Optimal Performance!

Yeah, that George, he's a master motivator. The Yanks tore through the D-Rays a day after the Boss issued his statement that they weren't playing like "real Yankees."

C'mon...It's the Devil Rays! Sure, a 13 run inning is impressive, but the Yankees are still facing a team that has been, for the entirety of its existence, the dregs of the division, if not the American League.

Still, you have to wonder the role that Chad Bohling is playing in big wins like this. Chad who? Bohling is the Yankees' mysterious Director of Optimal Performance. A what, you may ask? A "mental conditioning" coach, if that isn't replacing one incomprehensible concept for another. Take a gander at Brian Cashman's description of Bohling's role with the club:

Cashman stated that Bohling would be responsible for mental skills and motivational issues for players and coaches at both the major and minor-league level.

"I don't want to get into too much about what Chad is going to provide for us," Cashman told the newspaper. "Ultimately, like anything else, our players are our assets. We just want to make sure that we support them in all aspects of what they do, on and off the field."

Yeah, OK. But who is it that gets the credit for all the Yanks...sub-optimal performances lately? Even in last night's laugher, it looks like Jaret Wright wasn't terribly optimal. He surrendered 8 runs in less than six innings. And everyone's favorite Yankee, Tony Womack, didn't quite get in on the hit parade, going 1 for 6 on the evening.

Meanwhile, it looks like the Yankees might have used up their runs for the week yesterday, because they haven't done much with Hideo Nomo tonight (one run through 6 innings, on a Jason Giambi homer).