Sunday - October 02, 2005

ARGH! Damn Yankees!

Dang it! Those rotten Yankees did it again! However, the BoSox aren’t out of it yet. They can still get in as the wild-card team in the playoffs. C’mon, Boston! Get your act together and show George Steinbrenner he can’t just keep buying World Series rings. In related news, the Cardinals capped their season yesterday with their 99th win of the season (best record in the MLB). Now it’s time for the Boys Of October to put on their game faces and get down ....

Yankees Clinch AL East With Win Over Boston
BOSTON (AP)

Not their best season. Not their smoothest. And certainly not the biggest title for a franchise that has 26 World Series championships in its illustrious past. Yet somewhere in the spray of champagne in the visitors’ clubhouse at Fenway Park on Saturday was the satisfaction that these Yankees came farther to win this AL East championship than any New York team since Bucky Dent popped one into the net here in 1978. “I can’t take my glasses off. I’m crying like a baby,” manager Joe Torre said on the field after New York beat Boston 8-4 to clinch the division for the eighth consecutive year.

“This was the best of all of them,” he added in the clubhouse. “The first is always memorable. But this has to be the most special because of everything that went on this year.” Randy Johnson won his sixth straight decision and the Yankees scorched Tim Wakefield for three homers - from Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield - to win for the 16th time in 20 games. Mariano Rivera finished up, gloving Johnny Damon’s high-chopper and throwing to first baseman Tino Martinez to set off a restrained on-field celebration.

Once inside the clubhouse, the Yankees sprayed champagne that dripped from the brims of the newest AL East Champion hats in their collection. For stalwarts like Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams, it is No. 9; for Robinson Cano, Aaron Small, Chien-Ming Wang and Shawn Chacon, it is a first. “I have been fortunate to be a part of this three times,” Johnson said of his time with the Mariners and Diamondbacks. “But you could see a lot of new kids in here that haven’t experienced this.” Mike Mussina taped up plastic in the clubhouse to protect the Yankees’ lockers; it’s his only responsibility in Boston since he won’t be needed in the regular season finale. Instead, he will pitch Game 1 of the playoffs on Tuesday against Cleveland or the Los Angeles Angels.

Through a quirk in baseball’s rules, the Yankees (95-66) won the division because of Cleveland’s loss to Chicago in the AL Central. The loss by the Indians (93-68) eliminated the possibility of a three-way tie - and an unprecedented two-game, three-team tiebreaker - and gave New York the East by virtue of their 10-8 record against Boston (94-67). Small watched in the clubhouse and relayed the Indians’ score to the dugout. “He wins 10 games and give you the final score, too,” Torre joked with one of his coaches. “How much better can it get?”

The Red Sox finished second in the division for the eighth straight year, but it’s not all bad news for them. Their magic number to clinch the AL wild-card berth is one, meaning the defending World Series champions can do no worse than a tie - news that got a medium-sized cheer when it was announced on the Fenway scoreboard. If Boston loses on Sunday and Cleveland wins, they will meet at Fenway Park on Monday to decide the AL’s last playoff berth. If Cleveland loses on Sunday, the Red Sox get the wild-card berth no matter what they do.

“It’s the most unique situation you will see,” Boston manager Terry Francona said. “What are the odds of us watching the Yankees celebrate and we’re coming into the clubhouse as excited as you can be about playing the game tomorrow.” Curt Schilling (7-8) is scheduled to go against Jaret Wright (5-4) on Sunday at Fenway. If the Red Sox have a one-game playoff against Cleveland, Matt Clement (13-6) would pitch on three days’ rest.

Posted by The Skipper     on 10/02/2005 at 10:47 AM   
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It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

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