Because, Let's Face it...

This season is over.

No, the Yankees aren't coming back from this. There is no amazing six-week run in this club. They're going to be just this bad, or maybe a little better, from here on out. Mr. Rod's ignominious return did not spark the offense, CC's one decent night did not turn his season around completely, and Andy Pettitte is old.

Even Mo blew a save. That happens every now and again, but a sweep by the White Sox? The doormat of the AL Central? Unacceptable.

So let's look ahead, although that might not be any more edifying. What will the 2014 Yankees look like? (Let's assume the injury thing subsides long enough for Opening Day to come off successfully.)

Projected Opening Day lineup:

Gardner 8
Jeter 6
Teixeira 3
Cano 4 (we're hoping)
Soriano 7
Ichiro 9
Nunez 5
Wells DH
Romine/Cervelli 2

Starting pitchers:
Sabathia
Kuroda (maybe)
Nova
Pineda
Phelps/Warren

Bullpen:
Robertson (closer)
Logan
Claiborne
Banuelos
Kelley
Two people we don't know yet (Nuno?)

Backups:
Almonte (outfield)
Nix (maybe, infield)

That is not terribly promising.

Missing from the 2013 roster:
Granderson
Chamberlain
Hughes
Pettitte
Rivera
Adams
Stewart (?)
Youkilis
Hafner
Mr. Rod (the inevitable suspension)

Free agent targets for the new, thrifty Yankees (from what is, admittedly, a less-than-stellar class):
Brian McCann?
Jarrod Saltalamacchia? (Just because he wouldn't have the weight of his name on his back)
Michael Young? (He's cleared waivers--the Yankees didn't claim him. Message?)

Trade targets:
Your guess is as good as mine.

Nope, not terribly promising.

This might be the era when younger fans get a taste of what it's like NOT to be in the playoffs every year. When quick fixes don't fix quite so much. When, sooner or later, there is no Derek Jeter, forever.

It's key that Cano be signed to a new contract. It's really important that Kuroda not be allowed to high-tail is back to Japan after a year of such awful run support. And yes, we're going to need a viable backup shortstop and first baseman, because there are no guarantees with injuries and some people just aren't getting any younger.

This year has been frustrating. Lately, it's gotten pretty much unwatchable. But sports loyalties don't change for real fans, even in awful times. If you're a Yankee fan, you're stuck. I was stuck at the age of 6, which was roughly half a century ago. I'm not going anywhere, even with this 2014 roster above. Will you?

Changes, no doubt, are coming. Maybe that's good. Maybe not. But don't expect an immediate return to glory, ala the 2013 Red Sox. The sudden obsession with spending, the weak free agent class, the not-fabulous farm system from which to trade, and the lack of a blockbuster trade possibility like the wholesale re-do Boston pulled off last year all conspire against the Yankees.

It's going to be a rough couple of years, at least. But when it's over, the joy will be that much more satisfying.

Are you in?