This is the Team That Brian Cashman Built

This is the team that Brian Cashman built:

* A team that started out 16-6, and is now 21-21, exactly at a .500 winning percentage.

* A team of players who can't stay healthy.

* A team of gutless wonders. (The last 2 categories are not mutually exclusive.)

* A team that lets the Tampa Bay Rays walk all over them: Losing 6 of the last 7 games against them.

* A team that can only go .500 against the Mets: Losing the 1st 2 games against them, winning the next 3, then dropping the last.

* A team that can't even beat the Baltimore Orioles anymore: After 21 straight wins against the O's, the Yankees suddenly stopped hitting at Camden Yards, and lost their last 3 against the Birds.

* A team that gives up 10 runs in 1 inning to the Toronto-Buffalo Blue Jays one night, and loses 2-1 despite a great pitching performance from J.A. Happ, the alleged weak link in the starting rotation, the next.

* A team that is now 6 1/2 games behind the Rays in the American League Eastern Division, 6 in the loss column.

* A team that currently holds the 8th and last spot in the rejiggered, expanded AL Playoffs, with 3 teams within 2 games behind them.

Cue Jim Mora Sr.: "Playoffs? Don't talk about... Playoffs? You kiddin' me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game! Another game!" 

And still, the ire of Yankee Fans, especially on social media, seems to be on Aaron Boone.

Why?

Boone is just following orders. Brian Cashman is the real manager of this team. Boone is carrying out Cashman's orders. Sending out Cashman's lineups. Replacing pitchers based on Cashman's wishes.

Boone is the press secretary, taking the hard questions, so that the coward Cashman doesn't have to.

Meanwhile, this will be the 11th straight season, and the 16th in the last 17, that the Yankees do not win the AL Pennant; the 18th in the last 19 that the Yankees do not win the World Series.

At this point, supporting Brian Cashman is like supporting Donald Trump: You've seen the evidence against him, so what the hell is wrong with you?

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Days until Rutgers University plays football again: Unknown. They were supposed to kick off the 2020 season on September 5. Then the Big Ten Conference canceled all nonconference games, pushing the season opener ahead to September 26. Then they canceled all Fall sports, with the hope of playing the 2020 football season in the Spring. Who knows.

Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State football game: Unknown. It was supposed to be the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, November 28.

Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: Unknown. They were supposed to kick off the 2020 season on September 3. Then it got pushed back to October 2. Now, nobody knows.

Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge football game: See the previous answer. The Big Green's season opener was supposed to be against the Purple Bastards.

Days until the next U.S. national soccer team game: Unknown. Currently, neither the men's nor the women's team has any matches scheduled.

Days until Arsenal play again: 3, on Saturday, at 7:30 AM New York time, away to West London team Fulham. Two Saturdays ago, Arsenal beat Liverpool in the Community Shield, English soccer's annual season-opening exhibition game at the national stadium, the new Wembley Stadium in West London, between the winners of the previous season's FA Cup, in this case Arsenal; and the winners of the previous season's Premier League title.

Days until the New York Red Bulls play again: 3, on Saturday night at 7:00, away to arch-rival DC United, at Audi Field in Washington.

Days until the Red Bulls play another "derby" game: See the previous answer. Their last 5 games have all been against nearby rivals. In order: A 1-0 win over New York City FC at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey; a 1-0 loss to the Philadelphia Union at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania; a 1-1 draw with the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts; a 1-0 loss to DCU at Red Bull Arena; and a 3-0 loss to Philly at Red Bull Arena. So it's not looking too good for Metro.

Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series begins: 9, a week from this on Friday night, September 18, at Fenway Park.

Days until the 1st Presidential Debate: 20, on Tuesday night, September 29, in Cleveland. Joe Biden and Donald Trump will also debate on Thursday night, October 15, in Miami; and on Thursday night, October 22, in Nashville. If, that is, the cowardly Trump shows up.

Days until the 2020 Presidential election: 55, on Tuesday, November 3. Under 8 weeks. As the old saying goes, and it really is true this time, "This time, vote like your life depended on it."

Days until the New Jersey Devils play again: Unknown, as the NHL hasn't yet made out its 2020-21 season schedule. That's understandable, given all the uncertainty with trying to wrap up the 2019-20 season. Last I heard, the League was talking about starting next season on or around December 1. If that is the date, then it's 83 days, or a little under 3 months.

Days until the Devils play another local rival: Unknown, although it's unlikely that their 1st game of the season, or even their 1st home game, will be against a traditional rival.

Days until the next North London Derby: 87, on Saturday, December 5, at 10:00 AM New York time, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London. Under 3 months. This game will likely be moved, either to another time that day, or to the next day, or maybe to the Monday night, for TV and ratings purposes.

Days until a new Congress convenes, hopefully fully Democratic: 117, on Monday, January 4, 2021. Under 4 months. Ordinarily, it would be January 3, but that's a Sunday next year.

Days until the next Presidential Inauguration: 133, on Wednesday, January 20, 2021. Under 5 months. Liberation Day.

Days until the COVID-delayed Euro 2020 opens in Paris: 275, on June 11, 2021. A little over 9 months.

Days until the COVID-delayed 2020 Olympics open in Tokyo, Japan: 317, on July 4, 2021. A little over 10 months.

Days until Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz become eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame: 489, on January 11, 2022. A shade over 16 months until we find out whether lying about having been caught taking steroids, as Big Papi did, is better than telling the truth about it, as A-Rod did.

Days until the next Winter Olympics open in Beijing, China: 513, on February 4, 2022. Under 17 months.

Days until the next World Cup opens in Qatar: 803, on November 21, 2022. Under 27 months.

Days until the next Women's World Cup opens, a joint hosting by Australia and New Zealand: 1,034, on July 10, 2023. Under 34 months.