Everybody relax. Pigs still can’t fly, hell is not frozen over,
and the New York Yankees will not finish third in the American
League East.
With the Bombers off to their worst start in seven
years, concern in the Big Apple has reached a fever pitch. The
lineup that was expected to rank among the most powerful in
baseball history has the lowest team batting average in the
American League (.224).
Jason Giambi is batting .211. Alex Rodriguez has only
six RBI. Gary Sheffield has just one home run in 21 games. Mike
Mussina is 1-4 with an ERA over 6.5.
Most frightening of all, team captain Derek Jeter is
hitless in his last 32 at-bats. Tension has risen to the point that
fans actually booed Jeter in Yankee Stadium.
Even Joe Torre, the most patient man in New York, has
expressed concern.
“To try to pretend nothing’s wrong is a pretty tough
sell right now,” Torre told ESPN.
When the Yankees took the field against Oakland last
night, the only player on the roster hitting over .300 was Miguel
Cairo, and by the end of the night Cairo’s average had plummeted to
.235.
Analysts across the nation have concocted various
theories to explain the Yankees’ struggles, ranging from a lack of
team chemistry to an inability to perform under the pressure of the
national spotlight and the burden of tremendous expectations. The
reality is quite simple: they’re in a slump.
Every player struggles at some point in the season, but
rarely does an entire roster struggle at the same time. That is
precisely what has happened to the 2004 Yankees. With the exception
of Jorge Posada, the entire Yankee lineup is simultaneously
slumping, and like any slump, this one will eventually end.
Don’t get too caught up in all of the drama surrounding
the Bombers’ slow start. The Yankees are 10-11. At one time in the
season, every championship team will have a 10-11 stretch. Unless
it happens at the beginning of the year, no one will even notice.
After all, what is the difference between 65-40 and 75-51 for a
team that has already established a substantial lead in their
division? However, when a team that is supposed to win the World
Series opens the year 10-11, the entire baseball community demands
an explanation.
At the moment, patience is truly a virtue for fans of
the most celebrated franchise in sports. In a few weeks, everything
will be back to normal and the Yankees will sit comfortably atop
the AL East. This team is simply too good to finish anywhere
else.
The Bombers have already begun to break out of their
slump. In the past two games, the bats have finally come alive. New
York has pounded 15 runs in two games and they have done it against
two of the most dominant starters in baseball, Oakland’s Tim Hudson
and Mark Mulder.
After raising eyebrows with a 0-16 stretch against the
Red Sox, Alex Rodriguez is currently riding a nine-game hitting
streak. Jason Giambi has four hits in his last seven at-bats after
struggling through a 7-47 stretch that brought his average
dangerously close to the Mendoza line.
Even the fans have started to come around. Last night,
instead of booing the struggling team leader, Yankee fans gave
Jeter a standing ovation when he came to the plate in the seventh
inning and the beloved shortstop delivered with a lead-off
walk.
As his teammates begin to snap out of the season-long
lull, it is just a matter of time until Jeter does the same. A
career .317 hitter, Jeter has hit over .295 in each of the past six
seasons. Aside from the 1995 campaign, in which he played just 15
games, Jeter has never finished with a batting average lower than
.290. Do you really think he’s going to bat .161 all season?
“Jeter’s going to be hitting .300 by the end of the
year,” commentator Jeff Brantley said during ESPN’s telecast of
last night’s game between the Yankees and the A’s. “It doesn’t
matter if Jeter is 0-for-29, 0-for-whatever; he can put the bat on
the ball.”
The fact is, it’s still April. The baseball season is
only one month old. The Yankees have played just 21 games of a
165-game schedule. Eighty-seven percent of the season remains to be
played. Besides, the Yanks are just four games out of first
place.
So forget all of the “if the playoffs started tomorrow”
talk and the myriad disaster scenarios that are swirling around the
Big Apple. Come September, Jeter will be hitting .300, A-Rod will
be in the running for his second consecutive MVP award, and the
Yankees will be playing for their 40th pennant and 27th World
Series title.
