[jacksonianmarch]

The sox were running into a buzzsaw. Houston started playing well and Tampa just didnt quit. But then the trip to NY. Usually a tough trip, but now, the sox are ready to do something that hasnt been done officially since 1993. With TB playing their asses off and the yankees now 9 games back of TB in the loss column, the sox may be the only chance the yanks have at making the playoffs. And now, after watching Rasner squander a 3 run lead vs Beckett, I think yankee fans all over are seeing the demise of the yankee playoff run.

Wang is out for likely the yr
Hughes was never right and is out until August
Kennedy is coming back but has missed 6 weeks
Matsui has been in and out of the lineup and now looks to be out for 2 more weeks
Posada hasnt thrown a ball with good velocity since last yr and has spent a good amount of time on the DL
Cano and Giambi started out awfully and are somewhat to blame for our slow start
We have Darrell Rasner, Sidney Ponson and Dan Geise throwing meaningful games in the same turn of a rotation in July.
Alan Horne, our hotshot AAA pitcher has had arm trouble.
Humberto Sanchez, a hotshot AAA pitcher coming off TJ has been slow to heal
Damon has been solid, but in and out of the lineup as well being dinged up and is now out for likely the rest of the series with a shoulder contusion
Jeter is having the worst yr of his career
ARod was down for 3 weeks, and we went 6-11 in his absence.
Hawkins and Farns have been less than stellar.
Alabaldejo, who looked really good in limited time is out for the yr
Betemit was out for a long time, limiting who was available when ARod was out.

the injuries combined with an older team and a ravaged pitching staff has led to this team being nothing more than a bit over .500. And now, 2 games into this series, we are staring directly in the face of a 4 game sweep and if that is the case, we'll be looking at a playoff-less yr. It might be time to become sellers soon

Move Abreu to a team needing an RBI man.
Move Mussina and Pettitte to teams that need veteran arms for the playoff run.
Hell, see if Giambi is amenable to a deal, as he would likely be worth a bunch.
Cut Pavano at the end of the yr

and then sign Sabathia and Tex at the end of the yr. With a little luck, some MiLB player devt and some health, we could be younger and much better next yr. But this teams health and age has made this team mediocre. And mediocre will no longer make the playoffs.