Yankees 12, Birds 0

At which point the Yankees move to (loss column division) two down in the division, five up in the Wild Card.

Magic number for the playoffs:

Seven.

Can we all exhale?

A few thoughts:

*Christ, just put Menk at first and forget about it. I'm not even talking about tonight's home run. The way the Angels (or, if luck holds, the Indians) hit, Torre's going to need somebody who can catch the goddamn ball if it's hit, and--please--if it's thrown to him.

What I have realized, these past few years, is that sports cable talking heads, supplied with notes from interns cribbing from other talking heads, is often as terribly wrongheaded as the opinion of some drunk in the bleachers--often worse. When the Astros signed Carlos Lee, all we heard was: big bat, piss-poor defense, DH playing left field, blah blah blah.

And so? Anyone who watched the Astros for a week would see the screamingly obvious: that Lee plays a perfectly adequate, and sometimes sparkling, defense--albeit in the league's smallest left field.

The opposite applies to Giambi. Every batted ball, every non-routine throw has become an adventure. Torre would be smart to go with his hands team--Damon in left, Menk at first--then bat either Giambi or Matsui at DH and put the other one as the world's most expensive pinch-hitter.

*Moose. Are we moving toward Wang and a Crosby, Stills, and Nash reunion (Pettitte, Rocket, and Moose) as the playoff rotation? Pettitte is in, Rocket if he can go, Moose if his next start resembles this last one. The problem is the Orioles are so god-awful you never know if you're actually playing well, but Moose's curve looked good tonight.

The smart move may be the above as the starters, Hughes and Kennedy for use at the first sign of trouble, then (of course) Rivera and Joba, plus Kardiac Kyle for the entertainment value. And? Given the Gong Show of relievers we were treated to this past Saturday, a nine-man staff might be advisable. Not really, but geez.