Sox storm back late, Yanks get smoked

We admit it. We was ascared. After the Rays plated their 5th run in the second, we thought Schill wouldn't be Schill this year and any playoff success would be minimal. It didn't matter if he threw a fastball or splitter, it was over the heart of the plate. Double after double...

Good news? Yup, the next 4 innings he looked good. His command improved and he was able to hit his spots and get hitters out effectively. Faith restored. While he still has a ways to go, those 4 innings provided a light at the end of the tunnel. Will he be the Schill of last year? Probably not as dominant, but he has 6 more starts to improve. He's such a driven guy, and now has some confidence to build on. Remember, this is the first time he's thrown 97 pitches. He's only going to get stronger. Keep the faith...

We are more than happy to eat crow today. Sox were able to solve Kazmir for the first time. Rays reliever Borowski was scored upon for the first time in 20+ innings. Normally solid closer Baez was solved. Thanks to a horrible officiating crew (balls & strikes, 2nd, & homeplate calls) and a never die attitude, the Sox gutted out a much needed win. This is one of those games you look back on as a catalyst to propel you into the playoffs. This team now has an "aura" about them. They never think that they're out of any game - ever. If pitching falls down (which it has most of the year) the lineup picks them up. We don't think the Yanks will get any closer. See you in October...

Yanks get spanked in Seattle. Their best starter of late, Chacon, got racked for 8 runs. They also learned that Mussina will be shut down for at least 1 start due to an inflamed elbow. Looks like the "deepest" rotation in the majors takes another hit. We can hear Jaret Wright breaking down from here. Maybe Kevin Brown comes back. Ha. No way this patchwork rotation carries them through the next 30+ games. Especially when the pressure is really magnified on the secondary guys.

Thanks to their newest acquisition Mark Belhorn for his 0-4 performance. We were hoping for a double whammy with him striking out with the bases loaded and then Embree blowing it the next inning. But we'll take the outcome anyway. Nice to see their other latest pickup - Matt Lawton - hitting a robust .154

Yanks face 19yr old Seattle phenom Hernandez tonight (2-1, 1.75 ERA - only given up 7ER in 5 games, 38K in 36IP). Big Unit better be lights out. Could be 3 1/2 in a hurry...

Sox take 1st from Rays, HGH propels Yanks

Sox get another solid outing from Clement & he finally gets a win for his efforts. He's pitched well and left with a lead in a few of his last starts, but the pen has let him down. Why did Francona pull him in the 6th after 1 batter???

The Schilling experiment continues tonight. Lets hope his first week of a starters routine gets him going. Don't expect too much. Hope for improvement over his last outing. If not, you know why the Steve Traschel rumors are out there. It seems a little far fetched that a team in the wild card hunt (1 1/2 games out) would trade away such a commodity - unless they think he's still hurt. Trade bait of Youkilis to replace 21HR and 80+ rbi from 3rd base? Doubtful. Lets hope Schill pitches well and makes it a non issue...

Sox face nemesis Kasmir tonight. They just can't seem to get it done against him. Pray for rain after 4 innings. Lets hope they can solve him. Sox lead probably down to 1/2 game tonight...

The human growth hormone Giambi (aka HGH) does it again in Seattle. Must be that "Cortisone" shot he got on Thursday. Anything else mixed in with that "wink, wink" Cortisone?

Mussina pulled early last night. Has he ever had control problems like this before? If the Yanks somehow make the postseason, who do you fear in this OLD rotation? If Chacon is truly the "ace", don't look to get past the first round...

What's up with the Yanks signing Belhorn? Can't wait until his first big strikeout in pinstripes. Maybe he can ground into an inning ending double play with the game on the line, and Embree can come in and blow it the next inning. We absolutely love the guy for what he did last year - especially in the playoffs. But he struggled mightily in his minors rehab. A change of scenery won't help. At least we'll miss him less now that he's gone over to the dark side...

Hey Cashman, Remlinger is available too! Bargain basement price!

Sox pen blows sweep, HGH & Yanks crush KC, close to 1 1/2

Sox should have swept Tigers but the bullpen faultered once again. They need the Foulke of old in a big way soon. Timlin needs to be put back into his dominant role. They need to figure out who the bridge will be to get to Timlin.

Remlinger is gone (finally). Bradford is still a little scary. Myers has been solid, but will primarily be the lefty specialist. Papelbon & Alvarez don't have the experience as relievers. Jeremi Gonzalez has been hit or miss. Just plain scary...

Mystery is why the Sox are being overly cautious with Hansen. He continues to dominate at double A. We guess the Sox are waiting to evaluate Foulke before they make a final decision. It does makes sense to see what you have with him, especially if he doesn't cut it. Do you throw Hansen into the closers role right away if that happens? On the flip side, you would think they would call him up to pitch in mid relief now to get his feet wet. Then if Foulke faulters, you can slide him in. Not sure what's going on behind the scenes... They have a couple of options for the playoff rosters (Wade Miller & Mantei on DL) - can be replaced with any 2 pitchers in organization...

Yanks able to sweep KC and close gap to 1 1/2 games. Nice to see our friend HGH (aka Giambi) bounce back after another dose. What happened to his swing most of August? We guess that the human growth hormone he's shooting doesn't have the long term affect that roids do. How else can you explain what is going on? No BS. Have you ever see or heard something like this happening to anyone? Please...

Schill has long way to go, Yanks pick up game

Schill looked fairly sharp in the first, but it was all downhill from there. His velocity was good - in the low 90's, but thats about all the good news. His biggest problem this season has been contact. He hasn't been able to make hitters miss very often. You know it's a problem when a team like the Royals hits him hard. He admits he needs to adjust his pitching style to accomodate the contact. Problem is, he's not a sinkerball pitcher, so contact is probably not good - especially against good lineups like the Yanks orAngels...

Don't panick yet folks, this is a tough transition. It's going to take a while to get his strength and stamina back. Give him time to get back into his starting regimen. His arm strenghth is there. His conditioning isn't. He just started running again. He is the most driven player on that team and holds himself to a higher standard than we do.

We were as frustrated as you watching the second inning last night. Keep the faith. You'll be rewarded again...

Sox look to bounce back with Wake vs Tigers. Don't expect too much - unless Wake is on fire. The gang didn't get into Boston until 4am...

Yanks Chacon defeats Chacin. Isn't "i" before "o"? Anyway, he seems to be the Yanks best pickup of 2005. He could be their ace going into Sept. Unit & Mussina struggling as of late. Don't expect Jaret Wright to continue his lucky streak either. He's an injury waiting to happen. Why in the hell did Torre take Small out of the rotation? They struck journeyman gold with that guy. He was lights out. Big mistake. He's out of rythm now and won't be as good if Unit/Wright/Leiter faulter...

Yanks look to close 2 1/2 game lead. Probably will tonight. They get a tired KC bunch (arrived same time as Sox)

Sox Management "Banning" Yankees Suck T-Shirts

Sox management has not adopted an official policy regarding the removal (or turning inside out of) Yankees Suck T-shirts. They have been asking anyone within the confines of Fenway to turn them inside out and and apparently "no one has turned down the request". How do you turn down a "turn it inside out - or get out" request?

Here's the article: http://business.bostonherald.com/businessNews/view.bg?articleid=99534

While we do not like the "Yankees Suck" chant at Fenway, fans should be able to wear whatever they want (vulgarity excluded). Are they really taking away the enjoyment of other fans by wearing them? No way. Fenway has a different atmosphere when the Yanks are in town. Fans and management don't know this? Please. Screw the Yankee fans in the stands if they don't like it. Stay home. We get the same views if not worse at the Bronx...

Talk about nasty & vulgar t-shirts. If you haven't taken a walk around Yanks Stadium, it's all Yankee apparell and thats it. That includes Boston Sucks t-shirts. (I guess they had to scrap all those 1918 ones - HA) At least at Fenway, opposing teams can buy their own stuff around the park.

Fenway already has a very friendly park - especially when compared to the Bronx. We can't believe Yankee fans complain about this with what goes on in their park. Come on Sox management, it's only a t-shirt. They are only in town 9 or 10 games a year anyway (especially when the Yanks miss the playoffs this year).

Schilling to propel Sox into Oct...

Well lets not get too excited over this first start. It's more like spring training for Schill. Theo seems to believe we won't get a clear picture until at least 5 starts. So don not PANIC if he is pulled early or be OVERJOYED if he goes six strong. It is against the Royals.

Look for him to get 75-80 pitches if he doesn't struggle mightily. He will probably be erratic based on his recent stints in the closer role. He probably doesn't have the stamina to go very long either. If he hits 25+ pitches in one inning - especially after a couple, expect him to struggle. His body needs to adjust - again, and he's no spring chicken.

We think he'll ultimately be fine. As he gets stronger and gains more stamina, his control will remain especially late in games. Remember, this is a driven man. He likes to prove his doubters wrong. He wants to put the team on his shoulders and come thru in the end.

The Sox are in first, and have the luxury of easing Schill back in. They are not relying on him to get into the playoffs, but want him clicking on all cylinders once they're in. They won't win it all without him leading the way...

Sox strand 13, Yanks Mussina gets blown out...

Sox unable to convert multiple bases loaded chances and strand 13. Solid outing by Clement wasted. Manny being Manny jogs to first in what could have been a close play at first to plate winning run...

Sox look to close out long road schedule with Schill...

Yanks Mussina folds like a table and gets blown out to the tune of 8 runs in the 5th. Ouch... How's that deep rotation working out?

Beginning of end for Big Unit?

After his last shelling (uh, outing that is) - here are some comments (not making this stuff up):

Cashman: "He hasn't performed to his expectation or ours"...

Torre: "I can't say that we expected this stuff"...

Big Unit is winless since late July and has allowed 29HR (2nd in MLB & 1 shy of career high).

He's been on the DL or missed starts multiple times this season due to his back. We haven't heard anything publicly about the knee (missing cartilage), but he had cortizone shots all last season. Ask Keith Foulke how the knee can affect you - especially a power pitcher. He's 41 (42 in a few weeks), 17+ years of wear & tear, and has more pressure on him than ever before.

How's your Coccyx?





After his most recent loss, and 4HR in one inning, you can add whiplash to his list of injuries. Bad sign Yanks fans. But don't worry, he's good for at least 3 innings a start. (Just like tonights starter Leiter)


So if you think he's OK and the whole "I'm not sure what happened, I feel fine" lines, you are being snowed. Winter is coming early to NY this year...

Papel bon, bon, bon & Sox manage split. Sox DL & minors to propel into Oct...

Sox pull off a split somehow over the weekend. Papelbon looked good once again. Wade who? Nice to see Renteria coming thru in a big way. Hopefully he gains a little momentum confidence wise.

Schilling is going back into the rotation!!! Yes. Finally. It may take him a few starts to get going, but he is probably the key to getting another ring. Clement has been pretty damn solid, but we need 2 horses to win it. Arroyo, Wake, & Wells have been OK, but not consistent enough. At least Wells has a good rep in big games - especially playoffs...

Trot & Foulke are coming soon! Even though Trot almost took Foulke's arm off, the two should be back in no time. Just pray that the knee was Foulke's problem and not his squash...

Hansen is still impressing in the minors. He should make his major league debut soon. Sox need to bring him up before Aug 31 to make him eligible for playoffs. Fired up to see what this kid can do. Nothing like a fresh arm in the pen for a stretch run...

Sox could do some serious damage if everyone is healthy. Just have that feeling that this could get to be a lot of fun. Not to mention Yanks are tied for 2nd in wildcard race. Nice to see the Unit get lit up. How's that back treating you???

Colon, Angel bats knock Sox back to 4

Bartolo Colon was flamethrowing, Wake forced out on liner to shin. Just not a pretty game. We hope Wake is OK and x-rays are negative. Just can't afford to lose him at this point. If we do, Papelbon remains in rotation (Wade Miller out indef) and Schill comes into rotation? He can probably only go 70-80 pitches his first time out. Let's hope he regains some consistency when he stretches himself out. Foulke rehab and evaluation is not that close to being done. You might see Sox give Hansen a shot at closing as early as next week...

OK Angels, is it California, Anaheim, or Los Angeles? Please make it stop. Or how about the "Los Lobos Angels of Anaheimangeles"??? At least we know who will be singing your intros...

Sox look to bounce back with Clement. He needs to have a solid outing to get back on track after the gift from mother nature. Could be a tall task against the 10-4 big righthander - Lackey.

Yanks try to maintain pace by riding Mussina. White Sox counter with All-star Garland...

Wells, Manny being Manny sink Sox... Rays keep Yanks down again

Where's Waldo? Guess it's just Manny being Manny, episode #982. At least the pen held it together and Remlinger actually got some outs, lowering his era to 20 something... Sox are winless on Ben Affleck's birthday each of the last eight years (stay away from Fenway you jinx!)

Apparently the knock in the head didn't wake Manny up....

On a good note, Ortiz and Ramirez are the first pair of Red Sox teammates ever to hit 30+ home runs, and have 100+ RBI's in 3 consecutive seasons...

Wells was just plain awful in the 1st. He settled down but it was too late as the 6 runs held up. Sox had plenty of chances to win, but just couldn't get a big hit or sacrifice fly when they needed it. (Insert Manny being Manny here - or aka "MBM")

Yanks just can solve Tampa. Yanks are 4-9 vs the Rays and have not won a season series. Leiter can't get out of the 5th inning, and Embree continues to help out the Sox (he hasn't changed uniforms yet). Special thanks to Tanyon Sturtze for officially blowing it...

Here's a great quote from Tampa OF Johnny Gomes: "It just shows the Yankees -- with their history and with their payroll and with their All-Stars -- they're not bulletproof". In between the lines, there's no salaries and no world champions.” (that is since; “YEAR 2000! - YEAR 2000!”) Couldn't have said it better ourselves!!!

Sox ride Papi late, Embree drags Yanks back to 4 1/2

Another solid outing by rookie flamethrower Papelbon. He'll get at least another start as the front office is mum about Wade Miller's condition. We'd like to see Papelbon stay in there, but developmentally speaking, he's pitched close to his max # of outings allowed. It may not matter if all goes as planned: Foulke will be back to his old self, and Schill will be back in the rotation... Papelbon could be a force out of the pen in Sept/Oct. They should play Soul Coughing's "Super Bon Bon" every time he comes out...

Is there a bigger clutch hitter in MLB than Ortiz? It's really unbelievable how many times this guy has come up big. It's almost to the point where it's a surprise if he doesn't get it done. He's not quite at Larry Legend level - but he's approaching...

Here's where we start the Mariano is hurt/done/back to earth - buzz. He's blown 2 of the last 3 save ops and his ERA has ballooned to a 1.41. Uh oh... Is there an injury lurking in there? Too bad, because he would have gotten serious consideration for the Cy this year, and those 2 blown saves might have done him in.

Gotta love Embree. He's our old Ramiro Mendoza, but in reverse. Since joining the Yanks, here are his stat lines thru last night's debacle: 6IP, 6H, 5ER, 3BB, 3K, 7.50 ERA. Thanks Beautiful... (Yup, still wearing the Sox colors...)




Good news Yankee fans, Kevin Brown could be back in Sept. Did we say good news? We meant for us...

Yanks go with (hee hee) Leiter tonight. Keep holding your breath with that rotation gang... Maybe you can move into the NL West...

Schilling can't hold on, Yanks back to 3 1/2

Curt Schilling could not hold onto a 2 run lead, blowing his second save attempt and is now 8 of 10. His recent struggles including multiple home runs is starting to scare the Nation. In one of his recent closer shaves, he stated a lack of focus because he wanted to work on some specific pitches.

Should his recent skid be an indication that he's re-injured the ankle? Hopefully he's just a little fatigued. If he's not, we could be in big trouble. You know that they won't rush Foulke back, and Hansen just won't have enough "seasoning" to handle it. Things could be scary over the next few weeks unless the bats are in full force.

Yanks get surprisingly good outing from Wright. Really didn't expect much of anything upon his return. Will be interesting to see if the Big Eunuch goes out tonight. If he does, will he last more than 5?

Don't expect another sweep here, Rays playing a solid 18-12 since the break. Playing some of the best baseball in the majors in second half...

Sox continue rolling, Yanks scrapping to keep pace

The Sox continue to roll, notching their 13th win in a row at home. They have taken on the tema with the best record in baseball including their 2 best pitchers and have won relatively easily (despite some pen issues). If Foulke comes back healthy, this team is going to the series...

Yanks struggling to keep pace. Seems like all of their wins are coming late in games and they need to scratch and claw for each one of them. Their last 7 home games have ALL been 1 run games. That was the Sox M.O. for the past number of years trying to catch the Yanks. Nice to see tables have turned...

Lately it really has the feel of playoff baseball. There is just a feeling in the air that each game has become more important. You can almsot feel the sense of urgency when you're at the ballpark...

Raffy back to action, no doubt to response even at Camden

Well folks, he's decided to brave the boos and heckles by coming back to play. We hope someone comes up with something better than "Steroids"...

Know where you can stick that finger?

You know the Orioles front office isn't happy about his return. We think a recent exchange between the front office and Raffy went something like this: "You're cancelling the upcoming 3,000 hit celebration, right Raffy?" Supposedly he cancelled it. Sure...

Even his teammates think it's going to be ugly: "I wouldn't wish that on anybody". Ouch...

Biggest problem we have is with MLB's length of the first offense. Not sure how long roids stay in the system, but it's probably fair to say a guy is still on the juice after 10 days. Thats an unfair advantage even after they return. Apparently they didn't think that one through...

You know the O's will put him on waivers. The real question is if you are a contender, would you grab this guy off waivers - only if you seriously think he'll put you over the top? What a dilemma. Possibly win a World Series or inherit a PR nightmare. You would hope anyone that grabs him would suffer bad karma and go down in flames. Would serve them right...

Either way, he will be getting what he deserves...

Rogers roughed up, lead up to 5 1/2, Yanks fans jumping from rafters...

Looks like Kenny Rogers (aka the Gambler) should have taken the 20 games. Justice prevails...


Solid outing by Arroyo (or if you're a female Fox reporter it's "a-row-yo"). Went 7 strong. Must be the cornrows...

Bullpen still a big problem. Bradford not getting it done. He's next one to go until Sept callups. Hope Remlinger can bounce back from being thrown into the fire. Next up, Ricky Bottalico. Yikes. Do you get the feeling Theo is working on something big for the pen...

Yanks now back 5 1/2 and now 3rd in the wildcard behind Cleveland. They finally got some solid pitching (White Sox hitters helped) but their bats went silent. Next up is Texas. Their bats will expose the lack of pitching depth. If the Sox have success over Chicago, Yanks could be done after the weekend...

Poster boy for Yankee fans jumps into Stadium net

A Yankee fan seated in the upper deck at Yankee Stadium decided to test the strength of the net behind home plate. He told friends he wanted to see how strong the netting was. He leaped out of his seat from the upper deck onto the net below. He sat stunned for a few moments with his hands over his face, before being taken to the hospital for observation.

Steinbrenner muddled "That was the only exciting thing that happened today".

Just classic NY.

Say what you want about Sox fans, but they're just not this stupid...

MLB policies a complete JOKE

Kenny Rogers: How did he only serve 13 games when he was given 20? That's only 2 starts instead of 4. Why does an arbitrator have so much authority? The punishment was cut in HALF!

Steriods: Did MLB hold back the Raffy bombshell until he hit # 3000? They had the results back in June. Is the commish really going to sit in from of Congress and defend this? Does the test/retest & appeal process really take that long? It will be good television to watch the squirming. Speaking of squirming, we hope the hammer comes down on Raffy. We don't think they'll be able to pin perjury on him, but at least his credibility is shot...

We think that Capital Hill is really going to crack down. Those boys never convene during a summer break. I hope they make MLB institute harsher penalties - or step in to implement their own. At least the threat of that should get them moving on a new CBA.

Bring in the IOC level of testing. You know Jason Giambi (aka WWF Wrestler "HGH") is on something helping him out, and it's not protein shakes. We need to level the playing field and eliminate all the frauds out there. The 2 year penalty should be applied to Olympic sports, but not baseball. The penalty is apples to dumptrucks (thanks JD). A half season suspension should do it (2 years is half of 4yr Olympic "season").

Well, Congress has the opportunity and momentum to get this done. Please force MLB to crack down. Expose and eliminate the cheaters. We're tired of guessing who's numbers are real, and which records should not have been broken. If anything, please remember these two words:

NO MERCY!

Yanks lose, Embree continues to help Sox

Yanks fall back to 4 1/2 games...

Thanks again to Embree for serving up the go ahead, and winning home run in the 9th...

What the hell is Torre thinking by using him in that situation anyway? Looks like Theo knew he had lost it. How long will it take Joe & Mel?

Think you'll get a 4th straight good outing from Small? Don't count on it. Could be 5 1/2 back after todays games...

Clement good, fielding bad, mid relief crappy, umpires horrible, Renteria redeems

Doesn't the title pretty much sum it all up?

Glad to see Clement shake off the rust and get back to form. He deserved the win. Showed real guts after getting drilled by another line drive. Crowd responded with a standing O...

Nice to see Renteria bounce back when it really counted...

Bad coaching by bringing in Remlinger right away. Just not fair to throw a new guy (despite being a veteran) into that situation. (Hey Francona, remember Cla Meredith?)

Speaking of bad coaching, the Sox have a new 3rd base coach - the crowd. After Tek's double, Manny was about to round 3rd when the crowd roared "STOP", and he did. Looks like Sveum will be a decoration at Fenway...

Sox look to sweep vs Kenny Rogers (thats another article by itself)

Sox ride Graffinino, Gonzalez to win. Yanks keep pace

Thanks to the Yanks for letting Karsay go so the Sox could get the win last night!

The Sox were able to overcome another mediocre outing from Wade Miller. We're guessing he's hurt and holding back something. He's a shell of his former self...

Strong outing from Jeremi Gonzales and teriffic all around play from Graffinino. He just looks solid at every at bat. Belhorn's days with Sox may be numbered...

Sox face Benoit tonight - making only his 4th start of the year. Need to get to him early. He has a history of pitching well vs Sox.

Yanks keep pace with strong outing from Mussina. Too bad he can't string more than 1 in a row together... Also helps that the White Sox are struggling offensively...

Yanks face another former teammate in Contreras tonight. Will be interesting to see how he pitches against former mates. Odds are that he will get shelled... Yanks lucky to face bottom end of White Sox rotation...

Sox ride Wake, Yanks stay afloat but pitching woes continue

Wakefield pitched very well allowing only 2ER over 8IP. Delcarmen couldn't quite close it out, but continues to develop his game. Schill came in to finish it off. Sox look to extend winning ways vs Texas...

Yanks pitching woes getting worse - believe it or not. Sounds like Pavano is done for the year. Big Unit is having more back issues and will probably miss his next start. By the way, how's that cortizone shot in the knee feeling? Rotation falls on inconsistent Mussina, Small, Leiter, and Chacon. Yikes. No way Yanks overtake Sox unless huge collapse happens. Look out for Toronto if Halladay is healthy...

What happens to Schill when Foulke returns?

Schilling has done an admirable job in the closer role so far. He seems to improve as he goes along. Many people in the media say he should remain in that role even when Foulke returns. Why?

Shouldn't the Sox at least put him back in the starting role and see what he has? The media in particular is saying that he'll be no better than a #3 - which we already have enough of. Well how do you know if he doesn't go out there? Don't you think he'll use that notion as motivation?

It also depends on how effective Foulke is as well. If he can't bounce back and be effective, Schill might be forced to go back into that role. Not sure how well Foulke would react to being a set-up guy either. He seemed to excel more when the game is on the line, rather than just in getting work during a blowout. Don't expect to see him in Boston until he's thrown in the minors either - despite what he's said...

Was that the worst game you've ever seen?

Did the Sox even show up for this one? Couldn't even watch it after a certain point. Hopefully the Twins scored enough runs that they have none left for today. Sox get Santana today...

Yanks get another win from Small. OK, enough already. Did anyone tell him he is supposed to suck? I guess if you throw crap at the wall some of it will stick. Don't get too excited gang. Yanks probably will get within 2 1/2 after today. Don't expect to get any closer...

Sox continue rolling, Yanks stay 4 1/2 back

Matt Clement got back on the horse last night. He didn't pitch very well, but did OK considering his last outing and only throwing about 30 pitches in the last 2 weeks. All signs point to him getting back on track...

Congrats to Tek for finally getting the grand slam albatross off his back...

The Yanks "juice guy" now has 21 HR's for the year. Can you say HGH? Where are the Olympic testers when you need one?

Yanks lucky to remain 4 1/2 back. Thanks to some crappy bullpens & late inning rallies they've managed to stay in it. Don't count on that happening long term...

Sox survive sloppy game, Yanks 4 1/2 back...

Wade Miller was mediocre last night - but still better than the Yanks Mussina. Gotta give credit to a scrappy Royals team too. If it weren't for a few miscues and wild pitches, it would have been much closer. OK, they're not very good but they play hard.

It'll be interesting to see if Manny & Renteria make into today's afternoon stint. We'll be surprised to see either of them. Company line is to see how they are feeling when they get to the ballpark. After all, do we really need them to pull this one out? Depends on Matt Clement. All eyes will be on him as he makes his first start after being hit by a line drive. He seems to be a gritty kid so we think he'll be just fine. There really isn't a better situation to bring him in - against a mediocre Royals lineup.

We think the Yanks should pitch Mussina for 4 innings a game. He sucks in the 5th & 6th. Yanks can't afford to lose his or Big Unit's starts the rest of the way - they're falling back in the wild card race too... Your latest acquisition Chacon may be your best hope. But remember, you didn't give up much to get him, and the folks at Coors Field wouldn't give away the one thing they covet - good pitching. Toronto is up next... You could be in big trouble... Is that panic I hear, or is it talk about 2006?

Wake struggles early, settles in for win

Sox able to claw back into the game after early 4-0 defecit. Manny with 4 rbi's after holding up a "Manny being Manny" sign before the 1st inning. I'd rather have him happy & productive than pouting in the clubhouse. It will be interesting to see how long it will be before he tests our patience again. Lets hope it's until spring training next year... Hold on for more hyjinx (hey Kevin Millar, reel him back in a little)

Wake gets his 3rd win on his birthday. He made a few mistakes early, but settled down and able to get thru 7. Timlin and Schilling took care of business in the 8th & 9th with minimal trouble. Since Schilling has been in the pen, he has converted 6 of 7 saves with an era just over 3. He's getting better every time he's been out there. Can't wait to see him in the rotation though...

Sox able to extend lead to 3 1/2 games & look to close out next 2 vs lowly Royals. Former Sox prospect Chip Ambres looked good last night with a couple of hits including a homer...

Yanks lose, and Leiter, well you know...

Al Leiter, aka one-time wonder, lasted less than 3 innings and gave up 5 runs. We are sending a set of silverware to the Yankees front office because there are so many guys you can just stick a fork in at this point. Case in point, Yanks decline option on Bernie. Class guy, but has just lost it. Too many old men in that locker room.

Yanks now 3 1/2 back. Feeling like it's slipping away? Starting to seem like it. Better win tonight with Mussina, Chacon coming back to earth on Thur. It'll be 4 1/2 before you know it...

Raffy first big name exposed by Steroid Testing

Raffy, Raffy, Raffy... Wish you hadn't spoken to the Senate Committee now? How is that seat on the Steriod Commission doing? Shouldn't have pointed a finger & said you never did it. You know MLB tested & retested & retested this sample for such a marquis name. No false positive here. GNC you say? Not sure what you took or must have taken it by accident? That's crap. It's your responsibility to know what you're taking regardless.

I hope they crucify this guy. Not MLB, the Senate Committee. Do not let this slide. He lied under oath. Mark McGuire doesn't look so foolish now. He may have ended a chance of getting in the Hall too. What a dope. So disappointing - especially since he just surpassed 3,000 hits. Did he dupe us all? Sure feels like it.

I hope they make an example out of him. Unfortunately it comes down to when he was tested. Since it was probably recent, he cannot be charged with lying under oath. There is little doubt that he was juicing before his statement, but no proof. After his 10 game suspension, his only punishment will be boos at every stadium. If he was teetering on the Hall invite, kiss that goodbye too. He got off easy...

Next up: Giambi? Impressive July numbers raise more than eyebrows...

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Deadline passes "quietly", Sox sweep Twinkies

As much as most of us are disappointed in "Manny being Manny", we got quite the dose of reality when the proposed trade with the Mets was floated out there. Despite his many flaws, we wouldn't get back anything close to his production levels. The Sox certainly wouldn't have been better off this year - maybe long term in terms of financial flexibility. Without a stud pitcher in return, you could have kissed any playoff success goodbye.

The players in the clubhouse know they need him especially in Oct, but we hope its not to the point where they get so frustrated that they'd rather try it without him anyway. The thing is, Manny doesn't believe he's done anything wrong - or maybe doesn't care. At least he knows he pissed everyone off, and hopefully he falls into line for at least a while. Thanks to Millar for doing some damage control by throwing Manny in front of the media...

Congrats to Papelbon on an outstanding MLB debut. What a fastball this kid has. When he is able to get his off speed stuff under control, he could be a legitimate #1. He made a lot of hitters look awful yesterday. Nice to see the farm system finally paying some dividends. Delcarmen is still getting his feet wet but did a good job in his first pressure situation in the bigs.

Sox look to extend winning streak tomorrow against a mightily struggling Royals team. Should be able to extend the 2 1/2 game lead especially since Yanks did virtually nothing at deadline. And yes, that includes Chacon - despite a good first outing. The guys they've taken off the scrap heap have been pretty much 1 and done. Maybe Cashman can pick up a different starter every week to keep it going?

Angels pen Sucks, Yanks able to capitalize

So much for the best Pen in the majors... Yanks able to come back from 2 big deficits over the weekend. Giambi back into old form. We are having some doubts about his recent surge. He had an amazing power surge in July - 14 homers. Even you Yankee fans must have your doubts about it. We want him to pee in a cup - now...

By the way, thanks to Alan Embree for helping out on Sat even though it wasn't enough. At least he was used to the boos at Yankee Stadium. Hey Cashman, John Halama is available too... (The tables really have turned when the Yanks are sifting thru our discards)

And Tim McCarver has really hit the back 9 of his career. Actually we think he's at the 19th hole already. Maybe he wasn't fed before the game on Sat. His actual quotes in the 8th & 9th innings: "This game is delicious" & "This situation is yummy"
Yikes...