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I want to offer my bestestest wishes to Mike C at Baseball Rants. His wife had a baby girl last Friday. That’s a beautiful thing.

The Yankees got just what the doctor ordered on Monday as their dormant offense exploded for 16 hits and nine runs in an afternoon game against the Blue Jays. Derek Jeter had three hits, Jason Giambi added a couple of his own (to go with a couple of walks), and Hideki Matsui went 3-5 with 3 RBI on Godzilla bobblehead doll day at the Stadium. Mike Mussina wasn’t in top form, but he was good enough, and the Bombers cruised to a 9-3 win. Nice way to break the tension fellas. Thanks.

Jay Jaffe, the Futility Infielder was at the game, so stop by his site later today for his write-up. While you are at it, check out Jay’s piece about Sunday’s game, and his celebrity sighting of note.

The Red Sox offense didn’t skip a beat either, pounding out ten runs of their own against the O’s. But their pitching and defense let them down in a rather royal way and Baltimore escaped with a 13-10 win. B.Y Kim took the loss, and there were a couple of crucial calls that went against the Sox too.

The Yankee lead in the AL East is 3 1/2 games (4 in the loss column). Jose Contreras will start against the Tigers in the Bronx this evening.

The Red Sox rolled into the Bronx this weekend and smacked the Yankees all about the mouth and face on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Pedro Martinez was back in good form on Friday as the Sox bulldozed the Yanks, 9-3. Andy Pettitte gave up a lot of hits, but I didn’t get the sense that he was creamed; it just wasn’t his night.

Things got worse on Saturday when Boston gave Rocket Clemens and the Yanks pitching an 11-0 beating. With memories of The Boston Massacre in the air, the Sox were poised to return the favor.

But Boomer Wells pitched arguably the biggest game of the season for New York on Sunday afternoon, and he responded in typical fashion, throwing 7.1 innings of shut out ball. Jeff Suppan matched Wells, and pitched a terrific game too. (Whaaat?!?!) The Yankees didn’t hit a ball well against him until Bernie Williams connected for a two-run homer in the seventh.

Derek Jeter made a surprise start on Sunday, indicating just how desperate the Yankees were for a win; he collected a single, stole a base, and then made a crucial one-out error on a Johnny Damon grounder in the eighth. It led to Boston’s lone run of the day, which came on Manny Ramirez’s bloop single to right.

Alfonso Soriano returned the favor in the bottom of the inning with a bloop double of his own. After stealing third base—and almost sending me into cardiac arrest in the process—Nick Johnson singled him home. Mariano Rivera, who replaced Wells with one out in the eighth, allowed a single in the ninth, but that was all, and the Yanks won, 3-1.

The Yankees win the season series against the Sox, 10-9, giving them the tie-breaker should the teams finish tied for first to end the year. The Bombers’ lead is 2 1/2 games (three in the loss column). Massacre averted.

Still, that didn’t stop Boss George from blowing his horn. If you are interested in that sort of thing, pull up your boots, cause the horseshit was thick and deep.

I was at the ballpark yesterday, sitting somewhere in upstate New York, along the left field side. It was a gorgeous day in the Bronx, sunny and clear, with a slight fall chill in the air. You could cut the tension with a knife. There was a nervous edge to the roar of the Yankee crowd. Every play they made felt like it was the seventh game of the World Series.

There were more Yankee fans than Red Sox fans, but not by much. And believe me, the Nation was vocal. That was cool. When they cheered for their guys when Bob Shepard announced the starting line ups, that was cool. But when they booed the Yankees line up, I started fuming.

The battle of the chants went back and forth all day long. It usually started with a Red Sox rally cry, which would quickly become so strong, that the Yankee fans then felt compelled to drown it out with boos and chants of their own. The most popular word of the day was “sucks,” proving that when it comes to creative thinking, there isn’t much that separates Sox and Yankee fans at all.

I went the game with my friend, Johnny Red Sox, and we had Sox fans behind us and in front of us as well. At one point in the middle innings, with the Sox rallying, a middle-aged Sox fan said to me, “Hey, you are pretty quiet down there.” I looked up from my scorecard incredulously.

“Well, there isn’t much for me to make any noise about is there?”

“No, there isn’t.”

And your point is? Well, I kept quiet. But as I passed this guy on our way out, I couldn’t resist taking the low road.

“Hey, you are pretty quiet up there.”

He laughed. I wished his team good luck, and declined suggesting that he take a flying fuck at a rolling donut.

The Yanks host the Blue Jays this afternoon at the Stadium for a make-up game. Kelvim Escobar starts against Mike Mussina. The Red Sox are in Baltimore tonight. The Orioles and Devil Rays had a good time spoiling things for the A’s and M’s over the weekend; they could be give both Boston and New York some trouble in the next three weeks.

Yankee reliever Chris Hammond tells the Post that New Yorkers aren’t the easiest people to please. Hey, no kidding fella. Hammond said he doesn’t enjoy pitching in the Bronx even a little bit:

“Just because the fans don’t give you any room for error,” Hammond said. “That’s helped me because all my bad games have come on the road. My goal the first couple of weeks was not to get booed off the mound. Some guys like playing in Yankee Stadium and some don’t.

…”Antonio’s ERA was one-something and he gave up a homer and was booed off the field,” Hammond said. “That was the first time I saw what kind of fans they were. That helps me pitch there but I don’t like to pitch there. I like to be comfortable pitching with the fans behind me.”

I can’t kill Hammond here. Sure, he sounds a bit naive, but what he’s saying is essentially true: from Mickey Mantle and Jason Giambi down to Bobby Meachum and Antonio Osuna, New Yorkers are not shy about booing until they are blue in the face (or until you give our spoiled, demanding asses something to cheer about).

The Yankees lost on Wednesday, while the Red Sox nipped Chicago in extra innings. But the Yanks bounced back last night to avoid a sweep in Toronto; Boston had the night off, and the Yankees’ lead now stands at 3 1/2 games (four in the loss column). No matter what happens in the Bronx this weekend, the Bombers will remain in first place.

But there is a feeling that the Yanks are increasingly vunerable while the Sox are surging. Internal controversy has engulfed both teams of late; the Red Sox have done a better job of shrugging it off, and not letting it bother their performance. Don’t believe me? At least the Sox sound convincing:

“It’s been a relentless attitude,” Jason Varitek said. “It’s just something we developed into. Nobody has panicked. Different people have had to contribute, and it’s special when that many people can help.”

“I think we’ve had a very good rapport with everyone the whole season,” said Wednesday night starter Derek Lowe.

“But in the last two weeks, there have been things going on, things that people love to stir up and see cause some controversy. But we know that the only way to win is to stick together and we’ve had that mentality all year. The thing that I like about this team is that we don’t let anything affect us. It’s a great trait for a team to have.”

Joe Torre held a meeting before last night’s game. Just the kind of pep-talk that Boss George loves. But Joel Sherman warns today that if the Yankees should collapse in the final weeks of the season, Torre and GM Brian Cashman won’t be around next year.

Pedro Martinez goes against Andy Pettitte tonight; Clemens faces Wakefield tomorrow and Boomer Wells will pitch against Jeff Suppan on Sunday. Look for Pedro to exact a measure of revenge tonight.

Derek Jeter will not play in the series. But Luis Sojo might (cough, cough) after Erick Almonte hurt his leg warming up yesterday.

Emily is finally moving her stuff down to our new place tomorrow. I’ll be helping her out so I won’t be around to blog. But I’ll be back Friday, ready for another heart attack special between the Yanks and Sox this weekend in the BX. The Yanks have two more games in Toronto (Mussina pitches against Escobar tonight); the Sox play two more in the Windy City. It should be interesting to see if Boston can pick up any more ground on the Bombers.

How many homers will Ramirez hit in New York this weekend? I’ll be conservative and start with two…

Tom Boswell has a sympathetic piece on Bobby and Barry Bonds in The Washington Post:

Where did Bobby Bonds get the bad rep? Was he too smart, too independent, too pro-union? Did he party too much or, a more likely sin within baseball, speak his mind too often? Don’t ask me. We hit it off. Once, when we were talking, a player tried to push a rubber snake under my stool to make the kid reporter jump. Bonds tipped me off and we turned the joke around with me stomping the snake. That was Bobby Bonds to me.

How Bobby got on the wrong side of the baseball establishment long ago is ancient history now. What’s pertinent is the impact on a son when a father he adores is ushered out of town when he’s 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18. How would any son, after that experience, feel toward owners, general managers, managers, coaches, reporters or fans? Would you trust them, consider them fair judges of a person’s character? Would you think they’d taken the trouble to know what made you tick?

Barry Bonds’s supposed split-personality — an obsessed, driven jerk within the game, but an amiable nice-guy to everyone who meets him outside a baseball context — has never seemed mysterious to me. Some players have a chip on their shoulder. Barry carries a grudge. Every time he sets a record, it feels like he’s settling a score.

…These days, we need to ignore everything that Bonds isn’t and focus on what he is. Don’t ask him to be an ambassador for a sport he doesn’t trust. Just appreciate what he is. Only Ruth, whose statistics far surpass Bonds’s, was better. Right now, Barry’s playing with an injured hamstring and can barely run. We’re not guaranteed how long he’ll stay at this level.

Peter Gammons still thinks the Yankees’ core makes them a tough out. He correctly praises Jason Giambi (the anti-Manny) for playing hurt all year (something Shawn Green has done in L.A. as well).

Meanwhile, Joe Torre tells George King that working for George isn’t a bed of roses:

“It hasn’t been fun,” Torre told The Post yesterday. “It’s always difficult, but it hasn’t been fun.”

Why?

“There are too many questions being asked,” Torre said before a long pause. “I am trying to be respectful here. After being here as long as I have [eight years], the fact that I am here as long as I have been here, I think there are certain things that should come with that. That they have been satisfied with my work. You would think that it would get past a certain point where, I don’t want to say not get criticized, but it shouldn’t be as uncomfortable.”

And this is a Post Exclusive. Hard to believe why Lee Sinins loathes the New York press. Oh, brother.

Bartolo Colon pitched a complete-game, two-hitter against the visiting Boston Red Sox last night in Chicago and managed to lose. Two bad both hits were solo homers (Kapler, Nixon). The Red Sox beat the White Sox 2-1 behind a strong outing from old man John Burkett; Boston now trails the Yanks by four games (five in the loss column). Manny Ramirez was benched last night, though he appeared fit to play. Manager Grady Little said:

“He’s available to DH today,” Little said before the game, “but my decision to wait is — I like the way our club has responded the last few days, and we’re trying to win the game. I’m putting the team out there that I think gives us the best chance to win tonight.”

That’s a good one, huh? The Sox front office does not want to suspend Ramirez. According to their GM, Theo Epstein:

“As a front office, we fully support Grady’s decision not to put Manny in the starting lineup tonight,” Epstein said. “Grady’s going with a lineup that gives us the best chance to win as a team, and tonight that does not include Manny, despite his availability to DH.

“Manny’s a big part of this ball club, and we all look forward to getting him back on the field very soon and watching him help this team win some important ballgames. Contrary to some reports, Manny has not been suspended. He’s not in the lineup tonight, and we all support Grady’s decision.”

You think the Red Sox are a better team without Manny? Mmmm. Let’s see if they are still a better team without him when they return to New York this weekend. (Manny will probably respond by crushing the Yanks.)

Ramirez might in fact be unhappy in Boston, but this story won’t hamper the team. The Sox can roll their eyes and offer the usual, “Manny is Manny,” and then sit back enjoy the production he gives them in the middle of the order.

The Yanks needed a spare infielder for the stretch drive, so who else do they call upon, but Uncle Luis Sojo? (Somewhere, Jay Jaffe is smiling.) Sojo actually played in the Old Timer’s Game this year, which begs the question: Is Luis the first player to ever play in an Old Timer’s Game only to be activated as a regular player later in the same season?

Minnie Minoso, eat your heart out.

Labor Day in New York gave rain. It was moving day for me, so go figure. What’s another curve ball? It was a long, emotional day, but I’m all moved in to the new crib; Emily will be moving her stuff in on Thursday. Two more days of limbo, and we’re good to go.

When I discovered that the Yanks got pounded 8-1 by the Jays, I said, “Fine. Today feels like 8-1 anyhow.” Doc Halladay did his thing, and continues to be a leading candidate for the AL Cy Young. Boomer Wells and Jiffy Pop Weaver were beat up but good for the Yanks. Jason Giambi went 0-4 and is now 0 for his last 24, which counts as the worst slide of his career.

The Red Sox won another wild affair to gain a game on New York; Boston now trails by 4 1/2 games. The Sox and Phillies played an interleague make-up game and it was a back-and-forth contest. Drama, anyone? But how are you going to have confidence in the Phillies? Trot Nixon hit a grand slam late and Boston won 13-9.

Meanwhile, Manny Ramirez, who missed last weekend’s serious vs. the Yanks, is in the headlines. Apparently, the ailing slugger was spotted in a hotel bar with the Yankees’ futility infielder Enrique Wilson on Saturday night. Oops. Not exactly the kind of move that will endear Manny to his teammates, but one that is sure to keep sports editors happy throughout New England.

I walked from my old apartment up to my new place this afternoon in the middle of the Yankee-Red Sox game. It was a great day to be out, and I was going stir crazy with all the boxes and packing anyhow. Our new place is a good 10 minute hike from the nearest subway station (238th street), and it is a 20 minute walk from my old pad. It’s not only a walk; it’s a hike. Way up a big hill.

When I returned, I watched Clemens pitch the seventh with the Yanks leading 8-2. Boston’s defense was terrible and it helped the Yankees out to the big lead. There were errors all over the place. Johnny Damon sat today after his Pete Reiser act yesterday. Manny Ramirez, out with the same flu-like sickness which sidelined Pedro, didn’t play again. (In fact, he didn’t show up to the Park it was so bad.)

Two runs came in for Boston and Clemens left with the bases juiced. The Boston crowd gave him an ovation, and after Clemens left the field he came back out and tipped his hat and the cheering got louder.

It was the classy kind of act that you’d expect from the Boston fans. Say what you want about them but they know their baseball. I wouldn’t expect anything less from them.

“It was exciting and that’s what it should have been,” Jason Giambi said. “The reason why they boo him is because they miss him. And Boston fans are just like New York fans. They love great players.”

Gabe White pitched the eighth and Nellie came on to pitch the ninth with a four-run lead. Two men reached on scorchers to Boone at third. He couldn’t handle either of them and two men were on with no out. Nellie came back to get the next two men out (which included a nice pick this time by Boone), but he couldn’t shut the door, walking the bases loaded. That was it for Nellie; Torre called for Rivera to get the final out. First batter: Nomar. Boffo time.

Even when the Yankees seem to have a comfortable lead, the Sox are always in the game, ready to pounce. Rivera had a dramatic outing on Saturday, but he handled Garciaparra effectively today for the final out of the game, striking him out on five pitches. Whoopee. Yankees win, 8-4. Clemens won his 13th on the year and his 100th career game at Fenway Park.

The moment the game ended, I addressed my apartment and said aloud, “It’s been real, you’ve been great. But on that note I can leave a happy fan and a happy man. C ya…”

The victory puts the Yanks 5 1/2 up on the Sox (6 in the loss column). The Sox lose ground in the wildcard race as both Seattle and Oakland won again this afternoon. The A’s have won nine straight and lead the M’s in the west by two games. Somewhere, a distracted Michael Lewis, who is currently following Ah-nold around the country, must be pleased. The M’s lead the Sox by a game and a half in the wildcard.

The Yanks head to Toronto to face Roy Halladay tomorrow afternoon. Welcome to Canada: Bon chance. Boomer Wells will try to pitch his way back out of the doghouse for the Bombers. The Sox head to Philly for a make up game with the Phillies. Next, they are off the Chicago to face the White Sox. That should be festive.

Jeter had to leave the game with a “slight” muscle tear on his left side. Giambi went 0-4, though he did hit the ball on the screws his last time up. Giambi is one of the worst slumps of his career; he hasn’t had a hit in over 20 at bats. Posada had a couple of more hits today, while Wilson started in place of Soriano again. Matsui isn’t hitting and Bernie is hot and cold. Boone is looking better and Nick Johnson is proving why Yankee scouts have been crazy for him for all these years.

It is absolutely gorgeous in New York today. Emily and I woke up around eight, and when we rolled around the corner to pick up the papers and some breakfast, it was downright chilly. Em loves the fall so she’s all happy. The sun is out too. If there was a Platonic Ideal of a New York day on Labor Day weekend, this would be it. You can feel that summer is over and that fall is right around the corner. You know this is a great day for food. Especially local produce like corn and tomatoes, which will only be in season for another two, three weeks. And barbeque. Mmmm, ribsaque.

This is my last Sunday in my apartment here on 232nd street, up the block from the IHOP. I’m moving up the hill to Riverdale. I’m going from a working class Spanish and Irish neighborhood, to a upper middle class Jewish neighborhood. We’ll see how that works out. For now, I’m having neighborhood-seperation-anxiety.

Today will be the last Yankee game I watch in this apartment too. I moved in here three years ago, a week and a half before the Mets played the Yanks in the World Serious. I broke this apartment in with the 2000 Serious, how cool is that? It was the first apartment I ever had to myself and I’ve had a great time here.

I’m really looking forward to living with Emily. It’s the first time I’ve ever lived with a woman, so fug it, I’m taking the Nestea Plunge. Besides, she loves baseball, and puts up with all the nonsense I put myself through during the course of the year, so how can I complain? Still, I’m having some sadness about leaving this joint.

The subway is just half a block away, and above ground. I’m accustom to the sound of the passing trains; it is a soothing, predicatble rukus. I don’t hear it anymore. But this past week, I’ve paid attention plenty. I feel like I’ve been counting down the times I’ll hear the subway again for days. So each time I hear it whoosh by, I stop what I’m doing and take a deep breath. And just let it all in.

Ihop wafting in through the window, Spanish music played from an upstairs apartment. The Broadway traffic and passing trains down the block.

Rocket Clemens is pitching his last game at Fenway Park this afternoon (that is unless the Sox and Yanks meet up in the playoffs, and even in that case, I bet Torre would avoid using Rocket in Boston if he could get away with it). Emotional day for the Big Texan. He’s usally terrible when he’s all worked up, and you know that the crowd will be all over him. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go out and pitch a good game.

It’ll make for a memorable day. I know my emotions are heightened and all out of wack as it is; unless the game is a total stinker, I’m sure it will be one that I remember for a long time, no matter who wins.

Saturday’s game was probably the best game I didn’t see all season. OK, I checked the score cowardly at one point, and I did listen to the ninth on the radio, but I didn’t watch the game. If I had, I would have sat through one of the most exhausting—dare I say operatic?—games of the year.

After the game, Johnny Damon wasn’t fazed: “We’re a great team.”

Tyler Kepner’s beat coverage of the game in the Times today is outstanding. It’s simple, clear and succint: a lean piece of reporting:

BOSTON, Aug. 30 – So here were the Red Sox, with a three-run lead in the first inning and their best pitcher on the mound. In the last 10 days, they had chewed four games off the Yankees’ division lead. They were the hunter, and the Yankees were fleeing in fright.

The Red Sox fought to the end at Fenway Park this afternoon, but they could not stop the Yankees from punching back. When 222 minutes of battle finally expired, it was Mariano Rivera who held the ball in his glove, stepping on first for the final putout of a heart-pounding 10-7 Yankees victory.

It was pure exhaustion, said Joe Torre, the Yankees’ manager. But it was exhilarating, too. The Yankees had come back off Pedro Mart”nez, then survived a scare in the eighth inning when three runs scored while Rivera was on the mound. They regained their four-and-a-half-game lead in the American League East on the strength of Andy Pettitte’s pitching and big hits from Jorge Posada, Nick Johnson and Enrique Wilson. There was no shame in saying the game was huge.

Joe Torre had the sauce:

“This could be the biggest game of the year, basically, because we fell behind Pedro, and then what happened in the eighth inning,” Torre said. “I know there’s going to be a lot of talk about Rivera and what he gave up. But the fact that he struck out the last hitter in the eighth speaks volumes of him, more so than the other stuff.”

Jack Curry adds a good appreciation of Andy Pettitte, while John Harper takes issue with Prince Pedro.

I hope today’s game is worth writing about. But hell, I’ll be writing about it “irregardless” as they say here in the Bronx.

And remember: You can’t spell hip hop without IHop.

Are the Red Sox better than the Yankees? Joel Sherman thinks they could be, and he makes a good case in today’s Post. You know, everyone keeps talking about the Royals being this year’s Anahiem Angels but I think the Red Sox are the team that could be this year’s fuggin Angels. That is if they can survive their bullpen and eighty some-odd years of history. (Red Sox fans have been treated to a charismatic, and spirited group of players this year; even if the Sox fall short, you’d have to say they are about as appealing a team as you could ever hope to root for.)

I avoided the game today as long as I possibly could. It was a muggy Saturday in New York; in the early afternoon, Emily and I decided to take a much-needed break from unpacking. So we drove up to the country to visit my mother and my step-father and their new puppy.

I knew it would be dangerous to check the score cause I was in my step-father’s house. He is a New Englander, and though he doesn’t give a spit about baseball, he grew up a Red Sox fan and a Republican. The TV in his house is cursed accordingly.

It was close to 4:30 when I turned the game on: it was the bottom of the eighth and the Sox had the bases loaded, with the Yanks ahead 8-4. Gabe White was pitching. I couldn’t bear it so I walked away. Five minutes later I saw Rivera give up a double and the score was 8-6. That was enough for me. I didn’t want to make a scene.

Instead, Emily and I drove back down to the city and we listened to the ninth inning in the car. When her boy Jorge Posada hit his second homer of the game, I almost crashed the car I was so happy. (Actually, that’s a fib; we were at a stop light. But I did shake a lot and make a whole lot of noise.) The final score: Yankees 10, Red Sox 7.

Andy Pettitte gutted it out and earned his 17th win of the year. The Yankee bullpen was shaky again but then again the Boston relievers were nothing to write home about either. Pedro Martinez only pitched four innings and took the loss. The Yankees continue to fare well against The Great One.

Nick Johnson had four hits and Enrique Wilson played well against Martinez once again. Jason Giambi continues to slump; Will Carroll admits that the big boy hasn’t been the same since he was plunked twice last week. (Call me a drama queen will ya.)

Rocket Clemens will pitch tomorrow. Act III should be a doozie.

The Sox finished the Yanks off, and took the first game of the series. Boston now trails the Yanks by just 3 1/2 games with their ace going this afternoon. I am going to be busy moving stuff with Emily to our new apartment today and would be a crazy man if I tried to watch the game. I don’t know what the numbers are, but I always feel like the Yanks lose when the play on the Fox Saturday Game of the Week. Dealing with Pedro and the Fenway Faithful is tough enough; add Joe Buck to the mix, and I’ll be out of my bird.

Boomer Wells didn’t take long to fire back at his pitching coach and manager. The classy southpaw ripped Torre and Stottlemyre on Michael Kay’s radio show yesterday, suggesting: “The way I feel sometimes, I think I’ve worn out my welcome, and it’s a shame.”

Someone should tell the fat bastard that he wore out his welcome years ago. Still, no matter how much of a baby Wells is, he’s proven that a little controversy can go a long way. What are the odds that he pitches well on Monday?

So what did you think Jeff Weaver was going to do? He is a sad sack and a sap. He left after the sixth inning. The Sox have fattened up their lead to 10-5, and they are cruising. Yankee pitching is getting stomped again. Tough week to play any kind of Sox for the Yanks, white or red. With two innings left, the Sox pen would have to implode in a rather royal way to blow this one.

Darn.

Both Lowe and Contreras pitched two easy innings. But Lowe was wild again in the fourth and gave up a 3-run double to Aaron Boone—on a 0-2 pitch of all things. The Yankees took a 5-3 lead.

Then Contreras couldn’t get anyone out in the bottom of the fourth. Bill Mueller hit his 17 homer of the year–a two run shot, and then Gabe Kapler added an RBI double. The Sox regain the lead, 6-5.

Contreras was replaced by Jeff Weaver. The beat writers are mulling whether they’ll need to change their storylines or simply augment the running ones. Will Weaver make the most of the opportunity or will he get his ticket punched too? The Boston crowd is yelling, “Weaver, Weaver.” It has an ominous, distinctly college-cadence; it sounds like a frat chant or something you’d hear at a hazing ritual.

Johnny Damon flies out to left and Varitek tags up from third. Boston leads 7-5.
Weaver then strikes Todd Walker out looking on a 2-2 breaking ball. He follows that by striking Nomar out too.

End of the fourth:

Boston 7
Yankees 5

In the top of the first, Jeter doubled to right and then Giambi walked. Giambi missed a fat pitch on the 3-1 count; he’s been slumping lately and it showed there. Bernie grounded out and moved the runners over. Then Matsui came up and worked the count to 3-2. The 2-2 was close and Lowe wanted it badly. So did the crowd. Godziller banged a double off the Green Monster, and the Yanks led, 2-0.

As Posada came to the plate you could hear militia chants of “Yankees Suck, Yankees Suck” echo through the crowd. Posada grounded out to second to end the inning.

Bottom of the first

Play-By-Play

Contreras strikes Johnny Damon out on a forkball, fishing. The pitch almost knuckles. It kind of floats up there. The big Cuban falls behind Todd Walker, 1-0 and then 2-1, then 3-1 and then he walks him. Nomar smacks the first pitch he sees into right field like he’s Fast Eddie Felson; Walker holds at second. Contreras falls behind David Ortiz and then gets a swing and a miss on a forkball, but the pitch gets passed Posada and the runners advance. Contreras misses with a fastball, 2-1. Another pitch in the dirt, Posada is lucky to have snagged it, 3-1. Ortiz singles to left, Todd Walker scores. Nice piece of hitting by Ortiz.

Yanks lead, 2-1. First and third with one out for Kevin Millar. It’s hot and muggy and currently raining in New York. Looks hot up in Boston, but Contreras should be used to the heat. Posada’s going to get his money’s worth tonight, this forkball is wild in the dirt. Contreras ends up striking Millar out on a barely-visible foul tip that Posada held on to. Groans from the crowd.

Contreras falls behind Trot Nixon, 2-0 and then 3-1 and the he walks him to load to the bases. Mel Stottlemyre comes out to talk with Contreras. The entire infield meets him on the mound. There is a lot of head-nodding going on. Everyone seems to agree on something.

Contreras starts Bill Mueller out with a strike on the outside corner. Then a breaking ball low and outside for a ball, 1-1. The next pitch is a fastball inside, waist high. Mueller backs off and it is called a ball, 2-1. Mueller then fattens his average by smacking a single up the middle. Two runs score, and the Sox lead, 3-2.

First pitch to Varitek is high. The catcher swings right through it for a strike, but the pitch gets away. The runners move up to second and third. Forkball in the dirt, blocked by Posada. This inning is taking forever. It’s the first inning and already we’ve got a Tennesse Williams play over here. Fastball for a strike on the outside corner. Contreras continues to fidget. Posada goes out to the mound. The fans boo. Contreras throws a nasty splitter on the outside corner and Varitek waves at it. The big guy strikes out the side and the first inning is over after 33 minutes.

It’s going to be a long night.

(Though Lowe sets the Yankees down quickly in the second, and Contreras responds with a 1-2-3 inning of his own. Maybe they’ll just settle down…)

When the White Sox scored a couple of runs off Mike Mussina in the top of the first inning this afternoon at the Stadium, it looked as if the great Chicago Hit Parade was picking up where it had left off last night. But the Yankees responded with five runs of their own in the bottom of the first, which helped them along to a 7-5 win.

The Yankees are now 4 1/2 up on the Sox, who had the day off. Hey, the Bombers even scored a run on a saftey squeeze, which means Zim was alert and awake and having himself a good day. I watched the game as I packed up over thirty five boxes filled with nothing but books and records. Brother.

Mussina was far from spectacular but he pitched six innings and gave up three runs. Nelson allowed a couple of runs in relief. Gabe White retired his man in the eighth, and Rivera came in to get a four-out save. He got a fly ball to right to end the inning. In the ninth, the Yanks scored an insurance run and then Rivera went to work on the Sox. He jammed Sandy Alomar to lead off the inning. Alomar hit a short pop fly that landed several feet in front of Soriano. When it landed on the infield dirt, that ball spun off to the side like a marble. By the time Soriano fielded it and made the throw to first, Alomar was able to hustle out a single. He twisted his foot in the process and was replaced by a pinch runner.

Rivera then struck out Robbie Alomar on three pitches. The future Hall of Famer didn’t stand a chance. After a stolen base, Carlos Lee flied out to left-center field. Bernie Williams covered a decent amount of ground to make the play; runner tagged to third. The Big Hurt came to the plate and smacked the first pitch right at Bernie in center to end the game. Hot dog.

The slumping Godziller Matsui was back in the line up today. Must have had his eel today. Jorge Posada was given the day off and John Flaherty contributed again.

It was a good win for the Yanks. The White Sox made their point. Now, the Bombers head for Boston with Jose Contreras starting against Derek Lowe tomorrow night. Lowe was nasty last Sunday against the M’s; Contreras was sharp against the O’s in his return outing.

On Saturday, Prince Pedro faces Andy Pettitte, who has a good career mark against Boston. You have to figure that game will be a riveting one. The Yankees have faired relatively well against Martinez, but you can’t bank on that: he’s just too good. Little bastard. Sunday gives the knuckle baller Tim Wakefield vs. Rocket Clemens. Unless the Sox and the Yanks face each other in the playoffs this could very well be the last time Clemens pitches in Fenway Park.

All in all, it should be a boffo weekend for the greatest rivalry in the East. It’s easy to expect a high scoring, back-and-forth game. Or perhaps a devastating pitching performance or two. But no matter what kind of games these two teams play–whether it’s a 2-1 pitching duel or a 9-8 slugger’s fest—they are almost sure to be tense, dramatic and worth the price of admission.

Will Carroll, the injury guru over at Baseball Prospectus, ran a terrific little interview with Rickey Henderson earlier this week that is well-worth reading (Nate Silver, one of the fine baseball analysts at BP conducted the interview with Carroll). Will also took the time to bust my chops in his Under The Knife column yesterday. He wrote:

I don’t wish harm on anyone, let alone the Yankees. I’ve heard my dad’s tales of Mickey Mantle for more years than I care to count. Still, it’s always fun to get an e-mail from my pal Alex Belth anytime something bad happens to the Bombers. He cries, he bitches, he moans–it’s like having my own private manic depressive in my Inbox, but he’s more entertaining than most people with real mental illnesses. I think there was about a six-second gap between Jason Giambi being hit on the hand by a 90-mph heater and Alex punching out a wailing electronic missive bemoaning the fate of Deodorant Boy. Giambi was hit on the hand by a pitch that wasn’t terribly inside–and where’s QuesTec when you want to see just how far inside a pitch really was?–and while he’s sore and the hand slightly swollen, the X-rays were negative and he reported good progress. Calm down, Yanks fans, he’ll be fine.

A few corrections are in order. I don’t bitch, I kvetch. I don’t moan, I whine (and then I shout and throw things). And I don’t cry. I wail.

Capice? (I can’t have my character besmirched, after all.)