The Mets catcher is also no good.

 Nobody talks about it and I just noticed it.

I remember Jason Giambi had a grace period of one at-bat.

I was thinking why did it take so long?

Don't tell grown-up fans that they're doing it wrong.

As long as they're not crossing a line - ethical, legal, safety, inappropriateness, attacking the player's family - they should do what they want to do.

I'm also quite sure they don't need a lesson in small sample size or a list of MLB players who turned it around after a slow start.

They'll cheer Lindor when he plays well, I'm sure.

Until then, they'll boo.

I'm not sure why I feel this way, but I'm surprised to see Tauchman go.

Ace Cole.

 I'm not sure if the ball is deadened, but it might be. It makes a big difference with fly ball pitchers such as Cole.

I like how deGrom is also batting .545.

That means the Mets will contend for the World Series. Clearly.

 The Yankees will contend for the World Series ... and the Mets are better than the Yankees.

K:BB Ratio.

 "After Sunday, the Yankees had a collective .642 OPS, the worst in the majors; They scored 55 runs, tied for the least in the American league with the Tigers, who have played one more game than the Yankees. Their slugging percentage (.346) was second to last in the big leagues and their 16 home runs were tied for 19th.

'They strike out too much, they are hitting too many ground balls and I think the main culprit (of their offensive problems) is they are horrible in situational hitting,' one scout said."

I'm not sure this is fixable.

I think it's possible that the Baby Bombers may have fraudulently pumped up their numbers vs. Baltimore over the past few years.

Good pitchers now have to book on these guys and, while everyone in the ballpark knows that Gleyber is getting set up for an off-the-plate off-speed pitch, he gets fooled by it anyway.

 

The prototypical players who strike out a lot ... Giambi, Dunn, Jack Clark, etc. ... they usually had power and patience. A lot of strikeouts, a lot of home runs, a lot of walks. Makes sense if you think about it.

This is the situation with the current roster:

• Frazier: 14 Ks, 4 walks.
• Stanton: 18 ks, 4 walks.
• Judge: 15 ks, 5 walks.
• Hicks: 14 ks, 4 walks.
• Even Urshela: 13 ks, 3 walks.

Small sample size? Perhaps.

Also could be a sign of a broken approach.

 

We know how this will end because we have seen this before.

Yankees bullpen gives up the lead in the top of the ninth, Bruce wins it with opposite field hit in the bottom of the ninth, endless camera shots of his parents celebrating in the stands, fans go crazy and get ready for the next phase: Monument Park and Cooperstown.

Defend Aaron Boone while you're at it.

"One of the best early-season lines about the Yankees belongs to Yogi, just because so many of them do. It was April of 1998, and the Yankees were coming off losing a heartbreaking division series to Cleveland the year before, when Joe Torre’s Yankees couldn’t defend the title they’d won in 1996. Mariano Rivera couldn’t close out Game 4 and then they lost Game 5 and went home.

Now they started ’98 by losing their first three games. I was with Yogi at a television taping, and asked if he had any advice for his friend Torre.

'Yeah,' Yogi said. 'Tell him to win some games.'"

I've bailed out of this article after one paragraph..

1998 Yankees.

1986 Mets.

Willie, Mickey, and the Duke.

Darryl, Dwight, and Mookie.

Alex Rodriguez broke up with Jennifer Lopez.

I get the gist of it, and of course it is true. 

A bad team is worse when judged against high expectations. The entertainment value and narrative of the Baby Bombers is dreadful. The gutlessness this team displays is undeniable and not an illusion.

I also already know Lupica won't show any guts. "This might happen, that might happen, the Yankees have time to turn it around."

Right.

Things will happen and even more things might happen.

If they Yankees win the AL East, Lupica told ya so. If they don't, Lupica told ya so.

The fans angrily calling WFAN show more guts when they prematurely claim the season is over. 

At least they take a stand.

Oh, and the manager undoubtedly avoids all criticism.

Why?

Just because it's Lupica Land and he decided that Boone is a good manager.

Maybe he also needs access, but that doesn't seem likely in the modern era.

Is Mike Lupica really attending postgame Zoom calls?

"He was obviously very upset, and rightfully so."

I'm a bit impressed that Boone did this before another inevitable loss to Tampa. The rule is to chew out your team the day before they face a last-place team.

Boone's team is full of gutless under-performers, who are therefore difficult to root for.

This isn't because of a 5-8 start. This is a continuation of last season. An inability to win big games, endless strikeouts, no hitting with RISP, bad fielding, bad baserunning, a dying dream for the Baby Bombers.

Four games out and in last place for a team that was hyped as the Dodgers of the East.

Fans are back!

Tip of the cap to Terry Francona

I also liked this bit:

"I can promise you we will never make a lineup out from somebody's tweet the night before."

An assortment of Mike Lupica puns to follow.

You called him out, then you changed your mind.

"After the game, Kulpa, in the pool report, acknowledged he made the wrong call, saying, 'that guy was hit by the pitch in the strike zone. I should have called him out.'"

Baby Bomber Update

Bird - Long gone.

Judge - Injured again.

Sanchez - Didn't hustle.

Gleyber - Made another bad error.

Severino - Injured.

Don't call him Frankie.