-And so, the New York baseball season is over and it really does feel weird that both the Mets and Yankees won’t be playing meaningful baseball as October gets ready to hit. I just can’t remember what this felt like. Sure. The two teams both finished with identical records winning 89 games which meant they didn’t stink by any stretch but when you have the kind of payrolls they do, so many expectations come with it for this spoiled city which makes it all the more disappointing.

In the end, both teams despite big names proved to be flawed which was why they fell short in their postseason bids. Injuries aside, the Yankees didn’t have enough pitching or timely hitting. For some reason, they never hit the way they could’ve and too often couldn’t deliver in the clutch. That along with being a very streaky team which sometimes lacked energy kept them from putting together that run with their best ball coming way too late when the season was already lost.

The Mets also had their share of injuries but severely underperformed the first 10 weeks getting Willie Randolph axed before waking up under Jerry Manuel to get back in the race. Despite no pen to speak of, they persevered and once again were in great position to win their division before it all came crashing down in the final couple of weeks though not as badly as last year. While the pen could never be trusted and cost them a ton of games, what was most baffling was the offense which at times disappeared. How do you explain getting shutout 1-0 against the majors’ worst team the Nats? And what about scoring only five runs in the do or die weekend series against the same Marlins who danced on their field eliminating them last year? Questions will continue to linger about David Wright and Jose Reyes until they stop disappearing and carry this team back to October and beyond.

Now, it will be a long offseason for Omar Minaya with plenty of angry customers wondering why next year will be different at Citi Field. Getting a real second baseman while unloading Luis Castillo along with revamping the bullpen are just a couple of topics he must address with new record closer Francisco Rodriguez at the top of the list. It’s also likely Pedro Martinez pitched his final game as a Met after struggling mightily. And then there’s Oliver Perez, who will be seeking a deal in the neighborhood of $12-16 million per year under greedy agent Scott Boras$. Is he really worth that kind of money longterm? I say no. He’s just too unpredictable to get to that next level. What about Carlos Delgado? Do they pick up the $12 million option rewarding him for his brilliant second half or do they try to get younger going for better defense? If they let him go, it won’t be easy to replace his big bat.

As for the Yankees, they will need to decide on center field moving forward along with what they intend to do with Joba Chamberlain. If they make him a starter, then they must continue to shore up their pen. Bringing back 20-game winner Mike Mussina should be at the top of Brian Cashman’s list. Figure Andy Pettite to either retire or go elsewhere following a dismal second half. The Yanks of course need a real ace and should be in the running for C.C. Sabathia, John Lackey or A.J. Burnett with him expected to opt out of Toronto. There’s also the first base situation where they could be competing with the Angels and Mets for Mark Teixeira. Figure Jason Giambi to go elsewhere after a productive season proving he can still be a valuable DH somewhere. As for Bobby Abreu, he’s a solid run producer who gets on base but leaves something to be desired for in right which is why we see Xavier Nady shifting.

Whatever transpires over the next three months, New York baseball fans know full well their rosters won’t look the same following a quiet October.

Get ready for chaos.

-Just in case we forgot, there’s still one more regular season game to be played later today when the Twins visit the Windy City against the White Sox, who earned the one-game home playoff by getting a grand slam from overlooked rookie second baseman Alexei Ramirez in an 8-2 win over the Tigers in a makeup game Monday. They get the game despite winning their first in six thanks to the Twins dropping two of three to the Royals despite sweeping three from Ozzie Guillen’s club to pull half a game up. It’ll be John Danks going on three days rest against Nick Blackburn to decide the AL Central for the final playoff berth.

One team will advance to play the Tampa Bay Rays in the Division Series while Boston travels to California to meet the 100-win Angels.

The NL of course is all set with the Cubs taking on the Dodgers while the Phillies host the Brewers, who are in their first postseason in 26 years.

We’ll have more playoff stuff later on.

-It’s hard to choose one between each but our pick for NL MVP would be Ryan Howard for how he carried the Phillies the final month having one of the best Septembers eerily similar to when he clubbed 58 home runs and knocking in 149 to win the award two years ago. I’ve always been a huge fan of Manny Ramirez and he sure stepped up carrying the Dodgers in the final two months impacting their lineup while coming back to win the NL West. But it’s hard to pick him over Howard with how well the first base slugger finished leading his team to a 13-3 record over the final 16 pressure packed games in a very tight race.

-The same could be said for the NL Cy Young where worthy candidates like Johan Santana, Brandon Webb and Tim Lincecum all are in the running against Milwaukee rental Sabathia, who tossed a remarkable seven complete games pacing the league while turning in a money performance following Santana’s gem to get the Brewers in. For that, we’ll give the nod to Sabathia over Lincecum with Santana third and Webb fourth.

-AL MVP is a little easier and could depend on if the Twins win with Justin Morneau once again in the running against Boston tandem Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis. It’s hard to ignore Carlos Quentin’s impact with the White Sox, who haven’t been the same since he went down. To be honest, he would’ve been a lock had he not broken his wrist. If the Twins get in, Morneau should win his second MVP in three years this time edging another do everything infielder Pedroia, who resembles a young Derek Jeter. If not, give the award to Pedroia because he’s been his team’s best player since the Manny trade.

-As for AL Cy Young, Cliff Lee should get the nod handily edging out K-Rod, Dice-K and Roy Halladay. I know he won’t get a lot of consideration but Moose deserves a few votes for how well he pitched in the Bronx this year.

-What else can Joe Girardi be two-faced about and purposely hide from the media?

-It’s nice to see Brett Favre finally be allowed to open it up and get on the same page with Laveranues Coles, who caught three touchdowns for the first time in his career- half of Favre’s career high six in the Jets’ 56-35 win over Kurt Warner and the Cards. I just wonder if Gang Green fans can be pleased about their D turning a 34-0 halftime cushion into a game by allowing three straight TDs in the third quarter before Favre and the Jet offense put it away.

-Did anyone ever think the Bills and Titans would both be the only remaining unbeatens in the AFC looking like playoff locks?

-How come Terrell Owens always blames Dallas defeats on not getting him involved enough when it was about as believable as anything Sarah Palin says? Can’t he ever give credit to the opponent because the Redskins played a heck of a game and have certainly turned things around since the NFL Opener defeat to the Giants? But hey. T-Ho will always be a selfserving primadona who doesn’t care about the team concept despite his talent which is why I’d never take him on my team.

-I could do a better job than Scott Linehan did with the Rams.

-It sure took long enough for the Lions to realize Matt Millen wasn’t a good Team President. I wonder what keyed them in on that.

-When someone takes shots at the Yanks and Mets for not qualifying, just remember you could be the Tigers who gave up the world for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, who now looks like a serious rebuilding project. Tell ya one thing. Cameron Maybin sure looks good in center for the Marlins. And if Andrew Miller pans out, that’s gonna be one heck of a rotation in 2009. The Mets and Phillies might have some competition for the NL East.

-Just how ridiculous is Jim Dolan? Idiotic enough to continue bringing back Allan Houston while refusing to payoff Stephon Marbury to get him off the Knicks roster. That’s why no matter who’s running it, they’ll always be the same laughingstock.

-Now would be a good time to tell the Rangers that the NHL regular season begins in a few days over in Europe cause they have looked really bad so far. I wonder what Glen Sather thinks now of investing six years and six and a half per on Wade Redden. Just wait till the season starts up. You ain’t seen nothing yet.

-What I like about the Giant organization is they stick to their rules disciplining Plaxico Burress for missing two straight days of practice even if it was due to a personal family matter. The wideout still should’ve communicated better this way he wouldn’t be fined and have to sit out next week’s home game versus Seattle. However, there aren’t any excuses and no exceptions under Coach Coughlin which is why I believe this team can repeat. They get it!

-Someone might want to tell Jerry Jones that this isn’t the 50’s anymore when he last played organized football. He doesn’t belong on the sideline.

-Boomer and Carton are a fun listen on WFAN in the morning because they work well and have solid chemistry. Listening to them rant over the Mets’ latest disappointment was good radio. Loved Carton’s nickname for Wright for failing to deliver in the clutch: “D-Rod.” A reference to Alex Rodriguez.

-I feel bad for diehard Met fans like Steve Somers, Tony Paige, Evan Roberts and Joe Benigno, who live and die with their team all year long. You can feel the emotion and terrible bitterness in their voices. Particularly Somers, who last week coming back from a great Weezer concert sounded heartbroken over a costly extra inning defeat to the Cubs. You could really tell how badly he wanted to see them get in and reverse last year.

They all did and showed so much. Maybe if the Mets had played with as much energy as they brought to the WFAN airwaves, they wouldn’t be sitting home instead getting ready for Lou Piniella’s Cubs. They might get paid to talk sports but they wear the Mets’ logo as a badge of honor as did outstanding play-by-play man Howie Rose.

Nobody ever likes to get their hearts broken. Especially by their favorite sports team which is what can make following sports so crazy. One minute, you’re as high as the sky and the next you feel like burying yourself under the sand.

It’s the real diehards who never abandon ship who shall always get my sorrows. Cause it takes a lot sometimes to stay with a team that constantly gives you heartache.

-It was a mixed night for both New York ballclubs. Let’s start with the positive if you can call hanging on for dear life against the lowly Padres that as the Mets did in a 6-5 win to kick off a vital six-game homestand on the right foot. Most of the offense was supplied by resurgent left fielder Fernando Tatis, who slugged two home runs including a huge two out three-run go-ahead shot in the home sixth which put the Mets up 4-2. The Mets tacked on a couple of key insurance tallies including a Nick Evans eighth inning run scoring double which wound up being the difference due to the pen. Though Aaron Heilman wasn’t helped much by his defense as he attempted to close out the game with Billy Wagner on the DL, he still served up a three-run homer to Jody Gerut which suddenly made it a nerve wracking one-run game with still a couple of outs to get. Jerry Manuel opted for Joe Smith to get the second out and then lefty Scott Schoeneweis came on to pop out Brian Giles to deep center on one pitch notching the save.

-Still, it was an important win snapping a four-game skid and allowing the Mets to regain some momentum as they also gained a game on the first place Phillies, who dropped an 8-2 contest to visiting Florida, who pulled within a game and a half while the Amazin’s are two behind. They need to go at least 4-2 on this stand against the Padres and Marlins to feel good about themselves as the stretch drive nears closer.

-There was no such encouraging news for the other New York team as the Yankees again lost in Texas- this time falling 8-6 despite a Richie Sexson eighth inning grand salami which at least made the outcome respectable. Truthfully, the Rangers aren’t a bad team and in fact are just a game and a half worse now than those Yanks in that wild card race. AL MVP candidate Josh Hamilton did some damage hitting his 27th home run off an ineffective Andy Pettite, who lasted only five while permitting five earned. Struggling rookie David Robertson and Brian Bruney provided little relief allowing three more Rangers to come home highlighted by a Chris Davis two-run double in the seventh that was the difference. The rookie knocked in half his team’s output as Texas captured the first two of the four-game set.

-That combined with a damaging walkoff defeat the previous night where Marlon Byrd got the better of Damaso Marte for a winning slam has New York seeing red. Boston won as Jason Bay had four hits and four RBI’s in an 8-2 win over the Royals increasing their WC lead to 3.5 over the Bronx Bombers. Oh btw…with the Twins and White Sox deadlocked in the AL Central both with superior records, the Yanks will also have to jump over them as well with Texas hot on the trail and even Toronto lurking in the background. They better get it in high gear soon or it really will be first October in 14 years without the Pinstripes closing out the House That Ruth Built for good earlier than expected.

-The worse news is that budding young ace Joba Chamberlain left Monday’s game in the fifth with shoulder tightness and already will miss his next turn in the rotation. Following an MRI, he’ll be reevaluated by Dr. James Andrews later today. Yankee brass and supporters better keep their fingers crossed it’s not too serious as they can ill afford to lose the 22 year-old former No.1 draft choice for an extended period. Especially when their staff is so thin after Pettite and rejuvenated vet Mike Mussina. Are you putting a lot of faith in veteran Sidney Ponson and the unheralded Darrell Rasner? Speaking of Ponson, he’ll face his former team tonight trying to give the Yanks a much needed jolt. So, who gets Joba’s next start? Ian Kennedy? He’s pitched well lately in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. You’d think it would make sense to recall the rookie and give him another shot over say Japanese failure Kei Igawa or <gulp> Carl Pavano.

-I’m no genius here but good California buddy Brian Sanborn informed me that ESPN SC showed the replay of Prince Fielder getting into it with teammate Manny Parra over and over again. Why must they always show such replays of something negative when a younger audience just might be watching all their shows? Because if you know the biz as I have come to, it’s all about the most evil word in TV. RATING$. They don’t care just as you watch. When is enough enough? Sad to say but we all know the answer…

-Brett Favre’s back with Green Bay but won’t be for long. The question is if you were them, would you deal the legendary quarterback who’s meant so much to their franchise to the bitter rival Vikings? Tough question to answer. Personally, I think they should call the shots here for the reinstated 38 year-old future Hall of Famer. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen anytime soon. Don’t expect a happy ending made for Hollywood.

-Remember when the Phillies were supposed to miss former center fielder Aaron Rowand, who left for greener pastures in San Fran? Truthfully, he’s not performing badly but given how well the gritty Shane Victorino is swinging the bat these days, they aren’t missing Rowand all too much:

Aaron Rowand

Shane Victorino

-Who would ever believe that Evan Longoria would become the leader of the first place Rays during his rookie season after signing a big extension? What a player!

-Alfonso Soriano missed all those games yet still leads the first place Cubs in homers slugging his 20th on a three hit, four-RBI night in an 11-7 victory over Houston. If he hadn’t gone down, 40 homers and 30 steals probably would have been locks.

-Daily News columnist Mike Lupica had another good piece in yesterday’s paper on long time Yankee catcher Jorge Posada having to be reduced to spectator status the rest of the way after undergoing successful surgery on his torn right labrum and capsule last week. It’s a good read with some very solid quotes from the 37 year-old veteran who’s been a huge part of the team’s success.

-As I noted in another entry, I really enjoyed the festivities of the final Yankee Old-Timer’s Day Saturday but when WCBS play-by-play man John Sterling actually referenced the weather holding off due to a rainy forecast as, “Once again, the sun is shining down on the Yankees,” that even got me. Talk about being overly dramatic.

Gee wiz.

-The Yanks continued to play well out of the All-Star Break edging the A’s 2-1 on Jason Giambi’s seventh inning solo shot (20th) sweeping the three-game set in the Bronx allowing Joe Girardi’s club to get within four and a half of the Rays, who fell at home to the Blue Jays 9-4. Andy Pettite continued his turnaround outdueling AL All-Star Justin Duchscherer going eight innings allowing just one earned on four hits while not walking a batter and fanning nine to pickup his 11th victory.

The rival Red Sox are currently knotted at two apiece in the sixth looking to avoid a sweep in Los Angeles versus the Angels. A loss would allow the Bronx Bombers to pull within three of the wild card.

Giambi finished a perfect 2-for-2 reaching base all four times with a couple of walks along with the deciding home run to right off Duchscherer, who entered 10-5 with a 1.82 ERA. Once a key late inning reliever for Oakland, the 30 year-old out of Aberdeen, San Diego has made a seamless transition to the rotation becoming the team’s most reliable starter. Before this season, he had only started five games in his career with a couple coming with Texas back in 2001. A couple of years ago, he even saved nine games while fanning nearly a batter per inning (51 in 55.2). Now, he’s the ace of their staff with Rich Harden (Chc) and Joe Blanton (Phi) dealt to NL contenders for more prospects.

If only his team had a semblance of an offense. Somehow, they’re four over .500 (51-47) but trailing the Halos by eight and a half pending the game out West.

Maybe the A’s were just what the doctor ordered for the Yanks, who haven’t hit the way expected with Hideki Matsui possibly needing knee surgery and leadoff man Johnny Damon on the DL for the first time in his career pushing to return. It’s not like they scored a ton of runs the past two days following a 7-1 win in the opener. But they did what they had to to set the tone for another second half October drive.

Only with two teams in their division ahead of them making it an even more difficult challenge over the next couple of months.

-Meanwhile in Cincinnati, the Mets avoided losing three straight to the Reds by coming back to pull out a 7-5 10 inning win. Their hottest starter Mike Pelfrey didn’t have it today giving up three homers (entered with only four allowed all year) including Edwin Encarnacion’s tying fourth inning blast rallying the Reds from 4-1 down and All-Star second baseman Brandon Phillips’ sixth inning go-ahead solo shot. But resurgent first base slugger Carlos Delgado drove home the tying run the next half inning with a runscoring single making extras a possibility.

Though the Amazin’s blew a chance in the top of the ninth with Carlos Beltran caught stealing third, they took advantage of the only miscue of the game committed by Encarnacion, whose throwing error allowed call-up Robinson Cancel, who doubled as a pinch hitter to score the winning run. It also let Jose Reyes advance to third and score an insurance run on a Delgado sac fly.

Billy Wagner struck out the side in the 10th including blowing an elevated heated past rookie center fielder Jay Bruce for his 24th save allowing the Mets to tie the Phils for first once again because they fell to Florida 3-2 on a Jorge Cantu walkoff base hit.

The Mets will host the Phillies for a huge three-game series at Shea starting Tuesday with ace Johan Santana going against new Phillie pickup Blanton. The other series match-ups include returning Brett Myers from a Triple-A stint facing John Maine and a battle between old and young lefties with crafty vet Jamie Moyer taking on Oliver Perez.

Winning the last two games, the Marlins sit half a game back and will play host to the struggling Braves for three beginning tomorrow.

-With four hits, his 33rd stolen base and 11th triple of the season, Mets shortstop Jose Reyes now has a club record 63 three-baggers for his career surpassing Mookie Wilson. Forty have come in the past three years.

-It’s too bad about Greg Norman shooting a 77 to finish tied for third in the British Open after making a bid to become the oldest PGA player to win a major. Oh well. The dream ended but he still has had a good year marrying former American tennis star Chris Evert. Padraig Harrington might’ve repeated as British champ but the comebacking 53 year-old part-time golfer was the story of the weekend. He made it interesting without Tiger.

-Interesting story written in today’s Sunday News by Filip Bondy on David Beckham’s MLS impact where attendance and jersey sales are up and included more than 46,000 at Giants Stadium to check out the second-year British star’s Galaxy battling the Red Bulls to an entertaining 2-2 tie last night. It’s a good read.

-I hope when I see Dark Knight this week, I’m as blown away as everyone else was by the late and gone too soon Heath Ledger’s Joker.

-You know. All the talk about Ledger’s performance and then dying sort of reminds me of Brandon Lee in The Crow. Only difference was he died while shooting a scene when they discovered that those weren’t blanks near the dramatic conclusion of one of the better movies I’ve seen. What ashame that Sarah played by the promising Rochelle Davis never returned to another set again following his tragic death. As good as the acting was by everyone in the only Crow there should’ve been made, she was great as the victim’s younger sister and looked to have a bright future. Such was the impact of Lee’s death on the young actress.

-With the Knicks playing in Las Vegas for their usual summer tournament, this is the high for Knick fans. Where running the table last year and winning the championship was universally celebrated. Not exactly the vision of a third NBA title every normal local hoop fan had in mind.

-It’s already been a week too long without Bobby Murcer.

The tale of two New York baseball teams is being told as we approach the final weekend before the superhyped final All-Star Game at legendary Yankee Stadium in the cathedral which will soon be replaced by a brand new state of the art ballpark across the street.

For one team at least, they can feel pretty darn good about themselves because the Mets have finally discovered that magic formula under interim manager Jerry Manuel reeling off seven in a row including last nite’s 2-1 squeaker over the visiting Rockies at Shea.

Oliver Perez was rock solid for a third consecutive outing permitting just a run despite walking six before giving way to a pen which wiggled out of a couple of bases loaded jams including Aaron Heilman getting the last two Rockies swinging in the seventh. Pedro Feliciano followed suit by escaping a similar jam in the eighth keeping the contest tied to set the stage for surprising veteran second baseman Damion Easley who provided the heroics with a solo shot in the bottom half to give his team another huge victory.

For once, Billy Wagner closed it out 1-2-3 getting the final out on a deep fly to Carlos Beltran which kept the Amazin’s red hot with a season high seventh win in a row to remain tied with the Marlins a game and a half out of first.

Meanwhile in the City of Brotherly Love, the Phillies cameback to beat the one under NL West-leading Diamondbacks 6-5 in 12 innings getting a crucial two-run eighth inning tying triple from gritty center fielder Shane Victorino and a walkoff Jayson Werth RBI base hit to win for the second straight time. Ryan Howard added his major league best 28th dinger.

While the Mets should feel good for closing the gap after trailing by as much as seven to the Phils, the Yankees have to be increasingly frustrated with their inconsistency.

Having looked like they were about to put something together by taking the last two against Boston and sweeping a two-game series from the suddenly slumping first place Rays (lost fifth straight last night), they followed it up by turning Paul Maholm into a Cy Young candidate scoring just two runs in a depressing 4-2 loss to the Pirates in a makeup game Thursday. After a Bobby Abreu two-run single tied it, Pirates’ All-Star center fielder Nate McLouth responded by hitting a gamebreaking two-run home run off normally reliable Jose Veras in the seventh.

It allowed the Pirates to take the series despite another good outing from veteran Mike Mussina (6 IP, 2 ER, 9 H, 5 K’s).

The problem for the Bronx Bombers is that the very next night, they had to deal with Toronto ace Roy Halladay, who brought his ‘A’ game to the table outpitching rookie Joba Chamberlain (6.2 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, HR, 9 K’s) while going the distance for his impressive major league-leading seventh complete game two-hitting them while walking one and fanning eight.

Only veteran infielders Alex Rodriguez (fourth inning single) and Derek Jeter (ninth inning ground rule double) got hits off Halladay leaving the Yankee captain singing the Toronto ace’s praises:

“He never throws a ball over the middle of the plate. If you face him four or five times a game, you might get one pitch over the plate. He goes from corner to corner as good as any pitcher in the game. He’s probably the best starter in baseball, I would think. I know I’m a little biased because we face him 10 times a year. He’s as consistent as anyone.”

Pretty hard to disagree with that assessment. It’s always been my belief that Halladay and Brandon Webb were the best pitchers in the game. Cue up the arguments.

Unfortunately for Jeter and the Yankee Pinstripes, they blew another golden opportunity to gain valuable ground on Tampa Bay, who lost again to the lowly Indians 5-0. It’s also worth noting that second place Boston also dropped a home game to the Orioles 7-3 remaining a game and a half out of first while the Yanks still trail by six and a half and seven in the loss column.

It’s vital for them to bounceback over the next two days before the break. However, that doesn’t seem likely with struggling fifth starter Darrell Rasner going against Jesse Litsch later today. If he does win, then the finale would see veteran southpaw Andy Pettite take on fireballer A.J. Burnett in a potential great match-up.

We’ll see if Joe Girardi’s ballclub can finish strong.

These are a few of the things floating around my head as a new week begins: 

1.How if you’re the Mets do you lose all four games to the hapless Padres in San Diego? They’d entered playing a better brand of ball taking their last three series and starting to look like the ballclub many expected them to be. Then, somehow they lost not one, not two but three consecutive 2-1 games to a team which had a brutal record in one-run games. To top it off, closer Billy Wagner couldn’t hold a two-run lead serving up a two out pinch hit three-run jack to veteran Tony Clark in the eighth which made San Diego an 8-6 winner sending the Amazin’s reeling back to Shea two under .500 (30-32). Now instead of building on two of three at San Fran, they trail the red hot Phillies by seven and a half. The Phils just got done sweeping the Braves to increase their lead to three and a half over second place Florida with a three-game series beginning tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the Mets will try to rebound when they return to Shea Tuesday and play host to struggling NL West leader Arizona. They could use some home cooking to get this turned around.

2.He did pitch into the fifth yesterday and threw a much better ratio tossing 53 of 78 for strikes but I still feel this Joba Chamberlain move to the rotation is all wrong. The Yankee pen is just not equipped for it and what happens when Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes return?

3.It’s amazing to think that suddenly Jason Giambi has rediscovered his stroke leading the Pinstripes with 14 dingers including a go-ahead in their 6-3 win over the Royals. Where would they be without the rejuvenated first base slugger? Ditto Johnny Damon who has been unbelievable lately.

4.When you look at the Mets’ inconsistency, you no longer can say that it’s Jose Reyes who isn’t performing. The shortstop who bats leadoff has done his part heating up for the Queens club frequently hitting and getting on base. He’s hitting for power and stealing bases again. It’s the rest of his teammates which aren’t getting it done. Why is Carlos Beltran so streaky? How come David Wright’s hot streaks come and go?

5.A day later, I’m still extremely disappointed in Roger Federer’s performance against Rafael Nadal. Why was his energy lacking in such a big match? Sure. Nadal was too good. We get that but you don’t normally see him just mail it in. Once the second set was over, I knew where the match was headed. Pretty sad state of affairs for the 12-time slam champion who continues to fail at winning on the red clay at Roland Garros.

6.Who cares what Tiger Woods thinks about the NHL anyway.

7.Nice performance by Team USA finishing in a scoreless tie with Argentina in a men’s soccer exhibition where nearly 80,000 packed Giants Stadium last night. Freddy Adu showed off some serious ballhandling skills generating several great chances late and veteran Landon Donovan was sensational.

8.NL MVP race:

A.Chase Utley, Phillies

B.Chipper Jones, Braves

C.Lance Berkman, Astros

D.Albert Pujols, Cardinals

9.AL MVP race:

A.Josh Hamilton, Rangers

B.Carlos Quentin, White Sox

C.Manny Ramirez, Red Sox

10.Can anyone explain why ESPN/ABC continues to troll out Michael Wilbon for these NBA Finals?!?!?!?!?!

11.You know what’s sad about Hillary Clinton. Even after she finally conceded, the New York Senator still thinks it’s all about her when she was outclassed by Barack Obama.

12.You really could see what all the hype was about with Reds rookie center field prospect Jay Bruce.

13.Belated congrats to Chipper Jones on slugging career home run No.400 a few days prior. To think that the third base Atlanta Brave veteran did it while hitting over .400 is just remarkable. He’s going to miss a few games but when he returns, who doesn’t want to see him take a run at .400 a la John Olerud circa 1993?

14.When Daily News sports columnist Mike Lupica claims that the Yanks haven’t produced a starting stud through their farm system since Andy Pettite and Ron Guidry, I don’t know about you but Chien-Ming Wang isn’t exactly chopped liver. Though he has been struggling lately. Speaking of which, here’s a little trivia for Mr. Lupica. When exactly is the last time the Mets produced a starter out of their system who could win 18-20 games like Wang? You have to go all the way back to Dwight Gooden because they foolishly gave away Scott Kazmir.

15.I don’t know about you but when Chris Bosh buried his Raptors jersey out back in TD BankNorth before Game One of the NBA Finals, I had a good chuckle.

16.Jim McKay came before my time but from everything you read and hear about the legendary former ABC Wide World Of Sports anchor, he had the kind of memorable broadcasting career many could only wish to emulate. From all accounts on his unbelievable humanizing of the awful 1972 Munich Olympics tragedy which saw 11 Israeli athletes murdered by malicious terrorists, you can tell just how much McKay’s chilling details meant to the world of a terrifying ordeal. Watching the video the other day and seeing all the tributes to this man made me realize just how special he was. He’ll be sorely missed.

Photos Copyright Getty Images

Johnny Damon has been a high quality player for a while. The 34 year-old veteran leadoff hitter had himself a career record breaking day of sorts in the Yankees thrilling 12-11 come from behind victory over his former club the Royals Saturday afternoon in the Bronx.

In a game which saw veteran southpaw Andy Pettite give up a career worst 10 runs including a two out seventh inning grand slam off the bat of Jose Guillen, the Bronx Bombers still found a way to comeback despite some poor managing from first-year skipper Joe Girardi bailing him and the starter out. Why Pettite was still in against the Royals version of an outfield slugger was due to the lack of confidence in the Joba-less bullpen. He had already served up a two-run jack to Guillen back in the first. Pettite’s 111th pitch was crushed to deep left giving Kansas City a 10-6 lead.

But the Yankee bats didn’t cool off on a near record-breaking day of 90-plus degree June heat coming back with a pair in the home seventh off the big bat of Alex Rodriguez (ninth home run) and Damon, who made it five-for-five with a money two-run opposite field single scoring Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera to knot the game at 10 apiece.

Just when it seemed the Yanks had the game in their favor, the reliable Mariano Rivera gave up a first pitch solo homer to Royals left fielder David DeJesus putting them behind a run once again. However, he got the next three batters setting the stage for the fateful bottom of the ninth.

A couple of days earlier, Jason Giambi provided some fireworks with a walkoff right field upper deck blast to beat B.J. Ryan and the Blue Jays. This time, they were facing Kansas City closer Joakim Soria, who entered a perfect 13-for-13 with a 1.03 ERA. With one out, it didn’t matter as veteran starting catcher Jorge Posada took the 24 year-old yard into the short porch tying the game at 11.

The Yanks weren’t done mounting a two out rally to win in exciting fashion. After Wilson Betemit drew a walk, center fielder Melky Cabrera beat out an infield hit to put a runner in scoring position. When Soria fell behind 3-1 on Damon, you knew or at least I did anyway that he was going to win the game. The next pitch, he went down and got slicing it inside the right field line for the winning walkoff extra base hit propelling the Pinstripes to a topsy turvy 12-11 home win.

Six-for-six giving Damon a career day and also becoming the first Bomber to record six hits in a nine inning game. Not a bad day’s work at the office.

The winning hit picked up Rivera, who notched his second victory bringing the Yanks back to .500 (31-31). They still trail first place Boston by six and a half with the Rays a half game behing the Red Sox.

This was a good win for them but the lingering questions remain as to why Girardi stuck with an ineffective Pettite to pitch to a batter he’d already given a long ball up to late in the game. Was he that uncertain about Kyle Farnsworth? At that stage, you have to trust your late inning setup guy to record that key out.

All a product of Joba Chamberlain no longer being available out of the pen. Instead, the 22 year-0ld will try to improve on an ineffective first outing against Toronto later today when he opposes Royal ace Zach Greinke. The 24 year-old Greinke was once a high draft pick just like Joba who was force fed to the majors at a young age by Kansas City only to struggle back to the minors before the Royals patiently allowed the righthander to straighten out. Now, he’s pitching to capability with five wins and a 3.56 ERA.

The Yanks need every win they can get in a much tougher AL East. The question is how long will Chamberlain go? This experiment gets more tantalizing by the day.

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By show of hands, who actually believed into the ridiculous hype of this rush job regarding pushing Joba Chamberlain from eighth inning fixture to starter? Exactly.

I’ve gone on record as saying moving Joba to the rotation is a mistake which could prove costly for the Yankees this year. The way the organization has mishandled this move is a joke. What exactly was the rush? Giving the 22 year-old Lincoln, Nebraska native basically a two week window to go from setup to starter makes about as much sense as the Bulls hiring Doug Collins two decades later out of the TNT broadcast booth.

The Yanks should’ve been more patient and stretched Chamberlain out a few more relief outings to build up his arm.

End result against Toronto ace Roy Halladay last night:

2.1 IP, 2 R, ER, 1 H, 4 BB, 3 K, 62 pitches (32 strikes)

Not a very pretty line. In fact, Joba needed 38 pitches to escape his first inning permitting a run.

It’s going to take time for the former 2006 first round supplemental pick to adjust back to being a starter. Last year, he won eight games across the minors before being shifted to the pen to setup for Mariano Rivera. The difference was the organization made certain to give him enough stints before recalling the fireballer to overwhelming success.

Anyone who’s looked at this season’s Pinstripe edition can see that pitching is an issue. However, by subtracting Joba from the pen, it further weakened the seventh and eighth innings which now fall on the shoulders of Kyle Farnsworth along with bust LaTroy Hawkins. There’s also inexperienced guys such as Ross Ohlendorf, Jose Veras and Edwar Ramirez. Hardly reassuring options for a mediocre club which dropped its third straight and saw their pig pen implode a second game in a row turning a one-run game into a Toronto 9-3 laugher at The Stadium.

So what’s the plan exactly? Does the organization eventually elevate relief prospect Mark Melanchon from Double-A Trenton where he’s having good success? Don’t expect it anytime soon.

It’s hard to fathom who’s calling the shots here. Hank Steinbrenner voiced his displeasure about Chamberlain’s role wanting him to start. But is it best for the team right now? Chien-Ming Wang is a reliable seven inning starter. Vets Andy Pettite and Mike Mussina can go six. Darrell Rasner has proven to be effective thus far able to pitch deep into games while keeping the ballclub afloat. How many innings on average can Chamberlain be expected to go? Tough to gauge. His command must improve if this gamble is to pay off.

Here’s another question for Yankee brass. Why mess with Joba when Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy should be returning for the second half? What exactly is the plan when either comeback? They’ve been starters their entire pro careers which means that’s a numbers problem.

Unless the Yanks are planning to move Rasner to middle relief, it’s an issue. Why move Rasner if he continues to fare well? That’s what the Bronx zoo is like these days where you’re on an emotional rollercoaster trying to figure out what they’ll do next.

Frankly, this team isn’t that good and deserving of their 28-30 last place record seven behind Tampa and six and a half behind Boston. The Jays are showing signs even without Vernon Wells four out and they’ve got much better pitching than the Bronx Bombers.

So, is it going to get any better? Probably not for a while. Especially with a relief corps providing comedy for opponents.

This is what Joe Girardi signed up for and what Joe Torre got away from. Which Joe do you think is smiling these days?

-With the Mets being swept by the Braves last night, the pressure’s on for them to snap out of it this weekend in Denver against a struggling Rockie club which enters 11 games under .500 trailing Arizona by 10. A far cry from winning the NL pennant last October. Troy Tulowitizki is out two to three months with a torn tendon in his left quad. The shortstop who took the league by storm in his rookie season was off to an atrocious start hitting just .152 with a home run, 11 RBI’s while K-ing 17 times in 26 games. Most of Colorado’s problems have come away from Coors where they’re 8-16 as compared to 10-13 in the thin air. Unless they get it turned around soon, Clint Hurdle’s club will be out of contention.

-As for Willie Randolph’s club, losing four straight to the archrival Braves was stunning. They were outscored 27-9 and saw staff ace Johan Santana blow a 2-1 lead by giving up three in the seventh which allowed Atlanta to complete the four-game sweep at Turner Field. As usual, Chipper Jones was in the middle of it with a game-winning two strike opposite field hit. Mark Teixeira added insurance with a base hit to left center. In fact, the Braves pounded out 12 hits against the former Twin which were a career high. Just goes to show how things have been going for the Mets. They had taken two from the Yanks in an abbreviated series and were looking to ride that into Atlanta but instead got totally outplayed in all facets and now have lost six of eight entering tonight’s match-up between southpaw Oliver Perez and promising Colorado rookie Greg Reynolds. The Amazin’s are one under .500 trailing the surprising Marlins by four and a half. If they don’t snap out of it, their embattled manager could be replaced. Is it all his fault that this team doesn’t play consistent ball? Hardly. But it is the manager’s job to get the most out of his players. For whatever reason, that’s not happening. Instead, the September malaise of last year is hanging over them threatening to ruin their season.

-Meanwhile in the Bronx, the Yankees won their second straight to take a series from the Orioles. They pushed across the winning run on a two out walkoff Robinson Cano single which plated Hideki Matsui allowing them to outscore the Birds 10-1 over the last two days. Rookie Ian Kennedy finally pitched well working the first six permitting a run on four hits while walking and fanning four lowering his ERA to 7.27. Jose Veras, Kyle Farnsworth and Mariano Rivera each worked scoreless frames as the Pinstripes found a way to win after skipper Joe Girardi got his first ejection of the season for arguing a strike three call to Jason Giambi on a foul tip. Girardi showed plenty of fire tossing his hat twice and kicking dirt to protest plate umpire Chris Guccione’s ruling. A couple of batters later, his team responded by winning their second in a row for the first time in two and a half weeks. Maybe that kind of emotion was what the Pinstripes needed. Though it did earn Girardi the night off when they host the Mariners for three beginning tonight. Veteran southpaw Andy Pettite will be looking to win for the first time in over a month against Seattle’s Erik Bedard. The Yanks still trail red hot Boston by seven and a half. The Red Sox have won seven straight and show no signs of slowing down. So, the Bronx Bombers must get it in high gear or face the prospect of a double digit deficit by June.

-AL 3 for MVP:

A.Josh Hamilton, Rangers

B.Carlos Quentin, White Sox

C.Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox

-NL 3 for MVP:

A.Lance Berkman, Astros

B.Chipper Jones, Braves

C.Chase Utley, Phillies

No. This isn’t about Team Dumb and Dumber Clown Management 101 who predictably didn’t win the NBA lottery earlier tonight. 

At last check, the last place Yankees were getting trounced 10-0 by the Orioles at The Stadium. This on the heels of being humiliated by the Mets in which they were swept over an abbreviated weekend set by an aggregate total of 18-6 dropping them to four under .500 and six behind the first place Red Sox. It became six and a half last night when Jon Lester no-hit the Royals.

It only gets worse these days around the Pinstripes. Where the chaos of Hank Steinbrewhiner isn’t helping much. He can make all the vows he wants but just maybe this team isn’t good enough to see October. Yankee brass (Randy Levine) believed it would be good to make a change away from Joe Torre’s laid back style to the edgy persona of Joe Girardi, who looks in over his head. He doesn’t know how to handle the New York press and apparently isn’t putting out the right lineup these days.

Once again, Jason Giambi was hitting before Robinson Cano, who inexplicably continues to bat at the bottom third of the order. So what if Alex Rodriguez is back and apparently went yard to break up Daniel Cabrera’s shutout cause it’s really the only positive any Yankee fan could take with this disassembled bunch. Oh. The rating AL MVP’s big righty bat is a welcome sight to an offense which can’t score. If only that would resolve all the team problems.

It still isn’t known when switch-hitting All-Star backstop Jorge Posada will return. The Yanks need every bat these days cause this pitching staff isn’t scaring anyone. For once, Mike Mussina didn’t have it tonight lasting only 10 batters while retiring a couple and allowing seven runs of only one which was earned thanks to teammate Derek Jeter’s throwing error that opened the floodgates. Making matters worse, the Yankee captain left the game after getting plunked on the left hand.

Out of the O’s 10 runs, only two were earned with Johnny Damon misplaying a Luke Scott fly ball in the second leading to three more runs. When it all goes wrong, sloppy team D is common and even umpire’s errant calls such as the other night which negated a Carlos Delgado three-run home run don’t even matter. At least the Met first baseman wound up with an RBI hit in the 11-2 blowout of Chien-Ming Wang Sunday. That’s how brutal Girardi’s Yanks have been. What happened to playing a crisper brand of ball? What happened to executing and winning close games? And what happened to just having solid pitching which could shutdown an offense?

Oh wait. That never got addressed. It didn’t help that Phil Hughes was pitching hurt getting off to a miserable start before finally being DLed. Even that was a three-ring circus with Girardi not even able to properly communicate what was wrong. This guy is just way too sensitive and is proving the Florida reporters right. If he thought that was tough, he really shouldn’t have taken this job.

Ian Kennedy has struggled and remains winless with the Yanks hoping one of these days, the former first round pick out of USC will put it all together like he did when he came up. If he could just locate, it’s bound to turn around. Andy Pettite’s been a bust in his second season meaning that only Wang and Mussina were performing up to expectations. Toss in surprise recall Darrell Rasner who will get another big start tomorrow trying to put a halt to a four-game skid.

There’s also the bullpen which soon could be renamed the pigpen. Kyle Farnsworth had shown improvement until his implosion a few days ago in which he served up two homers to Met duo Jose Reyes and David Wright putting Saturday’s game out of reach. The problem is that even with Girardi using the hard thrower more, he’s already allowed six gopher balls. Or one more than Aaron Heilman. So how reliable is he?

Russ Ohlendorf is still a work in progress and LaTroy Hawkins is proving to be the latest Brian Cashman mi$take. Unless Edwar Ramirez becomes a solution, the Yanks only have the same 1-2 punch of Joba Chamblerlain and Mo Rivera to finish games which is why Steinwhiner’s idea of moving the Nebraska setup man to the rotation would be a colossal mistake making even more a mess of their pen.

I still want to know how Morgan Ensberg was signed while a younger and more versatile Andy Phillips was let go. How Ensberg is even still on a major league roster begs questioning. This is what the Yankees have become. Where misfits somehow wind up with jobs. What? Like Eric Duncan couldn’t be given a shot to sink or swim? The organization needs to get their heads out of their collective asses.

How is it getting any better? Unless the team snaps out of it, they’re in for a tough go because the AL East is no longer a joke. Not with the Rays much improved and the O’s showing signs of life. Even the Jays are coming around.

So, is it over? Hardly. After tonight, the Yanks will have completed 45 games meaning that there’s still 117 to go. They have been in this unenviable position before and comeback to make the postseason. Still, falling into the same early habits isn’t a good trend. One of these days, it’s going to comeback to haunt them.

Is this finally that year? Only time will tell. For now, this team is a mess headed on the road to nowhere.

For once, you really can “Blame It On The Rain.” Much like that once misplaced Milli Vanilli hit some 20 years ago, that accurately reflects both New York baseball teams on the 16th day of May with the Subway Series on tap.

So much for good May weather. But hey. Do either the Yankees or Mets deserve the sun to shine down on them at this early juncture of the season? We already know the answer. Maybe it’s a bit of poetic justice that the weather is so crappy reminding us more of late March and April rather than traditional May days.

Both teams stink. Sure. It’s still very early. There’s plenty of time for the Yanks and Mets to turn it around. Sometimes, that’s forgotten in such a demanding town which is all about the present when it comes to its two baseball teams. The grind of a 162-game schedule has peaks and valleys. Unfortunately, both clubs with high expectations have hit a lull entering this weekend’s three-game set at Yankee Stadium a combined 40-41. Remarkably, it’s the first time since the Subway Series inception that the two metro area teams entered under .500. But as esteemed New York Post columnist Mike Vaccaro pointed out in a well written column, it was bound to happen sometime.

Symbolism is a funny thing. Almost to a U2 hit, “Mysterious Ways.” That it’s pouring literally and dark as can be for this time of year epitomizes the slow starts by our two ballclubs who so many fans in this area live and die with.

Just listening to all the panic on WFAN airwaves is enough to drive you insane. Of course, the “Fire Willie” demands have only intensified after his team’s dreadful 3-4 homestand against last place fodder. Granted. The manager isn’t doing the job. Ultimately, it comes down to his players who are plenty talented but have been lacking consistency, intensity and common sense. Why is it always the same two players who show frustration over their team’s lackadaisical play?

On the flip side of town, the Yanks just lost three of four to the improved Rays down in Tampa drawing the ire of Hank Steinbrenner. They have their own issues which include a paltry offense that’s putting more pressure on the pitching staff. The good news is Mike Mussina has suddenly rediscovered himself and Darrell Rasner, who will oppose Johan Santana whenever Game One gets underway has pitched well. The alarming is the continued ups and downs of Andy Pettite, Ian Kennedy’s struggles and LaTroy Hawkins’ implosions. Combine that with a popgun offense and it’s hard to win games.

Maybe A-Rod’s quad will finally be healthy enough to return soon and help inject much needed righty power in a dead lineup. Who knows what the time table is for Jorge Posada? For now, Joe Girardi continues to pencil in the Shelly Duncans and Morgan Ensbergs while batting Melky Cabrera sixth.

Is this the weekend Jose Reyes sparks the Mets to a big series win before headed to Atlanta possibly saving the manager’s job? Or does the Yankee captain step to the forefront leading his slumping team to two of three and perhaps back on track?

Hard to say. What I do know is that rain never felt more appropriate. And we don’t mean the cold November Guns N’ Roses kind. Bet those two teams wish it were.

We got a long way to go.