Joe Torre grimaced.
Joe Girardi’s face screamed, “Next topic.’’
Aaron Boone?
“We have a long way to go.’’
Rightfully so, managers despise “What ifs” on a lot of levels. What if so-and-so hadn’t gotten hurt? What if a certain player hadn’t performed to expectations? What if the big trade acquisition fell flat on his face?
And the biggest one: If the Yankees go .500 the rest of the way, what do the teams behind them have to play in order to catch them?
Yet, when the schedule picks up after the All-Star break, the only real story for teams leading divisions and those in the hunt deal with numbers that have nothing to do with spin rate or launch angles.