Blog Archives

The Yankee brass is meeting with Boss George today in Tampa. Now the fun begins. Willie Randolph apparently had a positive interview with the Mets yesterday. If Joe Torre’s bench coach is hired by the Mets, he’d become the first black man to manage a New York baseball team. But Willie’s been down this road before. We shall see. One question for the Yanks is: who would replace him as bench coach? In an e-mail I got yesterday, Cliff Corcoran suggested that Joe Girardi would be a great fit. I think he’s right.

Meanwhile, the wheels will be turning in Tampa. Questions will need to be answered. Should the Yanks dump Kevin Brown? (Please, please me, oh yeah.) Should they persue Pedro Martinez, or Carl Pavano? Will Carlos Beltran replace Bernie Williams as many people assume? You tell me. But be sure and brush up on Steven Goldman’s most recent edition of “The Pinstriped Bible” before you answer.

Is it sour grapes for me to bitch about Curt Schilling at this juncture? Yeah, it is. So here is a good excerpt from Joe Sheehan’s latest:

I confess that I’ve never been a big fan of Schilling, who has always come across to me as a bit self-aware and self-serving in his populism, but I can’t help but have a ton of respect for what he’s done over the last week, which in turn has made him more likable to me. Sports media spends a lot of its time blathering about “character” and “heart,” usually for no more reason than a guy’s line drive happened to be hit in the right spot. Pitching through an injury that should have ended your season, while undergoing radical, if minor, medical procedures to do so, is an actual demonstration of heart, one that everyone should appreciate.

And here’s Brian Gunn’s take:

I’ve always had mixed feelings about Schilling. Sometimes I think he’s a pompous ass; sometimes I think he’s about the most admirable superstar in all of baseball. And sometimes the two opinions co-exist uncomfortably in my mind. Like that open letter he sent out after 9/11 — one of the more heartfelt things I’ve ever heard from an athlete. And yet, I’m embarrassed to admit, a small part of me thought it was nothing more than Schilling grandstanding again. And then there was the time Schilling showed up at the memorial service for Darryl Kile in St. Louis. Mind you, Schill didn’t really know Kile. They’d been teammates back in ’91, but that was it. Yet Schilling flew to St. Louis anyway, because he considers everyone in baseball his brother, and he wanted to pay his respects in person. 99% of me thought you couldn’t find a classier move in all of sports. 1% of me thought Schilling just wanted to show the world what a great guy he was.

But in the end it’s the better part of Schilling’s nature that wins out for me. For one simple reason: because whether he’s altruistic or self-absorbed, whether he’s authentic or simply posturing, he always comes across to me as a full-blooded human being, clearly a well-rounded poerson with a life outside of baseball. That’s rare in sports, and great for the game.

I haven’t been won over. I still think Schilling is a putz. But when I watch him work on the mound, I admire what an impressive pitcher he is. Often, I lose myself in a dream…”Man, wouldn’t it be great to have a guy like that on the Yankees…”

The World Serious moves to St. Louis tonight. Rain is in the forecast for the next two days as the Cardinals hope to make a series out of it. They’ll have to start against Pedro Martinez. We are familiar with the character of Red Sox Nation, but what about those famous Cardinals fans who are often labled as “the best fans in the country”? I don’t know much about them outside of their reputation. I know my pal Will Carroll thinks they aren’t all that, but he’s a Cubs fan after all. I did run into a lot of Cards fans last year in the Bronx when I attended Roger Clemens’ 300th victory in the Bronx and they seemed like a good bunch. If anything, I was ashamed of the way that Yankee fans treated them that night, taunting and chanting at ’em as we exited the stadium.

I asked Salon.com writer King Kaufman, who currently lives in St. Louis, what he makes of Redbird Nation:

Cardinals fans are what they are. They’re St. Louisans. Very provincial and proud of their own. They absolutely love their Cardinals. Except for Tony La Russa, the Cardinals can pretty much do no wrong. La Russa’s image suffers from his A) not living here in the offseason and B) not being Whitey Herzog.

The mistake people make, I think, is thinking Saint Louis is a great baseball town. It’s not a great baseball town. It’s a great Cardinals town. If it isn’t the Cardinals, no one cares. I think the great baseball towns are the ones that people move to. New York is one, San Francisco is another. Chicago, Los Angeles. You have fans of the home team but also fans of all the other teams. In St. Louis, baseball season ends the minute the Cards are eliminated. Sometimes it’s hard to find the LCS on the radio if the Cards aren’t still playing. You’ll never see a non-Cards playoff game on a TV in a bar if there’s a Rams or (except this year) Blues game going on. It’s very different from what I’m used to in California, with a migrant population, and fans of all different teams around, so that it’s baseball that everyone has in common, not just the local nine.

As it turns out, Alan Schwarz hit the nail on the head when asked to predict what would happen in the ALCS:

I will offer you the same prediction that Clubber Lang had for his first match up with Rocky: “PAIN.”

Can you feel me? No? Well, just axe Jermone from the Bronx.

I’m currently residing in the bitter’n’hell cut-out bin of The Sore Loser Record Shop. There is a World Serious going on and I have watched portions of both games. The Sox are playing sloppy defensively but it hasn’t mattered much because their hitters are mashing St. Louie’s pitching. There are no Yankee articles in the papers today. The winter is upon us and though I felt exhausted at the end of ALCS, dag, I just didn’t feel ready for it to end. Not like this anyhow. But it is what it is. I just don’t have to be happy about it. Seriously.

Hey out there Yankee fans. Any of youse gunna watch the Serious? I think I will. I may not stay up for all of the games, but I’ll be checking them out. Emily took off with her sister to visit their folks in Vermont this morning, so I’ve got the place to myself. But there is something missing. It’s been slow in coming, but I’m really starting to feel sad that the season is over for the Bombers.

That said, I’ve got to admit that I’ll be happy if the Red Sox win. First, because I have some close friends who are card-carrying members of Red Sox Nation and I’d love for them to experience the thrill of their team finally winning a championship. Also, as a baseball fan, I’m interested to see how the Sox culture will be effected by World Serious victory. It’s been said that Boston fans won’t know what to do with themselves if their team wins it all, but I’m not so sure about that. I think they’ll know exactly what to do: have a year-long celebration. In time, their identity will change, but I don’t expect that to happened immediately. The rivalry with the Yankees won’t wan, not until both teams are mediocre again, and even then, it will be spiked with intensity. Should the Sox win, their fans will simply find new chants to hurl at the New Yorkers (as well as golden oldies like “Yankees Suck”) who will suddenly be without their old stand-by of “1918.”

Yes, some Sox fans may lose interest. And yes, the Sox won’t be “special” in the same way anymore. But I don’t think Red Sox Nation will lose interest. They are as smug and self-absorbed as we New Yorkers are, and they’ll continue to puff themselves up and believe that they are special for new reasons. Ever hear a Sox fan tell you that their eventually World Serious celebration will be better than all 26 Yankee championships combined? That’s a good one. It won’t be better but it sure will be unique. Again, as a baseball fan, I’d be lying if I wasn’t curious to see how that plays itself out. Shoot, at least I’ll have something to write about.

But in spite of those feelings, I just can’t find it in my heart to actually root for Boston. Nah, I’ll be pulling for St. Louis (never thought I’d want a team managed by Tony LaRussa to win). I think the Sox should win, but what do I know? If I could put a hex on em I would. How about you guys? Who would like to win? Irregardless, I hope everyone has a good weekend.

Mulling over the end the 2004 season got me thinking about failure as a motivating element in our lives. Particularly as it applies to the creative process. Allow me to indugle myself here. First of all, do yourselves a favor and check out two first-rate articles on the Yankees: “Mythbusters” by Larry Manhken, and the latest installment of The Pinstriped Bible by Steven Goldman (oh, and look at David Pinto’s defense of Alex Rodriguez while you are at it too).

How can we view failure in a positive light? In an interview with Mike Shannon (from the book “Baseball: The Writer’s Game”), Pat Jordan explained:

I recently wrote a piece on failure for a magazine called Menís Fitness. They wanted me to write a piece on success. They said, “Well, youíve been a successful baseball player”

Man, am I ever looking foward to getting some sleep. I feel OK today except when I look at the papers or ESPN, so you know what? I decided to stop looking. As awful as it was for the Yankees to lose like this, it doesn’t compare to the pain of losing in 81 or 95 or maybe even 2001. Though it ended bitterly, I’m proud that the Yankees played so hard this season and gave us more memories–both good and bad–for the vaults. I really liked the team this season. Until last night’s dud, every single game of the ALSC was thrilling. They might not always win, but you can’t say the Yankees are boring. They’ve made the competition better and they are still a tough out. And that is good for the game. Sure, I’m subdued today. But we Yankee fans have got a decade worth of warm memories to keep us warm throughout the winter (never mind the 20th century). Truthfully, I wouldn’t trade places with any other fanbase, would you?

I wanted to mention how much I appreciate the kind words so many readers left in the comments section last night. I started this blog almost two years ago so that I could write about baseball on a regular basis. I did it for my own satisfaction. But after awhile I became aware that I had an audience. I always try to write with the reader in mind but still this blog is a labor of love and I primarily do it for myself. The fact that it has entertained a group of you out there really means a lot to me. I feel as if your presence keeps me in check and helps make me a better writer. I’m a continue writing during the off-season, so stop on by if you are so inclined. Just cause the season is over for the Yanks, doesn’t mean I’m going on hiatus. As Earl Weaver once told Tom Boswell, “This is baseball, we do this everyday.” (Well, almost everyday.)

I also want say how much I’ve enjoyed reading Steven Goldman, Larry Mahnken (and company), Jay Jaffe, Cliff Corcoran, Derek Jacques, Steve Bonner, Shawn Bernard, Patrick O’Keefe, Travis Nelson, Joe Sheehan and the other great Yankee voices on the Net this year. I’m happy to belong to this kind of club that would have somebody like me as a member.

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the post-season. Y’all come back now, ya hear?

And That’s That

The Red Sox creamolished the Yankees tonight in the Bronx to advance to the World Serious for the first time since 1986. Truthfully, it wasnít much of a contest at all. Johnny Damon led off the first inning with a single to left off of Kevin Brown, and promptly stole second. He was thrown out at the plate moments later, but then David Ortiz deposited a room service fastball into the right field seats to give Boston a quick 2-0 lead. Brown, who enraged teammates and Yankee fans alike when he broke his left hand punching a clubhouse wall late this season, didnít have anything. He recorded a grand total of four outs and left the bases loaded for Javier Vazquez in the second inning. Damon glicked Vazquezís first pitch into the right field seats for a grand slam.

Damon was having a truly awful series until tonight. He would add a two-run moon shot into the upper deck later on for good measure. Meanwhile, Derek Loweís sinker was working and the Yankee offense went down with much of a fight. Lowe allowed one run on one hit over six innings. Curiously, he was replaced by Pedro Martinez in the top of the seventh with the Sox comfortably ahead 8-1. The only explanation I have for the decision is that Terry Francona wanted Martinez to exact a measure of revenge against the New York crowd. So Pedro gave up back-to-back doubles to Hideki Matsui and Bernie Williams. Kenny Lofton added an RBI single and for the first time all night, the crowd was energized, chanting, “Whoís Your Daddy?” I think it was a cheap move by Francona but I understand his thinking. Johnny Damon and the rest of the team showed a class and restraint as they whupped the home team but good. Bringing in Pedro in that spot struck me as crass.

However, it would be the only speed bump in an otherwise glorious night for Boston. Martinez worked out of the inning and Mark Bellhorn blasted a home run off the right field foul pole off of Tom Gordon in the top of the eighth; Boston tacked on another run in the ninth. There would be no great Yankee comeback this time. At 12:01 on Thursday morning, October 21, 2004, Ruben Sierra grounded out to second base as the Red Sox finally beat their arch-rivals in a money game.

Fact is, this game will go down as one of the single most deflating losses in Yankee history. Plus, losing this series, after leading 3-0, just three outs from the World Serious in Game 4, has got to be one of the most painful, if not the most painful failures in Yankee history. There will be plenty of time for Yankee fans to examine what went wrong over the winter. There is blame to go all around: pitching, hitting, managing. The 2004 Yankees will be remembered as the team that choked, that blew the pennant, which is a shame because although they were a flawed team

Humina, humina, humina. Let’s Go Yan-Kees!

Derek Lowe will start against Kevin Brown tonight, that much we know for sure. After that? I’d expect everyone but Jon Lieber and Curt Schilling to be on call. If Brown gets beat around early, Vazquez will be available. If he can make it through four or five, perhaps we’ll get El Duque for an inning. After the fifth, we could see Gordon and Rivera for the duration. I’m not exactly sure why Wakefield isn’t starting for the Sox. Maybe Boston feels he’s better suited coming out of the pen in case Lowe falters by the third or fourth inning. I can certainly see Pedro Martinez coming into the game in a tight spot and doing very well. And I sure hope that Kenny Lofton gets the start at DH over Ruben Ruben.

I was talking with Cubs/Red Sox fan Alex Ciepley this morning and he made an interesting point. It’s far more compelling for the casual baseball that the Yankees lose tonight. Now there is a storyline worth relishing. After all, if the Sox lose, hell, we’ve already covered that ground. That theme has been beaten to death. But the Yankees losing a game that everyone assumes that they’ll find a way to somehow win? That’s juicy.

There is already talk that should the Yanks lose it will go down as the biggest choke job in history. I don’t see it that way, although I’m sure Gene Mauch wouldn’t mind. It may go down as the biggest playoff collapse in history, or as one of the biggest failures in Yankee history, but though the Yankees have played a major part in each one of the last three losses, it’s not like they’ve been smoked. If the series had started out 1-1, that storyline would be moot. (Of course, if pigs could fly, I wouldn’t be theorizing like this either.) What I mean to say is that these teams deserve to play a Game 7 because they are that evenly-matched. They were last year and are again this season.

What will happen tonight is anybody’s guess. Whatever pitcher or hitter can come up with a big performance could determine the winner. So could a lucky bloop hit, a timely call, a fortunate bounce. Oy. The anticipation is agonizing. But you got to give it up to both the Sox and the Yanks: they are living up to the hype and we are getting our money’s worth. And then some…Pass the Prosac, pal.

It was another close one. The Sox got a boost from their scrubs–Millar, Cabrera and especially Bellhorn. Curt Schilling wasn’t brilliant but bully, giving the Sox a solid outing. Jon Lieber made one egregious mistake–the three-run home run to Bellhorn. The Bombers made it interesting with a run in the eighth to close the score to 4-2. But after Alex Rodriguez’s interference call, and some ugliness on the part of the Yankee Stadium crowd, Gary Sheffield went down softly. The Bombers had another chance in the ninth. Matsui walked, then Keith Foulke struck out Bernie Williams and got Jorge Posada to pop out to third. Ruben Sierra, with three strike outs to his name managed a walk. But it was just too much to ask of Tony Clark to put the ball in play. Foulke fell behind the giant slugger 2-0 and threw a room service fastball smack down the heart of the plate. Clark took it. The count eventually went full and Clark, predictably, whiffed to end the game. At least you can’t say it’s been dull. Both Yankee fans and Red Sox fans had their hearts in their hands during Clark’s at bat. While I hoped for the best, I’m sure deep down, Sox fans knew they could count on Clark to come up empty.

Again, what else could we have expected but a Game 7? The pitching will be a patchwork affair for both teams tomorrow. Hope is the thing with hair for Red Sox Nation tonight, while Yankee fans can nervously mull the possibilites of becoming the first team in history to blow a 3-0 lead. As it stands, the Sox are the first team to ever force a Game 7 after trailing 3-zip.

One more game. Does it get any more exciting than this? (Never mind that this kind of excitement I could live without.) We don’t have a cherce. Let’s everyone try to enjoy it. Because when you get down to it, what’s the worst that can happen? I know, the Yanks make history with a major collapse. Sure, we can look at what they’ve done wrong these past three games: they can’t get a big hit, Joe Torre refuses to use his bench at all. I’m sure there are other valid criticisms that we’ll torture ourselves with should they lose, but on the other hand, the Sox are a worthy foe. Damn how I loath them at this moment, but they will have earned a trip to the Serious if they can comeback from this kind of hole.

That said, it ain’t over til’ it’s over. Go Yanks.

Dying time’s here…I was talking to a friend this morning and he suggested that should the series go to a seventh game, players will simply start dropping dead. Medic! Down goes Tony Clark. I think Nixon just dropped too. Somebody get a stretcher. It rained all night and has been dark and dreary here in Manhattan all day. The rain is supposed to keep up throughout the evening, but I don’t think it’s going to be heavy enough to cancel the game. We shall see…

Please, if you don’t have a therapist, or feel inclined to punch something with your non-pitching hand, resist the urge, and leave let your feelings be known in the comments section below. I’m sorry I haven’t provided more in-depth write-ups of the previous two games. It may look suspicious considering the results but the truth is, I’ve been illing from a stomach flu since late last week and just haven’t had the energy to do a proper job. Some timing. Anyway, I don’t need to fill most of you in on what happened cause you are watching it yourself. But if you do get a chance, and want some cheap laughs, check out my correspondence with Sox fan Edward Cossette over at the all-baseball.com home page.

Let me say it one more time, with feeling: Let’s Go Yan-Kees!

Emily got home late last night but sat down to watch extra innings with me. After an inning and a half–I think it was in the top of the 11th–she turns to me and says, “I don’t like this feeling.” Isn’t she just a dear. “Welcome to my world, hon,” I answered. Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit smoking.

“As Balzac said, ‘There goes another novel.'” Alvy Singer.

The Red Sox proved why they are a tremendous team. They had calls go against them but their bullpen was terrific again and David Ortiz won the game with a bloop single to center in the bottom of the 14th. It came off of Esteban Loaiza who pitched tremendously for the Yanks. Ortiz’s game-winning at-bat is one for the ages. The Yanks could not score a clutch hit, and the bullpen blew a 4-2 eighth inning lead. In all, it was a thrilling game. Exactly what we’ve come to expect from these two teams. Rest up good, the series returns to the Bronx tomorrow night. This one is a long way from over.

Idiot’s Delight

The Yankees were three outs away from returing to the World Serious. But the Red Sox were not about to go down without a fight. For the second time this October, and only the fourth time in his career, Mariano Rivera blew a save. After pitching a scoreless eighth inning, Rivera walked Kevin Millar on five pitches to start the ninth. Dave Roberts pinch-ran for Millar and Rivera threw to first base three times before throwing another pitch. No matter, Roberts broke for second on Rivera’s first pitch to Bill Mueller and safely swiped second base. The throw from Jorge Posada was on the third base side of the bag; a perfect throw may have gotten him. Mueller then knocked a single to center and the game was tied at four. Rivera would work out of a bases-loaded jam, but after scratching together two runs on softly hit ground balls against Mike Timlin in the sixth inning, the Yankee offense was shut-down by Boston’s bullpen. They had their opportunities (Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams both were unable to get a key two-out hit with the bases juiced). Finally, David Ortiz ended it with a two-run dinger off of Paul Quantrill in the bottom of the 12th.

Wake up the kids, the Red Sox refused to go out like chumps. It was a tough loss for the Yankees. Fortunately, they had a three-game cushion. That’s about the only good thing about it. Game Five is start late this afternoon at Fenway Park. Pedro Martinez will go against Mike Mussina. Should Boston manage to win, the series will return to New York, where anything can still happen.

The Sox have their backs up against the wall tonight. They need to win in order to continue their season. El Duque Hernandez hasn’t pitched in weeks but hopes to shut Boston down and send New York back to the World Serious. Derek Lowe goes for the Sox. Feel free to leave your two cents in the comments section below. Enjoy the game.

Bomb Squad Buries Boston

It was cold and rainy late yesterday afternoon in Manhattan when Emily and I arrived at the Colony Club on Park Avenue to attend the wedding of Emís cousin. The Colony Club, one of the oldest private clubs in New York. Man, I never thought Iíd be in an exclusive place like that, unless I was working in the kitchen or delivering flowers. The Colony Club is on northwest corner of Park avenue and 63rd street, directly across the street from where Woody Allen used to edit his movies. I worked for Allen for six months in the mid-90s and hadnít been back to that neck of Manhattan more than once or twice since. What made the experience inherently weird is that Emís direct family is so unpretentious that you’d never expect to see them at a place like the Colony Club.

I borrowed my cousin Scottís tux, and made like the good boyfriend that I am. (Is it cruel or just unusual to mention that Scott is a die-hard Sox fan?) Emily was pleased because she doesnít get to see her family too often, and sheís fond of a few of her cousins. The rest of the scene was good for laughs, as there was plenty of fodder for jokes. Most all of the women had huge rocks on their fingers, and their husbands either looked like zhlubby accountants or the kind of rugged, handsome scoundrels you see on the Lifetime network. During the ceremony, I looked around the room and was reminded of those grotesque audience shots from Woody Allenís “Broadway Danny Rose,” and “Stardust Memories,” (which he lifted from Frederico Fellini). Here is part of a conversation I overheard between two women moments before the bride walked down the isle:

First Lady: So he refuses to buy a Rolex. He says it’s just a waste of money. But then he goes around and buys a Bentley. So I say, what’s the difference?

Second Lady: He’s so full of it.

First Lady: Well, he says, ‘You know, you can get a decent watch for $500. A Bentley is luxurious.’

Second Lady: Really.

First Lady: But what are you paying for a Bentley? He tells me $165,000 dollars.

Second Lady: Don’t you believe it.

First Lady: For a quarter of that price he can have a Lexus which is just as luxurious and comfortable. But then he tells me, “‘People notice you in a Bentley, and not in a Lexus. They notice a Bentley. They can’t even see a Rolex.’

Second Lady: He does have a point.

It was that kind of crowd. The bride seemed genuine, and happy but the affair was an exercise in excess. The whole thing left me feeling melancholy. Fortunately, Em was having a good time and thatís all that mattered.

At one point, I heard a curly-headed Yankee fanatic sitting at the next table say, “Six-six, third inning.” What? Man, I was trying avoid hearing anything about the game. Itís only the third inning. Itís almost 10:00. Awww man, here we go again. I told the guy only to give me updates if there was good news. Needless to say, I heard nothing but happy reports from then on out.

We got back to our place in the Bronx in time to watch the bottom of the ninth. The fans who remained had their hats turned inside out, and most of them were smiling. (Got to laugh to keep from crying at that point.) Those are true fans I thought. I only got to see the highlights, but it seemed like a horrible game to watch from an aesthetic point of view. Of course, I canít complain because the Yanks now have a 3-0 lead. The offensive numbers for New York’s middle of the order are staggering:

Alex Rodriguez, 3-5, 5 runs scored, 3 RBI; Gary Sheffield, 4-5, 3 runs scored, 4 RBI; Godzilla Matsui, 5-6, 5 runs scored, 5 RBI, Bernie Williams, 4-6, 1 run scored, 3 RBI.

So while I canít offer any analysis of the game, here is some of the media reaction: Larry Mahnken, Edward Cossette, The Soxaholix are the only bloggers up early this morning. But the mainstream media had plenty of time time before the end of the game to file their stories. Check out the latest from:

Bob Hohler, Bob Ryan, Dan Shaughnessy, Jackie MacMullen, Tyler Kepner, Jack Curry, Bill Madden, Mike Lupica, and John Harper.

El Duque Hernandez will start for the Yankees tonight; Derek Lowe goes for Boston. Let’s Go Yank-ees.

Warshed Out

There was rain but no baseball in Boston on Friday night. Thankfully, the good people at Major League Baseball didn’t attempt to get the game in. Fenway Park has an antiquated drainage system but hopefully the field will be in decent shape tonight. Game Three will be made up on Monday. The question is, which team benefits more from the rain out? Ahhh, you tell me. An extra day of rest just can’t be bad for Kevin Brown and El Duque. Curt Schilling had a bullpen session yesterday and obviously will try to get in another start should the series return to New York. In addition, now Pedro Martinez can pitch Monday on full-rest. No changes have been announced, but I would expect to see Mike Mussina pitch on Sunday and El Duque go against Pedro Martinez, and not Derek Lowe, on Monday if necessary.

I’m going to miss the first part of the game tonight on the count of a wedding. For real. One of Emily’s cousins is getting hitched and there is no way out, I gotta go. But it’s not a big deal. It should be funny. We’ve got to get all decked out in the fine threads; the wedding is being held at some snooty-ass joint on Park avenue. It starts in the early evening so I figure we’ll catch the last couple of innings in the car on the way home. Since I won’t be around to watch–though I’ll most likely tape it–I’d sure appreciate it if y’all you could leave me your thoughts, impressions, and all of the gory details.

Go Yanks.

Rain is in the forecast for tonight up in Boston. Terry Francona announced yesterday that Curt Schilling will not pitch Game 5, so the press is playing it like the Red Sox are hoping for Game Three to be rained out. But even should that occur, who knows how Schilling would perform should he pitch again in this series? As for Game 3, Bronson Arroyo will start against Kevin Brown. The Yankees are acutely aware of how important it is to win this game. According to Tyler Kepner in the New York Times:

[The Yankees] are confident, but hardly complacent.

“We don’t know that we’re going to find a way to win,” said [Mike] Mussina, who retired the first 19 batters in Game 1. “That’s taking something for granted. The last thing we’re going to do is take something for granted.

“Even now, we won the first two games, but that doesn’t mean anything. They win the first game up here, and all of a sudden, it’s a whole new series again.”

That is why the Yankees will approach Game 3 on Friday with the urgency of an underdog – which they were, according to Las Vegas oddsmakers, when the series began. Mussina said the players were aware that no team in baseball history has lost a postseason series after winning the first three games.

“The difference between 2-1 and 3-0 is immense in a seven-game series,” Mussina said. “Immense.”

I’m remaining cautiously optimistic. But one thing that makes me feel better is knowing that the Yankees don’t take anything for granted. They know the deal. But yo, remember how I wrote about trying to enjoy this series a few days ago? Time to get a shrink. I’m more nervous now than I’ve been at any point this season. I won’t elaborate because regular readers don’t want to hear my fatalistic spiel anymore.

I’ll leave it at this: Let’s Go Yankees! (I’ll be hiding behind the couch, biting my nails, hoping for the best and bracing myself for the worst…what can I say, make jokes if you want, I’m incorrigible.)