qualifies for next year's World Cup, and which has to go to a tiebreaker to get in. There's 1 more qualifying match after this, away to Trinidad & Tobago, which is the worst team in the group. If the U.S. wins both matches, they're in. If they lose to Panama, then they're in trouble. A draw, and it likely depends on what Panama does at home to Costa Rica, which has already qualified.
Days until the New Jersey Devils play again: 19, on Saturday night, October 7, home to the Colorado Avalanche. Under 3 weeks.
Days until the New Jersey Devils next play a local rival: 26, on Saturday night, October 14, against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in Midtown Manhattan. Their 1st game against the New York Islanders will be on Sunday, January 7, 2018, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn -- and they'll have played the Rangers 3 times by then. Their 1st game against the Philadelphia Flyers will be on Saturday, January 13, 2018, at the Prudential Center in Newark -- and they'll have played the Rangers 3 times and the Islanders once by then. This is a weird schedule.
Days until the Alex Rodriguez Contract From Hell officially runs out, and the Yankees can spend his salary on new players: 43, on October 31. A little over 6 weeks.
Days until the next election for Governor of New Jersey: 50, on Tuesday, November 7. A little over 7 weeks until we elect Phil Murphy, defeat Kim Guadagno, end Christieism forever, and send the Republicans and their illegitimate leader Donald Trump a message that their time has come and gone. But only if you vote!
Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State football game: 54, on Saturday, November 11, at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania.
Days until the next North London Derby: 61, on Saturday, November 18, at the Emirates Stadium. Exactly 2 months. This game was moved back to 5:30 PM London Time, 12:30 PM New York time, for TV purposes, but was not, as I thought it might be, moved to Sunday afternoon (morning, our time) or Monday night (afternoon).
Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge Thanksgiving high school football game: 66, on Thursday, November 23, at 10:00 AM. A little over 9 weeks, and thank God it's at home, at Jay Doyle's Green Grove, rather than at that purple shit pit on Route 9.
Days until the next Winter Olympics begins in Pyeongchang, Korea: 144, on February 9, 2018. Under 5 months.
Days until Opening Day of the 2018 Major League Baseball season: 192, on Thursday night, March 29, as the Yankees open away to the Toronto Blue Jays. Yes, the 2018 MLB schedule has been released.
Days until the Yankees' 2018 home opener: 196, on Monday afternoon, April 2, against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series begins: 204, on Tuesday, April 10, 2018, at Fenway Park. Theoretically, they could play each other in the American League Division Series (which was not the case in the 1994-2011 format), which begins on October 5, so, 29 days. They are likelier to face each other in the AL Championship Series (as happened in 1999, 2003 and 2004), which would begin on October 13 -- a Friday the 13th, so, take note, you superstitious Sox fans. That would be 37 days.
Days until the next World Cup kicks off in Russia: 269, on June 14, 2018. A little under 9 months. Has Bruce Arena turned our chances around? Maybe. Or maybe, with the tournament on his soil, Vladimir Putin will tell his bitch Donald Trump to tell Bruce Arena to tank the games. Maybe not. Or maybe only if we end up playing Russia. I don't think Arena will listen. If he doesn't, I hope his life insurance is paid up, because Putin has had people killed for defying him.
Days until September 2018 roster call-ups, when we can finally start to expect seeing most of these wonderful "prospects" for whom Yankee general manager Brian Cashman threw away a chance at the 2016 Playoffs, and possibly the 2017 AL East title as well: 348. Now under 1 year, or a little under 12 months. Of course, Clint Frazier is already up, but the bubble has already burst on him, and we've hardly benefited enough to offset the cost of Andrew Miller. We could end up seeing another of them sooner than that, but since most of them are at Double-A Trenton now, if that, who's kidding who?
Days until the next Congressional election, when we can elect a Democratic Congress that can impeach and remove Donald Trump from the Presidency: 414, on November 6, 2018. A little over a year, or under 14 months.
Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Mariano Rivera: 478, on January 9, 2019. A little under a year and a half, or under 16 months.
Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Derek Jeter: 843, on January 8, 2020. A little under 2 1/2 years, or a little under 28 months.
Days until the next Summer Olympics begins in Tokyo, Japan: 1,041, on July 24, 2020. Under 3 years, or a little over 34 months.
Days until the next Presidential election, when we can dump the Trump-Pence regime and elect a real Administration: 1,143, on November 3, 2020. Under 3 1/2 years, or under 38 months.
Days until Liberation Day: 1,121, at noon on January 20, 2021. A little under 3 1/2 years, or a little over 40 months. Note that this is liberation from the Republican Party, not just from Donald Trump. Having Mike Pence as President wouldn't be better, just differently bad, mixing theocracy with plutocracy, rather than mixing kleptocracy with plutocracy.