Yankees shut out for 10th time in one season

Last time a Yankee team produced 10 shutouts: 1991.

And, oh, a great season it was. We finished fifth. Suzyn Waldman was performing in Man of La Mancha. John Sterling was in his second year with the team.

The Yankee-Indian Point Power Report did not exist. If it had, Matt Nokes would have been our leader, with 24 HRs. Next up was Kevin "No" Maas, who hit 23, mostly in the brief blitz that defined his career. We had stolen Jesse Barfield from the Blue Jays in exchange for Al Leiter. (Warning to fans of Alfonso Soriano/Cody Black?)  And of course, there was Mel Hall - before his sex-abuse convictions - bringing his gun into the locker room, walking his cougars on Manhattan streets and torturing young Bernie Williams.

That team had 10 shutouts, too. It won 71 games. (And if Bud Selig's extra two Wild Card slots had been in effect, they also would have been in the race in September.)

Well, 2013 will soon be over. That's the best you can say about this team. But while we chase the Wild Card, or our tails, let's ponder the possibility of an 11th shutout.

Lord knows what magical Yankee team from the prehistoric past notched eleven zero outings. Something tells me Hoss Clarke might have had a hand in it.

That's the level of mediocrity we have achieved this year. You can blame injuries. You can talk about budget cuts. You can find magnetic fields and amulets, if you wish. Ten shutouts. That's a bad team.