*This post is a rant and filled with my opinions. You don’t have to agree and you have been warned.*

Let’s get this out of the way right now Yankee fans. Yesterday’s game sucked. It sucked up one side and down the other. It was frustrating from the start and just got worse as the hot, steamy, dank day went on. With that said, can everyone please stop trashing the Yankees?

My goodness, the team is 20-6 in their last 26 games and people are acting as if a two-game losing streak is the worst thing ever. I’ll give you a hint, it’s not.

At yesterday’s game, I was surrounded by people who did nothing but complain all day. Granted there was a lot to complain about but you’d have thought the Yankees had lost 10 games coming into yesterday and that they were in last place. It was like Twitter on steroids.

And speaking of steroids, the Alex Rodriguez bashing got to be too much for me. I’m one of the most staunch Rodriguez defenders you’ll ever meet. I can’t help it. I like to defend the people who get the most lip from people. Though, I’ll admit, right now he does deserve some of the criticism. But yesterday, I had a guy near me in Section 234 who was talking about how he’s not clutch and then was bringing up guys like Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius and their clutch-ness (His made up word, not mine).

Lesson time kids…

Let me tell you something about Tino Martinez. Yes, he hit two big postseason home runs – one came after he should have been struck out on a called strike three and the other one came after he had an 0fer for the entire 2001 World Series. Okay? So everybody can calm down with that stuff.

It’s as if people don’t remember what Rodriguez did in 2009. That somehow his performance in that postseason doesn’t count. I thought the 2009 World Series would do something to quiet the four ringers. Sadly, it hasn’t.

People still wax poetically about the 1996-2001 run and in the process, seem to misremember things. Specifically about how “clutch” some players were. It’s absolutely maddening. Did Scott Brosius have a great 1998 World Series? Yes. Was he clutch the rest of the time he was in pinstripes? Well, one time, in 2001 he hit a game tying home run when the Yankees were down two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. The rest of time? Not really.

To be honest, I think there needs to a law that prohibits baseball fans from uttering the word clutch. It’s becoming too much for me to take. I heard that word thrown around at least eight times yesterday before the sixth inning. I wanted to pull my hair out from frustration. And if it wasn’t 97 degrees out I would have. The less I moved around yesterday, the better off I was.

Another thing people need to calm down about is Phil Hughes’s performance yesterday. After the way he pitched in his previous six starts, I’d give him a pass for yesterday. And I’ll take a really terrible start every five starts over his being mediocre all year. Call me crazy but it’s not like anyone is expecting Hughes to be the ace of the staff. He’s a serviceable 4th or 5th starter who had an awful day yesterday.

We all did.

Speaking of bad days, the offense. You may be thinking, “But Stacey, you said in the beginning of this post to stop trashing the Yankees!” Yes, I did do that but this is one area they really need to improve upon. You may also be thinking, “But they scored five runs yesterday.” Well, yes, they did and that’s fine and dandy but my God when will they start to hit with runners in scoring position? It’s nearly July and this problem is not going away. It’s astounding and I’m sure the coaching staff and the players themselves are just baffled as we are.

It’s gotten to the point where I dread seeing runners on base because I just know it’s not going to end well. I think everyone feels that way.

And I really dreaded seeing Alex Rodriguez up with runners on first and third with two outs and the Yankees down by a run. Do you know why? Because I knew he’d hit into a double play. I just felt it in my gut. And then it happened. Of all the players to do it, it had to be him? What a cruel bitch fate is.

He wasn’t the only one who failed when the Yankees needed to get something going and I made sure I pointed that out to the people  who had been calling him a bum all day.

So what can be done to fix this problem? Damned if I know. I’m not a professional baseball player, I haven’t swung a bat since I played softball with my friend’s company’s team back in 1999. But something needs to be done at some point. Like I said a few days ago, the pitching will not be able to sustain its performance of the last few weeks and the Yankees are going to have to start winning games with timely hitting.

My God, I almost used the word clutch just then.

One more thing I want to talk about before I end this entry is New York Mets manager Terry Collins and his comments about the short porch at Yankee Stadium. In case you didn’t already know, the second round of the Subway Series will take place this weekend in Queens and Collins has made it a point to state that Citifield plays differently than Yankee Stadium.

Here’s what I like to say to everyone who complains about the short porch at Yankee Stadium.

1. Get over it.
2. It’s not as if the fences are moved back when the opposing team comes to bat.
3. Shut up.
4. No, seriously, get over it.

Also, I’d like to inform Mr. Collins that a couple of Yankees who aren’t known for their home run hitting prowess have hit dingers in Citifield. Let me introduce you to Eduardo Nunez, who hit one to left field last season and to Brett Gardner who hit one in 2010 into the Pespi Porch.

It amuses me that people in the Mets organization and even on their broadcasts do nothing but complain about the short porch at Yankee Stadium. It’s not the Yankees’ fault your Stadium was designed to be a pitcher’s park and that your ownership had to move the fences in because your team wasn’t hitting enough home runs. Right? Thought so.

I think that’s all I’ve got for today. Enjoy your off day and if you’re in the areas affected by this oppressive heat wave, stay cool. Happy Thursday!