New York Yankees: Why No One Should Worry over the 0-3 Start to 2012

I really felt out of the loop this week.

For those who didn't know, I just returned from a week-long vacation with my wife from the Bahamas, so I was gone for the opening of the 2012 season.

Yup, my cruise ship only had ESPN, which for some reason, only liked to play soccer or golf, so I did not get to catch the Yankees-Rays series while I was out of the country.

And I think I'm glad I did, because they got swept this weekend and will now travel to Baltimore to start a series with the Orioles on Monday.

I heard that Mariano Rivera blew his first save of the season, Hiroki Kuroda's Yankees debut was not very impressive and the offense got shut down by Jeremy Hellickson.

When I got back to New Jersey, I saw a few people on Facebook getting bent out of shape, already thinking of hitting the panic button at 0-3; you know, the same old song and dance.

Me? I was not one of them.

It's April. There's no panic button in April.

I mean honestly, do you think the Yankees are going 162-0? If so, the Easter Bunny is real and dropped off lots of gifts to you on Sunday. But for the rest of us in reality, yes, the Yankees are going to lose some games. It happens, it's a long season.

There is also some panic for the Red Sox, who also started out the season 0-3. The pummeling they endeared at the end their 2011 regular season carried right on over into 2012.

But not the Yankees. They're professionals. They've been through this.

Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera have been through it several times. Their team is full of talent and can win 90 games with their current roster.

The Yankees started their 1998 regular season 0-3 and were subsequently blasted by the media.

All they did was win 114 regular-season games and go 11-2 in the postseason en route to the World Series title. They are still recognized as one of the greatest teams ever assembled.

Going a little too far back into history? OK, I know, it was a different team back then. Let's try more current history.

In 2009, the Yankees started out the season 0-2 against the Orioles. All they did was finish 103-59, had the best record in baseball and went 11-4 in the postseason to capture their 27th World Series title.

A few things have changed since 2009, some of the players have gotten older or moved on, but much of the main core remain intact.

So folks, for anyone who watched in anguish and thought about hitting the panic button, relax. Because after all, it is only April.

And for those who might need to, repeat after me: the Yankees will be just fine. For those who have to say it more than once, go ahead.

In all honesty, the Yankees will be just fine in 2012. They've been through this before.

Stay tuned, Yankees Universe.