Hyper-Active Supplements, Not-So-Hyper Game

I learned my lesson yesterday. From now on, no more waiting for Mets games to end before entering the blogosphere. It makes me a very cranky individual, and it shows in my writing. Blogging about today's Yankees win over the Red Sox is made far more enjoyable knowing the Mets are a good 4-5 hours away from further obliteration.

Before the game we were treated to the latest player explanation of why he is different (innocent) from all the others. It was another super-supplement that made David Ortiz pop up on the 2003 list that was promised to be anonomous. I really have nothing new to offer on this routine of "name pops up then we choose the best words to convince the public that it doesn't belong." I have nothing to offer now, and I will probably have nothing to offer when the dozens and dozens more names inevitably come up in the future. Unless Mike Piazza's name comes up. Then I can only offer tears.

The game that followed Papi's press conference never had a chance to live up to last night's showcase. Sure enough, it didn't. And it didn't really come close. I was half-hoping that the Yankees would say the most exciting part of today's victory was making th Reilly Sports Blog a perfect 1-1 on Perfictions in 2009. They talked about CC Sabathia instead. I guess he deserved it.

Two hits and two walks over 7.2 innings pitched. The numbers actually look better than Burnett's the night before. But since pretty much every Yankee (and general) baseball fan were fairly certain that AJ Burnett blew, he'll get all the love at the end of the day. Both the Yankees' big fish acquisitions came up huge in a series that started with thoughts of "0-8" and is ending with thoughts of "psychologically-crippling sweep."

Besides Sabathia (and an overlooked strong game by Sox starter Clay Buckholz), the 5-0 game was a tad lackluster. Bloop RBI here, sac fly there. Home plate umpire Jim Joyce seemed to agree, as he took the stage all to himself in the 7th inning and put on a show. In all of his genius, Joyce saw it coming from a mile away that the Sox would want to hit A-Rod while already down 2-0 in a game of complete desperation. He tossed pitcher Ramon Ramirez from the game instantly. While manager Terry Francona was arguing with Joyce, the predominant word coming out of his mouth wasn't the F word nor the S word nor the B word nor the other S word nor the F word again. It was just "Why?" Joe Buck and Tim McCarver wondered the same thing on the Fox broadcast. I have no answer, and would pay moderate money to hear Joyce's bizarre logic.

I'm not saying the Red Sox were coming back to win if the whole thing hadn't happened. They are the ones who pulled a Mets and walked a guy with the bases loaded. (Sorry, it's approaching an hour until game time and the rage is consuming me.) It's an inexcusable mistake at that point of a must-have game. Then Jeter finally sealed the game (and stopped his crap-fest at the plate during the series) with a homer in the 8th.

I honestly am not sure if it's been awesome AJ and CC or bad Red Sox these last two games. We'll certainly know by tomorrow, when ageless Andy takes the rubber on ESPN primetime Sunday. The Sox have to get to Petitte. They know this, and despite the last two games, they know they have the ability to do it. I think Lester comes up huge tomorrow. But he could throw a perfect game and the Sox still wouldn't provide the run support to win with their run production from the last two games combined. Every thread of momentum is with the Empire right now, but I'm not buying into the whole "flush the Sox season down the toilet" bit. The Yankees have beaten them three straight. I seem to remember that exact feat in the fall of 2004, and the Sox had a little something to say about that one.

(Insert Papi super-supplement wisecrack here.)