Are the Yanks shutting themselves out?

Are the Yankees shutting themselves out, bcause they're really not shutting anyone else out.

The Yankees had the best record in baseball, which is not the first or last time that statement will ever be made. However, at this stage in the season, approaching mid-August, here's one statement that should never be made -- of their 70 victories so far, only three have been shutouts.

Going into Saturday's divisional match-up against Toronto, the Yankees won 69 of their 108 games, or just under a 64% winning percentage.

Before Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez's dominance of the BlueJays on Saturday, the A.L. East leaders by more than 10 games recorded only two shutouts in those 69 wins. That means that for any given Yankee victory, there was less than a three percent chance that it would come as a shutout.

If you went to the ballpark yesterday, there was less than a two percent chance that you would witness a Yankee victory by shutout.

But you did -- you lucky *$&#*...

This is not a good sign for the 26-time world champs. The Yankees now have three shutouts in 109 games. I'm a little league baseball umpire and I know of nine-year old teams that have more than three shutouts in a 12 game season. And those aren't even the good ones.

So, how can a team that sends eight men to the All-Star game, and has more future Hall of Famers than the rest of their division combined have such a low shutout percentage?

In recent years we've seen teams post 14, 16, and 19 game shutout seasons. Shoot, in 1916, Grover Cleveland Alexander hurled 16 shutouts himself, yet, the beefed-up Yanks, America's team, the greatest dynasty in sports, are on pace to not even reach five.

Pitching wins championships, and the Yankees pitching is horrible.

Now, in no way am I the first fan to say that this year, but the numbers -- they do not lie.

At the beginning of the season, the Yankees had the highest payroll in MLB, and the highest expectations. They couldn't lose.

I was in Las Vegas with my roommates on Spring Break, and the odds BEFORE THE SEASON EVEN BEGAN on the Yankees winning the World Series were less than 2:1 -- and people were jumping on it like it was IBM stock in the '80s.

Only time will tell if those suckers will hit pay dirt, turning their $100 into $160.

There was another veritable All-Star team with enormous (yet aging) talent and an enormous bankroll in 2004. We named them the L.A. Lakers and they didn't even make a championship out of that NBA finals series.

Perhaps there is such a thing as overkill, and it is not working out for the biggest dynasties in sports.

The Yankees also recently blew the Randy Johnson deal -- real smart.

With a team getting so old that Social Security payments will soon be itemized on their bank statement, the front office needs to plan ahead.

Champions don't win games 11-8, they win them 4-1 and 3-0.

That might not make for exciting Bronx Bomber theatrics, but it can ensure that future Yankees teams are not the biggest waste of money since the $300 Christmas Furby.