Another W for Wang

There isn't really much to say about last night's game. Chien-Ming Wang was dominate yet again and for the seventh time this season the Yankees won when he took the mound. He struck out five in six innings. He has 32 Ks in 45 innings for a very respectable 6.4 K/9. His slider has really developed into a formidable weapon and if he stays this consistent then he could definitely add some hardware to his mantle.

It's disconcerting that almost half of the Yankee wins come when he takes the mound. I start getting flashbacks to 1972 when Steve Carlton won 27 of the Phillies 59 games. I don't think the Yankees will be that bad but I am starting to think this might be the year they need to take a step back in order to go forward. Youth movements are tricky things. It is foolhardy for Yankee fans and ownership to want to move toward youth and expect to win the Series at the same time.

Cashman has the Yankees moving in the right direction and if you look across the way to the Red Sox, it is easy to see how successful you can be if you recognize what has to be done to rebuild. Theo Epstein rebuilt the infrastructure of the Red Sox minor league system and it seems like everyday they can call up a new prospect when they need too. The Yankees are on that path right now, but right now they appear to be about two years behind the Sox circa 2006. It was a rough year for they Sox but the moves to focus on the development of the younger players paid off immediately.

It's not fair to assume that the Yankees will achieve success at the same rate. The Sox also helped the young kids by spending $100 million on a fancy Japanese import. The Steinbrenners shouldn't panic. If they want to develop the kids this is the time to do it. They will be competitive even if they aren't the best and they are going to sell tickets no matter what for the rest of this year and the first year at the new stadium. If the Yanks win, great, but if they falter a little, at least we know that every five days we will be entertained.