Man, Alex, what are you going to do when the Yanks stop playing the Angels? You'll have to go back to normal headlines that don't involve heaven. :-)

You know, when Sportscenter lists Alex Rodriguez as (1-4, HR) it looks like he had a solid game, instead of the reality: a harshly criticized performance where he left men on base early and then hit a "meaningless" two out, ninth-inning home run.

Why is anyone making Alex Rodriguez the problem here?

Damon: 9 for his last 47, .191 (.283 OBA)
Jeter: 8 for 41, .195/.312
Cabrera: 5 for 27, .185/.290
Posada: 0 for 25!!!, 1 BB, .000/.038
ARod: 10 for 22

Extra Innings subscribers: Here's the rest of the month's schedule including the broadcast's feed.
8/14
7 pm Angels YES
8/15
7pm Baltimore CSN-B
8/16
7pm Baltimore YES
8/17
1pm Baltimore YES
8/18
1pm at Boston NESN
8pm at Boston NESN
8/21
1pm at Boston NESN
8/22
10pm at Seattle FSNW
8/23
10pm at Seattle FSNW
8/24
10pm at Seattle YES
8/25
10pm at Angels FSW
8/27
3:30pm at Angels FSW
8/29
7pm Detroit YES
8/30
7pm Detroit YES
8/31
1pm Detroit YES

Jorgie was late on everything yesterday. Lots of foul balls to the third base side. He's in a bona fide slump.

Did y'all see that the ChiSox again benefitted from a blown double play by the Detroit third baseman? It was a carbon copy of Arod's play on Thurs.

2 Because he's the Big Man and he seems to have an especially hard time driving 'em in when he has opportunities to do so in big spots.

How can you not just laugh with pity to see him hit that home run yesterday? The poor man. I felt very, very sorry for him at that moment.

Why blame Arod? I think it's natural to have someone on the team, especially someone who oozes talent as he does, who's willing to step up and say, "The buck stops here."

And he does.

He seems to accept his role on the team and he does take responsibility for his performance, which is admirable. I just wish he'd start carrying the team a bit, is all. These are the games championship teams find ways to win, whether on the back of their slugger or by other means.

I think we're all just very frustrated right now, is all, to be losing games we might have won.

To have had the opportunity to be like 5 games up on Boston and now we're (practically) all even again.

Very, very frustrating.

Here is the rub for me. If Jeter was slumping the way that ARod has been slumping, we'd all be speculating that he was hurt. He wouldn't have to explain it. But the thought that he might be hurt never came up in respect to ARod (Not that I recall). Instead, people assume first that it is mental, and second physical. That says something about ARod, but it also says something about us.

Just as I was proud of A-Rod for standing up to the ESPN and the NY media, he turns around and says something that smacks of insecurity and excuse making. Why is he even talking about injuries? All he has to say that he will continue produce offensively and work hard to improve his defense or even better tell them, "to go to hell." Now the media and fans will begin tearing into to him even more. Arggh!

Oh, I think that Derek is in a mini-slump also.

Funny thing is, Jeter's slump literally began the day that he got sat on by Melvin Mora. Check it out at BaseballMusings. I don't feel like putting the links. This tells me one thing: somebody needs to HIT Melvin Mora. I really don't care if it's "classless." Really, I don't, because his idiotic play screwed our Captain and his possible shot at a batting title.

8 True that on the A-Rod bit. Instead of giving him some props for playing through, they'll call him a [female genital].

I just saw catfishstew has a picture that shows our Alex being a below average pitcher. Messed up...Cliff's ERA seemed a bit high too, he must be having an off year.

I am glad the red sox are playing a decent team tonight. Although the tigers are slumping, i was getting really sick of seeing nothing but sub .500 teams on their sched

"...he looked good offensively until Sunday."

I'm no A-rod apologist but I would temper this a bit. His only poor AB yesterday was his first one. Weaver received a very generous strike 3 call on the 2nd K. The pitch was outside. He hit the DP ball hard but it was right at somebody and then the final laser to the net. The last few games it is apparent that he is seeing the ball better and more comfortable at the plate. I don't think yesterday changed that.

And 2 is absolutely correct. They're losing collectively as a team.

The Unit needs to go 7 strong tonight.

7 A-Rod has been asked about his physical condition on a number of occasions and, without fail, he responds "I'm fine. 100% fine. I feel great. There is no physical problem".

You gotta take the man at his word, no?

Now he tells us he's had a nagging injury?

Whatever.

Just hit, catch, throw, and run. I don't much care about the rest.

14 c'mon now, jeter says the same thing even when you see him hobble around. It is pretty common actually for players while injured to play it down, and after the fact acknowledge it was there. The rub is that even when Jeter says he is fine, 100%, we do not believe it if he is slumping. Heck, everyone I know does this in their own way in everyday life.

11 That high ERA is clearly a result of that one inning where 15 straight bloop singles was followed by 2 grand slams. If you look at his K/100 pitches and HR/9 rates, he's actually a much better pitcher than Corocan. Don't listen to the scouts when they say Alex doesn't have the "stuff." I also heard Alex throws a gyroball. And that Ken Arneson wears Alex Belth pajamas.

15 Right - but Jeter leaves it at that. You won't hear him saying later on in the year "Well, I had these injuries that shoulda put me on the DL and messed up my mechanics blah blah blah".

I don't want to make this a Jeter vs A-Rod debate. It's not about that.

If A-Rod was hurt and got all fouled up, I'm glad to hear he is feeling better. I hope his play begins to resemble the MVP player we had on the club last year. The Yankees need that player now, for sure.

17 yeah, didn't mean to make it a jeter v arod debate. Just wanted to comment how differently we treat them. But yep, me too, If ARod can get hot, that would be some serious kick ass!

Actually, a few of us speculated that A-Rod might indeed be hurt a few weeks back. It was right around the time of the throwing errors game, and even Kruk on BBTN mentioned it. Basically, the argument went that his mechanics this year seemed to suddenly go out of whack on throws and he was dropping down a lot more than he used to in terms of arm angle. At the time, since A-Rod said he was fine we chalked it up to some mental thing. It is possible that A-Rod has a nagging injury to either his right shoulder, or possibly something in area of his ribcage/hip on the right side. Both of those would account for the throws and his pulling off the ball since on the swing he would be trying to avoid excess torque to his back leg/shoulder. Remember what happened a few years back when Giambi had the knee injury to his back leg, his swing went to hell because he couldn't use his back leg as a platform. I tend to take A-Rod at his word (though maybe I shouldn't) and I'm willing to believe he has some injury that is he just recovering from. It would make sense.

14 Players never, ever reveal an injury because it would allow opposing pitchers and players to exploit them. If A-Rod comes out and says, "You know, I'm trying really hard but I have this shoulder injury and I can't get around on fastballs right now," then every single pitcher is going to be throwing him high fastball after high fastball. Jeter is the same way, its not just being a gamer, its being smart. Damon took some time to reveal his injury and only then because it didn't really hinder his play, it just hurt.

I've said this before, but I'll say it again. We have zero idea what goes on in the clubhouse. Its possible after Sheff and Matsui went down that A-Rod hurt himself, went to Torre and said it was borderline but wanted to stay with team and they agreed not to mention it to the press. Its really not that hard to imagine.

11 5-7, 6.41? Sounds like he's worth a look as a fifth starter.

"Players never, ever reveal an injury because it would allow opposing pitchers and players to exploit them."

Excellent point.

Anyone else skeptical about this injury thing?

20 Yes - I understand that - but it usually goes to the grave, or is revealed after the season. For A-Rod to say something now? A little weird, considering there are games yet to be played and his excuses have just evaporated.

But anyway ...

I don't know why everyone is so hard on Arod for hitting that homer in the 9th. I happen to remember sitting in Yankee Stadium on July 30, 2005 with the Yanks playing the Angels. I don't remember all of the details but I do remember that the Angels were giving it to the Yankees all game. Similar to yesterday. Then, in the bottom of the 9th, with K-rod pitching no less, the Yankees made a great comeback. It included several walks, and the killer was a 2-run walkoff double for Matsui. My point is that you never know when a pitcher will melt down and you will go on a rally. Arod and Giambi did their part yesterday to get that going. I realize that coming back 4 with 2 out in the 9th is a long shot, but the last time I checked, baseball is a game where you must get 27 outs to finish the game. There is always a chance, just ask the White Sox and Konerko from last week. Getting on a guy, who by the way has been one of the few bright spots offensively the past few games, for hitting a homerun in the 9th inning is just plain crazy. If you want to give him hell, do it for the play in the 1st inning that he could/should have made. Who knows how that play could have changed the outcome of the innning and game? At least in the 9th he didn't just mail it in like many players would have done in that situation. As a matter of fact, he is one of the few players in MLB that I can never remember just mailing it in at any time. Give the guy some credit.

9 You are probably right. Mora very likely hur Jeter who isn't saying anything. Ugh. I rather that he be in a regular slump.

I'll take him at his word if he says that he was injured. It sure explains the throwing problems. It would have been nice for someone else to have been able to relay the injury info so it would not have seemed like A-Rod was trying to make an excuse.

I'm glad that he is starting to hit, even if the late-inning-down-by-a-bunch-of-runs homers add fuel to the "stat padding" fire. BTW, no one will believe me but I called both of his homers this weekend. As A-Rod came to bat Friday night I told my wife that this is the kind of situation that he usually hits a homer. Next pitch, BOOM. Then again on Sunday I said the same thing to her and next pitch, BOOM again. She accused me of "tape delaying" the game with TIVO...

My biggest worry with A-Rod is his inability to catch the ball. I know he is a "guess" hitter, but is he a "guess" fielder too? Maybe he needs to play back a little more or do something to help his reaction time but he seems to miss some grounders that other 3Bmen catch. Like someone said in yesterday's game thread, his first name is starting to become "pastadiving"...

20 But now that said injuries are healed, pitchers wouldn't have anything to exploit, so I say it's possible he really was injured. And either way, if he keeps hitting .391/.481/.739 for the rest of the year like he has the past week, we'll be OK.

To me it's very simple: Put up or shut up.

Bird could carry the Celts. Phil Simms carried the Giants. Jeter carried the Yanks with very special plays during their (too-long-ago) run....

It doesn't help when writers are producing irresponsible comments like Filip Bondy today:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/story/443307p-373396c.html

"This is the best I feel all year, head and shoulders," he said after the game. "I feel 100%. Feel like spring training just ended. I'm fresh out there. Me swinging the bat like now can be conducive to a better streak."

"Is he delusional? Maybe..."

Delusional? Maybe??? How about ABSOLUTELY NOT? The insinuation is insulting. A-rod's comment is 100% fair and is supported by his recent offensive performance. You don't have to be a stat hound to see with your own eyes that A-rod is hitting better this past week. But, hey, let's look at those numbers: In the past week, his BA has jumped 9 points. So far this series, he's 5-11 with 2 doubles and 2 HR's. He hit a laser Friday night only to see Figgins make a great diving catch. Even when he makes out he's hitting the ball hard.

Sure, it's silly to pretend that there are no issues to discuss regarding his play (there are) but let's stick to some objective reporting rather than unfair insults.

24 I believe 28 helps with that.

28 I agree.

The people getting on A-Rod for hitting a homer yesterday are asinine. The guy comes up with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth with his team trailing. Exactly what do you want him to do? Is it his fault that Jeter and Abreu couldn't reach base to make his homer count for more runs? Sometimes the criticism of A-Rod is valid, like when he GIDP with runners in scoring position or makes a costly error. Sometimes its laughable. The columnists should listen to themselves, "A-Rod's meaningless homer in the bottom of the ninth with his team trailing..."

30 More importantly, he's displaying power to right and right center. He hasn't done that since May.

I've just come to accept that when it comes to the media in this town, A-Rod can't win. If he goes out tonight and he hits 5-5 with 5 HRs, there will be an article about how the last 2 came when the game was meaningless. Sometimes beat writers need an angle. In '61 it was the "rivalry" between Maris and Mantle, with Maris being the bad guy (even though they were good friends and roommates). In '06, its A-Rod is a delusional head case who is costing the team games. Fine, write it, so long as he keeps hitting I don't care.

30 Last week, Lisa Olson (I think) compared David Wright to Michael Jordan because Wright broke a tie with a 7th inning double.

Last week, on a day when ARod went 3-for-3 with a HR and 2 walks, lots of people pointed to a missed foul pop up that was probably 250 feet from home plate and tried to somehow pin the loss on ARod. With Ponson due to come out of the bullpen, the Yankees would have probably lost the game, anyway.

This is not scrutiny. This is simply bad journalism and a misrepresentation of baseball and how baseball works.

This statistical gem courtesy of Joel Sherman: http://tinyurl.com/l9t35

"And, now, eight of his 25 homers have come in the fifth inning or later with the Yanks ahead or behind by four runs."

That's good, right? A whopping 17 out of 25 have come early and close? Or late and close? He's the freakin' MVP, I guess.

Must I remind Joel Sherman of last week's Yankee game vs. Chicago? ARod's meaningless RBI single and Posada's meaningless RBI sac fly won the game. Four runs is not a lot.

33 Correction to myself: I think it was Andrew Marchand and not Lisa Olson.

We get it, we get it, we all get it.

Wright 85 rbis = MVP. ARod 83 rbis = Can't Play in New York.

Loduca gambling and cheating on his wife = no big deal. ARod sunbathing = bad.

29 This gets tiring. ARod "carried" the Yankees in the ALDS against Minnesota two years ago, as much as Jeter "carried" the Yankees through any of their previous postseason series. Yes, he fell apart against Boston, but so did everyone else.

After Jeter's magnificent series against Oakland in 2001, he was terrible against Seattle and Arizona. But those godawful series don't detract from what he did well - which is as it should be. Just give ARod a little credit for what he's accomplished, rather than having it be negated anytime he makes an out.

Unless I'm missing a key part of the quote, ARod is not even playing the injury card.

"I feel fresh. I feel great. I'm ready to help the team. I feel better than I have all year."

So do I. Maybe it's the weather.

35 Agreed. I'm probably as guilty as many fans of giving Jeter a free pass when he doesn't produce. Arod baffles me. He really does. The fact that he is hinting that he was injured the first 4 months of the season bothers me on some level. I mean, that was long ago...we survived that part of the season without Sheff and Mats (and Cano). Now let's hang on, work hard, and finish the job (AL East).

How about Giambi? The three balls he hit yesterday all went left - one grounder to short that he ran out, one long fly down the line in left, and a monster HR that landed in the monuments.

Just coincidence, or has his low average caused him to finally try to go the other way?

38 Let's hope he starts hitting it to the opposite field like that more.

It's painful to watch the Sox slowly gain on us, but I still like our chances to reach the post-season more than last year at this time. What a miracle we made it.

And at the risk of jinxing the Yanks, I really don't see the Sox pitching holding up. How many 11-9 and 8-7 games can a team win without destroying their bullpen? So call me cautiously optimistic ...

Hmmm....

Johnny Damon CF
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Jason Giambi DH
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Craig Wilson 1B
Melky Cabrera LF

Randy Johnson LHP

A-Rod's not batting cleanup...

i don't get it. Alex just started smashing the ball. Now he moves him down?

41 42 Yeah, it kinda doesn't make sense, but it also kinda doesn't matter. If Jeter and Posada (and even Giambi) don't start hitting better, you can put A-Rod anywhere and there are still going to be some holes in the line-up.

It would be nice it they scored on something other than a solo HR.

38 Great point on Giambi yesterday. I don't think I have ever seen him hit the ball to left field as much as he did yesterday. I think it is coincidence, as I don't think that Mattingly would start tinkering too much with his swing.

Why Joe, Why? Why must you continue to piss me off? A-Rod has been MASHING for the past week+, so you move him down in the line-up. I loathe you Torre. But good call on switching Po and Cano, I'll give ya that. Why can't Joe and sports writers use facts? Is it that hard to just look at some numbers the interns and statisticians give them?

31 I really don't want to get into this Arod business, but I do want to clarify the issue, because I think you make a straw man of those who would notice the irony of Arod getting that home run when he did.

No, it's not his fault that no one was on base before him, but I think the point is that it really seems as if the fact of no one being on base was a necessary condition for his hitting that homer.

In other words, there was minimal pressure.

That's why the situation just seems so ironic.

Throw all the numbers at me you like, whatever.

I'm just talking about perception.

And frankly, watching this guy at plate, my perception is that pressure gets to him

I could be dead wrong, fine, but I do watch games fairly closely when I do and I do believe I have a fairly keen eye for such things as a batter's comfort level, approach, and focus.

He seems to be a better hitter in low pressure situations.

Of course, it's possible he only seems that way because that's narrative and so I only notice what conforms to the narrative.

Entirely possible.

But it's also entirely possible that the guy just doesn't respond well to pressure, that he can't manage the adrenaline for some reason.

Is this fair?

35 I'm pretty sure Jeter was hurt in both the Seattle and Arizona series in 2001, but didn't want to come out of the lineup. Remember him falling into the stands in Game 5 against Oakland?

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B10150NYA2001.htm

ATHLETICS 8TH: RIVERA REPLACED MENDOZA (PITCHING); Jason Giambi
singled to right; broken bat; Chavez forced Jason Giambi
(first to shortstop); Long popped to shortstop in foul territory
[Chavez to second]; Jeter fell into the seats as he caught
the ball and Chavez was awarded 2B because Jeter carried the
ball out of play; Gant grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 1
H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Athletics 3, Yankees 5.

I'm pretty sure my brain was hurt reading all of this.

YES says the reason Giambi's in the cleanup spot tonight is that he's got great numbers against Lackey.

46 I agree with you about the perception. It seems like he hits a crap-load (fancy BamaMetric stat term) of those so-called "meaningless" homers. My theory has less to do with pressure and more to do with the pitcher's approach to him in that situation. They seem to be more likely to go after him and challenge him in the zone rather than risk walking him and thus pitching to Giambi with a man on. I guess they just use the Jim Kaat theory of "we've got a big lead, here it is see if you can hit it".

49 Hey Ron 45, maybe Joe really does use those "numbers the interns and statisticians give" him ;-)

46 So if he makes an out in that situation (2 outs in the 9th) it's expected but if he hits a homer as he did that's also expected?

Interesting logic you have there.

Kay and Kitty are layin' into A-Rod pretty good on the pre-game...

Good start, RJ! Keep that SOB off the bases tonight...

man, at this point I'm more afraid of Figgings than I am of Ortiz...

Jeez, even with the replay I'm not sure he got hit. Check the ball for shoe polish.

53 What were they saying, more or less?

Robbie, Robbie, Robbie...

Jorgie, Jorgie, Jorgie...

58 with his bat, I don't mind these once in a while

Heh.
Robbie makes an error. Posada makes an error. A-Rod bails them out with a strong throw.

Becketttt is rocking it over in beantown.

52 With all due respect, I don't think you understand what I'm saying.

And please, just cool it with the snide quips ("Interesting logic you have there.")

If you're really interested in understanding my point, let me know.

Or if you think my point is invalid, that's fine too.

But snide remarks that evidence no understanding of my point do neither of us any good.

ARod save a run with his arm...

As I learn Giambi is batting #4 because he owns Lackey, I forgive Torre. Joseph, you have Papa Burgundy's blessing. Peace be with you.

57 That sometimes things come out of his mouth that are just the wrong thing to say. That it sounded like he's trying to make excuses. That his advisors should tell him how bad it sounds. That you shouldn't be using injuries as an excuse if you're not willing to say what the injuries were and how you got them. Etc.

I wish I could filter out every comment with the word 'ARod' in it. I'm so sick of hearing about this crap.

57 (Paraphrasing) Kitty was questioning the 'injury' reference, saying it looks weak.

Also A-Rod does not understand the impact of comments he makes to the press and how his 'handlers' should coach him better, to say things like "I wish I would have hit that HR eariler in the game with men on base".

I can't explain this, but it felt more like an 'agenda' piece than Monday morning quarterbacking of Alex's performance yesterday. Seemed like Kitty drew the short straw to be the bad guy tonight...

The Beckett we all know and love. But as for that second run, wow, Javvy Lopez is a terrible catcher. Are his dubious offensive skills even worth it?

Ryan Howard:
AVG .298 | HR 41 | RBI 106 | OBP .386 | SLG .631
Is this guy REALLY worth $355,000?

Damn it. Jeter and Damon still struggling.

Didn't Lackey get shelled in his last two starts? What the hell?

I can't follow every game closely where I live...but does it seem like weeks since some of the boys have gotten hits?

60 Absolutely. He even just missed getting that DP in spite of the drop. If he didn't miss those 35 games, how many games do you think we'd be up by now?

66 and 68 Thanks. No pre-game on the package.

Screw you Juan Rivera. We could've used that three years ago.

75 No prob... actually my bad, that was in the 'lead-in' to the broadcast, not the pre-game... I have the package, too. I only wish I could get the pre and post-game stuff...

70 That's in reference to?

75 I saw it. My "guide" says coverage starts at 7:05, but if I turn to the channel at 7pm I get the opening comments. And those comments were retarded. First they complain A-Rod seems like he's just saying the right thing, what people want to hear, then they complain that he's not saying that. A-Rod is a person, he makes mistakes, says stupid things sometimes, get over it.

And that was one hell of a throw in the first. If this is the new, uninjured improved A-Rod, me likey.

78 Well said...

Tigers up 3-0 in the first. ::snicker::

BBTN Game Notepad: "Hmmm, that was not a 'perfect' throw by A-Rod. Wilson had to lean a little to the right to catch it..."

80 They need 10 more runs. That Little League ballpark + Tigers closer Todd Jones = potential for anything and everything.

Mr. Torre rocks...

Another opposite field hit for Giambi. I Like.

Let's see if this jinx thing works. Beckett still has a quality start going!

Giambi! Opposite field power?! Two nights in a row? Is this a new, improved Jason?

Giambi 11 for 21 vs Lackey now.

Damn It. Bad Timing by A-Rod.

Now this is the Giambi we saw in Oaktown: Denting walls from left to right... good sign.

Kay, SHUT UP.

Jorgie is doooo. Doooo, I tell ya...

Cano walked?!?!

Well that was retarded.

Pedro meltdown in the first in Philly. 2 hb, 1 bb, 3 singles, a balk and 3 runs in and still only one out.

Jason, Jaso.. ahh, screw it...

Man, Jason should only go base to base.

WTF!

Terrific. Well, they're really trying...to NOT WIN.

WTF? Why did Giambi run through the stop sign? He's slower than molasses.

Aw shit. Has Jason done that before this year? Guess he was due....Real bad time for it though.

Guys, I know we haven't exactly been the best sacrifice fly team on earth, but stop at third.

Kudos to Giambi. He watches the games everyday. Did y'all really think we were gonna get a runner in from 3rd with less than 2 outs?

Why did Fred Flintstone run through the stop sign?

Way ta go.
2 On, 1 Out: No Runs.

103 Worse, 2 on, 1 out and a basehit and we got no runs!

See.

He could've at least hit that fat Molina with a shoulder....

No seriously, when will this team wake up?

101 Heh-heh. You're right. There's always the chance of the bad throw...

If RJ stays settled in, I am chalking up those two bad starts to the 129 pitches the start before. The exact same thing happened to Schilling earlier in the year when Tito left him in. We all pointed it out at the time as stupid by Torre. The effects are always seen a couple of starts later. Let's hope that was the cause.

107 Perhaps they all need secret injuries. It seems to be working with A-Rod.

Sort of.

Remember when a leadoff double almost always turned into a run? I miss those days...

Giambi has 999 career runs. Methinks he's a bit anxious to reach the looming milestone.

That was still idiotic. If he was fast, I could see trying for it. But he's not. He knows he's not. What a putz.

I don't want to jink things, but we usually know by the 2nd inning which RJ we have... and it looks like 'Good RJ' today. Let's hope...

Uh oh, Figgins is up. I predict a 13 run HR.

Part of the reason I can never be a baseball announcer. I cannot look at that name and say "Sean"

Its like a mental block I have on it.

Beckett now has a higher ERA than RJ

115 Yeah, I pronounce it chone, as in phone.

116 But according to ESPN's Ace-O-Meter, Beckett is a Cy Young candidate, but Randy is having a bad, inconsistent year.

118 RJ is having a bad, inconsistent year. So they at least have it half-right.

115 It's funny that you type that as if it is intuitive to pronounce "Sean" as "Shawn". I always had trouble with that. And with Chone.

118 Is he still a Cy Young candidate? I know he was JUSTLIKESCHILLING when they had the same ammount of wins

SLG for Melky.

Too bad Melky has no power

MELKY! great AB...

Oh, man. It looked for a second there Melky was gonna go Giambi on us...

Magglio sux.

Oh no. Man on second. No outs. No, not again...

Dear Yankees,

Please bring Melky home.

Sincerely,
The Bronx Banter

Why is Ordonez batting in front of Guillen? Guillen has better everything. But I won't dare ask the masterful Tigers manager MR. Leyland.

The Angels are worried about one run in the third?!

129 Hey, I'm having enough trouble managing the Yankees over here. That's Leyland's problem... ;-)

Tigers up 5-0.

Sean Casey! Way to go!

Derek's in the black!

That was hilarious. Jeter was about to head to the dugout. Wrong way Cap, run around those bases.

A 2-Run HR for...EL CAPITÁN!

Der-ek Je-ter!

Captain Clutch strikes again!

Slump? What slump?

Detroit uo 5-0 after 2-1/2

Omar Infante really sucks.

140 Let's see now whether a team with an actual bullpen can hold it

Unit pitch count: 40. 29 strikes...

A much needed HR !!!! Man was that beauuuutiful!!!!

Beckett still in single digits!

Yeesh, 2 hard hit balls...

Wonderful play by Sir Jonnathan Damon.

Extrapolated out to a full season of 600 AB, Melky has these approximate numbers:

.760+ OPS, 100 Runs, 30 doubles, 14 HR, 75 RBI, 70 BB, 70 K, 18 SB, 20 assists.

Not bad for a guy who just turned 22 last week.

Dear sweet baby Jesus, we thank you for our "El capitano" Derek Jeter. Thank you sweet baby Jesus, who can't even speak a word yet.

Congratulations Randy, #4500!

pretty low pitch count for RH thus far...

Tim Salmon is still playing? That means that, with Garret Anderson, the Angels have 2 Bernies. No wonder their offense sux against every not the Yankees.

Pedro has a 3.84 ERA in the NATIONAL LEAGUE!

Knockout punch by Arod!!!

I guessed Wally Joyner as the answer to tonight's trivia question and I am WRONG.

Wimper, sniff...

Good AB by ARod

155 I lost a 10-spot on Garret Anderson...

WTF!!! Cano actually drew a walk in his previous at bat. No way!!!!

Yet another man on second with no outs...

ooooh, let's please not make Jorge bunt.....

155 didn't Salmon come up like three - four years ago? Can't be 14 years.

Atleast Arod didn't slap the ball out of his glove!!! sorry coudn't resist.

Phenomenal play by Cabrera.

'Loping" into third was generous...

Fuck the Angels. And with Cano and A-Rod on, the Yankees will do just that.

Shut up about ARod, Kay. I just spent a nice, relaxing week at the beach. I don't need to get back on the A-Rod thang. Besides, you aren't harshing on Giambi for waddling through the stop sign.

Will someone let Wilson know it's OK to swing with two strikes...

Missed the tag on A-Rod, not that it matters....I'm already seeing the ESPN replays in my nightmares.

You better believe those runs we could have scored are going to come back and bite us in the ass.

That sucked. They just find new ways to strand runners and screw themselves. And Kay really needs to get fired.

Good heavens. This team produces some of the weirdest outs and blown inings.

What did Kay just say ???

This is when I just shake my head and wonder what is going through Alex's mind. Alas. He needs a clean slate. Maybe 07 will be better for him.

RJ: 49 pitches coming into this inning...

The 'loping' was just 1 of 3 transgressions on that play. His secondary lead off 2nd was for the birds and his inability to immediately read the ground ball (vs. line drive) was poor. He's a very average base runner no matter what Ken Singleton says.

I don't understand what Arod did wrong...even if he was hustling he still would have been out...Stop hating on Arod...that shit is getting old quick!

They are still talking about A-Rod. We get it already guys. SHUT UP!!!

169 After I went to Ecuador I had some runs that bit me in the ass.....

Wow did Pedro have a bad night. 1 IP 4 H 6 ER. That's Kevin Brown type numbers there.

179 That's why I mentioned his high ERA in the NL.

Randy really has the slider tonight...

Keep this up, Randy, and all is forgiven...

Eh. I think if A-Rod was hustling, they'd have gone to 1B instead of 3B.

183 My thinking too. But it was an odd looking play!

i hate figgings

183 Agreed. Cabrera must have saw something before the catch/force, 'cause that's not a natural reflex to a play like that...

these innings must be hell for pitchers. you're rolling pretty well and all of a sudden you have to throw at least 25 pitches in one inning....

damn you figgins. this is ALL your fault, you and that stupid 8 pitch at-bat!!

Nice recovery, Unit! Now let's get some insurance!

Melky sure made that look easy.

Over at RLYW (I think) they were speculating about A-Rod's injury being groin-related and affecting his running - someone clocked his speed to first this year as slow for him. Might lead to loping.

how many of you wish we had figgin here in New York....he sure has a lot of heart and to alot of you that means more than pure talent.

Boy, the Yanks really are tagging the ball tonight.

Yeah! Another sweet DP. So, 4-6-5 and 9-3. In a couple of innings we can have DPS with every position involved!

And a Jeter double to rub the salt in...

A-Rod said his mysterious injury was earlier this season, and affected his throwing. He says he's fine now.

It would be nice to see Abreu work out a long AB here. Give Unit some rest.

Thank you sweet baby Jesus!

Alright, the Cap is renewing his assault on the batting crown...

C'mon, Bobby. What have you done for us lately?

192 thing is, he's only THIS good v. the yanks...

I wouldn't mind having a guy like Figgins. Heaven knows we could use some speed and defense.

I can't hate on guys just for playing well for a team that's not the Yankees.

Appreciate your cooperation, Bobby!

noone can work a count from 0-2 to a full count like good old bobby abreu

201 of course I don't really hate him. I admire him, but I "hate" him... that makes sense, doesn't it.

C'mon Giambino!!!

At least with 2 outs they can't get a triple play

who's your daddy baby!!!

...And the inevitable Sox comeback begins.

195 - the claim was that not being able to use his leg strength had led to bad mechanics on throwing. I dunno. Presumably he's better but maybe not really 100% or perhaps 100% confident of being fully healed.

201 Um, his name is Melky?

208 Not gonna happen....

208 I hope so. I'm pulling for the Yanks having the best record in the AL and that means as many Tigger losses as possible. We'll take care of the Red Sox, I'm not worried about that...

Saw Figgins on a list of the worst batters since the ASB. (Lowell too.)

And Loretta GIDP to end the RS threat.

Always find a way to not score...

212 what a dumb thing to say...who cares about the best record in baseball...Don't you remember the Mariners a few yrs ago..???

Spectacular DP A-Rod, not that it was anything but routine but at least I can watch ESPN tonight if I want

A-Rod, we could use a "meaningless" home-run here.

215 Yeah, homefield does suck, what was I thinking...

210 Melky is not that fast.

And Melky can't play all the infield positions except pitcher and catcher, and all the outfield positions. Figgins plays them all pretty well, too. Imagine having that flexibility on the roster. Torre could carry 13 pitchers... ;-)

And Josh "Boom Boom" Beckett gives up another double off the Monster. :D

Well, I guess Jorgie's officially out of his slump.

Jorge on fire relatively speaking

Ken & Kay, rather than talk about Marvin Miller, why not talk about a guy who put his career on the line -- Curt Flood.
Why, someone should write a book about it. . .

Ok everyone, hold your breath - 6th inning for Randy.

219 With Figgins and Cairo, Torre could rule the world.

215 harsh

223 Heh-heh, yeah, someone with the gift of journalistic gab. You should broach the subject with our fearless leader, Alex... Hey, you never know...

224 IIRC...if RJ goes 7 innings, it will be the first time in two weeks one of our starters has lasted that long.

Crud

Mother-f*cken midget !!!!!

thank you chone. you're killing us

Why won't Figgins just die? Why? I really hate that little bitch. He has an OPS below .700 and is a .260 hitter, yet he turns into Willie Mays/Ty Cobb against us.

God damnit.

shit

Tie game. Lovely.

^&@#%!@#~@#)@#!!

Sigh. It's just.so.predictable.

Youk goes yard. 5-3. Anyone know the pitch count on RJ?

Yankee killers

Figgins
Tegada
Iguchi
Ortiz
Kendrick?

And Figgins scores from 1B.

yet another great outing by RJ goes to the toilet thanks to shitty situational hitting. really lackey had nothing tonight...

this sucks

With 2 outs already and 2 strikes on that freakin mini me midget...and now its a tied game...Why sweet baby jesus!!! why ????????

Further proof that no one's intimidated by Randy anymore: Kendrick's first game EVER against Johnson. 3-3.

Phooey.

Well, Sawx are in the process of coming back and winning their game. We're in the process of blowind it against the Angels yet again. Right on Cue. I hate this shit.

And here come the Sawx: 5-3.

No sliders here, Randy...

If Theo was smart, he'd get Tejada and Friggins on board in Boston. I'm not sure which one kills NY more.

Kay just said Randy's at 100 pitches.

If Theo was smart he would have kept Cabrera.

248 Perfect - he's done. Get up Vilproctor.

Well, at least we'll still have the one game in the loss column on the Sawx after we're done blowing this one, and they're done with their patented Fenway comeback.

239 Add Vernon Wells in there. And any scrappy little Oakland A's player. Also add Ichiro and Angel Berroa.

1,2,3 this inning. I'm feeling very good about this!

244 OK, here's the deal: the Yanks will win tonight and the red sox will lose tonight. OK?

now, just enjoy how it all will unfold and cheer.

254 I'm on board, but we just don't win games against the mighty .500 Angels. And I know the Tigers aren't for real, no way they win that game with Todd Jones as their closer.

The game is hardly out of reach yet!

Looks like we may be headed for a tie with Boston tonight.

Paper Tigers.

254 Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!!!

And here come the Yanks...

249 Not with the contract that he got. Way overpaid especially with their farm system.

Good start Johnny.

RUNS please!

Farny warming up.

Yes, Derek. Bunt for a hit.

Mwahahahahahahaha!!!

That is my kind of bunt, for a hit.

Okay, good start.

Nice to see El Capitan hitting again.

MVP! MVP! MVP!

Must we close up on Lackey's teeth?

I want to see Ortiz do that! :)

obviously, it doesn't mean anything that ortiz cannot do that. I just felt like being silly.

260 I thought he was a casualty of the Renteria pursuit?

239 Don't forget:

• ESPN
• Steve Phillips
• Baseball Tonight
• 98% of baseball writers
• FOX Sports (just because...)

no stupid bunt now

OK, Bobby must walk. Then Giambi must take one on the elbow pad. Then A-Rod must hit one into Monument Park.

Anyone else hate the bunt here?

What if I was to tell you, that JD would lead off with a single, DJ would follow with a bunt single, and Abreu will hit a 3 run bomb? Would that be something you might be interested in? Sorry, I'm watching Entourage on the other tv.

Stop trying to bunt, it would be 3-0 now.

I'm on board with Tocho 254...Let's go Yanks!!!!

No no no no, why take the bat out of Giambi's hands?!

Wow! Great AB by Bobby!

Die Torre.

or not

What a dumb idea!

& of course they walk Giambi for A-Rod.....unbelievable--

Oh jesus. They're walking Giambi. Here comes A-Rod

Did Kay just call him Pop Up A-Rod?

Making a .300 AVG - .400 OBP hitter bunt. Genius.

Ok A-Rod, lets gooooooo!

Please just hit a fly ball. That's all I ask.

Fans chanting 'A-Rod'... I love it! Let's get it done, Alex....

Can't believe Scioscia is leaving Lackey in.

I'm going to have a heart attack.

A-Rod, uhm, HIT please.

But if I know our fortunes and karma, A-Rod DPs or Ks here.

"Waiting to explode" One way or another.

Dear Alex,

Please hit it to the outfield.

Love,
Yankee fans everywhere

oy, strike one

277 LOL

Walk's as good as a hit...

You can do it, A-Rod!

Oh boy...

You're may force us to put you in a time-out corner for negativity, Mr. Burgundy!

C L U T C H

I'll take it.

Nice, Alex.

Still didn't like the bunt.

Yes, clutch SF by Alex, damn near GS.

F•ckin A!, Alex! Good job!

Successful sac fly, but A-Rod was hoping for a homer.

Good enough.

Thank god.

Honestly, are the boo-birds satisfied?

Ok Robbie, its insurance time.

Say what you want, but A-Rod came through.

Finally, one of these guys hit a much needed sac fly. Good job, Alex.

shit, a salami would have been party time

Phew! I'm not just quoting Airplane here - I really did quit smoking two days ago, realize now I should have waited til the season ended... where's that Nicorette...

If that's ANY other hitter, that turns into a Grand Slam or Double. But A-Rod has the luck and karma of a thousand Hitlers.

The boo-birds are holding out for a late-inning A-rod error to blow the game.

315 Don't go all Kay on us with the Nazi talk.

On the other side, Robbie still turns into an automatic out w/RISP.

Bases loaded, one out, we get one run. And people don't understand why we can't beat the Angels.

He's hitting to RF again. Just keep it up A-Rod. Man, that basepath: Damon, Jeter, Giambi with A-Rod at the plate. That's impressive talent out there.

And even when Cano makes it out he rips it.

318 that was a great swing by Robbie. Definitely cannot hold that against him.

314 you can always smoke that lettuce leaf cigarettte during the game. then you can make a salad with what's left

Somehow I'm not feeling settled with Farnsworm in there.

If Guerrero makes contact here, the ball's going to go 500 feet.

And Lackey has a temper tantrum in the dugout. He should be happy to get out of it with only one run scored.

320 I agree. 100% fair point there. Though that AVG in those spots keeps going down and down.

314 Good luck!

ok, the fact that Vlad could golf a 100mph anklehigh--phew.

That's the kind of play that doesn't make BBTN, but it's still worthy of a highlight reel - nice job, Alex

Vlad made contact, and it didn't go 500 feet as I expected.

Whew.

321, 326 - ha, thanks. If I can make it through the Fenway series this weekend, I might actually have a chance...

Does Farnsworth HAVE to throw 100mph?

Maybe save a little, Kyle, pitch 2 days in a row? Hmmmm?

Is it asking too much for Farnsy to dial up 100 at the letters?

318 The Yanks really are underachievers this year. BP calculates that they should have scored 45 more runs than they actually have, based on their offensive stats.

I guess RJ's still looking for a win thanks to A-Rod

If Farny could learn to spot the heater, he wouldn't have to mess around with the slider. 100 mph..are you kidding me?

331 I'm buying a bottle of bourbon for this weekend. Dunno if one will be enough.

Yankee relievers always seem to be 1-2 in appearances this time of year. I'm not imagining that, right?

337 Get 1 scotch and 1 beer to go with it.

(cue rim shot!)...

Dam. I hate rooting against a guy like Curtis Pride.

339 I've got the scotch and beer.

338 No, you're not. Torre likes his bullpen.

340 Don't worry. He can't hear you.

Nice, Mo gets 7-8-9 next inning. Just make sure "Friggins" doesn't get up and we'll be okay. :)

343 Oh, you went there. :P

341 Then you're good to go!

342 If Torre had Figgins, Cairo, and Proctor...he could rule the world.

see, I want Dotel back. But then, I appreciate the fact that they aren't pushing him back because I know that Torre will either use him all the time, or not at all. I think it may be smart for Dotel to prove himself before subjecting himself to the zero use policy or the overtime program.

Detroit threatening in the 8th.

346 And the thing is, I'll be drinking alone.

Is 1 run too much to ask from Posada-Wilson-Melky? Because the Yanks really could use the insurance.

343 Cold. But good...

hip, hip

Ahhh...insurance run.

Yup, Jorgie's slump is definitely over.

Yeah, Jorgie is back!

Jorge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Slump? What slump?

BTW,
anyone checking out MNF? How's the new announcing crew (I don't give a rat's patooie about how teams perform in preseason.)

351 Apparently not..WOOOT!

351 Why stop at 1?

There we go.

That must have gone out fast, Sterling barely had time to yell high far gone

This bunting fetish has got to end.

351 Any other requests? :-D

PoPo and Jeter ending their slumps. Pair that with SLG Melky and a red-hot Cano and A-Rod, and we have ourselves a nice little offense.

ah! nice to see the Chone screw up...

364 Yeah, no more bunts for the rest of the game.

Heh heh, bad thinking by Chone.
And as good as jorge's been tonight, I would like to see him sit a couple games vs. the O's this week, so he'll be fresher for the weekend.

of course this will only encourage the buntomania...[typed before Damon bunted first pitch foul]

Friggins hesitates and it costs him!

Meanwhile, the 'Bronx Bunters'? I like!

367 So much for that.

367 Don't think you're going to get your wish.

Now Joe won't stop bunting...

I hated the 1st bunt (Abreu) but this is a classic bunting situation.

2 run single for the Tigers, now 7-3.

det up 4

367 Actually, this might be one of the few times I would play for one run. A three run lead with Mo is pretty good.

On the other hand, a six run lead hopefully means no Mo.

Seanez gives up a 2 run single, 7-3 Tigers.

2-run single; 7-3 Detroit.

I really don't get the bunt-hating. 2 men on, no outs - how is this a bad thing?

this is going our way. 7-3 Tigers

7-3 detroit

4-2 yanks.

it is all unfolding....

Sh*t. C'mon, Boston...

This is turning out OK after all...

380 It is probably the best time to bunt. However, it may lead to less optimal bunting situations.

380 Because the Yankees really struggle getting that runner home from 3rd and Damonhas a pretty good OBP.

383 Huh?!

Hell, keep bunting. Wasn't everyone bitching about "homer ball" yesterday? I like a little small ball.

single up the middle, Tigers up 7-3. Off of Seeyalater-nez. Is there any better sight for Yankee fans then Terry Francoma walking out with that silly Red Sox Pajama shirt, calling for a reliever ?!?!? Gotta love the classy Pinstripes....Go Yanks !

383 There's September for Detroit to lose the best record. First thing is to sew up the division. Then worry about home field.

Donnelly is ALL OVER THE PLACE.

I prefer walks to bunts

385 Personally, I love a good bunt. One of the more exciting plays in the game if it's done right.

But Damon was only bluffing, relax all. ;-)

388 You will never hear me complain about "homer ball".

no mo tonight would be good, but i think he'll come in even with a 5 run lead... he's already warmed up.

389 "Red Sox Pajama shirt." Snorf

385 So true. Successful bunting today may only Torre the wrong ideas. It's like the occasional Bernie hit v. RHP.

389 I get a very smug sense of satisfaction when Tito motions for the right hander and out comes... Julian Tavarez.

Bwahahahahahahahaha!!!

388 I agree. Flexibility is the key. If one thing's not working, try something else. The homer hacking wasn't working.

Damn It.

Well, time for our stellar performance with RISP to continue...

Jeter couldn't have given us a fly ball? Cripes.

389 Snorf ? huh ? You can buy that "shirt" for 8.99 on Ebay

394 Even Joe was complaining about "not chipping away" yesterday. I think all the bunting is punishment.

397 er.."only give Torre"

399 Get your hits, get your walks, generally it will work out if you have as good of hitters as the Yanks have.

Romero has a 7.41 ERA. Rock Him.

I got's to go mis amigos. Adios.

For all of us here at the Channel 4 News Team,
I'm Ron Burgundy.
You Stay Classy, San Diego.

antother reliever for bosox, craig breslow. he must be one of the "prized" arms theo could not deal (together with delcarmen, hansen, lester, snyder, all future hof'ers).

387 Last time I looked, we're not chasing Boston. We are behind the Tigers for home field in the AL post-season. The AL East is in our our hands now, no one else. We only have 3 left with Detroit. We can take care of business with Boston. I want to see Tiger losses pile up, regardless of who deals them. Think big, my friend!

402 Snorf = abrupt chuckle

2-3-4 this inning for the Sawx - c'mon, Tigers, weather the storm!

What's up guys, y'all keeping the toaster warm tonight with over 400 posts...

408 I like your style. Go Boston! Play the spoiler role you were born to play!

411 Close games = more posts

Hypotheticals: 1] how big does the lead have to be for neither Mo or Proctor to come in the game? 2] How big of a lead for Veras to pitch?

408 I'm more worried about Beantown than the Motorcity. I predict Detroit will fold in the postseason -- this is way above what they've been doing the last few years.

no better chance for a walk then Bobby A.

You guys can't seriously be rooting for Boston.

408 You are very right, but i just cannot get myself to root for Boston

That settles it - I want an Abreu jersey. :-D

Wasn't pretty, but great job, Bobby!

414 1. Very big. The Angels need to change pitchers again, giving that other pitcher time to warm up. 2. Veras pitched 1+ yesterday; I doubt Torre would go back to him.

417 I'm not seriously rooting for Boston. That just doesn't happen, but still I appreciate BB's gesture.

409 Thanks - I wasn't sure if that was good or bad.... That shirt looks silly. I don't know how a Sawx fan could defend that.

411 413 I've noticed the same. Everything is heating up now - even the Toaster !

Not a save situation anymore. Who comes in?

Wow, what an arm. And it was right on the money, too!

Keep bringing in those runners on 3rd boys!

2 on for BoSox, Youk up with 1 out.

if A-Rod hits a homer now, is it meaningless?

"Rodriguez likely with confidence in this situation" (say the assholes for Fox Sports West)

428 Not if what Kay says is true about Farnsworth. If he works a 2nd inning, anything's possible.

428 Well, it doesn't increase their chances of winning by very much.

428 Does the pope wear a funny hat?

Youk singles: 7-4.

Mo's gonna come in. Why screw around with someone else who may get in trouble when he's all warmed up and ready to go

Somebody shoot the official scorer.

428 his HR's are always meaningless.

That was a SINGLE?!!!

421 Oops--I tuned out early yeserday, so I didn't know Veras pitched yesterday. OK, a Ponson-proof lead?

Bwaahahahaha! A-Rod is reversing the curse! ;-)

Zumaya has some Farnsworth in him, and that's not a compliment.

Mo, are you kidding me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can't we use Mo 2 innings this week?

428 & 432 If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it... does A-Rod get the blame for chopping it down?

Just got here...wow, this is more like it.

OK, aside from Giambi, did anyone hit the ball out of the infield that inning?

Manny is an idiot. He slowed up, then got thrown out at home down 7-4.

Nice, Manny out at home - 2 outs in the 8th. Willy Mo up with two on.

Honestly, forget Detroit and Boston for the moment -- right now, I just want to savor beating the Angels. Take your insipid monkey and go home to your fake-rock outfield fountains!

And rbj, by the way, good call on the booze for this weekend, in lieu of nicotine. I believe I have half a bottle of Jack left over from the last Sox series.

Boston just had a run thrown out at the plate it sounds like

442 A-Rod will get blamed for global warming in that case.

445 That's Manny being Manny.

glad to see a game where we are scoring late ;)

Inning over. Still 7-4.

7-4 tigers after 8

oh shit, Joe, why?

447 Amen. I think I hate the Angels more than any other team (besides the Sox).

454 I don't mind it - gotta keep Mo fresh for that Fenway series.

449 and destroying the rain forests.

Forget booze, I'm gonna need bong hits to keep my ass from taking a bite outta my couch this weekend.

What are Joe's options? Terrible decision.

Maybe Torre doesn't need to go to Mo during the Baltimore series. Or, maybe this appearance adds to the burn-out just in time for the Boston series.

455 totally agree

Mo was already warming at the start of the inning, Veras is probably unavailable, and Ponson probably needs a long time to get ready. I guess he could have used Proctor.

I'm going to go on record and say that A-Rod would deserve to be booed if he destroyed the rain forests after chopping down a tree in a forest (without other people around to watch him do such an act).

458 Agreed, except that I'm heading to the Tampa area to visit the 'rents. Any idea if the games are on network TV? Anyone know if they're carried on AM radio down there ??

Thanks in advance...

amazing how arod couldn't get the triple play on that one....

459 You mean with a 12 or 13 man staff. No one else, obviously.

Yeah, but that was an "off-balance" throw. A Red Sox thirdbaseman would not have been off balance...

A-Rod very solid fielding tonight unless I'm forgetting something

464 just subscribe to mlb audio

OK, Mo pitches one inning on Wed. That's it until the weekend -- he needs to be fresh but not too fresh. It's up to the hitters to get big enough leads.

464 The Friday day, Sunday night, and Monday day are on ESPN, the Saturday game is on FOX>

And Friggins to end it! Start spreading the news....

Ovah!

nice victory! Go Tigres de Detroit!

I hope Todd Jones has his A game today.

Sh*t, wasn't aware of the schedule. Thought we were done with these rat b@stards. Anyway, good win tonight! Time now for some Bird beatin'...

Ortiz due up 5th. Please don't let it get that far.

455, 461 Absolutely... I mean, I at least have some grudging respect for the Red Sox.

Man, that's sweet.

464 I'm SURE it'll be on the radio somewhere -- isn't Tampa half Yankees fans?

469 471 Thanks a million.

I'm leaving the wife and kids home and visiting my 75 year old parents "solo". Lots of reading, running, 4 pm dinners out at the Outback and Olive Garden, and then enjoying the games with my dad, old school style - lots of munchies and soda - just like when I was a kid !

BTW, man they cut out of the game quick on MLB TV huh ? They can't get out of there fast enough :>

Time to close it out Day-Twa...

C'mon, Sawx. BBTN needs some love. Can I get a walk-off?

479 Yeah, they must really want to save the bandwidth. The only times they stay with a game a bit longer is if there's an immediate on-field interview.

479 Gotta go with the filet at the Outback...
Have a safe trip.

Ahhh, Boston sucks...

Game over.

we're two up on Boston. nice night

fittingly Crisp ends it. Man, that guy sucks!

484 Can we get a decent lead over Boston first and THEN root for them to play 'spoiler'? Sheesh.

483 Thanks. Visiting my folks is not unlike when Jerry Seinfeld visited his parents....del Boca Vista !

I don't care about the wild card. We won't need it.

488 Just depends where you set your sights. Yanks are in first place. We control our destiny with Boston, but not with Detroit. The decent lead you speak of is in our hands. For AL homefield, we have to depend on others, which is never a position you want to be in.

From here on out, a Yankee win and a Tiger loss is a good thing...

5 game series in the ultimate bandbox - I don't feel safe unless we're up by 7-8 going in there..

All is right in the world again ehe ;)

Well, Torre said he told Abreu to bunt (even though he hadn't bunted in eight years!) because Abreu hasn't been hitting that well lately. And he wanted to put some pressure on the Angels.

A tied game in the 7th with ur two RBI man comming up, bunting is not all that irrational in that situation IMHO.

Hey, it worked. Can't argue with that. ;-)

And I think it threw the Angels off their game. They started making all kinds of goofy errors.

464

Joe,

My brother lived down there and got all the Yankee games on radio, and there are many bars who have the package and air the games. Find a decent bar and ask them. I know they're on. It's another reason the Tampa ownership hates us. I love ya George!

491

I'd almost rather not have homefield, and start Wang in the away game that would otherwise be played at home. At least he'll pitch well on the road.

498 Sometimes I'm a little slow, but was that sarcasm?

Wang's splits:

Home 9-2, 2.97 era
Away 4-3, 5.16 era

498 Regardless of precedent, I'll take homefield eight days a week. I know the players always say it makes no difference, but that's horsesh*t, too. Who wouldn't want 50,000 sick maniacs on their side?

We have 9 games left with Boston. Recent history says that ends in a 5-4 split, you pick the team. We're 3 up in the loss column right now. Same old story — beat the bad teams, split or win with the good ones and we're in.

Detroit is catchable. I want homefield!

500 "Regardless of precedent"..."recent history says"...

???

The Tigers are coming to the Bronx in 2 weeks. Let the Yanks take care of them then. For now, it's too early to feel comfortable with only a 2-game lead over Boston.

501 "Regardless of precedent" — As in Yanks had homefield in 2004, you fill in the rest...

"recent history says" — Over the last 100 head to head meetings between the Yanks and Sox, it's damn close to a 50-50 split. Don't have the exact stat in front of me, but it's a coin flip.

502 That's the point. Even if the Yanks sweep the Tigers, control of homefield is out of our reach unless Detroit losses begin to pile up beyond what damage we can do.

Again. We control the AL East, 2 games or whatever. If we don't beat up on Boston and the Baltimore's of this divison, we have no business being in the postseason anyway.

I'm guessing we'll hold our own within the AL East, but we will need help knocking Detroit out of the top spot.

503 I just thought it was interesting, methodologically, to both disregard precedent (history) and use it to make separate points in the same argument.

505 Interesting observation. 'Precedent' addressed the perceived value of homefield advantage, which has nothing to do with the 2006 Red Sox. 'History' spoke to the probable outcome of a nine game head-to-head series with the Red Sox, which has everything to do with the 2006 Red Sox. Apples and oranges, I thought. But it's gettin' late, who knows ;-)

497 Thanks ! Will do