Sound the alarm!

Sporting News, The, Sept 20, 1999 by Mark Bonavita

It's a done deal: The Yankees officially have ousted themselves from the major leagues' elite group of playoff contenders, which includes Atlanta, Arizona, Cleveland, Houston and Texas. The transition from top dog to big dogs occurred somewhere between Pedro Martinez's one-hit, 17-strikeout, you-have-no-chance performance and Roger Clemens' falling out in the eighth inning of the final game in Boston's first three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium since 1986.

The triple-Bronx bummer left the Yankees 31/2 games in front of the BoSox for the division title and 6 1/2 ahead of the A's in a potential fight for the wild card.

The Yankees seemed poised to make another unchallenged run at the championship until Big George just had to have Clemens. In the move, New York lost its best pitcher and one of its most popular players from the record-breaking crew. Not only was David Wells the Yankees' top hurler, he had a personality that fit perfectly with the big city. The team also lost Graeme Lloyd. His departure wasn't given much thought until the realization that Mike Stanton and Allen Watson were the top lefties in the bullpen.

There are plenty of other problems that don't stem from the deal, so Clemens shouldn't have to shoulder all of the blame. Consider:

* The rest of the rotation has been erratic. David Cone's ERA has climbed every month. It has been reported he's holding back for the post-season. But is that possible for the competitive Cone?

Though Andy Pettitte has been the team's top starter since the All-Star break, there's no guarantee he won't revert to his poor first-half ways. And although June and July were great months for Hideki Irabu, he has been unreliable the rest of the time.

* The bullpen is Mariano Rivera and a host of extras. There are no dominant setup men. The team hopes righty Jeff Nelson and lefty Stanton will be at their best for the playoffs, where they have played major roles in the past three seasons. Otherwise, the club must lean on Jason Grimsley and Ramiro Mendoza.

* The offense, though it ranks among the league's best statistically, has been inconsistent.

Despite averaging 5.52 runs per game, the Yankees have scored fewer than five runs 63 times in the first 142 games, fewer than three 36 times and have suffered five shutouts. Chili Davis has hit .237 with five homers and 17 RBIs in 156 at-bats in the second half. His futile efforts are forcing the Yankees to count on Darryl Strawberry more than they should.

Add to that Chuck Knoblauch's woeful defense, Scott Brosius' extreme drop-off, Bernie Williams' bum shoulder, the down years from Tino Martinez and Paul O'Neill, and things aren't looking so rosy for the mighty Yankees. It's not time to jump ship, but they better grab some buckets.

Mark Bonavita is an associate editor for The Sporting News.