So some really big news came out about the Yankees today. It’s not that they signed John Maine to a Minor League deal, though that is an interesting development. Nor is it the news about Chad Curtis being arrested for sexual misconduct. Apparently the big news of the day is the fact that they are not giving up on the season…

Seriously? It’s May 25, they’re 23-21 and only 4.5 games out of first place. Why on earth is this even a story?

In another article that trashes Alex Rodriguez, Bob Klapisch writes:

You had every reason to dismiss Alex Rodriguez’s postgame chest-thumping session on Tuesday night, where, after another brutally unproductive game, he promised he was ready to “go off” and start hitting home runs again.

First reaction? Who was kidding whom? A-Rod hadn’t gone deep in 52 at-bats, and with only five home runs on the season, the slugger was turning into the most expensive singles hitter in Yankee history. But wouldn’t you know, Rodriguez made good on that promise only 24 hours later, hitting home runs in his first two at-bats against the Royals.

OK, so the damage was done against Will Smith, a 22-year-old rookie making his first-ever start in the big leagues. The lefthander brought with him an unremarkable 91 mph fastball and a case of nerves, making him the perfect target for the overdue Rodriguez.

Guys, Alex Rodriguez hit two home runs against a rookie pitcher with an “unremarkable” 91 mph fastball. Obviously, those home runs do not count. What amuses me is that all of the writers who were making fun of Rodriguez for daring to say that he felt like he was going to come around are now diminishing his two home runs because they were against a rookie.

Really? As far as I know, a home run is a home run and that’s what shows up in his stats. The name and caliber of pitcher doesn’t matter. And if Rodriguez had struck out in two at bats against this same rookie, the inscription on his gravestone would have been written.

The rest of the article talks about how old the Yankees are, how everyone is in decline and how the Yankees are doomed because it’s May and the Blue Jays and Orioles are still playing well but how it’s amazing that the Yankees aren’t giving up hope. It’s almost as if Bob Klapisch has only been covering baseball since April.

The Yankees had a pretty abysmal May last year as well but because the other teams in the AL East weren’t doing as well, it wasn’t magnified like this year’s team’s struggles are. I realize we’re entering Memorial Day weekend and we’re a quarter of the way through the season but there is still plenty of time for the Yankees to right the ship and people – more specifically, writers who get paid to watch the game of baseball – need to stop acting as if we’re past the point of no return.

I’ll close with this quote from GM Brian Cashman:

“I keep hearing that [the Yanks are too old] every [bleeping] year,” he said this week. “It’s déjà vu. It has come upon us so many times. We are bad right now and we will be better.”

Amen, Brian, amen.