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The Yankees only mustered four hits againt the Rangers on Tuesday night but still managed to come away with a 7-4 win. Wildness was the case for Texas, who allowed three runs in fourth inning on a five walks, a hit batter and a single. But it was Aaron Guiel’s three-run dinger in the fifth that proved to be the decisive blow. Pete Abraham of The Journal News has dubbed Guiel “Ralph Malph.” I’ve got a more random call (and it only works looking at him head-on when he’s at bat): Sissy Spacek. It’s the nose, mouth, the freckles. Work with me on this one.

Mike Mussina was far from brilliant but he was good enough to earn victory number 12 on the season. Scott Proctor—the subject of trade rumors–pitched well, as did Mariano Rivera, who earned the save (#24). Alex Rodriguez had a decent night (HBP, two walks, two runs scored). He whiffed in his last at bat after narrowly missing a home run, but looked just fine in the field. Actually, he looked great. Had that confident, concentrated look on his mug again. I’m guessing that being back in Texas has been helpful. According to Tyler Kepner in The New York Times:

The Yankees also seem to be loosening up. Even Alex Rodriguez, who has not made an error since Friday, playfully kissed teammate Andy Phillips on the back of the head when a scoreboard “Kiss Cam” focused on the Yankees’ bench.

“It meant a lot,” Phillips said, laughing. “I can tell my grandkids about that.”

After his smooch, Rodriguez got up and walked to the other end of the dugout, raising his arms over his head and winking at the camera.

Johnny Damon sat out a second-straight night with a sore back. He is expected to be back in the line-up this evening.

In other news…

“I don’t want him, you can have him, he’s too fat for me,” Alice Kramden sang to her husband once a long time ago. This was the first thing that popped into my head when I read in the Post that the Yankees have picked up back-up catcher Sal Fasano, previously of the Phillies. Bonzone and now Fasano. I believe that Kelly Stinnett has done a poor job in the role, but can Fasano be much better? Somewhere, someone (or a lot of someones) are chuckling about this one. What’s Fasano worth without that mustache, which I’m sure he’ll have to shave? Also, I remember calling Ron Hassey Ron Fatassy, back in the eighties. Anyone come up with a good one for Fasano yet? This is mine (with a nod to Dimelo): Ron Jeremy plus the late Vincent Schiavelli.

Lastly, Jack Curry reports that Phillip Hughes will not be pitching for the US Olympic team, now or anytime soon.

Boom, Bap, Thwap: Flat Yanks Tank, Spanked (and happy to be leaving Canada). Sunday’s Final: 13-5. Meanwhile, two reports suggest that it is unlikey that Bobby Abreu will be a Yankee this time next week.

Three game losing streak? Hold a pre-game team meeting. While Alex Rodriguez’s slump continues, the Yankees scrapped and rallied to defeat the Blue Jays 5-4 on Saturday evening in front of more than 50,000 at the Rogers Centre, gaining a game back on the Red Sox who lost earlier in the day (the Yanks trail by two-and-a-half). Jorge Posada, the Bronx version of “Captain Red Ass,” tripled (?!?) after objecting to a high offering by Ted Lilly which came close to his noggin, Bernie Williams hit a two-run homer, Jason Giambi had a clutch pinch-hit (he walked in his second at bat and was pinch run for by Jaret Wright!), and Derek Jeter drew a walk with the bases loaded, scoring what would be the game-winning run. For the second straight start Chien-Ming Wang was far from electric, but he was good enough while the Yankee bullpen was dynamite: Scott Proctor struck out the side in the seventh, ditto for Kyle Farnsworth in the eighth, and Mariano Rivera–who is way too cool for strikeouts by now–sent the Jays down, 1-2-3 in the ninth on two ground balls to Jeter and a pop fly to Rodriguez at third.

Rodriguez, who was taking ground balls five hours before the game began with coaches Larry Bowa and Don Mattingly, was the DH and only played the field in the ninth inning. Rodriguez struck out four times for the first time since 1995. Even more troubling was that Rodriguez swung through or fouled off at least four fat pitches in his last two at bats. It wasn’t so much a case of the pitcher beating him as it was him beating himself. Rodriguez’s troubles have gotten worse over the past week. What I find fascinating is that the cause of his fielding woes is his arm–something that has long been his strength defensively. I mean, his arm is that last thing I’ve ever worried about. (Perhaps the Yankees’ next stop–in Texas to play the Rangers–will bring some comfort to Rodriguez.)

It’s painful for everyone involved–from the fans to Rodriguez himself of course–watching the Yankees’ superduper star struggle so mightly. The situation is intensified by the fact that the Yankee offense desperately needs his power. My girlfriend never cared much for Rodriguez until he became the target of the fans’ ire. This morning, she released the following statement:

“There’s no question that he will rebound from this slump. I’m patient until he does. And I wish everyone would just shut-up and leave him alone and give him the room to breath and continuing helping the Yankees win as he always has. Which is what the fans want…right?!”

For what it is worth, I have every bit of confidence that Rodriguez will be just fine. According to Tyler Kepner in The New York Times:

In the clubhouse Saturday, after cuddling with his 20-month-old daughter, Natasha, Rodriguez was asked if he felt pressure mounting on the field. Appearances aside, he insisted he did not.

“Not at all,” Rodriguez said. “You wish you could be hitting .340 with 35 home runs — and Big Papi has, what, 95 R.B.I.?,” he added, referring to Ortiz, who leads the majors with 92. “But, guys, this is a human being. You guys screw up sometimes. I’m sure sometimes when you guys write, you misspell a word. That’s life, we’re human beings.

“I wish we were perfect. But I feel very comfortable and very confident.”

And Reggie Jackson tells Mike Lupica:

“I hear people say (A-Rod) might not be tough enough for this,” Jackson said. “He’s more than tough enough. You don’t do what he’s done in this game without being tough enough. I see it on his face every night. I see that he knows what every player knows, whether they’re as great as he is or not: What a hard, humbling game this really is. You know why he’ll play through this? Because he has to. He’ll do what he’s always done, and show up every day and go to work with a toolbox that has more in it than anybody else playing. More than (Albert) Pujols, more than anybody else you want to talk about.

“I signed the biggest contract once, and I knew when I did what I was taking on. And you better believe I knew that it was one more thing that I was going to have to carry up the hill with me. Alex is going up that same hill now. And it’s like I just said: He’ll make it because he has to, because we’ve got more than 60 home runs and 200 RBI on the bench (Matsui, Sheffield) and because he’s as great as he is and because he just has to.

“It’s like I told Jeter that time when he was 0-for-32: Figure it out because you ain’t going anywhere. There ain’t no place to hide. You never get hurt. You’re not sitting down. You’re gonna be there every day and you’re Derek Jeter. Same way with Alex. He’s Alex Rodriguez.

…”I wish they didn’t boo him,” he said. “I wish they didn’t boo me. But I always respect the fans and love them and in the end, they aren’t really a part of this, even if you know they want to love him. This isn’t about whether you think the boos are justified or unjustified. It isn’t about the media. This is about him. The guy has all that talent.

“You take on a lot of things when you take the money and come here and tough times are part of it. He’ll get through this and he’ll be better for it.”

The Yanks will need Rodriguez’s pop today, what with Bonzone on the hill for the Yanks. Here’s hoping the Yanks can out-pound the Jays and come away with a split.

Alex Rodriguez collected the 2,000th hit of his career last night. It also happened to be a home run–a laser into the left field seats, making Rodriguez the youngest man in history to hit 450 dingers. The shot–a three-run job–also put the Yankees back in the game. However, it was the only offense the Bombers would muster all night as they fell to the Jays, 7-3. It was New York’s third straight loss. They now trail Boston by three-and-a-half. A.J. Burnett was showing off his nasty stuff last night, while Jaret Wright was ineffective. Rodriguez also committed another throwing error (after losing a pop foul in the glare of the roof earlier in the same at bat), which unfortunately marred his historic accomplishment. So it goes right now for Rodriguez.

Or some sort of something that has to do with karma. A day after the Yankees recieved a generous call they were the victims of a poor one as they fell to the Mariners at the Stadium, 3-2 The bad call came at the tail end of a nice piece of base running from Alex Rodriguez. Shame, as they wasted a fine outing from the Big Unit.

On a lighter note, check out this amusing (if foul-mouthed) critique of the Yankees’ radio team. Is Brooklyn in the house?

As I walked to the subway last night I saw a middle-aged man wearing a Yankee cap and a navy blue t-shirt that read: “Got Melky?” I complimented him on his shirt. Dude was the first person I thought about early this morning when Melky Cabrera’s solo home run won the game for the Yankees in extra innings, 5-4.

Sidney Ponson wasn’t terrible but Joel Piniero was better. (Both bullpens were strong.) The Yanks trailed 4-2 in the ninth when it began to rain. After the heat we’ve suffered through in New York for the last few days, the rain was welcome. And just as the Yanks started to rally, the rain started to fall. The crowd–as if speaking for all of New York–started to cheer, both for the team and for the rain. Andy Phillips doubled. Thunder clap. The fans roar. Winds swirling like mad. Aaron Guiel, pinch hiting, singled to right scoring Phillips. Lighting. More cheers.

And then, a gift. The Yanks lucked out when Jorge Posada was called safe legging out a ground ball. He was clearly out. Instead of two outs and a man on third, it was one out, men on the corners. Johnny Damon followed and slapped the first pitch into center for a sacrifice fly, tying the game.

Alex Rodriguez did not start but entered the game late as a pinch-hitter (Nick Green played third and collected three hits). In the seventh, Rodriguez popped up to the shortstop. Before the ball landed, the boo birds began to howl. Now, Rodriguez was up in the ninth with two outs and a runner on first. The rain poured down, a real summer thundershower. The crowd cheered Rodriguez. But with the count 3-1, the umps called for the tarp. Derek Jeter was due up next. As the players filed into the dugout, Jeter had a look of mock disgust on his face (though the Yankees were lucky the umps let them play as long as they did). Seconds later, he was smiling, that broad, easy smile of his that we only see on the field or in the dugout but never when addressing the press.

Rodriguez would have to close to two hours to think about things before he got back in the batter’s box. When play resumed, he swung at a slider and then was caught looking by a fastball on the outside part of the plate. The boo birds had mercy–or most of them had gone home already. Perhaps the rain temporarily refreshed them. Two innings later, Cabrera ended it. What a joyous way to end the game as well as the heat wave. As Cabrera approached the plate, he tossed his helmet into the air with both hands–a move that has become customary these days. Johnny Damon caught the helmet and happily spiked it into the ground behind home plate.

The energy in the stadium in the ninth inning will go down as one of the most memorable moments of the year for me. And how about Johnny Damon playing first and Andy Phillips playing second base? The Yanks steal a win and remain a half-game behind Boston. Not a bad way for Joe Torre to celebrate his 66th birthday.

Chien-Ming Wang was not at his best on Monday night but he was still good enough to earn his 10th win of the season. The Yankees committed four error–three by Alex Rodriguez–but Wang worked out of trouble several times as the Bombers beat the Mariners, 4-2 It was a miserable night for Rodriguez who was pulled from the game after the seventh inning. Rodriguez fouled a ball off his left toe in the fifth inning. According to Tyler Kepner:

“You never want to come out of a game,” said Rodriguez, who iced the toe near the end of the game. “But it was swelling up pretty bad in my last at-bat.”

…”That’s baseball,” Rodriguez said. “The day before, I had a brilliant day defensively. Tonight, I stunk. The good news is we won, and move on.”

Rodriguez, who now has 16 errors this season, will have x-rays taken on the foot this morning.

Johnny Damon had three hits and Jason Giambi hit a solo dinger into the upper deck in right. Mariano Rivera gave up a double and a single to start the ninth, and then faced our old pal, Ironhead Edurardo Perez. 2-5 lifetime against Mo, Perez took two huge hacks at cutters that were over the plate. They were mistakes, but all Perez could do was foul them off and feel confident that he was seeing the ball well and getting in some good cuts. Rivera struck him out looking on an inside fastball. It was off-the-plate but Rivera got the call the way great players often do. Ichiro popped out to short and then Rivera struck out Willie Bloomquest to end the game. Like Wang, Rivera was not at his best, but he was good enough.

The Yanks still trail the Red Sox by a half-a-game.

Less than two weeks to go before the trading deadline and the talk around the Yankees is an outfielder: Bobby Abreu, Reggie Sanders, Kevin Mench, even Shawn Green.

Sweep. Or how about, Hot. Yesterday was the first of what is supposed to be three near-100 degree days here in the Big Apple. It wasn’t humid, man, it was just flat-out hot. Clear blue sky, even a gentle breeze. I was out in the late afternoon and it felt like high noon–I can’t remember the last time I felt the sun like that. Cliff was out in the bleachers for the game, and whether or not he had the Ban De Soleil for the San Tropez tan, I wouldn’t be shocked to learn that he left a lighter shade of George Hamilton.

What he saw was an exciting game. The Yankee bullpen worked out of jams in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings as the Bombers beat the White Sox, 6-4 to complete a three-game sweep of the defending World Champs in the Bronx. New York is just a half-a-game behind Boston in the AL East. Alex Rodriguez, Melky Cabrera, and Aaron Guiel contributed fine defensive plays; Rodriguez and Derek Jeter also homered. But it was Mariano Rivera’s two innings of scoreless–if tension-filled–work that will be most remembered. The save was the 400th of Rivera’s great career.

According to Jack Curry in the New York Times:

When Guillén was asked to define the significance of Rivera’s 400 saves, he responded in Ozzie-esque fashion by saying, “One word: Hall of Fame.”

Right. What he said.

I’ve got my usual Fox Saturday heebee jeebies. Not like I do when the Bombers play the Red Sox or the Mets, but still…

It’s hot and muggy and overcast in the Bronx. In spite of my superstitions, I feel good about the offense today (A Rod, Jeter, Jorge).

Let’s Go Yan-Kees!

“That’s one of those unfair losses—he pitches to one guy in the eighth and he ends up scoring,” Yankees manager Joe Torre said. “But you knew it had to end, sooner or later.”
(Chicago Tribune)

Jose Contreras allowed a lead-off single to Alex Rodriguez in the bottom of the eighth inning last night. It would be his last batter of the game, which was still tied 3-3 at the time. Minutes later, the TV cameras showed Contreras leaning over the rail of the visitor’s dugougt, chatting with his teammates. He was loose and confident, smiling easily. This was not the Jose Contreras that we saw in New York, this was a World Champ who had not lost a decision since the middle of last August.

The Bombers would score three runs in the inning but the Sox didn’t blink. Chicago collected three straight singles in the ninth off of Mariano Rivera. One scored on a ground out, then another on a fly out (a terrific catch against the right field wall in foul territory by Bubba Crosy). AJ Pierzynski pinch-hit with the tying run on third and put together a whale of an at-bat against Mariano Rivera, taking some good hacks and fouling off some decent pitches before popping up to right to end the game (he got under that last pitch, perhaps the most hittable one he saw). The Yanks pulled it out, but you could tell that the White Sox expected to win the game, just as they expect to win every game. They are not overly cocky–though you can say what you want about their showboat of a manager–they simply act like defending World Champs.

Contreras wasn’t vintage but he was good enough. Miguel Cairo led off the fifth inning with a triple. The game was tied at two. But Contreras came back and struck out Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter–nasty forkballs and well-placed fastballs. Jason Giambi was walked intentionally and Rodriguez was plunked in the elbow to load the bases. But Jorge Posada was eaten up by a forkball and he hit what looked like a scewball to short for the final out.

You can see why the Yankees want to make a move to get another hitter, but give Contreras credit–he’s tough. Damon would have a key hit in the eighth, ditto for Melky. And Aaron Guiel hooked a flat forkball into right for a homer too.

Over at MLB.com, Mark Feinsand reports:

General manager Brian Cashman has made it clear that pitching prospect Philip Hughes is as close to untouchable as any player in the Yankees’ farm system.
Melky Cabrera on the other hand, may not be.

According to a Major League executive, the Yankees and Pirates have discussed a deal that would send the young outfielder to Pittsburgh in exchange for outfielder Jeromy Burnitz and first baseman/outfielder Craig Wilson.

Steve Lombardi doesn’t like it.

A nice, solid outing for the Big Unit tonight, as the Yankees beat the defending World Champs, 6-5 (more on the game to come).

Here is what Joe Torre said about Johnson in Friday’s paper (from Steve Serby in the Post):

“He’s about as relaxed as I’ve seen him since he’s been here,” Torre said yesterday at his Safe At Home Foundation charity golf tournament at Trump National Golf Course in Briarcliff Manor. “I don’t think anybody really prepares themselves for what you have to deal with here. Especially guys that have been around, and they’re on their way to Cooperstown . . . ‘All right, I’ll just do what I do.’

“They don’t realize the questions they have to answer that they never had to answer in Phoenix or Seattle or wherever. And not taking anything away from those cities, but the enormity of the media here . . . I’d say over the last six years, that there’s no insignificant piece of news. Some throwaway stuff that may happen there, I think it takes time for these guys to understand that this is something they have to deal with, and I know last year, he was . . . I hate to use the word overwhelmed, because I know he won’t agree with me. But I think he was dealing with more than he ever thought he needed to.”

I asked Torre whether he has had to lower his expectations for The Big Unit (10-7, 5.13) over the second half.

“No, I really haven’t,” Torre said. “What I’ve seen in his swagger here, the anger that you see – when I say anger, determination, I guess, when he gets his feathers ruffled a little bit . . . guys foul some pitches off, it’s fun to see that. All of a sudden, OK, and all of a sudden, boom! There’s that 96. I don’t need 98 miles an hour. I’d say over the last half dozen starts, if we see that, we’re gonna be all right as far as his contribution.”

The Big Unit struck Jim Thome out three times tonight. Johnson was pumped up after the last one. RJ did not figure in the decision but he pitched well. Turned out to be a nail-biter in the ninth. Fortunately, the Bombers found a way to pull it out. They inch closer to the Red Sox, who got creamed by the A’s up in Boston.

Last night, Cliff and I met up after work for a bite to eat. On my way over to his office–“the ugly building with the rounded corners,” as Cliff calls it, or the building with the garish Frank Stella sculptures in the lobby, as I remember it–I see some girls getting ready for a softball game. On the east side of Hudson street between LeRoy and Clarkson streets is James J Walker Park, which has a fenced-in turf softball field. Beyond right-center field–and moving due east–are a series of handball courts, and behind that is the Carmine Street pool (which was where Martin Scorsese shot the pool sequence in “Raging Bull,” when DeNiro meets Cathy Moriarty). The Hudson River is not far off, and a gentle breeze helps cut through the summer haze.

(more…)

Here’s the New York Times’ second half-preview for our Bronx Bombers. And, following-up on something that Cliff mentioned in the comments section earlier this week, a human interest piece by Anthony McCarron about Johnny Damon overcoming his stuttering problem.

Last night PBS ran a documentary on Herge, the legendary creator of the Tintin comics. He was a classic Belgian character–proper, tasteful, disciplined, droll and very Catholic. As a kid, the Tintin comics had an enormous impact on me. Though they were translated into English, Tintin never caught on in the States like he did elsewhere around the world. Herge is national treasure in Belgium; he’s very much their Walt Disney.

My mother is from Belgium, and we visited her family periodically when I was growing up. I vividly recall visiting my grandparents home–an old, stone farm house that was roughly thirty minutes outside of Brussels, and even closer to Waterloo–and reading all of the comics I could find. And there were plenty to have.

My grandparents home had amazingly steep staircases. I would stay in the attic room when I visited. It wasn’t a small room, but it was cozy, as the walls were slanted in a triangular shape. A drafting table was next to the staircase. A twin bed lay in the middle of the room, above it a moon window. A small sink was tucked into the corner, a large, old radio nearby, where I’d pick up a BBC station and listen to soap operas and crickett matches–anything to hear English! Lined on the floor next to the bed was a series of comic books (or dessins animés as they are called in French): fifty, sixty of them. They belonged to my mother and her siblings, leftover from their childhoods in the Belgian Congo. (The room was closed off from the other side of the attic space by a wall with a door–on the other side were crates and crates from my family’s days in Africa.) Jackpot.

(more…)

Rangers shortstop Michael Young remembers last year’s All-Star Game in Detroit, when he was sitting in the dugout with Rivera next to him. A moment later, Gary Sheffield came up to Young.

“Sheff goes, ‘That’s a legend right there sitting next to you,'” Young said, “and Gary Sheffield is a potential Hall of Famer (yet) he’s the one who singles out Mo. Those are the kinds of things that stick out in your mind. … (Rivera) might be the most respected player in the league.”
(Daily News, 7/11/06)

Mariano Rivera: A Name You Can Trust.

I didn’t see much of the game, but I did see my boy Vlad’s dinger. Is there anyone else in the big leagues who could hit a pitch that high and hard for a homer? Maybe Piazza in his prime. Regardless, it was a classic Vlad shot. Also saw Mo in the ninth, putting heads to bed, as is his wont.

Briefly, Jon Heman examines the Bombers’ need for a starting pitcher, while Bill Madden talks about the Yankees’ possible interest in Phillies rightfielder Bobby Abreu:

In the Yankees’ only discussions with Gillick, the Phillies GM asked about top pitching prospect Philip Hughes, whom the Yankees will not include in any deal. But as the deadline draws closer and Gillick is unable to unload Burrell, the thinking is he’ll come down on Abreu’s price to at least get rid of his contract. In many ways, the lefthanded-hitting Abreu would be a perfect fit for the Yankees in that they could put him right into Gary Sheffield’s salary slot for next year.

The Yankees have also gotten a strong recommendation on Abreu from his former manager Larry Bowa, who believes the 32-year-old right fielder would thrive in a situation where he doesn’t have to be the top gun.

I’ve heard that fans in Philly think Abreu is a chump. I know the sabermetric crowd fawns over him. He’s expensive, but without seeing him on a regular basis, there is a lot to admire about his game. If the Yanks get Abreu, it’s curtains for Sheff. If Gillick steps off his asking price (Hughes), this is the kind of splashy move that might be hard for the Yanks to resist–George would be satisfied aquiring a big name, while Cashman and Stick get their kind of player (good defense, speed, high on-base percentage).

Right around the time that Jason Giambi launched his grand slam Sunday afternoon, I was on the IRT headed downtown. At 225th street, a tall, scraggly-looking man in shorts entered the subway accompanied by a seeing-eye dog. The man sat directly across from me. The car was almost bare. A Latin couple sat to my right and a young girl–no more than 9 or 10–sat to my left. Next to her was what appeared to be her older brother. The dog–a golden retriever–wore a leather harness and had a red bandana hanging from its neck.

In no time, the owner asked if I wanted to pet his pooch. Somewhere in the back of my head I couldn’t remember ever interacting with a blind person’s dog, but since I love retrievers I didn’t hesitate. Before long, the dog was in love, and true to its nature, it couldn’t get enough of me. He pressed his head against my legs and slobbered on my lap. Later, as he faced his owner, he leaned into me hard (I love how dogs lean into you as a way of being friendly). The girl next to me looked cautious.

“She’s afraid of dogs,” the blind man said. I started to wonder if he had only partial vision. His eyes were clear, but what do I know? I figure he had heard the girl speaking to her brother.

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The Yanks blew a 5-0 lead on Sunday afternoon and lost to the Devil Rays, 6-5. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez had poor at bats with the game tied in the seventh (Jeter fouled out attempting to bunt and Rodriguez whiffed with the go-ahead run on second). The inning concluded in dramatic fashion when Rocco Baldelli made a fantastic throw to the plate on Bernie Williams’ single, nailing Melky Cabrera in the process. It was just a great play, man. Badelli later made an acrobatic catch, robbing Derek Jeter of a triple in the ninth inning. The Yanks wasted a grand slam from Jason Giambi but didn’t lose any ground in the east as the White Sox finally beat the Red Sox (took ’em 19 innings, but they got the “w”).

Yanks go into the break as just one of five teams in the majors with 50 or more wins. Four of those teams happen to be in the American League. If the Bombers were in the NL, they’d have the second best record in the league (three behind the Mets); in the AL, they’d miss the playoffs if the season ended today. Although I don’t think anyone would be shocked if the Yankees missed the post-season this year, it’s hard to down on the team right now. They have hung in there despite all of the injuries. Who knows? Maybe they go out in the second half and catch fire. Then again, they could win 95 games and find themselves playing golf in October.

It’ll be fun to see how it all pans out, eh?

The Yankees beat the Devil Rays 5-1 on Saturday night in Tampa Bay. It was a crisp, satisfying win for New York who kept pace with the Red Sox who defeated the defending World Champs for the second straight day. Chien-Ming Wang was brilliant–efficient, unspectacular, and just what the doctor ordered. Wang’s sinker impressed the Devil Rays more than somewhat.

“No one’s got as much sink as him that can come back with 95 miles an hour,” said the Devil Rays’ Jonny Gomes, who was 0 for 3. “And he’s still young. He’s still going to get better.”
(Kepner, New York Times)

Kevin Thompson and Melky Cabrera had good games–Melky made a terrific catch to boot; Jorge Posada had a wonderful night, driving in the game’s first run and throwing out two runners (his peg of Carl Crawford in the first inning was an absolutely perfect throw), and Johnny Damon had a crucial, game-breaking at-bat against the impressive Scott Kazmir (Damon went from a quick 0-2 hole, to working the count full before lining a two-run triple to right).

With the victory, Joe Torre ties Casey Stengal for 10th place on the all-time wins list for managers with 1,926. Not bad for a bum, eh?

Bombers go for the sweep today. Casey Fossum–he of the Fossum Floater–goes against Shawn Chacon’s replacement in the Yankee rotation, Kris Wilson. After two pitcher’s duels, you’d have to expect that the bats will run the show today. I always feel like Fossum is going to do well against the Yanks. Here’s hoping that I’m wrong.

Happy Sunday everyone.

Bob Klapisch takes a look at Mike Pelfry and Phillip Hughes, two young pitchers with seemingly promising futures, today in the Bergan Record. Considering how Met and Yankee prospects tend to be over-hyped, the $64,000 question is: Will they be fo’ real or fugazi? The Metropolitans get their first taste of Pelfry this weekend while Yankee fans will have to wait until 2007 until they see Hughes in the BX.