Week In Review: Don't Call It A Comeback

Record for the Week: 3-4, 41 runs allowed, 36 runs scored
Overall Record: 24-18 (2nd Place, 1 1/2 games out)

Player of the Week: Jorge Posada had the thing won before he got injured, batting .364/.471/.636 with seven RBI and a huge homer in the Yankees' comeback win against Texas, but Hip-Hip-Jorge had to sit out the weekend against the Mets, and Derek Jeter (.419/.455/.581) showed up to work all seven days of the week. On the pitching side, we get an honorable mention goes to the one Yankee starter to win his start last week, Chien Ming Wang. Wang put in eight innings and only three runs against the Rangers last week in their split against the Yanks. Oh, and a special honorable mention to Bernie Williams, who hit well this week, .318/.423/.500, with a rare infield double in last night's game.

Dregs of the Week: It starts with Randy Johnson, who got rolled by the Mets, six runs, all earned, in five innings pitched. That even overshadowed Shawn Chacon's nightmare appearance (eight runs in an inning and a third) and Alex Rodriguez's .241/.333/.310. Worse than Rodriguez on the week, by OPS at least, was Johnny Damon (.242/.306/.273) but you can't award a guy Dregs when he's only in the lineup because the rest of the outfield is shot to pieces.

The C/P Ratio: Stands at 12/11 on the week, overall 45/49. At least, this week Phillips merited his playing time, getting the game-winning hit on Saturday and hitting .364/.364/.545 for the week. We're also on the verge of inaugurating a new stat around here, the B/E ratio--yes, you guessed it, the ratio of innings pitched by Colter Bean against those registered by Scott Erickson. B/E stands at 1/3 on the week, 1/4.7 overall.

Story of the Week: Comeback wins are nice. They're also, however, a symptom that something isn't right with your ballclub. We look at the Yanks right now, obviously depleted, and it's easy to identify that what ails them is health. Diagnosis, however, is not the same thing as remedy.

Treatment right now involves Terrence Long. The same Terrence Long who washed out with the Royals. The whole thing makes me wonder what we have done to anger Brian Cashman? First Scott Erickson, and now this?

With so many things having gone wrong--devastating injury to Matsui, Pavano being the man of a million ailments, Sheffield not quite the "warrior" he used to be now that he's in a walk year (although, to be fair, it seems like he ultimately opted for the cortisone shot, and is now on the path to return)--the Yanks are looking harder than ever at the "free" talent market. It's a long-awaited decision, but one which has been undertaken with a bit of last-minute desperation. Most teams collect this type talent in Spring Training, not mid-season. In addition to Long and Erickson, the Yanks have brought on Carlos Pena and Erubiel Durazo, as well as all-or-nothing former prospect Rob Stratton. The question now is, is this too little, too desperate and too late?