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Bronx, N.Y., October 20, 2004 — Well, that which cannot happen has come to pass. It’s a true statement on several levels, but for our purposes let’s just concern ourselves with two: First, when push comes to shove, the Yankees always beat the Red Sox. And more generally, teams who lose the first three games of a best-of-seven series in most major sports, and certainly in baseball, can’t recover from that deficit. Continue reading The Lowe Down

Bronx, N.Y., October 17, 2004 — The pictures in the Fox-TV coverage toward the end of last night’s Yankee 19-8 humiliation of the Red Sox were dominated by two views, one seen often in Fenway Park, and the other almost never. (I couldn’t tell you what Buck, McCarver, et al, were saying, as we threw that verbal tribute to the powers that be at Fox over the side in the second inning, using the radio for the audio portion of the goings-on. (But I can address the pictures they showed.) Continue reading Swing [at] Lowe

Bronx, N.Y., October 11, 2004 — The greatest postseason closer in baseball history recorded yet another save in the Bronx Tuesday night. And as Mariano Rivera trotted in from the bullpen to take his practice throws, the Scoreboard displayed its latest gimmick, not just playing Mettalica’s Enter Sandman, but flashing the lyrics across the auxiliary boards that hang from the loge sections down each line. Continue reading Enter Sandman: The Ballgame

Bronx, N.Y., October 11, 2004 — The story behind Ruben Sierra, the powerful Yankee switch-hitting DH/outfielder, is one of many good ones regarding the 2004 team. The Yankees had achieved two huge goals when they originally got Ruben in July 1995 for Danny Tartabull. First, they got rid of the oft-injured righty power hitter and his big contract. And then the Yankees rode thier way to a 1995 Wild Card berth largely on Ruben’s double-barreled stick. Continue reading Sandcastle to Cathedral

Bronx, N.Y., October 6, 2004 — Although the numbers are spread a bit, both the 2004 AL Central Champion Minnesota Twins and the Yankees, winners in the East, relied on two bullpen stalwarts to carry them this season. Uncharacteristically, three of the four stumbled in Wednesday’s ALDS Game Two in Yankee Stadium. Continue reading A Star Is (Re)Born

Bronx, N.Y., October 5, 2004 — With the way the Yanks have come limping out of the box in the ALDS the last two years, Mike Mussina has to wonder how much an honor the opening game assignment actually is. Facing the Twins in the 2003 opener on September 30, Moose allowed two earned runs on seven hits over seven innings while striking out six. And this Tuesday night in the Bronx he essentially turned in an identical performance, with depressingly similar results. Continue reading Lone Moose