CAN THE YANKEES MAKE THE PLAYOFFS?

It's the million dollar question. Did you know that both the Yankees and the Mets were 5 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot prior to Wednesday's game. When I read that my mouth dropped. I never would've thought we would be in the same situation as the Mets. The thought actually made me a little sick. It's a scary thought. As September ramps up I can't help but wonder....do the Yankees have a shot at making the playoffs?

I am a firm believer that anything is possible. I could win the lottery tomorrow (if I played). I could finally pick up and move to New York next week....but I am also a realist. I want to say that YES the Yankees actually can grab that final wild-card spot, but this feat could be too much for them. I hate to think this way. It's not my way of thinking at all but there are so many flaws that we can't ignore.

Our offense is so erratic, I can't even call them streaky. Getting shut out by the Orioles last night broke my heart. We needed to crush them, not just win. We needed to go into that game with our war faces on, pounding our chests and smack the cover off of the ball. Needless to say, that didn't happen.

Yet, we do have some moments where we can pull it out. Thursday I was already twitching as the Rays took a 4-1 lead in the first inning. With as inconsistent as we are, many times this year a three run deficit was just too much to overcome, no matter how early it was in the game. I'm not going to lie, as soon as I saw Brian McCann hit his home run in the first I did a little victory dance because I just wasn't expecting it. I just wished it wasn't a solo shot.

It was nice to see Mark Teixeira and Chris Young step up to the plate, too. We came from behind and we won. I just wish we could've seen this more throughout the season. Instead, a common theme for me this year has been, "HEY YANKEES.....STOP SCORING AND SAVE SOME OF THOSE RUNS FOR TOMORROW!" That's just not right. It's a valid point though because we couldn't do anything against the Orioles.

I am not used to hoping for a wild-card, but this year I am crossing my fingers, toes, legs, eyes, arms.....anything that can be crossed. As I look at the standings though, it's not looking good. It would be one thing if the Yankees only had one or two teams to pass but 5 teams......5?! That is a huge task and that leaves no margin for error and we don't have a great track record.

I want to make it clear that I am not giving up on my team. I haven't all season. Miracles can happen, but even if the Yankees went on a winning streak like the Oakland As did during the Moneyball era....they have to rely on a lot of other teams to slip and I don't like to depend on anyone else in order to succeed. It's just not in my mindset.

I hope that the wild-card stat is the only thing we have in common with the Mets. The last thing I was to share with them is an early exit and a golf time. Come on Yankees.....make it happen!!




 --Jeana Bellezza, BYB Senior Writer and Editor
Twitter: @NyPrincessJ
 




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