Struggling to maintain negativity in an 11-game winning streak. (Looking at you, Scranton!)

I'm appalled. Angry and appalled. You should be, too. It's appalling. Scranton, that is. Five straight losses. Five! It hurts. It affects everything. I can't write long sentences! Too appalled.  

In case you missed it, the Scranton Railriders have now lost five straight. Five. The Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs came to town and ate our Happy Meals. FUCKING CASHMAN, CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT?

Last night, we couldn't score a run against the Rochester Garbage Plates. Remember Greg Bird's comeback? He's hitting .148 - 8 for 54 - with 2 HR. He's 29. ARE YOU SEEING THIS, CASHMAN?  

Yes, I am struggling to find things to complain about. But expressing grievance is central to not only current American politics but Reverse Juju. Being negative is how you go on winning streaks. Once we we grow fat and pampered - once we stop flinging ashtrays into the wall - the Yankees fall apart. Therefore, in the name of hope, let's stay negative. On that note...

1. Over the last few games, no doubt about it: We've simply been lucky. We've seen opposing teams drop infield pop-ups and boot DP grounders. Last night, the Jays comically botched a rundown at home plate (with help from a lucky bad umpire call.) The Prophet Yogi once said he'd rather be lucky than good. I agree. Could we soon receive comeuppance from the juju gods? 

3. With every Aaron Judge HR, I imagine Food Stamps Hal descending like Darth Vader into his mediation pod. There, he crunches the numbers on how much more it will cost him to keep No. 99 next winter. Is there such a thing as infinity plus one? 

What if 2022 turns out to be Judge's long-awaited MVP season? He would have called the Yankees' bluff in spectacular fashion. At what point would the front office panic, knowing that the Mets, Dodgers or even Boston lie ready to offer Judge the sun and moon (and a planet-to-be-named later.) If the Yankees wait until November - then to be outbid by some trillionaire - they'll receive next to nothing for the next generation's Jeter. 

This could become a very troubling narrative for the second half of 2022. 

3. I keep waiting for the coachmen to turn back into mice, but for now - with starting pitchers still on pitch counts - games are being decided by bullpens, and ours is the best in the game. Last night, Alek Manoah had us confined - but we knew he wouldn't make it into the seventh. 

A month from now, dominating starters will be lasting 7-8 innings, rather than the current 5-6. Still, our own rotation has been stellar. All we can do is keep fingers crossed. Meanwhile, I keep waiting for Miguel Castro to have that 10-runs-without-recording-an-out outing, but he's still holding it together. 

4. Joey Gallo. Always. Our go-to complaint. May he always be tweaked and squeezing eye drops into those bulging peepers. He is a Reverse Juju jewel.