Yankees 4, Mariners 2

Lessons?

1. It's a long season. CC is now 10-3. It is one of the hallmarks of a team that plays together that the starting nine comes out, and the bullpen is ready, for some kind of landmark game for a treasured teammate. In retrospect, it matters less that CC failed to get to 20 wins last year (Greinke was getting the Cy Young anyway) that, last year, without prompting, with a volunteers' willingness to go over the hill, the Yankees, having secured the division, went out--with the starting eight, with Hughes and Mo and the rest of the front-line bull all set to go, if needed--to try and get CC number twenty. They failed. But the fact they tried meant so much. CC is big, he improves in the heat, he takes the ball on short rest, and he'll knock down two of yours if you mess with one of his. It's taken me all this time to get to a) he's a warrior and b) I love him.

2. Playoff rotation. CC, Hughes, Lefty?

3. I had an A-Rod moment to go with my seoncd-greatest moment on a ballfield. My softball manager decided to play me, a lefty, at second. Man on first. Ball in the hole, I dive in the grass, flip the ball in the general direction of second. Our shortstop plucks it in midair, steps on the bag, fires to first, double play. I jump up, touch gloves with the shortstop, start trimphantly off the field. Uh, Joe. That's still only two outs.