New York Yankees

An event signalling the decline of the Bombers occured in the Bronx last week.

No, it wasn't the death of Mr. Steinbrenner, though some might say that may play into it.

Instead of the rudder being taken from the ship, a small but mighty hole burst the Yankees hull:

They didn't get their man.

New York Yankees fans first fell in love with Joba Chamberlain in Game Two of the 2007 ALDS, also known as the infamous "bug" game.

Joba was everything and more that night. It was the spirit in his young eyes that does not come around that often.

Yankees Universe went totally crazy for this kid that night, even making losing the game bearable. Joba was the future, an authentic, talented, home-grown player that Yankee fans had been waiting for since 1996.

Either tonight, tomorrow, or at some point in the near future, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is going to swing his familiar swing the way he has 599 times before and become the seventh player ever to hit 600 major league home runs.

When he does so, he will join an exclusive club comprised of Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., and Sammy Sosa.

Despite winning two-out-of-three from the second place Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend, the New York Yankees had their wins come at a price.

On Saturday, starting pitcher AJ Burnett was pulled after two innings because he suffered lacerations on both of his palms after he slammed a set of double doors in frustration after giving up a HR to Reid Brignac. Burnett originally said he “fell,” but the truth came out later.

The whole thing sounds like a bad Lifetime movie.

That Joba bravado has been replaced by inconsistent relief pitching.

It’s clear the New York Yankees' constant juggling of roles, responsibilities, and pitch counts have messed with Joba Chamberlain’s head.

Today’s Joba isn’t the same Joba who, at the age of 21, made his MLB debut in 2007 throwing fire out of the Yankee bullpen. Joba set the American League on its ear that year with a 2-0 record and a 0.38 ERA in 19 appearances. If not for a swarm of midges in Cleveland, he would have been a playoff hero as well.

To the casual observer, the Yankees appear to sit in a comfortable position atop the American League East. It is true that after taking two of three games in the Bronx over the weekend from their closest competition, the Yanks now possess a full three game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays.

As owners of the best record in baseball at 58-33 as of July 19, there is clearly no need to panic in the Bronx. That being said, this most recent series with the Rays did help to illustrate some of the concerns for the team moving forward into the dog days of summer.

The Yankees' starting rotation has been one of their strengths, but lately we’ve seen AJ Burnett leave a game early because of a self inflicted wound and Andy Pettitte limping off the mound. Now, there are real questions to be answered.

Here are some notes:

With the recent injury to Andy Pettitte, who is expected to be out of the Yankees starting rotation for up to five weeks, it has put the Yankees into a bind regarding their staff.

Pettitte will miss five to six starts, with Sergio Mitre pitching in Andy's spot in the rotation. Mitre did not fare well last year in a similar role when he started nine games, generating a 3-3 record and 7.16 ERA with a 1.750 WHIP.

The Yankees started the second half of the 2010 season with some bad luck.

In Saturday's game against the Rays, A.J. Burnett slammed his hands against a door, which cut them up and forced an early exit from the game. He has said he won't miss a turn, but whether or not he will be able to pitch effectively has yet to be determined.

On an episode of the hit FOX television series “Glee," highly competitive and aggressive cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester calls three of her cheerleaders into her office to express her disappointment in them for failing to sabotage McKinley High School’s Glee Club.

After giving them one of her biting lectures, she asks the girls to smell their armpits.