All Things Bubba

June 4, 2006: Baltimore 11, N.Y. Yankees 4

Well, this one was ugly in more ways than one. Aaron Small's Cinderella story appears to be over. At least, he turned into a pumpkin on the mound today.

As for the bad...A-Rod was back in the lineup, but did nothing (still feeling the effects of that stomach virus, no doubt). Giambi was out, still sick with the same thing.

Even worse: Jeter was hit on the hand by a fastball, and had to leave the game in the 6th. X-rays were negative, and he says he'll play tomorrow. (He always says he's fine and he'll play. Whether he actually will, and whether he'll be any good if he does, is another question.)

Was the HBP intentional? Quite possibly. Millar hit a three-run homer off Small. Erickson then plunked him in the arm the next time he came up. Then Jeter was drilled. Coincidence? Probably not.

The good: the kids and castoffs continued to do well. The Yankees now have an eleven game streak of hitting 10 or more runs. Two more, and they'll break a record that has stood since 1937. Andy had a great night, Melky continued his hitting streak, Cairo had a hit, run, and RBI. Kevin Thompson had a nice double. Even Stinnett got a nice hit. The game did not seem out of reach until the very end, because they kept rallying, though there were far too many LOBs. (Thanks a lot, A-Rod and Jorgie.)

T-Ball was terrible, but even that may be a good thing. Torre PH Bernie for him, suggesting that he's starting to realize Long can't hit. Here's hoping that Terrence "Magellan" Long will be heading out of town on the plane Bubba comes in on.

And I must admit, it was amusing to see the defense Joe Torre cobbled together when Jeter had to leave. Already shorthanded, he was forced to be creative. The two bench infielders, Cairo and Phillips, were already in (Cairo at 3B because A-Rod wasn't 100%, Phillips at 1B to replace the ailing Giambi). With Jeter gone, Posada was moved to 1B, moving Stinnett to catcher. Phillips went to 3B, freeing Cairo to play SS. Got that?

No Bubba news today, though I'm gratified by the number of fans who are pining for his return after watching Long play this afternoon.

Definitely not ugly: Here's a vidcap, taken from one of Bubba's old postgame interviews. Just because I feel like it.



(See my comments on that game, and a video of the interview, here.)