New York State Of...

Disaster. That's what's going on in New York. At least in the baseball world.
The Yankees won last night, which is nice. Especially with someone coming up with a big hit. That moved them up to a game out of 4th in the AL East.
The Mets just got swept by the Braves. The Mets are actually in 4th in their division

The Yankees are in a world of hurt. You know what I think about their lineup so I won't go there. But their pitching experiment failed. Miserably. They aren't going to beat people without good pitching. I know they can get hot, and I know they are the Yankees. But this has been going on for too long, for even a team with that payroll. I just don't see them getting out of this hole.

Here's the thing about the Mets though. I think the Mets can turn it around. They just simply aren't performing offensively. They have the pitching that has been alright and probably will get better. They have a better lineup, in my opinion, than the Yankees top to bottom. Well, they should.

The problem with the Mets, in my opinion, is that their manager isn't doing what he needs to in order to get it done. Yeah, he's saying stuff in the media, whatever that means. But he's not doing anything with his lineup. Willie Randolph needs to take care of business on the field first.

Here's my issue. Carlos Beltan is not a cleanup hitter. He just isn't. Beltran's best years came in the 2-3 spots in the lineup. Why in the world would you move this guy around? I don't get it. Beltran is a guy who is one in a million. You don't mess with guys like that. Bobby Abreu is the same way. The guy hits third. It's what he does. So when the Yankees get him, he hits third. Maybe I'm wrong, but my point is that Randolph isn't doing anything to test the waters with the middle of his order, other than moving Carlos Delgado down as he continues to not produce.

But...the Mets have hope. They still have the tools, they just need to get their manager to figure things out as they go. Look at the Tigers. They are killing it right now. But a lot of it is because Jim Leyland is looking to find what works by testing it on the field. That's part of being a good manager. But the Mets are capable, and they are in a division with teams that aren't quite there.

The Yankees, are in trouble. There is nothing they can do from here. Are they going to go out and get pitching? From where? There are teams out there right now that need pitching a lot more than the Yankees do. Why? Because they are in it! The Red Sox are the class of the league. So The Yankees only real shot is at the Wild Card. But to do that, they have to get second in their division, and the Rays (!) are playing too well right now. Sure, they could die off, but say the Yankees go on some ridiculous run and get second in the East. Second in that division isn't going to get the Wild Card, if it's the Yankees being that there will be two 90+ win teams from the Central when it's all said and done.

The question is, when are the Yankees going to accept that this year is not their year? Are they going to trade some of their top prospects for what they need for this year? This year is going to really mean nothing very soon. So when does ego set in for the First Family of the Bronx?

They are in trouble, real trouble. The Mets, well, they aren't looking good, but at least they have a shot at turning it around. Either way, New York is not a great place to be a baseball fan right now.