Mariners 3, Yanks 2

Didn't see it (Astro-Girl treated me to an elegant evening at Olive Garden), but I understand the call was brutal.

Still--Mo, you're killing me.

For those enjoying as much as I am the running commentary between Blue and Robbie-Boy (see below), a bit more. First, has anyone noticed that, Igawa aside, the starting pitching has actually been the Yankees' greatest strength for over a week? (Blink of an eye, I know. But right now you take what you can get.) Pettitte, Moose, and Wang: all back and effective, Wang more than so. Rasner, DeSalvo: solid the first time through. Add the presumptive return from Clemens (and take it from someone who saw him up close for three seasons--his AL return will fall somewhere between his last two seasons for the Astros and his final season with the Yankees--say, 10-5, 3.15, with one DL stint because of his groin), and the rotation glistens with possibilities. Rasner and DeSalvo have earned a second look, the older guys have rounded into form, and when Hughes comes back (right around Clemens's first start) he'll still have not allowed a baserunner.

So Torre and Gator's mission: find five healthy, serviceable starters out of a possible eight. Not counting Igawa.

The offense has been a bother, and with a terrible sense of timing--the thing is, when you score 11 runs, the idea is to do so when the opposition scores no more than 10. But this is a team that will score runs--maybe 900, maybe more.

Then . . . the bullpen.

What was said lst year is still true: it is bad to be a reliever Torre hates, but fatal to be a reliever Torre loves. Proctor, Bruney, Vizcaino, will all have their arms in slings by July unless that situation gets sorted out.

A stable rotation will help.

I'm still not worried about the Hammer of God.

Yet.

Home runs happen.