Five games into the season the 2006 Yankees have picked up right where the Yankees of failed Octobers past have left off. A promise of a small-ball approach seemed laughable after scoring 15 runs on Opening Night. Now, the Yankees line-up has me laughing to keep from crying.
In their 4-1 loss to Anaheim in the first game of their series, the Gary Sheffield, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi, the heart of our order, went into cardiac arrest. The trio went hitless in 12 at-bats. Small, indeed, was the output.
The third game was more of the same, as the Yankees two solo home runs weren't enough to compliment Randy Johnson's complete game. Bernie Williams meak grounder back to Francisco Rodriguez was only surprising since I thought archaic Bernie would end game swining or looking.
The worst part? The Yankees blitzed the A's for 15 runs to open the season, right? The Bombers have since scored 10 combined runs in four games. Excuse me while I go watch my 2000 World Series championship video to see the last time the Yankees played "small ball."
I'm not counting the Yankees out after five games; I learned my lesson after putting my hand in the fire last season. Still, it's disconcerting to see this season's start mimic the way last season ended.
