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Who do we celebrate more after last night's huge come from behind victory over Texas, Marcus Thames or Mariano Rivera?  That's a tough one, but I have to side with Thames as a guy has had a limited role, but one who stepped up big-time.

We have come to expect excellence and nerves of steel in the face of adversity from Mariano Rivera.  The bar he has set for himself is so high, sometimes even he can't measure up--which is unfair. But, last night trying to protect a one-run lead and having to face the beef of Texas' meaty order, he yielded a lead-off triple to Elvis Andrus only to respond by including three straight outs by Michael Young, Josh Hamilton (who already had three hits) and Vlad Guerrero.  When a team as potent as Texas can't somehow get a runner home from third with NO OUTS...that's something.

As for Thames, he admits that he's "Marcus, I am not Tex."  So be it.  Marcus was awfully good last night in collecting three hits as the three-hole hitter in place of Teixeira, to go along with his two hits vs. the Rangers in game one.  His long eighth inning HR and ninth inning game-winning RBI single was impressive.

It seems like it couldn't happen to a nicer guy.  A Yankee property in his younger days, Thames has come back to fill a much-needed role, albeit not everyday.  Yet, when called upon he has been professional, humble and productive.  that's a great combination for a role player.

Here's to you Marcus Thames--Congratulations!  Keep it up!

What's the old baseball saying about bleeders, soft, seeing-eye singles--"They all look like line drives in the score book."

So, that's essentially the story of the Yanks 10-inning loss to the Rangers last night.  Michael Young's infield single deep in the hole, fielded by Derek Jeter, Josh Hamilton's ball that trickles into right, narrowly escaping Robbie Cano...set up the intentional pass to Nelson Cruz and the eventual game winning solid line drive by Daniel Murphy.

Kudos to A-Rod for an outstanding play on Vlad Guerrero's hot smash to prevent an earlier end to the game in the tenth.

The glass half full says that AJ Burnett turned in a very solid night's work in the Texas heat.  Anytime we can see him issue just 2 walks in seven full innings and yield six hits, we'll take it.

The "Irregulars" did a good job on a night that Joe Girardi's lineup looked like something you would see in the late innings of a spring training game.  Marcus Thames had two hits batting in the three-hole in place of Tex, Austin Kearns made a strong bid to be the right-handed hitting left fielder with two hits and a walk, and 'Cisco Cervelli added an RBI.

Lastly, is anyone in the Yankee coaching staff concerned about Brett Gardner? If not, they should be.  Start with the "non steal" in the last inning vs. Boston, an inordinate amount of disagreement with umpires and caught looking strikeouts lately, along with his obvious mounting anxiety and frustration?  Nobody with his short resume' is going to get a break at the plate, so he has to learn to deal with it.  And, if his actions continue, the men in blue will only continue to haunt him.

I don't know what happened to the guy, but a trip to the couch with the team sports psychologist might be in order.  He doesn't even look close to the offensive player we saw prior to the all-star break.  In the last 10 games his average has fallen by 17 points.

Aside from the Yankees leaving bases loaded in the seventh, another two runners in the eighth and the tying run stranded in scoring position at game's end, nothing is more frustrating and nauseating than having to watch the minimilast content and same shots before every pitch that Jonathan Papelbon throws. 

This is an open plea to whoever is calling the shots for the YES broadcast.  I, and my guess is I have some others who just won't speak up in the Yankeedom, really can't take it any more. 

As viewers we used to have to put up with just Papelbon's peering in for the catcher's signals under the low brim of the cap, the intense big round eyes, and the famous pursed lips in the perfect shape of a small "O".  But  now we have more!  This year Papelbon, and his sports psychologist I'm guessing, has something before all of that happens.  This year JP has added this deep gathering of thoughts process that incorporates a deep inhale made by raising the corners of his lips up and out forming something akin to a Ronald McDonald clown face.  Then comes the big exhale.  It's quite a production.  We should know because we saw it over and over and over.

Maybe I am going over the top, but when that is literally all we see prior to every pitch, it gets REALLY OLD.

Today's game had so much intensity in the late innings that we, as fans, have to be able to somehow be drawn closer into the game.  It's great we have most of the games on YES.  On the other hand, if we are hoping for YES to bring us in, make us feel like we are there, I'm sorry--it's not happening.

With all of the time there is between one pitch and the next, why not show some fans on the edge of their seats, maybe someone biting their fingernails, or just the concerned look of passionate fans, or someone cheering on our hitter?  How about showing the third base coach and his signals (the ones that Brtet Gardner must not have seen when he should have stolen second when pinch-running for A-Rod)?  What about guys on either of the team benches--their looks, emotions, demeanor...Try zeroing in on the hitter, his eyes, his facial expressions instead of that ridiculous same shot, over and over, of Papelbon.

They say the great era of radio, prior to TV, spawned some of the all-time great announcers because they could paint the proverbial word picture.  That's why ther is a wing in the Hall of Fame for them. You would think TV could do a better job since it is a visual medium. No, today when the game was on the line all we saw, with one or two exceptions, were four people--the pitcher, the hitter, the catcher and the home plate ump. 

It would be nice to feel like we were at the stadium, really able to sense "the game within the game", rather than watching what we actually got through such a narrow scope.

Baseball is a much different game than basketball and football.  In those sports you can easily identify the team’s emotional leader, the team’s heart and soul, and the person everyone looks to in times of adversity.

Seeing that type of a person on a baseball team isn’t quite as easy.  Baseball prides itself on players going about their business, without a lot of celebration or fanfare, and a simple spoken word here or there, or a point of a finger or some other hand gesture might be all you see.  In baseball a good deal of the captain’s work goes on behind the scenes.

Captain is not a role assigned on every baseball team.  Whereas in football and basketball almost everyone knows who is the team captain or set of co-captains.

Derek Jeter had that role thrust upon him by late NY Yankees principal owner George Steinbrenner in 2003.  The Yankees had gone eight years without a captain since Don Mattingly’s retirement in 1995.

Saturday afternoon, in the late innings of the Yankees 5-2 win over Boston, FOX network cameras picked up a great scene on the top row of the dugout steps.  Lance Berkman, who was traded to New York from Houston just two weeks ago,  is a career .300 hitter and five-time National League All-Star selection in his 11+ years.  But, making the move to the American League has not been as smooth as he nor Yankee fans would like.  The likeable switch-hitter has just two hits in 22 at-bats while wearing the pinstripes. 

While playing in the first two games of the Yankees four-game series against their traditional AL East nemesis, Boston, Berkman has begun to hear a chorus of boos following an unproductive plate appearance.

For the Yankees to chase down World Series championship number 28 they need Berkman to be the player he has been throughout his career.  Aside from Berkman, no one knows how important it is for that to happen than the Yankee captain, Jeter.  After Berkman’s last at-bat Saturday, a ground out to shortstop, Yankee fans raised the volume on the level of boos.  Once he placed his batting helmet in the equipment rack and stepped up to rest his arms on the top of the dugout railing he was joined by Jeter.  At first you could see a tense face on Berkman relax. You could see eye contact and meaningful communication between two players who had been teammates for just two weeks.  You could see Jeter saying something that allowed Berkman to crack a slight smile. 

That’s what captains do.  They don’t leave it up to the managers, coaches, or someone else.  They step in and assert themselves as team leaders as soon as the situation calls for them.

 Who knows how long it might take Lance Berkman to get his stroke and timing down facing the pressures of playing in New York and facing new pitchers in the AL.  But, one thing he does know is that whether he is on the field,  in the dugout, or in the clubhouse he is now a Yankee, and for that he has the support of his captain.

CC Sabathia settled down after a shaky second inning and gave the Yankees just what they needed, a strong mound performance, in topping Boston Saturday afternoon, 5-2.  While Alex Rodriguez was icing down a badly bruised left shin after taking a line drive off the bat of Lance Berkman in pre-game batting practice, Ramiro Pena stepped up as a last minute starting replacement with two big RBI and several strong throws from deep 3B.

With Andy Pettitte still out rehabbing a groin injury, the Yankee mound corps can look to Sabathia for a model as to how to battle.  The big southpaw got nicked for two runs in the second, a solo HR by former Cleveland battery-mate Victor Martinez, and back to back doubles by Adrian Beltre and Mike Lowell.  But, Sabathia put that in the rear-view mirror, settled down and got his breaking ball working as he sailed through innings three through eight yielding just two more hits and no runs.

Pena knocked in the tying run in the second on an infield out, the final run in the sixth on a line drive single to right, and also picked up a stolen base.

It was good to see Curtis Granderson have a good day at the plate. The Yankee CF ripped a triple off the top of fence in deep right-center to set up the first run in the second, singled in the sixth, stole second and moved to third on catcher Martinez's throwing error and came home on Pena's hit.

Together, Granderson and Pena were 3 for 7 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored.

Robinson Cano continues to stroke the ball.  He was 3-4 in the series opening game Friday and went 2-3 in this one.  He gets to try it again Sunday night vs. Josh Beckett.

Thanks to Toronto's 17-11 football-like score and win over Tampa Bay the Yanks head into Sunday's action with a 1.5 game lead and pushed the BoSox back to 6 games.