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As the Yankees played sluggishly in April and most of May, Brian Cashman waited. Baseball is a long season. Since Cashman is in his 15^th season as the general manager, he could easily recite seasons in which very good Yankee teams sputtered or performed unevenly. That happens.

Even as the starting rotation fizzled and even as the Yankees failed to produce with runners in scoring position, Cashman was patient. He was confident in these Yankees, a message he emphasized during a team meeting on May 22. Cashman told the players he didn’t meet with them because he was panicking, but to remind them that the solutions to the team’s problems were already in the clubhouse.

While Cashman has declined to discuss the meeting, the Yankees have been much better since Cashman and Manager Joe Girardi addressed them. But the Yankees aren’t 16-4 since then because of inspirational words from the g.m. or the manager. The Yankees have been superb for the last 20 games because their pitchers (2.84 earned run average) have excelled and because they have displayed a lot of power (35 homers).

Cashman didn’t fret when the Yankees were mired in fourth-place so he isn’t celebrating now that they are in first place, especially in the middle of June. Again, it’s a long season. Cashman knows that, which is how he remained resolute as the Yankees wobbled through the first six and a half weeks.

“I’ve been through it enough,” said Cashman, on Wednesday. “You believe in the evaluations you’ve made in the players. You believe in the system that you have put in place. We had to trust our track record.”

That trust has been rewarded. There was speculation that Phil Hughes, who starts on Friday against the Washington Nationals, or Ivan Nova could lose their spots in the rotation because of their ineffectiveness. But Cashman and Girardi stayed with them. Now Hughes is 5-1 with a 3.50 E.R.A. in his last seven starts while Nova is 2-0 with a 0.60 E.R.A. in his last two starts.

The Yankees’ rotation has been critical to the turnaround as the starters have gone 9-1 with a 2.13 E.R.A. in June. Oddly enough, CC Sabathia, the ace, is the one pitcher who has struggled lately with a 2-1 record and a 4.29 E.R.A. across his last three starts. Even without Michael Pineda, Cashman said he always believed the Yankees “had one of the better pitching staffs in baseball.” 

If Hughes and Nova continue to pitch adeptly, they can make Cashman’s job easier because, presumably, he won’t need to add a starter before the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline. When I mentioned that theory to Cashman, he didn’t sound like a g.m. who was pondering a trade.  

 “I have made no phone calls to any general managers about making an acquisition,” Cashman said. “I’d prefer to ride what we’ve got.”

Then Cashman added, “You can’t make moves until you know what you don’t have. I think we have a lot here. I want to find out what we have here first.”

When Cashman explained that he hadn’t contacted any g.m.’s about a trade, that included a possible deal for an outfielder. On Thursday, the Yankees revealed that Brett Gardner’s strained elbow muscle will require about three or four more weeks of rest. Although I spoke with Cashman before the Yankees updated Gardner’s status, Cashman had seemed optimistic about the left fielder’s future.

“I want Gardner to come back,” Cashman said. “I expect Gardner to come back.”

For now, the Yankees, who have their rode pitching and their power, will keep pushing forward without Gardner. It is a long season, something the Yankees have already helped prove.

The boys and girls from St. Lucy’s Catholic School in the Bronx crowded around Russell Martin. They wanted a high-five, an autograph or the chance to have their picture snapped with the Yankees’ catcher. The kids were giddy about meeting a real Yankee, playfully pushing toward Martin to try and steal his attention.

This scene occurred about three weeks ago in the auditorium of an elementary school that is still mourning and still trying to heal. Martin and three teammates visited St. Lucy’s to let the students know how much they cared about them following the loss of Niely Rosario, a first-grader at the school. Niely was one of seven members of the same family killed in the devastating accident along the Bronx River Parkway in April.

As Martin stood between the stage and a first row of chairs, a sea of kids surrounding him, he wondered how the students could handle the kind of loss that no one should ever have to handle. But Martin was relieved because the kids were excited. They were acting like kids, shouting and screaming and doing what kids are supposed to do when a few Yankees suddenly appear at their school.

“I’ve been kind of down because I haven’t been swinging the bat well,” Martin said. “But then you come here and you look around, and you see what these people have been through. It reminds you of how difficult it’s been for them. Your problems are nothing compared to this.”

When Martin smacked Jon Rauch’s 3-2 slider into the left field seats to power the Yankees to a 5-4 win over the Mets on Sunday, I thought about his experience at the school. As Martin leaped on to the plate to greet his waiting teammates, which wasn’t a smart move, he looked as giddy as any of the kids he had met at St. Lucy’s.

While Martin joked that his vertical leap was two inches, he did have reasons to be thrilled. In addition to the walk-off homer against Rauch, Martin had also lined a two-run homer off Jon Niese in the seventh inning that helped slice a 3-0 deficit to 3-2. Martin’s homer was a Yankee Stadium special, a ball that eluded leaping right fielder Scott Hairston, hit the top of the fence and landed in a fan’s hands. With those two homers, Martin has four in his last six games. He had four in his first 44 games.

“I can’t really picture a better script for me,” Martin told reporters at the Stadium. “I’m starting to feel dangerous at the plate.”

On the day Martin visited St. Lucy’s with Raul Ibanez, Rafael Soriano and Boone Logan, he was batting .181. Of course, he’s not a .181 hitter. He is a better hitter than that and was bound to improve. Still, since Martin’s visit to the school, he is 13-for-44 with four homers and eight runs batted in over 13 games. Now Martin is a .216 hitter. He’s a better hitter than that, too. Despite the low average, he does have a .348 on-base percentage and a .432 slugging percentage.

Sometimes, all a player has to do is make a subtle change to get better results. Martin told Meredith Marakovits of YES that he backed off the plate a few inches, a change that he made on his own, and that alteration has been instrumental in his offensive splurge. After Martin saw how Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers stood away from the plate and looked relaxed, and looked as if he could see the ball travel all the way to the plate, Martin told Marakovits he decided to mimic Cabrera and make the change.

Because of Martin’s power, the Yankees climaxed a successful weekend by sweeping the three game series from the Mets. With a stabilized starting rotation, the Yankees now have 13 wins in their last 17 games. Guess what? That 13-4 streak began on the day that Martin and the Yankees visited St. Lucy’s.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

The plan sounded cool enough. My wife, Pamela, and I decided to take Kyle, our nephew, to a Yankee game for his 16^th birthday. We told Kyle he could bring a few friends, too. Kyle picked Sunday’s game against the Reds long before we knew CC Sabathia would oppose Johnny Cueto, a nifty pitcher’s duel that made the afternoon even more enticing.

Before we reached Yankee Stadium, I tweeted that I would be attending the game instead of analyzing the action with Bob Lorenz at the YES Network studios. Soon after that tweet, I received an invitation from Vinny Milano. Better known as Bald Vinny, he is the maestro of the Bleacher Creatures.

“My wife and kids are coming, too,” Vinny tweeted me. “You guys should join us in Section 203 for Roll Call.”

I had been in the bleachers to witness roll call as a newspaper reporter, once when David Cone joined the creatures in 2002 and again when David Wells returned as a member of the Red Sox in 2005. Both visits at the old Yankee Stadium were intriguing, but for different reasons. It was fascinating how seamlessly Cone blended in with the creatures. It was also notable how the creatures reminded Wells that no Red Sox player would ever receive praise from the bleachers.

“If you want to see a Yankee game,” Cone said, at the time, “you come out here.”

Now Kyle and his posse of John, Brandon and Mike had the chance to do what Cone had done: hang in the bleachers. When I asked the quartet of teenagers if they wanted to join Bald Vinny for the roll call, they reacted as if I asked if they wanted to replace Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson in the starting lineup.

“The roll call?” John said. “Are you serious?”

Yes, I was serious. Since it was Kyle’s birthday, I left the decision up to him. He quickly said that we should accept Bald Vinny’s invitation. Kyle is a serious Yankee fan and a smart kid. He knew the deal. We all knew the deal. If Bald Vinny invites you to a roll call, you sprint to the bleachers because it will be a priceless experience.

Well, we didn’t run to Section 203. But we walked briskly. We met Bald Vinny behind a section of seats that was about to become awfully loud. Vinny is a friendly guy and a perfect host. When Bald Vinny walked down the rows of bleachers, he might as well have been descending the stairs of his own house. Everyone knew him. Everyone waited for his instructions.

After the Yankees trotted to their positions, Bald Vinny’s eyes darted from player to player so he could reaffirm who was in the lineup. He noted that DeWayne Wise was in left field and mentioned that Eric Chavez was playing first base before repeating himself. It was Chavez’s first start at first this season.

“I hate it when our regular guys aren’t playing,” Vinny said.

A few seconds later, the maestro started. He stood and stretched his left leg out to the bleacher row in front of him, holding a blue scarf that said “Bleacher Creatures.” Bald Vinny wanted the creatures to be noisy, but there was no need to remind them. That was a given. Of course, they would be loud. Of course, they would follow Vinny’s guidance.

Granderson was the first Yankee to hear his name chanted. "Cur-tis, Cur-tis," the creatures screamed. Granderson turned toward them and shook his upper body. Wise was the next Yankee to get serenaded, the fourth time that’s happened for him. Then the creatures shouted to Swisher, who is their favorite player. Swisher, of course, turned and saluted them. The Swisher Salute is one of the types of T-Shirts that Bald Vinny sells outside the Stadium on game days.

Smoothly and efficiently, Bald Vinny led the creatures through the roll call for the infielders, too. In a few minutes, the roll call was done. As a journalist, my desire was to observe what the creatures do and show them the respect they deserve. I’m wired to report, not to clap. Vinny thanked his cohorts for being boisterous and sat down. A few seconds later, Vinny’s young daughter, Layla, delivered a message.

“Daddy,” she said, “too loud.”

Kyle and his three buddies disagreed. They thought Bald Vinny and the creatures were just loud enough, just loud enough and passionate enough to solidify a memorable experience in the bleachers.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

Fifteen years later, the vision of a spooked Mariano Rivera is still embedded in my cranium. One week into the 1997 season, Rivera surrendered a 464-foot homer to Mark McGwire and blew his second save in four chances. Rivera was the new closer for the Yankees, but he was failing in the ninth inning.

As Rivera fielded questions about letting a 1-0 lead disappear at Yankee Stadium, his voice cracked. He searched for the proper words, but he was really searching for the right answers, too. The more Rivera spoke, the more obvious it became that he was a bewildered soul. He was the closer who wasn’t closing.

“I think I need something to get me going,” Rivera said at the time. “I think mentally to get me going I have to try to think like last year. Just think it’s the sixth or the seventh inning instead of thinking, ‘Oh, it’s the eighth or the ninth.’ Just think like last year. I got to do that.”

When David Robertson let a 1-0 lead disappear at the new Yankee Stadium on Wednesday in a 4-1 loss to the Rays, he looked spooked, too. As Robertson answered questions about his first blown save as Rivera’s replacement, I recalled what had happened with Rivera when he first took over the most difficult job in baseball. Rivera needed to use mind games to help him conquer the ninth. That approach might sound simplistic, but it worked.

“I was putting too much pressure on myself,” Rivera explained in June of 1997. “Now I’m relaxed, and I feel confident and loose. I think that’s why I’ve gotten saves. I don’t think it’s the ninth out there.”

Obviously, Rivera scaled any mental hurdles that he needed to scale to excel in the ninth. He jumped over those hurdles and buried them forever in becoming the greatest closer of all time. Rivera has a record 608 career saves and also has 42 saves and a 0.70 ERA in the postseason.

Does Robertson, who dominated the eighth for the Yankees last season, need to mimic Rivera and act as if the ninth isn’t the ninth? Not necessarily. If Robertson thinks that will help him, then, yes, he should follow Rivera’s path and play mental tricks, too. He can act as if this season is 2011, just like Rivera acted like 1997 was 1996.

What Robertson definitely needs to do is have a short memory after he notches a save or blows a save, something Rivera has taught him. What Robertson also needs to do is retain the confidence that he showed last season when he was one of the best relievers in the American League. One disappointing setback to the Rays, which was fueled by a misplaced fastball on Matt Joyce’s three-run homer, doesn’t change who Robertson is and how critical Robertson is to the Yankees.

A few hours after the loss, it seemed as if Robertson had already heeded Rivera’s message about having a short memory. On Robertson’s Twitter account, he wrote about how the loss stunk, but added, “If there is one thing Mo has shown me is how important it is to turn the page.” Then Robertson turned it, via another Tweet. “And, look, it’s already after midnight, which means it’s a new day. Let’s take the series tomorrow.”

Without Rivera, the ninth will be different for the Yankees. It will be more adventurous and more nerve-wracking. Robertson can fill Rivera’s role, but he probably won’t be as smooth as Rivera. Whereas Rivera’s cut fastball caused batters to swing early in the count and could result in a 10-pitch inning and three broken bats, Robertson’s innings are usually more draining. Robertson averages 12 strikeouts per nine innings, so there will be deeper counts. He also walks more batters than Rivera, so that will add to the drama.

Still, Robertson doesn’t have to be an exact replica of Rivera to thrive as a closer. In fact, he can’t be an exact replica of Rivera. No one can. It would be silly to think Robertson could do that. But Robertson has an explosive fastball, a great curveball and steely confidence, which means he has the tools to be a premier closer. He is the right pitcher for the job, a job that even the mighty Rivera had to grow into 15 years ago.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

Andy Pettitte has 240 wins in the Major Leagues, has won another 19 post-season games and also owns five World Series rings. At this point in Pettitte’s glorious career, it would seem that nothing could cause him to react too emotionally. He’s been there and he’s done that. Right? Guess again.

After General Manager Brian Cashman announced that Pettitte would rejoin the Yankees and start on Sunday against the Mariners, Pettitte was elated. When I texted Pettitte and asked him about returning to the mound, Pettitte, who didn’t pitch in 2010, explained that he was thrilled.   

“Words can’t even describe how excited I am to get back,” Pettitte said. “Ready to get back to the grind of the big league season and going through that with this team.”

The Yankees hope that Pettitte will be the same pitcher that he was two years ago, a smart and steady southpaw. While Manager Joe Girardi said that he expected Pettitte to be similar to the pitcher who was 11-3 with a 3.28 earned run average in 2010, Cashman admitted that he expected there would be a “gap” between who Pettitte was then and who Pettitte might be now. The general manager added that it would be unfair to Pettitte to simply anticipate that he will pick up from where he left off in 2010, but Cashman said Pettitte should improve the rotation.

If the Yankees get an anticipated boost from Pettitte, it would be extremely helpful. Before Tuesday’s game against the Rays, the Yankees’ rotation had a 5.54 E.R.A. When Pettitte signed a minor league contract, he was viewed as a luxury. Now that Michael Pineda is out for the season after shoulder surgery and now that the rotation has been unreliable, Pettitte is being viewed as a savior of sorts. He is not a savior, but he is a solid addition. Pettitte’s return gives the Yankees reason to be excited, which he already is.    

“I wouldn’t be doing this,” Pettitte has said, “if I didn’t think I could come back and win.”

Related: Brian Cashman on Andy Pettitte's return

Spotting Mariano Rivera during batting practice was never a chore. A Yankee hitter would blast a shot into the outfield gaps and a blur would bolt across the grass to grab it. That blur was Rivera, who shagged fly balls as part of his pregame routine. It was easy to watch Rivera glide around the outfield.

On a sobering Thursday in Kansas City, it wasn’t easy to watch Rivera in the outfield. It was awful. Awful to watch Rivera land awkwardly after leaping for a ball near the left field warning track, awful to see his face plastered with pain and awful to see him grabbing his damaged right knee. Rivera, the mightiest of closers, looked helpless.

A few hours later, a somber Rivera revealed that he had torn the ACL and meniscus in his knee, a devastating injury. As difficult as it was to watch the replays of Rivera injuring himself, watching his postgame news conference was also wrenching. Rivera’s eyes were moist when he began answering the kind of questions he never wanted to address, a sudden batch of questions about his baseball mortality.

When Rivera was asked if he thought he would ever pitch again, he rubbed his lips with his left hand, blinked away the tears, lifted his eyebrows and grasped for words.

“At this point, I don’t know,” Rivera said. “We have to face this first.”

Journalists are taught to be unbiased. You can’t cover a story ethically and accurately if you let personal feelings influence you. But, with Rivera, that is difficult for me to do in this instance. Rivera is the most gentlemanly player I have covered in more than 20 years around the Yankees. He is classy, polite and genuine, the kind of person who asks you about your life and your family, and really absorbs the responses. Rivera, who is the best at what he does on the mound, might actually be better at what he does off the mound.

So when Rivera’s injury was disclosed, I felt queasy for him and also hoped that he wouldn’t be forced to end his amazing career in such an aching fashion. As a closer, Rivera has almost always been in control while pursuing the final three outs. He is the man who has controlled so much of what happened with the Yankees as they have won five titles since 1996. Now Rivera isn’t in control in 2012 because he can’t pitch. The future Hall of Famer is expected to miss the rest of the season.

Knowing how competitive Rivera is and how excited he was about what was probably going to be his final season, I hope this isn’t the end. If the 42-year old Rivera decides to take on the extensive rehab process and returns to the Yankees, he would decide how his career ends. He would be back in control. That’s the way I would like to see him finish his incredible journey.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

After Freddy Garcia's fiasco of a start on Saturday, he sounded exasperated. As Joe Girardi discussed Garcia's brief outing, the manager sounded puzzled. Those reactions explained how everyone involved with the Yankees felt, too.

Even before Garcia was drubbed for six earned runs in a 7-5 loss to the Tigers, he was close to losing his fragile spot in the rotation. Now it might finally be lost.

The Yankees can't keep starting a pitcher with a 12.51 earned run average and a pitcher who has allowed opponents to bat .403 against him. Basically, Garcia has turned everyone into the equivalent of Ted Williams, circa 1941, this season.

While Girardi didn't say whether Garcia would make another start, he offered enough evidence to indicate that the pitcher will be bypassed. Girardi noted how Garcia's velocity has decreased on all of his pitches and how his pitches don't have their typical sharpness. Teams are taking pitches against Garcia early in counts, causing him to fall behind and further inhibiting his ability to exploit them with his splitter or slider.

"Freddy knows what's going on," Girardi said at one point, which seemingly meant that Garcia knows he is in a precarious spot.

If the Yankees decide to jettison Garcia from the rotation, there's an easy way for them to set up their pitching. The Yankees could start David Phelps against the Royals on May 3, which is the next time Garcia's spot in the rotation comes up. Phelps tossed three scoreless innings on Saturday and has a 3.57 E.R.A. Right now, he would give the Yankees a better chance to win than Garcia.

After that start on May 3, the Yankees can utilize an off day on May 7 to insure that they won't need that spot in the rotation again until May 12. By then, Andy Pettitte will have made two more minor league starts and would presumably be ready to return to the Yankees.

Since Garcia has notched just five outs in each of his last two starts, it makes sense to give him a break and give Phelps a start. If Phelps pitches well, he could even end up staying in the rotation because Phil Hughes has also struggled.

When Girardi fielded questions about Garcia's future, he said he needed "to sleep on it" before making any decisions. With or without the extra sleep, Girardi knows that he can't keep starting a pitcher who is that ineffective and who taxes his bullpen. That will only lead to more exasperation and more puzzlement.

One day later, there was still a sobering quality to Brian Cashman's voice. He sounded forlorn and fatigued, which was apt. Thursday was a difficult day in Yankeeland, a day when Cashman announced that Michael Pineda had an anterior labral tear in his right shoulder and would miss the next 12 months.

The excitement that Cashman felt after acquiring Pineda from the Seattle Mariners in a four-player trade three months ago had been replaced by the frigid reality that Pineda won't throw a pitch in 2012. So the power pitcher who was supposed to be an essential part of a rotation that could guide the Yankees to the postseason has become a bystander.

"It is what it is," Cashman said. "And it's not good."

Cashman believes that Pineda injured himself on the final pitch that he threw in extended Spring Training last week. After Pineda's setback, Cashman admitted that he wondered "if something was there" and if something was wrong. Cashman said, "You hope you're not going to get that kind of news," but, of course, the Yankees did get the news that Pineda would need arthroscopic surgery.

For the second straight day, Cashman recited the extensive tests that the Yankees did on Pineda's elbow and shoulder, and emphasized that they didn't get a damaged pitcher from the Mariners. Cashman called Pineda's medical records "very clean" and said that Pineda injured himself while he was a member of the Yankees.

"The guy," Cashman said, "was healthy."

As the Yankees move forward without Pineda, they must hope that Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia, who are a combined 1-4 with an 8.68 earned run average, can be much more productive. Hughes's velocity has returned, but he has been inefficient and ineffective. Garcia, who was so reliable last season, hasn't fooled many hitters. 

"Our first priority is to get these guys to correct themselves on the run," Cashman said. "You can't expect to pull the plug on them after four starts."

Since Cashman thinks Andy Pettitte needs at least two more Minor League starts before the Yankees will even consider promoting him to the Major Leagues, both Hughes and Garcia are going to get more opportunities. As distressing as Pineda's injury is to the Yankees, it provides a chance for Hughes or Garcia to redeem themselves. While Cashman mentioned David Phelps and D.J. Mitchell as potential options in the rotation, his preference is to see Hughes or Garcia rebound.

In the 365-24-7 world of instant analysis, there are many fans and media members who have already declared the Yankees the losers in the Pineda trade. To get Pineda and 19-year old pitcher Jose Campos, the Yankees moved Jesus Montero, their top prospect, and Hector Noesi. To me, it's a foolish notion to select a winner and a loser in a trade that involves four players who are 24 years old or younger, and a trade where the players have yet to even play one month with their new teams.

If Pineda didn't get injured and won 15 games and had a 3.50 ERA, if Montero hit .240 with 10 homers and if Noesi had a 4-10 record and a 5.50 ERA, it would also be silly to say that the Yankees won the trade. A trade like this takes several years to evaluate, but Cashman accepted the instant analysis of the marquee trade.

"Right now, I understand it," Cashman said. "I understand people are frustrated and they have the right to express their frustration. I'm frustrated, too."

That frustration over losing Pineda will linger, but it can't define the Yankees or throttle the Yankees. Without Pineda, the Yankees still have enough capable starters. It's simply a matter of those starters performing at a higher level than they have this season. Ivan Nova is the only starter that has thrived, as the rotation has a 5.73 ERA and has been a weakness.

In assessing Pineda's loss, Cashman rightfully noted that "this team isn't built around Michael Pineda." With those words, Cashman meant that the strength of the team is "the sum of its parts."

The Yankees are a talented team, a club that should be able to withstand the loss of one talented pitcher.

"My job is to collect assets and pool them together so that we have a winning team," Cashman said. "Unfortunately, one of those assets isn't available. And it hurts. It makes the journey a little tougher."

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES

As Russell Martin discussed the rekindling of the rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox, he had a look of anticipation on his face. It was the look of a boxer before an important bout against a despised rival. It was the look of someone who was anxious to try and spoil Boston’s 100^th anniversary celebration of Fenway Park on Friday.

“When you play Boston,” Martin said, “the only thing you care about is beating them.”

Obviously, that is the same attitude the Yankees have when they play any team. Whether it is the Red Sox, the Rays or the Rangers, the Yankees want to win every game. But Martin meant that the conquests between the Yankees and the Red Sox are a bit different. There is a different type of intensity when the Yankees roll 200 miles north and end up as guests at Fenway.

“It starts with the fans,” Martin said. “There’s energy when you take the field. Every play is magnified. The fans give us that energy.”

Maybe this trip to Boston will be timely for the Yankees. Maybe that boost of energy will help a team that has looked stale in starting the season with a 7-6 record. The Yankees have been burdened by ineffective starting pitching (5-5, 5.59 ERA) and inconsistency in clutch hitting situations. For the Yankees to flourish in a difficult American League East, they need their starters to be much more reliable. The rotation was supposed to be a definite strength, but, so far, it’s been a weakness.

After CC Sabathia’s last Spring Training start, he was worried about his fastball command and those concerns have lingered as he has labored in his first three starts. Ivan Nova, who will face the Red Sox on Friday, has actually been the Yankees’ most consistent starter with a 2-0 record and a 4.15 ERA. Phil Hughes notched his first victory on Thursday, but he continues to struggle with deep counts and the inability to bury hitters. Hiroki Kuroda has made three starts: one was superb, one was decent and one was poor. Freddy Garcia has looked lost in both of his starts. Andy Pettitte, who is supposed to be another pitcher and not a rotation savior, can’t arrive soon enough.

If not for a tremendous bullpen, which leads the Major Leagues with a 1.83 ERA, the Yankees would be in a more perilous situation. While the Yankees are focused on their own pitching, sometimes it’s impossible to ignore what is transpiring with the Red Sox. If the Yankees think their pitchers have been problematic, they should realize that the Red Sox pitchers have been worse. Boston has a 6.79 ERA, its worst ERA through the first 12 games since 1928. Fenway celebrated its sweet 16 back then.

The Red Sox want to celebrate Fenway on Friday, as they should. But manager Bobby Valentine also wants to begin transforming a team that is 4-8. Valentine caused a ruckus in Boston by saying he didn’t think Kevin Youkilis was as emotionally and physically prepared as he had been in the past. The words stung Youkilis. Dustin Pedroria defended Youkilis and took verbal jabs at Valentine. Guess what? The Red Sox better get used to potential firestorms like that. Valentine is only one answer away from the next one.

Both Martin and Derek Jeter sidestepped questions about Valentine, saying that they didn’t know him very well. Like Martin, Jeter spoke about how the Red Sox fans “are on top of you” and how that is “good and bad.” Jeter and Alex Rodriguez get booed as much as any Yankees, although Martin pushed himself into contention for the most vilified Yankee by saying he hated the Red Sox last year.  

“Do I still hate them?” Martin said, repeating a question. “I never really hated them. It made for good paper.”

And it was also good for the rivalry, a rivalry that continues on Friday. The Yankees will watch as Boston sings a 100^th Happy Birthday to Fenway, but, as Martin stressed, the only thing they care about is beating the Red Sox.

Follow Jack Curry on Twitter: @JackCurryYES