There's an old joke that goes something like this: A guy is skydiving for the very first time. He jumps out of the plane, pulls the cord, and nothing happens. He pulls the emergency cord and nothing happens. He looks down and sees a guy coming toward him and yells out, "Hey! Do you know anything about parachutes?" The guys yells back. "No! Do you know anything about lighting gas stoves?"
In the world of jokes, the New York Yankees have become the punchline...they've pulled the emergency cord, and nothing works; and just when you thought the Boston Red Sox were about to have the season blow-up in their faces, they are flying high!
The look on Hank Steinbrenner's face after Dustin Pedroia's grand slam tonight was more telling than the Joe Castiglione "Swing and a pop-up" line that has become a fan favorite soundbite on Sports Radio WEEI.
On this road trip, the Red Sox are truly soaring. One could argue they have not been fully tested, but let's be clear: the Red Sox faced the three teams they have had trouble beating all year. The Baltimore Orioles, the Toronto Blue Jays and obviously the New York Yankees have been a thorn in their side all year. These three teams have been a major contributing factor as to why the Sox road record was so poor. After tonight, they are one game under .500 on the road, and are looking to sweep the Yankees in what will be their last game ever in the old Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees look worse than the 2001 Red Sox at the end of the season. They look lifeless, hopeless and without a common cause or purpose. If they weren't the Yankees, I would actually feel sorry for them. But they are the Yankees, so the heck with that.
Earlier in the week, I made the point that this series was incredibly important and that the Red Sox needed to come up big. With the first two games in the win column, the Sox have done just that.
The Yankees may be lifeless and hopeless, but one should never, ever wake the sleeping giant. The Yankees are probably one good on-field brawl away from the spark they need. The Yankees have the talent to go 21-9 over the final 30 games; the question is, do they have the heart, the will, or the desire to find that spark to send them soaring into the air and fly neck and neck with the already climbing Red Sox?
So far, I haven't seen it.
Keywords: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays
