Here's hoping the Yankees make hay against the NL (knock on wood).

Alex - some fine looking salami. Now I'm hungry, and a bowl of cereal just ain't gonna do it after seeing that.

Went to bed after Matsui's salami (er, I hope that sounds right). Nice to see that it held up, as did Pettitte.

I think I prefer Mo being Mo to Manny being Manny.

I'm enjoying the season.

It really IS possible to enjoy a baseball season wherein we do not inherit a playoff spot, or even necessarily play well enough to win one down the stretch.

I like the unexpected brilliance of some players out there, kids and vets (TWO in Texas, one of each, though Hamilton isn't actually a kid, just seems like one). I like the monster seasons in the NL by two longtime stars.

I like that the Yankees have 4-5 guys now at or nudging .300, Mariano being perfect (shhh!) in saves, Mussina's rebirth, Giambi's ditto. I can live with Cano figuring it out on the fly, I think it would be sub-idiotic to give up on him and I also think defense plays a major role and those calling for RobbieMelky to be sent to Coventry (or the bench or AAA) are ignoring that. (Cano is not stellar, but he is good.)

I like having Alex and Jorge back and watching to see how that will ripple. Regrets, I've had a few ... mainly the starters. But in a season where SO many players are truly out of it, one way or another (Pronk, Thome, Konerko, Victor ... the list goes on) why should we assume immunity?

I do believe the crackdown on stimulants is affectig a lot of people. It is a LONG season, and people do wear down, and if they've gotten used to staying up with help, it makes for a problem.

But for me, last night made me realize that the frustrations needs to be balanced against just enjoying the damned sport. The game thread seems to have a lot of people NOT having much fun.

http://gogocurryusa.com/

Japanese Curry is a thick, tangy, dark brown glob of sauce served over a bed of white rice with a pork or chicken cutlet on top. You could also get sausage or shrimp topping.

They take their Matsui-love seriously. "Go Go" is Japanese for "5 5" and their mascot is a Gorilla (he can be found prowling Times Square handing out menus some weekdays). The sizes of the dishes are Walk, Single, Double and Triple (SM-XL). A "Home Run" is a combo of a cutlet, shrimp, sausage and egg toppings. And their crowning culinary accomplishment is the "Grand Slam" - which is a pork cutlet, a chicken cutlet, 2 sausage, 2 shrimp, and an egg over a mountain of rice.

I got a Grand Slam on a challenge once and ate about 70%. I paid dearly for that.

On every day of the month featuring a "5" (5tt, 15th, & 25th) and every day after a Matsui homer, they give out coupons for free toppings. So you could get a Katsu Curry (pork cutlet) for the price of just the curry and rice.

Anyway, Matsui/Yankee fans looking for a cheap lunch in Manhattan could do a lot worse.

Now, that doesn't mean you aren't entitled to enjoy yourself. I just don't think it's a more "mature" reaction than what is being expressed by those who aren't having as much fun.

You all enjoy your Wang, err salami, sandwich. However which way you say it, it sounds more like a meal served at Shea. :-)

I daresay there are a few fans of losing-record teams out there who manage to somehow enjoy the sport.

What WERE expectations going into this year with the kid staff, a new manager and a lot of aging contracts coming off, anyhow? My guess, though some would deny it, is that the people rantering (not bantering) are coming from that entitlement scenario.

Example: BEFORE the game started people here were all OVER Girardi (that cretinous sub-moron!) for his lineup, including playing Cano and Cabrera. The tone was ferocious, scabrous, entirely off-putting, a reminder of why I avoid them during games.

I agonize over losses, hate the sloppy ones, have NOT been a Girardi fan (am of the 'Where have you gone Joe Torre' subgroup.), but I see the year as still going on (summer hasn't STARTED yet!), the team as intriguing. Frustration is built into baseball, so is the occasional shaky season (we just haven't HAD any in so long!).

Remember: I lived through the Horace Clarke Era.

Clarke was our leadoff guy and could steal a few bases. In one year, he broke up two no-nos in the 9th. He posted a career BA of .256, OPS+ of 83. Hell, if you were in a good mood, you could even call him average.

Mr. Stick Michael was another story. Granted, the guy was above average on D, and VERY graceful. A cross between Fred Astaire and a swan, he made some nice plays at SS, and always looks good.

He blessed us in his first year as a Yankee with a .198 BA, 45 OPS+, but thundered back the next year to have a monster career year with a .272 BA and 101 OPS+. For his career, .229 BA, 67 OPS+. In 5 of his 7 Yankee years, he batted .233 or under.

Now THOSE were the days!