Another night, another f-ugly win for the Yanks. Tell George Vecsey I ain't complaining. Jeff Weaver wasn't awful, but he was far from impressive. Weaver received a decidedly mixed reception when Joe Torre took him out of the game, but I think there were more cheers than jeers.

Weaver's counterpart, Jose Lima, was his usual animated self. He couldn't spot his fastball, and his change up could only take him so far. The Yankees blasted him, and were able to hold off K.C. for a 11-6 win. It's hard not to be taken with the Royals. Not only do they refuse to die easily, but they maintain their sense of humor whether they are winning or losing.

Carlos Beltran killed the Yanks and looked like the star we know him to be. Raul Ibanez was the hard luck player of the game, hitting two long foul balls that narrowly missed being homers (in the 4th and 6th innings). Nick Johnson had three hits for the Yanks; Jorge Posada and Karim Garcia added home runs.

There were a couple of freeze-frame moments during the game that caught my atttention. You know those slow-motion, suspended-in-air flashes where time suddenly halts; the kind that the highlight shows love.

In the third, Derek Jeter hit a shot to deep right-center field. Carlos Beltran was there in plenty of time, but he jumped too early and the ball glanced off his glove. In mid-air, Beltran braced himself to hit the wall. But it didn't come as quickly as he anticipated, and he just floated for a moment, stuck in time, until THUD, he smacked up against it.

In the following inning, Bernie Williams raced home trying to score from second. But his slide came up short, and instead of sliding through the plate, it was as if he was sliding into third. Bernie's lead foot (the left one) stopped just shy of the plate, and as his body straighten, the force of his momentum carried him off his feet entirely and he tumbled over the plate and the catcher. It looked like a startled cat, leaping out a tub. But once Bernie was in the air, time stopped again, and all Bernie could do was enjoy the ride and pray that he would land all right.

The Yankees survived another dubious night of pitching, and everything was all right in the Bronx. The Sox had the night off. New York's lead is now 5 1/2 games.