An above-average day

The trading deadline passes. And it is hard to believe how the last two days could have gone any better for the Yankees.

1. They traded for their three of their four most pressing needs: a fifth starter (Cory Lidle), a bat in the outfield (Bobby Abreu), and some depth at first base (Craig Wilson), with Jason Giambi probably settling in as more or less full-time DH for the balance of his contract. As has been written here and elsewhere, the kids (Guiel, Crosby, Phillips) and the role players (Cairo, Bernie), once pressed into full-time or platoon duty, have performed admirably. But baseball's six-month season is above all an interrogator that drags the truth out of you; it is not like College Football, where a team can load up on non-conference cupcakes, duck a conference power in a good year, finish a cheap 7-4 and get pasted in Mobile, Alabama, in mid-December. It's not the NFL, where a mediocrity is rewarded with games against Arizona and Detroit and fakes its way to a 9-7 playoff birth and a three-touchdown loss on Wild Card Weekend. Basball is proving yourself 27 days a months for six months, over and over, and truth will out. When an inferior team like last year's Padres finds itself in the post-season, it's looked upon as a blemish on the sport. So give the kids credit for holding the fort until the right players could be found. And compare the old batting order with the potential new one, if Cano is healthy soon:

Damon Damon
Jeter Jeter
Giambi Giambi
Rodriguez Rodriguez
Posada Abreu
Williams Posada
Cabrera Wilson
Phillips Cabrera
Cairo Cano

In this scenario, Sheff and Matsui are almost bonuses.

2. The Yanks' fourth need, one more arm in the bullpen, was probably bolstered anyway with Lidle's acquisitio. With their five-man rotation finally set (assuming Wright and Unit stay healthy), and with Lidle there to go six-seven innings and .500 down the stretch--that is all the team is asking, not one inch more--poor Proctor may actually not need to come in every other day, as has been the case.

3. Four of their five most dangerous rivals--Red Sox, White Sox, Twins, and Angels--all made serious runs at Alfonso Soriano, and all came up empty.

Now we have to play. And as if to say Take that, Papi wins for Boston with a walk-off in the ninth.

Sheesh. Time to go to work, guys.

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