-As Scott Proctor recorded the final out of yet another Yankee victory by appropriately enough fanning the final batter on high cheese- this time 7-1 to complete a three-game sweep of what’s supposed to be a good Arizona ballclub which they managed to outscore by a combined 18-4, you can’t help but wonder how this team was once playing so badly and had hit rock bottom at 21-29 and were a crazy 14.5 games behind Boston.

They were thought to be dead. It sure looked that way with the offense stagnant and the pitching inconsistent. There never seemed to be a sense of urgency either when you looked at the dugout. Then A-Rod changed all that up in Toronto by yelling out “Ha” to distract Blue Jay infielder Howie Clark during a routine pop up which should’ve ended an inning. Instead, it continued with the man who was seen with a buxom blonde at another hotel earlier in the series ticking off the Jays and also helping his team avoid a sweep with a 10-5 win.

Somehow, it all turned around from that point. Since that controversial night, the lightning rod has sparked the team to an 11-2 mark in June including a current nine-game winning streak to lift the Bronx Bombers back to two games over .500 (33-31). With wildcard leader Detroit losing for the second straight day, suddenly they’re only 3.5 off the pace heading into a Subway series showdown with the slumping Mets.

The Amazin’s are going through the exact same sort of slump the Yanks did. They’ll be entering with a five-game skid which included a sweep at the hands of the Dodgers in L.A. They have lost their last four series and 10 of 12 overall. The last time the two NY teams met, it was the Yanks who were stumbling along and dropped two of three at Shea. It should be interesting to see what happens this weekend with the roles reversed.

The good news for the Mets is they still lead the NL East by two games over both slumping Atlanta and red hot Philly. But Willie Randolph’s ballclub still must get the ship righted soon. They do have good pitching match-ups with their top three of Oliver Perez, Tom Glavine and El Duque going up against the Rocket, rookie Tyler Clippard and Chien-Ming Wang. We’ll see if the friendly city rivalry helps sharpen up the Mets’ quiet bats and suddenly uncharacteristic sloppy fielding.
Meanwhile, Joe Torre’s bunch have to be extremely pleased with how they have played. With A-Rod having a big month with six homers and 23 RBI’s (two more today) and Bobby Abreu remembering who he is, things have fallen into place for the resurgent Yanks. They have even shed six games off Boston’s once insurmountable lead. It will still be a tough climb but stranger things have happened.

Think about this also. If the Yankees can sweep the Mets, amazingly enough the two teams would have the exact same record. A month ago, that was about as unlikely as a historic Red Sox’ comeback in the 2004 ALCS from 0-3 down against the Yanks.

That’s why they play the games.

-This NBA Finals sure has been just thrilling for ABC. Do you think right about now, ESPN wishes they had that contract back? Much like the NHL on Versus, it hasn’t quite worked out the way they envisioned. Neither has LeBron’s first taste of the Finals. However, you had to know this was coming against a machine-like opponent in San Antonio on their way to a fourth NBA title. The trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili has been too much to overcome. And even when they had an off game the other night, they got four treys from defensive specialist Bruce Bowen (13 pts) and held on for a three-point win.

And so Gregg Popovich’s club goes for a sweep tonight at Quicken Loans Arena. If they wrap it up, it will be their third NBA title in the last six years. You have to start putting them in that dynasty category. It’s much tougher to win now. But under arguably the NBA’s best coach and maybe the best power forward of all-time, the Spurs have been a dominant franchise. And they seem to prefer winning these NBA titles in odd years. With what? The prior three all coming that way (1999, 2003, 2005). What’s one more to make it four in the past decade since the Big Fundamental landed in Texas?

-Speaking of Duncan, he might not stir it up like a Kobe or AI but on the court what it boils down to is this: He’s a winner. Duncan does his talking in how he plays every night which usually is 20 and 10 with a handful of assists plus a few blocks. He’s dominated the biggest games. It was a couple of years ago when his team had been forced seven against a tough Detroit team. His character was questioned. And in the biggest moment, the Wake Forest product rose up and silenced the critics on his way to a third Finals MVP.

Duncan might be a quiet superstar but he’s also the best for a reason.

-If the Spurs do get it done tonight, it says here that Duncan’s running mate Parker AKA the Roadrunner should get that MVP trophy. The future Mr. Eva Longoria has stepped out of his teammate’s shadow with a brilliant postseason. Nobody’s been able to stop the lightning quick guard from getting to the lane and either scoring or setting up open teammates. He really makes that offense go and puts defenses on their heels. With an improved outside shot to boot, it makes Parker an impossible cover.

And to think he’s still just 25. It makes one ponder how he could’ve lasted 27 picks until the Spurs called his name at No.28 six years ago. What do you think all those other GM’s who passed on him are thinking right about now with another draft two weeks away?

-I realize these games have been brutal to watch but could the referees actually attempt to get the calls right? It was blatantly obvious that Bowen fouled LeBron just before that last second desperation 28 footer. Yet they didn’t bother to call it. Not that it would’ve mattered anyway. But the one close game which meant so much was not helped at all by David Stern’s officials one bit.

-Tell you one thing. For as bad as the Stanley Cup Final was, this has been even more uneventful with ratings dipping to an all-time low. When the two teams combine for the second lowest score in over 50 years, you know it’s not going as planned. Still though, at least they have a nice montage of Finals Moments past which draws you in unlike the other sport. That’s the one thing the NBA has always done well.

-Justin Verlander’s no-hitter was terrific a couple of nights ago against Milwaukee. The 2006 AL Rookie of the Year fanned a career high 12 and got superb defense from teammates Neifi Perez and Magglio Ordonez late. The Perez’ play where he made a diving stop in the hole to start an inning ending 6-4-3 double play in the eighth was beautiful stuff. The Ordonez’ sliding catch was nice as well. And when Ordonez caught J.J. Hardy’s fly ball near the warning track, the 24 year-old had done it.
Afterwards, the excited starter called it “the best thing that’s ever happened.”

If you caught a glimpse of his girlfriend, you might disagree a little bit. However, it also tells you how competitive he is and how much the game means. After winning 17 games last year in helping lead the Tigers to the pennant, he’s followed it up by jumping out to a 7-2 start with a 2.79 ERA, which is almost a run lower than his 3.63 last year. Opponents are batting a cool .212 off him as opposed to .266 in 2006. In 84 innings, he’s already more than halfway to last year’s strikeout total of 124 with 68 this time around.

All this while anchoring the Detroit staff with Kenny Rogers not due back until the second half. The former 2004 second overall selection out of Old Dominion looks like a future Cy Young winner. Who knows? It could come this year if he gets them back to October.

-If you haven’t been able to watch Marlins’ shortstop Hanley Ramirez, please do. He’s not Jose Reyes but he’s also not too far behind. They are two special talents.

-Speaking of which, the past few days haven’t been exactly what one would expect from the Mets’ best player.

-Remember when the Phillies were written off? Just saying.

-With another home run today, Ken Griffey, Jr. inched closer to 600 with No.579 in another loss for the hapless Reds. Even after all the injuries, the ex-Mariner centerfielder still has one of the sweetest home run swings in the game. And with all the drama as a washed up Barry Bonds attempts to catch Hank Aaron, it’s the player most believed would get there first who is jacking balls out of the park on a regular basis. With 16 on the season, he’s currently tied for second in the Senior Circuit. Not bad for a guy who hasn’t been able to stay healthy much.

You can only picture how many more dingers he’d have by now. Maybe it would be the more popular player approaching Homerin’ Hank without all the hoopla.

-Chad Gaudin took a 6-1 record into his start against Houston earlier today. The 24 year-old Oakland starter’s 2.43 ERA ranked second in the league to teammate Dan Haren. He was once drafted in the 34th round by the Devil Rays in 2001, who promptly gave up on him after two seasons and dealt him to Toronto for Kevin Cash. Who? Gaudin lasted only one season with Toronto before the A’s acquired him for Dustin Majewski. Who Part II?

Just remember that Gaudin was still just 21 when Tampa gave up on him which explains why they are who they are.

Then there’s former first overall selection Josh Hamilton, who now has nine homers with the Reds. Just imagine the 26 year-old comeback story in an outfield with Carl Crawford and Delmon Young. And imagine that trio with rising star B.J. Upton in that lineup. Pretty scary.

At least they weren’t the only club to give up on Hamilton. The Cubs had him too. They do have Felix Pie manning center but Hamilton might’ve been a better option. Or maybe he could’ve shifted to right which wouldn’t have been bad.

Makes you wonder sometimes what these teams are thinking about.

-Mike Keenan becoming coach of Calgary 13 years to the day after leading the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup in 54 years just doesn’t feel right in today’s NHL.