1) It's official, the Yankees have put out a press release.

2) The minor league pitcher is Justin Berg. From the PR: "Berg, 21, was 6-1 with a 3.07 ERA in 14 games (nine starts) with Class-A Staten Island this season (55.2IP, 44H, 22R, 19ER, 19BB, 48K). He was selected by the Yankees in the 43rd round of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft." I've never heard of Berg, but those are solid stats across the board. Still, he's much too far away for a 14-game sample to mean much.

3) The Yankees should try Lawton in center rather than moving Matsui. Lawton hasn't played a meaningful number of games in center since 1998, and he wasn't very good there at the time. But I think he at least deserves a look there as he arrives in New York as a solid defensive right fielder and he has far more footspeed than Matsui. Also, Matsui's career Rate in center is worse than Bernie's mark for this season (94 to 95).

4) Was traded from the Pirates to the Cubs for Jody Gerut at the trading deadline (in fact, this is the third time he's been traded since December when the Indians shipped him to Pittsburgh for our pal Arthur Rhodes) and has since had a terrible August. Here's hoping he snaps out of it as the Yankees everyday centerfielder and #2 hitter.

5) Lawton could prove to be a steal like Shawn Chacon. Interestingly, they're both members of what Paul Lukas terms "Crew Askew":

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=lukas/050811

Chacon has gone straight with the Yanks. It will be interesting to see if Lawton does (it wouldn't surprise me if the Yankees have made a rule about this).

6) I'm warning you now, I'm going to call him "Marcus Lawton" about 900 times.

8) Lawton bats lefty and has occasional pop in his bat. That would seem a great thing for Yankee Stadium, but he has terrible career numbers in the Bronx: .196/.229/.277 (.172 GPA) in 112 ABs. Obviously he'll have to snap out of that. Looking at his hit chart on MLB.com, Lawton spreads his hits around, but did seem to be taking advantage of a somewhat short porch in right field in PNC Park as a Pirate.

Listening to the Managers' show on WCBS, Torre didn't mention the roster move or exactly what his intentions are for Lawton.

Today he's hitting eighth and playing right (his natural position). We'll see what they do with him tomorrow.

Royals start rookie J.P. Howell for the injured Runelvys.

I'm really excited about Lawton - good defense, can play any OF spot (in theory), high OBP guy - he could be a great option out of the 2 hole, or even a nice OBP guy at the bottom of the order. Nice move, Cashman!

I'm guessing the Cubs feel they are officially out of it?

Shef, despite the 3 run dinger the other night, seems to be slumping. Avg down to .293. Wonder if he's just tired, or has a nagging injury, maybe to the shoulder again.

Also wonder if he's uncle's problems with the law/substance abuse are taking a toll.

Not very impressed with Wright right now. Please please let Small be up in the 'pen . . .

btw - I think all of Sweeney's hits last night and today have been down the 3B line. 13 better be standing on it every time he comes up.

You simply can't put him in the same category as Giambi.

Suppose you can't fault him too much - Wright is the one who screwed this one up. C'mon, Cano!

cano and giambi are both batting .188 in august, they need to heat up.

Okay if the pitcher makes that throw it's over but this is why you don't concede the game early . . . .

I'm listening on XM. Sterling says that's the greatest 9th inning rally he's ever seen in 18 years with the Yanks

That was great, but not, IMVHO, real clutch. If he struck out, the game would go to extra innings. Sheff was the one who was really in the clutch this time. If he struck out, the game was over.

Love the Lawton pickup

Love the win.

Oh God, please let the Sox lose tonight so I can listen to Sports Radio ALL DAY tomorrow and hear the Sox fans bitch and worry !

Great Win !

Thanks to stupid FOX and their stupid Boston affiliate, I was left to "see" the comeback by watching ESPNEWS's scrolling ticket for updates, and then highlights. We in greater Boston were first treated to Cubs-Marlins (a very good pitching duel), but when it finished, where do you think FOX went? That's right, to that exciting Texas-Twins game. 'Cause so many people out here care about that.

Sigh.

I don't think Sterling quite said it was the Yanks' greatest in his years, but ranked among them. When he said that, I immediately thought of a game in '98 when the Yanks came back from something like 8 runs down in the eighth or ninth. A tremendous and improbable rally was capped off by a Strawberry homerun.

Does anyone remember that game, because that was one for the ages in a season for the ages.

"Umm...no. :)

That was great, but not, IMVHO, real clutch. If he struck out, the game would go to extra innings. Sheff was the one who was really in the clutch this time. If he struck out, the game was over."

Yes, Sheff was clutch here, but think about one thing in A-Rod's favor....if he HAD struck out there, we would have had to use Mariano in extra innings and depending on how our offense responded from there, maybe he'd have to pitch 2 innings and then Sturtze and F-Rod, etc.....

Sheff knocked the Royals down, and A-Rod stepped on their neck. It was, by the way, A-Rod's AL-leading 18th game winning RBI of the season.

I remember the game, because I was listening to an internet feed of Sterling's broadcast of that Yankee game in 1998 when I was on a business trip. I thought the same thing: Sterling was as thrilled in yesterday's game against KC as I've heard him during a regular season comeback (which is saying a lot), and it reminded me of the game in 1998 against Oakland, with old friend Kenny Rogers pitching.

Rogers took a 5-1 lead into the 9th, but tired, and the Yanks scored 9 runs in the ninth to win 10-5. Second game of a doubleheader sweep, no less.

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=199808042oak

However...IMO, this game supports what I've been saying about A-rod. I don't think he lacks ability or toughness or moral fiber or anything like that. I think he tries too hard, and would play better in the clutch if he took it down a notch. Moreover, I think he'll learn to do this eventually, and get even better than he is now.

Every time he goes to the plate, he's trying hit a home run. He's often successful. But I think he might have even more success if he just tried to get on base sometimes. Trust the rest of the lineup to pick up the slack.

This time, the rest of the team picked up the slack before he even came to bat. :-) He didn't have to hit a home run. He had Speedy Jetey at 3rd; a single or a sac fly was all that was needed. And he came through.

Not with two outs...

I think you know what you're talking about and I think your perspective on most issues is very good, but.....

What does A-Rod have to do to get some love, my man. :)

Give it to him...no caveats and no qualifiers. He's hit in the clutch all year. You don't lead the AL in game winning RBIs without being clutch. That's the very definition of clutch. If you get a hit that scores the run that decides the game, you're clutch.

It doesn't matter if that hit comes in the form of a 1st inning 2 run homer or a bottom of the ninth, two out, two strike, walk-off grand slam. That's baseball. Clutch means a lot of things which includes getting the hit that wins the game.

I think part of the thing with A-Rod is that his big moments haven't been of the dramtic variety like others. He didn't have that Giambi against Minnesota home run in the rain in the bottom of the 14th inning. He doesn't have those moments where the Yanks are down and out and he belts a 3 run shot when the team is down to its last strike. He just consistently hits and scores and drives in runs.

That actually prompted a rather angry letter to FOX broadcasting to which I got a rather curt reply. I challenge anyone to top that :).

That's a good question. Personally, I'm of the belief that the difference between a good player and a champion is that a champion somehow finds something extra when it really matters.

I'm reminded of something Andre Agassi said once. It was a long time before he won any Grand Slam events, and a lot of people were saying he was more image than talent, or that he was too lazy, lacked discipline, etc. He finally broke through at Wimbledon, at age 22 (pretty old for a tennis player). He went on to win many grand slam events - all four of the majors at least once, which Pete Sampras failed to do. Someone asked him what changed, and he said he learned that you can't play every point the same. You have to learn to keep something in reserve for the big points.

It's not quite the same in baseball, which has a lot less running around, but I think the general principle applies. You can't play every play the same. It was thrilling to see Jeter go head-first into the stands, and against Boston at that point in the game, it was understandable. But if he did that every game, he'd be an idiot.

Rant over.

I read that is was due to arm fatigue. That raises the question...why was he up and warming then? And, if you have a young ballclub who just came off a very tough 19 game losing streak, you can't afford to blow a big lead in a game where your pitcher of the future battled the Yankees in NY and was poised for an important psychological win.

What you did when you brought in a journeyman reliever with a 7+ ERA, despite having McDougal warming during the eighth, is send a message to your team that one game is no more important than the next. A fair point, if only it were true.

When you are a team 36 games out or whatever, and have been kicked around for a few years, you need to save those symbolic games from your typical dismal fate. I think this game qualified as one of those symbolic games.

"Okay fellas. We are shot this year. We're buried and nowhere near contention. We have a future, though. That future could start right now. This young pitcher is going to put us on his back in a few years and help carry us to the promised land. Play hard behind him. Get the lead and let him work his magic. Oh.....by the way.....if the Yankees rally, McDougal is kinda worn out so we'll go to Joey Crack over here, but don't worry. You're all used to disappointment by now, right? Now go get 'em."

Sweeney must be wondering why he agreed to stay in KC. Nice work Buddy Bell.

Not with two outs... //

I swear I wasn't posting drunk last night. At least, not very. ;-) I confess, I recycled a lot of that post from a comment I e-mailed to a friend about a previous game. (She's a Pirates fan, who never fails to rub Womack in my face. She was also at the stadium when Bill Mazeroski made his big hit, and rags me on that, too. I wasn't even born at the time, and she was a little girl, but Pirates fans live on memories...)

Anyway, I don't think I'm dissing A-Rod, and I never have. I'm not one of those who thought he wasn't a "true Yankee." I thought he was a great Yankee from square one. (Giambi, I confess to dissing from time to time, but not A-Rod.) I'm not poking holes in him. Or if I am, no more than I do with everyone. Hey, it's what fans do. :)

Sorry if I've put my foot in it. A-Rod seems to be a more sensitive topic that I realized. I hadn't a clue, really, because all the Yankees fans I know welcomed him with open arms.

Re: KC...I just read an article in a Kansas City paper that implied MacDougal warmed up against orders. Bell says he told him before the game he was not pitching.

Now they've got a 10-game losing streak at Yankee Stadium. Will it be 11 today? Or will the game be rained out?

Personally, I'm sick of fans, especially Yankee fans, complaining that ARod is not "clutch". They're just being sour grapes for whatever reason (i.e. personal prejudice). Guys, just get over it. He's on our team, and he's having a monster season, so let's support the guy.

It was really a whole different world. She would run over after school, whenever there was a game. At the time, they let people in free after the 7th inning (I think it was the 7th), and school got out just in time.

After the game, she'd stake out the players' exit and get autographs. She's got a lot of old Yankee autographs, but no Pirates. Must have been the visitors' exit she was camping by.

Can you imagine? My parents would never let me go to a ball game by myself when I was 12 or 13. Heck, a lot of parents today won't take their kids to ball games at all because of the obnoxious drunks. And getting in free to a World Series game? Heck, Game 7 of the World Series played in the afternoon, when most people are at work?

It's funny how the memory works. I'd remembered that Straw's homer was a grand slam (which I bizarrely neglected to mention in my original post), but somehow forgot that it was in the pinch! A major part of the small miracle and I somehow forgot about that.

Also, I'd remembered that they were down by like 7, not 4. I guess that's because they scored 9, so I must have remembered that they must have needed all those runs, not just 4 to tie.

Point being that memory's a weird thing, no? It makes me very dubious about the reliability of such procedures as, I don't know, police lineups.