July 19, 2006

The Melkman Always Rings Twice

... Okay, so that pun made more sense in my head.

Last night's come-from-behind
win was cheerfully weird: ninth inning, Yankees down 4-2. As the rain got harder and the thunder got louder, they tied it up, and with two outs, one on, lightning all over the place, and the count on the much-maligned Alex Rodriguez at 3-1... well, they called a rain delay, put the tarp down, and started up the Yankeeographies. But it ended almost as well, more than two hours later, when Melky Cabrera hit a walk-off home run to win the game, and jogged home like a happy little puppy.

The Yankees are more fun to watch right now than they have been in years, and I have absolutely no idea how they're doing this--there's a lot to be said for lowered expectations, apparently. To review: they started the night without Sheffield, Matsui, Cano, A-Rod, or Posada. Johnny Damon ended up playing first base
for the first time in his adult life. The game was won by Melky Cabrera, who last year looked like he couldn't be trusted to catch a simple fly ball. The shockingly solid starting pitcher, Sir Sidney Ponson, to whom I seem to owe a bit of an apology, was recently released by both the Orioles and Cardinals. 3B Nick Green (3-3 with two doubles) was acquired from the Devil Rays using loose change found under the cushions of the clubhouse couch. Pinch hitter Aaron Guiel (1-1, RBI) was released by THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS. If this continues, I may have to become an optimist.

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