Monthly Archives: August 2007

I caught some of the old Yankee game on YES last night. I almost fell off my chair when I saw Brad Gulden. I had completely forgotten that name. It got me to thinking: Who are some of your favorite scrubby Yankees? Chicken Stanley was a good one in the ’70s. I loved Dan Pasqua in the ’80s, Pags too. Bobby Meacham, of course, though I badly for him more than I actually liked him. Who else? Mickey Klutts, Brian Fisher, Lee Gutterman, Hensley Meulens, Paul Linblad, and the legendary Osacar Azocar. Just pulling names out of the air, though I really did like Pasqua and Pags. Whatta you got?

The Yanks snapped the Blue Jays’ eight-home-game winning streak yesterday afternoon with a nifty come-from-behind win on Simcoe Day in Toronto.

The Bombers got on the board first by cashing in a leadoff triple by Melky Cabrera in the third, but the Blue Jays answered with two in the bottom of the inning, both plated by a booming Frank Thomas double to left field. The Jays added a run in the fifth by bringing home a leadoff double by John McDonald to make it 3-1, but that merely set the stage for the Yankee comeback.

Bobby Abreu got things started in the top of the sixth by drawing a full-count walk. Alex Rodriguez, who Jays starter Jessie Litsch threw behind in the first inning, likely retaliation for the Rod Said “Ha!” incident, followed with a single to drive Litsch from the game. Hideki Matsui greeted lefty reliever Scott Downs with a single of his own that plated Abreu and, after Jorge Posada struck out, Robinson Cano put the Yankees out front with an double that scored Rodriguez and Matsui. Cano then moved to third on an Andy Phillips groundout and scored when his buddy Melky singled him home to make it 5-3 Yanks.

Andy Pettitte got into a bit of trouble in the bottom of the sixth, getting the hook with two out and two on following a four-pitch walk to McDonald. Fresh up from triple-A, Jim Brower was fortunate enough to have the scalding line drive Reed Johnson hit off him go directly to Rodriguez at third to end the inning. Brower then gave up a single to Alex Rios to start the seventh at which point Joe Torre went straight to Luis Vizcaino who finished the inning without further damage, but pressed into getting five outs gave up a solo home run to Aaron Hill in the eighth to allow the Blue Jays within one. With two outs in the eight, Vizcaino walked Lyle Overbay on a full count, then hit pinch-hitter Matt Stairs in the leg with a slider that slipped, but Joe Torre, having used Mariano Rivera for four outs on Sunday, refused to even warm Rivera up in the eighth and, with Brian Bruney and Ron Villone feverishly warming up in the pen, Vizcaino got Johnson to ground out to end the threat. Rivera then slammed the door in the ninth, striking out the heart of the Toronto order (Rios, Vernon Wells, and Thomas) and regularly hitting 96 on the YES Network’s radar gun.

The 5-4 win slips the Yankees past the idle Mariners in the Wild Card race. The Bombers now stand alone in second place, a mere half game behind the slumping Tigers (though they still trail both Detroit and Seattle by a game in the loss column).

As for Jim Brower, he was the man called up to replace Mike Myers who was designated for assignment after Sunday’s game. Brower, however, is a generic 34-year-old journeyman righty reliever on his eleventh organization (he was released by the Pirates in late April after just six triple-A appearances). Sure, he was having a fantastic season in Scranton (1.65 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 2.96 GB/FB, 40 K and 11 BB in 43 2/3 IP), but he’s not a solution. He’s much closer to being an older, right-handed Wayne Franklin. That Edwar Ramirez is back to his old tricks with Scranton (9 2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 15 K since being sent down in late July), and Chris Britton has just come off the DL (he’s pitched twice since being activated and allowed a run in two innings) makes the decision to promote Brower even more regrettable. The Yankees simply don’t have enough room for error to allow Brower to prove as useful as the last Brower to wear pinstripes.

Fortunately, the solution just may be on his way. Peter Abraham reports that Joba Chamberlain has been sent to Toronto and will likely be activated for today’s game. Word is that Jeff Karstens will be demoted to make room for him. That supports what Joe Torre said prior to yesterdays game about no longer trying to force lefty-on-lefty matchups now that Myers is gone. Karstens continued presence would have suggested that Torre intended to rely on him as a long man while using Villone as a matchup lefty, but without Karstens, Villone remains the long man, and Chamberlain and Vizcaino become the final pieces of this team’s long awaited Big Three without a lefty in the picture to muck things up. I like it. Now if they’d only swap out Brower and Farnsworth for Ramirez and Britton (and dump Miguel Cairo when activating Jason Giambi, who is due to arrive in Toronto today as well).

By sweeping the Royals over the weekend, the Yankees have compensated for their series loss in Baltimore the previous weekend going 4-2 in those two series combined (not counting the suspended game win in Baltimore). They’re thus back on task having gone 18-7 (.720) since the All-Star break. Today they’re in Toronto for a three game series that will complete the cupcake portion of their schedule.

The Yanks took three of four from the Blue Jays at the Stadium in mid-July. Since then the Yanks have gone 12-5 and the Blue Jays have gone 10-5, the latter putting together an eight-game winning streak at their home park in Toronto. Of course, the Jays are still just one game over .500, but just as they were in mid-July, Toronto remains the best team the Yankees have had to face during this easy part of their schedule.

The Jays’ roster looks much the same as it did when these teams last met, with the notable exceptoin of the Toronto bench, which has seen as much turnover as the Yankee bench that has since added Jose Molina, Shelley Duncan, and Wilson Betemit. For their part, the Blue Jays released backup catcher Jason Phillips, replacing him with minor leaguer Curtis Thigpen, and designated infielders Royce Clayton and Howie “Ha!” Clark for assignment, replacing them with Hector Luna, who was claimed off waivers from the Indians, and switch-hitter Ray Olmedo.

The Yankees are making some moves of their own, having designated Mike Myers for assignment after yesterday’s game and flying Jason Giambi to Toronto to join the team. No word yet on who will replace Myers in the pen or when exactly Giambi will be activated or at whose expense.

Today, the Yanks and Jays play an afternoon game on Simcoe Day with Andy Pettitte taking on former Devil Rays’ bat boy Jesse Litsch. Litsch held the Rays scoreless through 6 2/3 in his last outing and has a 1.71 ERA over his last five starts. When he faced the Yankees six starts ago, however, he didn’t make it out of the first inning, giving up five runs on four hits beginning with a leadoff home run by Johnny Damon, and two walks while retiring just two of the eight men he faced.

Offense: Thirty-one runs in three games. The onslaught continues . . .

Studs:

Bobby Abreu 9 for 14, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R, 2 BB, SB
Robinson Cano 6 for 11, 2B, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, 5 R, 2 BB
Alex Rodriguez 4 for 11, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, SB
Derek Jeter 4 for 10, 2B, 2 RBI, 4 R, 4 BB, SB
Hideki Matsui 4 for 11, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 3 R
Melky Cabrera 6 for 15, 3 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 2 R
Wilson Betemit 4 for 8, 3 RBI, 2 R
Andy Phillips 3 for 7, 2B, RBI, 2 R, BB

Duds:

Johnny Damon 2 for 10, 2B, RBI, 2 R, BB, 3 K
Jose Molina 0 for 3, RBI, R

Miguel Cairo went 0 for 1 as a defensive replacement on Saturday.

Rotation: Quality starts from Chien-Ming Wang and Mike Mussina bookended a rough outing by Phil Hughes.

Bullpen: Allowed seven runs in 9 1/3 innings on nine hits and four walks.

The Good:

Mariano Rivera retired all seven batters he faced, picking up the save in the finale. Luis Vizcaino allowed a single and a walk in 1 2/3 innings striking out the side in the eighth on Saturday.

The Bad:

Kyle Farnsworth pitched one inning and allowed one run on a single and a walk. Ron Villone gave up a run on three hits in the ninth inning on Saturday. Brian Bruney struck out the side in a perfect inning on Saturday, but couldn’t finish the seventh inning in the finale giving up a walk and a single with two outs. Mike Myers can on in relief of Bruney and allowed both runs to score. Myers faced three batters earlier in the series, striking out two and allowing one double. The Yankees have since designated Myers for assignment.

Jeff Karstens did not pitch after throwing 39 pitches in the finale of the White Sox series.

The Bombers whipped the Royals, 8-5 on Sunday afternoon, completing a three-game sweep. Godzilla became the first Japanese player to hit 100 home runs in the majors, and Mike Mussina pitched well again. The Tigers and Indians lost and the Yanks are now just a half-a-game out of the wildcard. Good times.

Here’s a question: What are the chanes that Bobby Abreu comes back next year? Unless he falls into another slump, his numbers will look awfully decent when all is said and done, no?

Also, the Yanks designated Mike Myers for assignment. Coming soon: Joba and Giambi.

Where to start?

Here’s what happened yesterday:

1) Phil Hughes made his third major league start for the Yankees after more than three months on the disabled list.
2) Alex Rodriguez hit his 500th career home run after 37 homerless plate appearances.
4) The Yankees beat the Royals 16-8 extending their streak of scoring seven or more runs at home to eight games.
5) The Yankees closed within 1.5 games of the Wild Card lead as Cleveland, Detroit, and Seattle all lost.
5) Barry Bonds tied Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record with his 755th career dinger.

I’ll take the second part first. After Johnny Damon grounded out leading off the first inning, Derek Jeter singled, and Bobby Abreu walked on four pitches to bring Alex Rodriguez to the plate with one out and two on. Kyle Davies’ first pitch was an 89-mile-per-hour fastball right down the middle and Alex jerked it down the left field line, a high looping hook shot that managed to stay fair, landing in the left field stands toward the back of the main boxes behind the Canon sign where it was caught by a still-anonymous Rutgers student. Rodriguez, unsure if the ball would go foul, stood at the plate, bat in hand. As the ball approached the stands he began to trot, still watching, toward first. Speeding up, he thrust both fists in the air when the ball landed, gave first base coach Tony Peña a high-ten, and proceeded to jubilantly round the bases “like a goofball,” as he would say after the game. Rodriguez was greeted behind home plate by the entire Yankee bench, which congratulated him with high-fives and hugs. Once settled in the dugout, Rodriguez wore an ecstatic grin of exhilaration and relief and was seen repeatedly saying “I’m glad it’s over” to buddies Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon. Me too, Alex, me too.

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Coming into last night’s game, the Yankees had scored seven or more runs in their last six home games. Make it seven, as the Yanks beat the Royals 7-1 behind seven strong innings from Chien-Ming Wang.

Robinson Cano got the Yankees on the board with a solo homer off Royals starter Odalis Perez with two outs in the second inning. The Royals tied things up in the top of the third on a trio of two-out singles by David DeJesus, Mark Grudzielanek, and budding Yankee killer Ross Gload, but that was all they’d get against Wang. The Yanks, meanwhile, added two in the fourth against Perez, three in the sixth against Perez and reliever Ryan Braun, and that magical seventh run in the eighth thanks to a throwing error by Tony Peña Jr. Mike Myers, Luis Vizcaino, and Mariano Rivera sealed the deal. Textbook.

Along the way, Alex Rodriguez doubled, walked and drove in a run with a sac fly, but did not go long, hitting deep fly outs for his two outs. Melky Cabrera, meanwhile, went 3 for 5 with a pair of doubles, one of which was a screaming liner that hit off Braun’s leg and caromed into the stands behind the Yankee dugout for a bizarre infield ground rule double.

Today, Phil Hughes makes his long-awaited return from the disabled list to take on Kyle Davies in the latter’s first start as a Royal. Davies, who came over from the Braves in exchange for Octavio Dotel, had a 7.26 ERA in his last nine starts for the Braves. Hughes, meanwhile, did this during his minor league rehab: 21 2/3 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 8 BB, 25 K, 0.83 WHIP, 0.42 ERA. That after no-hitting the Rangers for 6 1/3 innings in his second major league start.

It was only a week ago that the Yankees took three of four from the Royals in Kansas City, so there’s not much to add here. Since then, the Royals swept the Rangers in K.C. by a combined score of 22-6 with Rutgers grad David DeJesus leading the attack. They then scored just nine runs while dropping two of three to the Twins in Minnesota where the fourth game of their series was cancelled out of respect for those killed in the recent bridge collapse. The Royals lone win of that series took ten innings and all three games were decided by two runs.

The Royals made one significant deadline deal, flipping Octavio Dotel to Atlanta for starter Kyle Davies, who will pitch tomorrow. Davies is a curious return for Dotel seeing as he’s been consistently terrible in the major leagues and hadn’t pitched since failing to get an out in his start against the Reds on July 16. Still, he won’t be 24 until next month and Royals’ GM Dayton Moore came from the Braves system, so perhaps he has reason to value Davies so highly. That or he’s judging the pitcher on what he did in the low minors three years ago.

At any rate, Dotel’s departure reinstates Joakim Soria as the closer. Davies and Leo Nuñez replace the released Scott Elarton and disabled Jorge De La Rosa (elbow) in the rotation (the Yanks will miss Nuñez in this series), and Joey Gathright replaces the once again disabled Reggie Sanders (hamstring) on the bench.

For those who have forgotten, the Yankees took the first three games last week’s series in K.C. by a combined 25-7 score, but the third game was just 3-1 after seven innings and saw the Yankees go hitless with runners in scoring position even after dropping an additional four-spot on tiring starter Gil Meche and reliever Jimmy Gobble. The Yanks were then shutout by De La Rosa, Zack Greinke, and Soria in the finale as Kei Igawa and Sean Henn combined to allow seven runs.

We’re halfway through the ESPN miniseries The Bronx Is Burning, an engaging look at the circus-like 1977 Yankees amidst the backdrop of a decaying New York City. As visiting author Charlie Vascellaro told me over the weekend here in Cooperstown, "The series is over the top, but those 1977 Yankees were over the top, too. It’s just wonderfully entertaining."

Aside from George Steinbrenner and Reggie Jackson, the man who provided much of the comic relief for the ‘77 Yankees was the team’s center fielder, the free-swinging Mickey Rivers. Rivers was known by several nicknames, including "Mick the Quick," "The Chancellor," and his own creation, "Gozzlehead." Those nicknames referred to Rivers’ footspeed, his questionable intelligence, and his lack of physical beauty, respectively.

The legend of Mickey Rivers began during his college days at Miami-Dade Community College. During his days at Miami-Dade, Rivers popularized the custom of addressing everyone as "Gozzlehead." It was a habit that Rivers had acquired while growing up in the Miami area. Although no direct translation exists for the word, Gozzlehead usually referred to someone who was physically unattractive. Rivers also came up with alternative words to Gozzlehead, such as "Warplehead" and "Mailboxhead."

While at Miami-Dade, Rivers emerged as one of the stars of the baseball team, but suddenly went AWOL just moments before the start of one particular game. His teammates and coaches later discovered his where he had gone. Rivers had fallen asleep under a nearby tree, in full uniform no less, making him an updated version of Casey Stengel. That was classic Rivers—and a sign of things to come.

Rivers eventually brought his unusual habits and greetings to the major leagues. Drafted and signed by the Atlanta Braves’ organization in 1969, Rivers never did make it to the Braves, sparing the likes of Hank Aaron and Phil Niekro from having to deal with a most unusual teammate. In September of 1969, the Braves traded him to the California Angels, for whom he made his big league debut in 1971. Arriving in Southern California, Rivers brought with him an unusual style of walking toward home plate. Stooped over like an old man, Rivers hobbled from the on-deck circle toward the batter’s box, his feet appearing to be in extreme pain with each step. Rivers’ staggering walk toward the plate belied his true footspeed; in the early 1970s, some observers considered Mick the Quick the fastest runner in the game. It wasn’t until Willie Wilson made his debut for the Kansas City Royals that Rivers would have to relinquish the crown as baseball’s fastest man.

After the 1975 season, the Angels traded Rivers to the Yankees. The timing could not have been better for Rivers, what with the Yankees about to win three consecutive American League pennants. Rivers fit smoothly into a volatile Yankee environment that came to be known as the "Bronx Zoo." Though not as controversial as some of his teammates, Rivers sure had his fair share of moments. He liked to bet on horses at the racetrack. As depicted in The Bronx Is Burning, he often tried to borrow money from more financially stable teammates, including Reggie Jackson and Bucky Dent. During the 1978 season, the Yankees actually removed the telephone from the clubhouse at Yankee Stadium in order to prevent Rivers from calling in his bets to the track. Still, Rivers managed to lose large sums of money on the horses.

Sometimes the financial defeats at the horse track left Rivers so upset that he failed to hustle on the field. At other times, he simply felt too depressed to play. Word of Rivers’ depression would circulate the clubhouse until it eventually reached the office of Yankee owner George Steinbrenner. "The Boss" would then slip some money into a white envelope and have it delivered to Rivers, whose depression would give way to a renewed enthusiasm in playing that day. Those "white envelopes" became an infamous part of Yankee lore in the 1970s.

Such payments, which actually represented advances in his salary, usually maintained Rivers’ presence in the lineup. An exception almost took place in the fifth and final game of the 1977 American League Championship Series against the Royals. Prior to the game, Rivers remained in the trainer’s room, refusing to play after Yankee general manager Gabe Paul had turned down his latest request for a salary advance. Rivers would have missed the game, if not for some last minute negotiating by backup catcher Fran Healy. (Healy was just about Jackson’s only friend on the 1977 Yankees, a role for which he should have received double his normal salary.) Ever the peacemaker, Healy convinced Rivers to play. That was a good thing, since Rivers ended up delivering the game-winning run with a crucial single in the ninth inning.

When Rivers wasn’t sulking about his sinking financial situation, he was offering his own unique perspective on life with the Yankees. He particularly liked to agitate Jackson, who had the largest ego of any player on the team. When Jackson bragged about having an IQ of 160, Rivers couldn’t resist taking a jab. "Out of what? A thousand? You can’t even spell IQ." Rivers’ remark thrilled teammates and became a memorable moment in the legend and lore of the Bronx Zoo.

Rivers’ tenure in the Bronx produced other classic quotations. One of his most famous occurred when he tried to explain the dynamics of the Yankees, who featured a controversial owner in Steinbrenner and a contentious manager in Billy Martin. "Me and George and Billy," Rivers said, "we’re two of a kind."

Ultimately, Rivers’ lapses in hustle and his frequent lateness resulted in his being traded. Even after his Yankee days, Rivers remained an entertainingly colorful character, becoming a popular member of a free-spirited group of Texas Rangers. An avid participant in card games, Rivers served as the unofficial "dealer" in the Rangers’ clubhouse. He also liked to challenge his teammates to impromptu 40-yard dashes. Even in his thirties, the fleet Rivers won most of those races.

In the spring of 1983, the Rangers released the aging Rivers, which proved to be an unpopular decision with many of his teammates. "He made bad days livable," said Buddy Bell, the Rangers’ starting third baseman. Mick the Quick also made those 1977 Yankees a bit more loveable at a time when people like Jackson, Steinbrenner, and Martin were awfully hard to like.

Offense: Let’s see, 16 runs and a franchise-record eight homers in the first game, then overcoming an 8-0 deficit in a single inning in the finale. That alone would be plenty, but they scored eight runs and smacked another five homers on Wednesday to average 11 runs and five homers per game for the series. Sick. Sicker? The Yankees have scored seven or more runs in their last six home games.

Studs:

Jorge Posada 8 for 15, 2 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 6 R
Robinson Cano 4 for 12, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R, BB, HBP
Bobby Abreu 6 for 11, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R, 2 BB, SB, CS
Hideki Matsui 4 for 12, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R, 2 BB
Johnny Damon 4 for 8, HR, RBI, 2 R, 2 BB
Shelley Duncan 2 for 4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB
Wilson Betemit 1 for 2, HR, 3 RBI, R, BB, K

Duds:

Alex Rodriguez 2 for 14, RBI, R, SB, K
Andy Phillips 2 for 11, RBI, 3 R, SacB, K
Derek Jeter 2 for 10, HR, RBI, 2 R, 2 K
Melky Cabrera, 3 for 14, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, K

Miguel Cairo appeared twice as a defensive replacement, but did not come to bat. Jose Molina went 0 for 1 in relief of Posada in the finale.

Rotation: Excellent starts by Mike Mussina (6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 6 K) and Andy Pettitte (7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K), and a complete and utter disaster by Roger Clemens in the finale (1 2/3 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K). See my Fungoes piece on Clemens over at SI.com.

Bullpen: Same story as the rotation. First two games: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K. Finale: 7 1/3 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 7 K, 3 HR.

The Good:

Ron Villone allowed just a single and a walk while striking out three over two innings in the finale. Sean Henn struck out two in a perfect inning to finish that game and also pitched around a single for a scoreless six-pitch inning in the opener. Brian Bruney struck out one in a scoreless inning on Wednesday throwing nine of his 13 pitches for strikes. Luis Vizcaino pitched around a double for a scoreless inning of his own in that game.

The Bad:

Kyle Farnsworth responded to the boos from his home crowd with a perfect eight-pitch inning on Tuesday night, but gave up a two-run home run to Jermaine Dye on Thursday afternoon. Jeff Karstens first major league pitch since his leg was broken by a comebacker came with two out and the bases loaded in the historic second inning of yesterday’s game. He got out of that jam without doing further damage and his offense staged an improbable rally to tie the game at 8-8, but he couldn’t hold things there allowing three runs on five hits (including a two-run homer by Dye) over the next three innings. It’s tough to be too hard on Karstens who was put in a tough spot in his first game since coming off the DL, but with Proctor gone, Farnsworth needs company in “The Bad” section.

Conclusion: Even a merely poor outing from Clemens could have led to a sweep. Fortunately, Phil Hughes is returning on Saturday to further strengthen the starting five. Overall an excellent performance. The offense continues to spread things around, Derek Jeter got some rest in the finale, Alex Rodriguez looks to be coming around, making good contact and finally getting a pair of hits in the finale, and Shelley Duncan and Wilson Betemit just might conspire to force Miguel Cairo off the roster when Jason Giambi rejoins the team next week after all (though I won’t hold my breath).

We all know that George Steinbrenner isn’t the man he used to be. For several years now, the press has hinted at this fact as Steinbrenner has receeded from the public eye. He rarely speaks directly to the media. There have been whispers that the Boss is sick, that he’s got dementia, but nobody has come right out and said as much, which is more than a little curious considering just how public a figure Steinbrenner has been. But now Franz Lidz, formerly of Sports Illustrated, drops the bomb.

Here is the story. Discuss.

So, is anybody else yearning for a nice, crisp, old-fashioned pitchers’ duel?

Thursday’s game passed rapidly from disastrous blowout, to mind-blowing Yankees Classic comeback, to just kind of meh; it was like the Yankees’ entire season – so far, anyway – condensed into nine innings. This is terrible! No, wait, it’s awesome! No, no, wait… it’s just kind of mediocre! And it took four hours! When the dust settled, it was White Sox 13, Yankees 9.

I thought Clemens looked pretty strong in his first inning of work, but – You Can’t Predict Baseball, Part 37,854,237 – the second inning was one of his worst ever, and the White Sox scored eight runs before he was mercifully lifted. Thanks to an uncharacteristic and costly error by Robinson Cano on what should have been an inning-ending double-play, only three were earned, but nevertheless, Clemens simply had nothing yesterday: the ball ball was right up over the plate, it wasn’t thrown all that fast, and it wasn’t moving. The inning is a blur of bloopers, line drives, singles and doubles, loaded bases and scoring White Sox; the nine hits in the frame were the most Clemens has ever allowed, and the last time he allowed eight… uh, Gorbachev was introducing glasnost? Sorry, but it seems like every time Clemens starts this year, he does something or other for the first time since the 80s, and I’m starting to run out of Cold War references.

I tend to assume that any game in which I so much as glimpse Mike Myers in the second inning is a game the Yankees are going to lose, and indeed he issued a walk to the first and only batter he faced. But he was followed by Jeff Karstens, returning from his freakishly fractured leg, who came in with the bases loaded and induced Juan Uribe to fly out. The Yankees then began the arduous climb back against Sox starter John Garland; it took them all of three outs.

Matsui singled, Posada doubled, Cano singled, and new Yankee Wilson Betemit introduced himself with a nice big three-run home run, which earned him a curtain call. Scott who? That got the Yanks halfway there, and a long string of singles (plus a Posada ground-rule double) took them all the way back. This was only the second time in Major League history, apparently, that both teams have scored eight runs in a single inning… and as YES put it, the first time ever in all of Major League history that two teams accomplished this in the second inning. “We’re a part of history,” said Al Leiter, in the booth. “… A really small part.”


Other than a Bobby Abreu homer in the sixth, though, that was all the offense the Yankees had in them. Go figure that the Yanks would torch a pretty solid starter in Garland, then flail helplessly at the White Sox’s largely inept bullpen; You Can’t Predict Baseball, part 37,854,238.

The White Sox fared better against the Yankee relievers. Jeff Karstens wasn’t terrible given that this was his first outing back, but he gave up three runs in three innings, and far, far too many of those runs were created by Scott Podsednik. Ron Villone was actually quite good, but he was followed by Kyle “Oh… You’re Still Here?” Farnsworth, who, to the surprise of absolutely no one, allowed two impressive home runs in his inning of work. To be fair – and despite what you might have gathered from the crowd’s reaction – the game was largely lost before he got there; but damn, the guy’s just excruciating to watch. “I still believe Kyle Farnsworth is going to be a contributor to this,” Joe Torre said after the game. Well sure, I believe that too… but what exactly is “this”?

It was a tough loss, particularly given that Cleveland won, and so the Yankees are once again three games back in the Wild Card race. But on a basic humanitarian level, it may have been for the best: if the White Sox had lost, I would have feared for both the mental and physical health of Ozzie Guillen.

In other news, Jorge Posada left the game in the 8th with banged-up knees, stemming from a nice double play he completed at the plate (Robinson Cano, trying to atone, started it with a great throw after catching a popup in shallow center). But it sounds like the injury isn’t serious, so it’s probably okay to start breathing again now.

Finally, A-Rod hit his 500th home run. What – you didn’t hear about it? Man, I’m telling ya, this whole milestone’s just not getting enough media attention…

Yo, it is absolutely scorching out there today. It’s Do the Right Thing hot; Dog Day Afternoon hot. The old man, Rocket Clemens goes against Jon Garland this afternoon as the Yanks look for the sweep. It’s beautiful that the Bombers have already won the series, but that ain’t enough, right? More, more, more.

Let’s Go Yan-Kees.

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You wouldn’t have known that if you read the back cover of the Post this morning, which features a photograph of Alex Rodriguez sitting in the dugout. The headline? “May-Rod.” Yeah, I’m a dummy if I expect anything but shamelessness from a rag that traffics in human misery. Maybe it is the heat–and it is hotter’n’July in New York right now–but I’m just disgusted.

Vic Ziegel suggests his paper, The Daily News, isn’t much better:

Alex Rodriguez is the best player in the game. Okay, that was easy. There is no other candidate. When he makes it to the Hall of Fame, they will add a penthouse for him.

He is six days past his 32nd birthday, still a child in Yankee years, and is already collecting the kinds of numbers that will one day make Babe Ruth look like Ruth Babe.

A-Rod must be the best because no one – not the Babe, who was bigger than life, or the Mighty Casey, a poem’s cleanup hitter, or Barry Bonds, the body that ate Pittsburgh – can come close to A-Rod’s latest impressive headline. He was the big story and big picture on Page 1 of this newspaper yesterday. This is why: he didn’t hit a home run the night before. Hasn’t hit a home run, in fact, since the middle of last week. And didn’t manage to hit one last night in the Yanks’ 8-1 win over the White Sox. The Yankees tagged 13 homers in those two wins. None of them came off Rodriguez’s bat. Not one, nada. When was the last time a player ever made it to Page 1 for committing the sin of not hitting a home run? Never is a good guess.

I realize I’m adding to the sideshow by evening mentioning it (guilty), so let’s move on. The Yanks beat the White Sox about the face and neck last night by the tune of 8-1. Here is the real story: New York is now just two games behind Cleveland in the wildcard standings. Andy Pettitte labored early in the game but “grinded it out” and got plenty of run support: Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano, and everybody’s All-American, Shelley Duncan, all homered.

It was another tough night for White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, who saw his pitcher Charlie Haeger tossed in the eighth inning for hitting Cano with a knuckle ball:

“The only thing I wish is Major League Baseball looks at this kind of stuff and sees what’s really going on out there,” Guillen said. “The umpire has the right to call anything, but you have to have a little bit of common sense about baseball to do that. I’ve never seen anyone try and get a point across with a knuckleball.

“You can’t win. You’re a baseball employee … a baseball bitch — at least I am.”

Good ol’ Ozzie. Always good for a quote. Finally, here is something that is sure to generate some conversation. According to Fortune magazine, the YES Network is for sale. That was quick, huh?

Big Andy Pettitte is on the hill tonight as the Yanks look to win the series against the White Sox. No soup for Alex Rodriguez last night. Of course, I’d love to see him hit that dinger–and, wouldn’t you know it, so would Michael Kay, who was amping himself up for his big call something ridiculous last night–but I’ll settle for a couple of hits in the meanwhile. Rodriguez had swung the bat well last night, a good sign. According to Pete Abe, Jorge Posada thinks Alex’ll hit a couple tonight after being shutout of the homerthon yesterday.

Milestones aside, the “w” is the thing.

Let’s Go Yan-Kees!