I really don't want to dwell on this irritating game for very long, except to point out that:

The Yankees have squandered a game in the AL East race. Now the largest possible lead going in to Friday is 2.5 games. Is one game make-or-break at this point? Probably not, because we know that the Yankees can effectively decide the AL East race if they play to their potential this weekend.

Adam Loewen sparkled again last evening (as he did in his last start vs. NYY), demonstrating that Baltimore has something special in this rookie. His fine location on off-speed pitches was complemented by "sneaky" 91-93 fastballs. With a few exceptions, the Yankees lineup was throttled.

Of course we must applaud and appreciate Bernie's impressive achievement last night, i.e., passing Mattingly on the all time Yankees 2B list. BTW, does anyone else feel strange when someone calls Mattingly "Donnie Baseball?" Donnie? In 7th grade, when I did a statistics project in math class following Mattingly, the term rubbed me the wrong way even back then.

Cory Lidle also deserves mention. After escaping serious jams with only 3 runs allowed (Trust me: It could have been hideous) in the first three innings, his rebound was impressive, stabilizing the deficit at 3 and allowing the offense a chance to come back, which they almost did, thanks to RBIs by Melky and Cano. Torre installed drag parachutes on the lineup last evening by sitting G'bombee (thanks Bronx Banter) and throwing out a sub-optimal 6/7/8 of Bernie, Craig and Sal.

You say that Giambi and Posada needed the rest? Then you're willing to concede a game in the standings for the abstract concept of "being rested for the weekend."

To those who believe Rodriguez is fragile, not mentally tough, et al....Did you witness his 11 pitch walk from down 0-2 in the 6th? Fouling off 5 straight tough pitches? I'm thanking you in advance to cancel that nonsense.