An Analogy

I remember when I used to take multiple choice tests in high school. Occasionally, you'd get a stretch of consecutive questions that all, apparently, had the same answer (let's say, for the sake of this example, "C").

Even though you might have been feeling confident with your answers, when you got to, about, the fourth question in a row with an answer of "C," you'd begin thinking to yourself, "One of these must be wrong. The teacher wouldn't put four "C's" in a row. That's just not logical."

So, inevitably, you'd psych yourself out and change an answer to (let's say) "D," because you had suddenly decided to play a one-sided, psychological chess match with your teacher; a teacher who probably hadn't even realized that he had crafted four questions in a row with an answer of "C."

When you got the test back a few days later, that one answer you had changed to "D" was, of course, wrong, and lo and behold, all four answers were, in fact, "C." You'd then curse yourself, swearing to never again go against your instinct.

By sitting Johnny Damon tonight against the Twins in favor of Justin Christian (hitting leadoff, no less) -- the same Johnny Damon that is 13-32 (.406) on a road trip that has seen your team lose 5 of 7 games and fall four back of the Wild Card lead -- Joe Girardi has essentially changed his answer from "C" to "D."

After watching the Yankees get shut-out tonight and fall to defeat for the fourth consecutive time, it's fair to say that the skipper probably wants that decision back.

I learned to stop overthinking in high school, Joe. How 'bout you?
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