For the Yankees, there is only the past.

"TWENTY-SEVEN RINGS!" Keep yelling, everybody. Louder! "TWENTY-SEVEN RINGS! HOORAY!"

One in the last 12 seasons. Two in this millennium.  

Certainly not this year.

Once upon a time, we had the one and only Iron Horse, Lou Gehrig... then Cal Ripken came along.

We had the majestic HR records of Babe Ruth and Roger Maris... until Barry Bonds crushed them. 

We still had The Babe - a one-of-a-kind, two-way star... though now, it's Shohei Ohtani.

Mickey Mantle? Mike Trout. Whitey Ford? Steve Carlton. 

Even our current ace, Gerrit Cole, is a remnant from long ago. He grew up rooting for a concept - the mighty Yankees - that simply no longer exists. Whenever the Yankees lose behind him, as they have been doing, it hurts just to see his disappointment. Cole sought to restore the franchise to the greatness that his father knew. Instead, he may become a symbol of its failure. We're going to have him for a long time. How long before the booing begins? 

 Once, the record books showed Yankees atop every category. Now, we only celebrate our far flung past. 

As old Yankee fans, we are dinosaurs. Our sons and daughters look at us and shake their heads. A dying franchise in a dreary sport.

A few decades ago, baseball owners discovered the value of tanking. It's a perfect strategy in systems that reward failure. Finish last, and draft first. You pick from the best young talent in the world - they've added international players to tamp down prices - and luxury taxes force you to pay them less. Trade your stars for younger versions of them. And if the prospects fail, well, you just finish last and start the cycle again. 

Last year, by now, the Redsocks had already traded Mookie Betts for a bundle of Dodger prospects. Soon, they would be shopping Mitch Moreland and playing rookies. Everyone knew their strategy: Forfeit the season and play for 2021.  

Today, they lead the AL East by 4 1/2 games - and the Yankees by 10 1/2. They also have the fourth pick in the MLB draft. That could net them Jack Leiter, a generational talent. 

As for the Yankees? Rest assured, they have no plan for the future. The one player who they could trade - Aaron Judge - is their lone everyday star. Everyone else is a disappointment of sorts, and nobody wants to pay them for years they have already had.  

I'm not sure the Yankees can even tank. 

So tonight, we wonder whether to root for the Yankees to win. Would a brief winning streak cause the front office to chase the Wild Card? Is it worth it?

TWENTY-SEVEN RINGS! 

Hooray.