Back To Reality

After a long hiatus, I've updated my Imperial Sports Page so take a look when you get a moment.

It's never fun watching your team get shut out for one of the worst teams in baseball. Having a nine game lead cushions the blow a bit, but it still sucks.

I suppose, taking a half-full point of view, getting Moose through the game healthy was the primary purpose. But after tasting blood Monday night, I got into a bit of a frenzy. I wanted more. Tuesday made me realize why nights like Monday are so rare. That even the worst major league pitchers are going to find a way to get hitters out.

Thankfully, Randy Johnson righted the ship with help from Jorge Posada.

I've been hard on Posada in the past and his catching. But he's having his best all around season. That throw to third to nail DeJesus in the seventh was huge. He's been nailing guys all year trying to steal all third. Whatever Tony Pena's done with him should be trademarked and mass produced.

Posada is clearly one of the four or five best backstops in pinstriped history. But is he a Hall Of Famer? If he plays four or five more years, he might have a fighting chance. Playing in the AL, he can DH, which means that he could get to 300 homers and 1000 RBIs primarily as a catcher. If he does, when you combine the four rings (one as the primary catcher) and six pennants, his numbers would stack up quite well against other HOF catchers. Could be an interesting debate in the future.

Johnson is no question, a first-ballot guy. But can he still be the man? He'll have his moments, but I don't you'll see the Johnson of 1995-2004 anymore. But he's still good enough to anchor a championship team if they can hit like the Yankees.

Of all the potential playoff teams and their top three pitchers, I like our guys the best. Santana and Liriano are the most dominant duo. But Radke or whoever they throw out drags down that staff in a big way. If they make the playoffs and Liriano can't go...they're one and done.

The Yankees staff, in my opinion, is the most balanced. And if Randy can keep the guys in the game, the Yanks have a chance to win their first title in six years. I'm not going to put too much credence into last night's start because I've seen this movie before. But the fact that he's pitching instead of throwing is a good sign.

Now on to Baltimore. They've got some payback coming to them.

I'll never say this again. But I'm glad to see Big Papi back on the field. He's too important a player to lose right now. Great ambassador for the game.

Now if he can only hit .220 against the Yankees....