Afternoon Baseball

That's right. I'm saying it. I'm saying that the Yanks are preparing themselves to be swept out this weekend -- in less than two years, they've turned 86 years of intangibles and history on its head. Granted, they have Randy Johnson going tommorrow, and while Fenway has its fanatics (and fans as far away as Germany) you have to expect Johnson to deliver the goods.

But they can't play terrible defense like they did tonight, and Torre can't appear dazed again, like tonight where he had nobody warming up when the 6th inning began, and when he batted Sierra in the 9th instead of subbing, oh, someone who actually had a prayer of putting the ball into play (Bubba Crosby, perhaps). Also, not sending Cano when it appeared, with 2 outs in the 9th, that he would get 2nd base for free ended up not really mattering, but it's an easy base to take and avoid at least one force play.

The Yanks actually have put pressure on themselves by entering this series ahead. As amazing (and counterintuitive to the logic of the rivalry from 1918-2003) as that sounds, that is the case. No love here for "true" Yankees, either: Jorge Posada, perhaps the worst playoff performer of any famous Yankee ever, again tightened up in a big spot, having terrible at-bats and really costing his team tonight at the plate and even behind the plate. Bernie committed a half-hearted swing at a ball at eye-level tonight in the 9th when taking pitches and making contact was absolutely vital. And Jeter hit the most routine of ground balls in making the final out for approximately the 45th time this year. He did hit that big HR, so it wasn't all bad.

What of the weekend? There's two Randy Johnsons. There's the 34-3 in Sept/Oct since 1993, including a one-game playoff triumph in 1995. Then there's the guy, who between destroying the Yanks in 1995 and destroying everyone, including the Yanks, in 2001, lost a record 7 postseason games in a row. He lost to Kevin Brown and other aces, but also lost to Sterling Hitchcock and on a grand slam from Edgardo Alfonzo.

The season, Torre's job, and in some ways, the legacy of the Jeter-era Yanks (post-O'Neill) rests in the arm of a 42-year-old who is more than capable -- of greatness or disaster.