Orioles Suffer Acute Case of Sabathia

The Yankees followed up last night's awful 5-4 loss (by Yankee standards, a 5-4 loss is "awful") by jumping out to a 6-0 lead over the Baltimore Orioles at Comedown Yards, and cruised to an 8-3 victory.

CC Sabathia improved to 10-1 lifetime against Da Boids (that's "The Birds" in Yankeefantawk), and took the game into the 8th inning. Joba Chamberlain got one out, and with the game well out of a save situation, manager Joe Girardi decided not to pitch Mariano Rivera, and instead said, "Let's go see Sergio!" Sergio Mitre pitched a scoreless 9th. Robinson Cano took advantage of the short porch in right field (yes, they have one, too) and hit a home run.

Officially, attendance was 17,248. For a Yanks-O's game in Baltimore. That's pathetic. Even at Memorial Stadium, a Yanks-O's game could usually be counted on for about 25,000.

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Did anybody see the San Francisco Giants-Philadelphia Phillies game today? Because the National League doesn't wise up and put in the Designated Hitter, Giants manager Bruce Bochy had to decide whether to pinch-hit for Tim Lincecum, arguably the best pitcher in the game right now, in the 8th inning, with a 3-run lead.

Bochy, who famously beat the Yankees in the 2001 World Series as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, let Lincecum hit. He didn't reach base.

Then in the 9th, he walked a batter, and was immediately removed. If Bochy was going to remove him after his 1st 9th-inning baserunner anyway, why didn't they pinch-hit for him and then bring in their best reliever? The Phils tied the game and then won it in the 11th.

This would not have happened to the Giants (not that I particularly care about them, they left my home region half a century ago) if the NL had done the right thing and adopted the DH like the rest of the planet!

And don't give me any of this "real baseball" garbage! For most of my lifetime, until all these new parks were built, half the stadiums in the NL had artificial turf. Now, no NL parks do. If they can get smart about that, why can't they bring in the DH like every other league in the world (except one of the Japanese leagues, I forget which)?

It's the 21st Century, NL: Bring in the DH!

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Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series: 9, starting a week from this Friday night, at Fenway.

Days until the 2010 World Cup begins: 43. Just 6 weeks.

Days until the World Cup Final: 74.

Days until Rutgers plays football again: 129.

Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: 135.

Days until the new Meadowlands Stadium (still unnamed) opens for football: 137.

Days until the Devils play another local rival (after their inevitable elimination by the Flyers tonight): 164 (estimate).

Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge Thanksgiving clash: 211.

Days until Derek Jeter collects his 3,000th career hit: 398 (estimate).

Days until the Rutgers-Army football game at Yankee Stadium: 563.

Days until the last Nets game in New Jersey: 711 (estimated).

Days until the 2012 Olympics begin in London: 831.