Ain't No Party Like A Pinstripe Party

Delany shows off his bland-ball.

The Big Ten agreed to a deal to be an (evidently willing) participant in a December bowl game in New York, as Jim Delany was on hand at Yankee Stadium yesterday. Delaney even spent some time in the booth with Michael Kay and Al Leiter, making sure to mention Urban Meyer, Mark Dantonio, Kirk Ferentz, "the coach at Wisconsin," and how great the league is.

Delany then threw three scoreless innings in relief of Andy Pettitte, who is actually nine years Delany's senior.

The Big Ten's partnership with the Pinstripe Bowl will run from 2014 through 2021, so you still have the '13 game to enjoy a titanic matchup of also-rans from the Big 12 and Big East. The Big Ten will officially replace the Big 12 in that pairing, but it also sounds like the Big East (now "American Athletic Conference") isn't long for the bowl game necessarily, either. According to Delaney's cryptic comments on-air last night, it sounds like that is still being negotiated. Whatever, nobody cares.

I actually attended the Rutgers-Iowa State Pinstripe Bowl in 2011. Yeah, I don't know why, either.

Yay, bowl games!

A Good Weekend

I'm a Yankees fan. Can't help it. Was raised about 35 miles from Yankee Stadium. Boilerdowd is an anti-Yankees, anti-Cubs, anti-Cardinals fan. Handy, when you want to dig your friends' teams. He also likes the Red Sox when they win.

But this isn't about our handsome co-editor.

It's sucked being a Yankees fan for a while. The team's been boring, actually, winning games in recent years, but also being (painfully) obviously not a championship-caliber team.

Their players also went from being hard to dislike in the 90s (early-era Jeter, when he had certain joy for the game, Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez, David Cone, Rivera, etc.) to being easy to dislike, even for fans of the team (surly players, cheaters, etc.). There was no joy. The Steinbrenners had made it a win or you suck situation. Winning a World Series would have brought relief rather than joy and that sucks. And so the winning stopped.

Now, though, things seem fun again. Sure, there's a lot of payroll. Blah, blah, blah. I don't want to hear any more about how the poor midwestern teams can't add payroll as the White Sox add Peavy and the Cards add Holliday, etc. Just shut it.

I happened to be in the NY area this whole weekend and that Yankees-Sox series felt like it meant a lot to these guys for the first time in a long time. Not that it hadn't been important before, but there was a feeling of morose-ness among the guys. The Sox weren't the punching bag Sox anymore, so it was less fun.

But now it's fun again, because the Sox are good and won't roll over. And neither will the Yankees. And my team is enjoyable and seems to be having fun again. That's all I wanted.

And to crush Boston.

Oh A-Rod

If you're a regular reader, then you know I'm a Yankee loyalist. I grew up there and I doubt I'll ever be able to fully change allegiences. But don't think there aren't times when I truly don't like being a Yankees fan. Like when potentially the greatest player ever turns out to have cheated.

I have no way to defend A-Rod, nor do I wish to.

Do I think that the fact that his name came out is kind of ridiculous? Absolutely. If your union tells you what you're doing is 100% confidential and baseball even agrees that nothing gets done with those sample except to decide whether they should actually think about official testing and penalties, well, then this should have never come out. The union, in fact, had the opportunity and the right to collect the samples and data afterwards and destroy it all. And they obviously should have, but they failed to do that. And in turn, they failed their players -- the people they're supposed to fight for in all aspects. And so if I were A-Rod, I would sue the shit out of the union.

But back to reality. A-Rod cheated. At least once that we know of, which of course means it was more than that. I'm comfortable saying it was at least 1-2 seasons of cheating. Maybe it was more, but that's all I'm comfortable saying for now. And for that, well, what can you do? He took these things when they were not banned in baseball and there were no penalties (or testing) in place. So, no, nothing should be done to him unless he fails one now.

However, this has ruined his legacy. He will forever be known as a cheater, just as Bonds was. And maybe even more so, since Bonds never has failed an official drug test. A-Rod has.

I heard some very good points made by Michael Kay, the Yankees radio voice, this morning. The Yankees just signed ARod last offseason to a 10-year, $300M extension. So there's 9 years and $270M left on it. And he had that kind of value to them because he was going to be the guy who broke all the career home run records. He was going to be the guy who, eventually, everyone loved because he has that great smile and was doing things clean. He was going to erase Barry Bonds from the record books and he was going to do it in a Yankee uniform and in the new Yankee Stadium. And maybe win a few titles along the way.

Now, no matter what happens, A-Rod does not hold that value to the Yankees. Sure, he's still a great player -- let's not even debate that -- but he's no longer going to be able to be the poster boy for "doing it the right way." Ever.

If the Yankees win, say, three more World Series titles in his remaining nine years in New York, then they're probably getting worthwhile value from A-Rod. Otherwise, he's just an expensive reminder of the most embarrassing time in Major League Baseball.

Yankees Finally Bolster Rotation

Andy Pettitte struggles to bring himself to sign such a low-priced contract.

The Yankees brought back Andy Pettitte yesterday, signing him to a one-year deal for $5.5 million, with another $6+ million in incentives. From the linked story:

Pettitte might have been able to get a multiyear deal from another club.

"I could have made an awful lot more money than what I signed for," he said.

Indeed. Who out there isn't looking to sign aging, .500 pitchers with a history of elbow and shoulder pain to lucrative, multi-year deals?

I kid, of course, because Andy Pettitte is a fine addition to the Yankees staff and finally brings some stability. I mean, who has heard of these shmoes? The rotation heading into 2009 looks something like this:

CC Sabathia
Chien-Ming Wang
AJ Burnett
Joba Chamberlain
Andy Pettitte

They've also got Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, who were supposed to be the future of the rotation, waiting for when one of these guys invariably gets hurt.

Just to be safe, though, the Yankees also have contract offers on the table for Greg Maddux, Jake Peavy, Nolan Ryan, Satchel Paige and Sandy Koufax.

You know, just to be careful.

Yankees Continue to Corner the Market on Aging Stars

The Yankees agrees to trade Kyle Farnsworth back to one of his previous teams, the Tigers, in exchange for another player who used to be really good, Pudge Rodriguez.

Okay, maybe that's not entirely fair. IRod is hitting .295 this year and clearly isn't washed up. And with Posada done for the season, the Yanks do need a decent catcher and there really aren't many good ones out there, and even fewer who are available. I heard this morning that Pudge wasn't happy in Detroit and that's really surprising to me. This is a guy who signed his deal with them when they were absolutely terrible and I remember people wondering why he'd do such a thing. Then they made it to the World Series and he looked a little less crazy. And now somehow he's not happy.

Regardless, even though I poke fun, this is a good move for the Yanks. Pudge's contract is up at the end of the season and if he's anywhere near the leader/spark he's been for the '03 Marlins World Series team or the '06 Tigers run, then he's more than worth Kyle Farnsworth, a guy the Yankees couldn't have given away last season. Farny has been a lot better this year and Cashman traded him at what's likely his peak value. Sure, the Yankees now need someone to pitch the 8th inning, but hey, nobody entirely trusted Farnsworth still anyway.

This is kind of a disturbing trend, though. While I like the Pudge deal, I don't like the Richie Sexson pickup. Sure, he's not costing them much of anything, but he's kind of a malcontent and he's just no good anymore. When you're 6'8" and you develop holes in your swing, well, they're pretty big holes. Plus, I think the Yanks have enough DH/1B-type guys.

A co-worker of mine said this "isn't the Yankees anymore, not with guys like Sexson and Ponson." Well, whatever that means, it's kind of on point.... the Yankees, while still not trading away their prospects and mortgaging their future, are starting to look kind of desperate. Maybe it's warranted, with the pitching staff having issues... but is it worth a noted clubhouse problem like Sidney Ponson? Can Barry Bonds be far behind?

Elsewhere in MLB

Today is the MLB trade deadline and Ken Griffey, Jr. appears to be on the move to the White Sox, even though the Sox reporters I heard on the Dan Patrick Show this morning don't seem to have any idea where Griffey will play. He's too immobile to play center field anymore, and they've got Dye and Quinten in the corner outfield spots. You could move Swisher to first and play Griff in center but then you're downgrading defensively in the outfield and taking ABs away from Paul Konerko. Of course, Konerko kind of sucks now, so maybe that's okay. If I were managing that bunch, I'd DH Griffey, play Thome at first and leave the outfield as-is. Konerko can sit his .214-hitting ass. Of course, this all might be moot because, really, does Ken Griffey at age 38 make the difference for the ChiSox? They can barely hold off a mediocre Twins team and if the Tigers hadn't completely bumblef-cked the start of their season, the Sox wouldn't be in first anyway. We'll see how it plays out.

In Boston, the growing tide of "Manny is about to be traded" has continued to swell. It's hard to believe it's possible and last week a lot of people were pointing out that this happens almost every year now... and then Manny's still a member of the Red Sox. It's true that Manny's a doofus and lollygags sometimes and clearly doesn't take the game as seriously as some people would like. He also has mad jazz hands:



However, and bear in mind that I hate the guy, he's fricking amazing. He's an incredible hitter and perhaps the most impressive RBI machine we'll ever see. Look at his career numbers -- as well as what he's doing this year -- and tell me how the Sox could possibly be better without him. His career 162-game average is .312/40/132 and his OPS+ this season is 140. That's ridonkulous.

Hell, I love the idea of them trading him, because there's no possible way they'll get fair value for him and it will only weaken the Boston lineup. Ortiz won't see as many good pitches and the Sox simply won't have as productive of an offense. And besides, they've put up with Manny being an imbecile for 7 1/2 seasons -- what's another two months?

I demand ONE MIIIILLLLLLION dollars!

I think it's hilarious that Alex Rodriguez is once again talking to the Yankees. It turns out that it wasn't about wanting out of the pressure pot known as New York... it was only about more money. That's why people hate a lot of professional athletes. They claim it's for personal or family reasons, but it's ALWAYS about the money.

Scott Boras: We demand $350 million per week in order to negotiate.

A-Rod: Nevermind Yankees, I don't like New York so I'm opting out.

Steinbrenner: Okay, we don't want anyone that doesn't want to be a Yankee.

Rest of MLB: *crickets*

Scott Boras: Oops.

A-Rod: I changed my mind. I love New York!

Steinbrenner: A-Rod has shown he DOES want to be a Yankee. Yay!



It's so freaking stupid. All he cares about is the money. He doesn't want to be a Yankee any more than he wants to be a Marlin. He just wants $30 million per year. He doesn't care where it comes from. It's all about the money. He'll kiss the new Steinbrenner's booty in order to get it too. It's just a shame that the new management of the Yankees didn't choose to stick it to him this time and not let him back to the table. That would have been really great. To see A-Rod leave $81 million for 3 years + $150 million for 5 years on the table in order to take a 4 year offer of $80 million. Oh the happiness that would've brought me.

Suck it Scott Boras!

Oh, and PS. Suck it Yankees!

Setting The Bar High

I was just out at lunch watching the Joe Girardi press conference and I saw him hold up his number 27 jersey and I thought, oh, interesting, he wore 25 with the Yankees earlier in his career. Guess he's taking 27 because steroid-head Giambi has 25.

Nope. It's because, apparently, New Joe has a flair for the dramatic, taking a page out of Tony LaRussa's book by wearing the number of the next Yankee championship. They have 26 World Series titles now. When LaRussa went to the Cardinals, they had nine WS titles and LaRussa took number 10 to signify the title he planned to bring them.

While I guess I am glad he's confident and wants his goals to be clearly stated, this seems a bit odd to me, and somewhat un-Girardi-like. I never would have expected him to make such a symbolic hardy-har-har kind of choice. But hey, what do I know?

Girardi reportedly wanted to wear #2 because he has two testicles and his wife has two boobies, but Jeter currently wears number 2.

Could We Have Some NY-LA Fires Stoked?

Several news outlets are reporting that Joe Torre is about to be named the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and, apparently, lapdog Don Mattingly will be going with him.

After yesterday's news of Joe Girardi getting the Yankees managerial job hit, Mattingly said he would accept no job within the Yankees. Ah, I see, Don. You want to be the manager of the most expensive and most valuable team in major league baseball... the team that outspends everyone... and you have zero managerial experience... and if you don't get that job, you're taking your baseball and going home. Do I have that right? Fine, then get lost, you hayseed.

Here's the truth: If Girardi is successful and the Yankees win, he'll be here a long time. If he's not successful, he'll be here less than four years. Either way, if the Yankees go to Don Mattingly in the future and tell him they want him to come home and manage the team he loves, where his number is retired, etc., then of course he will. And if he doesn't, then he's just dumber than he appears.


The most intriguing part of this to me, though, is that the Dodgers might be able to trump the Yankees in terms of press. The Yankees may announce Girardi as their new manager today and it's very possible that the Dodgers will announce a bigger name (Torre) as their new man either today or tomorrow. Whenever it happens, if Torre takes Mattingly the old Yankees-Dodgers mutual dislike that's been dormant in recent years could be re-stoked. Remember, these two teams played each other in the World Series a lot back in the days when the Dodgers were in Brooklyn. The fan bases hated one another. Even after the Dodgers went to glitzville, the two teams met up in the World Series in '77, '78 and '81.

How much fun would it be to see Torre in Yankee Stadium in the World Series... against the Yankees? Okay, okay, for those of you who hate the Yankees and don't want to ever see them in the World Series at all, I guess it wouldn't be fun. But for some of us, it would be good entertainment. For as much as I am a true Yankee fan, I wouldn't hate seeing Torre stick it to the Steinbrenners.

ARod Joins Torre In Telling The Yankees To Go Scratch

Let me start off by saying what many of you already know -- I'm a Yankees fan. But, as most of my friends know, I'm a pretty realistic Yankees fan. I don't "expect" a World Series every year, I realize how amazing it is to go to the playoffs twelve straight years, I think Steinbrenner's been more of a detriment to the team than anything else, and, of course, I think ARod is far better than the idiot fans and media that have officially run him out of town.

A few thoughts here... and, as per my usual, I'll just meander through them.

For one thing, Scott Boras -- ARod's agent -- is a prick. However, he's sports agent and his sole job is to get his players the most money possible. If you look at it through that lens, it's understandable as to why he's the way he is. I still hate him, but I do get why he's who he is. It's his job, he's very good at it, and he wants to be successful and rich. Can't blame him for that. However, some of his comments in the wake of ARod opting out are just irresponsibly stupid. From the story I linked to above:

Boras said during a telephone interview that Rodriguez made his choice because he was uncertain whether Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte would return to the Yankees. Boras said it became clear that the others wouldn't make a decision by Rodriguez's deadline to opt out -- 10 days after the World Series.

"Alex's decision was one based on not knowing what his closer, his catcher and one of his statured pitchers was going to do," Boras said. "He really didn't want to make any decisions until he knew what they were doing."

Yes, I'm sure that's it. He's uncertain as to whether those three guys are coming back so that's why he opted out. It's insulting to everyone with at least fifteen working brain cells (this rules out Sox fans) to say this. Reports are that the Yankees are about to offer Rivera and Posada three-year extensions and there's an option that can be picked up by the Yankees on Pettitte who had a very good year. So Boras is full of sheet here. Just admit you want to test the free agent market -- at least we could respect your honesty.

Another point is that this contributed to ARod's MVP year this year, I think. I think he decided in Spring Training that he was opting out and so he knew this was his last year in New York, thus he really didn't care what anyone thought anymore. He worked hard on his game and had a monster season, all the while knowing he was out of here. Every time somebody asked me what I thought he would do, I said I thought he was going to leave. I didn't want it to be true and I think the Yankees are much worse off without him, despite what the "chemistry" people think. I wish him good luck, although it's hard to root for a guy who is so rich he's able to void the remainder of a contract that would have paid him $72 million. I mean, think about that. $72 million just to play out the rest of his contract. A contract that has, up to now, paid him $180 million. Simply amazing to think about.

I do understand the idea behind a free market economy and capitalism and I realize that, theoretically, he is worth that and more. If he stayed with the Yankees and broke the records he'll probably break and the Yankees continue to be successful with him... in a new park... in New York... well, the millions, if not billions, that the franchise will rake in will mean that paying him a couple hundred mill isn't all that silly. He's a solid investment.

Of course the Steinbrenners are posturing and saying ARod's unequivocally done in the Bronx.

"It's clear he didn't want to be a Yankee," Steinbrenner told the New York Daily News. "He doesn't understand the privilege of being a Yankee on a team where the owners are willing to pay $200 million to put a winning product on the field.

"I don't want anybody on my team that doesn't want to be a Yankee."

Now, as much as I tend to hate the Steinbrenner bluster, I can't argue with this. The whole notion that ARod wants to win and isn't sure what "direction" the Yankees are going in -- something Boras was quoted as using as a reason for this last week -- is completely ludicrous. The Yankees' direction? Upward. They want to win and win at all costs and at all times. When did anyone give an indication that this changed? As I said, I have to agree with the sentiment that if ARod wasn't even willing to meet to listen to a contract extension offer from the Yankees (which apparently, he wasn't) then he clearly doesn't want to be there. And that sucks but oh well.

There was talk by Joe Buck during the World Series last night that maybe the Yankees would offer a free agent deal to Mike Lowell of the Red Sox to come to New York (the club where he started) to play third base. While I think that's not a bad idea, it's still a huge step down in overall ability. But I would have no problem rooting for Mike Lowell. He's on my list of Red Sox players that I do not hate.

Whatever happens, ARod will continue to be the highest-paid player in baseball. If he leaves the Yankees as it appears now forgone that he will, it'll be interesting to see what guys like Jeter and Posada say about him once he's gone. And for the Yankees, who made the playoffs largely due to Rodriguez' monster season, the road's about to get harder, not easier.

Don Mattingly's Blog Is Informative

As the Yankees conduct interviews for a new manager, I've been keeping tabs on a blog I found a while ago and had hoped would provide me with some good material. See, I don't really much like Don Mattingly. That makes me a rarity among Yankee fans. But I've never understood how someone so bland got so popular. I know he was good for a few years, but he's revered at Yankee Stadium like he's Mickey Mantle and if you look at the numbers, he had a few outstanding years but that was it. His career numbers are nothing to get hot and bothered about and he never, never won. His career was 1982-1995, all with the Yankees, and he never got even one division title, let alone a Series. But I'm digressing.

I came across Don's Website and within in there's a section entitled "Don's blog." Well, let's just say this -- Curt Schilling's blog, it ain't.

There are ten whole entries, and it goes back to sometime during last season. I say sometime because there are no date stamps. Odd.

Don also goes out of his way to let you know that his "Website guy" (whose name is Shannon) is typing all this for him. Apparently, Don's not much of a typist. Fair enough.

So we get welcomed to Don's blog and told by Shannon that he'll be typing Don's answers. Okay. The next post is "from" Don but, again, we're told Shannon is typing his answers. Um, gotcha. Don then tells us what a satisfying season it's been (presumably 2006) because of how well guys have played, yadda yadda yadda. Yawn.

The next post is about heading into the playoffs. Boring again.

The next post is announcing the RSS feed will be coming. For ten posts, I guess. Shannon is amazed: "I had no idea there would be that many people interested. With that said, we should have it available in the next few weeks. Bare with me, once again."

"Bare"? Yes, good thing Don's not doing the typing.

The next post is from Indiana, where Don lives, and is in mourning for Cory Lidle, and the one after that is about keeping Lidle in your prayers.

The next post is from last winter and says the following:

The Yankees announced Don's new position as Bench Coach and he has accepted. I spoke to him a few days ago and I will be getting his version of the story on here as soon as I can.

We're still waiting on the story. I guess it's a whopper.

Shannon then posts announcing that RSS is available. Outstanding.

The next post is the longest of any of them, and it's all about "exciting times" for the Mattinglys. Not about being the bench coach for the New York Yankees, though -- no, it's about hawking his "Mattingly Baseball" product line, which I didn't even know existed, and a book he "has coming out in the Spring." But perhaps the most bothersome part of this entry is the opening paragraph. Tell me, would you want this simpleton running your $190 million baseball team:

Well, Thanksgiving is over and now the Mattingly family is getting ready for Christmas. We are trying to keep things pretty simple and keep it the way it is supposed to be. We are dealing with the cold weather now too here in Indiana . Trying to keep ourselves warm and our horses at the barn warm has been a bit of a challenge. The weather has been good though, in a way, we enjoy it.

Not too far from now I will be getting back into baseball, figuring out who is going where and gearing up for spring training. I am staying fairly busy.

Trying to keep ourselved warm and the horses in the barn warm has been a bit of a challenge. Good gracious, this guy is exciting. And I like that he specified the horses "in the barn," just so we didn't get confused and think he had horses in his living room. There is so much in these two paragraphs that I could shred that it's too easy and I won't waste your time.

Then we come to the last post of Don's illustrious blog. It's from early this past May -- almost six months ago -- and it's right in the midst of the Yankees horrid start to the season, which extended well into May. So what kind of insight does Don give us into the mood in the clubhouse, what is being said on the bench, etc.? Nada:

Hey there everyone. I do not have a lot to say at this time. I would prefer not to talk about April. All I have to say is it is a new month and we are thankful for it.
Be patient. I think by the end of the season we will be right where we want to be.
Talk to you soon.
Don Mattingly

Does Don think this is a telegraph system or something? I do not have a lot to say at this time. Stop. I would prefer not to talk about April. Stop.

Thanks for the insight, Don! And signing it is a nice touch, but sort of not done with blogs, Don. Or does this mean you've fired Shannon and are doing the posts yourself now? Don? Hello?

Good For Joe

If you're a sports follower, then you've probably already heard -- Joe Torre turned down the Yanks, which I find outstanding.

All this time there's been talk about whether or not the Yankees would fire their 67-year-old and nothing-but-successful manager.... or would they bring him back? Back and forth it went, with multiple meetings of the Yankee "brain trust" in Florida over the past few days.

So finally today they grace Joe with an offer. A shitty, one-year offer. Never mind the money (at $5 million, he'd still be the highest paid manager) -- when I say it's a shitty offer, I mean the one-year contract part.

If Joe signed for one year, he'd have to either announce immediately that this was his final go-round and it's his farewell tour, OR he'd have to deal with an entire year of the crap we heard for the past few weeks, about how he might be fired if the Yankees aren't winning at a Colorado Rockies-like clip (and how weird is it to say that?).

So Joe says no thanks and I love it. Nobody seemed to ask Joe what HE was thinking all this time -- everybody in the media was waiting for the Yankees to decide whether they royal family wanted Joe back, all the while assuming that if they snapped their fingers, that Joe Torre would be eager to scurry back to his position. I've said before that I thought Joe should have been treated with more dignity and respect. And the easy way to do this would have been for the Yanks to say to Joe that they had decided they wanted him back and then asked if Joe would like to come back. If Joe then said yes, they could have announced that and then gone into some negotiations. But no, instead we have this draconian approach where the Yankees cryptically meet without Torre and then offer him a deal he's supposed to be grateful for. I'm glad he said no, and this is coming from a big-time Yankees fan, as anyone who knows me can attest.

I had a friend email me right after this happened and I said I was happy for Torre and he replied and asked if maybe this was all planned by the Yankees brass. Like they told him his options were: A) they would either offer him a deal to reject and leave with dignity or B) be fired. I don't think this could possibly be the case because this is the Yankees and they're not about letting people go out on their own terms. Just look at Bernie Williams. The Steinbrenners are simply too arrogant to even risk the possibility of a deal like that coming to light. They have control and they want everyone to know that.

I absolutely love Joe Torre as a manager. I think he's a terrific manager of men and is so seasoned and experienced especially after having had this particular job that no matter where he goes he's going to be well-received and whoever gets him will be lucky to have him. It could be broadcasting, but I think Joe wants to be on the field a little longer. So it's weird for me to like him so much and yet be happy about this -- but I am. I am glad Joe is walking away and not enduring more years on a ridiculous "hot seat" that shouldn't have ever even gotten warm. Joe's a class act and a great guy and he just thumbed his nose at the Yankees. Whether or not it was in direct response to how they've been treating him, we may not ever know. But I am happy he's got his dignity.

Good for Joe.

Wait? Wasn't that a long time ago?

Due to outrageous public demand, I will re-post this here, even though it is well past due. This is my little tale of the Indians-Yankees game from last Friday. It was the ALDS game 2.

Before the game I saw John Adams - he that bangs the drum during the games - standing outside of Gate C. I walked by, commented to Lindsay about how I should get a picture, then went back and got a picture. I'm glad I did. I'm aware that it's ridiculous, but I'm still glad I got a picture. Also, as you can tell (or not, because the number is hidden), I'm sporting my #99 Rick Vaughn jersey, as promised. While we were walking in I saw someone else wearing a #43 Roger Dorn jersey. He wouldn't have been my first choice from the movie, but hey... whatever floats your boat.

The Division Series playoff game between the Indians and Yankees on 10/5/07 is one of the greatest games I've ever attended. It was filled with drama, clutch situations, abnormal circumstances, and overtime.

There were a lot of chances for the Indians to put some runs on the board, but at every turn, Andy Pettitte shut them down, much to my chagrin. He and Fausto Carmona each pitched extremely well. In fact, all the pitchers that night pitched well. Even Joba Chamberlian, he of the plague infested variety, pitched well. He was clearly bothered by the bugs, and I truly believe it got into his head. He wasn't the same pitcher after being doused with gallons of bug spray. The bugs, while clearly in the face of the Indians players as well, didn't seem to affect the Tribe the same way. The Yankees players appeared in general to be much more distracted by them. As a fan in the stands, I wasn't bothered by them at all... mainly because they were nowhere near the stands. Lindsay said one flew into her eye, but I never noticed any.

It is, as you can see, Tribe Time Now! Apparently. I'm not sure who came up with that slogan, but meh. Whatever. They handed out towels with the It's Tribe Time Now! saying on it also. It will join my sports towel collection, perhaps in a to be determined place of honor.

Pandemonium set in after Hafner's game winning hit. Cowboys were hugging Indians. Dogs were hugging cats. It was just like at the end of the movie Major League. We stayed in the stands for a good 10 minutes after the game just releasing all of the pent up emotion of the game. It was a really great game, and a perfect example of why baseball is such a great sport.