September 20, 2006: Toronto 3, N.Y. Yankees 2
A weird game. A loss was sort of expected, with Sean Henn pitching, the lineup made up of half Columbus Clippers, and dreaded ace "Doc" Halladay on the mound for Toronto. But it was closer than expected. Henn, like Rasner and Karstens before him, kept getting into trouble but getting out of it again.
Then, in the 4th inning, Halladay left the game. I didn't see anything happen to him; he just suddenly called for the trainer. Next thing you know, he's gone. They later said Halladay had a right forearm strain - the same problem that's been afflicting Mariano Rivera.
That seemed like it would open the door for the Yanks, but no...they brought in rookie Davis Romero, and once again, the Yanks couldn't do anything against the URP.
However, they ended up spraying champagne anyway. Kind of weird to be celebrating after a loss, but the Red Sox lost, too, which meant the Yankees clinched. It wasn't quite as emotional as last year, when the Yankees ended up clinching on the second-to-last day of the season; after the grueling, month-long battle to get there, Torre was in tears, and no one could blame him.
This year had its moments, though. Randy Johnson poured a bottle of champagne over Kim Jones' head, while she was in mid-interview. It was funny at first, but he kept doing it. By the end, he was pouring cans of beer over her head even when almost everyone else had left. I got the feeling he had a crush on her, and that was the way he expressed it. Like being in 5th grade again...
It was wonderful to see the usually serious Yankees partying like a bunch of frat boys. (Though there was remarkably little drinking going on, despite the booze flowing.) I just wish Bubba had been there. He deserved to be part of it.
In other news...it's official: the Scranton Red Barons will be the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate next year. Let's recap:
| Triple-A Team | This Year | Next Year |
| Columbus Clippers | New York Yankees | Washington Nationals |
| New Orleans Zephyrs | Washington Nationals | New York Mets? |
| Norfolk Tides | New York Mets | Baltimore Orioles? |
| Ottawa Lynx | Baltimore Orioles | Philadelphia Phillies |
| Scranton Red Barons | Philadelphia Phillies | New York Yankees |
Norfolk and New Orleans have not been officially announced yet, but it seems almost certain that Norfolk will pick nearby Baltimore. This leaves the Mets stuck with New Orleans. Not only is New Orleans far away, they play in the PCL. That will make it a lot harder to call up players, since so many games will be played out west. The Mets are reportedly very unhappy about this, and are doing everything they can to woo Norfolk. Unsuccessfully, so far.
I'm going to miss the Clippers...
