The suspense is over, my friends. For the sixth straight season and 42nd time overall, the Yankees have finished in first place during the regular season. This time it came in the visiting clubhouse of the Chicago White Sox, a team with as much of a winning tradition in baseball as the Phoenix Suns. I'm shocked they even had Champagne on hand.
The Yankees' 7-0 win Tuesday night featured a dynamite 8-inning shutout performance from No. 5 starter (and soon to be a middle reliever) Jose Contreras and a grand slam from season-long slumper Jason Giambi, who now has 40 HRs, 106 RBIs and an on-base percentage well over .400.
Also on hand were Jeter, Soriano, Williams, Posada, Matsui, Mussina, Clemens, Pettitte, Rivera, Boone, and Wells. I think that's all the current and former All-Stars on the Yanks. No wait, Sierra and Nelson!
The win was the Yankees' 98th of the season, tied with Atlanta for most in the majors (Yanks have one less loss). I would be remiss, however, to not congratulate the Mets on their 64th win Tuesday night. For some reason, 17,830 people showed up for the thing. Maybe they retired Tim Teufel's number or something. Al Leiter pitched a gem to snap the Mets' eight-game losing streak, and the Amazin's (amazingly bad) are now a mere 33 games out of first place with five days left in their season.
Other Sports Links:
• Gregg Easterbrook's Tuesday Morning Quarterback — I can't read anything remotely this long online, but some people love TMQ. You be the judge. And in a show of versatility not seen since Keith Hernandez did coke and smoked cigarettes, Eaterbrook appears in this week's TIME with a viewpoint on Why Bush Gets a Bad Rap on Dirty Air.
• Top 10 NFL Rookie Seasons — LT gets the top spot, which is rare for ESPN's Page 2, a site that exists to take shots at New York. I thought Earl Campbell (off the list) was cheated, as was No. 10 Randy Moss. C'mon man, the 1998 Vikes went 15-1 and Moss' 17 TDs had more to do with it than anything. (Though there was talent to spare on that offense.)
• SI.com's NBA Preview — Oh my god, is it time for marijuana offenses already? SI.com has some team previews up for the scrubs, working its way up to the league's best. The Knicks, of course, are coming right up.
• Pete Prisco's NFL Power Rankings — In the NFL, what goes up must come down ... in like a month. Rams 16, 49ers 17, Raiders 19, Eagles 24. Preseason predictions look like shit before October even hits.
• Best College Sports Towns — The 'Cuse gets No. 10, which is fair. Those people are nice up there and are big Orange fans without being overly psychotic. Unlike (Texas) some (Gainesville) places (Knoxville) I (Norman) know (Lincoln).
• Boston Sports Blog — I'm not one to read about crappy sports teams, but if I were, this looks like a good site to do it at. Could use more color and ability to comment. But it looks like a promising team effort. (On the less-promising front, you must read the top post of Petrow's Sports Blog.)
• Are the Red Sox Cheating? — A Baseball Prospectus column on whether the BoSox are sign-stealers. Sources have claimed they've been stealing all year. I wouldn't put it past those sneaky scumbags.
Congratulations Yankees! Yet again, you've shortened the season for die-hard Devil Rays, Orioles and Blue Jays fans. All 43 of which will gleefully watch the bloated, overpaid, over-hyped Yankees lose to another young, exciting underdog in the playoffs this year.
Posted by Ed at September 24, 2003 3:26 AM