Hardball Heaven

Tonight's game has officially been called. We'll see what happens. Looking out the window right now, it's torrential. The kind of rain that hurts when it hits you.

Anyway, in the meantime allow me to offer some thoughts after observing the first full Yankees-Sox series of the year.

* First, it's awfully addicting isn't it? Whenever these two teams get together, it's like the baseball version of '24.' You have to suspend disbelief sometimes. The next series is in two weeks at Fenway.

* You have to wonder about the physical state of both Schilling and the Unit. Schilling looked schluggish the other night, and RJ was just plain bad. The NY papers are saying it's a knee issue.

* What's the word for when you take pleasure in someone else's problems? Schadenfreude. First it was Hideki Matsui's scary wrist break, and then the realization that John Damon doesn't have his stud corner outfielders (Sheffield's out with a wrist injury too) riding shotgun with him anymore. He's now working with Bubba Crosby and a Columbus Clipper to be known soon. They may actually have to move Damon to right and put Bernie in center, after watching Bern try to play right Thursday night.

* By the way, I thought if any Yankee went on the DL with a limp wrist, it would be their porous third baseman.

* Much as I knock it, the buzz at Yankee Stadium is unlike any other, especially when their team is rolling. Reminds me of a raucous soccer match crowd - not that I've ever witnessed one in person.

* For all his cheesiness and self-promotion skills, Jerry Remy is an unbelievably good analyst. A couple weeks back, the game where Loretta laid down a bunt so Papi could hit with the bases juiced, Remy said that Loretta did it because the third baseman was playing back and he knew the other team didn't have a lefty warming up to face Papi. I remember saying to myself, 'come on Jerry, that's a bit much.' Sure enough, Loretta's being interviewed post-game and he says the exact same thing. In Thursday's classic Sox-Yanks game, Nixon came up in a crucial situation in the 6th inning against lefty Ron Villone. Don Orsillo asked Remy if he'd consider pinch-hitting for Trot, and Remy said he wouldn't because the Sox lineup would cycle around at least two more times and Villone was the last lefty out of the pen. It's small stuff, but a lazy analyst wouldn't pick up on it.

* The Yankees coaching staff is an interesting mix: Louisiana Lighting Ron Guidry is the pitching coach, Don Mattingly is the hitting coach, Larry Bowa's at third base, Tony Pena at first, Lee Mazzilli is the trusted bench advisor, and the Professor, Joe Kerrigan, is in the bullpen. I miss Zim and Mel.

* Spike Lee's a loser living on a couple of decent things he did 20 years ago.

* Matsui actually apologized to the team for his injury. Must be a Japanese thing.

* One thing the teams have in common is their inability over the years to find the right first baseman. For the Sox, ever since Mo left it's been a non-stop carnival at first. Youk actually looks like a good balance between bat and glove. For the Yanks, Giambi's a defensive liability so they have to resort to putting Miguel Cairo at first. Wonder if Donny Ballgame can still pick it?

* Either Mussina is back to his Cy Young-candidate level, or the Sox took the night off Wednesday night.

* Were Shonda and Michelle in the house at all together?