Allie's Back

            I never answer the home phone.  It's never for me.  If anyone is looking for me, they're calling me on my cell.  If the home phone is ringing, it's always for the missus.  So tonight, as the missus, her best friend Staten Island Mary, and their moms were huddled around the boy, I was ready to ignore the home phone, ringing on the table.  But I peeked at the caller ID and could see that it was Big Joe (father-in-law).  "Well at least you don't have to worry about this one," Big Joe says.  Now when Bog Joe drops a line like that on me, it tells me a few things.  First of all, without looking at the clock I figured it was 9pm or so, which ordinarily would be way too early to start talking about "not having to worry" about a game, so I knew that Big Joe was telling me that the Yankees were winning in a blow out.  I was continuing my abstinence from the Yankees tonight, so this was all I had to go on, as I wasn't watching the game.  But it was enough. 

            I'm not going to lie to anyone.  Rather than subject myself to another one of these nightmares, I decided to continue the non-watch for one more night in favor of the American Idol finale.  Of course, I don't disagree with Mike Sherry's position.  There's nothing cool about watching American Idol in lieu of the Yankees.  But there comes a point when you need a little separation. 

            Although I still think it's premature to think that Allie is going to save the Yankees, I guess you have to acknowledge the impact he brings to the team just being in the lineup.  The Yankees were complete and utter toast against the most mediocre lefthanders while he was out.  Anyone who watched the game last Sunday knows that Oliver Perez didn't pitch that great a game.  The Yankees had a ton of chances with people crawling all over the bases, but their ineptitude with runners in scoring position was transcendent.  And that goes the same for any lefties they've faced.  And it isn't just lefties.  The offense has been, as Chris Woy and others have said, completely unwatchable.  But tonight you had Allie, causing some havoc, hitting bombs, driving in runs, turning the lineup over.  In other words, doing what no other Yankee outside of the Ferocious Lion was able to achieve in his absence.  You can see the difference. 

            It's funny.  I always tell everyone that whenever there is a clear-cut blown call on a fair/foul-HR/double call, the umps huddle up and almost always get it right.  So much so that I was sure they had a "spotter" up in the booth letting them know if a replay showed clearly that they had blown a call on one of those where-did-the-ball-land plays.  Because they just always seemed to get it right.  So in the span of four days, we've seen two big misses by the umps in the same park.  Believe it or not, I'm really not going to freak out about either one, as neither ended up affecting the game, although if they had I would probably be furious.  So if they don't have a spotter, maybe they should.  Allie should have three bombs in two days.  Delgado should have another as well.

            See how easy it is to score more than two runs?

            So I don't know what to make of Darrell Rasner.  Sure, I'm just as psyched as anyone that he's 3-0.  Believe me, I'll take it.  But who is he going to be?  Is he going to be a legit starter in this league, or is he just on an Aaron Small-type tear?  Time will tell, but he's using the Aaron Small formula.  Throw strikes, get your outs, and let them hit it.  With the Yankee offense behind you, they will get you enough runs to win a good deal of games.  Well, it used to be that way, anyway.

            Which brings me to another question.  The '05 Yankees were saved by Cano, Small, and Shawn Chacon.  The '07 Yankees were saved by Joba, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Shelley Duncan.  Melky and Abreu provided the spark in '06.  Who will be the mid-season savior this year?  Will they go make a deal?  Will it be home grown talent?  Or will it come from the current lineup, i.e. Cano turning it around.  Or will they just wither and die on the vine?  Is there an obvious answer out there? 

            Speaking of Cano, one quick observation.  It's not so much the lack of hitting that's killing us, it's his whole approach.  He's a pitcher's best friend.  He's seeing just one or two pitches an at-bat and taking terrible swings.  A struggling pitcher with a rising pitch count need only see Cano in the on-deck circle to know that help is on the way.

            So I guess I'll call an end to my brief abstinence.  I may tune in just in time to see Ian Kennedy try to go 0-4 tomorrow night.  Should be fun.