Suddenly, everywhere, you can feel the Yankees unraveling

This we know: Normalcy is an illusion.

In this modern world, everything can change in an instant.  

One day, the kids are playing soccer. The next, they're watching their town be shelled by invading artillery. 

One day, life is being restored. The next, MONKEYPOX!

Damn. Everything was going so well for the Yankees...

Even today, believe it or not, we still possess the best record in baseball. But tomorrow, well...  MONKEYPOX!

Everywhere you look - (one exception: Aaron Judge) - you see elements of the team crumbling or crashing to earth. Aaron Boone faces a wave of problems.

1. We have no closer. Right now, it's hard to imagine Aroldis Chapman holding any lead - even five runs. You see it in his eyes, or the way his fastball rises all the way to the backstop. He's lost more than his fastball. He's lost everything. But who replaces him? And how will Chapman react to being - in essence - demoted to a lesser role? This crisis has been a long time coming. Now, MONKEYPOX!

2. We still have a massive void in left field, where Joey Gallo has given the Yankees no sign of hope. The recent winning streak masked Gallo's failures, but now, his lack of production is glaring. This is no "Welcome to NY" slump. Gallo has now played four months (93 games) with the Yankees, hitting .166 with 18 HRs and only 29 RBIs. Imagine that: Take away those 18 HRs. and the guy has 11 measly RBIs. (Actually, fewer, because not all the HRs were solo shots.) Coupled with Aaron Hicks, the left side of the outfield has been a disaster.

3. We still face an inevitable plague of injuries. Last week, we lost Chad Green and Luis Gil - plus a bunch of Covids. One of these days, one of our irreplaceable players will tweak something - they always do - and the cupboard is bare in Scranton.  

The farm system has failed to produce an MLB-ready impact player who might boost the team. The high hopes for Oswald Peraza (hitting .200) and Oswaldo Cabrera (.186) are now pleasant memories of spring training. If one of our big hitters goes down, we are a staggering short distance from Greg Bird (.196) or Ryan LaMarre (.208.) And we still don't know what to do with Miguel Andujar, steadily rotting on the vine (down to .289.) 

4. Some Yankees have simply played above themselves. Jose Trevino. Nestor Cortez. Michael King. Tim Locastro (before his injury.) Much of the bullpen. How long can Clay Holmes continue to be lights-out? Some players will face a correction. That will bring pain. 

5. The Josh Donaldson thing. Have you noticed? It's not going away. Even Boone says it was a stupid move. And here's the rub: It will worsen on the road.

Donaldson will face questions in every city. He'll hear about it every time he steps to the plate. To make matters worse, his dustup might turn out to be the fulcrum point of the Yankee season. We're in a losing streak, the worse of the season thus far. 

Before, everything was going so well. 

Ah, but that was yester-MONKEYPOX!