After one week, it's gotten late early for the sad, underwhelming Redsocks

In normal times, MLB standings after the first week serve as a joke. "Oh, no, we're five games behind! Time to tank! PULL THE GOALIE!

But these times, they are a-churning. With one-eighth of this bizarre season in the books, the Yanks have the best record in baseball and a choke hold on their two divisional challengers, Tampa and Boston. The lone question: Will any of this matter?

Check out these standings. Last we checked, the O's remain the O's, last year's ultimate abomination, and the sad Blue Jays won't see one true home game this year. The Rays must survive a mask-challenged corona hot spot, and we just watched the hopeless Redsocks botch three games, leaving Boston tied with the Angels and Royals for worst record in the AL. This on a weekend when their last front line starter, Eduardo Rodriguez, canceled his season due to heart issues following the virus. (Terrible news, by the way. It reminds us of how quickly our players might fall.) 

And look at the full AL standings, because divisions really don't matter, anymore. 

If all we're thinking about is the coveted Wild Card, the Yankees sit - (does cocktail napkin math) - four games in the loss column ahead of Cleveland and Detroit. Those four games equal - (does more chicken-scratching) - about a 10-game lead, in an actual season. 

And then there is Boston. Yeesh. Last night, did anyone besides A-Rod - who treated the game as if were the World Series - doubt the outcome? Whenever the Redsocks took a lead - Devers, Martinez and Bogaertes are still formidable - they instantly blew it. The pitching line - Brice, Hall, Embree, Walden, Barnes - would make a better law firm. Meanwhile, unless Kyle Higashioka catches, there is not one easy out in the Yankee lineup. Last night, Miguel Andujar batted ninth. 

Let that sink in. Ninth. 

Miggy - who in his last full season, set a Yankee rookie record for doubles - batted ninth. 

Meanwhile, somewhere in Scranton, Cliff Frazier - who could bat third for many teams - was hitting fungos of coal over the fracking wells. 

Of course, this could turn out to be an elaborate practical joke on us, played by the juju gods. After one week, we're baseball's best team. We can flounder the rest of the way and probably maker the expanded playoffs. Does it matter? Will there be playoffs? This we know: The juju gods are bastards.