Mike Lowell, The Bigger Man

The Yankees and Red Sox played 8 hours of baseball yesterday, but in the end, it was all put into perspective for the people of Boston.

Mike Lowell retired from the game of baseball, fittingly ending his career with a wall-ball single.

It wasn't his play that spoke the loudest yesterday, it was his continued class. ITM wrote a while back that Mikey Lowell owes Boston and it management nothing. He had every right to throw around some four letter words and walk off the field to Stone Cold Steve Austin music while sinking beers and giving everyone the finger.

Of course, he didn't. With his kids by his side he threw out the first pitch and spoke with true passion and emotion about a game, and a city he loved:

“First of all, I’d like to thank the Red Sox organization for this great ceremony and a very generous check, I really appreciate it, that’s really unbelievable. I’d also like to thank my family, friends, teammates, ex-teammates, my minor league coaches, believe it or not over there , and hopefully the silver place winners today for the game. They’ve come a long way, a lot of people and you guys have meant so much to me over my career. I really don’t know where to go from there. I just want to say thank you for that. You know, I’m kind of at a loss for words to kind of explain the emotions I’ve felt over the last five years with respect to the support and the positive responses I’ve gotten from Red Sox fans. I think it’s your passion and your knowledge for baseball that I’ll truly miss, but I don’t think I’ll ever forget. So I just want to thank God for allowing me the privilege and the opportunity to wear this jersey, to play in this ballpark, to represent the city of boston and to share so many memories with all of you. Thanks you very much.”


Of course, Papelpon managed to blow it for Mikey's farewell....par for the course this season.

PS: I gotta give the Yankees props for their actions during the Lowell ceremony, nothing but attention, respect and class (granted, he was drafted by the Yanks). If that were the old days of Damon and Manny, most of the Sox would have been playing tag in dugout.

Pap Continues to Kick Me in the Teeth

They almost had me. Three outs away from a sweep in NY and I was starting to do the math in my head. The odds were amazingly against us, but the Yanks had been playing so bad, and with 3 more games against them to close out the season at Fenway, why not us?

I should really know better by now.

Everyone else was watching the Jets and Dolphins in a close one while I watched a closer who continues to ask for a top of the market contract implode yet again.

Pap has now blown 8 saves, most in the AL. His ERA sits at 4.02, by far the highest in his career. Against the hated Yanks? His ERA balloons to 8.64.

You can blame a squeezed strike zone if you want Pap, but the reality is, you're just not that good, and haven't been for nearly two years now....and you're certainly not as good as you think you are.

Last night, you ended the season for the Sox yet again, just like in the 09' ALDS.

Luckily for you, Tom Brady and his Justin Bieber hair was busy saving his defense's ass all day, and as a result, not many people will notice.

When do the Bruins and Celts start up again?

It's Just God Keeping Mike Lowell On His Toes

He's beat cancer twice, rejuvenated his career when everyone said he was done, and was the 2007 AL MVP for the Sox. Mike Lowell has nearly been to hell and back, but god seems to keep reminding him to stay in line.

Mikey took a wicked hop to the face on Friday night as the Red Sox continue to try to put a little scare into the Bronx.

It looked bad, real bad, I nearly spit my beer all over the entire bar at the BBC in Falmouth....but in typical Lowell fashion, he picked himself up, didn't rub it, and pushed on.

When Granderson got to first base and asked Lowell if he was ok, Mikey responded: "As long as they don’t rule it an error, I’m good."

That's a man.

Also, Mikey, it could have been way worse.....

PS: I've gotta think more people will be watching the Jets/Miami game tonight than the Sox/Yanks. Continued examples of our sad reality.

Yankee Stadium, on second thought

I don't know why I would be in a gracious mood after we stumbled out of the weekend no better off than we were against the Yanks, one game better against the Rays (against whom, according to my calculations, Vicino would have, were he to throw against them in five games, a 47.5% chance of completing a no-hitter), and with the Twins nipping at our second-place-in-the-Wild-Card heels, but I am.

And so, I just wanted to issue a quick apology to Yankee Stadium. ITM dumped on it a little bit last year, but I will admit that upon the weekend's reexamination, it's a pretty decent place. They've managed to get a strange mix of big city elegance - the overwhelming whiteness of the old style bunting grates on the uppermost rim, the amazing lighting - and urban claustrophobia. Despite the roominess of most seats and the general cleanliness, the angles of the park give the impression that you and everyone else are hanging directly over the field, so that when the action starts revving up, there's a real cage-match mentality in the stands.

And, frankly, I don't miss sitting in the bleachers in the old Stadium where if you got a beer dumped on you, it didn't matter, since you already reeked of beer and who knows what else soon as you stepped into the place.

So, in short, I will always, always prefer Fenway, "a lyric little bandbox of a ballpark," as Updike put it. It makes you feel the way you should when baseball is being played. But, if I'm going to watch a live game in an over-sanitized, overpriced airport terminal of a ballpark filled with "New Yorkers" just off the train from Jersey, I don't mind it being in the new Yankee Stadium.

Sorry, that's as gracious as I can be. Oh and it's nice that they still have Jeter come to bat to the Bob Shepherd announcement. There, I'm all out of grace for the day.

Lucky to Split, But We'll Take It

In the bottom of the 8th, I ran up to my office's cafe to watch the last inning or so..... in an instant I had lost all professionalism and started screaming at the screen. From Bard being kept in for too long, to pitching to Big Teix in the bottom of the 9th, I was a pacing mess.

While I may have lost the respect around the office, the Red Sox managed to come out with a 2-1 nail biter victory in the Bronx. The win gives them a split of the important series, and under normal circumstances, that simply wouldn't have been enough to truly keep them in the playoff conversation.

Luckily for them, the Rays have been puking on themselves of late, essentially allowing us just a little more wiggle room before sending me into complete freak out mode.

Lester stepped up today and did what neither Lackey nor Beckett could. He quieted the Yankees just long enough to get to Bard and Pap in order to pump fastballs and secure the win. If there were question marks about Lester and his "ace" status going into the series, he once again answered them. Studly performance.

The difference in this series was not necessarily the Red Sox injuries, but the lack of stepping up by Lackey and Beckett....if it had gone as planned, I'd be sinking beers in excitement and lighting fireworks off in a back bay parking lot with T Murph right now. It happens.

So the Sox head North to play a surprisingly resilient Blue Jays club while the Yanks face the first place Rangers and the Rays take on a Baltimore team that is waking up under their new skipper....

The Sox remain squarely on the edge of in the mix and being on the outside looking in, it's not good for my health, but for now, I'll take it.

How is Boston's Door Still Open?

Joe Murph was at the game last night, had great seats, and expected to blog about ITM's first hand experience, but thanks to the outcome he has refused to post about it and may not go to another Sox/Yanks game in his life (he's convinced he caused the bad play).

Anyways, if it wasn't for the massive amount of injuries, this would be a typical Red Sox season at this point. A few high points followed immediately by low points that make Mondays even more of a pain to deal with. Consider the following:

-The Sox just lost two in a row to the Yankees, extending the Yank's already significant lead in the AL East.

-The Twins now have the same record as the Sox.

-The one part of the Sox team that is healthy, the starting rotation, just let us down in big games on back to back nights.

-Further, the Sox paid some 160 million on Beckett and Lackey earlier this year under the assumption they would do the exact opposite of what happened this weekend (AKA actually show up for a big game against NY and put the team on their back).

-Kevin Cash is still in Boston's starting lineup.

-Dustin Moseley (who??) looked like Pedro Martinez out there last night.

-Jacoby Ellsbury looks like David Ortiz in April thus far in his return. He's not even working walks to get on base in order to use his speed.

-We now turn again to Jon Lester to pick us up off the group and save some kind of face for the series.....only he's been mediocre at best lately.

I could go on, but it hurts too much. Yet, all that said, and the door to the Wild Card remains open. I'm not entirely sure how, but the Rays have essentially tripped over their own feet for the past week, losing 5 straight. They've fumbled the ball on the 10 yard line, while the guy behind them crapped their pants trying to chase them down. (still not sure if that makes any sense at all)

Also, how has a team that is so good almost been no hit so many times this year?? (ITM note: Brandon Morrow was absolutely lights out, best pitching performance of the year in my book, mark it zero, next frame).

Morning Brew - The Headlines in New York

Yeah, I know we tend to do this bit more when the Sox have won. Oh well, I'm still feeling pessimistic for this series, so I'm going to get this out of my system while I can still enjoy it.

NY Daily News: Javier Vazquez Regresses When Yankees Need Him Most (This one is a bit precise for a headline, frankly, but they jam a lot of disappointment and humanity into it, so I'll give them points for that.)

NY Daily News: Hurry Back, Andy Pettitte (This was a common sentiment this morning. For every story about the game, there were two about Pettitte's successful bullpen session. For the last few months after all, it's been Sabathia and Vazquez carrying the 1-2 load, with Burnett uneven.)

NY Daily News: He's Back?!? Isiah Returns to Knicks (This I just had to include because it announces what I hope will be the return of New York sport's bonkers bad heyday. Can you believe that the Knicks have done this? (I don't know what's crazier, the fact that the Knicks have rehired Isiah, or the fact that this program's spell check has trouble with that name until I give it Thomas's messed-up spelling - 'Who is that you say? The prophet? Never heard of him. Oh, Isiah, the nutjob ballplayer - gotcha, we'll get rid of that squiggly red line right away, Mr. Murphy.') Vacarro in the Post had the best take on it, essentially spending a whole column challenging the Knicks ownership to a fight: "If someone walked up to you in a bar and treated you with the kind of disdain, the kind of naked contempt, that James Dolan showed you yesterday, there are just two ways you would possibly have reacted. If you are a woman, you would have thrown a drink in his face. If you are a man, you would have asked him to step outside.")

NY Post: Yankees Burned By Three Unearned Runs. (Rhyming's all right, I guess.)

NY Post: Err Ball (with picture of Cervelli drop) (Way too much thought involved here. I had to speak it aloud five different ways, like I was learning to read with phonetics, before I got the joke.

NY Post: Cervelli Wears Goat Horns Following Costly Drop (Oof, the Post is vicious, not only are they saying he ruined the game, but they have to go with a double-entendre suggesting he's been cuckolded? It's a rough town.)

NY Times: With Yanks' Help, Red Sox Inch Closer (I just put this one in because it was so hard to find. Had to dig through a story about cricket, Dutch league soccer, rugby, and three stories about how vuvuzelas will be banned at the US-Brazil friendly in the Meadowlands next week (ITM will be there, hopefully in the middle of one of the samba dance troupes.) The Times just hates America's pasttime, I think.)

One Down

A few thoughts following the Sox 6-3 victory over the Yankees in this first of a critical four game set:

- Gutsy performance from Buchholz. He was sharp throughout, but there were two moments where it looked like he was teetering on the edge: in the fourth inning, after Scutaro made the bad flip and put runners on first and second with nobody out, then again the next inning when he hit Jeter then gave up a first-to-third single to Swisher. It couldn't have been a pretty sight from the mound, staring at a slim lead, runners on the corners, and coming up Teixeira, ARod, and Cano. But both tight spots, Buch locked in and got out with minimal damage, the lead in tact. That was a gutsy stretch, and once he got through, Buch steamrolled.

- The small strike zone certainly seemed to favor the Sox. It was called consistent throughout the night. Vazquez needed a few gimmes, and when he didn't get them, he lost the zone completely. Good thing, too, because his breaking stuff was breaking hard. He had a thirty-mile per hour difference between the fastball and the curve - sick.

- From the New York broadcast, I just want you to know that Al Leiter is a big Buchholz fan and Michael Kay, whom Vicino can't help but like, is a charter member of the Ryan Kalish fan club. He just couldn't get enough. Kay called him "The Kid" over and over with such fondness you'd have thought Teddy Ballgame was out there. If the Yankee bullpen hadn't tracked down the home run ball, the Yanks announcing crew was going to have a fit. Strange, classy guy.

- I wish Marco Scutaro would drive in more runs. No to complain, I just love yelling out his full name when he does. It feels like something you'd exclaim upon making a great discovery. "Marco Scutaro, I've got it!"

- I really hope Teixeira doesn't start heating up. That lineup is ridiculous enough as is.

- When it was recalled that Kerry Wood once struck out 20 Houston Astros in a game (insane), I sadly had to think for a solid two minutes about whether the Astros still exist as a team. Have I fallen that out of touch with the NL?

- Joba has sure fallen out of favor in the Bronx. Velocity has just been so inconsistent, but it's still surprising to see him coming in to clean up the 6th inning in a 3 run game.

- Was Robinson Cano always this big? I know I'm supposed to be the one keeping track of the pinstripes, but I feel like that guy has put on twenty pounds in the last few months. Always had a bigger frame, I guess, but how can he keep playing middle infield at a high level? He does, and for the time being, he's one of the scariest hitters in baseball to boot.

- Speaking of size, is tomorrow's matchup the biggest, mass-wise, possible in the AL? Lackey v. Sabathia.

- Am I going to be this happy every time Mike Lowell crosses the plate the rest of the season? Man, I wish the guy well.

- Big, big weekend. ITM will be back for more tomorrow. Keep an eye out for the headlines from NY with your morning coffee.

The NY Headlines

Haven't contributed in too long, so thought I'd return with my old favorite: the headlines I saw on the way to work the morning after a Sox victory over the Yanks...

NY Post: Bad Thames! (The pun isn't quite close enough, in my opinion. You wonder for a second whether it's referring to sporting squads or a point in history.)

NY Post: Yanks Drop the Ball (That's more like it. A figure of speech that turns out to be literally true. There's the quality I expect.)

NY Daily News: Joba and Mo falter as BoSox Bounce Back. (Always appreciate some good old fashioned alliteration.)

NY Daily News: Yanks Waste Sabatthia Solid Outing. (Silver lining.)

New York Magazine: Marcus Thames Giveth, Marcus Thames Taketh Away (My personal favorite for the day.)

New York Times: Rain Delay, Then a Very Long Game (I love that the Times isn't even pretending it's interested in sports anymore.)

USA Today: LeBron Talking With Eddy Curry, Should Knicks Be Worried? (I know that's not a NY paper, but I loved it for so many reasons.)

It's the Sox vs the Yanks. Get Excited Like This Guy...

Ran across this video on Barstool Sports earlier today. It's simply too good to pass up given the circumstances. The Sox need to go into the Bronx and show the Yanks they're still a factor in the AL East, and this is just the guy to get us excited.

ITM note: Is this guy a dead ringer for Dennis Eckersley or what? Long lost brother maybe? This also could be what T Murph will look like 20 years from now in the bleachers.

The Sox continue on their road of mediocrity while the Yanks have lost 5 of 8 (yet remain 5.5 games ahead of the Sox). Boston is sending Dice-K to the mound to try to set things right, while the Yanks run out their best arm in Phil Hughes....yes, Phil Hughes. Studly numbers right now.

Regardless of records, implications and general significance, it's the Sox vs the Yanks in the Bronx. Let's fight.

(yes, this is ITM being somewhat optimistic, we're going to give it a few more tries before throwing our hands up and ordering shots at the bar).

At Least They Weren't Swept

It looks like the Sox will salvage the final game of this series vs the Yankees (9-2 in the 8th inning) which is as much as we were hoping for heading into tonight's game. After getting drubbed Friday and Saturday night by the bombers I was drifting back into my "wtf Theo, this team sucks" zone, similar to last weekend after the Orioles swept the Sox. However I'll put that on hold once again.

Despite Lester looking good tonight and the bats breaking out against AJ Burnett, Red Sox Nation still has to feel like they're third best team in the AL East, and they're in 4th right now. The month of May is probably going to go a long way in defining the 2010 Red Sox and if they're playing baseball this October. After the Yanks leave town tonight the Sox play Toronto, Detroit, 2 with Minnesota, Philidelphia, Tampa Bay, and the Kansas City to round out May.

Excluding the Blue Jays and Royals, the Sox will be playing some of the better teams in the American League and probably the best team in the National League in the Phillies. If the Sox can go somewhere in the area of 15-10 in the month of May they can make a charge through the summer and into the playoffs. Make no mistake about it that it's still early on in the season, but as the Rays and Yankees keep winning, the Sox will have to win that many more games just to contend with the Wild Card. Right now, I have the Sox finishing 3rd, they're just not as good as Rays and Yanks.

Depending how May finishes the Red Sox 2010 season could be going down in flames on Memorial Day.

Thoughts from Sunday Night Baseball:

- I texted a few people, we all confirmed our well known belief that Joe Morgan is terrible, and we miss Steve Phillips being the third man in the booth. Pretty sure Jon Miller called JD Drew Stephen tonight...amateur hour. Harold Reynolds on line 1?

- Alex Rodriguez looks a lot skinnier these days, stay off the juice kids.

- Adrian Beltre is wearing glasses now? Was his problem on defense that he couldn't see the ball? Theo should have written into his contract that he has to wear them.

- I thought AJ Burnett's biggest mistake tonight was throwing David Ortiz a fastball on a 3-2 count in the 3rd inning after Ortiz just missed the fastball before. If Ortiz is sitting dead red on a fastball he's going to hit it, he's not that terrible, not yet at least.

- Celtics evening up the series with the Cavs and the Bruins looking to close out the Flyers tomorrow night, the Garden will be rocking.

WSJ: Yankee Fans Are Hardly Fans At All

The Red Sox are on a roll. Turns out, they may just be what we originally thought they were.......or they may take two steps backwards this weekend. With the Yanks coming to the Fens in what can already be called a "big series" for the Red Sox (not so big for the Yankees), I offer this recent article and analysis from the Wall Street Journal:


The Wall Street Journal surveyed 650 fans across all five boroughs and determined:“There are as many Mets fans as there are Yankees fans in Manhattan, but, overall, the Yankees have twice as many fans. Mets fans own more guns, are more likely to bet on games and follow their team more closely… On the other hand, Yankees fans tend to be more metrosexual, they drink more Starbucks coffee, they’re more likely to own a Mac than a PC, and tend to be single and skinnier. Mets fans drink far more beer… They also drink more in general… Mets fans monitor their team’s progress, and they listen to substantially more sports radio.”


This likely surprises no one, and in no way am I clapping for the Mets here, but ITM has been tied up lately and I needed a quick post.


To quote Joe Murph: "so...yankees fans aren't fans basically. I'm sorry, but skinny single people hanging out in starbucks on their macs and not "following" their team are not fans."


Totally agree. Bring on those metrosexual, latte drinking, mannie-peddie getting, fake tanning, full of themselves, know nothing Yankee fans. Go Sox.

Well At Least Jerry Remy's Sports Bar is Awesome

Pretty depressing loss for the Sox tonight. Lackey was studly, the Yanks did what they could to increase his pitch count, but he deserved to get the W in his first Boston start.

I've promised myself not to freak out as much this year when it comes to the Sox. With that in mind, I'll turn towards a great night at Jerry Remy's Sports Bar. For those of you who don't know where it is, it's behind Fenway Park at 1265 Bolyston street. It has a great beer selection, more TV's than you can look at, an open air feel with a commanding view of Fenway Park, decent food options, and great service. The opinion was shared by all of my buddies in attendance. It's safe to say we'll be headed back there multiple times this season.

Other quick takeaways before I crash....

-Lackey has never been a strike out pitcher, but, in my opinion, he could stand to attack the strike zone a bit more (this after one start's worth of review...)

-No matter what he says, it's likely that Lackey will never come off as an intelligent person (see George Bush's Southern Syndrome).

-I still don't understand how Andy Pettitte's arm is still attached to his shoulder, especially when you consider the amount of HGH he was using (people like to forget that fact...much like Ortiz).

-Ortiz got a RBI single tonight....in his mind, I'm sure that buys him 3 more weeks of mediocre stats.

-I hate that Curtis Granderson is on my fantasy team right now.

-I'm not worried about Papelbon. I swear.

....I think.

-Anyone else think that timely hitting is going to be more important than ever this year?

-Did Chan Ho Park really just limit the Sox to one hit over three innings? Chan Ho Park? Too bad we didn't have Cal Ripken Jr at the plate tonight.

-D Bard is filthy..how long before the nut bags start calling for him to close games?

-The Sox may be 1-2 after starts by Beckett, Lester and Lackey, but I somehow feel better about them now than I did at the beginning of the season.

Another off day tomorrow? What's this about?? Don't they know I need consistency in my life?

Strengths Sink Sox Against Yanks

Starting pitching, defense and the bullpen. All are viewed as strengths for the upcoming season for the Red Sox.

Tonight however, not so much. Lester, who looked electric at times, struggled with his control and only got through five innings. The bullpen didn't fare much better as Oki surrendered a bases loaded walk as well as the lead in the 8th inning. Although it wasn't all his fault....

Marco Scutaro's two out throwing error allowed for the inning to continue. While the Yanks committed three errors to the Sox one, Boston's late miscue proved more significant.

Neither team can feel great about their respective wins....but it's game two, we can't rush to any judgements.

Some additional thoughts:

-David Ortiz is going to drive me absolutely nuts. Don't give me the "we need to wait until the weather gets warm" crap...it's been 75 degrees all week. Tomorrow is headed for 85. Sure, he needs to earn a seat on the bench, but also needs to earn his secured spot in the lineup. Time will tell.

-I continue to hate Jorge Posada with a passion. For me, he's baseball's version of Karl Malone.....and man do I always have some choice words when his name comes up.

-Jeter may be limited in his range, but his timing and baseball IQ remains second to none at short. Gotta respect that.

-It's nice to see Beltre is off to solid start. Hopefully he doesn't put too much pressure on himself and lets the game (and production numbers) come to him.

-I can't wait to see what V-Mart 's full season numbers look like. It should be an interesting season of contract talks.

-Did JD Drew play tonight? I don't remember seeing him at all.

-D Bard's breaking stuff is nasty when it follows a hundy spot fastball. Ask A-rod

-Marcus Thames? Really?

Myself and some college buddies are headed right to Remy's Sports Bar after work tomorrow. If we can get in, I'll report back with some thoughts. If I'm smart, I won't blog from the b-berry after the 5th inning, it could be messy.

Please Tell Me This is Fake...

This video has to be doctored right? I'm sure the Boston FBI has dropped everything and are investigating it, but if it's real, someone needs to be held accountable. I'm talking door to door searches for anyone with ties to NY.

Until it's confirmed, I'm going to believe it's fake....mostly because it makes me feel better.

Big Jon Stud Lester on the mound tonight. Go Sox.

(ITM note: Videos and Blogger do not like each other, I'm working on the HTML format so bear with me) - Thanks to Barstoolsports-Boston for the find.

And The Emotional Roller Coaster Begins...

What an amazing opening night. Here are some quick game one take aways (drafted on the subway, via blackberry):

-The emotional roller coaster started right out the gate, at least the Sox didn't delay the inevitable?

-Pedro throwing out the first pitch made me miss him. Diva-ness aside,1999 remains the best season I've ever seen from a pitcher.

-Beckett left pitches up in the zone and looked shaky at best. That said, I'm not worried. He had no feel for his curve ball, and was essentially limited to two pitches. He'll be fine.

-Neither team should be too happy about the game, potent lineups, but sloppy middle relief.

-For one game at least, the offense silenced the critics.

-The new guys at the bottom of the order had a nice opening act,consistency will be key.

-Pedroia and Youk are still undervalued. They're the heart and soul of this team.

-If any of my neighbors have just moved in over the past 4 or 5months, they're about to realize a major change in the building. I hope they don't try to fall asleep early.

-I love having Peter Gammons on NESN. (Trick question, Gammons is god). Although he may dive across the table and strangle Jim Rice by game 14.

-Heidi brought her A game for opening night. Boom.

-How classic was JD's called strike three in the 2nd inning? Vintage stuff. He battled hard over 8 pitches but took a called strike 3 right over the plate. He showed no emotion and was making himself a sandwich on the bench by the time the ball made it around the horn.

-In the 5th inning my brother texted me that he was too mad to watch anymore and was going to bed. 2 innings later, when the Sox tied it,he calls me screaming in excitement. Yep, it's officially Red Sox season.

-I'm amazingly happy the Sox got the W last night. If not this Monday off day would be terrible for everyone near me. The words Monday and off day (in regards to the Sox) are a terrible combination. Couple that with a opening night loss to the Yankees and I would've lost it.

Hate the fact that today's an off day already. Such a tease. Go Sox.

Morning Brew, NY House Blend

Headlines and snippets from this morning's New York papers. The theme: this team is chomping at the bits, and this city is feeling optimistic:

NY Post, It's Time for Yanks to Beat Boston: "The Yanks dropped three straight in Boston in April before losing two in a row in The Bronx last month, when they were still trying to crack the .500 mark. Since then, Alex Rodriguez has returned from hip surgery and Mark Teixeira's bat has woken up as the Yankees have surged into first place -- one game ahead of the Red Sox after last night's 5-3 victory over the Rays at Yankee Stadium. Now, the teams seem poised to renew their rivalry atop the division. But that doesn't change the fact that the Yankees are 0-5 against the Sox. 'Definitely, we need to win a game there,' Mariano Rivera said...'I haven't forgotten about it," Burnett said. "But that's in the past. Obviously, it leaves a taste in your mouth. I'm not gonna stew on it, not gonna do too much. We know how important this is. I have to attack.' Their captain, however, had a different view. 'It doesn't matter,' Derek Jeter said of the Yanks' struggles against the Sox. 'It makes no difference in [tonight's] game. We're due to win a game. I'm pretty sure they're not thinking about what happened before. We couldn't care less what happened the first five games. It has no bearing on this.'"

NY Post (Vacarrio), Girardi, Fans Looking Forward to 1st Place Clash: But they sure seem like the two best teams in the American League, no matter how many games the Rangers have won (including two out of three at Fenway Park this weekend). They sure look like the class of the AL, in a year when the Rays are still trying to catch fire and the Blue Jays are trying not to slide down a greased flume ride, when the AL Central champion seems a good bet to win only 85 or so games, when the Angels seem to pay every day for allowing Francisco Rodriguez to seek exile in the National League...'Any time you face the Red Sox,' Girardi said after last night's game, 'you know the implications of the games.'"

NY Daily News, Red Hot Yankees roll into Fenway and try to get 1st Win vs. Red Sox. "Boston beat the Yanks twice at the new Stadium, too. But the Yankees are clinging to the idea that they were a very different team the last time the rivals met. In fact, they were. After a 7-3 loss to the Red Sox on May 5, the Yankees were a third-place team with a .500 record (13-13). Hideki Matsui was their cleanup hitter, Ramiro Pena and Angel Berroa were holding down third base and Jose Molina was the regular catcher. Mark Teixeira was irking fans with his slow start and his .198 batting average was a neon reminder of the team's sluggishness every time it appeared on a scoreboard. Since then, they've gone 20-10. After two losses to the Rays following Boston's two-game sweep, A-Rod came back May 8 and the Yanks are 20-8 since, the best winning percentage in the majors over that time. Posada returned May 29 and the lineup looked more like the juggernaut the Yankees hoped for during spring training. The rotation has soared, too. Over the last 24 games (in which the Yanks are 18-6), starters are 11-2 with a 3.83 ERA. The Yankees have a 3.65 ERA during that span, third in the AL."

Even a bit of the same rotation bombast that the Sox have come down with of late. Might come as news to Sox fans that the Yanks, too, feel bloated with starters:

NY Daily News, As Joe Girardi Juggles Rotation, Pettitte holds own, for now. "When there are six quality starters vying for five spots, every outing becomes a bit of an audition - no matter how many big games you boast in your resume. You got the feeling Monday night that Andy Pettitte was one more shaky outing away from a controversy, from people talking about his control problems, about his aching back muscles and about Phil Hughes wasting away in the bullpen. Pettitte did fine, though."

All in all, the Yanks are clearly feeling good about themselves. Let's hope you can check in over the next few mornings to find them taken down a notch.