01:00 AM EDT on Friday, May 27, 2005

Those "aging Yankees" stories sure got old in a hurry, didn't they?

Remember how, at the end of last month, the decrepit Bronx Bombers were said to be bombing out, were being written off as a team in worse shape than certain neighborhoods in the South Bronx? Do you recall how the recurrent story line was that the current Yankee dynasty was crumbling, that an era was ending in New York?

It's a different story now.

The Red Sox, who have lost their last three series on the road against the likes of Oakland, Seattle and, most recently, Toronto, head into Yankee Stadium tonight to begin a three-game set against a Yankees team that, going into last night's game against Detroit, had won 14 of its last 16 games, and six straight series.

A month ago, the Yankees were reeling. Now, they're rolling.

A month ago, Kevin Brown couldn't win a game. Now, he

can't lose one. Jason Giambi, who appeared in need of either a confidence-building trip to the minors or a muscle-building dose of steroids, has begun to turn things around at the plate.

Ace reliever Mariano Rivera couldn't get anybody out -- at least not anybody wearing a Red Sox uniform -- and veteran center fielder Bernie Williams was over the hill and out of the lineup, and the feeling was that Alex Rodriguez still had yet to establish his credentials as a "real Yankee," although being paid a humongous salary would seem to be qualification No. 1 for being a "real Yankee" in the Steinbrenner Era.

Ah, yes, George. With his team's payroll over $200 million, and his team's record under .500, Steinbrenner was predictably -- and understandably -- fuming publicly.

Now, however, it's the defending world-champion Red Sox who are fretting.

Curt Schilling, the pitching hero of the 2004 championship season, has been on the disabled list for more than a month, and it may very well be at least another month before he's able to take the mound for Boston. So far this season, Schilling has made just three starts, pitching only 17 2/3 innings, giving up 29 hits and 16 runs. And who knows how good he'll be, or how long he'll hold up, when he finally does return?

But that's just one reason why pitching is a sore (pun intended) point for the Sox, who let Pedro Martinez go to the Mets and Derek Lowe to the Dodgers, then brought in portly (that's polite for "fat") lefty David Wells, the inconsistent Matt Clement and the rehabilitating Wade Miller, while their A.L. East archrivals, the Yankees, were signing the likes of Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright.

Wells spent three weeks on the DL and has been slow returning to form, with a record of 2-4 and an earned-run average of 6.81. But that's still better than the struggling Kevin Foulke's, whose E.R.A. is a sky-high -- particularly for a closer -- 6.95.

Wright has spent most of this season on the DL in New York, but his place in the rotation has been ably filled by 25-year-old Chien-Ming Wang, who is 3-1 after beating the Tigers Wednesday night in Yankee Stadium.

The Sox, on the other hand, are having problems at the plate, as well as on the mound, with some key players slumping.

Most disturbing is the shockingly low average of Manny Ramirez, who was at a woeful .236 going into last night's game in Toronto. He's been flailing at the plate, with a number of uncharacteristically poor at-bats -- and it's not just this season. Manny didn't hit well after the All-Star break last year, either.

Meanwhile, Kevin Millar is at .231, and even lower against lefties. Edgar Renteria, lured from the Cardinals to play shortstop, is under .250 and isn't playing up to expectations defensively. Mark Bellhorn is batting .233 and had struck out 51 times in 41 games prior to last night.

Granted, the Red Sox have spent more time on the road lately than a long-haul truck driver, but it's not as if the Yankees haven't had their share of problems this season, as well.

Which is why, a month ago, the Yankees already were being written off as yesterday's news. Now, with the Red Sox heading into the Bronx for the weekend, the Yanks once again are threatening to regain their customary spot atop the division.

The good news?

A month from now, it all could be very different. And there still are four months to go before the playoffs begin.