Bad omens keep piling up for Yankees, Redsocks

Yesterday, Carl Beane, the Voice of Fenway Park, died in a car accident. Very sad. As much we want pro-Redsock operatives boiled in oil or whipped to the brink of insanity, we never root for Mr. D to visit. Very sad.

While this was happening, more or less, the Yankiverse was being stunned by reports that Mariano Rivera has a blood clot, which means doctors must wait before cutting open his knee. This news pales compared to a death, but it's a grim reminder of the darknesses that lurk nearby. Clots are serious business.

Together, this is like a team of black horses pulling up to the ballpark, just as the players arrive. All spring, both teams have suffered psychic suckerpunches - boom, boom, boom - suggesting a long, hard year.

Of course, we could reverse that momentum Sunday, when Andy pitches. A strong outing would restore hope. But at the other side of the precipice lurks the vision of Jesus Montero homering off him, perhaps the most painful omen yet in this terror-filled season.

Something must happen to turn this season around, and it must come within the next few weeks. I'm not talking about one game. Somebody has to emerge from the current malaise: Cano, Arod, Tex, Gardner, Andy, Hughes, somebody, anybody. He's gotta walk through the door and change the dynamics.