It’s amazing. I’ve been watching the Yankees since I was 7 years old, (I’ll be 50 on June 18th), and I would be hard pressed to find a Yankees team that looked this lost playing the Red Sox, and I’ve seen my share. In my opinion, the Yankees have not only totally lost their swagger, but they’ve also lost their mystique and aura.

So what’s the problem? While discussing the situation with a few of my friends on Wednesday night, we came to the conclusion that there must be a curse on the Yankees. I call it, “The Curse Of The New House.”

How else can you explain the reversal of roles. The Red Sox, and their fans, no longer fear the inter-locking NY. They expect to win and expect to beat the Yankees. There is no fear of late inning Yankee comebacks or walk-off homers, especially at the little bandbox known as Fenway.

In the 7 games played so far this season, Yankee batters have a RISP of .141. The starting pitching, supposedly a strength, (see AJ Burnett) has been sub-par to dreadful with an ERA over 6.00. From blowing late inning leads to crucial fielding mistakes, (Nick Swisher’s non-catch Wednesday night is a prime example), the team has often looked confused and in shock playing their arch enemies. All of this is just too hard to fathom, especially considering how the team was playing entering the series.

Heading into Wednesday nights contest, you’d have had to go back to the 1912 season to find a Red Sox team that won the first 6 games of a season series. That’s 97 years! 1912 incidentally, was the year that the Titanic sunk. The way the rivalry has played out so far, the Yankees remind me more and more of the Titanic and “The Angry Red Menace,” the iceberg.

I wrote in a previous column about how the decision to build a new Yankee Stadium might have upset the natural balance of the baseball universe. Only time will tell if I am right. I also have a sneaking suspicion that somewhere, “The Babe” is sitting in a chair, having a beer and a cigar, wondering why the team he so loved moved from “The House That Ruth Built” to the “House of Lon Trost.”

Frank is a resident of East Brunswick, NJ and former radio announcer. He is a 4th generation Republican and Yankees Fan. He also enjoys listening to talk radio. His favorite announcer is Shawn Hannity of “Hannity” on FOX and enjoys reading about military history. In addition to rooting for the Yankees, he also has a passion for the New York Islanders. You can enjoy Frank’s work at The Dead Ball Era and his book “Bury My Heart at Cooperstown”. Check out his “Rants and Raves” on New York Baseball Digest.

Frank Russo

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Tags: Babe Ruth, Yankees