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A16 SPORTS
Friday 18 august 2023
The Yankees are in last place with a losing record. What is the

world coming to?

By PAUL NEWBERRY RBIs. This season, they’ve
AP Sports Columnist totaled 62 dingers and 146
The franchise of Ruth and RBIs. The pitching hasn’t
Gehrig, DiMaggio and been much better outside
Mantle, Jeter and Rivera is of Gerrit Cole.
a pinstriped mess. Two-time All-Star Luis Sever-
The only recognizable thing ino can’t seem to get any-
about this storied club is the one out in the first inning,
“New York” stitched across leaving him with just two
its uniforms. These are the wins and an ERA hovering
Damned Yankees. around 8.00.
“We’re not showing up,” DomingoGerman checked
Aaron Judge conceded. into alcohol rehab and
“No one’s happy about it.” won’t pitch again this sea-
Speak for yourself, Mr. son.
Judge. Much of the base- Embattled manager Aaron
ball world is gloating about Boone, whose job security
the misfortune of America’s seems more precarious by
most famous sports team, the day, insists that the Yan-
the one that always re- kees aren’t throwing in the
ceives out-of-proportion towel on the season.
media coverage and ex- “A quarter of a season left.
cessive slots in the national We’ve got to keep working
television lineup, the one to try to figure it out,” he
that has hoarded 27 World said.
Series titles more than “It doesn’t always go the
twice as many as any other way you script it or hope,
team. but you’ve got to keep
But, here’s the thing: It’s fighting.”
much more fun to pile on Brave words from the skip-
the haughty Yankees when per, but there’s nothing to
they’re piling up pennants. New York Yankees starting pitcher Randy Vasquez wipes his face as he waits for manager Aaron suggest a stunning turn-
This group is hardly worthy Boone to remove him during the fourth inning of the team’s baseball game against the Atlanta around is imminent.
Braves, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023, in Atlanta.
of the jealous vitriol. Associated Press Since the end of June, the
New York sits last in the AL Yankees are 15-25 and
East, 14 games in arrears to streaks than this New York Anthony Volpe had the baseball. They’re kicking have just one series victory
the up-and-coming Balti- team. only extra-base hits of the our butts.” out of 13 tries, that being a
more Orioles. While there is Yet here we are, New York entire series for the New Throw in a dismal season by sweep of the lowly Kansas
still irrational banter about hobbling along at 60-61 af- Yorkers, including the most the neighboring New York City Royals nearly a month
making a playoff run, it ter a lost series in Atlanta, meaningless run-scoring Mets, and it’s truly been a ago.
seems downright laugh- where the gap between triple you’ll ever see. lost year for the national “The game is still littered
able at this point. A more the Yankees and baseball’s It came with two outs in the pastime in the Big Apple. with examples of teams go-
feasible target is avoiding best team couldn’t have ninth inning on Monday, The Yankees have cer- ing on unlikely runs,” Boone
the team’s first losing sea- been more glaring. leaving the Yankees with a tainly dealt with more than insisted.
son since 1992. The MLB-leading Braves, loss that read 11-3 instead their share of injuries, most “I get it. It looks bleak and
How rare is it to find the cruising along at 78-42, of 11-2. notably a toe issue that I don’t want to even sug-
Yankees under .500 as the swept all three games In those rare times when sidelined Judge, the reign- gest that we’re in a position
the calendar speeds to- by a cumulative score the Yankees put runners on ing AL MVP, for nearly two to even talk about a streak
ward September? of 18-3. If this had been base, many of them were months and is still thwarting like that. We’ve got to fix
You must go all the way a heavyweight fight, the wiped out by double plays. him from being at his best. our own house and get go-
back to 1995 Sept. 5, to be ref would’ve stepped in The Braves turned seven Stanton also missed signifi- ing. But there’s a lot of sea-
exact to find the last time to stop it about midway of those. And, in a bone- cant time with a hamstring son left, too, and we’ve got
the Yankees were saddled through Game 1. headed move that epito- issue and has struggled to look at it that way.”
with a losing mark (60-61) Over the final 25 innings of mized a season lost, Har- mightily since returning, his Now, back to reality.
at least 120 games into the the series, the mighty Yan- rison Bader was picked off average (.201) hovering This season is over for the
season, according to the kees scored a grand total first with his team trailing by around the Mendoza Line. Yankees, at least as far as
Elias Sports Bureau. of one run. six runs in the series opener. Then there’s Anthony Rizzo, making the playoffs for the
Their amazing run of 30 One. In Atlanta, the Yankees who’s out with concussion- seventh year in row.
straight winning seasons, A lineup featuring Judge got a first-hand look at the related symptoms that The only goals within reach
the third-longest in the his- and Giancarlo Stanton team they want to be and won’t seem to go away, are extending the streak of
tory of the four major U.S. scraped out just 12 hits all just how far away they are and 37-year-old Josh Don- winning seasons and build-
sports leagues, is in serious but two of them singles in from that goal. aldson, who’s been hurt ing some positive vibes
jeopardy. their final 79 at-bats against “I’ve gotta give love to the most of the season and heading into 2024.
Only the Ruthian-inspired the Braves, which translates Braves,” acclaimed direc- barely played at all. And, yes, we’re pulling for
Yankees, who ripped off 39 to a .152 average. New tor Spike Lee, a Yankees A year ago, when the Yan- them to turn things around.
consecutive winning sea- York was held to a single fan who was at Truist Park kees claimed 99 wins and Frankly, the Yankees are
sons from 1926-64, and the hit in a 5-0 loss Tuesday and for the beatdown, told Bally the AL East title, that quar- much more fun to hate
NHL’s Montreal Canadiens, managed just four feeble Sports South in an interview tet combined for 140 hom- when they’re winning.
with a string of 32 in a row one-baggers in a 2-0 de- from his seat. ers (including a league-re- This bunch isn’t worth the
from 1952-83, have longer feat Wednesday. “They’re the best team in cord 62 by Judge ) and 346 trouble.q