Homeruns in the first inning don't count.

"Alex Rodriguez didn't even join the season until 10 days ago, and didn't win the Yankees a game until he hit that shot in the bottom of the 11th Saturday."

I like how Lupica had written this sentence with the clause "and hasn't won the Yankees a game" and probably had it submitted to the editor. Then, he had to change the sentence by Sunday morning.

Please note that ARod basically "won the Yankees a game" in his first game back. A three-run homerun is very important when your team wins the game 4-0. Even if that three-run homerun occurs in the oh-so-boring first inning. Though, of course, CC Sabathia threw a shutout. So, like every other game, it's a team effort.

Also, please note that Mark Teixeira and Mariano Rivera and Alfredo Aceves were more important to yesterday's win than Alex Rodriguez.

"Yankee fans are supposed to be wistful because George Steinbrenner isn't making threats or headlines anymore. And of course that was part of the show of the man over the 30 years when he became the most famous and unique and often ridiculous owner in the history of American sports.

But Yankee fans shouldn't miss him because they miss the show. They should miss him because he would have banged a few heads over the run-out of the new Stadium."

Lupica, you are a hypocritical liar.

For decades, you criticized Steinbrenner and now you write him a love letter.

"George Steinbrenner didn't always run things right. Believe me, this is no love letter to everything he did or everything he said, not from me. He could be mean and make a mess of things and make noise just to make noise. But he was The Boss of the place, and got better at it as he went along."

Now you sound like a female. If you're a man, you say what you mean and mean what you say.