He got hold of the last $200 he could sign for -- about $1,600 in today's money. He covered the roulette wheel. He had chips on every number. In other words, no matter where the ball landed, he would win all his money back, and whatever other money was being bet. He said, "I can't lose! It can't get any worse!"
It got worse: The croupier spun the wheel, and the ball fell out of it, onto the floor. No winner. Cos lost all his money.
Ever since, he's said, "Don't ever say, 'It can't get any worse.' It can always get worse. Worse is rough."
*
Me after the Sunday game, the 5-0 choke job with the failure to get a run home with bases loaded and nobody on in the 12th inning, and Giancarlo Stanton going 0-for-7 with 5 strikeouts, a double-play groundout, and a run-allowing error: "Yesterday's game at Yankee Stadium II was an absolute debacle. It may have been the single most angering regular-season game I have ever seen."
For the Yankees, last night, things got worse.
Last night's game, the opener of a 3-game series at Fenway Park against the Auld Enemy, the American League Eastern Division-leading Boston Red Sox, had been set up as a pitcher's duel between our Luis Severino and their Chris Sale.
It didn't end up that way. Sevy allowed a run in the 1st inning, and I knew it was going to be a bad night at the little green pinball machine in the Back Bay. All of #YankeesTwitter was saying we were lucky to get out of that inning down only 1-0.
We were not so lucky in the 2nd inning, falling behind 4-0. After the 4th, 5-0. Aaron Judge, previously 0-for-12 with 10 strikeouts against Sale in his career, hit a long home run to center field in the top of the 5th, to make it 5-1, and there was hope.
Then came the top of the 6th inning, one of the worst innings in Yankee history. Aaron Boone took Sevy out, which was understandable -- but, as it turned out, not advisable. He brought in Tommy Kahnle, who was decent last season, but, this season, has been living up to his uniform number 48, previously worn by Boone Logan, Kyle Farnsworth and Scott Proctor.
I thought his name was pronounced KAHN-lee. Turns out, it's KANE-lee -- rhymes with "vainly."
Here's what he got: Groundout, double, walk, bases-loading walk, 2-run double, RBI sacrifice fly, walk.
Boone probably should have pulled him at least 2 batters sooner. He brought in Chasen Shreve. Here's what he allowed: Bases-loading hit-by-pitch, grounder that turned into a run-scoring error which kept the bases loaded, based-loaded walk, grand slam. The Sox scored how many times in the inning, Ed Rooney? "Nine times!"
The final score was Red Sox 14, Yankees 1. WP: Sale (1-0). No save. LP: Severino (2-1).
The Yankees are now 5-6, 4 1/2 games behind the Red Sox, 5 in the loss column.
Apologists for Brian Cashman, who assembled this group of gutless wonders, are saying, "It's early." They have not yet quoted Yogi Berra: "It ain't over 'til it's over."
I am quoting Yogi: "It gets late early out there."