Johnny Drama

Since everyone else has a take on the Johnny Damon drama, here's mine.

Now that he's left the Bronx, the first image that comes to mind when I think of Damon is his grand slam in Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS against the Yankees. I still say that Ortiz' home run in the first inning was a bigger moment. Damon had just been thrown out at home prior to that home run and Yankee Stadium and Tim McCarver were going nuts. Mental images of Lucy pulling the football away from Charlie Brown were still bouncing in my head when Ortiz connected. My thoughts immediately went from "Not again. Not again. I still haven't recovered from 2003. Oh, please, not again." to "Holy crap! We might actually win this." I remember screaming triumphantly when Damon went deep. Don't believe any Red Sox fan who *knew* at that moment they were going to win. Damon's grand slam helped us all breathe easier but like in any horror movie, we knew the villain wasn't completely dead and that ghosts of Grady Little precented overly premature celebrations.

My point is that images of Damon in pinstripes don't come to mind first since he left the pinstripes behind. Sure, I think of him crashing into the left field wall in Yankee Stadium and lying prone while Melky Cabrera scurries over to get to the ball and chuckle at the image, but I still think of his moments with the Red Sox first.

Would Damon have helped the Red Sox over the final few weeks? Sure. He likely would have been a marginal upgrade over Nava or McDonald in left field, and an insurance policy to help keep Bill Hall out of the outfield. He could bat at or near the top of the lineup, allowing Francona to move JD Drew back down in the lineup. He wears down pitchers and is still a threat to go deep now and then. But we're not talking about Albert Pujols here.

Personally, I'm not disappointed to see Damon invoke his no trade clause and stay in Detroit. I'm amused by how he did it.

His first priority was to make sure he'd have significant playing time wherever he spent the rest of the season, and that he wanted to play the outfield. Chalk that up to his competitive behavior? Sure. But he'll also be a free agent at the end of the year, so getting as much playing time as possible down the stretch is important in terms of getting a contract for next year. I love that playing time was the biggest factor. He publicly said that if the Tigers weren't going to play him, then he'd accept the trade to Boston. Only when the Tigers said that he'd see significant time did the fact that it was the Red Sox who had claimed him become a factor in the decision making process.

Damon felt slighted because he didn't think the Red Sox pursued him hard enough after the 2005 season ended. The Yankees offered him 30% more than the Red Sox and he took the money. That's a significant chunk of change and an obvious factor in his decision. But the Red Sox were the only other major offer he received, so obviously they felt he was pretty valuable. Plus, keep in mind that the Yankees offer was a "sign now or it's off the table" offer. The Red Sox probably wouldn't have countered the offer, but it's not like the Red Sox made no attempt to sign him. They figured what he was worth to the ballclub and were ready to go in another direction if he wanted more. At the time of the discussions, I cringed at the thought of a four year offer for Damon since I didn't think he'd be an effective center fielder by the end of that contract. The Red Sox, at the time, were already set in left field and designated hitter. I just envisioned that the last two years would be a challenge to find him playing time without being detrimental to the ballclub. I would have been happy to see the Red Sox offer a shorter contract for more money per year, but four years was too much. At the same time, I really felt that if the Red Sox didn't sign Damon that the Yankees would and I didn't want to see Damon in pinstripes.

Earlier in the 2005 season, Damon talked publicly about his impending free agency and said that he could never imagine himself in pinstripes, even though the Yankees might make it tough for him to say no. He'd been in Boston for four years. He understood the fan base well enough to know that if he left the Red Sox, he would get a standing ovation upon returning to Fenway in any uniform other than that of the Yankees. But I don't think he understood that all of his public discussion of his contract negotiations, all of his complaints about the Red Sox disrespect by offering him only forty million dollars, and all of his immediate sucking up to the Yankees fan base would result in the level of venom he received when he returned to Fenway as a Yankee.

I would have loved to see Damon get the warm welcome he deserved. The kind of reaction that Dave Roberts, Kevin Millar, Orlando Cabrera or Derek Lowe received as a visitor. But those reactions are reserved for non-Yankees.

What made the outrage that much stronger in the Red Sox fan base was that this was possibly the player who most typified the Red Sox from 2002-2005, the changing of the guard from Dirt Dogs to Idiots. I'm not sure if people remember how many Sox fans had Damon jerseys and t-shirts, but to fans who saw Damon as they're favorite player talking about how much he loved the Yankees organization and how he was happy to ditch the Idiot look and go for the clean cut Steinbrenner look, this was a betrayal. The t-shirts saying "Looks like Jesus, acts like Judas, throws like Mary" shirts made me chuckle. But the one that really laugh was one fan finding another use for his road Damon jersey, replacing the A in his name with a Sharpied E, removing the 1 and altering the 8 until it looked like a dollar sign.

Had Damon played in Fenway when the Tigers were in town, he would have gotten a warmer reception than he did in 2006. New York didn't initially embrace him, still seeing him as one of the Idiots. He was booed at a Rangers hockey game in New York shortly after signing his contract there. (Tip of the cap to Eric Wilbur on that.) But by handling the waiver wire situation the way he did, that reception will not be as warm in 2011 if he's still playing then. It won't be as bad as it was in 2006, but his statements and actions over the past couple days haven't exactly endeared him to Red Sox fans who booed him when he left.

Damon also loses some credit, in my eyes, for being a suck up. (Again thanks to Eric Wilbur's blog for this tidbit, link below.) As of this morning, his web site talked about his time with Boston and Detroit, but not his time in New York. Then, magically, it was updated later in the day to include his time in New York. He uses the media to try to endear himself to one fan base then another but doesn't seem to get that handling himself that way and then complaining about how one fan base sees him makes him look like a phony. Maybe he picked up tips on managing his image from A-Rod. Who knows.
http://www.boston.com/sports/columnists/wilbur/2010/08/last_rites.html

I wish Damon well, hope that he gets a contract somewhere other than with the Yankees, stops whining about how the Red Sox fan base and management hurt and disrespected him and enjoys the rest of his career. If I ever get the chance to meet him, I'll thank him for 2004 and would love to have him autograph a picture of his grand slam. In the meantime, I'm hoping guys like Nava and Kalish can help the Red Sox get to the postseason.

Go, Sox!

And there will be a Game 7...

Wow.

So I was a little early in my visions of JD Drew's postgame interview. It was great to see Drew come up big in the first inning after a rough season. Here's hoping he gets a Drewwwww serenade from the Fenway crowd tomorrow. I really believe that a lot of his problems on the field this year have been due to adjustments between the leagues and issues off the field and that he's going to be just fine next year.

I have the same belief about Dice-K. He'll make adjustments and 'Tek will get a better sense for what he's comfortable with / capable of on a given night and he'll be just fine. Didn't we have similar concerns about Beckett last year?

Speaking of Beckett, it's a shame that the postseason isn't supposed to count in the Cy Young voting.

Watching Game 6, I couldn't help but notice how breaks that had gone the Indians' way earlier in the series seemed to go the Sox' way tonight. So many "ground balls with eyes" that I can't remember them all. The one that sticks out most in my mind was Youkilis' ground ball in the hole at short in the first that caught the lip of the infield grass and took an odd hop.

It was good to see Schilling come through and pitch seven strong innings. I trust that he knows that with that type of lead to pitch to contact and keep his pitch count low to keep the bullpen fresh for tomorrow. Francona managed to give me fits when Fox showed Okajima and Papelbon warming up in the seventh inning. My Dad and I had a quick conversation over the phone where I lobbied for two innings out of Lopez. I nearly got my wish. The bar where I was watching the game nearly erupted when Gagné trotted in from the bullpen. Don't get me wrong. I want to see the guy succeed and the lead was safe, but I didn't believe he'd get through the inning. I was fearful that two things would happen.

1. The Indians' bats would wake up. No Sox fan wants to see that the night before Game 7.
2. Francona would have to bring in another reliever to finish the ninth.

Thankfully, neither of those things happened and the game ended well for the Sox.

Now we move on to Game 7, which makes me think back to previous Game 7's.

I went to Games 6 and 7 of the '86 ALCS at Fenway. (Thanks again, Mom, for getting those tickets.) In those games, the stadium was full of positive energy. We'd staved off elimination at the hands of the Angels and broken their backs. It seemed like everyone at Fenway knew both games were foregone conclusions, especially Game 7.

I wish I could remember how I felt during Game 7 of the '86 World Series. I remember being crushed by Game 6, but I don't remember being pessimistic about Game 7.

I remember having trouble sleeping before Game 7 of the '03 ALCS. I remember "Please. Just this once. I can't take constantly losing to the Yankees much longer. Please let this be the year." running through my head from the last out of Game 6 until Aaron Boone connected. I remember not being able to focus at work the day of Game 7, wondering if I was going to a party or an execution.

I remember the same thoughts running through my head before Game 7 of the '04 ALCS. "Please. Just this once. No more heartbreak. Please not again. We were so down after Game 3. Please don't get our hopes up only to crush us again. Please. Just this once." I remember being in a daze at work before Game 7, not wanting to talk to anyone about how anxious I was.

This is different. I'm not sure if the rest of Red Sox Nation feels the way I do. I'm pretty mellow. It's not cockiness or overconfidence or a belief that the Red Sox are destined to prevail. The best way I could describe it is...hope but with the complete and surprising absence of dread.

Would beating the Yankees in the ALCS after we've already won the division be more satisfying than beating the Indians? Probably, but there would be more of a risk involved. If the Red Sox were playing the Yankees in this year's ALCS, there'd be dread and anxiousness. We finally won a World Series thanks to an epic comeback against the Yankees. I had thought we had exorcised so many demons. I didn't want to admit it at the time, but losing the division to the Yankees given the lead we'd had all season or losing the ALCS to the Yankees would have taken some of the shine off of the 2004 season.

When the Indians beat the Yankees in the ALDS, every Red Sox fan I know breathed a sigh of relief. We were now playing with house money. Winning the World Series would still be sweet, but there was no worry of landing flat on our backs after swinging at the air just after Lucy pulled the football away at the last possible moment.

This is different. Tonight I'm excited but mellow and looking forward to whatever tomorrow brings.

Now, onto other thoughts that have been running through my head since my last long-winded post...

The Joba Chamberlain suspension still bugs me. Everyone on the planet could read the Joba Rules posted in the Yankees bullpen that clearly stated that since Joba had pitched one and two-thirds innings that he would not pitch for the next two games. Then, Bob Watson hands down a two game suspension hours later. The length of the suspension seemed about right, but I can't remember any other situation in which MLB handed down a suspension so quickly in a situation like that. There was another suspension (the specific players and game escapes me) a week or so later, but it took two or three days for Watson to make his ruling. Am I the only person who found the timing and length of the Chamberlain suspension a bit odd?

The Mariners' collapse was almost as epic as the Mets'. Thankfully for the Mariners, their swoon came sooner and won't be as memorable as a result.

The end of the Rockies / Padres tiebreaker was the most thrilling non-Red Sox playoff-* finish I've watched since Sid Bream lumbered home to beat the Pirates in the '92 NLCS. Sorry, Mariners fans, but I was still too bummed about losing to the Indians in the '95 ALDS to get amped about Griffey's mad dash to beat the Yankees.

How about them Pats? I was at the game last week in Dallas with a good friend of mine who is a huge Cowboys fan. (Thanks again, Pete. Great seats.)

I bought a Randy Moss jersey just before hopping the plane to Dallas. My buddy laughed when I told him I was buying one because it didn't seem like me. I expected to catch more flack from Cowboys fans in the parking lot, but only one group said anything.

Cowboys Fan: "Is that a new <expletive_deleted> jersey?"
Me: "No, I've had this for about three years."
Cowboys Fan: "Oh."

Disappointing and yet amusing all at once.

It's still odd to see Randy Moss in a Pats uniform. It still feels like we're watching Belichick's version of a Madden game where made some pre-season trades that you wouldn't expect the game to allow.

Speaking of Belichick, I have a hunch that somewhere up there, Red Auerbach is watching and laughing, nodding with approval. Honestly? The videotaping does bug me. I'd like to think the Patriots don't (and didn't) need to resort to that. It doesn't taint their recent success to the extent that knowing that Bobby Thompson knew what Ralph Branca was going to throw taints the Shot Heard Round the World in '51, but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

The television broadcast may have missed these two fourth quarter events.

1. There was a loud spontaneous cheer midway through the fourth quarter. The Patriots players seemed surprised and looked up into the stands to see that the vast majority of remaining fans were Pats fans and were giving the team a standing ovation.
2. There was a "Let's go, Red Sox!" chant at Texas Stadium.

The Cowboys looked like a team to be reckoned with, especially given how wide open the NFC is this season. I remember the Rams playing the Patriots in 2000 and saying "We may see those guys again later this year." I left Texas Stadium thinking the same thing about the Cowboys.

* - Yeah, yeah, tiebreakers aren't officially playoff games. So what?

A-Rod's Contract

The Alex Rodriguez contact situation fascinates me. I'm sure I'll screw up some of the numbers, but it's the almost political posing back and forth in the press and the Rangers' indirect involvement that I find so interesting.

Let's take a step back and give Scott Boras some credit here. Forget about the fact that he got Tom Hicks and the Rangers to bid against themselves. He was able to get A-Rod the richest contract in the history of baseball, but also had the foresight to add an out clause so that A-Rod could become a free agent again at the end of the 2007 season in case he felt A-Rod could sign an even *more* lucrative contract at that point in his career.

A-Rod is due to earn $25M/yr for the next three years, but Boras has been suggesting that A-Rod could sign a contract for about $30M/yr for about six years if he were to become a free agent again. At the very least, it's not difficult to imagine that Boras could find someone to pay A-Rod more than he would be getting over the next three years. Plus, hitting the free agent market at thirty two sounds a lot better than hitting the free agent market at thirty five. That doesn't even take into consideration the fact that A-Rod may be sick of New York. You never know, he may be willing to take a pay cut just to get out of New York. So, we can see why A-Rod might want to opt out of his contract at the end of the season.

The Yankees recently announced (officially or otherwise) that they would like to talk to A-Rod about a contract extension but that they will not attempt to re-sign him if he opts out of his current contract to become a free agent. Remember that as part of the trade that brought A-Rod to New York, the Rangers are paying about $8M/yr of A-Rod's contract. So the Yankees are currently paying A-Rod "only" $17M/yr. If they extend A-Rod's contract, the Rangers continue to chip in towards A-Rod's salary. If A-Rod opts out, the Rangers are off the hook. It's pretty safe to say that the Rangers are silently rooting for A-Rod to opt out.

Of course, the Yankees have the financial resources necessary to pay A-Rod without the help of larger market teams like the Rangers. They could re-sign A-Rod if he decides to become a free agent and afford to pay him $30M/yr, but it makes sense that they'd prefer to have the Rangers continue to chip in. Plus, the Yankees may believe that A-Rod is worth $17M/yr to them over the next three years, but not $30M/yr. Actually, the numbers are even higher after you take the luxury tax into consideration. Regardless, I don't think the Yankees want to say that A-Rod is worth $30M/yr as they negotiate with Posada to deal with the fact that A-Rod would be earning almost twice as much as Jeter.

So the Yankees make the public threat that if A-Rod opts out that they won't re-sign him. Maybe that lowers A-Rod's market value. If A-Rod becomes a free agent and a team like the Angels or Cubs decide that they're interested, maybe they won't be as worried about the Yankees trumping their offers and won't make outrageous Tom Hicks bidding against himself offers of $180M over six years. Maybe A-Rod and/or Boras worry about that and decide to negotiate with the Yankees now. Maybe the Yankees are bluffing and would still be interested, but they hope/expect public threat will make A-Rod more affordable to them. Maybe the Yankees made the threat as a challenge in an attempt to get A-Rod to tear up the rest of his contract and end his time in the Bronx.

Here's the part that really shocked me. When asked about his contract status and the Yankees offer/threat, A-Rod said he won't discuss his contract during the season. The shocking part? It was the right thing to say and it got the issue out of the press fairly quickly. While I think that was the pretty obvious way to handle the situation, it still surprised me because I half expected A-Rod to say something calculated but ill advised. Maybe he'd talk about his favorite ballparks, the desire to raise his kids in an area of the country. Maybe a reporter would successfully bait him on whether he's considered playing for Lou Piniella again or the fact that a team that signed him to an eight year contract would likely receive the priveledge of having him setting the all time home run record in their uniform. A-Rod made the wise choice and kept his mouth shut.

Needless to say, I'm really curious to see what happens at the end of the season.

If A-Rod does opt out, I don't want to see the Red Sox sign him. While I'll admit I was bitter when the Yankees made the trade to get A-Rod, I was relieved when the Sox/Rangers trade talks over A-Rod broke down. As a friend at the time said, it seemed like the Red Sox were trying to out-Yankee the Yankees. He's exceptionally talented and one of the best players in baseball, but I just don't want him on my team. I don't think the Mariners or Rangers missed his leadership when he left.

For lack of a better explanation, I don't think he plays the game the right way, either on or off the field.

Years ago, a reporter asked A-Rod years ago about how he felt about comparisons to Jeter, his close friend at the time. A-Rod pointed out that Jeter had it easier than he did because opposing teams didn't consider "shutting down Jeter" as the top priority to winning the game. Was that an accurate statement? Absolutely. Jeter was still a very good hitter at the time, but Jeter was probably the fourth or fifth most feared hitter in the Yankees lineup at the time. Even now, Jeter gets praised for playing sound baseball by bunting runners over in the eighth or ninth inning with the Yankees down a run. How many other superstars aren't asked to swing away in that type of situation? Very few. I felt the same way about Jeter / Nomar comparisons when the Red Sox offense relied on Mo Vaughn and Nomar, and not always in that order. But no matter how accurate and heartfelt A-Rod's comment was, it was also ill advised and really damaged his relationship with Jeter. A-Rod would have been better off keeping his mouth shut, changing the subject, or flat out lying. Actually, that's a big reason I was surprised and pleased to see A-Rod shut down the contract talk by simply saying it wasn't something he would address during the regular season.

On the field, the lasting images I have of A-Rod are him celebrating after a walkoff home run in April as if he was a reserve infielder just called up from AAA but choking in the clutch when it matters. The other memorable A-Rod moments are him slapping the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's glove in the 2004 ALCS and then proclaiming his innocence, shouting "Mine", "Got it", or "Hah" (depending on who you believe) to successfully cause a backup third baseman to think his shortstop was going to catch the ball, and popping up awkwardly out of a slide into second to elbow Dustin Pedroia in the groin. To call these types of plays bush league or even little league might be giving A-Rod too much credit.

In fact, when I saw this item at The Onion's on line store, I immediately thought of A-Rod. Sure, there are people who say "If you're not cheating, you're not trying" or who consider everything from the hidden ball trick to deking a runner to be cheating. Maybe cheating isn't even the right term, maybe "bush league play that is likely to get you drilled in your next at bat" is, though it's a bit verbose. Had A-Rod had another at bat in that Blue Jays game or series, I would have expected the first pitch to be at his backside and I would have been surprised to see his teammates rush to his aid. The "Mine" play is my personal favorite because not even Joe Torre came to his defense after the game.

I didn't want to see A-Rod wearing a Red Sox uniform in 2004 and I feel more strongly about that now. The only real question is, as a Red Sox fan, do I want to see him still wearing pinstripes in 2008?

Yes, the Yankees still scare me

It's mid-July, they Yankees are in third place, ten back and a game below .500. And yet they still scare me.

Simply put, they have resources like no other team in baseball. They can afford to pick up guys who are underperforming and have huge contracts even if those guys make only minimal contributions over their current players. If they have someone who is overpaid and is underperforming, they can ship the player out to another team while still paying most of his contract. As a Red Sox fan, I'm aware that the Red Sox have the ability to do this on occasion (how much are we paying Renteria this year and next to man short for the Braves again?) but not to the extent that the Yankees can. And if you think their resources are impressive now, keep in mind that they'll be playing in a new ballpark in 2009.

In other words, they have the means to address many weaknesses, which makes it tough to look at the standings and say "Ten back in the division, eight back in the wildcard, it's mid July and they're still below .500? Stick a fork in them!" They also have so many players on the team who are capable of putting together hot stretches that you almost expect the team to go through a couple stretches where they win eight in a row, sixteen out of twenty, etc.

I'm just not used to the Yankees struggling at this point in the season. It feels like being in a cheesey horror movie where you know the quasi-human villain isn't really dead, but one where your character is at least smart enough to observe the body from a distance rather than being the fool who stands over the body and says "I'm pretty sure he's dead."

It's so unnerving that back on May 30th, I sent the following mail to a friend who is a huge Yankees fan. (For those playing at home, the Yankees were thirteen and a half games back, and seven games below .500 and tied with the Devil Rays for last place at the time.)

What in the name of Billy Martin is going on in New York?

I was watching part of a Yankees game on YES over the weekend and I couldn't believe my ears. The announcers were talking about how the Yankees had gotten jobbed on two blown calls on stolen bases and a questionable strike call to end the game. No problem, it happens. (Especially since Jeter has all but patented the short-armed phantom tag on stolen base attempts.) What struck me was that the announcers said the Yankees were having a special meeting with MLB to discuss the calls. Ten minutes later, Michael Kay was talking about how the Yankees had just had a grueling stretch, facing three straight division leaders, and had acquitted themselves well by winning three out of eight games. He explained his logic in more depth by saying that if you combined those three teams' wins and losses, the rest of MLB had an average winning percentage of .350 against them, whereas the Yankees had just compiled a winning percentage of .375. The YES gang spent the rest of the evening talking about how Guidry led the team in '78 and how when one team faces more injuries than another team in the first half of the year, the commissioner's office instructs the injury fairy (who is apparently second cousin to the Aflac duck) to even things out after the all star break.

There are people pointing out that the Yankees flat out suck right now, right? No more "when you look at runs scored vs. runs allowed, we should be at least two games ahead of the Devil Rays" little victories or "if we sweep the next series, we'll be within eight games of the playoffs if the season were to end today" crap. I mean, there are actually sane Yankees fans on this planet who can look at what's going on intelligently, right?

I don't consider the season over by any stretch. I qualified "suck" with "right now". The Yankees still scare me. I'm assuming they won't stay in last place in the division for long. The Yankees have four pitchers on pace to pitch in over 80 games, but I trust Cashman will pick up additional serviceable relievers when Proctor, Myers and Vizcaino's arms all fall off. While I don't expect Posada will continue to hit over .350, I also don't expect Cano and Abreu to continue to hit below .250. I expect Cashman to fleece teams into somehow giving up Todd Helton, Torii Hunter, Johan Santana for Phelps, Pavano, some overhyped prospects who will completely wash out, a bag of balls and a blank check and go on an absolute tear in the not too distant future. I expect Jeter, Damon, Posada, Giambi, Cano and Matsui to take turns putting the team on their backs to eek out close games while A-Rod hits .800 with a 2.500 slugging percentage when the Yankees in games where either team is leading by at least four runs. I expect that at some point, there'll be at least a 50/50 chance that a Yankee starter can get through six innings and give up three runs or less. That, or Steinbrenner will actually name Costanza as the new GM.

Please tell me that there are Yankees fans who have some sense for what's going on with the team right now and that Michael Kay and Suzyn "That's the Most Dramatic Sandwich I've Ever Eaten" Waldman are just morons. I don't know why I need to know this, but I do. You're my only hope.

Thankfully, my friend has a sense of humor and didn't reply with something like "We so own you that even when we're fourteen games back you're scared."

Since that time, the Yankees have played better. They had a nine game win streak and are just a game below .500 at the time of this writing. (Although that does mean that apart from that stretch of games, they were still below .500.) If memory serves, their first twenty three games after the All Star break come against teams that are below .500, so they definitely have opportunities to get back on another hot streak.

Matsui and Cano have hit better. Jeter and Posada have cooled off a little but are still hitting well. Giambi's on the DL, though I've heard a few Yankees fans say that getting him out of the lineup is a huge plus for the team. Damon's struggled with injuries, has been in and out of the lineup and has even seen some time at first base. (Who had 1.5 seasons on the over/under for when the Yankees would start trying to move Damon? I thought he'd have an off year, but that Yankees fans would still be happy with the contract until the end of this year.)

I don't know what to make of A-Rod. His month-by-month OPS: 1.297 in April, .782 in May, 1.281 in June, .835 in July so far. He's having an incredible (contract) year, but he still doesn't scare me as much as guys like Jeter, Posada and Matsui if the game's on the line. A-Rod's contract situation and the Yankees' current stance fascinate me, but that's a topic for another post.

Clemens has not pitched well enough to justify his contract, but he has a lower ERA than Pettite, Mussina or Igawa and pitched better than you might expect from a soon-to-be forty five year old with a tired groin. Mussina has pitched better over the past six weeks. The Yankees haven't lost a starting pitcher in the past month or two and should have Hughes back in their rotation soon. The bullpen's still very much overworked. Farnsworth, Bruney, Myers, Vizcaino and Proctor are on pace to pitch in between 68 and 81 games each over the course of the season. I can't imagine their current non-Rivera relievers will be terribly dependable at the end of the season, but I still expect that the Yankees will pick up more serviceable relievers prior to the trade deadline. Otsuka and Gagne are the two names most commonly thrown out there in connection with the Yankees.

So what does this all mean? I keep telling myself that if the Red Sox play well that they make the playoffs and that's all that matters. And yet, I still peek at the Yankees' score while I'm watching or listening to the Sox. I check the box scores and laugh when I see Vizcaino and Proctor pitching in their third straight games. I cringe when I hear about MLB trade rumors that involve players who could help the Yankees (Teixeira and Helton come quickly to mind). I think about how the Yankees have yet to play their best ball.

I think about how the Red Sox have struggled over the past six weeks. Then I take a deep breath and exhale. I watch Papi put a ball into the right field seats at Fenway for the first time since April. I watch Crisp driving the ball to leg out a stand up triple. I watch Varitek put one into the center field bleachers. I watch Lugo place after a perfect bunt down the third base line. I watch Pedroia battle and battle and finally lift a ball over the second baseman to knock in a run. I see Crisp and Pedroia pull off a double steal. I watch Timlin run his scoreless innings streak into double digits. I watch Delcarmen start to trust his stuff. I see Drew looking comfortable in the leadoff role. I watch Hinske homer when he gets a start because Drew's hamstring is acting up. I remember that the Red Sox have yet to play their best ball either, but they have a ten game lead in the division.

Then I wonder what my father's friend, a die hard Yankees fan, will say during the Red Sox / Mariners games early next month and smile. As the t-shirts say, life is good.