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Leave it to the Yankees to hold a suedo-secluded-super-serious meeting of their top officials, and have them come up with a big, fat “no comment” after Day One. Joe Torre’s future with the team is still very much in doubt. According to the Post:

How tough is it to fire somebody?” [former Yankee coach, and current enemy of George Steinbrenner, Don] Zimmer asked. “If you want to fire somebody, you can do it the right way. But to let somebody hang is wrong.”

Joe’s older brother, Frank, isn’t thrilled about how things are playing out, but for now, he’s curbed that famous temper of his.

Although I like Torre, I understand why the Yankees would want to move on. That said, I agree with Zimmer. There is a right way and a wrong way to handle these things. Unfortunately, in baseball, they are generally handled the wrong way.

Pete Abraham hit the nail on the head yesterday when he wrote:

It’s always amusing to me when team executives act like they’re determining the course of the free world.

That was the case in Tampa today as the Yankees played cloak-and-dagger with the media and then refused comment as to what happened. There were literally black cars with grim-faced men behind the wheel zooming past reporters.

We’re talking about who is going to manage a baseball team next season. I understand this is big business. But it’s baseball, not life and death. If the Joint Chiefs of Staff want to keep their feelings private, that’s OK. Not the people who run a baseball team.

…If they were going to get rid of Joe Torre, wouldn’t they have done that by now? If they let Torre go [today], it amounts to unprofessional behavior on their part. Why would you treat one of your best, most loyal employees that way?

They would treat Torre like step-child because they can, because, in some ways, he’s allowed it, but mostly because in an organization like the Yankees, the level of insecurity and jealousy is off-the-charts. This is about power, and Torre’s popularity and fame does not sit well with some of the higher ups.

The Yankee executives may simply not agree on what they should do yet. I’d believe that. In the meantime, Joe, as he has always done, waits it out. Mum’s the word. Either he’s noble or a sap. Which one of these?

Well, we all know what team He is pulling for. And wouldn’t you know it, the Red Sox and Indians are still playing baseball (my guess is that the ALCS will go at least six). But in Yankeeland, all thoughts are focused squarely on the future. First up, of course, Joe Torre. As Ed Price reports, Don Mattingly, thought to be the leading candidate for Torre’s job, may not be interested in the position after all.

So far, there is no news to report yet, but that may change over the course of the afternoon.

In the meantime, whatta ya hear, whatta ya say?

According to a report in the New York Post yesterday:

Hank and Hal Steinbrenner will share leadership of father George’s beloved Bronx Bombers in an arrangement to be further ironed out at top-level meetings in Tampa this week.

“George has taken on a role like the chairman of a major corporation,” said team president Randy Levine. “He’s been saying for years he’s wanted to get his sons involved in the family business. Both of them have stepped up and are taking on the day-to-day duties of what’s required to run the Yankees.”

“There’s always been a succession – and that’s myself and my brother,” Hank told The Post in an exclusive interview.

He said he and Hal will have final say on baseball decisions as well as the running of the YES Network and the construction of the new Yankee Stadium.

“I’ll pay more attention to the baseball part. The stadium, that’s more Hal. But basically everything will be decided jointly.”

“What’s nice is the Boss is there – he’s an office door away,” said Levine.

The Yankee brass will arrive later today in Tampa for the organizational meetings that are due to begin tomorrow. First up: the fate of Joe Torre.

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Once again, the Yankees have left Joe Torre twisting in the wind. And once again, Torre might have them exactly where he wants them. In recent days, the New York papers have been filled with support for Torre–from columnists to players (Robinson Cano, Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, Ron Villone, Mariano Rivera and Roger Clemens to name a few). Heck, even David Ortiz praised Torre yesterday.

The Yankees are expected to sort out Torre’s future with the team early next week when top executives meet in Tampa. The latest has them offering Torre the job with a significant paycut (from $7 million to 4). Torre will still come out smelling like a rose if the Yankees decide not to bring him back, and by being silent, he’s putting the onus squarely on them.

We all know how much Torre loves being the manager of the New York Yankees, and we know he’s been willing to take a certain amount of crap from the front office–maybe he just lets it roll off his back–in order to keep the position.

So, regardless of whether or not you think he should return, here’s my question: Will Joe Torre be managing the 2008 Yankees?

Ian O’Conner of the Bergen Record gets the money scoop of the season: he talks to the Boss directly on the phone. I’m happy to report that the Boss sounds like the same old Boss you always knew and loved to hate.

“I have full control,” Steinbrenner says of his organization. “I’m doing all right, I’m fine.” The Boss is angry that the Yankees lost the first two games of the ALDS–“They’d better show what they’re made of,” he said.

Dig this Vintage George 101:

On Torre:

“His job is on the line,” the Yankees’ owner said in a phone interview. “I think we’re paying him a lot of money. He’s the highest-paid manager in baseball, so I don’t think we’d take him back if we don’t win this series.”

On Bruce Froemming:

“The umpire was full of [expletive],” Steinbrenner said of the retiring Froemming. “He won’t umpire our games anymore.”

In the wake of that Game 2 defeat, Steinbrenner said the Yankees had complained to baseball commissioner Bud Selig about the decision to play on. “[Selig] just said, ‘That’s in the umpires’ hands,’ ” Steinbrenner said. “But Jesus Christ, it was terrible. It messed up the whole team, [Derek] Jeter, all of them.”

On Alex Rodriguez:

“I think we’ll re-sign him,” Steinbrenner said of Rodriguez. “I think he’s going to have a good run the rest of the [postseason]. I think he realizes New York is the place to be, the place to play. A lot of this [postseason] is laying on his shoulders, you know, but I think he’s up to it.”

Well, there you have it. The King, thought to be lost, reminds us that above all, this is still is his team. We all know his bite can be worse than his bark. If the Yankees lose tonight, all bets are off.

No pressure, guys.

Where to begin? How about that the Yankees are down 0-2 and one loss away from an early playoff exist for the third straight year? How about that their season rests in the hands of the legend Rocket Clemens, who has pitched exactly twice (10 innings) in the last month, and who could conceivably be pitching the final game of his career? Or how about that Game 2 of the ALDS was a magnificently tense game that featured two memorable starting performances from Andy Pettitte and Fausto Carmona, not to mention heroic relief outings from Rafael Perez and Mariano Rivera?

Or how about the game going down to the bottom of the 11th, bases loaded, two men out, full count, when Pronk Hafner singled home the winning run against Jose Vizcaino to give the Tribe a 2-1 win? I’m sure I’m not the only one who felt dubious about the Yankees’ chances of winning when Vizcaino walked Kenny Lofton—who killed the Yankees again—to start the 11th. When the count went full to Hafner, how many of you thought he was going to walk the winning run home? Raise your hands.

The game was highlighted by a swarm of tiny, black, flying ants. The ants infested the infield (and were most intense at the pitcher’s mound) and became a distraction by the seventh inning. The players and umpires doused themselves with bug repellent and an inning later, there was a frenzy. They shot into the players’ eyes and mouth. They crawled on their skin, sucking in their sweat on an unseasonably humid night at the Jake.

Who will ever forget the close-up shots of Joba Chamerlain looking like something out of David Lynch’s “Eraserhead,” his neck, face and entire head covered with a dozens little flying ants, as he unraveled and allowed the game-tying run to score?

The Yankee hitters were limited to three lousy hits. Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter, Bobby Abreu, Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano were a combined 2-27. Posada hit the ball hard twice—Grady Sizemore made a smooth diving catch to rob him of extra bases. Rodriguez struck out three times against Carmona–sinkers in, in, in. He was both overmatched and jumpy and he’ll receive the most attention for the team’s offensive failures, but the truth of the matter is, all of the hitters were stymied. Carmona, and then Rafael Perez once again, were just that tough.

Carmona and Pettitte were a contrast in styles but they were both terrific. Carmona was efficient and his stuff was simply overwhelming. Pettitte, on the other hand, repeatedly pitched his way out of trouble, but was equally in control. Using four pitches—curve ball, slider, cutter and a four-seam fastball—Pettitte held the Indians down, in one of the best playoff performances of a career that already boasts more than a few gems. It was a sheer pleasure to watch.

Too bad it didn’t lead to a victory.

No, instead it was a long, harrowing night for Yankee fans. And anyone who stayed up late enough was treated to Manny Ramirez’s game-ending, three-run home run against the Angels. All around, an awful night to be a Yankee fan, and a great night to root for the Red Sox. I was surprised to learn that it was the first time Manny has hit a “walk-off” home run since he’s been in Boston. I have to admit, I smiled when he hit it. The standing at the plate for ten minutes was garbage, but not unusual. Maybe I was just thinking, “Tonight can’t get any worse.” But I was also pleased on a gut-level that K Rod blew the game. One hot dog deserves another, right?

Now, the Yankees are up against the wall, with nowhere to go but home. They’ll turn to Clemens on Sunday, and if he falters early, Mussina, Hughes and everything but the kitchen sink. Alex Rodriguez and the mighty Yankee offense need to wake-up, but fast. With all due respect to Jake Westbrook, he’s a far cry from the likes of Sabathia and Carmona. I should think the bats will break-out in a rather royal way come Sunday. If they don’t, it’ll be three-and-out again, with a host of off-season questions that’ll need to be answered.

After tripping up in the first game, the Yankees must to win Game Two in order stay in this series. A loss tonight would spell certain doom for the Bombers. But if the bats keep the same approach they had last night against C.C. Sabathia, you have to like their chances. This could even be one of those games they really blow open. But if they get anxious and swing early in the count, they’ll be playing to Fausto Carmona’s strength and things could get ugly. After all, we’ve seen this Yankee team score in bunches this year, and we’ve also seen them collectively disappear.

Good Andy or Bad Andy, which one shows?

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The Yankees took it on the chin last night in Game One of the ALDS, getting smacked around by the Indians to the tune of 12-3. Chien-Ming Wang was absolutely awful and was duly pounded. The Yankee offense made C.C. Sabathia throw a lot of pitches early, and had him right where they wanted him, but Sabathia worked out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the fifth inning, the Indians scored five in the bottom of the inning, and the game was essentially over.

Yanks will look to old reliable Andy Pettitte late this afternoon in Game Two.
Good thing too, as Pettitte is 70-33 following a loss in his Yankee career, and 6-3 in Game 2 starts. Since 1995, the Yankees are 5-0 in the ALDS after dropping the first game. Let’s hope the trend continues…

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Well, here we are again. One year later and the Yanks are in the post-season once more. Before the game starts, I just want to express how grateful I am that our team is back in the playoffs. It’s something that’s simply not to be taken for granted, cause it ain’t going to last forever. Moreover, I want to let you guys know how much Cliff and I appreciate the fact that you keep coming back to chill at the Banter. You make blogging a true pleasure.

As per usual, Cliff did a bang-up job of previewing the series this morning. Here is what Jay Jaffe thinks (Oh, and while you are at it,dig this piece on Alex Rodriguez by Steven Goldman).

I think that Sabathia is going to overwhelm the Yanks tonight. I hope I’m wrong, of course. It’s on our boy Chien-Ming to match Cleveland’s big fella. I know he can, but will he? Will the Yanks’ left-handed hitters be able to do anything against CC? Will the Yankees’ fielding hold-up for Wang?

I’ll feel good about the Bombers’ chances so long as they can take one of two games in Cleveland, won’t you?

Yo, I’m amped for the game. I’ll be blogging the entire series over at SI.com (just as Cliff is blogging the Phillies-Rockies series). While you are making the rounds, sure to check for Emma’s blog over at Newsday.

Now, damn the torpedos, full speed ahead.

Let’s Go Yan-Kees!

Is everyone sick of the Alex Rodriguez playoff storyline yet? I know many people are, but it’ll be hard to avoid until Rodriguez has that one or two big offensive games for the Yanks. In the meantime, Pete Abe has some interesting audio from Rodriguez, and Howard Bryant has a nice, long piece on the potential King of New York. I like this quote from Kevin Millar:

“When is he just going to say, ‘I’m the baddest [dude] out there?’ ” Orioles first baseman Kevin Millar says. ” ‘I hit .320 with 40 and 130 RBIs, every [stupid] year, and what about it?’ What is anyone going to say to that? Nobody can challenge him in this game because nobody else is that good. He spent a lot of time trying to be liked. I just want him to say, ‘Don’t [mess] with me, because none of you [guys] can do what I do.’ That’s all he has to do, ’cause he’s a straight-up gangster.”

…All you heard was Papa don’t hit me no more!

Man, it feels strange having to wait another couple of days for the Yankees playoff season to start, doesn’t it? I’m already getting hyped-up and there’s a long time to go before first pitch, Thursday night. (Wonder how Alex Rodriguez feels? No pressure, big dog.) Meanwhile, the Yanks are “hopeful” that Roger Clemens will start Game 3.

We’ve got time to kibbitz. What do you make of the non-prime time schedule? What about Shelley Duncanstein possibly getting the Game One nod over Hideki Matsui? Yo peoples, whatta ya hear, whatta ya say?

Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Johnny Damon all had the night off, but that didn’t stop the Yankees from out-sluggin the Orioles, 11-10. Andy Pettitte was clobbered–he allowed eight earned runs over five inning–but still got the win.

Kei Igawa gets the start today. The regular season began with Carl Pavano and is closing with Igawa (there’s a joke in there somewhere).

Rodriguez is in the line-up today, gunning for homer #55 and RBI #156. I like the sound of a double-nickel, don’t you? Posada will serve as manager, Mike Mussina will be the pitching coach.

I watched most of the game last night but count me as almost completely distracted by the happenings in the NL East. We’ve got more than enough time to talk about the Tribe in the coming days. Today gives dying time for the Phils or Mets, unless it doesn’t and they are forced to play a playoff game tomorrow. Aw, man, imagine if it comes to that? On Friday, the Mets played scared and yesterday it looked as if the Phils were ascared. How will it all end? I’m just glad I don’t have a direct emotional investment. I’d be ready to throw-up if I rooted for either team right about now.

It’s absolutely gorgeous in New York today. Slightly overcast but still sunny, cool and crisp. A great day for playoff baseball. I still say the Mets win the division–the Phillies will find a way to lose, right?–but ya never know.

Let’s Go Base-Ball!

Scott Kazmir was good last night, but Phil Hughes was better. Joba Chamberlain pitched the eighth–including an emphatic strikout of BJ Upton–and Jose Veras earned the save as the Yankees won their 92nd game of the year, 3-1. It is looking more and more like the Yanks will face the Indians in the first round of the playoffs. You can throw the Yankees 6-0 record vs the Tribe out of the window–the Bombers only faced Fausto Carmona once this year, and didn’t see C.C. at all. But heck, the American League playoff teams–“the fantastic four,” as Brian Cashman called them the other night–are all tough. If the Yanks are to be champs, they’ve got to beat the best, ’nuff said.

Anyhow, I didn’t watch much of the game at all. I watched the Mets instead. Man, can you believe what is happening out in Queens? I have to say that I don’t derive a lot pleasure from watching a team fall apart like the Mets have over the past couple of days and weeks. I’m no fan of the Metropolitans, but I’ve got a lot of close friends who are. So while I don’t root for them to win, dude, I just can’t get into wanting them to lose like this. Think of the winter-long hangover they’d have to live with. Nah, that’s too much to wish on anyone other than a Red Sox fan.

Still, it ain’t over yet. So here’s the question of the day, if you don’t mind me shifting the conversation to the National League for a minute. Who will suck more (or less) this weekend: The Mets or the Phillies? The Mets are playing scared right now, though they said put up a brave front after the game, while the Phils are streaking. But these are the Phillies we’re talking about. If history tells us anything, it will be Philadelphia who folds. So if I had to take a pick, I’d say the Mets recover and make the playoffs, despite how awful they’ve looked this week.

But I’m rooting for a tie and a one-game playoff on Monday.

Cliff and I both contributed chapters to the new BP book, It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over: The Baseball Prospectus Pennant Race Book. Tonight, I’ll be up at Columbia U with some of the authors, including Steven Goldman, Jay Jaffe, Kevin Baker and Allen Barra. The chat starts at 7:00 at Alfred Lerner Hall (lower level), 2922 Broadway. If you are around the neighborhood, swing by, it’d be great to see you. In the meantime, dig this chapter from the book, written expertly by Goldman. I think you will really enjoy it.

Book Excerpt

How to Break Up the Yankees

BY STEVEN GOLDMAN

From the mid-1930s through the mid-1960s, baseball struggled with how to “break up the Yankees,” at one point even adopting a rule forbidding teams from trading with the previous year’s pennant winner—which was always the Yankees. The rule lasted but one winter, that of 1939 to 1940. New York didn’t win in 1940, Detroit did. The rule hadn’t been intended to harm the Tigers, so it was quickly rescinded.

The no-trade rule had little chance of hurting the Yankees anyway, because so much of their talent was homegrown. When Branch Rickey’s farm system began transforming the way major league talent was developed, Yankees general manager Ed Barrow, something of a reactionary, had been resistant to the new methods. In 1932, team owner Jacob Ruppert overruled him, buying the Newark Bears of the International League and hiring independent minor league operator George Weiss to build a complete farm system. An injection of New York revenues turned Rickey’s farm into a factory. Of the key players on the champion 1939 Yankees, none of the position players were acquired via trade, and just a handful of the pitchers were acquired this way.

The factory system fed the Yankees dynasty, which was only occasionally interrupted between 1936 and 1964. Not until 1965, with the advent of the amateur draft and with ownership’s cutbacks in player development on the eve of selling out to CBS (the Yankees had never been generous with bonuses anyway), did the factory shut down. The Yankees stopped producing young players, and shortly thereafter, the team stopped winning.

Over the more than 40 years since, the Yankees have resisted getting back in the habit of producing youngsters. During its brief ownership, CBS didn’t know how. George Steinbrenner, who bought the team from the Tiffany Network, didn’t care to. For all Steinbrenner’s financial largesse, the posture damaged the club almost from the first moment of the regime. The first test was offered by Otto Velez in 1974. The club failed it and, as a direct result, lost the division title to the Baltimore Orioles.

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The Yankees won another close one against the Jays on Sunday afternoon, 7-5. Mike Mussina was impressive again, Jose Molina had three RBI, and Joe Torre broke the so-called “Joba Rules,” as Chamberlain earned his first big league save.

It was a beautific afternoon at Yankee Stadiuma and the late afternoon shadows swept across home plate at a quarter to four. I love the way the light in September is different, deeper more mellowed, than the bright harsh light of March and April. Long, elegant shadows trailed the pitchers early in the game and it all looked great on the HDTV. (I tell you sports on HDTV is absolutely the greatest thing since sliced bread.)

In a playoff preview, Torre went to Chamberlain with two men on and two out in the eighth inning. You got to love Torre picking this spot to try the kid out because, rules be damned, you know that Joba is going to get the call in a couple of weeks. Torre isn’t the kind of guy who is going to pass on a sure-thing like Chamberlain in the playoffs. After all, Joba is the best young pitcher the Yankees have had since Mariano Rivera.

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After yesterday’s marathon victory, Mariano Rivera told Pete Abraham, “That would have been a very bad game to lose, but it’s a great game to win.” Amen to that, especially with Dustin McGowan going today and A.J. Burnett pitching tomorrow. McGowan, coming off a strong start against the Red Sox, has been terrific in the second-half. However, with the Yankees’ magic number down to three, even I’m not going to sweat too much today. The important thing is for everyone to remain healthy. It’ll be nice to give Jeter, Rodriguez and Posada some rest later this week.

Damon and Melky will man the outfield today, while Godzilla is the DH. Posada and Giambi have the day-off, and so does Shel Dunkinuts. Mike Mussina is on the hill for the Yanks. It is a ridiculously beautiful day in New York. There is a pre-game ceremony honoring the Scooter this afternoon.

Let’s hope fer good things all around and Let’s Go Yan-Kees!

I arrived at Yankee Stadium at 9:30 on Saturday morning and left shortly after 4. The Yankees were trailing the Blue Jays 3-2 at the time. I took a gypsy cab back to my apartment, took a shower, and hung out with Emily for about a half-an-hour. I saw the Yankees score four runs in the bottom of the sixth, highlighted by Alex Rodriguez’s two-run, bases loaded double. Then I saw them give it back in the top of the seventh as the Jays hit pay dirt with a flurry of bloop hits. Kyle Farnsworth was looming. I was Audi 5000.

I was off to a cocktail party that kicked off the Jose Feliciano/Bernie Williams concert at the Utopia Loews Paradise Theater on the Grand Concourse. In truth, I was going to see Ray Negron and the short play he was putting on to start the show. Negron is a special advisor to George Steinbrenner who wrote a children’s book last year, “The Boy of Steel.” He recruited Cathy Moriarty, Jose Guzman, Michael Kay, Scott Clark and Darryl Strawberry to appear in the show. Ray has been a bat boy, Reggie Jackson’s gopher, an actor, an agent–he’s just about done everything, and he’s hustled a career for himself in the game. He takes sick kids on his own personal Stadium tour, he translates for the young Spanish ballplayers with little Enlgish, like Melky Cabrera. Ray seems to know everybody and he’s always on the move.

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Roger Clemens was supposed to start this afternoon in place of Ian Kennedy but was a late scratch. Nothing serious, according to Joe Torre. Clemens was on the field at a quarter to ten this morning watching his eldest son perform running drills in right field under the guidance of a trainer.

About an hour later, Harlan Chamberlain made his way from the bullpen to the Yankee dugout. His red scooter moved slowly across the warning track and then down the left field line. Chamberlain stopped to shake hands with some fans. As he approached the Yankee dugout, he shook more hands. “Harlan, we love your son.” He is clearly enjoying every moment of his first trip to New York.

John Turturro is also at the park. After his daily pre-game conversation with reporters, Torre chatted with the actor, several photographers snapping pictures several feet away. Torre also spent a few minutes talking to Harlan.

It’s 12:40 now and it’s raining. The tarp is on the field, but rain wasn’t in the forecast so I don’t imagine the game will be delayed long.

Over at BP, Joe Sheehan thinks the Red Sox are being smart in giving some of their starting players a breather:

It would behoove Joe Torre to start doing this as well. The Yankees are up five games in the loss column on the Tigers, with a magic number of seven for the wild card. If form holds through the weekend and the Yankees’ magic number reaches three or so, Torre needs to worry less about seeding and more about making sure his aging team is ready to go on October 2. Alex Rodriguez has missed two games all year, and none since August 8. Robinson Cano hasn’t missed a game since May 6. Jorge Posada has played his usual 130-odd games behind the plate; a couple of extra days off next week couldn’t hurt. I can’t quantify the effects of rest on a player’s performance, but I can say that the cost of doing so—possibly ending up as the wild card versus winning the division—is essentially zero.

At ESPN, Buster Olney thinks that Alex Rodriguez could find a good home with the L.A. Dodgers:

Rodriguez might be a perfect addition at the perfect time for the Dodgers. He would give them the power they need, in home run production and in marketing; they could build their business plan around his pursuit of Barry Bonds’ home run record.

Friends of A-Rod don’t think he would be interested in playing in the National League. We’ll see. Some within the Yankees’ organization wonder if any team will be willing to pay A-Rod as much as the Yankees can pay him; others think that it’s all but a lock that A-Rod will leave the Yanks.

If he does go, the Dodgers would be a perfect landing spot for him, if the team is ready to spend big.

Finally, in the Times, Goose Gossage says he likes Joba. That’s not a shocker. Neither is this:

“I really don’t see how they can think about making him a starter after what we’ve seen,” Gossage said in a telephone interview. “You can find starters — I know they have other young kids — but how are you going to find another character like him? How are you going to replace him? Before he came up, those setup guys were killing them.”

Goose, we love ya, but um, got to disagree with on this one. However, this quote is more like it:

“I saw him throw those two pitchers over Kevin Youkilis’s head when they played Boston,” he said. “I loved it. The same thing used to happen with me when I tried to get it inside. When I missed, my body would get out front, my arm would lag and the ball would fly.

“And guess what? It was a great purpose pitch, only now they’re protecting these hitters every chance they get. It makes me sick. I went crazy when they tossed the kid that day. I screamed, ‘What the heck is this game coming to?’ “

Back when I played…

I was at the Stadium last night and have to admit, I already feel a sense of melancholy being there, knowing we’ve only got one more season left in the House that Ruth Built. One of the most striking moments of the night came before the game when Jose Feliciano sung the National Anthem. That caught me completely by surprise.

Feliciano caused a considerable stir when he sung the Anthem before Game 5 of the 1968 World Series. His rendition was condemned as nothing short of unpatriotic (Mickey Lolich, the Tigers starter that day, who, like most pitchers is a creature of habit, blamed the length of Feliciano’s version for his shaky first inning). Last night, Feliciano sung the same version that was so controversial almost forty years ago, only this time there was no percieved outrage. In fact, as he came to the finish, the crowd began to roar–a heartfelt, patriotic ovation.

My how times have changed.