The Yankees won all three of their games this weekend in dramatic walk-off fashion, and it would be hard for any team to accomplish this and not look like they’re having the time of their lives. That said, right now the Yankees — the buttoned-up Yankees! — look more like a team of smiling little leaguers than one full of millionaire hired guns.
The stories about the Yankees being more fun this year have popped up a couple of times already — like when Joe Girardi took the team out for a billiards tournament, or when Nick Swisher does just about anything. But this weekend it was A.J. Burnett assuming the role of clown, throwing a whipped-cream pie in the face of the hero of each game just as they were about to be interviewed on TV: Melky Cabrera on Friday, Alex Rodriguez on Saturday, and Johnny Damon yesterday. (Saturday, especially, would seem to indicate a looser clubhouse this year; we can’t imagine anyone pulling that with A-Rod in previous years.)
Of course, the Yankees aren’t winning because of whipped cream. They’ve been getting good-enough games from their starters, and much better pitching from the bullpen, to go along with key hits to spark late-inning comebacks. (The presence of A-Rod hasn’t hurt either: They’re 7–2 since his return, and Mark Teixeira has been a different hitter with Rodriguez protecting him in the lineup.) But the whipped cream isn’t hurting. If nothing else, it’s delicious!
