A Mug's Game

I guess it should be cause for general amazement that the Times actually ran a column praising the Yankees the other day. Tyler Kepner threw a few bon mots the Pinstripers' way with a piece about how many amazing, late-inning comebacks they've been putting together recently, and right on cue we had another great example on Saturday.

It does indeed speak to the team's character in many ways, and it's great to see.

But the fact remains, there is a limit to winning games this way. If I recall correctly, the 2004 Yankees  set some kind of record for come-from-behind victories.

In the end, though, it all came apart—and we should not have been surprised that it did. Winning like that on a regular basis is a mug's game. It wears your bullpen to the nub, and is not a good model for the playoffs, when you're likely to be facing the best pens in the game.

This team needs to get back to the heart of its winning streak, when the starters were turning in one excellent effort after another. Fun as this is to watch, it's not a model for the rest of the season. We need better starts, period (and yes, looking at you, Sonny-boy Gray).

Meanwhile, the Yanks have opened up their biggest lead all year over Soccer in the Grey Lady, 81-76. But the World Cup looms...