Gimorah attacks! (Indians 5, Yanks 4)

Today I was reminded of the three-headed monster that used to engage Godzilla in epic struggles for the right to demolish Japanese cities. His name was Gimorah, and he always gave Godzilla a hard time.

Well in this game a similar three-headed monster attacked the Yankees' chances of winning today. No, not quite Gimorah. It was Joe Girardi, Phil Hughes, and Jeff Nelson.

It started with Girardi. Posada in the lineup would have made a big difference. If Wang had started the Yankees may have won. And what if Mariano had pitched the 9th? Was he unavailable?

As for Hughes, he was inept. Lets compare his performance to Chien Ming Wang's. Wang, btw, is what we call a REAL PITCHER.

Hughes pitched 5 innings and gave up 4 runs. He averaged 19 pitches per inning for a total of 95.
Wang pitched 3 innings and gave up 0 runs. He averaged 13 pitches per inning for a total of 42.

Today Wang was the better pitcher than Phil Hughes. In fact, Wang has ALWAYS BEEN better than Phil Hughes. And for fans (and coaches) with short memories, I'll remind you: Wang has been a great pitcher for the Yankees for 4 years.

But this was the worst of all. Top of the 9th, 1 out, tie game, men on first and third, Posada up, 2-1 count. Home plate umpire Jeff Nelson, a name Yankee fans should not forget anytime soon, called a pitch, which every replay angle showed was much too high and tight, a pitch that a cataracts patient would call a ball, a strike for a 2-2 count. Posada shook his head in disgust. Girardi couldn't believe it.

Rather than having the opportunity to unload on a fat 3-1 offering, Posada was forced to protect the plate with two strikes, and on the next pitch he grounded into a double play.

For some reason Mariano did not work the 9th to set up Jeter, Damon, and Tex to win it in the 10th. And the Yankees lost when Coke walked the Tribe's 9 hitter and Robertson couldn't find the strike zone. Ballgame over.

Jeff Nelson (the umpire). Let's hope we never see him behind the plate again. If he works another Yankee game calling balls and strikes, fans should protest. He was pathetic today.

There was, however, some great news. The Yankees have tied the Major League Record for most consecutive games played as a team WITHOUT an error. Tomorrow they'll try and break it. It's always good to look on the bright side, even when a three-headed monster like Gimorah ruins an otherwise lovely Sunday afternoon.

NBA results

At the start of the NBA playoffs, Lebron James made things interesting. He predicted a championship in front of millions of fans.

I responded by saying...well, no you won't win the NBA championship. In fact, Mr. James, you're not even reaching the finals. It's gonna be the Magic.

At the time, this was probably the boldest of the predictions I made. And you might be asking yourself, "how did he know?" Well, that's my secret. All I can tell you is that the fans were wrong, Vegas was wrong, the writers were wrong, and Lebron was wrong. The sports reporters kept saying that Kobe and Lebron were on a collision course. But I was pretty sure the Magic were going to win the East as soon as Garnett went down.

Now I'm not predicting the outcome of the Finals. Too difficult. Like I said before, it's probably going to be the Lakers. But the Magic are really good, and very mentally tough. Problem is, so are the Lakers. Under Phil Jackson, the Lakers will never beat themselves. They'll never hang their heads and tank under pressure. They'll be playing their best, and the Magic will have to do the same. Let's see if they can.

By the way, I've said I don't like the Lakers. Here's why:

Phil Jackson is a great coach. But part of that greatness comes from a Bill Bellichik win-at-all-costs mentality that often gives rise to very ugly behavior from himself and his team. Not to mention cheating.

Kobe Bryant has the same approach to the game. But he seems like he's got a permanent chip on his shoulder. Always frowning and mean-mugging, Kobe never seems to enjoy himself. He might be skilled and graceful, but that doesn't mean he's enjoyable to watch. He'd do well to emulate Lebron, who has real charisma, charm, and an inspiring passion for the game.

Now that Shaq is gone, some say the Lakers are no longer unpleasant. But Shaq's replacements have undermined the game in their own ways. Take a look:

In what may be the definitive NBA finals preview, here's an overmatched Gasol repeatedly flopping against Howard.

All in all, I get the sense that the Lakers, following in Jackson's footsteps, are a bunch of tools. Here's to hoping that Howard and co. get the job done.

Wounded Knee (Yankees 10, Indians 5)

Well, what can you say? The Tribe is getting scalped.

It's not so much Cowboys and Indians. It's Cowboys and Indian schoolchildren out there.

The Yankees, apparently confused that today was NOT supposed to be a re-enactment of wounded knee, smoked the tribe's pitching for 7 runs, thanks to Posada, Matsui, Jeter and co., before the Indians even got a hit, thanks to CC.

2 games on the reservation, and 2 wins already. Let's call this series a success right now.

And I think the best news is that the Yankees are now in first place. Ahead of the Blue Jays. Ahead of the Rays. Ahead of the Red Sox. In first, where they belong.

The sun is shining in Yankee land.

First Place (Yanks 3, Indians 1)

Well, here's the good news:

Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, and Mariano Rivera were chiefly responsible for the Yankee victory today. Sound familiar?

Here's the bad news:

Pettitte had some back stiffness and needed to leave. It was probably the wet mound or the long wait to start the game, or both. Pettitte will be back and pitching well soon. 95% sure of that.

Either way, Wang can take over. Yes, he may still need to prove himself and lower that 20 ERA to something we can look at without barfing. But since his hips were abducted and strengthened, Wang has been great both in AAA and with the Yankees. It's probably time to forgive and forget.

Relief (Yanks 9, Rangers 2)

Great article on the game today by Tyler Kepner. He seems to be getting his act together.

As Kepner said, there are a lot of positives to take from the game. Name the player, and he probably played well. Cano, Tex, Matsui, Gardner, Jeter, and Burnett all had great games (though Johnny Damon has cooled off).

But the biggest news was Wang, who had his best performance of the season, pitching the eighth and ninth and mowing down all 6 batters he faced, two on strikeouts. There were two reasonably hard hit balls, but the others were the soft groundouts and sorry wiffs on nasty sinkers that we know are coming when Wang is on the mound. Most importantly, his performance brought not just relief for the starter, but also a sigh of relief. Wang seems to be back, and with a few more outings like this he will have proved it to the coaches, and created an interesting dilemma for who should be in the rotation.

Joba in the pen, please (Rangers 6, Yanks 3)

I said I wasn't going to weigh in on tired subjects. But this is now effecting the team negatively. Below I'll provide the answer to the question, "Should Joba be a starter or should he a set-up man?" But first,

This is a game where the Yankees bullpen simply got out pitched.

The pitching lines tell the story:

Aceves: 2 innnings 3 runs 4 hits
Coke: 1 inning 1 run 1 hit

For Texas,

Jennings: .2 innings 0 runs 2 hits

Wilson: .2 innnings 0 runs 0 hits

O'Day: 1 inning 0 runs 1 hit

The case for Joba to be a setup man:

Joba threw only 84 pitches in just 4 innings of work. After giving up a leadoff homer in the 4th, he retired the remaining Rangers in order. Why, then, wasn't he in for the 5th inning?

Girardi's treatment of Joba has continued to be rather strange. Last time out Joba struck out several hitters in a row...and was then removed in the 6th as boos rained down. If Girardi is so intent on having Joba start, why not give him the innings that a starter gets? Is he so fragile that any overworking will doom his arm forever? If that's the case, then surely he's more valuable in the pen. While Joba may pitch fewer innings from the pen, he will certainly have a lower ERA. And his presence will shorten the game 2-4 nights a week.

Joba does his best pitching when he is able to let go and fire away. This is only possible after his pitch count reaches about 30 or 40. Let's look at Joba's ERA and WHIP by pitch count:

Pitches: ERA: WHIP:

1-15 7.50 2.50 (Consistently starts poorly)
16-30 11.57 1.86 (Still holding back)

31-45 2.46 1.58 (Transitions to power pitching)
46-60 0.00 1.20 (Now at full force, he is dominant)

61-75 1.13 1.25 (Pwnage. Joba's setup potential.)

76-90 2.45 1.09 (WHIP low as domination intensifies)

91-120 0.00 --- (4 inn, 5 hits, no ER)

Judging from this table, Joba is able to deliver anywhere from 45-80 pitches at full force, thus dominating the opposition, every 5 days. The rest of the time, he is mediocre. This means that although Joba's pitch count reaches 90 or 100, his quality pitch count only reaches about 70 every 5 days.

As a reliever, Joba would be throwing at the level he throws when his pitch count is between 31-90 ALL THE TIME. And 70 quality pitches over 5 days is about what you would expect from a set up man, NOT a starter. A starter would throw 100-110.

Joba may learn to start games better. And it's been said that he "has 4 pitches". It remains to be seen whether some of those pitches are overrated. What we do know is that after two months of Joba starting, one thing is clear. The way things are right now, Joba is more valuable to the team as a reliever because he would be making more quality pitches, and fewer mediocre ones.

Confirmation on the brink

Obama today:

"Sotomayor was born in the south Bronx, she was raised in a housing project not far from Yankee Stadium, making her a lifelong Yankees fan...I hope this will not disqualify her in the eyes of the New Englanders in the senate..."

(laughter)

There's a little truth in every joke. And the joke's on Boston.

All is well in Yankee Land (Yanks 11, Rangers 1)

In a game like this it's hard to decide which to praise, the hitting or the pitching.

So let's talk about both.

The Yankee lineup smoked so many baseballs today you'd think they'd get emphysema. A-Rod was 5 for 5, and the bombers (who didn't even need a bomb today) accumulated 19 hits.

Phil Hughes owned the life of every Ranger in that lineup today. No runs, 3 hits, 8 innings pitched. Pwned!

All in all, a glorious day in Yankee land. The sun was shining, the hitters were hitting, the pitchers were pitching, and the Yankees looked like the Yankees. With red hats.

CC's first test

I wrote at the start of the year that CC would not be able to get the job done in high profile games.

Here was his line in the most important game he has pitched this year:

8 innings 3 runs 9 hits 4 strikeouts.

Not bad. Normally that's enough, especially at Yankee Stadium. And it really was enough, but SOME PEOPLE messed up with runners in scoring position and less than two outs in two consecutive innings (they know who they are).

But for 161 million, when does "not bad" become "not good enough"?

9th inning heroics, 10th inning disappointments (Phillies 4, Yanks 3)

Not the kind of game you like to write about.

It was a great game. Two great pitchers, on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon in the Bronx, one pitcher a world champion, the other a superstar with a monster contract, a man still in the process of proving he can excel in the limelight, went inning for inning and seemingly pitch for pitch. There were heroes on both teams. And in the end the Phillies triumphed in the 11th inning to win the 3 game series.

For the second day in a row the Yankees came roaring back in the bottom of the 9th, this time to tie it, off the bat of Melky once again. In both the 9th and 10th innings, the Yankees had the winning run in scoring position with less than two outs and didn't drive him in. Here are the Yankees who did not get the job done: Matsui, Gardner, Swisher, Teixeira, and Pena (the links are reminders of past heroics by these players. For Matsui you could start a website. And Swisher has yet to get that really big, pinstripe earning hit). Most of these guys have executed in the clutch before. It just didn't happen today, and we're hoping they redeem themselves in the near future.

One of the more memorable plays was the sawed off at the handle, broken bat home run by Teixeira, pictured above. I don't think I've ever seen a home run off of a completely broken bat before.

So that's the Phillies. They came to play, and won two out of three games. The good news is that the Yankees were not dominated. In a 7-game series one might give the edge to the Phillies right now, based on their lineup being healthier. But in October...I think a Yankee team with Nady and Posada would be the favorite.

Also, the Yankees finished this difficult stretch at 4-2. They're now 6 games over .500, and embark on a 6 game road trip through red hot Texas and ice cold Cleveland. 3-3 over the next 6 would be ok with me.

After this road trip the Yankees will get Texas, Tampa Bay, Boston, and the Mets. If the Yankees who did not perform today want to redeem themselves, they'll have plenty of opportunities against those four teams.

Here are the recaps for the three games the Yankees played against the world champs.

Game 1.

Game 2.

Game 3.

Late-inning Ballers (Yanks 5, Phillies 4)

As expected, Philly's new pitcher, Happ, who was making his first start of the season, dominated the Yankees for 5 innings yesterday. The Phillies held a three run lead, and as the bottom of the 6th approached, it looked as though the Yankees were on track to lose their second straight game, and the series, to the world champion Phillies.

But everything changed with one pitch. Facing the Yankee batting order for the third time, Happ left one up for Jeter, who punished it into the seats in left field, rudely interrupting an in-game interview with the father of one of the home run hitters for the Phillies.

Now the Yankees had momentum. Pettitte silenced the Phillies in the seventh. Coke did the same in the 8th and 9th, with some help from Veras, and the Yankees stayed within striking distance, at 4-2.

In the bottom of the 9th, Johnny Damon came to bat and worked a walk from Brandon Lidge, the World Series winning closer last year. Teixeira struck out. One out, and A-Rod came to the plate. Lidge greeted him with 5 straight sliders, first getting ahead of A-Rod 1-2, then nibbling until the count was full. And on his first fastball, A-Rod crunched the game-tying home run.

Fox began showing replays of previous Yankee walk-off hits, group hugs, and pies in faces. Cano singled. Yankee stadium was going berserk. Melky was up, and Fox replayed both of Melky's game-winning hits. On the second pitch to Melky, Cano stole second. The crowd was on its feet, roaring, chanting, suffocating the opposition. And then he hit it. Cano, knowing the ball would drop, never stopped as he rounded third.

The bench emptied, Gardner reached Melky first to hug him, the bullpen came running out, Melky was hoisted into the air and pied in the face, and the Yankees, who are now the most fearsome late-inning team in baseball, had tied the series.

Wang's shaky return

As a precaution, Wang returned to the Yankees today. He was needed because Joba's torpidity taxed the bullpen so badly against Baltimore (we've now learned that Joba's leg is neither bruised nor swollen. So I ask again, why did he leave the game?)

Anyway, Wang arrived in the 7th and didn't pitch particularly well. He gave up 6 hits and two runs, including a monster shot by the current major league home run leader, and a walk. He struck out two, got 4 ground ball outs and got 3 fly ball outs in three complete innings.

That said, a close look revealed that Wang still has work to do. His sinker sunk but his fastball wasn't especially fast. He had decent control, but several pitches hung up fat for hitters to crush. Even though he got 4 ground balls and 3 fly ball outs, more than half of those outs were very hard hit.

It might be slightly unfair to judge Wang too harshly on his performance against a lineup that not even Burnett could properly handle. Still, I think he should have been better. We'll see if he improves in his next appearance. The Yankees seem to want to give him multiple opportunities, and that must be helping his confidence, which is probably the most important piece of the puzzle.

Mental Toughness (Phillies 7, Yanks 3)

We knew this would be a difficult series, and Philly did not disappoint. They came to the Bronx, and on the first pitch Jimmy Rollins made his statement: The champions are in town, and you'd better compete. Home run.

The Phillies are no ordinary champions. They have character, poise, and no weaknesses. They earned their world series victory last year, and their veteran core is virtually unchanged. They remind me a little bit of the great Yankee teams (they're not that good, though). And they have by far the best road record in baseball, an astounding 15-5, which indicates uncommon mental toughness.

Unfortunately, we might not be able to say the same about these Yankees. Is this team truly mentally tough? Joba didn't demonstrate it. And neither did Burnett today. Bruney has followed Joba's lead and is now complaining about his own phantom injury. Cano played badly and Damon had an off-night when his hitting would have been huge. After all, Jeter and Tex, the hitters before and after Damon, had 2 hits each. I also doubt that CC has the toughness to compete at a championship level, but we'll see on Sunday. And we know that whatever toughness A-Rod had early in his career evaporated the minute he donned pinstripes. We're still waiting for it to return.

Here's what we DO know. Teixeira has it. Matsui has it. So do Jeter and Posada. And one of the toughest pitchers in baseball, Andy Pettitte, has it. Good thing he is pitching tomorrow, because the Yankees will need him to be awesome.

Philly Preview

Phillies/Yankees.

The Yankees need to win at least one of these three games to stay on pace to contend for a playoff spot. That could be very tough.

Philly is a very strong team, with championship confidence and an ability to perform under pressure. They are also expertly coached. Their pitching staff is consistent and confident, and their bullpen is probably better than the Yankee bullpen right now.

I expect the Phillies to win at least two of these games, but I wouldn't put money on it, as the Yankees are the hottest team in baseball right now. Let's look at the series game-by-game.

Game 1: The Myers/Burnett game might be the best bet for the Yankees to pull out a win. However, the Yankee bullpen was taxed yesterday by Joba's indolence, and will not be fresh.

Game 2: The Pettitte/Happ game looks brutal. Nobody's seen this Happ guy before, and I don't think he's a starter. But he has been dominant in relief. I don't see the Yankees winning this game.

Game 3: The Sabathia/Hamels game will be the most interesting of all. At the start of the season I called him "CC Sabustia" because he pitched so poorly in the first game. I even said he was the "A-Rod of pitchers". Though he is sure to compile excellent statistics over time, it's still possible that he's a complete bust in high-profile games.
Game 3 will be a high-profile game, with even more intensity if the Yankees have lost either or both of the first two games. And that will be CC's chance to prove me wrong.

Bring on the Phillies (Yanks 7, Orioles 4)

The Yankees lost Joba Chamberlain at the beginning of the game. A lot of teams might tank the rest of the way and make excuses. Not the Yankees.

The tone was set in the bottom of the first by Jeter, the first batter, who doubled to start the thumping that would chase the Orioles' starter from the game and spark a win and a sweep, for a 9 game winning streak. Melky, Cano, and Teixeira were crushing the ball. Matsui homered. And Mariano capped the sweep with a strikeout of Huff, who looked helpless, confused, and little in this series. Much was made of his mocking of Joba last time the teams met. But that became a sidebar to the real story: The Yankees are crushing fools now. It doesn't seem to matter who is pitching, or who they're playing. There's some mystique in the new ballpark, and its weight is suffocating the opposition into submission.

This is gonna be a fun series with Philly, I can tell. The Phillies won't back down. If things break right, we could see these two teams in the Fall Classic. This three game series could be a preview, and believe me, it's going to be close, intense, and well-played. Fasten your seatbelts.

Joba's aches and pains

A line drive hit Joba in the thigh today. He bent over like a big baby, drawing the coaches and trainers from the dugout. They let him continue but he gave up two singles in a row. So out came the coaches again and Joba was sent to the clubhouse for xrays. The xrays turned out to be negative, of course.

Joba, man up and pitch the game. You've got a troubling pansy streak that needs to be eradicated before it truly hurts the team. Maybe a blanket party will straighten you out. I'll leave that to the Captain to handle.

Edit: This just in, x-Rays were negative, as mentioned above. When asked about his "injury", Joba said yesterday, "It's a lot better than I thought it would be...it didn't bruise or swell."

Let's think about this. It didn't break. It didn't bruise. It didn't swell. What did it do? Why did he bend over, scaring the coaches, and then throw two fat pitches for singles? The fact is, he wasn't hurt at all. That's why they left him in. Joba found a way to leave the game because he just didn't want to compete. Simple as that.

Back-to-Back-to-Back! (Yankees 11, Orioles 4)

The Bronx party continues. Now the Yankees have got a kangaroo court going, with Mariano as judge and Jeter, Damon, and Burnett as jurors. Here's the full story. Phil Coke was fined $30 by the court for pointing at a fly ball, thinking it should be caught, then watching it go over the wall for a home run. And A Rod was punished for coming late...to the season.

On the field, today was back-to-back-to-back day, as Swisher, Cano, and Melky connected with big, fat homers to right field, one right after the other. Yankees are having a grand old time with the Orioles and Twins in town. It was great to see the Yankee bats, especially at the bottom of the order, support Hughes against Guthrie, a very skilled pitcher. I almost didn't watch this game, thinking that the pitching match up looked bleak.

So here's the outlook. If the Yankees complete the sweep tomorrow, then they really only need one win against Philly to stay on track. And the Yankees would be fortunate to get one.

Why am I so pessimistic about Philly? Well because they're the world champions. And the Yankees aren't even a playoff team.

A party atmosphere in the Bronx (Yankees 9, Orioles 1)

Every game seems like a party these days.

The much-maligned bullpen has decided to shave their heads. Bruney showed up for a 1-2-3 8th looking like he was headed to boot camp. Veras, Coke, and Aceves also have joined the platoon, and Johnny A is being recruited aggressively. Let's see if General Mariano enlists, or is "drafted" in his sleep.

Burnett has made a name for himself by mashing whipped cream in his Yankee teammates' faces during interviews after their walk-off hits.

And even Jeter has been jocular. The old Captain was seen busting Swisher's chops for his haircut before the game (pictured above), congratulating Pena with a slap on the chest for catching a routine pop fly (shown in the Bruney clip above), and then, after chasing a foul pop into the crowd, playfully smacking a small child's hat downward over his eyes. Here's the clip. He also smoked a bases-loaded, bases-clearing double that broke the game open Jeter style, kicking off the festivities, and sealing another game in what is becoming a memorable streak and a awesome exposition of Yankee dominance.

The wheels are coming off!

Oooops. Looks like the accusations that A-Rod tipped pitches when he was with Texas are....yup, BS. Good reporting there from some statisticians who use the same tools that are employed to reveal point-shaving to exhonerate A-Rod from this particular allegation.

Oh, and when Kepner blogged about the alleged pitch tipping in a way that attempted to legitimize Roberts' obviously BS accusations, yours truly let him have it so hard, so fast, that the entire comments thread appearing underneath his blog post became devoted to supporting my opinion, and Kepner himself was forced to respond. (I identify myself as "Leigh" and write the 4th comment.)

It seems that the wheels are coming off the Roberts wagon, and in time the whole book will be seen for what it is: JUNK REPORTING! HA HA. (To get that reference, you gotta read the comments thread after what I wrote, in which Kepner says I'm "silly" to call Roberts a "junk reporter"). Pure Gold!

What's next

With their first sweep of the season, the Yankees have won 6 straight games and are now 4 games over .500, at 21-17.

At this point of the year, one shouldn't look at the standings too much. Hot teams in May aren't always hot in August. And the pennant race doesn't begin until at least the All-Star break. But even now, records matter. That said, I'd like to see the Yankees reach 15 games over .500 before the All-Star break. That would put the team on a pace for 95 wins, which should be enough for a playoff spot.

However, the Yankees' schedule looks tough up until then. They have several series against Texas, the Mets, the Phillies, the Rays, the Blue Jays, the Angels, and the Red Sox, all of whom are above-average teams this year.

It's more realistic that the Yankees will finish the first half at about 9 games over .500, compiling a 28-23 record between now and then, for a 49-40 first half. If they do better, then great. If not, then it's a disappointment, and it would put them in poor position for a stretch run.

After the break, the Yankees will have 73 games left to play. If they enter the All-Star break at 49-40, they'd need to go 46-27 after the break to reach 95 wins, which I think they will need in the ultra-competitive AL East.

But there's a problem. Excluding a brief west-coast trip that has a stop in LA and a quick 3 game set against the Royals, the Yankees will finish August, play all of September, and complete the season with 3 games in October against AL East opponents who always play the Yankees tough.

Looking at it this way, I think the Yankees will have to buck the odds BEFORE the All Star break, and win at least 30 between now and then (going 30-21). A-Rod's presence in the lineup should help, and with those 30 wins the Yankees would be 51-38 entering the break (13 games over .500). That's still not on pace for 95 wins, but it's close.

The Yankees will also need an excellent performance in August, because September will be very tough. Problem is, in August they'll have 15 games against either the Red Sox or Blue Jays, a three game set with Texas, and a west coast trip.

It's going to be rough, that's for sure.

I'll be giving season outlooks like this every two or three weeks until the break, after which time I'll give an outlook once after every series or two. For now, the Yankees need to win both of these series against Baltimore and Philadelphia. That means going 4-2 over the next 6 games. Yes, it's still May, but these games are more important than they look.

Go Yanks.

Tex&A-Rod 4, M&M 0 (Yankees 7, Twins 6)

Morneau and Mauer put up these numbers in the 4 game series at Yankee Stadium:

32 At Bats, 14 Hits (including 2 doubles and 5 home runs), 7 Runs, and 8 Walks, for an On Base Percentage of over .500. But with all of these numbers, they only managed 7 RBIs.

Teixeira and A-Rod put up these numbers:

27 At Bats, 11 Hits (including 2 doubles and 6 home runs), 8 Runs, and 8 Walks, for an On Base Percentage of over .500. With all of these numbers, the duo drove in 13 runs.

Teixeira had more RBIs than the M&M boys' combined total. That was the difference in the series, along with the fact that the Yankees' bullpen (and, I think the whole team) is better.

Wang

Big news coming out of AAA: Chien Ming Wang is returning.

Over two starts he has given up 7 hits and 3 walks in 13 scoreless innings. The second start was against the best-hitting club in AAA.

Not only that, but he is getting ground balls and consistently throwing for innings of ten pitches or less. This is the Wang we know and love. And this is the Wang the Yankees need to win the AL East.

By the way, the Chinese characters mean "Shhhhhh" (quiet).

How to walk off in style (Yanks 3, Twins 2)

The Yankees now have this "walk off" thing down to a set routine (today's walk-off video here). Everyone knows their role. It's like a well-oiled machine.

First, the Yankee gets the winning hit. On the way home, the scoring Yankee grabs his helmet with both hands and flings it straight into the air. The rest of the Yankees are waiting for him, bunched up in a horseshoe around home plate. The Yankee leaps into the air and lands with both feet on home plate, and is then mobbed by the team, everyone slapping him on the head. At this point the Yankees form a circle around the hitter, put their hands in the middle, and start hopping up and down in unison, chanting something. After about 10-15 hops, they stop and congratulate each other some more, with hugs all around.

Finally, as the player is pulled aside for the post-game interview, someone mashes cream in his face.

Yankee baseball!

By the way, I guess it was a bad idea for the Twins to pick a fight in game one. Best to leave sleeping giants alone...

Tex and Arod (Yanks 6, Twins 4)

I have a feeling that if these two, Teixeira and A-Rod, really get going, the Yankees will be unstoppable.

Think about todays game. Without Tex and A-Rod, the Yankees probably lose this game 4-0. Joba pitched decently, and somehow figured out how to pitch in the first inning. But the bottom of the order didn't show up, which will be the case from time to time.

But today Tex and Arod accounted for every Yankee RBI. Tex put the team ahead 3-1 with a blast into the bullpen. Later he singled with two outs to tie the score at 4. And then Arod finished it in the 11th with a soaring shot to left. Tex/Arod/Joba 6, Twins 4.

Red Soxian misbehavior from the Twins

What are the Twins doing? Gomez runs too close to Tex. He does it again and Tex says "That's twice now", pointing at him. Then for some reason Gomez decides to charge Tex. Benches clear. Girardi yells something at Gomez and then to "defend his player" the Twins coach starts screaming at Girardi.

Well, I don't know what that was about, but it's hard sometimes to watch "small market" teams come to the stadium and misbehave this way. We see this from other AL East opponents from time to time, particularly from the Red Sox. Rather than start fights, maybe they should just take their losses and go home, like men.

By the way, Tex responded with an RBI single in the 9th. And then he scored the tying run.

Here's the footage.

That's Yankee Baseball (Yanks 5, Twins 4)

As Paul Krugman says, when there's a lot on his mind and he's about to break it down:

"Ok...."

Tex: Two hits, an RBI in the bottom of the ninth, a run, and a walk. That's productivity.

Damon: Ejected for instructing the umpire on the location of the strike zone. Girardi burst out of the dugout to calm him, but arrived too late, just as Damon was bent down indicating with his bat where the inside and outside corners are located, and as the umpire was pumping his arm wildly as a signal that Damon's night and his ten game extra-bases hitting streak, which only Paul O'Neil and Don Mattingly have matched in pinstripes, were both over. (Don and Paul also share the distinction of being my favorite players while they were playing. After Paul retired it became Matsui, and it still is. But there's no denying anymore that Jeter is the greatest. So now they're my co-favorites.) For Damon, that's passion.

Gardner: What separates the good Yankee teams from the great ones has always been the penchant for accomplishing something truly amazing. Sometimes it was a perfect game (or two), a 5 for 5 hitting performance, or a back-to-back-to-back home run rally. Today Gardner did something on that level: An inside the park home run. (Video). That's exceptional.

Jeter: The Twins starting pitcher Liriano cut the Yankees down until bottom of the 5th. Then Jeter changed the whole dynamic of the game, blasting one out of the park. And the game was on. That's what Jeter brings.

Hughes: 5 IP, 4 walks, 3 runs. That's....average but we'll take it.

A-Rod: The Twins simply refused to pitch to him. I don't think they threw him one strike in any of his 5 at-bats. It says a lot about the mystique of A-Rod that, even with a .136 average, he is still getting the Bonds treatment. It also says something about the Twins, who really threw the kitchen sink at the Yankees today, playing and strategizing throughout the game as though it were a game 7 (the Yankees are used to this stuff from most teams, I hope). For example, after a swinging strikeout that bounced before the plate, the Yankee catcher Kevin Cash corralled the ball. Usually, if the catcher is able to secure the ball, the batter might jog over to first, or just walk politely out of the box toward the dugout, allowing himself to be tagged. But the Twins run full-speed towards first, as though someone had shouted "go!" and fired a pistol. In the playoffs, yes. In May, gimme a break. And even in the 8th inning there were fireworks when another Twins runner got too close to Tex at first. Girardi correctly blamed the Twins manager, feeling that the whole game was played too aggressively. Anyway, for A-Rod and his 4 walks; that's respect.

Morneau: You gotta give this guy credit. He single-handedly kept the Twins in the game. Two home runs and a huge game-saving steal of a hit by Swisher almost did the Yankees in. That's solid baseball (but he's still a chump).

Melky: Ever since being sent down in August last year, and then losing the starting job to the speedier Gardner this April, Melky has come roaring back, leading the team in batting average. I mean, this guy is the bomb: he switch hits, goes the other way, hits for some power, has some speed, and can play the outfield with the best of them. And this year he is proving that he can do the most important thing of all: Perform at his best in the clutch. Bottom 9, 2 outs, bases loaded, Yankees down by one, Melky up: Base hit to left!, Teixeira scores! Pena scores!, ballgame over!, Yankees win...Theeeeeeeeeeee YANKEES WIN!!!! (video here).

That's courage.

This game had everything you would expect when you watch the Yankees (video recap here). An extraordinary performance, a display of raw power and skill, and a demonstration of real courage under pressure. Yankee baseball at its finest.

Matsui, Jeter, Gardner (Yanks 3, Blue Jays 2)

When a great pitcher dominates a game, that's really the only thing that matters about that game, unless the other starter was also dominant. This was the case today, as CC held the Jays to 2 runs, but the Jays' starter also performed well.

In my opinion these are the best games to watch. There's tension in every play, and that drama grows as the game advances into the late innings.

Today three Yankees made sure that the team would leave division-leading Toronto with a series win. First, Gardner gunned down Barajas at the plate from centerfield. As a defender Gardner is as pro as they come. That kept the game within one run for Jeter and Matsui to take over.

Jeter? Well he just did what he always does: get the late-inning hit in a close game with a runner in scoring position. That tied the score at 2.

Then it was Matsui, another man who has earned his pinstripes, a lefty who can hit lefties any time he likes, winning it in the 8th with a solo line drive blast over the center-field wall.

Yankee baseball, baby (game recap here).

Some things to note: Of all the cities the Yankees visit, Toronto has to be the quietest when the Yankees do well. In most cities you see a few Yankee fans in the stands popping up and sticking out awkwardly like random dandelions on a lawn. Not so in Toronto. When the Yankees fared well you could hear a pin drop.

Of course, Toronto's rather homogeneous dislike of the Yankees just makes the Bombers' thrashing of the Jays that much more enjoyable. Good job.

Also, it was great to see the Yankees make Kevin Millar irrelevant. Less camera time for that silly-looking goatee.

Yankee bats awake (Yanks 8, Blue Jays 2)

Two Yankees who needed to have big games had them last night.

Gardner put one into the seats for the first time in his career, and later in the game had a chance for an inside the park home run, which he declined.

Perhaps more significantly for the Yankees, Teixeira had another good game. With two hits, a walk, a run, and two RBIs, he played a dominant role in the outcome. The Yankees need to see more of these types of performances, because this is what Mr. Tex should bring.

Though Jeter and Matsui weren't in the game, the other Yankees brought it today.

Damon's swing looks as good as ever. Pena gets hits (but hasn't shown a lot of power). Tex is hitting a bit better now. Melky is killing the ball. Cano still seems ok. And as the pitching looks like it may be settling down a bit, it seems as though this team is starting to click.

CC tomorrow. And this game will have juice. Toronto would like to prove that their early success this season is legit, and nothing would be more important than winning a series against the Yankees at the Dome.

I say, forget that.

By the way, Jimmy Rollins is batting 5th for the Phillies (he was their leadoff hitter last year). He's batting 5th and enduring the embarrassment associated with that because he is hitting .198. Sound familiar? My question is, why doesn't Girardi think of things like this to motivate his players? And my answer is, because he just doesn't do stuff like that. And I think that's a problem.

As you can see, Arod spent some of the game with his feet up. He had three walks and didn't score.

Yankees off today (Jays 5, Yanks 1)

Press release:

The Yankees were off today. Gardner lead off, Matsui was out, Jeter was out, Kevin Cash was the catcher, Pena was the SS, and Swisher was the DH.

Fans looking forward to a meaningful showdown between Halladay and Burnett will have to wait a few more weeks. Ticket holders will not be refunded.

EVER?

Via Yahoo, Johnny Ludden writes about the out-of-control nature of Mavericks home games. Two-thirds of the way through the column, he finally points the finger in the right direction, at the leader responsible, Mark Cuban. From the article:

"Cuban is brilliant, and he’s been a tremendous owner for the Mavs, turning the sad-sack franchise into a contender. But he’s never seemed to understand how his actions set the tone for the franchise and its fans.

(Fans think:) If Mark Cuban can insult K-Mart’s mom, then why shouldn’t I join in the fun?"

Sound familiar? It's the story of the Red Sox since 2002. Let's replace subjects:

"Lucchino is brilliant, and he’s been a tremendous owner for the Red Sox, turning the sad-sack franchise into a contender. But he’s never seemed to understand how his actions set the tone for the franchise and its fans.

(Fans think:) If Larry Lucchino can indulge in Reaganesque demonizations of the Yankees, calling the organization an 'evil empire', then why shouldn’t I join in the fun?"

I've talked at length about the Red Sox, but this bears mentioning: When Larry Lucchino pulled a Cuban (or should it be the other way around?) by referring to the Yankees as an "evil empire", one of Boston's greatest columnists, the late Will McDonough of the Boston Globe, ripped Lucchino apart in his next column. And in an interview shortly afterwards, McDonough, a career sports journalist with over 40 years of experience in the field, had this to say about Lucchino's remarks:

"I thought it was one of the dumbest things I've ever seen..."

OK, that's funny.

The Onion on ticket prices at the Stadium.

Joba earns his pinstripes (Yanks 5, O's 3)

In the bottom of the first, Aubrey Huff homered off of Joba to give the O's a 3-1 lead. As Huff trotted past first he shouted and pumped his fist in an exaggerated way. Then as he crossed the plate, perhaps fearing that his first gesture had gone unnoticed, Huff performed the routine again as his teammates smirked.

This was a response to Joba's habit of fist-pumping after getting big outs (a common display of emotion for many pitchers, but for reasons we can all guess, it upsets people when Joba does it).

So what did the Yankees do? Well I know what I would do. First, I'd hit the next batter and pump my fist. When I got the third out in the inning I'd turn to the O's dugout, thrust my hips forward and grab my crotch, shouting "$%@# my *&$%ing @%#$!"

Good thing I'm not pitching for the Yankees. The pitchers didn't retaliate. The hitters didn't retaliate. The team reacted as champions do. They did nothing but simply win the game. Joba's focus intensified and he didn't give up any runs after that (nor did the relief). The Yankees pulled ahead in the 7th on Damon's home run. And Mariano secured the series win.

When asked what he thought about Huff's gesture, Joba paused for a moment and said, "I didn't see it." A perfect answer. Yankee players have to get used to this sort of thing from the opposition, and Joba handled it like a true professional. I think this is the day he earned his pinstripes.

The Yankees digest their ERA

Girardi: "I don’t want to make too much out of one start, and (Hughes) shouldn’t make too much out of one start.”
Interesting point, Girardi. To add to that, I'd say Wang shouldn’t make too much out of one start.
And Sabathia shouldn’t make too much out of one start.
And Burnett shouldn’t make too much out of one start.
And Joba shouldn’t make too much out of one start.

And Teixeira shouldn't make too much out of 30 games.
And the bullpen shouldn't make too much out of an abysmal ERA.
And ownership shouldn't make too much out of missing the playoffs last year.

Damon opined: “Our young pitchers have got to learn to give up two, three runs. Stop them there and give us a chance.”
Translation: We have no chance to win when you pitch.

And Jeter: "You don't see innings like that too often. We've seen it a little too often this year, but you try to limit the damage."

The star position players seem to be challenging the Yankee pitchers to perform. Let's see if they respond.

After one month of play, the Yankee pitching staff has the worst ERA in baseball at 5.88, two points in front of Cleveland's 5.86. So here's my quote of the day: I wonder what was going through Dave Eiland's mind while the Orioles bats obliterated every element of his staff, as ball after ball soared over the walls, ricocheting off of mezzanines, bullpens and fences, and as Oriole after Oriole circled around and around the bases like trotting sluggers on a cruel home-run merry-go-round. Maybe Eiland was thinking,

"------------------------".

Hughes that minor leaguer on the mound? (O's 12, Yanks 5)

Would it be too much to ask for Phil Hughes to just pitch...ok?

How about this? 4.2 IP, 5 Runs 7 hits?

Not great, but it'll do.

Or this? 5 IP 3 Runs 8 hits?

Fine with me.

All we want is something that gives this explosive offense an opportunity to bomb the other team to smithereens. But when you give up 8 runs and can't get out of the second inning, it means one thing: You're not a major league pitcher yet. Period.

Yankees can still win this series in Baltimore tomorrow. Baby Joba says a broken blood vessel in his thumb is bothering him. Someone ought to break his thumb if he doesn't man up, quit whining, and go out there and tear Baltimore up.

The Onslaught Begins (Yanks 4, O's 0)

The march to the playoffs began yesterday (video here).

CC Sabathia, a hulking monster on the mound, absolutely manhandled the O's lineup. The 160 million dollar man showed why he's been shown the money. For 9 innings it was a man against boys.

But that wasn't all. Tonight A-Rod made his triumphant return from hip surgery. Girardi stuck him where he belongs, as though he had never left, right in the 4 spot behind Jeter, Damon, and Teixeira. And in the top of the first, with Damon and Teixeira on base, A-Rod stepped into the box for the first time as a Yankee since last September. Just seeing him at the plate was electrifying for the Yankees and mortifying for the opposition, as though at that instant all the dreams of "small market teams" were crushed for another year by the very sight of this man in a Yankee uniform, holding his heavy bat. The crowd rose to its feet, looking on in fear and wonder at the growing legend that is A-Rod. And on the first pitch A-Rod, as if he could smell the fear and sense the grandeur of the moment, turned and smashed a mammoth, majestic blast deep into the Baltimore night.

The Yankees are back.

On Manny and PEDs

It does feel like justice. Though he is not directly tied to the Red Sox anymore, Manny's failed drug test finally brings that organization under serious scrutiny, which the Sox had avoided as best they could while persecuting the Yankees.

So the secret is out: baseball is still dirty. Just looking at the players' bodies and faces should be enough proof that they're using some very powerful chemicals to enhance their physiques.

It would be naive not to suspect that many MLB ballplayers use Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs), especially HGH and probably other stuff we've never heard of before. It's also naive not to acknowledge that the use of PEDs is probably prevalent in every major sport, including the NHL, the NFL, the NBA, and even FIFA.

The designer drugs and masking agents always stay a step ahead of the testers. It's like a game. And when millions of dollars are at stake, it's a game that the testers will lose, and players and drug-makers will always win.

There's only one way to solve the problem, and that's to stop making it a problem. To show my point, I'll talk about the world's oldest (and in some countries, now unionized) profession.

Prostitution is legal in some countries because they've realized that prostitution will always exist, no matter what anyone does. Otherwise good, upstanding people will always be buyers and sellers of the world's oldest product. And since the advent of modern contraception and disease prevention, the people who say prostitution is wrong have only moral grounds on which to stand. It is only morally wrong (in their eyes), but the truth is that it is not dangerously wrong when done by responsible professionals who are subject to regulation. Prostitution only becomes dangerous when it is outlawed and its "vendors" have no legal recourse when they are mistreated by clients or employers.

Sound familiar? More and more difficult to detect PEDs and masking agents will always emerge, no matter what. Otherwise good, upstanding athletes will use them to remain competitive. Since the advent of the responsible, professional drug-taking athlete, the people who oppose PEDs have only moral grounds on which to stand. The days of Lyle Alzado are long, long gone. It is only morally wrong (in their eyes), but the truth is that it is not dangerously wrong when done by responsible professionals who are subject to regulation. The use of PEDs only becomes dangerous when it is outlawed and its users have no legal recourse against mistreatment or professional guidance for the substance's use.

So I say, let's acknowledge reality, cool it with the moralizing, and start regulating responsibly. It's the best thing for the players, and the sport will endure, as it always has.

Could also be a glitch (Rays 8, Yanks 6)

I feel like I've seen this game before. The Yankees' starting pitching gave up runs early. Then they settled down. Then the Yankees scored some runs to tie the game but didn't pull ahead. Then the bullpen lost the game late and the hitting couldn't recover.

Clearly the artificial intelligence that has enslaved mankind and made batteries out of us while sticking us into a permanent dreamworld has run out of ideas for plot lines in Yankee games.

More rain and more of the same (Rays 4, Yanks 3)

The rain is sapping the energy from the stadium, which negates the Yankees' home field advantage. Also, the field level seats that are caught on camera simply MUST be filled by game time. That's a serious PR problem that the Yankees need to tackle right now. The "concrete moat" patrolled by a "fleet" of menacing security guards also undermine the atmosphere of inclusiveness. We can understand celebities' and the super-wealthy's desire for separation from descheveled Red Sox fans in sweat-stained, sun-bleached caps, but that's what the suites are for.

The other issue that must be resolved is Girardi. There's no escaping the fact that he needs to go, right now. Too many close, important games have been lost against rival opponents. There have been too many exceptionally poor performances by former all-stars. And too many of Girardi's decisions seem lazily reasoned. It all adds up to a sub-500 record and one agonizing game after another to watch. The sooner they fire Girardi, the better the Yankees' chances are of contending for a playoff spot this season.

Now if you want to get to the root of the problem, it's probably Steinbrenner's illness. He can't rule the team with an iron fist anymore, and so the team has declined in exactly the same trajectory as the Boss's health. And it doesn't appear as though he has set things up for others to perform in his old job at the same level of excellence. But that can't be changed. What can be changed is the leadership on the field, and that's Girardi.

0 for 5 (Red Sox 7, Yanks 3)

5 games with the Red Sox, 5 losses.

The Yankees should have won at least one of these games. Pick one. Was it the game where Mariano blew it in the bottom of the ninth? Or the one where Burnett allowed a grand slam with a six run lead? Or the wasted 12 strikeout performance by Joba where the Yankees simply stopped hitting with runners on, and suddenly couldn't hit pitchers they'd previously rocked?

Taken as a whole, there's really only one man responsible for this. Yankee fans know who he is, and the organization knows what to do. Pull the trigger. It's over.

Drawing Girardi's ire

"Girardi expresses irritation" and "Girardi angry about..." have been common headlines lately. Well that's because everyone in Girardi's world is so obnoxious.

Roberts was obnoxious for writing a book that distracts the team from doing its job. Tim Bogar was annoying for stealing signs right in front of the Yankee dugout. And the umpire was deeply irritating for calling balls and strikes so poorly. When the media, opposition, and officials learn to behave, Girardi will cool down. And beating the Red Sox would probably help, too.

Teixeira emerges (Red Sox 6, Yankees 4)

1. Jeter (SS)
2. Damon (LF)
3. Teixeira (1B)
4. A-Rod (3B)
5. Mastui (DH)
6. Nady (RF)
7. Posada (C)
8. Cano (2B)
9. Cabrera (CF)

Until this lineup is healthy, I don't view any contest between the Yankees and the Red Sox as a legitimate test of which team is stronger. After all, the Red Sox lineup is in perfect health and the Yankees are missing two or three of the players above in every game.

Phil Hughes vs. Jason Lester is also meaningless, since it's unlikely Hughes will still be around late in the season or in the playoffs.

By the way, Tex was hitting balls to the warning track a week ago. Tonight those same hits landed in the seats. Nice timing for a break-out game.

Selena Roberts, off the deep end

There's something not right about Selena Roberts.

Here's her 2006 column in the Times, which accused the Duke lacrosse team of protecting known rapists in their midst.

The column is spectacularly accusatory, woven together with pieces of carefully selected and often irrelevant evidence to produce a terrifying indictment of the team and a warning to all women that men who rape women can count on their peers to protect them. The column verges on insanity, actually. How did this woman find a job after this? Later the entire column was proved to be, you guessed it, TOTAL BALONEY. Does this sound familiar? It should.

Roberts has found a new target, A-Rod. Why the fixation on A-Rod? Well if you write for the NY Times and got promoted to columnist the same year that the Times bought a share in the Red Sox, then you might suddenly find lots and lots of mysterious sources and evidence magically drop into your lap that appear to prove some preconcieved theory of who A-Rod is. Works well, actually, in conjunction with a Mitchell Report (George Mitchell was a Red Sox "director" when he was spreading his anti-Yankees propaganda).

The problem with her book is that way too many of her sources are anonymous. Who are these people who are saying these things about A-Rod? What is their evidence? Reports are that the book is long on opinion but short on sourced facts and reliable evidence, much like the Duke column.

Maybe the most damning (or sensational) charge is that A-Rod did steroids in High School. Lemme tell you something. A lot of kids make mistakes in high school. Top high school athletes sometimes do steroids. And answer me this: When was the last time you read about something bad that a celebrity did in HIGH SCHOOL? Even in a Presidential campaign, can you ever remember hearing smear about something a politician might or might not have done in this time of their lives? This is the first time I've ever seen, in any arena, percieved transgressions in high school becoming fair game as part of a character assassinaiton.

And I must comment on this one. Roberts claims, without evidence, that A-Rod went from benching 100 to 310 in 6 months. Did she ask HOW MANY REPS he was doing? How many sets? Were they freeweights or was it a bar? Was it on an incline? Was he spotted? And does anyone really care?

Sports Illustrated hired her for some reason, I don't know why. After the Duke Lacrosse fiasco, for which she has (unbelievably) never apologized, she should have permanently lost her credibility until she had checked herself into a mental clinic. But she was allowed to roam free, and, probably at the behest of the Red Sox, A-Rod is the next victim.

Edit: Check out this podcast where Buster Olney, longtime colleague of Roberts and a Pulitzer Prize nominee for his brilliant work as the Yankees beatwriter, the man who left the Times in 2002 when Roberts was promoted and the paper bought a piece of the Red Sox, calling the book "white noise", saying people's "eyes will glaze over", and challenging Roberts to produce "hard evidence".

Edit: Oh now Girardi has responded. A public rebuke for Selena Roberts. Keem em coming, boys.

And I like Jeter's quote at the end: "I don't know what you're talking about." Good one, Selena, you've just pissed off the Captain.

Wow I'll never do this again (Angels 8, Yanks 4)

Top 1: Didn't see the top of the first. CC must have done all right.

Bottom1: I tuned in as Jeter was stealing second. Matsui drove him in. 1-0. Cano looked sluggish running to first.

T2: CC looks like he's in command. Hunter bounced weakly to 2nd, but CC nibbles around the plate to Napoli and walks him on 5 pitches. Continues to nibble and falls behind Morales, who singles up the middle. The next hitter singles but Napoli doesn't dare test Melkys arm. Bases loaded, 1 out. Strikeout! 2 gone. All he did this time was...throw strikes. He promptly returns to nibbling, falling behind. Line-out to Cano, the Angels are gone. 38 total pitches for CC.

B2: Girardi has Molina catching today, even though Posada had a monster night last night. You don't sit the hot bat, Girardi. Molina grounds out. Pena looks like he has never taken steroids. He strikes out. Gurerrero is having a blast in the dugout. Now it's Gardner the 9 hitter playing center field. He grounds out lamely and the Yanks are done. 33 Pitches total for Palmer

T3: Figgins is leading off, DHing, and batting .232. Seems silly to me. Figgins seems overmatched and pops out. CC is throwing swooping curves to Matthews. This time the pop out is to Molina, two down. Melky with a diving catch in right, fully extended near the wall. Brilliant. With Melky hitting now, the question is not "what does Melky bring to the table?", the question is "what does he NOT bring?" He has speed, he can field well, his arm is a cannon, and he switch hits. And if he keeps up this .300 average stuff with power, he's not only going to be an all star, but a superstar. CC has thrown 52 pitches

B3: Jeter is up. Worked a deep count but grounded out on a controversial call. Girardi comes out to complain, gesturing violently. Damon lines a bullet into right but Matthews makes a nice play. 2 out. Tex pops out to shallow center and hears a few boos. Stop it guys! Quick inning for Palmer, who may be settling down a bit.

T4: CC's pants fan out at the thighs like a colonial generals. Gets the first out but beans Napoli in the buttocks. He'd thrust his hips forward to avoid it but could not. CC looks uncomfortable, grimacing while wiping his brow after every pitch. Diving stop by Pena, who throws from his knees to get the lead runner at second. Nice play, two out. Grounded right back to CC, who stabs it nimbly. How nimbly the fat man catches! Angels are done, still 1-0.

B4: Latroy Hawkins was the answer but I don't know what the quiz question was. They just showed an old clip of Paul O'Neil, my favorite player after Mattingly retired. He was the best. Matsui smokes a ball but right at the first baseman. Cano is up, without a hit yet. Rolls one to the shortstop, two outs. Melky up batting .315 with a .390 OBP. Palmer is falling behind, Yankees are working deeper counts. Well he pitched uneventfully, getting the Yankees 1,2,3. Let's see if he reaches the 7th inning, because the Yankees really haven't figured him out yet.

T5: Hard hit ball glances off Pena's glove. Now CC is preoccupied with the runner at first. Molina catches the pitch and turns to the runner menacingly. Wow it's grounded back to CC, who boots it and the ball squirts towards second. But Cano is there to grab it, turn and throw a strike to Tex. He looked out but Izturis is called safe. Score it as...an error AND a fielder's choice? Figgins looks lost, popping out to Molina. Two gone, man on first. Figgins is in the dugout, looking ready to smack someone. CC periodically grabs the brim of his hat and wiggles it from side to side uncomfortably. Perhaps his head is too big for it. Fly out to Gardner, inning over.

B5: Murderer's row, Molina, Pena and Gardner are due up. No offense to these guys, but when richie rich rode in with his rolls royce to take his seat in the $600,000 per game "legends" section, did he expect to have to sit through watching these guys go down 1,2,3 every 3 innings? Molina pops out on the first pitch, and now Palmer has given up just one hit through 4.1 innings. Palmer gets ahead of Pena who gets a hold of one but it settles into Matthews' glove. Now it's Gardner, who hits the ball exactly in the same place he had before, a weak roller to second base. Palmer is dominating now (but the Yankees still lead 1-0).

T6: Howie Kendrick singles to start the inning, and CC continually throws to first to hold him. Ground ball to Pena, he gets the lead runner but Hunter is too fast. CC with his mouth hanging open is now fixated on Hunter. Napoli, who must be wondering where CC plans to hit him next, is up. Oh no ground ball to Jeter but his throw pulls Tex off the bag. Tex looked like a ballerina that time. First and Second, 1 down, Morales (whoever he is) up to bat. Oh this is bizarre. Hunter is somehow caught wandering between the bases. CC lumbers after him and tags him out near third, but for some reason the umpire orders him back to second. Probably something to do with a time-out. On the next pitch they double-steal. What an obnixious bunch. A ground-out to Jeter ties the game. That's Angels baseball. I'm gonna make a prediction right now. Jeter is going to lead off and he is going to score the go-ahead run next inning. Guaranteed. The next hitter flies out to Gardner.

B6: Jeter comes to bat looking annoyed. Ball one. The second is fouled away. So is the third, the count is 1-2. Wow Jeter goes WAY around on a check swing but it's called ball 2. Ball three. 6th pitch is fouled away. Oh he just CRUSHES the seventh pitch to deep center, WAY over the centerfielder, and it caroms over the wall for a ground-rule double. By far the hardest hit ball of the day for either team. Now Damon. 80 pitches now for Palmer. Damon grounds to first, moving Jeter to third. Now Tex. All he has to do is hit it out of the infield and the Yankees take the lead but more importantly, MY PREDICTION COMES TRUE! The cameras keep showing Scocia barking and cursing about Jeters check swing, but guess what, the Angels were just as lucky last inning, so he needs to stop. Oh no Tex pops out to shallow center and the boos rain down heavily. Jeter trots back to third, unable to score. Now Hideki. Jeter is standing at third with his hands on his hips unhappily. He can't believe Tex A-rodded that ball, and neither can I. Matsui takes a slow pitch for a strike on a 3-1 count, and then strikes out swinging. Jeter is stranded. I guess my predition was half-right. Damn.

T7: Leadoff single. Angels seem to have the momentum now. CC is over the 100 mark for pitches. The next hitter is hand-cuffed but dunks in a base hit. Now runners on first and second. Figgins makes himself useful and bunts the runners forward. 2nd and 3rd, 1 out. CC guns Matthews down with high heat, two out. Over 110 pitches now. And a slow infield single gives the Angels the lead. Somebody please get the bug-killer out, because this is getting ridiculous. First and third, two out, Hunter is up. This should be CCs last batter. 0-2 count but Hunter is fouling off pitch after pitch. A little chin music makes the count 1-2. And the first Angel to make good contact does it at the right time, as Hunter smashes a double to left, scoring both runners and putting the Angels up 4-1. That will end Sabathia's day, and Johnny A-ball will take over. Wouldn't have hurt to have brought in a right hander for Hunter. That's the second time recently that Girardi has left CC in for too long. He's learning, though. As the season progresses he'll probably get to know CC better and make better decisions. On the first pitch Napoli singles to center and here come the boos. 5-1, what a disasterous inning. Good thing the Yankees seem to know how to hit the Angels' bullpen. Oh Napoli tried to steal but that's a no-no against Molina. Time for some Yankee baseball.

B7: Cano is up first and doesn't have a hit yet, with Melky up after him, both of whom are red hot. Let's see what happens. Can the Yankees come back for the second day in a row? Will Posada get a turn at the plate? Kendrick just robbed Cano of a hit, one out. 92 pitches for Palmer, who has pitched well against the weakest lineup the Yankees have assembled so far this year. Melky smokes it and this time Kendrick cannot save the day. Palmer should be done soon. Conference on the mound while the relief warms up. What's Molina doing showing bunt? Where's Posada? Ball 4, men on 1,2 one out and here comes the bullpen. Let's see what happens with Pena and Gardner due up. Posada will pinch-hit, which is not his forte. And he strikes out weakly. I don't like Posada not starting this game, but that's what Girardi wanted to do. Now Gardner. Ball 4, Jeter is up. The crowd rises to its feet, chanting. Ball 1. Jeter looks focused, slowing down the game. Oh and a horrendous call by the umpire, the ball was VERY low and it's called a strike. Jeter ignores him. Ball two, exactly in the same place. Jeter is forcing him to throw over the plate. And Jeter smokes a ball but the pitcher gets a piece of it and it caroms near the line, he grabs it and barely gets Jeter has he sprints down the line. Another hit stolen, the Angels dodge another bullet, and really, this is turning out to be a miserable game that has been agonizing to blog. I'll never do this again. But I'll finish it.

T8: Veras is in with his 8.00 ERA. Yeah, home run, here come the boos. The Yankee bullpen is quiet. Could this be the end for Mr. Veras? He has been...unaccaptably bad. One out, man on first, Eiland comes out for a chat, Veras doesn't look at him. Looked like a 3-6-3 but the runner is called safe at first. This first base umpire is having a lousy day. The whole crew has made obvious mistakes. They won't be around for the post-season, that's for sure. A steal and a walk, men on 1st and 2nd, and now someone is warming up in the pen. Veras has lost the strike zone. I think Girardi has had enough of him. Gardner almost booted a fly ball but managed to corral it. He just stood there after the catch, wondering about something.

B8: Well...what can one say about this game? Do the Yankees have another 5 run 8th inning comeback in them? I think not. Let's see if we get some good performances, and if Cano can extend his streak. Damon just flied out, with Shields in the game now (saddled with a +8.00 ERA). Tex just launched another one to the warning track, two gone. He seems to do that a lot. Matsui now. 3 pitches, 3 outs.

T9: Kendrick is really mean-mugging Robertson. What a searing expression on his face. So Robertson strikes him out swinging. Next up is Hunter, clearly a technological marvel, with the physique of a Joe Wieder spokesman. And he pops out. Now its Napoli, who walks on 4 pitches. Morales next, who adjusts his cup constantly. Another walk. Robertson can't find the zone. Rivera up next, and he hits a soft single to right that skips away from Melky somehow. Boos are heard while two runs score. The next hitter is out, I didn't see and really don't care how.

B9: Well I said the Angels could only really hope for a split, and they're about half way there. The Yankees did not get hits when it was important, Girardi left Sabathia in too long again, and the Angels got several breaks, both from the umpires and from the field, to manage a couple of runs before Veras and Robertson let it get out of reach. The Angels also fielded a little better than the Yankees, and Palmer, a total nobody, pitched his little heart out and the Yankees figured him out too late. My hope is that the Yankees take down the Angels tomorrow to seal the series win, 3-1. And I'm thinking it's going to be Joba tomorrow. Anyway, now its Cano, who grounds out softly to 2nd, ending the streak at 18 games. What a run for Cano, and lets see if he continues his hot hitting and gets himself into the all star game, and beyond. Melky gets on and now its Berroa, who strikes out. Here's Posada with two outs. And Posada crushes one into the bullpen in right, giving the crowd a little something to cheer about. 8-3. Like I said, Girardi needed Posada's bat today with Swisher out of the lineup. That was another issue with this game. Well here's Gardner and he has a long at bat, working a walk. This pitchers name is "F. Rodriguez" but he's not K-Rod. Here's Jeter. Ha ha now the Angels pen is active. Like little flies buzzing. LOL Jeter rocked a pitch into right and it hit Matthews in the face and bounced to the wall. 8-4, Jeter on third and now they're bringing in someone else to face Damon. Now Bulger and his 11.75 ERA is on the mound. The tying run isn't even on deck yet but this is good stuff. Oh well Damon strikes out, ballgame over.

Till next time...and I'm never doing this again (I wish I'd blogged LAST NIGHT'S game, not this disaster). But it was fun (video here).