Smoke And Mirrors

For the life of me, I do not know how Sidney Ponson does it. Our Wednesday night softball game ended around 8:30. Once I hopped into the car, I immediately turned on my XM radio and flipped it to the Yanks/Rangers game. It was zero-zero, bottom of the 2nd, bases loaded with Rangers, no outs. I immediately started cursing Posnon's name and thought to myself here we go again. Ponson likes to let guys on base. That's no secret. But somehow, don't ask me how because I have no idea, few of the guys score. I'm a firm believer that it's a matter of time before this catches up to him. The innings per game will drop and the ERA will go up. We saw it two starts ago when he only lasted 4 innings and allowed 7 runs. But then he busts out with 7 innings of 2-hit ball in his next start. When he allowed 2 2nd inning runs i thought that was just the tip of the iceberg. I thought for sure he'd get shelled. I'm really surprised he didn't. He had another great outing. 2 in-a-row. I'm shocked. I really am. It's hard to believe that a guy with a WHIP of 1.56 and an opponent's batting average over .300 has an ERA of 4.23 and is 7-2. The Yankees are 5-2 in his 7 starts. You can't deny the team wins when Sidney pitches. As long as he and they keep it up, let him pitch. But somebody tell me how he does it?

Mariano needs to treat every game like a save situation. 27 for 27 in save opportunities. He looked good tonight. Vintage Mo. Doesn't look like the back spasms are anything to be concerned about. I should have waited to say that. Let's see how he feels tomorrow. I'm knocking on wood. Last thing we need is to lose another key player.

The bullpen finally got back to the dominant form we saw in July. 2.2 IPs, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 K. Good stuff. The Yankees really need the bullpen to take care of business. Thing in the rotation are up in the air right now. It sounds as if Ian Kennedy will be back to start Friday's game against the Angels, with Dan Giese going Saturday. They can't rely on those two yet. If needed, the bullpen needs to do its thing and keep the game close so the offense can take over. They're more than capable. They just need to execute.

Jason Giambi amazes me. He slumps, grows a 'stache and goes on a tear. He slumps, shaves the 'stache, and goes on a tear. 4 for 8 with 2 HRs since shaving that sucker off. Remarkable. It's funny how things like that work out. I was so glad to see Damon in CF. Melky's bat is a huge negative in the lineup right now. Damon can cover just as much ground and even though Damon's arm is extremely weak, I'll sacrifice Melky's arm for another bat. Too bad that bat has to be Wilson Betemit. He picked up an RBI today, but he's another weak one. Not sure what they see in him. As much as I'd hate to see this happen, I really think the Yankees should consider bringing in Barry Bonds. I hate even saying that. But there's no denying adding his bat to the lineup would make it one of the sickest lineups ever assembled. The tandem of Bonds and A-Rod would be 10 times better than Manny and Ortiz ever were. Okay, maybe not 10 times better. That's a little much. But it would definitely improve the lineup tenfold. With the way the offense has struggled, it's worth a shot. Bonds has reportedly said he'd play for the league minimum and he'd even donate his salary to charity. I say give him a shot. Move Damon to CF. Leave Nady in LF. Let Bonds DH. How could it possibly hurt?

Joba's injury has been described as rotator cuff tendinitis. He could probably pitch again this season, but I don't see the Yankees rushing him back. Like I said the other day, Joba is the future of the Yankees rotation. Cashman and crew are going to do everything they can to protect that arm for the future. And if that means sitting him the rest of the way, they'll do it. No sense bringing him back early and having the condition end up worse, a la Jorge Posada. Ask him how that worked out.

Was I the only one a little worried when Pudge stayed down after that home plate collision. I was fully expecting the injury to be worse than it is, which is just a bruised knee. He'll be day-to-day. With how the Yankees season has gone lately with the injuries I thought for sure it was worse. Finally, we catch a little break. Great play by the way. Nice throw by Bobby. Nice block by Pudge. Play of the game. It saved Ponson, that's for sure.

My man Moose goes tomorrow night, looking for win #15. I really want to see Moose win 20. By my calculations, he has about 10 starts left this season, 11 tops. I'll feel good about 20 if he can win tomorrow. I want to see these guys score early and score often. Don't even make it close. Give my man some run support.

And for God's sake, I'm sick of seeing the Rays and Sox continue to win. But I'm not worried. The Indians and Royals are 2 of the worst teams in the AL. The only team that's worse is the Mariners. When it's all said and done, the Yanks will be there. They just need to stay healthy.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

ps - and for those that are wondering, which is probably none of you, we won our softball game 12-8. It was the 1st game of the playoffs (double elimination). I ended up with the win and the save. Yeah, our "coach" lets too many people play so I split time on the mound with another guy. It looked like we were going to roll them b/c it was 8-0 after 3. Our coach, anticipating a victory via the mercy rule, pulled me after 3, even though I was throwing a no-no. I had only allowed a walk. Anyway, we took a 12-0 lead into the 5th inning when the other team scored seven 2-out runs. I went back in to pitch the 6th and 7th and secured the victory. Thus, the win and the save. A first for me. Probably a last also.