From our pal Adam Ronis of New York Newsday, and the host of the The Fantasy Bonus With Adam Ronis on the new Blog Talk Radio Fantasy Sports Channel. Adam is one of the experts on New York baseball and chimes in with his view of the top five Yankees’ stories this year.

1. An October with no Yankees.  The Yankees have participated in the postseason for 13 consecutive seasons and in the final year of Yankee Stadium, there likely won’t be any October baseball unless the Red Sox pull off a 2004 Yankeeesque collapse. The Yankees trail the wild-card leading Red Sox by seven games with 22 to play.

2. A-Flop? Alex Rodriguez’s reputation for failing to deliver in the clutch has been further enhanced this season. It wasn’t true in the regular season last year, but with the Yankees in dire need of him to carry a disappointing offense, A-Rod didn’t get the job done. He hit into 11 double plays alone in the month of August and has just three ninth-inning RBIs this season. Of his 31 home runs, 21 are solo shots and he struggles with runners in scoring position. He is also getting a divorce, was linked to Madonna and has been booed at Yankee Stadium.

3. Youth movement gone awry. Ian Kennedy or Phil Hughes and Melky Cabrera for Johan Santana? Nope. The Yankees decided to go with a youth movement and insert Phil Hughes and Kennedy in the starting rotation. Hughes went down in April with a rib injury. Kennedy had a 1.89 ERA in three starts last September providing some hope, but he has been atrocious this season with an 8.17 ERA and 0-4 record. He also missed time with a lat injury. Cabrera started the season very well in April, but cooled off tremendously and was almost an automatic out. He was sent to the minors in August and acknowledging the bleacher creatures while a ball was headed his way is emblematic of his season.  Joba Chamberlain started the season in the bullpen, was turned into a starter and went on the disabled list in August with shoulder tendonitis. He just returned and is currently in the bullpen.

4. Rivera still the best. Rivera, who turns 39 in November, just gets better. He has struggled in tie games, thus his 5-5 record, but his numbers are sick. He has allowed just 37 hits in 61 2/3 innings, 10 runs and four homers with a 70/6 K/BB ratio. He has a 1.46 ERA and 0.70 WHIP. He has held hitters to a .171 average. He has saved 32 of 33 games.  If there’s one Yankee who deserves no blame for this season, it’s Mo.

5. Mussina turns it around. The 39-year old appeared to be on the decline after a 5.15 ERA and 1.47 WHIP last season. He has turned it around immensely and if it wasn’t for Mussina, who stepped up with Chien-Mien Wang out with an injury, the Yankees might have been buried in July. Mussina is 17-7 with a 3.39 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and a 123/24 K/BB ratio.