Any chance the Yanks can locate Candiotti or a Neikro to throw BP on days before they face the Wakeman?

Yet another day game loss leading into a day off. I hate these.

On a lighter note- perfect weekend weather in NJ down the shore, made all the sweeter in watching the Saturday comeback win in Hi Def.

Alex- No music talk from you lately...Any new rap flowing thru your headphones?

And would it kill us to get an extra base hit every now and again?

Tino batting 5th? Might putting Giambi there have been a confidence boost? Isn't Giambi a more dangerous batter then Tino?

Poor Bernie. Its hard to watch him come undone, right before our eyes. Right now, I'd swap Johnson for Beltran. Any ideas who will play CF next year (or the 2nd half of this year)? Cameron would have been nice.

Posada looks bummed out.I hope he's not on the fade.

It's seems like these guys either win with one big inning or they lose. But they don't seem aggressive or dangerous throughout the game.

Maybe buying hired help Has finally reared its ugly head.

I'm BUMMED!

Knuckles, the only new rap record that I've heard in a long time is the latest lp from Sadat X. I loved him ever since the first Brand Nubian record came out back in 1990. His nasal New York voice and pecular delivery always rang true for me. It's funny too, because Grand Puba was a big deal MC for several years there in the early nineties. But it is Sadat who has lastest the test of time a bit better.

I'm not sure the name of the new record, or the title of the tracks for that matter. A friend of mine burned it for me about a month and a half ago. It's not a great record. I'd say there are about two or three really good tracks, then another couple that are decent. There are two that are awful, and everything else is just fine musically. But Sadat X is one of the few rappers who generally wins me over, no matter how mediocre the beat. Sure enough, after a good while of listening to the record, I don't even skip the wack tracks (ok, except maybe one).

I know that Quasimoto, aka Madlib, has a second record coming out, if it hasn't dropped already. The first one, "The Unseen" (Stones Throw) was really good. The helium-pitched voice might drive some people away, but the beats were thick and crunchy. A pal of mine who works at a record shop downtown, as is my man on the inside, loved the first record, but a few months back was expressing dismay about the second album. He wasn't confident that it would be good at all. But a few weeks ago, I saw him. A single had just been released on wax and he had the album at home on cd. He was, not surprised, but pleased that he was wrong. He thinks the new record is dope. I haven't heard it yet, but I'm bound to catch up to it later this spring.

Otherwise, I've been listening to some of the classics lately: "The Great Adventures of Slick Rick," "Long Live the Kane," "Paid in Full." My favorite song of late is "Streets of New York" by Kool G Rap. One of the great rap songs of em all, circa early ninetes.

Oh, and if you can find it somewhere, download a copy of Quincy Jones' cover of "Summer in the city." The Pharcyde sampled the intro on "Passin me By." Other parts of it have been sampled by the Roots and other groups. Anyhow, it's a smokin hot record. Really great cover.

What have you heard? Anything good?

But Wakefield just kills us all the time. we gotta do something about that.

Not too sure if any of you caught coverage of the game on ESPN; but, just in case you're wondering, the Red Sox won the World Series last year. Very exciting.

The Yanks literally applauded the Sox as they received their rings today...the Sox fans booed the Yankee bat boy. Pure class.

A few other things I learned today:

-The Sox are NOT, in any way, intimidated by the Yankees. Man, how times have changed.

-Save for R.J. (please stay healthy, please stay healthy...), the current Yankees pitching staff is NOT an appreciable upgrade from last year.

-Jason Giambi has all but abandoned his plan this year to hit more balls into center and left-center.

-In a Game 7 scenario, I'd much rather the Yanks face Schilling than Wakefield.

-There are more Yankee killers on the Red Sox than there are Red Sox killers on the Yankees.

-As an announcer, Rick Sutcliffe makes Michael Kay look like Vin Scully.

-The current Yankee pitching staff is deep with relievers who could be trusted with a 7-1 deficit but not a 7-1 lead.

-Love Bernie. He and Donnie B-Ball are easily my all time favorites, and I want the guy to retire in pinstripes. But if the Yankees don't acquire another CF by the trading deadline...

-

Solid defensively, scrappy, FAST, and practically bereft of ego. Acquiring a guy like him really would've eased the Bernie-into-retirement transition.

Dave Roberts was not available as a free agent this winter. He asked the Sox to trade him to a place where he could play every day and, while not wanting to lose him, Theo obliged. I suppose he'd be the Yankees regular CF if they had him, but the Sox weren't about to send him to the Bronx. Sox got Roberts for squat at the trading deadline and he will be remembered for the biggest play in Red Sox history. Brian Cashman should be taken out back and shot.

Lately I've been wearing out (as much as you can in digital format) the latest G. Love album (The Hustle) and a band out of New Orleans called the Soul Rebels. It's a brass heavy funk band that throws some party-style raps over their music. They remind me a bit of the old Jurassic 5 (who I wish would get in a time machine back to '99 and cut another record there).

You're right that Roberts didn't start for the Red Sox. But he would for the Yankees. That's just one of many reasons why they handed out rings in Boston yesterday.

Had he been available - and he was, at a meager price - Roberts would've fit in nicely with the Yankees due to his SPEED and VERSATILITY. Point being, Bernie has no right playing CF 5 out of every 6 games. He should be splitting time, and it would seem that Torre would be far more likely to start a veteran like Roberts in his stead than a guy like Bubba.