Wright going wrong

Jaret Wright, the rookie hero of the 1997 playoffs for the Indians, left his Saturday afternoon start for the Yankees with yet more pain in his right shoulder. The Yankee Stadium fans, predictably, booed him. After several minutes of Bronx cheering, assistant Yankees trainer Steve Donohue popped out of the dugout and gestured toward his right shoulder, trying to tell the fans Wright was hurt and not just sucking.
If Wright needs surgery, it will be the third on his pitching shoulder, and some in New York are wondering if this might be the end of the line for the righty who possessed a 98 mile per hour fastball as a rookie.
A comeback 2004 season under the miracle-working eye of Atlanta pitching coach Leo Mazzone led a lot of people to believe Wright was back to his 1997 form. Some Cleveland fans were hoping to see the Indians re-sign him. Good thing they didn't.
It looks like the Yankees gagged on the three-year, $21-million contract they signed Wright to this off-season. The Yankees do have an out, however: if Wright spends more than 75 days on the disabled list this season or next, the Yankees can void the contract. It won't replace the innings Wright was supposed to absorb, however.
Wright could be the poster boy for the first non-contending Yankee team in more than a decade. The Yankees are 7-11 and in last place. Granted, it's only April and there is still plenty of time for the Yankees to go out and trade for a few more all-stars signed to bad contracts, but it is apparent this is not the Yankees of the late 1990s. This isn't even the Yankees that won pennants in 2001 and 2003.
I think losing to the Red Sox in the ALCS last year was a line of demarcation for the Yankees. No matter how much money George Steinbrenner throws at his team, the Yankees might be forced to ultimately -- gasp! -- rebuild.