Red Sox fans who tuned into last nights game after the eighth inning watched a scene that resembled the old days of Tropicana Field, with maybe 20 or 25 fans standing behind home plate at the new $1.5 billion Yankee Stadium. ESPN reported that even in the first inning of the game only 54 of the 98 first-row Legends Suite seats were filled.  But hey, at least one was occupied by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

 Isn’t this supposed to be the greatest rivalry in sports? The Red Sox only won by four runs, are Yankees fans trying to tell me that this was an insurmountable deficit? Is that why they all went home?

I guess these aren’t the Yankees of yore, they have lost all five meetings against the Red Sox this season, they are still sans A-Rod, the ace and the slugger that they invested almost $400 million have been marginal at best, and they have a bullpen with an ERA of over 6.00.  Alright well maybe the bullpen woes are vintage Yankees, but the other issues could pose some serious problems looking forward.

Let’s first take a look at what $400 million gets you these days:

Mark Teixeira
BA: .198 HR: 5 RBI: 12 OBP: .352

CC Sabathia
W-L: 1-3  ERA: 4.85

I know it’s early in the season, but those numbers have to make Brian Cashman sick to his stomach. 

Sabathia threw a hard hat on a few months ago to take a look at the new Yankee Stadium as a little publicity stunt to get fans to buy the now infamous ticket license plans (that plan obviously didn’t work).   I think it’s safe to say that CC probably regrets saying the phrase, “Yankee Stadium forever” at the end of the commercial. This comment was clearly made before it seemed like someone flipped a switch and put the new park on Home Run Derby setting.

Fortunately for Sox fans, the amount of bad news facing the Yankees, is equal to the amount of good news facing the Red Sox.  Sean McAdam explains the state of the rivals in a recent piece for Fox Sports.

Alex Speier doesn’t believe that the gap between the Sox and the Yanks is as wide as some might think.  He let’s us know the five things we should take out of this most recent series.

While on family business in New York City, and by that I mean with my dad and sister, I came to notice that it was moving day in the Bronx for the Bombers.

The Yankees yesterday moved some of the more important items from their old offices at Yankee Stadium to their new $1.5 billion home across the street into the palatial new Yankee Stadium, including the World Series trophies they won in 1977 and 2000. MLB.com has the video of the move.

Friday’s move didn’t completely close up the House that Ruth Built. The ticket office, switchboard operations and some clubhouse staff will remain behind taking care of unfinished business.

Meanwhile, here’s a different take on the Yankees off-season spending spree on C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com notes that the Yankee payroll of $209 million is actually set to decrease from 2008.

Meanwhile down in Houston, two former Yankees continue to dominate the headlines… Don’t they always? Roger Clemens would still be welcomed to spring training to watch his son catch and Andy Pettitte isn’t likely to return to Houston.