Intra-Division Rule 2.04b

Friday will have Boston swinging the bats in the unholiest of unholies and Dice-K making his Bronx debut (hopefully bringing back his ever popular plug A-rod and Jeter pitch). So what do you do when there are five days in between the continuation of the Sox-Yanks series? You keep up with the differences in games, watch the Sox pull 2 out of 4 games, and obviously root for who ever is playing the Yanks.

While keeping up with the Tampa Bay-Yanks games this week I realized that I always want Tampa Bay to beat anyone in our division since they are never a playoff threat. The Rays are always about 76.3 games behind (when they have a good year) by the end of the season and therefore it is always beneficial for them to beat anyone else in the division; mainly the Yanks. It is a bit ironic since if I really wanted them to win every time Tampa played the other teams in the AL East then they would indeed be a playoff threat, but don't boggle your mind with that kind of thinking.

It didn't take long for me to figure out what was really going on though. I just want the Yankees to lose. Right now they are battling it out with Tampa Bay for last in the division and are playing a series with Toronto. Now, logically you would want the team further back in the division to win to keep both teams as far as possible from you in the lead, but not here. I don't care if Toronto stays just as many games behind the Sox. I want the Yankees to be embarrassed (and yes, losing 6 in a row is embarrassing to The Boss, believe me). I'll take my chances with playing the Jays or Orioles in the ALCS just to have New York not even make the wild-card (in fact that would be almost as good as winning another World Series... almost).

Needless to say, this week has been great. Sure the Sox lost two, but they won 5 of their last 7. The Yankees however have not won a game since stepping foot in Fenway this year. I don't care how great of a year A-rod is having as long as his team is still losing. What does that say about the collective team when one of their players is having (as much as I hate to say it) one of the greatest months in the history of the game and they can not win. The series this weekend is sure to be a heated one and I plan on watching it with a microscope.

Quick shout out to Willy Mo Pena. I swear this kid is the mixed up love child of Big Papi and the Great Bambino. He has got such an Ortiz presence at the plate and just like the Babe there are only two outcomes to one of his at bats; K or HR. Tonight he played awesome (both offensively and defensively) but his big at bat game in the eighth with the Sox down 2-1. Baltimore brings in their closer Ray who subsequently loads the bases and pitches a meatball of a slider to Pena and he makes contact. As stated, contact = grand slam. If he could get his swing under control he could easily be one of the best hitters in the game.

Currently drinking: Natural Light (I like a little bit of class every now and then)