First Strike

Leia, Met Fan or no....I don't care if it's too painful for you to watch Al Leiter eat innings for the Yankees in the playoffs. You're watching every frame of this series!! If you don't, I'm turning the Death Star around and we're fragging your whole friggin planet!!!

I was asked what do the Yankees need to do to win this series. Exactly what they did
for the first six innings of Tuesday night game. Solid starting pitching, timely hitting, good defense and solid relief work. You can't ask much more from the Bombers Tuesday, as they beat the Angels 4-2 in Anaheim.

Coming off a week's rest, Mussina was sharp as he kept the Halos off balance for 5 2/3 innings when Joe Torre took him out of the game because of pitch count. Robinson Cano hit a three-run double in the first, Jason Giambi stroked a RBI double in the second and the Bombers never looked back.

The only burps were Sturtze and, ironically, Cano. Sturtze gave up a jack to Bengie Molina in the seventh and Cano tried to backhand a high-hopper from Darrin Erstad in the ninth that went into rightfield and allowed Vlad the Impaler to score. Can someone please tell this kid to get in front of the ball instead of backhanding it? Please? That move has disaster written all over it.

And Sturtze? I don't know what to say about him. He's clearly got a tired arm. But what do you do? With our bullpen problems, we need every arm we can muster. I don't know if Small can fill that void. Maybe, but that depends on how deep the starters can go into the games. If they get knocked around early, then Small will probably end up being the longman coming out of the pen. If the Bombers want to avoid expose the vulnerable under-belly of the team, they have to get length from their starters.

All in all, a great way to start off the postseason.

Part of the fun in being a Yankee fan, is seeing the misery that your joy instills in others. So when Infidel Enemy #1 Metstradamus published this post today, I giggled just a little. Ok a lot.


This also made me laugh...just a little bit. I know it's only one game and they'll probably win tonight with Wells on the mound. But watching them get their lunch money taken from them on the South Side of Chicago was a joy to behold. If that beating didn't make the scum from Infidel Nation realize that this isn't 2004...I don't know what will.

An deleted scene from the Godfather Part II.....

Frank Pentangeli: Tommy, I'm telling ya, I'm gettin' so friggin' tired of these damn Yankees! I keep thinking that they're dead and they keep popping back to life! I'm tired of having to stay in Witness Protection because of that damned Jeter and his stormtroopers!! What's a good Mets fan to do, Tommy?

Tom Hagen: I'm sure you'll do the right thing, Frankie Five Angels. You've got to make sure your family's taken care of.

Frank: You're right, Tom. Guard!! I need you to draw a hot bath for me...