Blog Archives

As expected, things went from bad to worse for the Yanks last night, as the spirited Royals pounded the Bombers’ bullpen into submission in front of their largest crowd of the season. (Remember, Bill James told Mark McGrath that they hate New York even more in Kansas City than they do in Boston.) The Royals hit 11 doubles, and the Yanks added 8 to set a major league single-game record.

It was another infuriating loss for Yankee fans. (If you want to feel worse, read Mike Lupica’s “I-told-you-so” rant in today’s Daily News.) This was definitely one of those games that cost me some sleep, I won’t lie. Even though the Yanks cranked out nine runs, it wasn’t enough (the final score: Royals 12, Yanks 9). Looks like those baserunning blunders were costly after all. As bad as the Yanks were, I’d be remiss if I didn’t credit the Royals, who lived up to their scrappy reputation. They are not unlike the Angels were last year: aggresive, opportunistic, and essentially likable.

Hey, at least Buck O’Neil and Bill James and Rob Neyer had a good night.

Brett Prinz made his Yankee debut in the 8th and was touched up pretty good. Antonio Osuna left the team to be with his ailing mother. There is no word yet as to whether David Wells will miss any time with his creaky back.

Again, the silver lining was that the Red Sox lost. Tim Hudson, the A’s hard luck ace, pitched a two-hitter, and Oakland beat Boston, 4-0. (Both hits didn’t leave the infield.) Pedro Martinez threw 101 pitches in just five innings, allowing two runs. Boston still trails New York by three games.

Boomer Wells tried pitching through back pain tonight, but couldn’t hold the 5-1 lead his offense staked him to, and didn’t make it into the fourth inning. A trip to the DL could be looming for Boomer. Sterling Hitchcock is coming on to pitch, and that never spells good things for New York. Paul Abbott, recently acquired in a trade with Arizona, is either throwing the ball in the dirt or six feet over the Yankees heads, for KC.

The Yankees baserunning has been awful thus far, and further demonstrates how shaky this team is fundamentally. They are a good team, but not the scary air-tight team of 97-2000. (This may be unfair, as that Yankee team will go down as a great team.) In the first, Jorge Posada was thrown out at second, trying to stretch a single into a double for no good reason, to end the inning. In the third, with runners on second and third and just one out, Bernie Williams didn’t score from third on a slow ground ball to first base.

Sure, the Yanks were up 5-1 at the time, but by the bottom of the inning the score was tied. Posada and Bernie have always been lousy on the bases: Posada thinks like Raul Mondesi and runs like John Riggins; Bernie is just a flat-out ditz. Alfonso Soriano had a one-out double in the fourth and then was thrown out trying to steal third. The score was tied. Why steal?

Oy veh. This should promise to be a long, drawn-out affair. I expect the lead to change hands several more times. After a long fly out from Giambi in the fifth (he already hit a two-run blast), Matsui cranked a solo shot to straight-away center to give the Yanks the lead, 6-5. Aaron Boone hasn’t had a base hit since Christ was a Cowboy.

Going to be a long night. Tim Hudson squares off against Pedro later tonight in Oakland. What a gem that promises to be. Aesthetically speaking, it doesn’t get much better than Pedro vs. Hudson, man.

My good friend, Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus, sent me some interesting observations on Mariano Rivera over the weekend:

Rivera … watch his elbow for two things to see if he’s going to be
good or crappy on a given day. If it gets up, almost even with his
shoulder in the “power T” position as he begins his trunk rotation,
he’s good. If it stays up as his trunk rotates and is even with his
shoulder or slightly higher as he releases, even better.

He’s dipping it lately, indicating fatigue. Brantley had a pretty
good breakdown on BBTN, but only covered the release point.

OK, cool. The only question I had was: What is the “power T” position? Will responded:

Oops … ok, let’s give the quick course on pitching mechanics. I
should do an article on this.

Pretend you’re pitching. As you stride, your glove hand comes up and your back arm lifts and rotates. At the point where your front foot strikes, your arms should be straight out, putting both elbows on level with your shoulders. That’s “power T”.

From the power T, you will rotate your trunk – turn your body-bending slightly, pulling your arm through as fast as possible.

If he dips his elbow, the plane of his cutter gets flatter, rather than going in and down, it just goes in. It also puts more stress on his shoulder.

Will is right, he should do an article on pitching mechanics. I know I learned something I didn’t know. It is part of what makes Carroll such a great guy. Like many other baseball writers and bloggers, he loves to share information. After all, what fun is there in knowing everything and keeping it all to yourself? I feel like I learn something new about baseball each and every day of the year. It’s why I keep coming back for more.

Raul Mondesi made the papers this weekend talking trash about his former employers in the Bronx. Needless to say, Mondesi proved why the Yanks (and the Jays and the Dodgers before them) didn’t want him around anymore. The story doesn’t merit serious consideration, it only goes to show that Raul is a first class sucka.

The Yankee bullpen coughed up a 4-1 lead against the Mariners on Sunday, and the Bombers lost to Seattle, 8-6. There are all different kinds of losses. The best way to describe how I felt after this one can be summed up in one word: fury. Derek Jeter told The Times:

“I just felt it was a game that we should have won,” Derek Jeter said. “I’m sure if you ask anybody, they would have said the same thing.”

At the end of the game, YES announcer Michael Kay correctly stated that the game was “odiously unmanageable.” (Am I the only one who thinks that Kay himself has become odiously unmanageable too?) Even though neither starter, Jamie Moyer nor Roger Clemens were at the top of their game, they weren’t terrible either and the game moved along at a reasonable pace. (The game marked the first time two 40-year old pitchers ever started against each other.) It’s only when the bullpens took over that the game slowed down to what Kitty Kaat characterized as a “taffy pull.”

My “loveable and huggable” collection of relievers, Jeff Nelson, Jesse Orosco, Osuna, and Chris Hammond got their tits lit but good. The M’s pen faired better, and showed why the Benitez trade makes sense for them: they didn’t even need to go to him.

For the third consecutive weekend, the Yanks have dropped 2 of 3 games when they should have won at least 2 of 3. About the only thing that made it bearable was the fact that the O’s beat the Sox again in Boston (Nomar Garciaparra, who has been smoking hot, whiffed with the bases loaded to end the game). The Yanks lead remains three. But Joel Sherman thinks this is a disturbing sign for a team that is expected to go deep into October:

“This loss – like the other five during the past three weekends – was emblematic about why the Yanks should have October worries: Because they lost yet another close game due to missed opportunities on offense, missed outs on defense, misadventures on the bases and miserable relief pitching, especially miserable relief pitching.”

…July and August may not be October, but the past three weekends have shown how the games will be played in the postseason and the Yankees have failed the test.”
While the Red Sox begin a difficult two-week stretch, where they play 14 consecutive games against the A’s and M’s, the Yanks head to K.C. tonight to play the surprising Royals for the first time all year. The Sox were expected to make a dent into the Yankees’ lead during the past few weeks and failed; but the Bombers have also failed to create any distance themselves. While it is easy to think the Sox will tank against the best of the west, I think they will hold their own. By the time the Yanks and Sox face off again at the end of the month, I bet the lead is still around three or four games in the east.

Andy Pettitte pitched a complete-game and lost 2-1 to Gil Meche and the Mariners on humid and damp Saturday afternoon in the Boogie Down. I was at my mom’s for lunch with Emily and mercifully missed the vexing affair. The baby-faced Meche pitched well earlier in the season at The Stadium, and he was nasty again this time. According to The New York Times:

Before this season, Meche, 24, had 12 career victories. Now, he is the first pitcher in more than a decade to miss two seasons and rebound to win at least 10 games, which is not that surprising since he throws 98-mile-an-hour four-seam fastballs, 94-m.p.h. two-seam fastballs, nifty changeups and nasty sliders. For most of the day, the Yankees were baffled.

“It’s got to be huge for them,” Derek Jeter said. “I knew he had great stuff. I didn’t know he threw that hard. When you have a guy like that, I don’t want to say he came out of the blue, but we really didn’t expect it.”

After Pettitte returned to the clubhouse to cool off in the bottom of the first, he watched on television as Meche tossed robust fastballs to strike out Johnson and Jeter. Meche looked even more dominant in that inning than he did in stifling the Yankees, 6-0, on April 29.

“After I saw him in the first inning, I said, `Surely he can’t keep that up,’ ” Pettitte said. “But he did.”

This is Pettitte’s second hard-luck outing in a row. (Remember last Sunday’s gem against Mulder in Oakland?) Dem’s da breaks, but Andy’s been the best pitcher on the Yankees staff for well over a month now. The Bombers lose ground as the Red Sox hit a bunch of historic homers up in Boston to drill the O’s, 6-4. The Yanks lead is back to three, the same as it was when Ed Cossette left for vacation. The more things change, the more the stay the same. Welcome home, Edward.

Yankee fans stewed two nights ago when Mariano Rivera threw away a lead against Texas while Pedro Martinez was busting out a complete game beauty vs. the World Champs; tonight, the shoe is on the other foot. The Sox lost both games of a double-header at home against the Orioles, while the Yankees outlasted the Mariners, 9-7. The Yanks now lead Boston by four games.

Neither Jeff Weaver or Ryan Franklin were particularly effective. Hideki Matsui hit a home run early, but The Mariners rallied down 3-1 in the fifth and went ahead 5-3. (Edgar singled home two runs with the bases full to put the M’s ahead.) The bases were still loaded when Dave Dellucci made a terrific diving catch that saved at least two more runs. It’s not often a Yankee makes a play that could be nominated for a “web gem,” but this was certainly one of them.

One inning later, Nick Johnson hit a grand slam which put the Yankees ahead for good. It was the first grande salami of Nicky’s career. Mazel, papi.

Just to make things exciting, Jeff Nelson came on to face the top of the order in the eighth, with the Yanks leading 8-7. He struck out all three batters he faced and pumped and jumped off the mound. It was a nasty outing. Armando Benitez pitched the bottom of the inning, and gave up a single and a stolen base to Alfonso Soriano (who looked much better tonight). Nick Johnson then rolled a seeing-eye single between short and third to give the Yanks an insurance run.

Mariano Rivera pitched a 1-2-3 ninth; a sight for sore eyes, indeed. (He struck out Edgar, who is now 9-15 lifetime against Rivera.)

I didn’t think the Sox would drop two at home. Every time I see them trailing by three, four, or five runs early, I assume they are going to come back and win. And if they lose, it will be 11-10 in extra innings. Looks like this Red Sox team is intent on keeping things dramatic. Tonight, it’s Red Sox Nation turn to pass the pepto.

Aaron Gleeman, the Irving Thalberg of baseball bloggers, weighs in on the Nellie-Benitez deal, while Ben Jacobs has some nice things to say about Rocket Clemens.

David Pinto has a good take on Jeter’s defense over at Baseball Musings (he uses the win shares method to make his case):

“Jeter is the worst regular shortstop in terms of defense over the last five years. And it’s not just that he’s at the bottom; he’s way below the level that keeps shortstops playing. Long time readers of this site know that I’ve pointed out specific plays where I’ve seen the ball come off the bat, expected an out, and Jeter doesn’t get to it. I have advocated moving Jeter to another position. His lack of defense (and Soriano’s, for that matter) cost the Yankees against the Angels last year. Most of the time it doesn’t matter because he makes up for his defense with his bat. But against a team that puts the ball in play a lot, I don’t want Jeter playing shortstop.”

Derek Jeter’s defensive flaws have been widely discussed in the alternative-baseball media for over a year now. The Newark Star Ledger has a piece this morning about Jeter’s fatal flaw. Michael Hoban, a 67-year old mathematics professor at Monmouth University, conducted a study ranking shortstops defense and Jeter finsihed dead last:

“I’m the worst?” Jeter said when confronted with the numbers. “I don’t think I would say that. But I couldn’t really care less what some mathematical equation comes out with.”

…”How to you rank defensive shortstops?” Jeter said. “I don’t see how a formula can evaluate how somebody plays.

“You get a strikeout pitcher on the mound as opposed to a ground-ball pitcher, it’s going to affect the statistics you use to evaluate defense. So I don’t really think you can.”

What did you expect Jeter to say? “You’re right, I am the worst defensive shortstop in baseball.” Like Ralph Kramden once declaired: “I got my pride.” Regardless, Jete’s comments should be fodder for his detractors. Let the bashing continue.

When Rafael Palmeiro hit a 3-run dinger off of Mike Mussina in the top of the first yesterday afternoon, it looked like it could be another long day for the Yankees. But Enrique Wilson answered with a grand slam in the bottom of the second, and the Yanks went on to beat Texas, 7-5. Alex Rodriguez, who is on a homer tear, tied the game at 4 with a solo homer, but Jorge Posada had the go-ahead hit—a slow dribbler that made it’s way through the infield—and the bullpen held on for the win.

Jeff Nelson received a rousing ovation from the Stadium crowd when he appeared in the 8th. According to The Times:

“Nelson, a 36-year-old veteran of almost 700 major league games, tried to compose himself when he reached the mound. Surrounded by Manager Joe Torre and the infielders, Nelson stared at the ground.

‘I couldn’t look up,” he said, “because I didn’t want them to see the water in my eyes.'”

Nelson didn’t pitch particularly well, but he escaped a bases-loaded jam without allowing a run. Mariano Rivera, however, did give up a run in the 9th. Rivera’s pitches are catching too much of the strike zone, and they are not breaking with their usual sharpness.

The Red Sox completed a three-game sweep of the World Champs in Boston to remain just 2.5 games back. The Sox play the O’s this weekend, including a double header today.

Again, it’s damp and drizzling in New York. The Mariners, who are just percentage points behind the Yanks for best record in the league, come to The Stadium for a big weekend series. It should be extra special if Benitez or Nellie get to pitch. Speaking of which, the boys over at U.S.S. Mariner think the M’s got the better of the deal. They also think there is no doubt that Nellie’s mouth precipitated the move:

“This is the rarest of trades; two contenders, in the same league, with a good chance of facing each other in the playoffs (and a matchup against each other this weekend), swapping players who are both likely to play fairly prominant roles in that potential playoff series. Make no mistake, this is a message trade. Had Jeff Nelson not criticized Mariners ownership last week, he would still be a Mariner. This would not a trade that was explored because of on-field performance (more on that below), but simply one to show the players who was in charge. Criticize the boss and you’ll be shown the door. This is a power play by ownership/management.”

Jay Jaffe, The Futility Infielder, is happy with the trade:

“What’s suprising is that both players slipped through waivers. As I understand it, the transaction rules that govern this time of year require each player to pass through waivers, in which every team gets a crack at the player with the worst teams in the player’s same league getting first dibs. The player claimed can then either be dealt to the team claiming him or withdrawn, closing the window on any trade opportunity for the season. For both Benitez and Nelson to have made it through means that the two teams chasing the M’s and the Yanks, Oakland and Boston, respectively, passed up the opportunity to claim the player either as a means of aiding their own bullpens, or at the very least of blocking a trade to their rivals.”

The Yanks will try and warsh the awful taste of last night’s loss out of their systems this afternoon at The Stadium, weather providing. It’s a damp morning in New York, and I have to go to a funeral today, so I won’t be around to blog.

Here is some of the reaction to the Nellie-Benitez deal:

Tyler Kepner and Jack Curry in the Times.

Vic Ziegel and Mike Lupica in the News.

Joel Sherman in The Post.

John Heyman in Newsday.

Larry Stone in The Seattle Times.

And finally—for now—Jim Moore and John Levesque in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Mariano Rivera blew his fourth save in the last ten days, and the Yanks lost a heart-breaker to the Rangers tonight, 5-4. Rivera started the ninth with a 4-3 lead, but after a walk and an error, Hank Blalock hit a 2-run single to win it for Texas. It was the fourth error of Rivera’s career and it was costly.

David Wells pitched admirably again, but Rivera was awful. This was a stunning loss.

To make matters worse, Pedro Martinez pitched a complete game in Boston, and the Red Sox beat the Angels 4-2. Anahiem had the bases loaded in the ninth, but Pedro struck Tim Salmon out to end the game. Boston is now two-and-a-half games behind the Yankees and Red Sox Nation will sleep well tonight (it was a perfect night for Red Sox fans). I’ll be tossing and turning. Sort of.

The Nelson trade makes it hard to be too down, but I think this game was worse than any of the recent losses against Oakland and Boston. This was was inexcusable. Plus, it wasted two monstrous home runs; one by Giambi, the other by Nick Johnson. (Johnson’s solo shot put the Yanks ahead in the 7th.)

Rivera looked glum and furious on the bench. It was about as angry as you’ll see him. But he didn’t have anything tonight. Maybe he’s in a slump too. He can join Bernie (who hit into two double plays tonight), Sori and Jorgie in dumpsville.

I left work this evening at 5:00. When I walked into my apartment in the Bronx it was twenty to six. As I changed my clothes I heard Chris Russo on the FAN talking about Jeff Nelson and clearing waivers and some such talk, but I didnít pay close attention. Then I played my messages and heard the news: The Yankees traded Armando Benitez to the Seattle Mariners for Jeff Nelson. Instinctively, I shouted at the top of my lungs.

Benitez for Nellie. (Then I yelled again.) Benitez for Nellie. Itís like music to a Yankee fanís ears. Talk about good karma. (In with the good air, out with the bad air.) Oh, baby. So much for The Curse of Jeff Nelson. It was a nice idea but the Yankees donít have curses, they have potholes. You know, stuff you can fix. Jeff Nelson leaving New York is often regarded as the worst move of the Cashman Era, and now they get a chance to make up for it with Nellie himself. There’s the angle. No one has replaced Nelson since he left. Of course, he might not be as good as he was three years ago; the vacationingLarry Mahnken, for one, is skeptical:

No more nightmares for me.

Last night I was noticing how difficult to was to root for Armando. Some bad guys are great to root for, but Benitez is the like the cross-eyed bully in “Friday.” He’s just tough to like. Benitez looks like a cartoonistsí conception of a baseball player. Heís completely exaggerated in every way. Even when heís trying to be subtle. When he ended the game last night, Benitez ran his right index finger along his brow, as if to wipe off the sweat, and then jerked his arm to his side and flicked the sweat of his fingers. It was right out of Tex Avery. Benitez is Bluto.

He lasted less than a month on the Yankees and thatís a beautiful thing as far as Iím concerned. At the very worst, the Yanks will lose with Nellie instead of Benitez, and Iíll take that bargain any day of the week. Heck, we already know what thatís like to lose with Nellie. Weíve seen Benitez lose dramatically with the Mets for so long, Iím thankful weíll be spared the sight of him blowing big games for the Bombers.

Plus, the Yankees bullpen could just scrap by now. At least they are appealing. Orosco and Hammonds with all that old man soutpaw junk. Gabe White, when he returns, with some heat from the left side. Plus, the not-so-spectacular-but-awfully-amusing Antonio Osuna, who I love just because he reminds me of Luis Guzman (“Carlitoís Way,” “Traffic”), the great New York character actor. Maybe they can get something from Contreras, the soporific Cuban giant, too.

I don’t know if Seattle plans to use Benitez as a closer for Kaz or as a replacement for Nellie. I thought Kaz was about to come back.
Armando could work out well for them. The initial reaction on the radio in New York tonight was that the Yankees swindled the Mariners. The folks at YES could barely conceal their glee. They were a little too happy, if you know what I mean.

It is clear that Nelson’s big, fat mouth got himself traded. But you could do worse than getting Benitez in return, especially when you already have a good bullpen. Looks like a win-win situation for both teams. David Pinto thinks the deal is a wash.

Think the weekend serious against the Mariners in the Bronx is going to be fun? Boone-Boone-Nellie-Benitez? Awwww, bacon.

According to the Newark Star Ledger, the Yankees are showcasing Dave Dellucci, and may be interested in trading him in a package deal for an every day right fielder, like Reggie Sanders. (Thanks to Lee Sinins for the tip.)

That’s too bad, because I like the looks of Dellucci in a Yankee uniform. He’s got a little Henry Rollins in him, and a little Treat Williams too. (I haven’t seen him enough to get a good call on him yet.) Jay Jaffe described him well:

“Dellucci looks like a classic role-player, good looking guy who your girlfriend notices and asks you why he doesn’t get to play more, as you roll your eyes and explain that while he’s got some speed and he hustles, he’s never gonna hit enough. Chad Curtis with a better personality and haircut.”

Zing.

Derek Jeter led off the game last night against Texas with a home run, and then hit another one in the second. They were typical Jeter shots to right field. He came up again in the fifth and hit a long fly ball to straight away center. “No way,” I said aloud. The ball went to the warning track and was caught for a long out, despite being hit farther than the two homers.

Jeter received a round of applause as he jogged back to the dugout, but the damage had already been done. It was not Colby Lewis’ night. Hideki Matsui followed Jeter with a home run of his own in the first, and Jason Giambi was 2-2 when he came to bat later in the fifth. I said to myself, “He’s hitting one here.” Sure enough, Giambi plastered a fastball into the third deck in right field, and the Yankees never looked back, beating Texas 6-2.

My cousin Gabe once said that Giambi at bat looks like a Celtic warrior fighting off his enemies with one hand. Like something out of Conan. That’s what his home run looked like last night. He strong-armed the ball with one arm into the upper deck.

Roger Clemens pitched well on his 41rst birthday, but he found himself in a bases-loaded, no out jam in the fourth. According to the Times:

“The pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre went to the mound as Clemens and catcher Jorge Posada debated pitch selection. After the meeting, Clemens got a popout and a strikeout, and faced Nivar.

Nivar, 23, who was called to the majors last week, was looking for his third career hit. He made Clemens work, fouling off three pitches with an 0-2 count and driving him to distraction.

‘I wish I could have thrown an eephus pitch for the first time,” Clemens said. ‘I was letting it go, and that kid was swinging away. I was like, “Man, this would be the night to do it if I was ever going to do it.” But I think probably Joe would have taken me out of the game. Or he might have fainted.’

Clemens spared Torre the sight of a blooper pitch. But he did go for something unconventional, dropping to a sidearm angle for a tailing fastball. A surprised Nivar bounced it back to the mound, where Clemens snagged it and threw to first to end the inning, pumping his fist at his side.”

It’s too bad Clemens didn’t turn into Dave LaRoche for just one pitch. Now, that would have been funny.

Antonio Osuna knocked Alex Rodriguez down in the eighth inning, much to the delight of the crowd. A-Rod glared in the Yankee dugoug and then popped out to left. Rodriguez has been getting killed in the press lately, but William Rhoden has a sympathetic column on the Texas superstar in the Times today:

“I am baffled by a persistent ambivalence in sports journalism when it comes to athletes and money. We acknowledge that sports is big business, but in our hearts, we seem to resent the business aspect of games that turn young athletes into multimillionaires. For the last three years, Alex Rodriguez of the Texas Rangers has been Exhibit A of our ambivalence.

…For the last three seasons the industry has derived some satisfaction watching A-Rod suffer losing season after losing season.”

Meanwhile, up in Beantown, Jeff Suppan had a miserable first outing for the Sox, but the bats led another comeback, and Boston defeated the World Champs, 10-9. Never a dull moment for Sox Nation, right? The Yankee lead is still 3.5 games.

Rob Neyer critiques Oakland’s recent moves: trading for Jose Guillen and signing Scott Hatteberg to a contract extension. While John Harper—who may just be the best baseball columnist in New York—contributes an article on Billy Beane.

Buster Olney has a nice piece on Roy “Doc” Halladay over at ESPN. Buster writes about how movement is more crucial to a pitchers’ success than velocity:

“Halladay, like a lot of pitchers, threw the ball with mechanics that brought his arm angle straight over the top — like a pitching machine. It is a delivery that kept the ball spinning on a centered, balanced axis, the kind of rotation that does not foster movement.

The movement comes when the ball is thrown with its axis and rotation off-center. ‘Some of it is arm angle, finger pressure, hand and wrist position, the grip on the baseball,’ said Mike Flanagan, the 1979 AL Cy Young Award winner and now the general manager of the Baltimore Orioles.

…’There’s a lot of feel, a lot of touch,’ said Flanagan. ‘Some pitchers don’t have it. You’ll look at the videotape with them and they’ll see the movement, but don’t realize it themselves when they throw the ball. You’re talking to them and you say, “Can’t you feel that?” And they don’t.'”

Fortunately for the Blue Jays, Roy Halladay can.

The weather promises to be stormy in New York all week, so it will be interesting to see how many games they can actually get in. Not a whole lot going on this morning. The New York papers are focusing on the troubles of the first-place Yankees, while Bob Ryan wonders whether this could really be “the year” for the Red Sox.

Early last Friday morning, I had a bad dream. Call it a premonition or a nightmare, here’s what happened: I’m in my apartment watching the Yankee game. They are playing the Sox at The Stadium; it’s a night game. The Yankees are leading 5-1, late. My girlfriend Emily is downtown hanging out with a friend of mine that she’s never met in real life (funny how the subconcious works). They are waiting for me to arrive.

As I’m talking with her, the Red Sox start a rally. Meanwhile, I’m feeling stressed because I don’t want to ride the subway for an hour and miss the end of the game. An old, fat lady is now batting for Boston. Right-handed hitter. She faces Benitez and lofts a lazy pop fly to Mondesi in right (even though he had already been traded in real life). Mondesi inexplicably bolts toward first base and the ball falls in right field with nobody near it.

Suddenly, it’s 5-4 Yankees. Armando Benitez is pitching. There are two outs, and it’s the ninth inning. That was when I woke up.

I wasn’t sweating but my heart was racing. There isn’t much to figure out here, except why a fat old lady was batting for the Sox. But I think my anxieties about Armando Benitez should be familiar to Yankee fans everywhere, whether it keeps you up at night or not.