Finding ways to win is a sign of good character. No, not really, but it's a funny thing to say.

Winning is always better than losing:

"But much as the Yankee manager would like to believe his team is finally finding its groove, he would be advised not to use this particular series as a true measure of his team's abilities."

Okay. After 98 games, the team is 53-45, 4 1/2 games out of first, 3 games out in the wild card.


"If anything, Girardi ought to be concerned that his troops had to eke out a win as they did against a pitcher, Justin Duchscherer, who was still battling leftover ravages of the flu amid the 92-degree heat, and a lineup in which four of the last five hitters had batting averages of under .224."

No mention of Duchscherer's 1.82 ERA.

No mention of the fact that Oakland had a better record than the Yankees before the series started and will likely be contending for a playoff spot.


"For the third straight game, the Yankees got a strong starting pitching effort - this one from Andy Pettitte, who gutted it out for eight innings and 114 pitches, yielding just four hits, striking out nine and walking none in the steamy conditions."

Right.


"But again, look at the lineup he was facing!"

Look at the lineup he was facing! OMG!


"And it figures that the rest of this week - three games at the Stadium against the surging Minnesota Twins and then the weekend series against the Red Sox at Fenway - will give Cashman and Girardi a much better idea as to where this Yankee team is at than a nevertheless welcome sweep of the Triple-A-laden A's."

The A's are good.

You are dumb.