By Mike Fitzpatrick
The Associated Press
NEW YORK - Alex Rodriguez sat in front of his locker, slumped in a folding chair, dirt stains still splattered on his pinstriped pants.
No reason to rush home, no more games to get ready for. Just a long winter left to wonder why he and his teammates couldn't close out this playoff series with the championship poise the Yankees used to be known for.
"It's not the same team," captain Derek Jeter said. "We've had teams that have been good at it, but this is not the same team."
After 86 years of domination in baseball's most bitter rivalry, the Yankees finally folded against the Boston Red Sox Wednesday night, losing 10-3 in Game 7 of the AL Championship Series.
Hard to believe this fabled franchise could come apart in such an epic collapse. Right here, at their hallowed home, in the shadow of all that history, all the banners.
"I'm embarrassed right now," Rodriguez said. "Obviously that hurts - watching them on our field celebrating."
This was much more than a season-ending defeat - it was an unprecedented choke job. Just three outs from a sweep Sunday, the Yankees dropped four games in a row, becoming the first team in postseason baseball history to blow a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven series.
"I wish my eyes were closed and I could open them now," reliever Tom Gordon said. "It could have been over in four. It's a tough one to bite."
It's never happened in the NBA. It has happened only twice in the NHL.
And now the Yankees, the most storied team in all of sports, are right at the top of a humbling list.
It will be a painful piece of infamy for everyone in pinstripes. And it certainly will bring the wrath of owner George Steinbrenner.
New York has gone four years without winning the World Series. Rodriguez is still looking for his first ring, as are Mike Mussina, Hideki Matsui and Jason Giambi.
"It's such a long season and when you're so close to your goal, it's going to hurt all winter," Rodriguez said.
It was a sight many New Yorkers thought they'd never have to witness. The Yankees are the team that pulls off improbable comebacks - especially against Boston.
Not this time.
"It makes it worse. But we've been on the success side of this thing, not just against them. Now I'm getting my share of the losing end," general manager Brian Cashman said.
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