Bronx, N.Y., May 17, 2003 — It seems impossible that it has been five years since I witnessed David Wells’ perfect game from the Tier boxes in the Bronx. And it was seven years ago this week that Doc Gooden no-hit the Mariners. Mid-May is a crazy time in a baseball season, too far in to ignore the implications, but oh so far from the season’s conclusion.

On days like those mentioned, the Tier feels like “Old Blue Eyes,” who died mid-May himself (May 14, 1998) describes it after so many games at the Stadium. Up there, I am the “Top of the Heap,” and “King of the Hill.” You may not know of the songwriter Larry Stock, who also passed this week (May 14, 1984), but you know one of his songs, which serves as an even better analogy. “Blueberry Hill,” I like to call the Stadium Tier, that place from which I have found so many a thrill.

But then there’s times like this week, when the losses mount and I think of the Rolling Stones anthem to modern angst recorded on May 13, 38 years ago (sorry, the Britney Spears cover barely entered my mind). If you are looking for words of inspiration, well, I don’t know,

Better come back, later next week,
‘Cause you see [we’re] on a losing streak.

But the games happen, and I see them. I have a good time, and I see some good among the bad, both in the team’s performance, and in the general Stadium experience. What follows are some impressions of both, through three losses seen from the Tier, and one from home.

I would point to what happened in the Bronx Tuesday night as a good clue as to where the team is now, and where it isn’t. Until recently we were riding a starting staff featuring the 7-0 Mike Mussina, and we were about to face the sub-.500 (at the time) Anaheim Angels and starter John Lackey. We reached this guy for seven runs (six earned) just three weeks ago. And from what I saw, the Moose had an acceptable though not brilliant outing, one that was doomed to failure by one simple fact: This team isn’t hitting a lick.

But we all know you can’t win them all, and Mike knows it more than most, as he has never won 20, or a ring, with that tremendous array of pitches he has. Many will tell you whom Cash should have gotten us; others will chime in with how Joe should have used them. From the Tier, however, I find it less maddening if I root for the team we do have, and not to rue the one we do not. Here, a few things from Tuesday that you didn’t see from home:

Would you make this trade? On Mussina’s seventh pitch to Troy Glaus (and 94th of 96 on the day) in the fifth, Troy fouled it to the first few rows of Tier Section 17. While making the grab, a fan lost his cap, which fell to the fans below. A good exchange, in my book.

On the way to Tuesday’s game, coming off the train in my Yankee fan regalia, a fellow passenger asked if I were going to the game. When I said yes, he shared this: He had seen Derek, about to make his triumphant return, the evening before walking down the street on the east side of Manhattan, at about 79th and Second Avenue. He wished Derek good luck, and the Yankee shortstop replied, “Thanks, Dude.”

You could feel the weather changing, as the wind was blowing toward left field in the third inning, but it had turned to right by the sixth.

Friends will tell you that aside from the loss, the most frustrating thing I bring from Wednesday’s game was Charles Gipson’s getting picked off first after dancing off the bag incessantly, faking much, and achieving nothing.

The Yanks made some great plays, from Robin Ventura nabbing the speedy Eckstein on a swinging bunt in the third, to a fine running catch on a pop into no-man’s land in short right by Mondesi on a ball hit by Molina to finish the sixth, and finally on a liner to deep center off the bat of Owens that Bernie tracked down in the seventh. (If only they played as crisply Saturday!)

In the fourth during inning Garrett Anderson’s incessant string of two-strike hits, a fan to my right (in the adjoining Box 620) with a glove made a fine backhand grab of a foul off Garrett’s bat. Even though another ball, struck foul by Giambi in the eighth, landed in 620 also, I was not jealous about it. After all, the gentleman who made that initial catch also “caught” me leaving after the game without my jacket. It is doubtful I would have made it through Friday’s freezing festivities without it.

It was interesting seeing the home plate ump making Molina give up his bat in the third. Obviously it had had some kind of illegal modification done to it?

Mike DiMuro was the home-plate ump Thursday. Traveling from Connecticut (where I work) for these games, I often arrive too late to see the umpires identified. Tim McClelland is easy as he unfolds his body step by step after each pitch from the four-foot-high hulk hanging over the catcher to his imressive six foot, whatever, he stands when erect. Jim Joyce is the only ump loud enough where you can actually hear his strike calls from the Tier. I will refer to Mike DiMuro as “Hair” henceforth. He has a fine head of hair and appears to be proud of it, as he takes his cap and mask off virtually after ever pitch when he is calling balls and strikes. The second-generation umpire and son of Lou is one I will always be able to identify from the Tier no matter how late I arrive.

Most of all, it was just frustrating that Roger had such great stuff that night and virtually no control over it, as witnessed by the 10 K’s and six walks. The Rangers really didn’t do much in the second (even Blaylock’s bases-clearing double the other way off the left field wall didn’t seem very well struck) but ended up with three runs ror it. It took all game for the Yanks to come from behind to tie them and then we just couldn’t get that sixth run. Of course, the two left field assists, first by Everett and later by Sadler, get a lot of the credit for keeping the Rangers in the game.

Even though Lewis and Fultz struggled a bit with their control, both overcame it. Lewis had averaged almost a walk an inning this season, but he only gave up three in five innings, while Fultz only allowed one while carrying the game into the eighth. This is one case where the first-pitch strike ratio was truly emblematic of the game on the field, as those two went .500 (Lewis, 11-11; Fultz, 5-5) in that category, while Roger’s mark was 11-15.

Juan Gonzalez’s long foul to left on a 2-2 pitch against Roger in the first was hit as deep into the left field Upper Deck as any I have seen (though it was a good 40-50 feet foul).

I noticed that Everett was only batting lefty, though I’m sure he has been a switch hitter for most of his career.

Everett and Blaylock, thorns in our sides all weekend, peppered the left field Tier with fouls all Friday night. Both hit fouls into Box 620 to my right. Both came a little short when sending balls at Box 622, as each smacked balls that thumped off the facade in front of the box, Blaylock’s in the fourth and Everett’s in the sixth.

And one of the few benefits of staying until the bitter end of a marathon (except, of course, the chance we could pull it out) in unfriendly weather is that the foul ball recovery potential increases dramatically in the largely empty seats. So imagine the frustration of the few of us who remained once the Rangers had finally broken it open on Blaylock’s second three-run double of the night in the twelfth inning. Next Arod was intentionally walked and the ensuing count on Mark Texeira went to 2-0 on the 411th pitch of the night. He then hit the evening’s 412th pitch into the five vacant rows of Box 622 behind me. Wouldn’t you know that it struck the rail behind row F and caromed all the way over the box and back into the seats below?

I was wondering if DiMuro and Zeile have any history, as from my perch the strike-one pitch to Todd in the fifth (it could have been a pivotal pitch, as it came on a 2-0 count; he would later swing and miss at 2-2) was as high a strike as I have ever seen called. But then again maybe not, as Mike made a similar call on Matsui in the sixth.

Way up high in the Tier Section 19 reserved seats down the first base line, there was a huge group of people with a “55 MATSUI” sign that spanned almost half the section when they held it up. I felt great for them when Hideki knocked Bernie in in the fourth, and again when he made the fabulous play on Everett in the 10th, and then doubled Christenson off second.

I have been disturbed that Joe has been benching Ventura against lefties, obviously concerned that with Johnson’s great start Zeile would not get enough at bats to get sharp and then to stay that way. Robin’s bat is one of the only ones that has not cooled of late, so let’s hope that a resurgence from a regular-playing Todd while keeping Ventura’s dangerous lefty bat in the lineup will be the silver lining to the Nick Johnson injured-hand cloud.

It was a little reassuring to see the bullpen hold the explosive Rangers at bay for 6.7 innings Friday night. Juan just couldn’t get the ninth out.

It was undeniably frustrating that Bernie bounced into a first-inning 6-4-3 to stop a potential rally Saturday after having killed Friday night’s bases-loaded, no-out first inning rally when he did the same, cutting that rally short with only one run. But had he hit his sharp grounder Friday night that started that 4-6-3 10 or 15 feet to the left, it would have marked the third conscutive single up the middle (around Jason’s walk) to start the inning. There is no denying that Bernie is among those struggling, but Friday night’s first-inning killer was definitely a case of “the way the ball bounces.”

Andy has totally recovered from the guy who gave up the three crushing homers in Oakland last time out. With any kind of defense and offense behind him he would have gotten a win. And if the three softly struck balls that started the decisive second inning today weren’t another example of “the way the ball bounces,” I don’t know what would be. The seeing-eye base hits will come our way. It is just a matter of time. And if the “time” is next week against the Red Sox, so much the better.

So there you have it. I saw the Thursday win and the Saturday loss on YES (until the sixth when my cable died, so Sterling and Steiner filled in the last three frames at the end). The Yanks are still not hitting, but the Red Sox, who are, managed to keep pace by losing back-to-back to the Angels anyway. We are still in first place, and it’s important not to fall prey to “mid-May madness.” The second-place guys are hitting and only barely inching closer. Their pen continues to struggle. Ours has shown a slight upturn, and Jason Anderson was OK today too. I’m betting we get the 7-0 of the first six weeks Moose tomorrow, and not the guy who lost a few days back.

I hope you haven’t minded reading these observations, though I grant they’re grouped in a rather haphazard fashion. I’ll call the column a success if you don’t just consider them to be,

“More and more
About some useless information,
‘Supposed to fire [your] imagination.”

Satisfaction. Let’s get some Sunday.

YANKEE BASEBALL!!!