Unfortunately, yesterday afternoon, they did all of the preceding.
CC Sabathia had been one of the few feel-good stories of the year, coming back from injury and alcohol rehab. But, lately, he's been looking as out of gas as he has the last 3 seasons. It was only 2-1 Boston after 5 innings, so it looked like the Big Fella was getting the job done. But his tendency toward one bad inning came up in the 6th, and he allowed 3 runs that essentially decided the game.
Meanwhile, the Yankees couldn't hit Eduardo Rodriguez. Brett Gardner hit his 6th home run of the season in the 3rd inning, and also had a single and a walk. The rest of the team? A home run by Chase Headley (his 8th, in the 8th -- and, like Gardner's, a solo shot), a double by Didi Gregorius, a single by Brian McCann, and a walk by Alex Rodriguez. That's it: 9 innings, 7 baserunners (3 by Gardner).
Red Sox 5, Yankees 2. WP: Rodriguez (5-3). SV: Koji Uehara (6). LP: Sabathia (5-7).
The Yankees are now 9 games behind Baltimore in the AL East -- 10 in the all-important loss column.
Pathetic.
The series concludes tonight. Masahiro Tanaka starts for the Good Guys, David Price for The Scum.
Come on you Pinstripes... please?
*
Hours until the New York Red Bulls play again: 3, tonight, away to the Philadelphia Union, at Talen Energy Stadium (formerly PPL Park) in Chester, Pennsylvania.
Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby" (after tonight's game, that is): 7, against New York City FC, next Sunday afternoon at 1:00, at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey. The next game against D.C. United is on Sunday night, August 21, at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington. The next game against the New England Revolution is on Sunday night, August 28, at Red Bull Arena. The next game against the Philadelphia Union is on Saturday night, October 1, at Red Bull Arena.
Days until The Arsenal play as the opponents in the 2016 Major League Soccer All-Star Game: 11, a week from this Thursday night, at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, California, home of the San Jose Earthquakes. Just 3 weeks. Three days later, The Arsenal will play C.D. Guadalajara (a.k.a. Chivas), one of the biggest clubs in Mexico, at the StubHub Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy, in suburban Carson, California. This will be just 2 years after The Arsenal came to America to play the Red Bulls in New Jersey. I was lucky enough to get a ticket and attend that match. I will not be going this time. And, because of the timing of these games, The Arsenal will not host the preseason Emirates Cup this year. (They'd held it every year since 2007, except for 2012, canceling it due to the Olympics causing havoc with London's infrastructure.)
Days until the 2016 Olympics begin in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 19, on Friday, August 5. Under 3 4 weeks.
Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series: 23, on Tuesday, August 9, at Fenway Park.
Days until The Arsenal play another competitive match: 28, on Sunday, August 14, home to Liverpool. Exactly 4 weeks. This game was originally scheduled for Saturday the 13th, but was moved due to the whims of British television executives trying to get big ratings.
Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 47, on Friday, September 2, in a CONCACAF Qualifying Match for the 2018 World Cup, away to St. Vincent & the Grenadines. A little under 7 weeks. They should win, especially since they took on the best that Latin America had to offer in the Copa America, and reached the Semifinals before being knocked out by Argentina. This will be followed 4 days later by another Qualifier, at EverBank Field, home of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars.
Days until Rutgers University plays football again: 48, on Saturday, September 3, away to the University of Washington, in Seattle.
Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: 54, on Friday, September 9, probably away, since, while the 2016 schedule hasn't been released yet, the Big Green opened last season at home. A little under 8 weeks.
Days until the New Jersey Devils play again: 88, on Thursday night, October 13, away to the Florida Panthers in the Miami suburb of Sunrise. Under 3 months. The home opener is 5 days later, on Tuesday night, October 18, against the Anaheim Ducks.
Days until the 2016 Presidential election: 114, on Tuesday, November 8. That's under 4 months. Make sure you are registered to vote, and then make sure you vote!
Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge Thanksgiving game: 130, on Thursday morning, November 24, at the purple shit pit on Route 9. Under 5 months.
Days until the New Jersey Devils lay another local rival: 147. Their 1st game this season with the New York Rangers will be on Sunday night, December 11, at Madison Square Garden. Their 1st game this season with the Philadelphia Flyers will be on Thursday night, December 22, at the Prudential Center. By a quirk in the schedule, the New York Islanders, a team they usually play several times a season, don't show up on the slate until Saturday night, February 18, 2017, at the Prudential Center.
Days until The Contract From Hell runs out, and Alex Rodriguez' alleged retirement becomes official as far as the Yankees are concerned: 471, on October 31, 2017 -- or at the conclusion of the 2017 World Series, if the Yankees make it, whichever comes last. A little over 15 months, unless Yankee management finally decides that they've had enough of his sorry ass and buys him out.
Days until the next World Cup kicks off in Russia: 697, on June 14, 2018. A little under 23 months. The U.S. team will probably qualify for it, but with Jurgen Klinsmann as manager, particularly in competitive matches such as World Cup Qualifiers, rather than in friendlies, you never know.