-- with Mikey Stew, Doc, & Johnny B --

(JB, Newton Center, Cinco de Mayo, 2005) Doc, maybe there is a Santa Claus after all. Leastways, this supports Mikey Stew's assertion of parity, an even playing field. Can't say I'm not enjoying the Yanks plight. But, as the late-great Mikey Stew once said, "If you wanna win, you gotta spend." And it looks like those Yanks are gonna hafta part with a coupla sheckles to get some healthy young pitching. Let's face it, a bunch of old farts can't hope to compete with the likes of the D-Rays.... 11-18 now - hard to believe. Kevin Brown might be through. Giambi might be through. Bernie Williams (my favorite Yankee) might be through. Mariano ain't even automatic anymore. It's the Curse of A-Rod!

The Mets... I'm a bit worried about Glavine. They need him as a 1-2 punch with Pedro. Pitching like two Hall of Famers. And a closer. This is a very tough division. And Piazza's aging fast. Catching takes its toll. Posada's on the downside as well. Let's face it, these guys who take it to another level at age 35 are almost always on steroids. (Nolan Ryan is a notable exception.)

(JB, Newton Center, May 7, 2005, 5:57pm) Freshly inspired by some liquid refreshment, your humble (yet subtly arrogant) reporter dwells further on the downward spiral of Big Stein's Flying Machine. All as favorite Bellamy Road lines up fer the Kentucky Derby. It's 11-19 now, and if Steiny's pony don't run like the Devil, it'll all go to hell fer his beloved Yankees.

Despite the panic, who'd be surprised to see the Yanks run off a 12-3 streak? Let's face it, $230m of talent, even if much is invested in old folk, is 5x what most teams invest. There is plennya room for error.

The big question is, what IS JB's chosen liquid refreshment for this historical moment? After prelims at Rockbottom Brewery...

This just in: Giacomo wins! A 50-1 shot. Who'd a thunk it. Love that horsy. (Give me a moment while I send Big Stein a consolation card.)

Back to bizniz: Rockbottom Braintree served me up a super-fine cask-conditioned Amber and a full-bodied Porter. Then booted me out. Can't blame 'em. I wouldn't have me either. Anyhoo, they sent me off with a growler & a pint glass. And now I am the man you see before you: celebratin' Big Stein's misery with a half 'n' half of Rockbottom IPA & Lake Placid UBU Ale. Perhaps my two favorite brewpubs...

YANKEES: In all honesty, the Sox are in the same boat. Just ain't reached shore yet. They are, I think, the 3rd oldest team. And despite being an old fart, this is not a good thing. Schilling & Boomer Wells are both on the DL. I've downgraded my Yankee prediction from 120 to 100 wins this year. The Sox could win 94. Assuming the Yanks & Sox got questionable pitching (and they do), the O's & Jays got a shot. When all is said and done, a man with a bone on his throne is more than a man that hones his own bone. Amen.

(Mikey Stew, Nyack, May 9, 2005) Here we go. The season is officially under way. When you are a true Yankee fan, as am I, you can tell from the inevitable chirping of the rest of the fans every time the Yanks are having a bad streak. Well, I say chirp away. We can all talk again in October.

Yes the Yankees offense has looked awful. Yes, the pitching has been terrible. Yes, the defense looks as though John Kerry runs it. And yet I, a true Yankee fan, am feeling quite relaxed. Of course we do have the bandwagon fans of the last few years all running around in a panic. I heard on WFAN AKA Sports Radio For Idiots (SRFI) that the Yanks look like they aren�t good for more than 71 wins this year. I guess we will see about that.

Now, we have consecutive shutouts pitched the last 2 days. The Yanks have played terrific defense the last two days. The offense, which is led by Alex (he of the curse) Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield and Derek Jeter have been raking the ball. Yes, it is only 2 games but if I were the rest of the American League, I would begin worrying right about now. They may even continue to stumble along for a bit longer. However, there is only so long that this team will continue to play down to and below opponents such as the O's, Jays, Sawx and D-Rays.

I have been saying for the past couple of years that the Yanks are due for a downslide. You know, the Yankees have had a few years in the past where they didn�t win or for that matter even come close. I was still a fan during those bad times. I actually kind of liked it because I could get tickets to games unlike these days thanks to the bandwagon guys that you guys seem to prefer to listen to.

I do agree that the Yanks need a change in direction in the next couple of years. They have made some bonehead moves. All I could do was wonder what they were thinking when they let Jon Lieber go and signed Wright. Lieber had already proven he could pitch well on the big stage and that he was past his injury. That was stupid. He is doing great in Philly. They were smart to sign Pavano though. He looks pretty good. As far as Randy Johnson goes, I guess we will see how that pays off. You can�t go too wrong with him but he is up there in age so who knows. I believe that Moose still has plenty in the tank. What can I say about Kevin Brown? Hopefully he will pitch like he wants a new contract for the rest of the year. Of course, he won�t get one. And as of now we have Wang in the 5th spot and his results in 2 games are one bad and one good.

In the pen, Tom Gordon and Paul Quantrill look to be coming around. Marian may not be as automatic as he once was but he is still one of the top three closers in the game. I think the Mets or Sawx would welcome him with WIDE open arms. Stanton has proven to be a reliable long guy. Buddy Groom has pitched well in his brief stint. Stanton is up in the air and they need to unload Felix Rodriguez. Maybe as part of getting rid of Giambi.

If I were running the Yanks, I would be looking to trade guys like Giambi for whatever prospects I could get. Of course they would have to eat most of his salary. We look pretty solid at first with Tino and the young Andy Phillips who looks to be a good hitter and fielder despite his current BA numbers. Next year Bernie Williams' contract is up and unfortunately it looks as though his career might be also unless he is willing to take a big pay cut and become a 4th or 5th outfielder and pinch/designated hitter. The guy just has no arm left.

As far as The Curse of A-Rod goes I have to say that is a pretty good one. What the hell are the papers filling you Bahstonians up with? I'll gladly be cursed with a guy who right now is projecting out to a 56 homer, 162 RBI year. You get cursed by trading away superstars not by signing them.

Also, I will take Posada over any other catcher in baseball right now. Like all catchers, at 33 he will start to slide pretty soon but I do not believe that time has come yet.

As far as The Mets go, I like the way that team is looking. And now, with some Yankee class and winning ways being injected with the addition of Willie Randolph, I see the potential for good things to happen over at Shea in the next few years. They need to get Glavine untracked. I think that despite his age, just like the older Yankees, he has a good chance to do just that. There is a chance they could even take a playoff spot this year. After all, contrary to the opinion of my learned friend Mark, that division is pretty weak. It only looks strong when you are one of the weaklings.

The Red Sox are dealing with many of the same issues the Yanks are. Specifically, they have an aging pitching staff that is not very deep. Push comes to shove I will take the Yankee staff over the Sawx. Edgar Renteria has an OBP that looks like a below average BA. Other than that, I believe that both the Sawx and Yanks, by years end, will both prove to have great offenses.

I predict that come the end of September the Yanks and Sawx will be duking it out once again and the Mets will be scraping for 3rd place. In other words, not much has changed.

At years end, Bernie, Stanton and Brown will all have reached the end of their contracts which will free up about 40million dollars. Then we can come and rape you guys teams. Damon will look good in a Yankee uniform and a decent haircut.

(JB, Newton Center, May 9, 2005) The Curse of A-Rod is a FACT. Not invented by reporters. You can look it up. Just sayin'. Check back with me in 86 years. (But he did have a good game.)