This is the 3rd time the Vancouver Canucks have been in the Stanley Cup Finals, and lost them all. The last 2 times, 1994 and last night, they rioted. I think they weren't paying attention in Fan School: You don't riot when you lose.
If you did, Met fans would riot all the time.
Yes, I know, they've won 9 of their last 13 and are back to .500. As Flushing native Archie Bunker would says, "Well, whoop dee doo."
The Pittsburgh Pirates won last night, to push themselves above .500. This is the latest in the season they've been above .500 since George Bush was President. The father, not the son. They've gone longer without winning a Pennant (1979) than any team except the Chicago Cubs (1945 -- unless you count the Seattle Mariners, who've played since 1977 and never won one, and the Montreal Expos & Washington Nationals as one franchise, in which case they've played since 1969 and never won one). Of teams that have actually won a Series, the Pirates have gone longer than any other without winning one except the Cubs (1908) and Cleveland Indians (1948).
On to better teams. Last night, the Yankees put their 2nd straight 12-4 smacking on the Texas Rangers. Two homers by Mark Teixeira (giving him 21 on the season, tying him with teammate Curtis Granderson and Toronto's Jose Bautista for the major league lead), one by Robinson Cano (his 14th, he is really heating up these days), and one each by, in effect, Derek Jeter's replacements, Eduardo Nunez (2nd) and Ramiro Pena (1st), backed up a somewhat shaky effort by Ivan Nova (who nonetheless advances to 6-4). Luis Ayala and recent callups Cory Wade and Jeff Marquez pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
Derek Holland (5-2) got the loss for the Rangers. He and Alexi Ogando went into this series with a combined 1 loss between them, but the Yanks smacked them both around.
The series concludes this afternoon, and the Yankees will go for the sweep. Starting for the Yankees will be Brian Gordon, a few weeks away from turning 33 (actually born in West Point, New York, father must've been an instructor at the U.S. Military Academy) and only a cup of coffee in the major leagues thus far (he has made it, contrary to my post yesterday, so I stand corrected). Starting for the Rangers is C.J. Wilson, who was a major pain in several body parts in last year's American League Championship Series.
Jeter hits 2994 6
Rivera saves 575 26
A-Rod homers 626 137
A-Rod hits 2739 261
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