I’ll take the heat for last night’s loss. With the Yankees up 6-4 with two out in the ninth, I called out to The Wife, “Come in here, Soriano’s about to untuck his shirt.” I knew I was tempting fate but I said it anyway. Two hanging sliders later the Yanks were down 7-6, and even though Derek Jeter homered in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, I knew I’d jinxed it.

That’s the power of the fan, don’t you know? We control these things, not the players. So don’t blame Soriano for a lousy night–he was unfairly booed when he walked off the mound–or Derek Lowe, whose throwing error helped the Jays scored the winning run. I’m a team player. I’ll take the hit. I don’t do that again.

To make matters worse, Mark Teixeira left the game with a grade 1 calf strain. He’s gone for a week, maybe two. Chad Jennings has the low lights.

The Yankees once had a comfortable lead. But they’ve sputtered the last month and now the Orioles are 3.5 games back, with the Rays right close, too.

Looks like we’re in for a tense September.