Hal O'Brien

Which is, they lost a postseason series, this time to the Texas Rangers.

This isn't anything unusual for the Yankees -- after all, they lead Major League Baseball in having lost the World Series 13 times. But their postseason record in the 21^st Century is one of unmatched futility:

2010 -- Lost to Texas Rangers, 4-2 in the ALCS
2009 -- Beat Philadelphia Phillies, 4-2 in the World Series
2008 -- no post season
2007 -- Lost to Cleveland Indians, 3-1 in the divisional series
2006 -- Lost to Detroit Tigers, 3-1 in the divisional series
2005 -- Lost to Los Angeles Angels, 3-2 in the divisional series
2004 -- Lost to Boston Red Sox, 4-3 in the ALCS
2003 -- Lost to Florida Marlins, 4-2 in the World Series (their record-setting 13^th such loss)
2002 -- Lost to Anaheim Angels, 3-1 in the divisional series
2001 -- Lost to Arizona Diamondbacks, 4-3 in the World Series

So that's a record of 1-8-1 so far this century.

The commissioner should put them out of their misery, and break them up. "For the good of the game." Who can stand seeing any team fail so badly year after year after year after...

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This originally appeared at my other journal, http://www.halobrien.com/

From a recent comment thread at U.S.S. Mariner, by Alec:

"Can’t wait until we play in NL parks and get a better DH."

In the otherwise inspiring story of sportsmanship pecunium pointed to recently, there's an unfortunate comment:

"There's NO CRYING IN BASEBALL!"

I replied:

That's a very Hollywood attitude. One usually spouted by people who have never played the game.

Here's what Vin Scully says, who's forgotten more about baseball than you'll ever know:

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(Scully) has seen ball players cry and he knows all the signs of sadness - the haunted looks, the dark circles under the eyes, the slumped figures at the lockers.

``I remember in 1982, Terry Forster giving up the home run to Joe Morgan on the last game of the season,'' Scully says of a game that cost the Dodgers the division title. ``And that hit just ruined him. It broke his heart. Terry was a big, emotional, warm-hearted guy and it just crushed him.''

Three years later, another victim (Tom Niedenfuer, who gave up a series-ending homer to St. Louis Cardinal slugger Jack Clark), another Dodger season ending in tears.

``(Dodger manager) Tommy (Lasorda) was devastated by that,'' Scully says. ``So don't let anyone tell you there's no crying in baseball, especially this time of year.''

Ah, it's a grand time to be a Yankee hater.

Last year, of course, we saw the Yankees choke... against an NL expansion team.

This year, the Yankees have just been eliminated in the first playoff round by one of the unluckiest, most woebegone franchises in the history of sport.

Here's the new slogan. Feel free to use it:

"The Yankees: The Cubs of the 21st Century."