This... is... Awesome!

This truly never gets old. 11 wins is what it's about - after the regular season ends. I think each subject in the banter in the playoffs should be "Win 1", till we get to win #11 in the playoffs. We need to think like our captain. It's about those 11 wins.

BTW, slightly off topic but I think anyone who likes to discuss politics should read Scott Long's piece @ The Juice. Really well done.

PeteAbe has some great notes over at his blog.

woo hoo!
I got to see some of the celebration on ESPN, it was funny the way Unit kept dousing Kim.

I loved seeing RJ soak Kim Jones. I don't think it was mean-spirited. He looked lke a (very large) little kid who had a crush on her. Very funny.

I missed the live celebration, since my Mlb tv ended after the game, but managed to catch it on the YES site late last night. My wife thinks my baseball addiction is over the top, but even she loved seeing the video of the club house celebration.

I feel like a kid before xmas!!

3 best piece from Pete Abraham's blog:

"This will be in my story tomorrow: As the celebration slowed, reliever Kyle Farnsworth took note of the fact that the Red Sox would occupy the same sodden room tomorrow. 'The best thing is Boston has to come in here next,' he said. 'It's the smell of victory they've got to smell. You can print that.'"

Fun celebration. Much needed exhale, especially with the stench of the Verducci stink bomb lingering around the Yanks.

Yeah, Alex, the Unit-Kim Jones dousing was funny at first, weird the 2nd (and 3rd?) time, but I think not so much mean-spirited as awkward.

Nothing against Kim Jones or women in the locker-room, but isn't planting an attractive, booze-soaked blonde in the midst of that frat house lunacy asking for trouble? Fortunately, but not the least bit surprisingly, the revelry stayed G-Rated, and the celebration was just giddy and proud.

On to the playoffs. The Yanks have two weeks to get rested and ready, and an easy enough schedule to stay in the race for home field advantage in the ALCS.

F the bitter Yankees-haters, and anybody who still wants to question A-Rod's place on the team, and the 'chemistry' of the Yanks in general.

Let's see Verducci write a ten page cover-story on A-Rod (the so-called Lonely Yankee) celebrating with his team last night, hugging Jeter etc., and let's hear ESPN talk for hours about how tight this band of Yankees brothers actually is.

Don't hold your breath. They won't, and I don't care.

The smiles and hugs last night said it all, and I have a feeling (like the song says) the best is yet to come.

5 I had the same feeling re: Unit. I said to myself "Man - he's got the hots for her!".

6 Delicious. You wonder where he got that from, being relatively new to the team. That's a real heavy quote, more expected from someone who's gone through the '03 and '04 wars than someone from this year's team, where there wasn't much drama between the two teams. But still - love the fire. Love the emotion. You bring it, Mr. Farnswhacker. We want to see some 101mph cheese in October.

(for strikes)

6 8 Lord Farnswacker could have stayed with the Braves as their closer, 50 miles from his Georgia home, and, if I recall correctly, for more money than the Yanks are paying him.

He wanted to be a Yankee. That quote tells me he has a little Munson in him. Despite his back problems, and inconsistency, Yanks fans gotta love a guy who throws 100mph, and has a little Munson in him.

Loved the Bernie home run last night. The YES guys remarked that he looked toward the dugout after he flipped his bat, and went into his home run trot. I wonder what that look was about.

Bernie's swinging a sweet bat at just the right time, and looks ready to add a few RBI to his MLB-leading October resume. Good ol Bernie coming off the bench next month. Can't wait.

8 To quote the ever-eloquent SB (from May 4):

"Sir Farnstantinople accomplishes his mission, then screams "Fuck!" into his mitt, as if frustrated that he failed to get the ball to burst into flames."

Yep, no surprise he would say something like 6 >;)

10 Bernie might have thought he saw Sammy Sosa sneaking into the dugout and warned him to stay away from his Pepsi...

11 If there's one name I want to see on the back of a Yanks jersey it's Farnstantinople.

13 didn't they change that to Farnstanbul? ;-)

Even NYY was once New Amsterdam...

14 I believe at the UN, and in diplomatic circles it remains Farnstantinople.

15 They Might Be Yankees

16 Whatever happened to Farnstantium?

17 Karim Garcia?

Now we just need us a player whose name sounds like "Istanbul" and we've got ourselves a They Might be Giants song...

Hooray for clinching! Only 12 days until the ALDS starts! I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of Kevin Thompson, Andy Cannizaro, and Gary Sheffield in the near future. And I'm sure that that's the first time Sheff's been in the same sentence with those two guys, ever.

Dammit... with a nod to RIYank yesterday... at any given moment, no less than five BBanterers are poised ready to make TMBG references.

18 They never actually found any where they said it was. But now they're contemplating sanctions on Atlanta and Detroit.

21 And with a nod to JeremyM also, Damn right >;)

19 Chyll, you know I have an OCD about this now:
"Who is Karim Garcia?"
"Who are you? Who are you, Karim Garcia?"

20. Now we just need us a player whose name sounds like "Istanbul" and we've got ourselves a They Might be Giants song...

Tartabull?

Sliced - good luck this weekend, explaining to the missus why you want to watch any part of games against Tampa Bay, post-clinching. My best suggestion: "But Emily lets Alex watch..."

25 Great job Mike. The best I could come up with was Greg "The Bull" Luzinski...

20 Abreul?

The best part of the celebration, I thought, was when Torre was being interviewed, Sheff doused him with champagne. He just smiled and said, "you got me!" Not even a minute later, he gets doused again and now he's like "what the..?", turns around, and sees a laughing Mo. A huge smile breaks across Torre's face and he jokingly says, "See? We were able to clinch without you!" Then they hugged and said stuff to each other which wasn't picked up by the mics.

26 Won't be an easy sell, but imagine Cliff, who's getting married on (Saturday?), trying to explain to his bride why he has to post a 500 word preview of Tampa Bay Game 3.

Congrats to the Yankees! I am still walking on air. I am thrilled for the guys and for us fans who get to enjoy the playoffs and hopefully, a World Series championship. I am very happy for journey men like Guiel and youngster like Melky experiencing the playoffs for the first time. Heady stuff.

I will admit that columns from Golum (aka Lupica) and the other media focusing on A-Rod and Verducci's SI article was a slight downer, but I got over it really quick.

6 Abraham has some great stuff in his blog and today's column.

29 "But honey - Sheff is making his first start at first base! How can I miss that?!?"

At least that's my tactic for the weekend.

29 Maybe he could just go with a shorter version of his preview... he could call it something like "Cliff Notes of Cliff's Notes"

28 I believe Torre then said, "...but not anymore!" to Mo. Which is true.

I've seen enough of Villone/Dotel/Myers/Veras in the 9th to know that I never want to see it again.

24 You? At least you know how this all got started!

Now I'll have TMBG stuck in my head for hours, plus trying to figure out lyrics to fit this thread. Take it away, Bama >;)

32 Or even shorter:

"Talk Amongst Yourselves" [comments 0]

30 Gollum... classic! The 2006 Yankees are now The Fellowship of the Ring.

Hello and congratulations everybody, longtime lurker here, my first post.

Wanted to point out that Bernie's post-dinger dugout glance is nothing new, he's been complimenting the bat-flip with it for as long as I can remember. And I love it.

GO YANKS!

37 Welcome, Count Montefusco.

Yeah, now that you mention it, I've seen that dugout glance before, but last night it seemed to be something more, and I don't think he does it all the time. Have any idea what it's about? or who it's directed toward?

37 Welcome to the party, Count. That career 3.54 ERA is pretty impressive...

38 Sammy Sosa?

38 Who's Sammy Sosa?

37 Welcome Aboard, Count. Make yourself at home. Bullpen's to the right >;)

36 Where's the LOTR reference? Not seeing it.

Thanks!

You're right, Sliced, he doesn't do it all the time. He saves it for big spots, he must have felt last night merited it with the clinch a possibility.

I have no idea who it's directed toward, I always thought just his teammates in general....

38 Karim Garcia's agent?

40 I'll break your arm if you say Karim Garcia ;-)
Just kidding, I know I started it and now I feel like Abbott and Costello...

35 Did you forget all the gun we had with Alex's "Doctor Halladay..."? Now that phrase brings such a great association.

Yankees rock!

43... 30, fifth line.

47 All the fun we had....sigh...I partied until wee hours...

37 Enjoy the party!

47 Smith & Wesson?

44 You're probably right. I hope somebody asks him about that someday.

50 LOL! You are good. My uncreative mind was thinking "clinching East."

50 Who's Smith & Wesson?

53 Now that's probably Karim Garcia's agent...

For the "TMBG" fans here (I am one) ...

Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night

Every gal in Constantinople
Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople
So if you've a date in Constantinople
She'll be waiting in Istanbul

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way

51 Bernie: Oh, that? There's some Anonymous Yankee going around saying stuff and being quoted in major magazines and newspapers saying Bernie Williams is old, Bernie Williams can't hit lefty, Bernie Williams should retire for the good of the team, BernieBernieBernie... well, everytime Bernie Williams hits a home run, he flips the bat, looks dead square at Anonymous Yankee and says 'That's the mystique of me.'

I didn't think RJ and Sheff dousing Kim Jones at first was a big deal. Of course, she's gunna get it. You've got to expect that. But it was that RJ got her more than once that just seemed...uncomfortable. For her part, KJones didn't show much of a sense of humor or an ability to roll with the punches. She had mascara running down her face trying to keep a super serious face.

Did anyone catch Pete Abraham's mug in the shot when Jones interviewed Abreu? I was like, "that's our boy!"

57 Yeah, I caught the "importance of being earnest reporter" look. I saw Kim Jones referred to as Hot Lips on another blog, (can't remember where), which I thought was hilarious, and perfect. M*A*S*H... damn.

52 I give credit to all of the sharp-witted Banterers here, especially my sensei Sliced Bread. I believe RIYank said it best yesterday on the One More Pin Rodney thread, post number 116.

58 He was right in there with Sweeney. I wasn't sure if he was waiting to talk to Abreu, or Kim Jones.

57 At least Randy didn't pull the Deion Sanders against Tim McCarver routine and use a whole bucket of water...

60 My eyes fill with tears...
Though probably not so much so as Scott Proctor's orthopedist.

Also, YAOOOOAAAAAHOOOOOO!

55 But they couldn't be the New Amsterdam Yankees; there'd be this eternal existential struggle with YES Network. Almost like that refresh symbol on your browser. Not to say that wouldn't be fun the first 1000 times...

62 That's easily a top 5 Deion moment in his baseball career. Hey, if you go in the clubhouse during the celebration you have to expect to get dirty. Seriously though, if you haven't had some booze spilled (or in my case drenched) on you, then you should probably try to have more fun.

34 You think that's bad? I still haven't been able to shake "Conjuntion Junction" from a couple of days ago.

59 "Importance of being earnest reporter..."
Awesome.

As is 56 "That's the mystique of me." I always confuse Bernie and Sheff, they're so much alike. It's like a friend of mine who nicknamed Mattingly "Mr. T" because they were so hard to tell apart.

64 Now that's clever: NAY > YES > NAY > YES
Good one, Chyll

52 You see what I mean 66? This Never Gets Old!

Still with us, Count Montefusco? We haven't scared you away or nuttin' right?

68 Back at'cha, Sir!

65 That's my favorite Deion baseball moment (probably because I could only come up with one other Deion baseball moment: the inside-the-park-homer when he was a Yankee).

BTW, anyone know where I could get a video clip of the Deion dousing of McCarver?

60 Back at'cha, sensei.

Here is a glass of champagne.

0-<....

Oh, it seems to have spilled.

It's on a table in the corner of the visitors' clubhouse in Toronto, with a note.

"Dear Big Papi,
Congratulations on your fiftieth home run! All of your individual accomplishments this year must feel great. Enjoy."

The signature has been blurred by the spilled wine.

(I know, I know, it's low class. I'll always be a Farnsworth, never a Jeter. I've made my peace with that.)

I'm really liking this team right now. Really really liking this team.

48 Aha, glossed right over it. Probably because it was misspelled - the huge geek that I am.

DVD of the celebration was being burned as I left this morning - I will try and rip it tonight and then upload to YouTube.

75 Bootlegger I imagine myself to be, somebody should make some 2006 Yankees Fellowship Of The Ring tees... just putting it out there. I'd do it if I had the resources.

74 Me too.
The celebration made me realize what I guess should have been obvious: the team has a strong hispanic accent. The two Dominican 'kids', and I love listening to Abreu. And then best of all was when Mo said to Suzyn, in that low, calm voice, "I'm ready to go." Mo can give me a chill, but that made a little warm glow inside me.

And Bama, those shirts we discussed yesterday, with the place you recommended?

I'm gonna make three for my nephew >;)

71 He hit a walk-off while playing for the Giants in a game I saw in person. I'm sure he did some other decent stuff, but I just can't recall. He was quite an athlete. No Bo, but I don't think guys like him come around too often.
Anytime McCarver gets put in his place I'm happy.

77 I was really happy for Abreu too - he looked like a little kid on Christmas morning. One of the last questions from Kim had something to do with how he felt standing in the clubhouse, and he said something to the effect of, "we're winners".

It was just a nice moment.

76 As I think I've pointed out before, close readers of LOTR will note that this is not the first time A-Rod has been caught up in a Battle for Middle Earth (or WS title battle)... in Two Towers, the Riders of Rohan give two horses to the heroes... and the one given to Legolas and Gimili is named... Arod.

Says a site dedicated to the Horses of Lord of the rings:
"Arod was a fiery and restive horse, but Legolas rode him easily without saddle or rein. Gimli was not so comfortable on Arod, and he clung to his friend uneasily."

Also, Arod and the other horse deserted them the next night. I wonder if Shadowfax (the Captain of all horses) stood up for Arod, and if Verducci wrote a 45 page article about it.

79 Yeah, he was not in the same class as Bo. Bo was one of a kind. And to think that Bo spurned both my two favorite teams: The University of Alabama and the New York Yankees (drafted in 2nd round in 1982) to go to hated Auburn. What could have been Bo, what could have been...

Let me ask the crew here this:

Do you do the Mussina contract over again even though he hasn't really been a #1 or a Cy Young winner in his time with the team?

I'd say he's been overpriced but worth it. What do you think?

Now, the reason I ask is because they'll have that choice again this off-season, though with a younger and lefty "Moose". His name: Barry Zito.

If you'd sign Moose again knowing everything you know now, I think you have to support signing Zito. Same money, same results.

78 You going with the Correctional Orange or the traditional black stipes?

83 Didn't the Yankees say the other day that they were not going after Zito this off season?

Not to put a damper on the celebrations, but anyone else very disappointed with Tim Marchman's hit piece on the Yanks in re the A-Rod saga today in the Sun?

I generally like Marchman but this article is dreck.

He notes that A-Rod is putting up "near-MVP caliber statistics" while in the same breath claiming that he's "having a horrible season."

Then he grossly misreads a comment of Giambi, imo.

Is Marchman auditioning to replace Steve Phillips at (N)ESPN?

85 That's what's being reported. But they also said the same thing about Damon.

They'll always be in it - Boras will make sure of it.

86 I suspect a lot of columns were held until the day after the Yanks would clinch. Expect more of the same with each playoff/series victory.

If/when they win the WS, I anticipate a payroll/"questions for next season"-themed article from Lupica the following Monday.

Heyman will have a field day with Sheffield either way.

78 Two orange and one striped, sort of balances everything. He could get a couple of his friends and re-enact that episode of 'Oz' guest starring the Fat Boys for Halloween...

85 Two words: Daisue Matsuzaka.

Slightly off-topic, but I wanted to give credit where due, and as much as I love They Might Be Giants, "Instanbul (Not Constantinople)" was a song by written by Jimmy Kennedy and Nat Simon in the early 50's.

While the TMBG version is certainly the definitive one, it is a cover tune.

All right, back to baseball.

90 75 million to Matsuzaka or to Zito?

One has huge risk (not the AL of MLB) but maybe a higher payoff (#1 starter).

The other has less risk (plety to support what he'll do) and a known payoff (#3).

Sorry, I take the solid #3 guy over the maybe #1, especially since Hughes should arrive too.

Yunnow the funny thing about posting here (and I imagine this happens on other blogs); the timing of juxtaposed remarks can be really interesting or entertaining. We can be completely oblivious to each others' remarks a second to a minute after we individually post them, yet when they appear and you read them in succession, they sometimes make complete sense. Fun! (and hopefully timely...)

81 I did remember that. All the more reason it should be done.

this is pretty funny: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=caple/060921

BTW, I didn't see it posted anywhere today, but the Yankees officially picked up the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Red Barons as their new AAA affiliate:

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/index.jsp?sid=t531

I'll be picking up a cap one of these days, but I'm not completely sure they won't change the name of the team or the uni's. That current logo on the hat is pretty lame, fwiw.

94 After more digging, I found that Arod also was scared to take Legolas down the Path of the Dead, right before the big battle in Return of the King. Maybe that was foreshadowing A-Rod not "coming through in the clutch." Maybe A-Rod needs the same treatment as his namesake horse: Legolas held Arod's face in his hands and sang to him in Elvish. Then Arod was okay.

Now, to all who want to take the Path of the Bombers, en route to the World Series... the Yankees say: "The way is shut. It was made by those who are Bombers, and Bombers keep it. The way is shut."

91 They covered a lot of songs, but I just love the way they sing them. My absolute favorite is their cover of "The Sun is a Mass of Incandescent Gas," originally written by Tom Glazer.

I'll wait till November to make a definitive case against him, but you will all get sick of me for saying over and over this off season:

I don't want Barry Zito.

96 Another 'BTW' - how does this work, exactly?

Do all the players from Columbus just stay where they are and have to play for whatever organization picks them up as an affiliate, or do the Yankees own the contracts of all those individual guys, and now they're all playing for Scranton?

96 They should. Lackawanna blues, naturally...

83 Barry Zito is a walk machine, and he gets eaten alive by disciplined lineups. Boston and Toronto would, and do, kill him.

98 No those players have contracts with the New York Yankees who had a player development contract with Columbus. Yankees move they move. A new MLB org. will bring it's own players.

100 Furthermore, a A's/Yankees series with Zito as #1 would have me cool as a cucumber. I hope the Yanks get to see him as much as possible.

101 So what happens to all those existing players with Scranton?

103 They leave with the Phillies and move to Ottowa or where ever the Phillies decide to put them within their organisation. Lucky them!

104 Matt Smith is hanging on their every press release, I'm sure. I don't know which place is worse though: Scranton, Columbus, or Ottawa.

Have I mentioned lately that I <3 Pat Gillick and his charity?

I'm quite sure it's just like the majors; when the Expos moved and became the Nationals, they took their players (for what that's worth) with them. Nick Johnson's still on the same team, just in a different place with a different team name.

If that question hasn't been answered already (making my post completely redundant), I'll crawl around and try to find a more difinitive answer. Meanwhile, here's an interesting discussion on that question I found right away.

http://tinyurl.com/nr2bo

95 I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have to say that the Caple parody was actually funny -- the one thing abut being an avowed Yankee hater is that you obsess over the object of your hatred enough to actually have some inside knowledge, enough to come up with good satire once in a while. Then again, Alex is awfully good fodder for this sort of satire.

It certainly beats the variety of screeds against A-Rod and Giambi appearing in all the New York papers today, not to mention ESPN and Sportsline. Klapisch, Wojnarowski, Lupica, all taking one dig after the other. I'd swear it feels like the national press is an adjunct of the Boston Globe this morning.

105 Ottowa is beautiful in the summer. Cbus = Scranton = You can't make me stay here.

You all are so right. This never, ever gets old. Eleven hundred more years, and I'd still love watching the Yankees win.

102 I've had my fingers crossed for that series for a while. The Bombers only made one trip out to OAK this season and it was the Opener. It would help a brutha out if they opened up the top deck, seeing as currently they only have about 35K (as opposed to the 42K+).

110 I mean 48K+

107 Caple hates the Yankees, but must thank God every day, for the sake of his column, that they exist do so well.

112 "exist and do so well"

You guys aren't gonna believe what Schilling said. "I don't think we opened the door for them as much as they kicked it in."

HELLS

YEAH.

http://tinyurl.com/l5p7t

For everyone's enjoyment, here's one of the many burials of the 2006 AL East Division Champions written earlier this year. Enjoy!

http://tinyurl.com/zyo2a

Excerpt:

"It's just so darned tempting, isn't it?

It isn't so much the depleted state of their lineup, nor is it the basis of a one-game smackdown, courtesy of Curt Schilling. The temptation to bury the Yankees, even as early as May, comes forth from a prevailing idea that this was a long time coming, that this is a team that would have been in a freefall a year ago had it not struck gold with Aaron Small and Shawn Chacon.

...when you put these teams side-by-side, there's just no comparison. Despite all the bats in its Murders' Row lineup, the Yankees are an inferior team to the more balanced Red Sox, who possess better all-around starting pitching and provide a more fluid bridge to its less talented bullpen."

110 I saw the A's play Texas on a trip out to SF this August (my first trip to the Coliseum) What a great atmosphere, what nice people, what great food and drink (Guinness on tap) what a great evening. WHAT A DUMP.

I can't believe how that place looks or that they allow MLB games to be played in a setting that looks like that. It looks like it hasn't been painted since Charlie O owned the flop. They have ripped plastic covering the old press and luxury boxes that ring the mezzanine. The upper deck is covered in a mucus green cloth that is weather faded. They shut the upper deck because they wanted to give it a small ball park feel. What they managed to do though is give it a crap-hole feel. Hell yes, by all means open the upper deck.

The place is full of nice people who were just great to watch a ball game with. They deserve better.

112 From Wikapedia:

"Parasites that live inside the body of the host are called endoparasites (e.g., NY tabloids) and those that live on the outside are called ectoparasites (e.g., ESPN). An epiparasite is a parasite that feeds on another parasite (WFAN)."

115 Well when the Globe is right the Globe is right: "when you put these teams side-by-side, there's just no comparison."

To paraphrase Sparky Anderson "I wouldn't want to embarrass anyone by comparing them to the NEW YORK YANKEES"

116 They ran into issues because those upper deack seats were supposed to be for families, but all the ghetto MF-ers in Oakland would snatch up the discounted seats and scalp them (usually doubling the price) so it defeated the purpose. Plus the facilities really are antiquated and can't service full capacity. Restrooms, concessions, you name it. I haven't been to a Raiders game there (and I'm not in any hurry to) but I can't envision it being much better. Al Davis basically ruined what used to be a mediocre stadium at best.

115 Slurp.
There must be a dozen just as good as that, but I'll let Mr. Wilbur stand in for all of them.

Has anyone noticed how upbeat and jovial this site has been recently? Amazing how much the team affects our moods.

OK - I'm late on this. This is what happens when you don't take your lunch until 2PM!

11 RE: "Sir Farnstantinople accomplishes his mission, then screams "Fuck!" into his mitt, as if frustrated that he failed to get the ball to burst into flames."

...still one of my favorite lines from this log since I started reading it!

13 14 & 15 - You're all awesome!!!Excellent play on that They Might Be Giants song. Man, that's a blast from the past. Think we can incorporate something from "Birdhouse in Your Soul"???

I had dozed off last night around the 7th inning (allergies & a dose of Benadryl will do that to a gal!) only to wake up around 10:30 and see Melky & Robbie C. jumping up and down, dousing each other and everyone else with the bubbly. What a happy sight to wake up to! The other players were so dorky too - it was humorous.

PS - Rock on, Giambi with your gallon o'Jack!!! (tee hee)

122 You should've seen the shot of Melky and Abreu doing some kind of combination of prancing and riverstepping on the back of the Daily Rues yesterday. That was dorky, yet oddly hypnotic.

121 No, I hadn't noticed. ;-) My bf is practically bipolar with what the Giants are going through lately.

Anyone see in one of the papers the desire for the Angels to trade for ARod this offseason? The paper said:

"Rodriguez won't come cheaply. The Yankees figure to ask for no less than Ervin Santana, Scot Shields, Chone Figgins and a high-level prospect."

Thoughts?

119 I'm not sure how successful a scalper would be trying to sell the upper deck seats for 2x the face. I was at the labor day A's/Rangers game, and there were plenty of second tier seats available. The weather was absolutely perfect. (Perhaps the fans had some NorCal cosmic intuition that Zito was going to suck that day and Jay Payton would misplay three flys to left, so they stayed home) I got my first tier seats (two rows behind the lowest walkway, just on the left of the foul screen) two days before the game for $30 a pop. Definitely the best seats I've ever had for a MLB game.

I didn't think the coliseum was much worse than Yankee Stadium as far as the facilities are concerned, but I guess that's not saying much.

It's seems that the seat blocking is a case of trying to reduce supply to increase demand.

Yo Chyll
Where's the link to this picture? We gotta see it. "dorky, yet oddly hypnotic" I can't wait.

Banterers -
If the good game continues ad infinitum, let there be eleven hundred thousand more days of Bronx Banter. I will forever have it as my homepage.

Thanks to Al and Cliff - it's been a truly exciting season.

Now, let's get ready to RUMBLE!!!!!

GO YANKS

125 Chone Figgins, right. I know Cashman is just drooling over the possibility. What an upgrade over our five current outfielders (counting Sheff).
Those pitchers are nothing to sneeze at, it's just odd to see Figgins mentioned there. Maybe a LIDR? Pinch runner?

125 Hell no. Not enough.

125 Where was this reported? The names being bounced around don't impress me.

129 From a pure baseball perspective, could it be enough? Two good pitchers plus a prospect, plus trade bait?
I find it almost impossible to assess trades that have one great player on one side and a bunch of good players on the other side.

But from a can't-get-the-picture-of-smug-ESPN-punditry-out-of-my-head perspective, fuggidaboudit.

125 This seems unrealistic. Whose desire is this, the Angels' or the paper's??? Like the Angels have anything we even want???

128 Figgins can play third.

133 Oh yeah.
Doh!

125 Cashman on that: "No thanks. I don't negotiate with terrorists... not named Boras."

122 That really was fun watching them all goin' bananas like that, wasn't it?

I was dozing off myself, due to the drowsiness inducing side-effects of similiar medications, and bumming a little about the Yanks dropping the game 3-2 after Bernie homered...

But just like that, the Ded Sox do what they do better than us, and it's party time Yankees-style!

I watched the entire celebration standing up in my living room, smiling.

It does say "no less than." With that in mind, I ask for:

1) Vlad
2) Jered Weaver
3) Manny Aybar
4) Free lifetime admission to any Disney park
5) The Angels have to change their name to: The Orange County Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California, 90210.
6) One of those apology baseballs signed by Pete Rose
7) Karim Garcia

I think that about covers it.

136 "Who is Manny Aybar?"

136 Dude you forgot their autographed bust of Jim Fregosi. I really think we should get that if we can.

137 Er, I meant Erick Aybar, the infielder, not Manny Aybar, the reliever who is currently playing in a Korean league. Although we could probably use Manny to spell Scott and Ron in the last couple weeks.

136 Also forgot to demand the Rally Monkey's severed head, and disembowled torso.

138 and some old Gene Autry albums...

Why would A-Rod ever accept a trade out of NY? It's stamping him as a giant failure even as he's the best player in MLB history? How does that make sense?

No, he's with this team to the end of his days. And I'm really okay with that (except in 2010 when both him and Jeter should be fighting over DH AB's and not patrolling the left side).

140 The Reeses Dahlia?

Sorry.

143 Sick, but that has to be the first demand in any negotiation with the Angels.

131I doubt it could ever be enough, but there are also other issues. A-Rod's gonna hit 500 HR, and (barring injury or malicious journalists) 600, 700, maybe 800 HR. I would like to see the career homerun record back in pinstripes (no offense to Hank Aaron), plus the chase will put a lot of fannies in the new Yankee Stadium.

142 Jeter DHs, A-Rod plays first.

The Yankees aren't trading Alex Rodriguez, especially after he wins the 2006 World Series Co-MVP -- with Johnny Damon.

Oh, I can't wait for that news to hit New England.

125 I saw that this morning. I just chalked it up to A-Rod hysteria hitting new lows.
http://tinyurl.com/lrvog

I have to admit, though, this is something I've thought about this season. Why wouldn't A-Rod request a trade? It's not like he was ever welcomed warmly here. In a place like St Louis, for example, he could play for a contender and probably receive much better treatment from their fans.

Of course I hope none of that happens. I'd like to see him play out the rest of his career in pinstripes.

147 A-Rod for Pujols (he can play 3d) I might consider. Cards have to include a lifetime supply of beer too.

127 Sorry e-double, I looked all over the place and couldn't find it online. If I had it with me at work, I'd scan it and put it up somewhere you all could see it, but I doubt anyone would be interested by tonight.

'You related to Erick Sermon by the way?

148 How about A-Rod and Giambi for Pujols and Rolen?

147 Because A-Rod and his teammates, and bosses understand for every idiot who boos A-Rod, there are 5 silent supporters who want the booers to shut their yaps.

A-Rod shirts still sell. A-Rod still draws fans. A-Rod is still one of the best players, and hottest properties in baseball. Everybody knows this, probably even most Yankees and A-Rod haters, which makes them hate him and the Yanks that much more.

Nobody outside the Yankees wants the Yanks to have one of the greatest players in the history of the game, and the haters will do anything they can to disrupt that relationship, and exploit whatever issues might exist.

The silly ten page Verducci piece got more play in the Boston media (see ESPN) than the return of Peter Gammons. Think about that.

140 That's one of the most attractive bargaining chips I've heard for A-Rod yet. And I'm dead serious.

also re: Mr. Gammons. Note that he was not back one day before he started orchestrating Gary Sheffield to the Red Sox.

I can't fault Mr. Gammons and the Sox for trying, but I don't think that's going to happen.

Even if Sheff can't play first, if he can hit, the Yanks can afford his bat next year. Sheff stays.

147 Because A-Rod is not an A-Hole like more than a few items who've come and gone really quickly over the years.

I'm willing to bet that he figures if he can't hack it in New York in the prime of his career, then what's the point after that? Maybe during the lonely nights when he struck out four times and everyone booed him all the way to Philly and back, he might have thought of a trade, but to his credit so far he has insisted he's staying.

Give his wife some credit, too. She was there when he was MVP, she's still there when he's struggling, and he mentioned her as one of three people he counted on for support. Most people don't even acknowledge that when they accomplish something or come back from something, or when they say who's got their back.

Totally off topic here, but does anyone else agree with me that Tino Martinez is an absolute embarrassment on BBTN? He is just not good at anything they ask him to do.

Sliced, Sheff goes. I just can't imagine him being on the team next year. I'll be shocked if I'm wrong.

148 Pujols is the only major leaguer I would even dream of trading A-Rod for. And yet there is something about Pujols which makes me question his long term prospects. I don't like his frame. And I have nothing to base that on.

150 Don't forget the beer. I don't think the Cards would trade for Giambi, no DH in the NL, and he can't play the field for 160 games a year.

I'm really amused that the day after the Yanks clinch the AL East, everyone wants to break them up.

159 I don't want to break them up, but I've been saying, ever since we got Abreu that Sheff isn't long for pinstripes. But then again I didn't think he'd play again this season, so I clearly have no idea what I'm talking about.

156 A discussion for another day, but I hope you're wrong.

Gotta go, people, I'll look up that picture later if anyone's interested and hopefully I can get back on tonight; these last three days have been a lot of fun. L8R >;)

159 I don't want to break them up either. And even though I like A-Rod and Giambi, I would trade them for Pujols and Rolen in a New Amsterdam minute...

158 I'll let you have the beer (since I don't drink) and I agree that the Cards would probably not want Giambi. But I learned a long time ago in my fantasy league days, that you always throw out a trade like that because someone might just bite...

Don't think this is off-topic, in light of the celebrating the Yanks did last night, but there's a hysterical "article" on Johnny Damon at thebrushback.com website. The article is titles "Johnny Damon Finally Gets Teammates to Try Ecstasy". Truth be told, if they could get away with it, he probably would be the one to get everyone to do so! Check it out if you haven't already!

I wouldn't want to break them up either (they're just so darn cute when they win together). More just idle speculation. About the only two I consider absolutely untouchable are Jeter and Mo.

Unless Pujols has a dreadful offseason, I can't see how they'd let him go for anything...

I don't remember who did the study, but someone analyzed trades of all-time greats in their primes for _____ - and the team trading the all-time great always came out worse. ALWAYS. Its impossible to get equal value in such a trade, unless both teams are giving up all-time greats, each in their primes. I don't think such a trade has ever happened.

A-Rod is not just an all-time great. He's a once-in-a-lifetime player. You don't trade once-in-a-lifetime players unless they are finished. A-Rod is not finished - nor is he finished if he stays in NY - A-Rod haters all be damned. Ergo, you don't trade A-Rod.

I was just thinking how much fun this has been, and I wondered.... what would be better:
Spending time on 'Bronx Banter' and having the Yankess MISS the Post Season -or-
Having gone to the Post Season without BB.

I love the Yankees, but I think I know my answer.

Congrats and thanks to 'CliffBelth' for escorting us ALL into the PS. And a compliment to an amazing group of posters. The interest, knowledge and intelligence level here must be unsurpassed in the blogging world. This site goes beyond 'Blog' and lands somewhere between Yankees Forum and Think Tank.

I am thankful to be a part of it.... and even got a 'best line of the night' from MikeP (my bethrothed).

I wouldn't trade him either. I just spent part of this season worrying that he might pull a Manny this offseason, but 151 and 154 were right to point out that A-Rod's not that kind of guy.

BTW, I thought Keith Law made an interesting point in his ESPN.com chat today:

"Darius (Oakland, Ca): . . . Is there a double standard towards A-Rod? 'Cause it looks like it...

SportsNation Keith Law: Is there a double standard towards A-Rod? Is the Pope German? Come on. Now that the bitter media have torn down Barry Bonds (with some help from Bonds himself, I admit), they've set their sights on A-Rod."

Which makes an awful lot of sense, at least to me.

170 Yeah, but is the Space Pope reptilian?

i am sorry if this is a repost or u have discussed already..

have u guys read this..

i am not trying to start a trade rant.. but i found it post worthy

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_4371626

thanks chyll will
i'll check back here for the photo

no relation to Erick

peace

96 I hope they change the uniforms. Yankees teams are supposed wear pinstripes.

The playing surface will definitely be changing. The Yanks insisted on swapping the turf for real grass.

The Nationals will take over the Clippers. The interesting thing is that the Mets were apparently unsuccessful in their attempt to woo the Norfolk Tides. This seems to leave them stuck with New Orleans, and playing in the PCL.

164 Really funny. My favorite line:
"We've really relaxed a lot of the rules in our clubhouse, and, like, it's just a happier place. The first few years I was here, Jeter wouldn't even let us chew gum."

A-Rod in the playoffs:

What all of this media attention is driving towards is that no one pitches to A-Rod in the playoffs. A-Rod drew a ton of walks against the Angels last year and has drawn criticism this year for it. My recollection, imperfect as it is, is that A-Rod didn't get a single decent pitch to hit. He pressed a couple of times for groundball outs or a soft hit.

So....now that everyone has decided that A-Rod's place in the pantheon of baseball greats will be decided in October games, wait, not just any October, it must be this October, opposing teams will expect him to press, particularly with runners on or late and close, and not give him anything to hit.

I'd move A-Rod into an OBP slot, say #2 or #3 in the order, as opposed to a SLG slot like #4 or #5. Don't think pitchers will give him much of a chance to drive in runs.

I remember being proud of him in last year's division series for not chasing bad pitches and just quietly going out and drawing walks.

160, 163 Oh I don't mean you guys, I mean the Evil Mainstream Media, primarily.

168 Agreed. Many thanks to Alex, Cliff, & Ken. I learn a LOT from all you BBers and man I can't believe I really found people online who are as rabid about the Yanks as I am! :-)

Of all the quotes and attributions from today the one that I enjoyed the most was the one from "Sir Farnstantinople" that his been wandering in and out all day and that BklynBmr picked up on the last entry in yesterday's game thread:

"The best thing is Boston has to come in here next," he said (referring to the Toronto visiting locker room). "It's the smell of victory they've got to smell. You can print that."

Jesus is that a thing of beauty. I'm glad we signed the big guy just for that. Some piece of work he is.

These stories about trading A-Rod are about as ridiculous as this clause in Frank Thomas' contract with Oakland this season: a $50,000 bonus for winning the Gold Glove.

I don't know what took me so long to find Cot's Baseball contracts, but I'm making up for lost time!

176 Interesting point, but with this lineup, I don't know that anyone will want to put anyone on the bases on purpose, let alone the speedy Arod. Arod in #4 or 5 will be protected by lots of other big bats(posada, Sheff?, Matsui, Cano).

I do agree, however, that there is very real potential for ARod to press given the great expectations being generated for him in October. That said, are they really going to be that higher than what they already have been?

179 Sounds like a guy who thinks this is best in life: "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women!"

YES is rerunning the 6/28 game tonight. The one that A-Rod won with a walkoff homer in the 12th.

I never pull for the Orioles to win much, but wouldn't mind if they did the deed today. Man, it must be hard cheering for that team.

167 Hey Shaun P if you are still around, is this the article you were referring to concerning trading players in their prime:
http://tinyurl.com/j3j59
It is from Baseball Prospectus and you need a membership to read the entire article. Seems like an interesting read but alas, no membership for me :-(

I like Brian Roberts. A year ago yesterday, he collided with Bubba Crosby at first base, and his arm bent in a way human arms are never supposed to bend. He'd been having an amazing season - 18 home runs, when he'd never had more than 5 a season before - and suddenly, it was over.

But he didn't feel sorry for himself, or blame anyone but himself. He didn't even kick out his only visitor at the hospital that night - Bubba Crosby. He wouldn't let Bubba apologize, saying, "That's baseball."

Spring training was very rough for him. He was in such pain he thought his career might be over. But he stuck it out, and he's been great this year, all things considered. He's still not 100% - in particular, his numbers from the right are a lot worse than his numbers from the left - but all in all, he's done well. And I'm rooting for him. As long as he's not playing against the Yanks. ;-)

183 That game is one of my favorite games of the year. Watched part of it at lunch with a couple of co-workers (Braves fans). Then followed the remainder of the game at work and was taking some serious grief until A-Rod gave 'em that supersized dose of shut-up juice... Sweet win indeed.
I'm smiling just thinking about it (wished I could see that one again, might just check out the archive on MLB.TV).

186 Good post Randym. I did not know that Bubba went to see him in the hospital. That's a refreshing story and the kind of stuff I would like to see printed more often (instead of all the A-Rod bashing). Good for Bubba and I guess Brian's not a bad guy to root for either (unless he's playing the Yankees, of course).

182 I get the sense that Conan may be a bit high brow for Sir Farnstantinople. My sense is "It's the smell of victory they've got to smell." that is the full blown explication of the Whackers philosophical outlook. I feel certain that he would say that such offerings from Conan while of a certain theoretical value "are a bit too phenomenological at least as they express an epistemological approach to the ineluctable modality of that which confronts us in an experiential sense".

At least I'm fairly sure that's what Farnsworth would say; if he were asked I mean

186 The team isn't that bad, personality-wise, but the way they underperform and in the way it happens must create anger amongst their fan base. They held their little fan-walkout today.

ESPN (ugh) just reported Giambi has a small ligament tear in his left wrist. Supposedly he should be able to play with it, but....I guess it's good that it comes out now, at least we'll see what Sheff is capable of.

Well, we gained a half-game for HF advantage at least. Nice job O's!

188 Bubba Crosby and Brian Roberts used to be roommates, when they were both on the national college all-star team. They'd kept in touch, and Bubba felt terrible about what happened. The night before, he'd been top of the world, with that walkoff homer.

Roberts said it was something he'd done dozens of times before - reach in front of a baserunner to quickly grab the ball - but he misjudged it that time. He forgot Bubba was faster than the average runner.

190 I don't understand why Baltimore doesn't do better. Their players seem to do well with other clubs. They spend a decent amount of money. Just never seems to pay off for them.

191 That is bad news. Even if he can play that way, you have to wonder how well. He's really been struggling lately, and I have to think the wrist is to blame.

On the bright side, it's not like we're lacking for firepower these days...

Check this out, a new interview with Stein.

"I have relinquished pretty much all control of the Yankees..."

Wow. I knew this was going on, of course, but this is the first time I've read that quote from him. It's truly the passing of an era.

He also states his health is good, he feels fine.

http://tinyurl.com/rz5jz

183 revisionist history by the A-Rod lovers.
Everyone knows A-rod was hitting a ground ball out in that game when Jeter came to the rescue with a giant fan that sent the ball over the fence.

190 "I don't understand why Baltimore doesn't do better."

I've wondered that, too. Not that I'm complaining by any means, but that's a proud franchise that seems snakebit. If nothing else, it could be karma coming around to bite Peter Angelos in the butt. Either way, it looks like the fans have finally had enough:

Orioles protesters walk out on team
http://tinyurl.com/oopkq

Hey guys, finally got around to posting everything:

It's broken up into 8 segments, but it's everything (minus a few minutes of Bob Lorenz here & there) that YES had after the game...

Here's my YouTube page with everything:

http://youtube.com/pistolpetevideos

Just click the (View All Videos) link in the 'Videos' box near the top right-hand corner of the page. You'll get a list of 9 videos, 8 of which are the Yankees. They're not quite in order, so pay attention to the numbers before the title of each clip. It goes in order of 01, 02, 03, etc.

198 Sweet! Thanks for the effort, pistol! VERY much appreciated — especially for those of us who get the YES feed on the Extra Innings package with no post game coverage.

If you don't repost this on tomorrow's thread, I will ;-)

Thanks again. I loved it, the dousing of Jetes was great!

197 The Balto franchise is "snakebit". Unfortunately Little Petey Angelos IS the snake.

198 Here's to Pete!

[yankee fans everywhere] To Pete!

[splashes of bubby and brew all around]

200 You know, though, he was the owner when they were doing well. I wonder if this is the equivalent of the 80's Yankees. I saw an interview with him in a local magazine and he's a smart guy - probably too smart in that he gets too involved. One thing I like about him - he hasn't raised prices. So bad team + good prices = cheap opportunities to see the Yanks up close!

To Snake Pete!

202 With all due respect Jim, the 80's Yankees had the best aggregate record in baseball. Likening the disgusting mess that occupies the "Yard" to those Yankees is giving Little Mr. Petey Angelos far to much credit. These O's are a shell of the proud franchise that brought fear into the hearts of anyone that contemplated competing with them over the long haul in the 60's, 70's and early 80's. Petey's treatment of Davey, Johnson, Cal Ripken, John Miller, Elrod Hendrix and others is nothing short of disgusting. His attempt to assert monopoly rights over baseball in the Mid-Atlantic region that he did not possess in an effort to keep baseball out of the Nation's capital was scurrilous. His ongoing attempt to squeeze the Nationals out of the Cable TV system even after he received a sweet-heart settlement that he was not entitled to demonstrates the height of cynicism on his part.

Has he raised ticket prices in the last 2 years? No. Has the raised the price of everything else at the ball park? You bet he has. He's even raised the price of spending one's self respect when walking down Eutaw Street and contemplating entering what is one of the finest sporting venues in America. The oppressive weight of degradation seems to press more heavily upon one with each step that brings you nearer to the gate.

The state he has allowed the O's franchise to drop to is a disgrace and a he should be ashamed of himself for allowing it to happen on his watch.

The reason the O's made the playoffs in 96 and 97 has far more to do with Pat Gillick's presence in Balto than anything Petey ever did during that time. In fact, when dealing with Petey became too much for Gillick he bolted and the O's haven't had a sniff since.
Little Petey has a deep, sonorous voice and he's facile with the language. He figured out a long time ago how to make a boatload of money by running Federal Class-Action law suits. Is he smart? Well apparently he's not smart enough to have figured out how to run a baseball franchise that is a cash cow in a manner that allows it to be competitive on the field.

Sorry dude I can't buy into your view of Little Petey A. IMHO he is the worst thing that has ever happened to the Baltimore O's franchise.

203 wow, wsport, you've got some fire in the belly over this.

All I know is this: I just moved to Baltimore at the end of July and saw 5 games (two with my wife) for about $200 sitting behind home plate for two of them, 15 rows from third for another, and first row upperdeck for the other two right behind home plate. If even possible at Yankee stadium those five games cost a $1000. The best part: I rode my bike three miles to the stadium.

So long as the O's stink, I'm one happy Yankee fan.

But look at those costs. The Yanks charge 2x to 3x for the equivalent seats. Yankee stadium holds more than 55k people and is close to sold out for every game. Yet they're building a newer place to charge more and make more money. Talk about a cash cow.

Now the baseball landscape has changeed dramtically in the last ten years. The Yanks spen 67 mil then with the Birds at 62, I think. Now it's 200 mil to 72 mil. And the Sox are at 120 mil. The O's were far from a cash cow in the last few years as they took on bad contracts and the stadium emptied. Now I think they're about to turn the corner in the next three years.

That difference: The hard bargin for the territorial rights even as he's sure to benefit as well. But he's up against two organizations with their own networks. If the O's are ever to do well in the AL East again, Angelos drove the right deal. Of course it was for him and his team, and definitely not for baseball.

The 80's analogy was terrible. I only meant by it that it was the lull between periods of prosperity. Mazzone was a good move if they're ever to get their young arms working. If they can, we might see the O's in first before we see Boston there.

204 Welcome to Balto Jimmy, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

After the way that Little Petey Angelos has treated me and mine here in the DC region he won't get one thin dime from me until he ends his war on DC baseball, period.

The creep didn't mind taking our DC money for years when we'd sojourn up the Parkway to sit in his stadium. As soon as it came time to get a team down here though he argued that there were no real fans in DC. Screw the S.O.B. NOT ONE DIME! I'll walk into Fenway and wear a SAWX cap before I sit in that Yard again while Angelos owns the team.

The great current source of the O's value lies in the income and value of the "Yard" and the future revenue stream from Mid-Atlantic sports Network. Angelos arrived at a sweet heart deal with MLB that essentially garnered him the cable broadcast rights to the Mid-Atlantic region not only for his team the O's but also for the NATS, a team in which he has no ownership interest. The deal essentially consigns the Nats to second class status for the foreseeable future. Additionally, he owns a reported 90% of the holding company that owns the network. Compare that to the Yankees conglomerate interest in YES at approximately 60%. Nice work if you can get it.

My initial problem with Angelos wasn't however that he's a sharp or cut throat business man though. It's was that he treated a once proud franchise like an old dishrag. It didn't piss me off enough not to go see my beloved Yankees when they came to town. Now though he's made it personal.

Are the O's going to be better over the next few years? Sure, they have some promising young pitching and some nice young outfielders. God bless them. They'll never be able to go at the Yankees or Sawx dollar for dollar though in competition so they have to be smarter and hire good solid people who know something about baseball to run the franchise. As long as Angelos is there that's not going to happen. As a Yankees fan, boy am I glad.

Anyway welcome to Balto and have a great time at the "Yard" It's a great place to see a ball game. Nobody here expects you to take up the banner in a fight that isn't yours but that's about the size of it.

wsport -

If the O's can afford to spend 100 mil on salary next year, Petey's done good especially since it won't be because the park is full these days. He didn't handle it well if he pissed on the D.C. fans in the process but then the Yankees aren't exactly good neighbors in the Bronx. I mean f'in playgrounds on top of parking garages?

Would you be complaining if they were winning? Because fom afar it looks like they would have had a really hard time competing over the last three to five years in AL East. Now it's open again, with the collapse of a certain team, and if he doesn't start to spend again, like Toronto, I'll be right with you.

Even still great cheap seats to see the Yanks within biking distance, and running into Bernie on the street after the game? There's no way I can pass that up. If you change your mind, it'd be fun to catch a game.

206 Actually Jim it's not the winning or the loosing that bugs me. As a Yankees fan I'm glad they suck. As a baseball fan I hate what he's done to the franchise from the aspect of its reputation and history. The "Orioles Way" is now a national punch line to an ugly baseball joke.

I despise what he did to DC baseball and the cavalier way he pandered for our dollars then turned on us when it suited his needs. I can't even begin to compare the Yankees' community relations plan with what the O's have done in Balto under Petey. How many playgrounds do you see anywhere near the "Yard" on rooftops or otherwise? I'm sorry but I just have no respect for the guy and see him as the face of the franchise. By the way I'm not alone in this feeling here. If I and many like me are going to go to a local MLB game it'll be in DC.

Balto has a long tradition of neighborhood baseball. Years ago, as a country boy, walking from my apartment to Memorial Stadium to see a game was one of the coolest things I had ever done up to that point. I had an office not to far from the Yard a number of years ago and used to walk there for Day Games. It made scheduling Saturday morning clients worthwhile at times. It's a great town. I'm glad you 'get' it about the place and hope you get everything you can out of it.

As for me, I'll see you when Petey sells. (unless of course, before then, someone organizes Bronx Banter Day at the Stadium which I am definately in on) And by the way with this cable deal I wouldn't be at all surprised if that sale isn't on the horizon. He can get a bundle for it.

Thanks for the good discussion. It's not so much that I disagree - I'm just uninformed. Talking to folks at the games gave the same impression.

But we're really digging this AL town. Riding our bikes to see the Yanks play then grabbing dinner at Legal has to be the highlight so far.

Jim I'm glad you're digging Balto. It's one of the great towns to live in, full of cool stuff and some of the best people you'll ever meet. I hope you get everything you can out of it. Thanks for the gab.