Back in March, I predicted that the Yankees would miss the playoffs. This surprised many on the Rumor Forum. I didn’t expect what’s happened, though.

Is history against the Yankees? Absolutely. They’re 11-18: from 1930-1999 [excepting 1981 and 1994, the strike years], teams starting 12-18 made the playoffs 1.8% of the time; teams starting 11-19 made it 1.5% of the time.

I don’t bet on sports, but if I did …