Dear Kyle Farnsworth

I see you got some more tats, That's cool.

I see, also, that you still have that crazy fastball, hitting 96, 99, on the gun, but it looks like 120. And that nasty curve. You added, what, a change? A splitter? Something. Offspeed. Good for you. A pitcher should grow as he ages. Keep hitters off balance and guessing.

Truth be told, I was worried, a little, when you came in last night. I figured you'd be hopped up, wanting to jam the Yankees for the perceived slights you endured during your time under Joe Torre, despite your inability to inspire confidence. Or hold a lead. Or keep the ball in any park not on a national registry.

You came in throwing fire, and for a second, I thought the game was over. But you're still you, and I came to my senses, knowing, assuming you'd find a way to blow up. And you did. Against a bunch of backups and Robbie Cano.

50 come-from-behind wins. 50. And another cream pie. And another mad dash to the outfield to catch the guy who drove in the winning run thanks to your shin and lack of agility.

Kyle, physically, you're probably the most intimidating guy in baseball. Seriously. You're a monster and you should dominate. Sometimes, you do. Most times, you don't. You, sir, are a mystery as huge as your biceps.

So Kyle, thanks for being you last night, and helping the Yankees continue this fantastic season. It's washed away the ick from last year and ook of the new stadium ... which is still an affront to nature, but could use a championship to welcome the ghosts back ... or at least prove they never left.

So now what?

I'm pretty sure the Yanks will go .500 in their last 6 games.

They'll care enough to stay sharp, but not enough to get someone hurt.

Chad Gaudin starts tonight, but the way the Yanks rotation is, I'm not sure this is scheduled or an effort to give someone a rest.

The celebration yesterday was nice, and fitting, but I think no one in that clubhouse believes winning the East is anything but a stepping stone. A loss in the ALDS, or even ALCS ... let's face it, any loss will make the season pointless.

Unfortunately, the Yanks have not sone so well in the post-season after winning 100 games or more, and that lone WS win came in 1998, when MLB had a better chance of preventing the sun from rising than from the Yanks taking the title.

Six games and then the real test begins.

Dear Phil Hughes,

You are awesome, but 7th-grade me wants his mustache back. Please.

Red Sox melting ... melting ... melting ...

Magic Number is 1. Clincher tomorrow, I think.

Stupid West Coast

I have no idea what's happening in Yankees land short of them clinching a playoff spot.

I know the Cowboys yacked on themselves Monday night, Halo 3: ODST is being unfairly criticized and the seem ... SEEM .. to have figured out how to beat the Angels, if not lose to them every time.

And apparently the Sox can't handle the Royals, the streaking, we-love-September Royals. Weird.

Dear Billy Wagner

Thanks a bunch.

Run off win

Two observations about last night's win:

I love the walk-off-win pie tradition. It's fun, but it speaks to the chemistry this team has. This team doesn't accept defeat, but goes still bonkers when it wins.

The celebration in rightfield looked exactly like the fight at home plate last night, complete with A-Rod awkwardly dancing around the fringes. Nice job Alex.

Upon further review

The Associated Press story made the incident sound like a fight out of "Rocky."

It was, of course, a baseball slap/hug fest with lots of movement and little else.

Also, Posada barely, if at all, touched Carlson on the way by.

While DJ may be an MVP candidate, he's not the best guy to have around in a fight. Standing on deck, he starting yelling and easing his way toward the action, then slowed, but kept yelling. Waiting until more bodies closed in, then sort of entered the fray. Of course, A-Rod did much the same thing.

Oddly, if you just saw a quick shot of the scrum, you probably couldn't tell if it was a rumble or a celebration.

High marks for Shelley Duncan and Eric Hinske plowing into the middle and extracting key Yankees.

'I don't want my kids to see that'

Really Jorge? Really? You pretty much provoke a potentially costly brawl in September with the Blue Jays, a team that's 235 games out, and that's what you? Maybe a few days off is what you need now, but that's not the way to get 'em.

It's bad enough Roy Halladay made you all look like Little Leaguers, but then you embarrass your team like that?

It's a good thing no one got hurt.

Weird weekend

Not sure I've ever seen Alex Rodriguez get get ejected.

Also not sure I've seen the Orioles score that many runs.

At least they righted the ship Sunday with some crazy late thunder. Gotta get some momentum back heading toward the playoffs.

I'm beginning to wonder what will become of Hideki Matsui. He's quietly having a productive year, and her certainly fits well with the Yankees, but there's a lot less tread on his tires and Johnny Damon is looking more and more like the DH of the future. The Yankees can't keep two lefty hitters with mediocre to poor fielding skills and bad legs/knees.

Tied? Just tied? Pishaw

Someone wake me when Derek Jeter BREAKS the Yankees' hits record. I mean, really, tying Lou Gehrig? Who doesn't do that every day? I probably tied two of Lou's records just waking up this morning.

Seriously, I'm more interested in Jeter breaking the record tomorrow against the O's. And Jeter is probably more interested in winning the World Series. Probably. No doubt he is.

Jeter 2009: .330, 186 H, 97 R, 62 RBI, 25 SB - MVP?

Rough projections: .310 BA, 3,500 hits, 270 HRs, 1,300 RBIs, 400 SBs - Hall of Fame, of course. Unanimous?

__

Of course, it didn't take Joba long to fall behind, again, but the Yanks are the Yanks and being down a few runs doesn't seem to be that big a deal.

More frustrating was the ninth. No Mo. No Phil Hughes, so we go to Brian Bruney, who started shakey, but got Longoria and the enormously over-rated Pat Burrell on fly outs ... then got yanked?

WTF?

WTF in 1,000-point type. So frustrating to watch. Quickly rising up my list of "Most Infuriating Things" is Joe Girardi's very bustly walk to the mound when he's making a pitching change, as if he's trying to project confidence in his bizarre decisions. The more confusing the decision, the more bustly the walk.

I'm saying it right now: Yankees win the WS in 5 games against the Cardinals. Take that Bob Gibson.

Where have I been?

Watching the Yankees from Aweville, where there apparently is no Internet or cell service.

40 games above .500.

13 walkoff wins.

Another sweep (Wednesday).

Nick Swisher adding 33 percent to his season home run total at Yankee Stadium.

This is a thing to watch.

Tell you what though, David Price is nasty. It looks like he isn't even trying and 95, 96 keeps popping up. Crazy.

At least it's Halladay.

Why am I worried?

Something about the Yankees bludgeoning opponents into submission isn't sitting well, and I know it makes no sense.

The pitching hasn't been great at times, but it's been overshadowed by lots and lots of runs.

I'm not complaining, I'm just very concerned the offense is going to sputter at the worst time.

Still, the Yanks will be in the Series, of that I have no doubt. They're just better than the rest of the league, and better than what the National League has to offer.

Looking at the past through Kennedy-colored glasses

I went to sleep content the Yanks would secure another victory. Apparently that wasn't enough. A seven-run ninth? Hope no one had dinner reservations.

Sabathia was marvelous again. Bruney was garbage. My guess is his elbow still isn't right. He lied about being healthy once, there's no reason to think he wouldn't do it again to get on the mound.

Brett Gardner is set to start his rehab, although rehab is something of a stretch. He broke his thumb, not his leg.

I skipped the Steinbrenner Yankeeography ... obviously. It was advertised as the authorized biography of the architect of the Yankees' dynasty. Huh. I didn't hear the names Bob Watson, Gene Michael or Brian Cashman mentioned. I think "financial backer" is the more appropriate description. Let's face it, the Yankees built their strength while Steinbrenner was suspended and banished from baseball ... for trying to frame Dave Winfield of all people. Well, apparently revisionist history is the new thing, so it makes sense the Yanks would buy in as well.

It's nice the team is giving George a sendoff before he passes, it's probably not far off. I may have to catch it to see just how rosey they made his story. Sure, he was entertaining, and possibly calculating, but he also orchestrated some of the worst debacles in Yankees' history ... Ken Phelps, Steve Balboni, Danny Tartabul, Ed Whitson, Kenny Rogers, Andy Hawkins ... hiring and firing Billy Martin, alienating Yogi, Joe Torre and Andy Pettitte ... the second signing of Roger Clemens, Kevin Brown, Randy Johnson, Hideki Irabu ... and the list goes on.

I've already opined that Hal and Hank have nothing on George in terms of ego and splash factor. I just hope they somehow, accidentally or otherwise, learn from his mistakes and the things he didn't do.

He's mavericky

While I'm pretty sure CB Buckner has the most erratic strike zone in MLB, Angel Hernandez, at least last night, had the biggest.

Jorge Posada was punched out on a riding fastball that started middle-out, about mid-shin and ended low and away. Mark Teixeira was punched out on a middle-in fastball that crossed about letter high. It was bizarre to watch and probably baffling to hitters accustomed to taking book strikes for balls.

Questec has infiltrated all MLB parks. I'm all for a standard strike zone, I just haven't seen one, and I don't think a group of humans can provide the sort of consistency league brass wants. You either computerize the zone, which I think no one wants, or you simply accept umpires have their interpretations of the zone and you live with them and adjust from game to game. The fact is umpires are right most of the time, it's just that with replays and slo-mo, the times they aren't become magnified and repeated and discussed and analyzed. The thing that seems to be overlooked is the strike is called where the ball crosses, not where it lands in the catcher's glove.

You know that scene at the end of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," when the spirits are flying around, melting Nazi faces? And Indy and Marion are safe because they keep their eyes closed? No, I know it didn't make sense ... anyway, I made the mistake of reading a handful of comments posted to the gamer story on mlb.com. My face didn't melt, but I'm pretty sure my soul withered a little. Wow. Just. Wow.

Love, but mostly hate

Sure, Nick Markaikis could have come up in the 8th and singled. Or Melvin Mora could have hit a lazy flyball homerun, but that doesn't excuse Jerry Hairston choking on that grounder in the 7th. Hard hit, yes, but an easy play for any major leaguer not wearing the word "Mets" across his chest, although "major leaguer" may not be an appropriate description either way.

A-Rod fields that ball in his sleep, reclining on a deck chair dreaming of "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days 2."

Andy Pettitte was brilliant. Bruney was god-awful, although I think the hook came a little too quick. Up four, maybe you give him a chance to work out of it. Rivera is ready, and would face the bottom of the order anyway.

I wonder how long Pettitte goes if he's getting shelled, considering Joba's short outing and the use of so many others to get through the previous game.