by Darren Jay

Created on: May 20, 2007

Today is Sunday, May 20, 2007. The New York Yankees are ten and a half games out of first place after Saturday's loss at Shea Stadium, and are staring up at baseball's best record, which belongs to the nemesis Boston Red Sox.

The Yankees are 1-5 against the Red Sox so far this season, including a three game sweep at Fenway Park, where their losses were by a combined four runs.

Ten. This is how many different starting pitchers have been used by the New York Yankees through today's action.

Ten. This is also the number of earned runs Mariano Rivera has allowed thus far, while the last five seasons he has allowed an average of just over fourteen for an entire season.

23. This is how many runs the Yankees (18-23) have outscored their opponents so far this season.

The numbers speak for themselves, that the New York Yankees just do not have that same sparkle or mystique to them anymore. The players are still hitting. Jeter and Posada are having incredible season so far. April Rodriguez, excuse me, Alex Rodriguez hit the proverbial snot out of the ball the first three and a half weeks of the season. Teams just do not fear the Yankees. It is time for a change in New York.

The Yankees made a huge mistake in the offseason by allowing Joe Torre to return for his 12th season as Yankee skipper. The Boss has rested on his laurels that what worked in the late nineties must be the blueprint for success in any baseball era. The Yankees had great farm talent, they had Bernie, a young Mariano, an upstart Jeter, a motivating Posada, a dominating Pettitte, and just the right amount of veterans in the clubhouse to keep it all together.

Today, the New York Yankees are made up of overpaid under-producers. A-Rod never delivers in the clutch, injuries hamper as their superstars age (see Sheffield, Giambi, Matsui), and the pitching staff is a muddled mess of minor leaguers and 35 year olds.

I am never going to be the first in line to give the New York Yankees advice, but what the hell, I'm bored

Step One: Clean Out Your Offices, Boys

Torre is fired. Mattingly is fired. Cashman is fired. The Boss needs to start from the top and work his way down. Yes you brought Georgie Boy four rings in five years, but you have also provided with many October losses since, and it is just not cutting it anymore.

Try to lure Terry Ryan from the Twins, offering him a moderately larger payroll than he is used to in the Twin Cities, otherwise Billy Beane for an alternate.

Hire as manager, Joe Girardi. How soon we forget

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