Derek Jeter (UPI)
On paper it looks like David vs. Goliath, and that was before the Mets lost their David (Wright) to a stress fracture in his back.
This year’s version of the Subway Series, which begins tonight in The Bronx, appeared to be the biggest mismatch between the New York rivals since it started up in 1997. But the season’s second month has been a disaster for the Yankees both on the field, where they had a recent six-game losing streak, and off it, where tensions continue to brew between Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Yankees management.
“When your club is struggling a little bit, you sort of look for some excitement around a series,” YES analyst John Flaherty said of the Yankees. “Obviously it didn’t work out against Boston, but the Subway Series is something they can look forward to being involved in.”
The Subway Series could not go any worse than last week’s rivalry showdown with the Red Sox. Boston swept the Yankees and during the middle game — nationally televised on Fox — it became known that Posada had asked out of the lineup because manager Joe Girardi had placed the struggling DH at the bottom of the order.
“[I was] surprised, because he’s all about the team,” said Flaherty, who backed up Posada from 2003-’05. “He’s team-first and I’m surprised the way the whole thing went down. I think he said it perfectly, he had a bad day and probably made a bad decision that obviously overshadowed some of that Red Sox series.”
It’s a nice break from scrutiny for the Mets, who have had to overcome a 5-13 start, cash-strapped owners and injuries to Johan Santana, Jason Bay, Wright and Ike Davis to hover around the .500 mark a quarter of the way through the season. Bay has come back, but the Mets won’t have their ace or two of their best hitters for this series. Wright and Davis, though, should be back well before the two teams meet again Fourth of July weekend.
“There is pressure on the Yankees to always play well in this series, but with the Mets having a bunch of injury problems, it just adds to it,” Flaherty said. “It’s a team in transition a little bit, so the Yankees are expected to play well in this series.”
The public in-fighting the Yankees have gone through is the kind of circus that could be seen frequently from the Mets in the Omar Minaya-Jerry Manuel era. And except for the very-public discussions of the Wilpons’ finances, GM Sandy Alderson and manager Terry Collins have helped right the Mets’ off-the-field issues and kept them competitive on the field.
“I knew Terry Collins a bit from one of my years in Tampa Bay,” said Flaherty, who was on the Rays when Collins coached there in 2001.
“And I think that the club has kind of taken on his personality. They are kind of a fiery group that plays hard for 27 outs no matter who’s in the lineup. So it’s nice to see nearly two months into the season that’s happened already.”
And now the Mets, who trail the all-time series with the Yankees 45-33, have a chance to keep their crosstown rivals down.
“The fans obviously have a great time with it,” Flaherty said. “I think the players kind of feed off that . . . when you are involved in it, the fans make it feel more important than other games.”
justin.terranova@nypost.com
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