Like many of you fans who have also been running with the “It’s still early” mantra, I too was living in a world of denial and the last 20 years of Yankee baseball. But I think it’s finally time to ask this question: Are the Yankees in serious trouble? I’ve blogged about it before- the lack of pitching, the stale offense, the fact that the AL East features some new contenders, but I continued to fall back on the notion that Kevin Long and Larry Rothschild would help straighten these guys out. That eventually the offense would start to mash. Well, we’re only a week or so away from June, and with the Yankees pretty much going 0-May with runners in scoring position, it’s time to express some legitimate concern. I literally cannot remember a more boring, pitiful stretch of Yankee baseball in my life. Going down early in what seems to be every fucking game is not conducive for wins for a team whose entire offense is hitting like DeWayne Wise if there are runners on base. By the way, the “runners on base” stat is easily David Cone’s favorite. He mentions it every batter. He may have invented it.

Are we watching the worst Yankee team in recent memory? So far this first quarter of the season is certainly right alongside the 2008 squad that missed the playoffs. But is it bad enough to say this the worst Yankee team we’ve seen in the last decade? I know, I know, it sounds crazy. But then I started thinking about it. When was the last time the Yankees ever featured a starting rotation of one reliable pitcher and 4 question marks this big? Each guy has the ability to go out and dominate on any given night, but it’s impossible to sustain an extended streak of good baseball without all 5 pitchers at least keeping your team in the contest. I say the panic button does not yet need to be pushed, but the hand is certainly hovering right above it.

And before all you commenters go nuts and accuse me of being fair weather and say its too early and I’m being too dramatic, this is the New York Yankees we’re talking about. We strive for perfection. Excellence. We don’t tolerate collapses. We don’t tolerate prolonged slumps. If The Boss was still around someone would have been fired by now. So spare me your comments. .500 ain’t acceptable.