Thanks Cliff. Always a great recap, and always an even greater recap when you include a Kurtis Blow reference.

This will be my first real criticism of A-Rod this season. I've been disappointed in his performance on a number of occasions, but not more so than any other member of the club. What's going on right now bugs me.

I have no evidence whatsoever to indict Rodriguez on sandbagging games, but this season has certainly seen more than its fair share of little bitchy excuses for not playing or not performing. I have no beef with A-Rod's performance, you see. He isn't having his best season, but he's still a potent offensive weapon in the middle of our lineup. His defense has been shit.

I have beef with his multitude of excuses and wishy-washy attitude about everything. I wish A-Rod would grow some balls and just tell everyone to shut their f-ing mouths. Also, I wish he'd stop hiding behind viral infections and tummy aches and mysterious unnamed injuries for his failures. Everyone fails in baseball. Even the best players in history sometimes fail more than other times.

The thing is, if you are struggling against your own past and the expectations of fans, you should eventually put your foot down and tell people to kiss your ass. Get a little Sheffield in you. Wishing everyone liked you makes you shy away from tough public relations. Needing appreciation makes you sit out the Seattle series to get away from the booing and the fake money showering down from the stands. Again, I have no proof that that's what's happening, but you can't tell me that you aren't thinking it too.

Coming in to pinch hit in the 9th was an iffy decision by Torre. The guy is sick or he's not. He's in a bad state of mind or he's not. I know he's an All-World player, but what good is he at that moment. We know the answer now.

I like A-Rod VERY MUCH. I think he's a great player, a Hall of Famer, a good Yankee, and all that crap. I cheer for him every at bat. It's on the sidelines that I think he's a bitch.

First time reader, Cliff.

I like the site.

These games really irk me. The M's lost 11 straight prior to this series and sure the yanks were due for a let down but they need to take the series against these Weak teams. The D-Rays last year, the NL and the O's this year have cost the Yanks at least 10 games on the Sawx this year. Imagine being 10-12 games up now. Villone and everyday scotty could grow new arms in time for October and we could rest up Wang, RJ and Moose for October. I mean look at the signs. Moose is slipping and Villones ERA is up over 8 in the last week, Wang is reaching unchartered waters with his IP count, RJ is 43 and Scotty is just hanging by a thread. In other words, the yanks need to put away the division ASAP and avoid another dogfight like last September when the team was spent by the ALDS. And with the nemesis Halos up next plus the strong arms of Detoit and Minny, this lead could evaporate if things are taken for granted.

Everything's cool. Joe knows some guys who know some guys in Anaheim. The Rally Monkey will not be available this series due to the medical condition commonly referred to as "trapped in the trunk of a Cadillac."

I have an unjustified good feeling this trip to the O.C. will be good for what ails the Yanks hitters.

They're getting swept in Anaheim... back end of the rotation against a team that they can't beat since forever. I'll be happy if this stupid team still has the divisional lead come the series in september against Boston. Same old story all year, stunning victories followed by inconceivable losses. As hot as they looked last weekend, they can probably only muster about a win or two againts the Angels and the Tigers.

#5 Thrill:

Are you kidding me? They are going to get SWEPT in LA?

C'mon. Give them a break.

I suppose you have forgotten that the Yanks went into Detroit earlier in the season and kicked their butts all over the ballpark, taking 3 of 4 in the series.

That was LONG before the trade deadline and when their daily lineup consisted of Cairo and Phillips because Sheff, Matsui, and Cano were all on the DL.

This year ain't last year. The Red Sox are not playing anywhere near as well as they were last season and they clearly don't have the same reliable horses either.

Conversely, the Yankees are much better right now than at anytime last season.

I'll never understand how so many Yankees fans look for reasons to bury this team.

If Randy Johnson is pitches excellently except for an inning where he gives up lots of runs, doesn't that mean that he pitched badly? He is supposed to be the ace of this staff not the fifth starter.

The Yankees lose a game in the standings and it is doom and gloom with some fans. What is up with that? Seriously, they cannot win every game. This is a known fact.

7
Simone, every Yankee loss makes baby Jesus cry.
Didn't you know that?

Also, anytime A-Rod does anything but hit a 5 run homer, that also makes baby Jesus cry.

Good news out of this game is that the bullpen got a full night off. New game tonight, and with no work tomorrow I may be able to stay up and watch the whole thing.

I lived in L.A. from precisely July 31, 1996 to July 29, 2002. I saw the Yanks play in Anaheim roughly 20 times over that span and I'm certain I drove home from more than half those games processing a Yankee loss.

The chilled out So. Cal. insouciance of the crowds, (it always seemed like there were about 35,000 Craig Wilson look-alikes plus perfect wives, and Von Trappish kiddies in the seats. Heck, somebody once gave my wife and I seats above the the third base dugout) belied the bedeviling Yankee hell that was Anaheim for me. Demons in Angel halos every last one of them.

I saw El Duque get smacked around to the tune of about 10 runs.

I saw Chuck Finley do his best Koufax.

I saw Garret Anderson do his best Willie Mays.

It's always room temperature in Anaheim.

It's always room temperature in Yankee hell.

Off topic, but Papi is on pace to hit 59 HRs (by my shaky math). If he out does that pace and hits 62+, I suspect we're going to hear an awful lot about how he was the first person to pass Maris in the "post steroid" era. And that the other three to pass Maris have all been suspected of steroid use, but Papi hasn't (which is surprising considering he went from a guy who couldn't crack to Twins lineup to a HR God). We're certainly going to hear it from those holier than thou folks up north.

1 Yo, Mr. Canyon of Heroes.

I feel your A-Rod frustration. I feel like I have a sore throat from defending the guy, but just reading his name at this point makes me feel tired.

I know he's great. I know we're lucky to have him...... zzzzzzzz (Sliced's sleepy head hits the desk, another victim of A-Rod narcolepsy)

1 Just so we're clear on one thing -- ARod has played in 123 games...which is tops on the Yankees in '06. I would hardly say he's malingering.

With what is STILL a six game lead in the L column, giving a sick star a couple of days off is both prudent and intelligent. Pinch-hitting him in the 9th was downright stupid IMHO.

Very cool column from Bob Ryan in the Globe today (tapped a link from the Soxaholix page). Ryan slams the angriest faction of Red Sox Nation for bitterly blaming everyone not named A-Rod in the wake of the Boston Massacre II.

But many a modern day Yankees fan should also heed Ryan's message, especially those whose body temperature, and mental health are determined by the AL East Standings:

"Blame it on talk radio. Blame it on websites and chat rooms and blogs. Blame it on Shaughnessy (he can take it). But somewhere along the way, far too many members of this so-called ``Red Sox Nation" have perverted the concept of fandom. As a result, there is no more narcissistic group of people rooting for any sports team in North America than that subsection of Red Sox followers who have made the shifting fortunes of the team all about them. When the ball went through Buckner's legs, it was, ``How can he do that to me?" And so it continues.

But don't listen to me. Listen to an e-mailer by the name of Lois Kane. She was introduced to baseball and the Red Sox by her grandfather, who listened to all the games on a portable radio and who, she says, taught her that the idea was ``companionship and enjoyment of the journey through the game." She thinks he would be shocked by ``the attitude that winning was the only important thing."

Concluded Lois, ``In many ways it was more enjoyable to be a fan before it was fashionable to be one."

Thank you, Lois. That's what I'm talking about."

I'm going through Yankees withdrawal, without a computer at home and them being on the west coast. So for me, its like the Yankees haven't played a game since sweeping Boston off the face of the division race. Which is why 5 sounds pretty funny to me, and I almost hope it's tongue in cheek. The "back end" of this rotation took the first three games from the Red Sox last weekend. The Tigers have a man with a .296 OBP (yes, you read right) leading off, and they're reeling. They just got shut out by Jon Garland (I can only imagine Ron Burgundy's reaction here if that happens against the Yanks). I wouldn't be surprised if they finish third in the Central. As for the Halos, I can't wait for more Heaven headlines from Alex...

Hey, look at it this way... at least no one got thrown out at first from left field:

http://tinyurl.com/muwup

14 I don't think I have ever seen someone get thrown out from LF except in softball. The Yanks as a whole looked pretty crappy against Washburn. Hopefully ARod will have a good series now. The lineup seems much longer with him in the lineup. Bernie's only value to the team is as against LHPs. I would have sat Melky and put Bernie in LF.

How dare ARod get sick....trade him. This is getting to be crazy already.

The pitching matchups this weekend definitely favor the Angels. Crud! Let's go offense!

Papi hospitalized?

Let the PED rumors commence.

Actually I have no reason to believe that he uses PEDs except that he couldn't get into the Twins lineup regularly and is now a superstar. Talk about circumstancial evidence. If I had to guess, I would guess probably not.

For some perspective, I present the following numbers without further comment:

2006: 126 games played, 76-50, 1st in AL East, 5.5 game lead, 711 RS (1st in AL), 593 RA (4th in AL), +118 (2nd in AL)

2005: 126 games played, 70-56, 2nd in AL East, 2.5 games back, 681 RS (2nd in AL), 616 RA (10th in AL), +65 (6th in AL)

2004: 126 games played, 78-48, 1st in AL East, 5.5 game lead, 685 RS (3rd in AL), 618 RA (7th in AL), +67 (4th in AL)

2003: 126 games played, 78-48, 1st in AL East, 6 game lead, 685 RS (3rd in AL), 558 RA (3rd in AL), +127 (2nd in AL)

2002: 126 games played, 79-47, 1st in AL East, 6 game lead, 727 RS (1st in AL), 574 RA (6th in AL), +153 (2nd in AL)

18 Rapid and irregular heartbeats are side effects of a variety of PEDs as well as amphetamines. When MacGwire, Sosa, Bonds and Giambi were at their peaks, I was convinced that they were using PEDs. I don't what to think about Ortiz, but he hasn't tested positive so he gets the benefit of the doubt for the moment.

19 Bravo, Shaun P, bravo!

Last year's home run derby they showed Papi's father.. and he his a big guy too. Why would some one who looks likes he's naturally big and strong need PEDs?

Since people love doing those picture comparisons with 80s Bonds and 00s Bonds...

David Americo Ortiz Arias, 1997:
http://tinyurl.com/s4gm5
2002:
http://tinyurl.com/l8f8n
2006:
http://tinyurl.com/pvfzz

I should note that in making this list, the Google image search for "David Ortiz Strikeout" returned no results.

14 15 I was at Comerica yesterday for Casey's brain fart. I was encouraged to see Tiger fans give him a nice boo. As a New Yorker, I've been frustrated by Detroiters' reluctance to boo their own guys when they deserve it. Pudge certainly deserved a Bronx spanking last year after his "I don't do walks" remark.

19 Interestingly, the White Sox 10 runs at Comerica tied them with the Yanks for the lead in runs scored. The Yankees re-took the lead with 2 runs in the evening.

24 In the article I linked in 14 it says that Leyland was really disappointed in the fans for booing Casey. "That's not a fan," says he. "That's an inexcusable mistake," says me. Or maybe its just Sean being Sean.

I'm optimistic about the ANA/LA/OC series. Lackey has not been sharp lately and Lidle and the rook could impress. I just want to see smart, efficient, winning Yankee baseball. We all know they have the ability. Let's exorcise those demons and gain some momentum for the Central foes.

1 I understand the frustration. But Rodriguez is someone who's always played every day, so I have to assume that he - as much as Dheffield or anyone else - knows a little bit about playing through pain, little injuries, and just plain being under the weather. Besides, if he played through June and July, when he was getting criticized and booed far more vehemently than he is now, I don't know why he'd start jaking now.

I try never to judge a player's physical complaints, not since J. R. Richard.

22 Why would Sheffield and Bonds who come from families that churn out natural athletes use PEDs? Athletes cheat for all sorts of reasons. Ultimately, steriods help with recovery from injury and physical exertion and that is beneficial.

23 I can't believe I'm about to offer a few words in defense of Ortiz, but he does look kind of big in that '97 photo. Even Babe Ruth looks relatively skinny in pictures from his younger days. Not Barry Bonds in Pittsburgh skinny, but more like a big guy waiting to fill out. I see the same thing here with Papi.

In re-reading my comment, I feel compelled to mention that I compared Babe Ruth and David Ortiz strictly on physical appearance and not on perceived athletic ability. I swear I don't work for ESPN!

26 From what I know about Casey, he's generally a hustling guy. This was just a fluke brain fart. Booing him after the play was 100% justified. Booing him on his next at bat (and it was just a small minority that did) was a bit more questionable. Then again, I can understand an attitude of "you let us down and we won't let you forget it so quickly."

Casey has been the Tigers' most dependable hitter over the last couple of weeks. One big hit is all he needs to redeem himself in the eyes of the hands -- kind of like Knoblauch in the 1998 postseason.

32 Funny, the only thing I remember about Chuck in the '98 postseason is his brainlauch. Of course, I was there and sitting right about by first base, so it's forever seared into my brain.

"The eyes of the hands" has to be the typo of the day. I love it.

Another thing about Papi: Before we assumed everyone (on other teams) were using PEDs, you might look at their stats and age and say, "Hey, he's in his peak performance years."

1 Mike - ARod made ONE statement about injuries all year. ONE! Why are you making it sound like he is constantly complaining about them? Torre is the one who sent him home with the flu. ARod deserves some criticism, but the irrational, over the top blame get is annoying.

The various playoff odds calculators all still have the Yanks at >90% of taking the division (which is certainly a nice change from last year), so why then do I worry so much?

Interestingly, Yanks' odds are now even higher than Detroit's:

http://www.coolstandings.com/baseball_standings.asp?i=1

Slightly different take from last night in the form of random points:

- Yeah, Unit's #'s looked ok when it was all said and done but he put his team down early 4-1. Interestingly, he was unable to put hitters away on 2 occassions in the 3rd AFTER he had gotten ahead in the count w/ 2 strikes. Where have we seen that before?

- Yanks did have a few chances and squandered them. 3 hits in the 3rd w/ the mashers coming up only yielded 1 run. The very next inning, the first 2 batters reach only to see Melky fan on a 3-2 fastball down the middle (it happens) and Cano subsequently (and unforgivably) getting picked off first. Rallies? What rallies???

- Where's Fasano? Trust me, I'm not pining for him but Jorge needs to rest. Why didn't Fasano get a start in any of these games?

- Gotta tip hat to Washburn. The Yanks let him off the hook in the 4th and, just like you can't give offenses 2nd chances in the form of errors, you can't give a good pitcher 2nd chances by running into outs. But he befuddled Abreu and Giambi all night long. A job well done. Of the Yank's 6 total hits, Damon/Jeter accounted for 4.

- Gotta agree with previous posters. It's disappointing not to take 2 of 3 from a bad team particularly after having the lead in game 1. Sure, I bet they're tired - Jeter has looked absolutely exhausted at times over the past few weeks - but disappointing nevertheless. It also makes you wonder why the schedule gods had them playing a night game on a travel day. Whatever...

- Not looking forward to LAA as they always seem to do a phenomenal job of getting under the Yank's skin.

Good Morning All,

This is my first post on the board although I have been 'lurking' for a couple of months (usually I just like to read what everyone has to say). I'm another Yankee fan from Michigan....hey I had to have some team to root for, for the past 20 years :). Thought I add my 2 cents today.

26- isn't it refreshing for a manager to stick up for his player and say hey that's not gonna help. I understand the initial booing, he didn't hustle but Casey doesn't do that on a regular basis so chalk that up to a mental mistake...it most likely won't happen again.

YankeeinMichigan- I have to say I like the fact that we don't boo the home players that often...occasionally, I can see that but long run it doesn't usually help.

As for A-Rod what can you say. I'm a huge fan and I can understand people's frustration. He has to be the most patient guy in the world...because if that were me, the fans. media and myself would be having a little mini war by this time (2 months of booing and criticism ~sigh). I also think that maybe the screw you all attitude just won't work for Alex, then he'll be adding more pressure to himself to 'show' everyone. He seems to do his best when he is relax and focus on hitting the ball.

I did like the fact that Joe Torre challenged him in the Anaheim game a couple of weeks ago by having Abreu bunt, knowing that Giambi would be walked. Alex delivered with a sac fly and was just a couple feet way from a Grand Slam. But having him pinch hit last night was a little odd. Considering he was held out of two games with an illness and getting antibiotics. Maybe he was hoping for a home run like he hit Tuesday.

1- I don't think he's faking the illness (if he is it sounds like its a Oscar winning performance) even the media that has raked him over the coals this year seem to think he was really sick. You could also tell in the Boston game Monday that something was wrong....when he got the hit after Abreu's double he made it look like he was stretching his legs but to me it looked like he was going to hurl. I haven't heard him make any excuses for his playing other than a hint at a groin injury causing him to throw differently and that actually makes sense to me mostly because the day before his throwing woes really started he had what may have been his best defensive game of the year making three great plays. One doesn't usually have that good of a game and then come out the next day and say "I can't do this, I can't throw the ball".......... or do they? Only A-Rod knows for sure.

I was at the game last night and, while it certainly would have been nice to witness a victory, the truth is that this team has earned a litte slack. They haven't had a day off in a while, have been on the road for seemingly ages and just took 5 of 5 in Boston.

I don't think losing this series says anything about the team's character. They would have won on Tuesday if Proctor and Rivera were available that night. And while last night was by no means their sharpest performance, they could have won that game too if, as Cliff said, they had gotten a couple of breaks.

Way back on August 7, as we were poised to enter the 21 in 20 stretch, the guys over at RLYW made some predictions for the Yankees. They based their predictions on Pythagorean winning percentage, strength of schedule, etc. They predicted the Yanks would be 79-53 on September 1, and that the Red Sox would be 78-56. The Yanks' current record is 76-50, and so a split of the Angles and Tigers series would put the prediction spot on. Given that, I think it's fair to say that the Yanks have simply met expectations over their tough stretch. Neither the optimism after the Red Sox series nor the pessimism after the Orioles series is justified. The Yankees are playing well enough to win the division. What will happen in a short series versus the Tigers, Twins, or White Sox... that's a different story.

38 I agree that Leyland did the right thing in sticking up for Casey and dismissing the play as a fluke. He may have gone a bit far in labeling the Fox reporter's question as "brutal," but managers and coaches have been deflecting their problems on the media for years.

I also agree that booing players for poor performance