Midyear musings from the Bronx
Watching Boston's ace Pedro Martinez duel with New York's Mike Mussina the other day in Yankee Stadium, this fan couldn't help but think this is what baseball heaven must be: Pedro vs. the Moose and you possess a ticket.
Oh the things you can learn spending a few days of summer vacation on the East Coast:
UYankee Stadium was sold out for a 1 p.m. Monday game, but that's because a lot fans journeyed out of New England into the Bronx.
Cheers of "Let's go, Pedro [clap clap clap-clap-clap]" and the like were popular when the Red Sox led, 1-0.
They were nonexistent after Jason Giambi singled to score Enrique Wilson (yes, the former Indians and Pirates backup still is in the majors) for a tie game and Martinez left after seven innings with no chance for a victory.
UNew York fans like Pedro even less than Cleveland fans, especially after he plunked the first two Yankees at bat in the first inning.
All-Star second baseman Alfonso Soriano and former All-Star shortstop Derek Jeter eventually left the game (thus emerged Enrique) with sore hands where Pedro's pitches had connected.
All-Star enemy
UAs much as the Yankees hate the Red Sox, Angels manager Mike Scioscia is "Public Enemy Number One" in NYC because he initially (gasp) only selected three Yankees for Tuesday's All-Star Game.
Ever since the Yankees ended their 18-year World Series drought in 1996, New York's pinstripes have dominated just about every All-Star Game.
Yankees skipper Joe Torre, who managed the American League team in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002, had a pretty simple philosophy for filling out his All-Star rosters: "Why pick six Yankees when you can take seven? Or eight?"
Intentional or not, Scioscia slammed the brakes on another Yankees mini-reunion by picking no New York pitchers or reserve players.
Soriano, catcher Jorge Posada and outfielder Hideki Matsui were voted starters by the fans. Later in the week, Giambi was named to replace Kansas City's injured Mike Sweeney.
Jeter has no problem with his absence after a sub-par start, saying he wouldn't have voted for himself either.
The fans picked five AL East Division starters, four from the West and none from the Central.
Of his 21 picks which were made with the help of player balloting, Scioscia took 11 players from the West and six from the Central (five of which were mandatory).
To the victors go the spoils -- nobody knows it better than the Big Apple. It just tastes different this summer.
Mixed feelings
UThe rule requiring every major league team be represented at the All-Star Game is a good one until you look at who's going to Chicago and who has been snubbed.
Detroit's Dmitri Young and Tampa Bay's Lance Carter will be at the former new Comiskey Park while Mussina, Martinez and Roger Clemens won't.
If the best National League manager Dusty Baker can do with the Pirates is closer Mike Williams, the Pirates don't need a representative.
And any All-Star Game that has Mets closer Armando Benitez in the bullpen should have quotation marks around the word "All-Star."
URemember when the Cleveland Indians traded Roberto Alomar to the New York Mets in December 2001 and fans here felt the Tribe received the raw end of the deal?
Mets announcer Bob Murphy and analyst Gary Cohen offered another theory after Billy Traber shut out the Yankees with a one-hitter Tuesday in Cleveland: the freespending Mets were fleeced.
Apparently, they have forgotten that outfielders Alex Escobar and Matt Lawton were the big part of that deal.
XTom Williams is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write him at williams@vindy.com.