Let me preface this by saying that I always have, and always will hate the New York Yankees. The team referred to as the Evil Empire might not live up to its billing any more.

The Yankees currently sit six games back of first place Boston and are only four games over .500. Pretty mediocre. Are we starting to say the end of the Yankee dynasty, which started (at least THIS dynasty) in the mid-90s?

Probably not. But, I can make a case that there might not be as many reasons to hate the Yankees as before. No longer will any team just concede the AL East or the AL pennant to them. Boston won the AL East last year, en route to ANOTHER World Series title for the Yankees nemesis. In fact, for all this talk of the Evil Empire, the Yankees haven't even been to a World Series since 2003. Sure, they've won 90 or more games every year since then, but the competition has either caught up with the Yankees or the dynasty is coming to an end.

If you look at their current roster, they are an old team. Their elite players are all over 30 years, with many being in their late 30s.

Their younger players, excluding Joba Chamberlain, haven't panned out. Melky Cabrera is just average. Phil Hughes has been unimpressive. Ian Kennedy has been a train wreck. Darrell Rasner has yet to prove himself and outside of Robinson Cano, their offense lacks youth.

In order to maintain the dynasty, the Yankees have had to decimate their farm system along the way, so their is no fountain of youth to tap into. So, with the Yankees' six games and their best pitcher Chien-Ming Wang out for most of the season now, could THIS be the year, the Yankees finally miss the postseason? We can only hope so.