A bad game was bound to happen eventually, and the Yankee’s filled last night’s contest against the Rays with as much bad baseball as they could. Luckily, Jonathan Papelbon let a Boston 3-run lead slip away from him in the ninth and the A’s beat the Red Sox in extra innings, keeping the Yankees 2.5 games ahead in the AL East.

CC was clearly not sharp last night. He got into trouble in the second inning, in part due to a throwing error by Jeter. He minimized the damage to one run, but the third inning spelled more of the same. This time the Rays were able to score 2-runs, with help from a throwing error on A-Rod. Matsui got New York on the board with a RBI single in the top of the fourth, but then promptly overran first and got tagged out. Longoria went long off CC in the fifth and the Rays added two more runs in the sixth to put the Yanks in a 6-1 hole when Sabathia left the mound. Girardi either had already given up or heard every beat reporter, blogger and fan that wondered why Melancon was warming the bench, so he gave the kid a shot. He pitched 2.1 innings of shutout ball, but the damage was done and the Yankees lost 6-2.

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Lar from Wezen-ball takes us on a stroll down Memory Lane, back to 1998 when Randy Johnson was traded to the Astros.

I’ve tried not to get to wrapped up in the rumor mill (except for ones that make me angry; I’m looking at you, Brandon Arroyo). The last day or so, however, I can’t help but see the RedSox plastered all over the place. In heavy discussions with Toronto for Doc Halladay. Dancing with San Diego for Adrian Gonzalez. And then there’s the “get Victor Martinez AND Cliff Lee” mega-deal. Either way, an acquisition of that caliber would scare me, as a Yanks fan. But which would scare me more?

One of the things the RedSox could use (I am refraining from the word “need” since they don’t really need some of these things) is a boost from their corner infield spots. Adding Adrian Gonzalez could bump Lowell to the bench and put Youk at 3B. That would be a tremendous upgrade. Of course, it doesn’t solve their SS blackhole. But still, a lineup that can run Pedroia, Youk, Adrian, Bay, Papi is a damn formidable quintet. Having Lowell and newly acquired LaRoche on the bench would be nice, but might leave the team short in the middle infield depth. That lineup would be a beast to navigate. However, figuring that Buchholz would be in the deal to land Adrian, it would leave their rotation further in the lurch. Smoltz has been pedestrian, putting it kindly. Wakefield and Dice-K are on the DL, too. That leaves Beckett and Lester (two studs), Brad Penny, and….? Does Masterson re-enter the rotation? Do they rush Wakefield back? This is not a rotation that would really make me sweat. The RedSox have preached pitching and defense and by subtracting Buchholz, they are weakening a pillar.

Now, if the Sox landed Halladay, I would be scared. Beckett, Halladay and Lester are good enough to beat anyone, anytime, anywhere. It would also make the back end of the rotation less worrisome. The lineup would have to bump along with Lowell and LaRoche playing bigger roles than in the Adrian scenario. But Doc is that good, that dominating, that much of a positive influence (look what he did with Burnett), that I can’t help but be terrified if the Sox landed him. And if they were able to simply take on Scutaro as part of the deal to shore up their SS hole, that’d be a great move for the Sox. A great one.

The Lee & V-Mart scenaro is an interesting one. It would put a very good bat in the lineup (and could spell ‘Tek a few times a week) in addition to adding a very good pitcher. I don’t have any really good reason or data to back this next statement up, but: Cliff Lee doesn’t scare me. I think he’s over his head. He’s good, but he’s not THIS good. However, he’s still an upper tier starter and when you add him along with V-Mart, that’s intimidating.

Which scenario would scare you the most? What have I missed?

The Lorena Bobbitt jokes may now begin. Sometimes, I try to keep it high road. Othertimes, the low road is fun to travel. So there you have it: my Wang needed surgery. Lengthy recovery period. Soft tissue tightened. Badum-cha. Coffee, please!

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