The Yankees have been waiting all season for some good mojo - the kind that lasts longer than 1 game - and, knock on wood, it seems that they are finally playing with some fighting spirit and it is paying off. They're rocking a 5-game winning streak, averaging 6.77 runs per game so far this month, and are inching ever closer to that elusive .500 mark that has loomed in the distant horizon for quite some time now. I hesitate to proclaim optimism, because it seems that my forays into the adoption of such a mindset are quickly followed by another Yankees downswing (see here, here, and here for a sampling of said optimism; if you check the dates of those posts you will get a chuckle at the near immediate subsequent return to failure) , but I fear this bloggity is in danger of becoming a stagnant wasteland of bitching (as opposed to a stagnant wasteland of poorly-written content representing the entire spectrum of moods, which is what I aim for). There has been much more in the way of bad luck to chat about than good news this season, which has made discussing positive aspects of the Yanks' season difficult. Now that they've been playing well and have enjoyed a few injury-free days, let's seize this opportunity to gather 'round the fire and talk about the good times.

• They've won their last 3 series - 2 out of 3 in Boston, 3 out of 4 in Chicago, and now 2 in a row against the Pirates at home (if they win tomorrow, it will be a sweep! shhhh... don't jinx it).
  
• Mariano is looking much better. In his last 10 games he's pitched to the tune a 0.79 ERA, earning 4 saves and a win and giving up just 1 run.
  
• The bullpen has gotten a bit of rest courtesy of Mr. Wang's complete game (which, incidentally, was also excellent for my fantasy team) and Mr. Pettitte's 8-innings last night.
• Cairo has been showing some defensive chops at first base.... and his batting average isn't under .200 yet.
• Melky's defense has been a beautiful sight to behold.
  
• They picked wisely in the draft, going with a pitcher and catcher in the first 2 rounds. MLB draft picks can take a while to make it to the major league level and it's often hard to predict how any of the picks will perform in the future, but they were smart to jump on a young catcher early.
• Roger's first start for the Yanks since 2003 went off without a hitch today. He didn't bust out a perfect game by any means, but he went 6 innings (rather than the 5 many people - myself included - have assumed he would) and struck out 7. His effect on the mood of the team and fans alike is as valuable as his pitching, and better yet, now that he has finally pitched a game ESPN can stop saying "Rocket Relaunch".

I don't know about you folks, but thinking about those positive Yankees developments has put me in a delightful mood. Now let's just cross our fingers that the Yankees don't have their usual response to my optimism and start crashing and burning again tomorrow.