Key Element.

I just think it's funny that the game vs. Atlanta is identified as the turning point of the season and no mention is made of the homerun hit by Cervelli right after Girardi was ejected.

If the game was the turning point of the season, then Cervelli's homerun was the turning play.

In fact, Francisco Cervelli for AL MVP. Or Husqvarna Clutch Player of the Year, at the very least.

It would be amazing if they didn't.

"It is rather amazing that after paying Alex Rodriguez $300 million in one baseball offseason, the Yanks had to go get somebody else - Teixeira in this case - to really be the man in the middle of their lineup."

ARod is hurt. Hopefully. Hopefully, it's not a lack of steroids.

But the addition of Teixeira is not amazing at all.

The Yankees lost Abreu and Giambi in the offseasn.

In 2004, the Yankees acquired ARod and Sheffield.

In 1960, the Yankees brought in Maris to hit back-to-back with Mantle.

I've never heard of a team in the history of pro sports that thought one good player was enough. It's like being amazed that the Bulls brought in Pippen and Rodman.


"But there have to be times when the people paying him the money do secretly wonder if they've already gotten the biggest years out of him they're going to get."

Let me end the mystery. When ARod drove in 156 runs in 2007, the Yankees knew that was the most production they'd ever get out of their $300 million man. (Actually, $275 million, with the rest being tied to performance. But, whatever.)


It's like every long-term contract. Like Bernie's, Giambi's, Posada's, Jeter's upcoming ten-year deal, and even Teixeira's. Mysteriously enough, players are usually paid for what they've done rather than what they're going to do.

Consistently, with the Yankees, ARod has been .300/40/120, plus or minus ten percent. Not this year. Mostly due to injury. Hopefully, due to injury.


Lupica is not a credible source, of course. Lupica also said decrepit ARod was going to be forced to play first base and that Mariano was shot.

But is ARod worth $300 million? Of course he is. ARod moves the merch; and guys like Lupica just can't stop talking about him.

In Tampa this afternoon, the stadium was half-empty for a game between the reigning AL champs and their chief wild card rival.

If the Yankees were playing in Tampa this afternoon, an extra 20,000 people would have shown up to boo ARod.

The Yankees might not win the World Series this year ...

... and the Angels are a good team.

The Angels have a .612 winning percentage and Bill Madden has reached the stunning conclusion that they are a good baseball team.


It's almost enough to make me hope for a Minnesota/Texas ALCS.

Many.

"When Alex Rodriguez launched a ball into the Bronx night to finish off the Yankees' 15-inning marathon against the Red Sox on Aug. 7, many believed the memorable moment would spark another hot streak for the Yankees third baseman."

I'm not sure who these "many" people are.

He hit a HR off a hanging curveball thrown by a minor leaguer.

All of a sudden, this one HR indicated a "new" ARod, accepted by his teammates and the fans. His soul was finally free and unburdened.

Yes, that HR was certainly memorable. ARod has four of five well-timed HRs this year which have diverted attention from the fact that it's his worst season ever.

Maybe on account of the hip. Probably on account of the hip.

But I'd prefer a miserable jerk who hit 50 HRs and batted .300.

Yankee Announcer Drinking Game

This list is an inferior imitation of the Mets version. Credit/blame goes to several of my friends for adding to the list.

One sip

• "It is high, it is far, it is gone."
• After the 15th out, John Sterling explains how you can save 15% on your car insurance.
• After a homerun, Suzyn Waldman analyzes the pitch location and determines it was right down the middle of the plate.
• One of Suzyn Waldman's keys to the game is that the Yankee pitchers need to keep the ball down.
• One of Suzyn Waldman's keys to the game is that the Yankee batters need to be patient.
  
• Paul O'Neill says, "You know?"
• John Sterling says, "Whoa!"
• Daily News Hometown inning goes by quickly.
  
• John Sterling mentions that baseball is different than other sports.
• John Sterling mentions that baseball is difficult to predict.
• Specifically, baseball is different than other sports because the most important player on the field changes every game.
• Specifically, baseball is different than other sports because baseball players can't physically dominate their opponent.
• Complaints about the length of the game.
• Complaints about the travel schedule.
• Complaints about the sound effects in the ballpark.
• Suzyn Waldman says something she thinks is funny, but you don't laugh.
• Suzyn Waldman explicitly describes the art of hitting a baseball or pitching a baseball, though she has never played major league baseball.
  
• Ken Singleton brings up Eddie Murray.
  
• Michael Kay brings up "Moneyball."
• Suzyn Waldman is impressed when Nick Swisher works the count full.
• A full count with two outs "helps the runners out."
• Fouling off a lot of pitches constitutes a good at-bat.
• Hitting the ball to the opposite field is a "good piece of hitting."
• Ordinary catch described as "one of the best plays you will ever see."
• Michael Kay doesn't understand why a fielder can't get an error on a flubbed double play.
• John Sterling decries the Yankee bad luck if an opposing batter gets a soft hit or if a Yankee player hits a line drive at a fielder.
• Al Leiter jokingly takes the pitcher's point of view while Paul O'Neill jokingly takes the batter's point of view.
• Al Leiter describes a pitcher's attribute as "plus."
  
• "Jeter-esque."

Two sips

• "It is high, it is far, it is caught."
• After the 15th out, John Sterling forgets to explain how you can save 15% on your car insurance.
• Michael Kay confuses Channel 9 for the YES Network.
• Ken Singleton brings up Earl Weaver.
• Al Leiter describes a pitcher's attribute as "plus-plus."
  
• Michael Kay contradicts something he said on his radio show.
• David Cone explains the pitcher's mindset during a particular game situation and concludes that the pitcher should try to minimize the number of runs allowed.
• Complaints about the Yankees' inability to hit young pitchers they've never seen before.
• Alex Rodriguez is best when he hits the ball to the opposite field.
• "Nominal first half" of the season.
• The runs scored in the top of the inning are not "validated" until the bottom of the inning is concluded.
• Michael Kay texts a newspaper columnist.
• Player records all three outs in one inning and Michael Kay announces the player just tied a record "held by many."
  
• John Sterling mocks the complaints of small-market teams.
• Lengthy radio silence because John Sterling is irritated with Yankee play.

Five sips

• Joe Girardi is referred to as Joe Torre.
• Robinson Cano is compared to Rod Carew.
• Paul O'Neill overhypes Melky Cabrera.
• Michael Kay mentions his 1976 trip to the first game at the refurbished Yankee Stadium.
• John Sterling mentions his triplets.
• Suzyn Waldman effusively praises the worst player on the team.
• John Sterling complains about an umpire who takes too long to indicate the ball/strike call.
• Michael Kay says a resting player is "getting a blow."

Ten sips

• John Sterling gives a homerun call for the wrong player.
• Suzyn Waldman says "goodness gracious."
• Suzyn Waldman weeps on the air.
• John Sterling mentions the Triple Play contest after an out has already been recorded in the inning.

Twenty sips

• Suzyn Waldman sings on the air.

Fifty sips

• John Sterling misses a game.
  

Bernie Williams probably belongs in the Hall of Fame.

"If Johnny Damon, bless his heart, does end up with 35 home runs this season, then we really do have to look at the big food court on 161st as Coors Field East, right?"
Call it Coors Field East or call it a big food court. Your opinion doesn't matter because you don't attend baseball games, even though you have press credentials and are allowed to go for free.

The Yankees have enjoyed eleven walk-off wins at the big food court and are playing .700 baseball at Coors Field East.

Yes, it's too easy to hit HRs there, and that's why Damon has so many HRs. It's also the only reason Joba's ERA isn't under 3.00.


"It seems like just the other day that the Yankees were sending Melky Cabrera to the minors, right before they were going to send him out of town. Now it looks like he wants to stay in center at the new Yankee Stadium almost as long as Bernie was out there at the old joint."

Truly stupid analysis by a stupid man.

Melky Cabrera isn't even as good as Brett Gardner, much less Bernie Williams.

Bernie Williams was the best Yankee player of the Torre-era dynasty.

Melky Cabrera is batting a whole .269 with 46 RBIs.

You know how many HRs Melky has this year in 52 games away from "Coors Field East"? Three. You know how many RBIs Melky has this year in 52 games away from "Coors Field East"? Twelve.

Multiply by 3 and you get a full season. That's 9 HRs and 36 RBIs. That's not a Bernie Williams season, that's a Bernie Williams month.

Also, not for nothing, but Melky Cabrera has never thrown the ball to a cutoff man in his entire career. For the three guys he's thrown out on the basepaths this year, he's given back 15 runs.

Whatever your analysis of a particular Yankee player in 2009, you have to be purposefully ignorant to ignore the Yankee Stadium Effect for some players while mocking the inflated stats of other players.

Candidate, yes. Winning candidate, no.

I just find it odd that certain players aren't scrutinized by the supposedly tough NY press.

Teixeira is having a fine year, largely fueled by the team he plays for and by the ballpark in which that team plays.

• Away from Yankee Stadium, Teixeira is hitting .267 with 11 HRs. An .867 road OPS. Double that and he'd be considered a $20 million bust rather than an MVP candidate.
• Twenty-one of his thirty HRs have come with the bases empty.
• Despite a great BA with two outs and RISP, his overal RISP ba is a mediocre .270 with four HRs in 122 at-bats.

Also, I don't remember all that many "clutch" hits by Teixeira, especially given the enormous number of opportunities for "clutch" hits.

In other words, if ARod was doing the same thing, he'd be run out of town.


Also, Teixeira's season will probably not be as good as Giambi's first season with the Yankees (.314/41/122/121 runs). Now, Giambi came in fifth in MVP voting (which sounds about right for Teixeira), but Giambi was completely ignored by his hometown fans and writers.


Of course, none of these observations necessarily exclude Teixeira from the MVP discussion. "Road OPS" or "BA with RISP" are not necessarily the most important critieria in determining an MVP candidate. I can cherry pick the stats to the positive or to the negative.

Teixeira deserves to be in the discussion and will probably win a gold glove while spearheading the best offense in the league.

Except it's really Yankee Stadium which deserves most of the credit for the best offense in the league.


Oh, and if there's any doubt who the AL MVP is so far, please gaze upon the stats of Joe Mauer.

All the NYC anti-ARod playa-hatas should be forced by law to vote for the guy who's batting .403 with RISP and .457 with RISP and two outs.

I know Teixeira's a more likeable guy than ARod, but if you invent criteria, you should apply that criteria evenly.

RISP BA was suddenly very fashionable when it was used to denigrate ARod. Not so much when it can be used to denigrate Teixeira.

Grow up.

"BRONX BOMBSHELL: DEREK JETER SAYS HE USED STEROIDS"

I seriously doubt Jeter took steroids, but he certainly knew his teammates were taking steroids and he kept his precious mouth shut. He also scored 130 runs and cashed in largely because his cheater teammates were helping inflate his stats. So I fail to see how anybody come out of this completely clean.


"Bronx Bombshell" is very clever, though. It's sort of like a play on the phrase "Bronx Bombers." That's why it's funny!


"Well, what would you do if ESPN interrupted your regularly scheduled programming for that one?"

What would I do? I'd probably say, "Please get back to my regularly scheduled programming, damn it. This is the one where Cartman travels into the future. I love this episode.


"Would it be enough to make you shred your season tickets, douse your baseball cards with charcoal fluid and delete America's pastime from your Facebook friends list?"

Well, no.

I don't have season tickets; I don't have a collection of baseball cards since I'm a grown-up adult; and I don't have MLB on my Facebook friends list.

Funny stuff, though, and an excellent use of the Rule of Three.


"If I ever see Jeter's name attached to the hip of performance enhancers, I'm done. I mean it -- I'll never watch another big league game again. Because if Captain Pinstripes could do the Vitamin S deed, then anybody can."

Oh no! You guys!

If Jeter's name appears on the PED list, then Gene Wojo ... Gene Woja ... Gene WojSomething won't be a fan anymore!

MLB attendance would fall from 80 million to 79,999,999.


Worse, Gene WojSomething would have to find a new job. The world would suffer because we'd miss clever wordplays such as referring to steroids as "vitamin S."


"To me, Jeter is the anti-Barry Bonds, the anti-Roger Clemens and the anti-Alex Rodriguez. He understands that if you compromise the game, you compromise yourself."

To me, Jeter is a shortstop for the Yankees and the Yankees are my favorite team.

Despite what you've heard recently, he's still a pretty bad fielder. Excellent in all other aspects of the game and a future HOFer.

That's about it.

I suppose I'd be disappointed if he cheated. But I'd be even more disappointed if he hit .240.


"A Jeter steroids admission would be the deal-breaker for me. Pujols, too. If those guys went pharmaceutical, I couldn't go to a big league game if Bud Selig paid me. Who would it be for you?"

Alex Rodriguez.

If they ever find out that Alex Rodriguez took steroids, I'll quit watching baseball forever.

Because ARod is not just a baseball player to me. He's a God walking the Earth. He is my idol. I worship him, and I love him.


Either ARod of Andrew Eugene Pettitte. If either of those guys get caught, I will shut down my blog and find another recreational activity that is untarnished by drug use. Maybe professional knitting.

You forgot Steve Karsay.

"There, you were either a Joe Torre Guy or you weren't. If you were a Torre Guy, you pitched pretty much until your arm fell off. Isn't that right, Tanyon Sturtze, Scott Proctor, Paul Quantrill, Flash Gordon and Ron Villone?

And if you weren't, you subsisted on Alpo and Milk Bones."

I can't believe he noticed.

I can't believe a NY columnist criticized Joe Torre.

"In 2005, three Yankees were among the top 11 in the AL in innings pitched by a reliever; in 2006, three Yankees were among the top nine; in 2007, two were in the top 13. Last year, in Girardi's first season running the show, no Yankees relief pitcher was among the top 12."

Also ... it works!


Next up? ARod wins the WS MVP and mentions how important it was to have the support of his manager.

I don't quite understand how the Rangers are playing so well while this guy is playing so poorly.

"The best thing that could have happened to Josh Hamilton was the indignity of seeing himself lick whipped cream off a pair of fake breasts that didn’t belong to his wife."

As long as they're female human breasts, I think it goes without saying it's the best thing that could have happened.

Well, to be fair, I can think of a few things that are even better.


"Only now can he fully understand what his sobriety means to people. Not just his bride, Katie, and his children, and his Texas Rangers teammates."

Oh, for cryin' out loud.

If this clown is your inspirational hero, go find another inspirational hero. It shouldn't be difficult to find someone more inspiring. Throw a dart at the phone book.


"All of this was fascinating and raw, a man of enormous talent and crystalline fragility confronted with his worst nightmare and willing to offer the truth, or at least the version he remembers. Hamilton stood tall and spoke resolutely. He fell off the wagon and needed a hand back up."

.239, 8 HRs this year in 230 at-bats.

If that's indicative of an "enormous talent," Juan Rivera must be the second coming of Hank Aaron.

A middle infielder with a .972 OPS.

Jeez, Dustin Pedroia won the AL MVP last season with an .869 OPS.

Who is this mystery player who is absent from MVP discussions?

Why, it's Robinson Cano.

But only when the bases are empty.


Can anybody explain why this is happening? I guess the easiest answer is that the pitchers bear down with runners on base, but the batter does not?

The pitchers are pitching from the stretch and this throws Cano's timing off?

Why can't Cano just pretend the bases are empty?

Hates the Yankees, loves the Red Sox, writes for the wrong newspaper.

Can barely get himself to say the name "Alex Rodriguez."


Say, Mike Lupica, how 'bout them Yankees? Since they're finally playing the Red Sox, I figured you might actually watch the games:

"If you were at the Stadium on Thursday night, it was hard to tell whether Muhammad Ali was on the field to have the Yankees honor him or for him to honor the Yankees.

It all had something to do with Academy of Hospitality Services giving the Yankees its Six-Star Diamond Award and Legends Hospitality - I think they serve great food down near the field whether the seats are empty or not - getting a Five Star Award."

Whatever. What about the game?


"But aren't those the awards Al Pacino was trying to win for his casino in 'Ocean's 13'?"

Didn't see the movie. What about the game?


"It actually seemed like another one of those moments where the Yankees were celebrating the Yankees."

So what? Why don't you write another love letter to Theo Epstein?

Also, what about the game?

Did you watch the baseball game?


"Then, when it was all over, the Yankees surrounded Ali, and it was supposed to be more moving than all the All-Stars crowding around Ted Williams at Fenway that time."

It probably wasn't supposed to be more moving that that.

I'm sorry the Ali tribute did not move you, Mike Lupica.

Now, what about the game?


"If they want to give the champ a day, or a night, as a way of christening the new ballpark, fine with me.

Just not with some grand version of a supermarket opening."

Ha ha.

Nice dig.

A chance to rip the Yankees for their pregame activities.

Say, did you even watch the game?



"The last time a regular season was declared over, finished, done after a tremendous extra-inning game at Yankee Stadium, was 2004.

Capt. Jeter did the face plant, Flash Flaherty finally won it with a hit into left, and the Red Sox were twice as far behind the Yankees as they were when A-Rod's ball landed in the seats this time.

Three months later they won it all."

"They" is the Red Sox in that last sentence.

Yes, we all remember when the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004. You remind us of it as often as you can.

Your boys Tito and Epstein couldn't have done it without some of that Curse-Breakin' Steroid Magic.


For the record, the regular season was not declared over after that game in July 2004 and the regular season was not declared over after Friday night's Yankee victory.

Also, even if the regular season was declared over, it wouldn't have any bearing on the postseason results.

So you are challenging an imaginary opposing viewpoint that not only never existed, but is non-existable.


"You don't play classic Yankee games in August, you play them in October."

Whatever, pal.

Your seething hatred of the Yankees is really a bit much.

If you're going to disrespect a 15-inning, 2-0 walkoff win (against the Red Sox, no less), then you simply don't enjoy baseball games. Which may explain why you fixate on the pregame ceremony and Al Pacino movies:

1) If you hate baseball so much, maybe you have the wrong job.

2) Why did you even go to the game? Just to complain about the pregame ceremony? Or did you think it was October?

3) Why did you write this article four days ago?:

"In so many ways, in a home season dominated as much by talk of ticket prices and empty seats and easy home runs, this is the first great moment of the new Stadium. We thought we might get that in May when the Red Sox got their first look at the place. We did not, not with the Yankees unable to get a game off the other guys. And really it was much too early for both teams, we didn't know how the season would look for either one of them, what the narrative would be this time around between Boston and New York.

But now we are more than 100 games into this. The Yankees have caught the Red Sox and passed them since the All-Star break. So this is a good time for the Yankees to show they have enough team to start changing the New York-Boston narrative back to the way it used to be before October of 2004. A good time for the Yankees to get at least three of four and bang around Boston's starters and Boston's relievers, maybe have somebody make the kind of swing for New York that Jason Bay made off Mo Rivera in the very first game the two teams played this season.

A good time to make it seem like old times around here. New park, old swagger."

I have an odd suspicion that you'd be cool with Friday's "classic" game if Ortiz or Pedroia or Youkilis had hit the game-winning homerun, rather than what's-his-name.


Actually, perhaps the best thing about an ARod walk-off HR vs. the Red Sox is that it deeply saddens Mike Lupica.

Which is a more delusional opinion?

1) The Sox fans who refuse to believe that Ortiz is a liar and a cheater?

2) The guy on the video who thinks the DH with a .411 slugging percentage is "still a helluva ballplayer"?

Munson would have slid. Or maybe taken Martinez out.

"Jorge Posada painted No. 15 on his catcher's mask to pay tribute to Thurman Munson and delivered a performance that would have delighted the former New York Yankees captain.

...

Posada had three hits and three RBIs, saluting Munson with the type of all-around game that the former Yankees catcher was known for before he died in a plane crash on Aug. 2, 1979. Posada said he had never put Munson's number on his mask before."

Hate to be the buzzkill after a 13-6 victory, but I'm fixated on the second-inning baserunning blunder.

Posada was either stupid or lazy.

Munson was neither stupid nor lazy.

Because they're not journalists in any true sense of the word.

"Impressive as the Globe article was, it also raised some questions. Why did it take the Globe the better part of a year to report on a bona fide steroid scandal that was brewing in its back yard? And whether that delay was caused by chumminess or cluelessness, did it cost the Globe a rare chance to rewrite Red Sox history?

...

Recall, for example, that 'Big Papi' was a serviceable player with the Minnesota Twins, but morphed into a latter-day Lou Gehrig (complete with a beefy new physique) after coming to Boston in 2003. In May 2007, he told the Boston Herald that he might have unwittingly used steroids in the past. And in February 2009, the New York Daily News reported that Ortiz had a relationship with banned trainer Angel Presinal, who also worked with steroid scapegoat Alex Rodriguez. These facts weren't unreported by the Globe, but they didn't cause great consternation, either. (Former columnist Jackie MacMullan in May 2007: 'The only connection between Ortiz and steroids is that he is a very big man and he hits very big home runs. And that's not fair.')"

I saw MacMullan on "Around the Horn" a few weeks ago flipping out on Bonds.


Now, I can understand the need for bona fide sources and I also understand the concept of presumptive innocence.

But the same rules apply for Bonds, whose case was dropped in a Court of Law and who hasn't admitted to anything.


"Maybe the Globe's sportswriters simply didn't know this stuff was going on. Maybe they did, but wanted to protect Jerry Remy, who's currently fighting lung cancer and is on indefinite leave. Or maybe they didn't think that digging into possible PED use by Sox stars was part of their job. Whatever caused this story to slip through, it was a costly whiff by the hometown squad."

Everybody knows what happened.

Boston fans and their writers -- and also quite a few New York-based writers -- and other writers whose names rhyme with Shmuster Shmolney -- ate up the story of the Gritty Dirt Dogs who finally dethroned the Daddy Warbucks Evil Empire Sissies.

The Curse of the Babe became the Curse of the Bam-Boonie (I'm still shocked that catchphrase never caught on).

They all got a chance to make fun of Alex Rodriguez, who does that guy think he is, anyway?


Yes, once the story dropped in their lap, they were mostly willing to feign some outrage.

But that's not journalism.

Bias is not usually manifested by what you write. It's what you don't write.

"Big game pitcher."

When is the last time John Smoltz won a so-called big game? About four years ago?

I'll be surprised if Smoltz is still pitching in the sixth inning.

53 at-bats is not a lot.

"Now that Rodriguez has raised his average from .250 on July 20 to .261 going into tonight's meeting with the Blue Jays' Roy Halladay, the fault-finders point to him not homering in 53 at-bats."

I don't trust you, George A. King III.

I think you are the fault-finder.

"Since the Yankees have lost three of four and open a crucial four-game series against the Red Sox on Thursday night at Yankee Stadium, it's imperative the cleanup hitter hit.

Does he have to send balls into the seats at the homer-friendly Stadium? No, but people don't watch Rodriguez to see him hit doubles or flare singles to left and right."

Yeah, we only watch Rodriguez to see him hit flare singles to center.

The idea is a bit confusing, George A. King III.

If ARod doesn't have to hit homeruns ... and the viewing public is dissatisfied with doubles and singles ... then the only thing left is triples. So ARod has to hit some triples against the Red Sox or the fans won't get their money's worth?

"And you can bet on this: If the Yankees lose three of four or get swept by the Red Sox, against whom they are 0-8 this year, and Rodriguez doesn't homer, the blame is going between the 1 and 3 on his back."

I'll take that bet.

What are you putting on the table, George A. King III? Your credibility?

Betcha don't know who has the best ERA among Yankee starting pitchers.

It's Joba.

No, seriously.

It's Joba.