Tuesday, September 06, 2011

CLOSER THAN IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN

***YANKS OUTLAST THE ORIOLES***
You have the worst team in the AL East going up against baseball's best closer. Game over, right? Nope, instead it came down to J.J. Hardy swinging wildly at a pitch a foot outside to shut down Baltimore with the go-ahead run 180 feet away. Whew! Mariano Rivera has not looked like the Rivera of years past this season. No, he's looked positively (gulp) human. He needs 5 more saves to be #1 in career saves. If he does it this year, and he should, I wonder if we'll see him next year. He may retire rather than go out looking washed up.

Ah, just what the Yankees need: another slugger. Rookie Jesus Montero belted his first two home runs for the Yanks yesterday, putting another nail into the coffin of Jorge Posada. Well, we knew he could hit, I'd like to see him catch, but the word is that Girardi is just going to use him as the DH for the rest of the season.

Before we get too excited with yesterday's win, consider the plight of the hapless Orioles. The Associated Press had this to say about the efforts of Oriole starter Brian Matusz:
"Matusz had his best start in half a season, even though he lasted just 1 1/3 innings and 46 pitches while allowing five runs, five hits and two walks." Best start? Really? Of course, nobody really pitched well on either side. Yankee starter Freddie Garcia gave up 7 runs in less than 3 innings and Aaron Laffey was awarded the win even though he only recorded two outs.

***THE PLAYOFF TEAMS LOOK SET***
The Tigers are in and, unless the Angels can mount a late season charge, so are the Rangers. The Yanks have a 2 1/2 game lead over Boston and the only question is who will win the division. In the National League, it will be Philly, Milwaukee and the Diamondbacks with Atlanta winning the wild card.

The Boston Red Sox pitching, once considered to be the cream of the American League, is a total shambles. Their ace, Josh Beckett, left the game yesterday with a strained right knee. Instead of "the cream," Boston's staff now looks like "whipped cream."

***THEY SAID IT***
"Virginia Union and St. Augustine played a game in the middle of Hurricane Irene. In the history of college football, it has never been more important to win the coin toss and take the wind." -- Brad Dickson
"Derek Jeter has broken yet another club record — Mickey Mantle's mark for games played this week — further padding his legacy as the Yankees' all-time leader in amassing hits, singles, stolen bases and movie starlets" -- Dwight Perry
"The NFL preseason continues. When that gun goes off at the end of regulation, it can only mean one thing. Plaxico Burress is in the house." -- Alan Ray
"Tennis star Andy Roddick turns 29 years old on Tuesday. The man is married to Brooklyn Decker; what could you possibly get him that would make his life better?" -- Jerry Perisho

CP-

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