ken -- I know you hate the Yankees, but three games in the loss column is not really a mountain to climb with over 50 games remaining, and Boston's pitching has not exactly been reminiscent of the 1966 Dodgers, either. Oakland has been on such a tear for so long, either one of two things will happen -- they stay on this pace, which means they will easily win the WS, or they return to earth, in which case they won't even make the playoffs. I'm betting Clemens for Cy Young, even though Carpenter is having a great season. That incredible ERA, plus his past history, will probably carry the day.
FYI..I don't hate the Yankees. IMHO Jeter is one of the classiest players ever to wear cleats..I do detest Steinbrenner, for his obnoxious behavior, and how his wild spending has ruined the game.....I hate the Yankee fans..especially those who feel it is their god-given right to win a WS every season..The Yankees have NO, ZERO, NADA, ZILCH pitching...and they cannot continue to hit they way they have for 50 games..so...Boston goes 35-20 , and Yankees go 30-25..and the last three game series will be meaningless..
True, anything can happen with almost two months to go (just ask any O's fans), but keep in mind that a month ago, the Yankees were 3.5 games out of first place- the same spot that tehy're in now. If they play the remainder of the season the way they did last month (and there's little reason to suggest they will improve much, given their pitching problems), they will find themselves out of the playoffs for the first time since 1994.
However, I would be a little more confident that the Yankees won't win the division if the Red Sox were playing better baseball. Despite an eight-game winning streak, their problems were apparent even when they were playing Kansas City, but didn't actually cost them any games until they started palying a better team (the Twins). Something needs to be done about the bullpen and rotation, such as bringing back Jon Papelbon as a reliever, and possibly calling up Abe Alvarez, with some of their starters (such as Wade Miller and Bronson Arroyo) being shaky lately. I saw Alvarez pitch in Pawtucket yesterday, and he struck out nine in just 5.1 innings, and Papelbon pitched a perfect ninth inning. I say give both of them another chance in the majors, and see how they do.