Schadenfreude 81 (A Continuing Series)

Mike Vaccaro, Post:

It was a tough night. It was a lousy night. It was a grisly night. ... Phil Hughes was brutal, throwing BP during his brief stint and refusing to compete. The bullpen was just as bad, the lack of toughness throughout the batting order apparent.

It was 8-0 after an eight-run second inning, and then 9-0, and then 11-1 ...

And, oh yes: A-Rod went 0-for-3 with a walk, meaning he's now 0-for-6 after that feel-good blast, which is far less an indictment of Rodriguez -- you want to see what a really hideous start to a season looks like, have a gander at Mark Teixeira's numbers -- than it is another unwanted cue that having him back in the fold makes the Yankees better, but doesn't make them good.

George A. King III, Post:

... in two starts since he debuted with six scoreless innings against the Tigers, Hughes is 0-2 with a 17.49 ERA. In 5.2 innings over those two starts, he has allowed 15 hits, six walks and plunked a batter. ...

[Girardi said] "The talent is in there."

But it's hidden very deep at this point.

John Harper, Daily News:

Maybe these Yankees just aren't very good.

At the very least, the season has an ominous feel to it. They are already reeling from injuries, the latest being Ian Kennedy's aneurysm in his pitching arm that could finish him for the season at a time when he had been dominating hitters at Triple-A.

And now Joe Girardi isn't sure what to expect today from Joba Chamberlain, who popped a blood vessel in the thumb of his pitching hand while tossing a ball in from the outfield during batting practice Saturday night.

Yikes. Is this an era destined to be remembered someday as The Curse of Joe Torre?

Meanwhile, the Mets are in first place!