SO! JUST HOW GOOD IS THIS TEAM?

In any other year the Yankees and their fans would be feeling really good about their team. The Bombers have the best record in the American League and are riding a 7-game winning streak. That should be more than enough positive vibes for even the most cynical of Yankees' fans. But it's not. The fact of the matter is the Yankees and their fans are wondering just how good they this team is. Why do you ask? Read further and find out.

The Yankees came out of spring training with a lot of reasons to believe they were the team to beat in the American League. They had, what had been considered, some of the best off-season acquisitions in baseball. They beat out the Boston Red Sox for the services of Jose Contreras the highly touted pitcher from Cuba and had signed Hideki Matsui, who was one of the big stars in Japanese baseball. The fact that the team started out with a 23-6 record by May 2nd fueled that belief. They had made their first dreaded west coast swing and won 6 of 9 in Arlington, Anaheim and Seattle. On May 2nd the Yanks took the first game of a 3-game set in Oakland and the New York beat writers as well as the writers across the country were wondering who was going to beat the Yankees? They didn't have to wait much longer for the answer.

The team, whose starting rotation had gone 16-0 before losing a game, began losing games in a rapid sucession. They dropped the next two games in Oakland and then went home to meet the same teams they had played on the west coast. Only this time the outcome was diffent. The Yanks dropped 8 of the next 12 games against Seattle, Oakland, Anaheim and Texas. They were even swept by the Rangers. The worst team in the A.L. Western Division took 3 out of 3 from New York's finest. Suddenly, the unbeatable looked very beatable. The Yankees went 11-17 in the month of May. The only team the Yankees appeared to master was the Boston Red Sox from whom they took 4 of 6 games during that month.

June was much kinder to the Bombers as they went 20-7 during that stretch. Fortunately, the Yanks faced teams like Tampa Bay, Houston, St. Louis and the New York Mets. All of who have had their share of troubles. The Yankees ended the month riding an 8-game winning streak. Once again, the Yankees were riding on some very positive MoJo! But remember who we played during that stretch.

The Yankees' good feelings rolling into July turned into a mixed bag of tricks. After Mike Mussina and Roger Clemens were shelled at the Stadium on successive days (10-3 and 10-2) by the Boston Red Sox the Bombers came back to take the next two to salvage a 4-game split. The Yanks dropped 2 of 3 against Cleveland, but bounced back to take 2 of 3 from Toronto and ended up with a 57-36 record at the all-star break.

After the break the Yankees broke off a 4-game sweep of the Indians and it appeared that they were ready to feast in the second half. They lost a game to Toronto (the second game was rained out) and then dropped 2 of 3 in Boston. After that series Boston had crept within 1-1/2 games of the Yankees. The Yanks went home to face the Anaheim Angels. For those of you who have short memories the Anaheim Angels are the guys who embarrassed the Bombers last year in the ALDS, have the only winning record against the Yankees over the past 5 seasons and are the current world champs. Fortunately, the Yankees nutted up and swept the Angels out of the Bronx.

However, once again the fortunes of the Yankees changed again. The Yankees dropped 7 of 12 against Oakland, Texas, Seattle and Kansas City. The tide turned again and the Yankees swept the Orioles in Baltimore and then came home and swept Kansas City. The latter series eased the pain of getting spanked by the Royals 11-0 in Kansas City. Now the Yankees stand with a 12-7 record for August and a 78-47 record overall. Hence, they have the best record in the American League. But is the Yankees' record telling the real story?

The Yankees have had one of the shakiest bullpens in baseball this season. What had once been a very dominant bullpen has turned into something that has more leaks in it than the Titantic. The Yankees used to play 6 innings, while their opponents played nine. The starter would go six, give the ball to Stanton, Mendoza, or Nelson and then Mariano would come into the game in the 9th inning and close the door. Bang! That bullpen helped the Yankees turn in world series championship seasons. No more. Starting with Juan Acevedo, and going through Antonio Osuna, Al Reyes, Chris Hammond, Sterling Hitchcock and ending with Mariano Rivera this bullpen has caused the Yankees' coaching staff and the fans to chew off more than a few fingernails.

There is no more perfect example than Wednesday night's game against Kansas City. Starter Roger Clemens pitched beautifully, but began running out of gas in the 7th inning. With 2 on and one out he was relieved by Jesse Orosco. Orosco was unable to hold down Kansas City who scored a run, which was charged to Clemens. Orosco was relieved by Antonio Osuna who got out of the rest of the 7th and all of the 8th innings without surrendering another run. The Yankees held an 8-3 lead when Sterling Hitchcock entered the game in the top of the 9th. What happened after that was totally surreal. Hitchcock could only record one out. He gave up 3 hits, a run and with the bases nearly full of Royals Joe Torre got the hook and replaced Hitchcock with Rivera.

Things got no better. Rivera started throwing batting practice and surrendered 3 more hits and 2 more runs (charged to Hitchcock). If it wasn't for a base running error by the Royals' Carlos Beltran that got him tagged out for the second out the Royals would have been in big-time business. However, with 2 outs and Mike Sweeney on 3B Rivera surrendered another hit and Sweeney scored. Rivera looked shell shocked. Thankfully, with Beltran being tagged out on his base running faux paus Rivera still had a chance to record a save. Mo got Desi Relaford to strike out swinging to end the game. But the psychological damage was done.

Instead of striking fear in opposing batters Hitchcock's, and more importantly, Rivera's shoddy pitching performances struck fear in the Yankees clubhouse. After the game Rivera likened his performance like the recent golfing troubles of Tiger Woods. Just a slump. Everything is fine. Is it really Mo? I submit that Mariano Rivera is not in the upper elchelon of closers anymore. He has become too careful and too predictable. Ever since Luis Gonzalez' bloop single over Derek Jeter's head that closed out the 2001 World Series with an Arizona Diamondback championship Mariano Rivera has not been the same pitcher. He was no longer invincible. A chink appeared in his armor. And since that time the chink has gotten bigger. He has spent significant time on the disabled list and he no longer holds down opposing hitters. Mo is no longer a sure thing. It isn't an automatic "Ballgame over. Yankees win. Theeeeeeeeeeeee Yankees win." Now it's can Mo shut the door? Can Mo get out the side? Will Mo get lit up again?

Mariano Rivera is only one underlying symptom of a team that may not be as good as it's record. The offense has struggled off and on all season. One game they look like monsters and the next game they look like pussycats. And, let's not forget Mo's bullpen mates. They haven't looked particularly well since well back to the first month of the season. They have all struggled. Yankees GM Brian Cashman has tried to make trades to shore up the pen and still it leaks like a submarine with a screen door.
Lastly, the Yankees haven't looked exactly like world beaters against Oakland and Seattle. Yeah, they've handled these teams in the playoffs in the past, but that's the past. We came one outstanding play by Derek Jeter in the 2001 ALDS from getting swept by Oakland. Good thing speed doesn't run in the Giambi family.

How good is this team? Only as good as the pitching. Hopefully, with Jeff Weaver going to the pen and Jose Contreras joining the starting rotation things will turn northward for the Yankees. But there are no guarantees. Fasten your seatbelts ladies and genlemen it's going to be a bumpy ride here on out.