3 SLAMS AND THEY'RE OUT

***YANKS CRUSH THE A'S, 22-9***
The Yanks made sure they didn't get swept, but it would have been nicer if they had gotten some of those runs earlier in the series. I could write all day about all the hitting and scoring, but I did notice one thing that impressed me. Even with the score 16-7 or thereabouts, the Yankee hitters refused to swing at pitches outside the strike zone. That's disciplined hitting. I didn't think I'd ever be saying this , but kudos to the home plate umpire, who never gave in and widened the strike zone either.
Posada almost looked like he was trying to prolong the game when throwing out a runner for the game's final out. I think it's been a long time since he laughed that hard.
In talking about the upcoming series with Baltimore, Michael Kay mentioned that the Orioles had so many injuries, it was going to be like playing their farm team in Rochester. The Rochester parent team is actually the Minnesota Twins. Baltimore's affiliate is in Norfolk.

The Yanks move to Baltimore now, for five games in four days, however, weather could be an issue. AJ Burnett pitches the first game tomorrow night. I don't think I've ever rooted for a hurricane before.

ONE MORE 'STUPIDEST THINGS IN SPORTS':
After a basketball player shoots an air ball, the crowd chants, “Air ball, air ball!!!” If you’re at a Yo-Yo Ma concert and he makes a mistake, does the gallery chant, “Wrong chord, wrong chord!!!”? -- Norman Chad

Here's an interesting little tidbit:
Since he took over as president of the Texas Rangers, Nolan Ryan has tried to dispel the theory of 'Pitch Count.' He wanted the practice of removing pitchers from the game based on some arbitrary number of pitches, stopped. He wanted his pitchers to go deeper into games regardless of the pitch count and build their arm strength beyond the accepted 100 pitches. Now the Rangers are being knocked around by the Red Sox hitters and Ryan had this to say about his pitching staff: "They're just not sharp. They look fatigued to me." Gee, I wonder why, Nolan.

Terrible news about the death of former Oriole pitcher Mike Flanagan at age 59. I had the good fortune of seeing him pitch when he was with the Baltimore farm club here in Rochester.

BREAKING NEWS: Jim Thome has approved a deal that will send him to the Cleveland Indians.

CP-