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 New York 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."

No, it certainly is not.

After 86 years of domination in baseball's most bitter rivalry, the Yankees finally folded against the Boston Red Sox on 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 its hallowed home, in the shadow of all that history, all the monuments, 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 on 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. ... Just have to get past this."

It's never happened in the NBA. It's 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.

"I could care less about that," Jeter said. "I don't know how you can rank failure. You win or you lose."

It will be a painful piece of infamy for everyone in pinstripes. And it will certainly bring the wrath of owner George Steinbrenner this winter - probably sooner.

New York has now 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.