Hey Yanks! Don't call the Tribe, the Tribe will call you

The game story in the New York Post today is a classic example of the mindset of the Yankees, their fans and the reporters that cover the team. Two classic components of the Yankee attitude are on display. 1.) Everyone wants to be a Yankee under any circumstances - no questions asked. 2.) The Yankees will win it all this year and every year. The story opens like this: "In a perfect world that may become reality this July or during the winter, Alex Rodriguez wants to play behind C.C. Sabathia and Chien-Ming Wang. "I would like to have both," Rodriguez said after Wang beat Sabathia, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, and the Indians, 1-0, yesterday in front of 31,598 at Progressive Field. " I'm only mildly surprised that the writer, George A. King III, didn't use the word "will" and not "may" in the opening phrase of the first sentence. King goes on to explain that there are two ways the Yanks can get their grubby hands on CC (hence the "July or during the winter" timetable): "Sabathia, who will be a free agent after the season, is a candidate to be dealt at the Aug. 1 trade deadline if the Indians fall out of contention. " If the Indians fall out of contention? I'm not saying it's impossible that the Indians' season blows up, but I see no reason to think so at this point. On the other hand, let's say the world spins off its axis and the Yankees are the ones who fall out of contention. After all, they are the team with the inexperienced manager who's telling the gazillionaires who work for him that they can't have candy bars in the clubhouse. They also seem to be the ones with two rookies in their starting rotation with a lot to prove, and whose first-month performances raise more questions than they answer. The Yanks are also the team with two rather elderly starting pitchers who could disappear at a moment's notice. Mike Mussina has shown signs for two years now that he may be at the end of the road and Andy Pettitte has had arm problems in the past and is also not getting any younger. The following development, as reported in King's story, makes it even more possible for that earth-spinning-off-its-axis thing to happen. "The much-needed victory was dampened by the news Jorge Posada is going on the disabled list with a right shoulder problem that could require surgery." You really do have to scratch your head on this. In the same story that you read that perhaps the most-irreplaceable Yankee may be headed to the DL for a long, long time, you also read that it's the Tribe who may fall out of contention and may be looking to ship CC to NY in July. Keep in mind the Yanks also just lost Brian Bruney, one of their links to the Great Joba, who in turn is the link to Mariano. LaTroy Hawkins and Kyle Farnsworth have talent, but neither is off to a great start and neither has been themselves for three or four seasons now. Other than those two, the Yanks have Jonathan Albaladejo and Ross Ohlendorf to get them through the middle innings. But when the Indians "fall out of contention" they'll be sure to call the Yankees about CC - assuming of course the Yanks have patched up their dozen or so other weaknesses by then.