Devil Rays 9, Yankees 1

well, a blow-out, so let's consider Joba Chamberlain:

Q: Was Joba throwing at Youklis?

Um, yes. I wonder what Tim K. over at ESPN was thinking. Hey, he thought, Joba couldn't have been head-hunting, it was a 5-0 game, ninth inning, what was the point?

Well, duh.

I love Timmy K., if for no other reason he takes his Hall of Fame vote seriously, and enough like him will put Jeff Bagwell in right beside his buddy Craig Biggio.

But really: Well, duh.

You don't come in on a batter in a 2-2 game with Papi on deck. You come in with a lead, late, and then you make your point. This year, the Rocket, who had the Hall of Fame in his hip pocket nine years ago, waited until he'd secured enough innings and a big enough lead for a win, and then plunked his guy. And got run.

Q: Was this good or bad for the Yankees?

Hard to say. One thing that has exasperated Yankee fans since the O'Neill/Tino I/Scottie era ended was the perceived Yankees' loss of toughness. The 1998 Yankees--and, as time goes by, clearly the greatest team of all time--demonstrated its toughness early in that season, when an Oriole pitcher responded to a Bernie home run by hitting Tino in the back, and the Yankees chased the Orioles straight into the Oriole dugout. Yankee fans have wanted more of that, and this year--via the Rocket, and then Joba--they've gotten it.

So, on the one hand, the Yankees found their manhood.

On the other hand . . .

This came at the end of a sweep. Why wake a sleeping giant?

Q: Is the penalty sufficient?

Don't make me laugh. The Rocket was suspended for five games. In other words, he was granted one extra day of rest. Joba? Tonight he would never have been called in; this effectively reduces his punishment by fifty percent. Tomorrow, if it's Yankees 3, D-Rays 2 in the eight, then we'll see.