Unlikely Sweep

They'll be talking about this series for a while, especially today's game, 5-0 Yanks over the Sox. Wang dominant. Two HRs by Cano. Giambi with sterling defensive plays (!) I watched the re-broadcast on NESN all the way to the end so I could see for myself the controversial double play that got Francona ejected, but I really wanted to see what happened with Chamberlain. Frankly, the simulation I saw on MLB's Game Day didn't do the two pitches at Youkilis' head justice. I don't think Joba could've gotten any farther from the strike zone without looking like he was throwing at the fans behind home plate. Not to mention Posada set him up outside both times. So what was he thinking? Plonking Youkilis wouldn't make sense by any logic I can see. I believe Torre when he pretty much said he wouldn't send a boy to do an man's job. It had to be loss of control. Needless to say, the Red Sox won't laugh it off.

Also, needless to say, the Yanks look like a team that could certainly be in the playoffs, at least by virtue of the Wild Card. Now they're also just 5 games behind Boston again. Does this mean they have a chance to take the whole Division? Well, there are still a lot of games left, and it's baseball, so nothing is ruled out; but I wouldn't look at this series as a signal the Sox are ready to collapse again. I predict the Sox will wale on their next couple of opponents at home. Baltimore is walking into an ambush tomorrow. Then expect some serious drama when the Yanquis visit Boston a couple of weeks from now. What could be more fun than that? It's gonna be crazy!

Wild Wild Card 2

How could I forget to mention that since the Mariners and Tigers both lost last night, this puts NY at the moment in a virtual tie with Seattle (.001 behind) for the Wild Card, both 3 games ahead of Detroit. From this point, the Yanks clearly control their own fate with respect to getting into the playoffs. No pressure, guys!

Someone Brought the Gas 2

Boston at NY already more than I could have hoped for, with the Yanquis winning a close one 4-3 last night thanks to great pitching by the Rocket and another masterful save by Rivera. HRs by Papi, Youkilis, and A-Rod. Game 3 already at top of the 8th (2-0 Yanks!); I can't watch it, but following it by MLB Game Day (what a great invention!), and wanted to get this in before it's over.

Looks like it's been a well pitched game between Schilling and Wang, with Wang looking seriously good, at least from my desktop. Would like to have actually seen the double play that Francona got himself ejected over.

You know, I've really started to like the Red Sox over the last six years that I've lived in NH, but I will always root for the Yankees, unless they do something that really pisses me off. More about the Sox when this series is over.

Wild Wild Card

Well, I was wrong, as usual, but in a good way. Or I just went to bed too early. The Angels managed to beat the Mariners after all. The Tigers lost as well. That leaves NY only 1 game behind Seattle, and Detroit 3 games behind, for the AL Wild Card.

Someone Brought the Gas

Yanquis 6-3 over the Red Sox. Things I enjoyed: Yanks pitching, for a change; Pettitte looking good, Chamberlain packing heat, and Rivera mowing down Sox in order in the 9th; Jeter's HR; Damon with the game winning HR; watching the game on NESN, especially their analysis of the Sox loss in the post-game.

Not so great: Seattle already up 5-0 on the Angels in the first inning. NY might not make up any ground in Wild Card race tonight.

Objects in the Mirror May Be Farther Away Than They Appear

Well, it was fun for a while. With the Red Sox essentially treading water for a month, and the Yankees charging up from near-oblivion, you could see the fans start to check the rear-view every night, their eyes beginning to bulge just slightly. The last two weeks have seen a complete reversal, with the Yanks at first experiencing vapor lock, then appearing to have run out of gas altogether. By the time I got home from work last night and turned on the final game of the Tigers series, looking for some signs of life, the score was already 10-0; I turned it off a minute later, thus avoiding the full spectacle of the worst Yankees home shutout loss ever. I don't know when I've ever seen a pitcher as dejected as Mussina appeared in his post-game interview. He's an intelligent guy, and he looked absolutely bewildered, answerless.

While the Yanks have been flailing about, the Red Sox have been pounding opponents nightly. At the same time, their pitching has been exemplary, carrying through close games when needed. The Sox went insane in Chicago, outscoring them 46-7 in 4 games. It doesn't matter that the White Sox are in the cellar of their division; the latter number shows where Boston pitching is at. Tonight the Sox come-a-calling at the House in the Bronx. Of course the season isn't over, but don't look for a repeat of the 1978 Boston Massacre. It's not going to happen, and even if the Yanks somehow managed to win every game in this series, the effect on the Division standings would be minimal. The silver lining here is that the Mariners have matched the last few NY losses, so they are still only 2 games ahead in the Wild Card race. However, the Tigers are now only a game behind the Yanks. In other words, the pressure in the Red Sox series is all on the Yanquis. The good news is that they are not quite dead, yet. But they definitely need to find a gas station, and soon.

Rust

It's now been almost 3 months this monkey's typewriter keys have been stuck together. In that time a considerable amount of rust has accumulated, adding to the problem. With generous squirts of 3-in-one, a blast of WD-40, all is working again, for the moment. I now have to blog twice a day to meet my stated goal of 365 entries this year. But where to start? How about this? A picture of the moon I took with a hand-held Eos Rebel last January. Why? Well, why not.

I was just screwing around then, and I'm just screwing around now.