SIX FOR SEVENTY-TWO

That's .083 for those of you without a calculator handy. That's the Yankee batting average with runners in scoring position in the last nine games. Down 3-0, the Yanks loaded the bases with no outs last night, and the 3-4-5 hitters coming up. The result: Cano struck out, A-Rod struck out and Ibanez flew out to deep left center. At least he's trying.  The Yankees have no trouble getting men on base, but they can't get that one big hit.  The numbers will fool you: Jeter's hitting .343 (but not lately) Cano's hitting .303 (with no one on base) and A-Rod got two more hits last night - but not when it counted. A-Rod is another story altogether. He now has warning track power. He thought he won the game Sunday night, only to have the ball caught in front of the fence. The broadcasters tried. They blamed the wind. The wind didn't seem to bother Cincinnati. Granderson has 13 home runs but twice as many strikeouts as walks. And Mark Teixeira, well, I've yet to see him try to hit the ball the other way when batting left-handed. Right now, the most reliable hitter on the team is the oldest player on the team: Raul Ibanez.
The pitching staff isn't really that bad, but there's a lot of pressure on you when you feel like you can't even give up one run.  Not that they aren't prone to mistakes, too. Garcia threw a wild pitch that allowed a run to score. The way the Yanks are hitting, a run is a major obstacle. And Freddie knew it, too. He was so upset, he slammed the ball into the ground. ...and it took him two tries to hit it.

## The Red Sox, who looked dead two weeks ago, have caught the Yanks with a record of 21-21.  The two "powerhouses" of the AL East are sitting comfortably at the bottom of the standings, one team heading up, one team heading down.

## Who's the beast team in the AL right now? Hold on to your hats, it's the Baltimore Orioles. They have a better chance of making the playoffs than the Yanks as long as the magic in Buck Showwalter's wand holds out.

## So far, two jurors in the Clemens trail have been dismissed for falling asleep during the trial. I don't blame them; I almost nodded off writing about it. A third Juror had to be awakened during the proceeding. I think they wanted to make sure he didn't miss lunch.

## I celebrated a birthday yesterday and at the request of Dwight Perry, I blew out the candles on the cake. Luckily, Annie-O had an oxygen tank handy.

## From Buster Olney's blog:  "Chris Perez met with front office officials after criticizing Cleveland Indians fans on Saturday for the way they support the team. In general, I don't think it's ever a good idea to suggest how other people should spend their money."
Buster's right. When you're making $86,000  a week, you should shut up and play.

## According to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs may shake up their lineup if the team doesn't start to produce. The Cubbies have the worst record in the NL, 15-27. Maybe they should threaten to trade some of them to the Yankees.

## Cincinnati Reds fireballing lefty, Aroldis Chapman, was arrested for driving without a valid license and speeding. I'd love to hear that defense. "93 isn't that fast, your honor. I throw faster than that."

## MLB umpire, "Balking" Bob Davidson, was suspended for "...continuous failure to adhere to front office rules regarding escalating confrontations."  Davidson immediately ejected Bud Selig. (Boy, I only wish that were true)

***THEY SAID IT***
"Sharp Electronics of Japan introduced the Cocorobo vacuum that not only drives itself, but can talk. Lately, mine keeps saying, "If you think I suck, try watching Yankees pitcher Hiroki Kuroda."  -- RJ Currie

"In defense of umpire Bill Miller, his friend and personal optometrist Steve Wonder vouched for him and said both those pitches sounded like strikes."  -- TC Chong 

"A Michigan teen found a finger in an Arby’s sandwich. Too bad “Finger Licking Good” has already been trademarked."  -- Tony Chong  (no wonder Tony calls them 'groaners.')

"The next time Schllling rants against Democrats, hope someone tells him to put a bloody sock in it."  -- Janice Hough
"The NBA will not suspend Dwayne Wade for a flagrant foul. Here it is right here: Rule 17, Article IV: A superstar will  be suspended in the playoffs only if the flagrant foul involves nunchucks or pepperspray."  -- Brad Dickson
"Watching PGA golfer Kevin Na this weekend, it’s obvious why he’s not playing pro basketball. There's a 24 second shot clock."  -- TC Chong

CP-