BP Swings

Another exciting win for the Yanks last night, blowing a 9th inning lead and then coming right back to win in the bottom half of the 9th.

Chien-Ming Wang got tagged for a quick 3 runs in the 1st and we worried if our boy was going to have replicate his awful start in Toronto. But the Wanger settled down over the next 3 before allowing a run in the 5th. We know Joe Torre didn't want to burn a reliever for one batter in the 7th, but sending Wang back out there was ridiculous.

Jeremy Guthrie has been shaky of late for the O's and he was again last night, giving up HRs to Bobby Abreu and Wilson Betemit. The Betemit acquisition is looking good so far. The kid seems to come up with a big hit every time he plays. And yes, he doesn't look to good from the right side of the plate. But his 2-run HR put the Yankees ahead for what we thought was good, and was a game changer.

Ron Villone looked really good and really bad in his 1 inning stint. Joba Chamberlain, what can you say, outstanding again. 2 strikeouts and that incredibly filthy slider. And yes, Mo has looked human the last 2 games. Melky saved him once with a great throw, but Abreu couldn't do it twice. And someone please tell Michael Kay to take it down a notch. Abreu does NOT have an outstanding arm. The guy is never accurate.

Derek Jeter's game winning, hard to use the word hit to describe it, was hardly a smash, but he always finds a way to get it done.

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A-Rod was honored by the Yankees before the game for his 400th home run. Derek Jeter presented a silver plaque from the team and Peter Max presented original artwork. Max nearly destroyed it when he knocked it over during the unveiling.

Jeffrey Karstens gets the start tonight, which means we can only hope that Daniel Cabrera doesn't throw strikes tonight. With Joba and Mo unavailable, that doesn't leave a whole lot left in the pen.

There will be an obvious sadness surrounding tonight's game due to the passing of Phil Rizzuto. I met him twice in the mid-80s and it was quite an honor. My Dad used to work for a company that sponsored the Yankees radio broadcasts, so there was an annual dinner in the stadium club and a meet and greet with the broadcasters. My photo with Scooter, Bill White, and John Gordon, and Scooter's autograph, is a prized possession. I need to find where I safely stored it now, since I realize that Bobby Murcer may be in it too. Meeting him, of course, was a big thrill for me, as I was nearly speechless.
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Melky Cabrera's double last night extended his career high hitting streak to 18 games. Great sign in the stands. A mastercard logo that said MelkyCabrera...18 game hitting streak..priceless.