Yankees 5, Mariners 2

A nice comeback, given everything. In the postgame interview, Girardi mentioned that Nix, the day's hero, was essentially a stalking horse for Chavez to go lefty-right. Had Nix done nothing, he would have done his job just by being there. The funny thing is that even after this week, the Yankees are that much closer to the playoffs. Baltimore hangs in against all mathematical probability, Boston has waited four months for Lester and Beckett to get rolling, Tampa is an arm short (and knows it). Still: No Rivera, Pineda or Gardner for the rest of the year. No A-Rod, Pettitte and, maybe, Swisher for right now. In 1980, led by MVP-calibre performances by Reggie Jackson and Rick Cerone, the Yankees found their way to 103 wins with nonentities like Bobby Brown and Joe LeFevre starting in the outfield. Then they ran into a hugely motivated KC team and were swept. This is starting to feel like that year. After the James-Younger gang was smashed to flinders in the Northfield, Minnesota, raid, with the gang shot up and (with the exception of the Jameses) unable to ride, and with the posse closing fast, one of the Younger brothers supposedly looked around in the woods and asked, "Where the hell's Missouri?" After this road trip, can imagine Joe Girardi heading off the field today and asking, "Where the hell's the Bronx?"