It was a memorable day for former SI Yank Colin Curtis in yesterday's Yankee win over the Angels.

Imagine your team is up by two runs in the bottom of the seventh and looking for insurance with two runners on. Then, the unthinkable happens when your outfielder buddy who you know well from the minors gets ejected for the first time after falling behind 0-2.

Suddenly, the skipper calls your name and you must inherit the count before plenty of screaming Yankee fans in the Bronx. Not too much pressure, eh? Apparently, that was the case for Colin Curtis yesterday after he stepped in for Gardner and hit a clutch pinch-hit three-run home run into the right field stands, increasing the Yanks’ lead to 10-5 in a game they’d win 10-6 to square the series versus the Halos. Did we mention it was the 25 year-old former Staten Island Yankee’s first major league homer? What a way to get it. Plenty of columns on the Yanks’ 25th man today, including from Cooperstown bound Bill Madden of The Daily News.

“He’s had a ton of big hits for us without a lot of starts,” a pleased Joe Girardi explained. “That’s not easy for a young man that’s used to playing and getting at-bat after at-bat. To come into that situation down 0-2 and hit a home run, that’s some kind of at-bat.”

“To take three pitches like he did … it was an amazing at-bat,” Girardi added of the scrappy player, who had a similar at bat in a great come from behind win over the Dodgers last month. “But that’s the one thing he’s shown. He’s gotten pinch-hits in key situations and puts a lot of long at-bats on people.“

Hustling overachiever Brett Gardner is one of a few former Baby Bombers to make the bigs.

It really is cool to see some of the players I covered here making an impact. Remember when Brett Gardner was just a fourth outfielder? Uh. Might want to rethink that one. The kid’s been money all season, pacing the Yankees in stolen bases while hitting over .300 and proving to be a tough out. Oh. And he can play a little D too. Kudos to Joe Girardi for having faith in Gards. The 2005 Staten Island Yankee Penn League champion center fielder making good.

Lots of love for my boy Cisco, who continues to be a solid backup catcher. Able to give Jorge Posada a day off, Francisco Cervelli has swung the bat decent and continues to be superb behind the plate. It’s really great to see the kid from Venezuela who wasn’t highly thought of make it. Out in Staten Island at Richmond County Ball Park in St. George, Cisco proved to be a Penn League All-Star, joining teammates Mitch Hilligoss, Seth Fortenberry, Wilmer Pino, George Kontos and Nick Peterson. Still fresh in my mind was a piece I did on them for NYSD. At the time, Cervelli didn’t speak a lot of English but did give me a couple of lines which I used. The once shy backstop now speaks much more fluently and even has come on WFAN for interviews. Good stuff.

Another former Baby Bomber who finally debuted in the bigs is outfielder Colin Curtis. The former Arizona State standout who played an excellent center for the repeat NY-Penn champs has progressed nicely through the organization. Possessing a steady bat along with good tools, the 25 year-old Curtis was in his second year with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre batting .280 with a .357 on-base percentage before getting the call. Only hitting .200 (5-for-25), most of his success has come as a pinch-hitter, including a couple of big base knocks. Most memorable was a long at bat he had against Dodger closer Jonathan Broxton. After falling behind 0-2, he kept fouling off pitches, eventually working the count full before his RBI fielder’s choice tied the game as the Yanks rallied to stun Joe Torre’s Dodgers 8-6 on June 27. Such a quality at-bat had to make an impression, which probably is why he’s still up for the time being.

Other players who had brief stints include setup man Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy, who has done alright since being dealt to Arizona as part of a blockbuster three-team trade that sent Curtis Granderson to the Bronx and former top prospect Austin Jackson to Detroit where he’s a Rookie Of The Year candidate.

For players like Hilligoss (now in A’s organization playing for AA Frisco Roughriders), rehabbing ‘06 Bomber hero George Kontos, utility man Justin Snyder, former Grand Street High School star Dellin Betances and Zach McAllister, it has to be a good motivator moving forward.

Patience is the key. Each must continue to persevere. Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll hear their names called over the loudspeaker.

Jose Reyes has finally returned to lead the Mets.

-Can the Mets keep it up? Their 5-1 homestand taking two of three from the Yanks and sweeping the Phils without allowing a run was a statement. Incredibly inspiring baseball from Jerry Manuel’s club led finally by the resurgent Jose Reyes, who is back to being himself in the leadoff spot. He tormented the Mets’ biggest rival by going 8-for-13 with three extra base hits including his first home run, five RBI’s, two stolen bases and five runs scored. That’s the Reyes that’s the team’s MVP. Jason Bay continued to produce following the two-homer game off C.C. Sabathia with three more RBI’s. Angel Pagan is the club’s most improved player, getting five hits and swiping three bases in the series.

As for the staff, what a job by every Met pitcher blanking arguably the best offense for all 27 innings. Miraculous stuff from Hisanori Takahashi, vet knuckler R.A. Dickey and potential All-Star Mike Pelfrey, who bested Cole Hamels yesterday by going seven strong for win No.7. The pen continues to get the job done. At 25-23 following a dreadful road trip, the Amazin’s are in third a half game behind Atlanta and two out. The NL East should be tight all year. Especially with the improved Nats hanging around along with the Marlins. If Carlos Beltran returns healthy, they could give the Mets a leg up on the wild card competition. The Phils couldn’t play any worse but are still the team to beat.

-Meanwhile, across town the Yanks get Curtis Granderson back in center batting second against the Indians in the Bronx tonight. An early two-run Nick Swisher homer has given Phil Hughes a lead. He’s already struckout five in looking to rebound from back-to-back disappointing efforts. The guys in Pinstripes haven’t played well lately. Even if they took two of three from favorite whipping boy Minnesota, Javier Vazquez again got lit up in a blowout loss yesterday. Joe Girardi’s guys really haven’t been the same since a hot start, leaving too many runners on and not getting consistent relief. Even Sabathia has struggled. With Boston finally red hot having swept a two-game set in Tampa, the defending champs need to get revved up. A Memorial Weekend series against lowly Cleveland could be just what the doctor ordered.

-Randy Winn has been so bad that he might want to consider changing his name to Randy Loss. At least it would better explain how Brian Cashman signed him. Not much better on Nick “DL” Johnson. Kevin Russo stays.

-Best move of the offseason is Rod Barajas, whose 10 homers pace the Amazin’s with his 27 RBI’s second to David Wright. Vet backup Henry Blanco has also been instrumental helping improve the pitching staff. Though we’re not sure anyone can aid Olli Perez and John Maine.

-Like most, I thought Big Papi was done. Good news if you own his rookie cards.

-Considering the continued trips to the DL for Jorge Posada, what if the Bronx Bombers didn’t have Francisco Cervelli as insurance? From the time I covered him out here on the ‘06 Penn-League champion Staten Island Baby Bombers, Cervelli’s been a winner. The guy always worked hard and did it with a smile. Nice to see him getting rewarded.

-All things considered, the Yanks actually miss Phil Coke. Wasn’t Ian Kennedy in that trade too? He’s not faring too badly out in The Desert.

-I voted for him because I thought he’d make a good President. Not because I wanted to know what Mr. Obama thought about LeBron going to Chicago. How about focusing on your job which just got a lot harder due to this BP oil spill in Louisiana.

-Didn’t catch it but kudos to Ron Artest on saving Kobe Bryant’s Lakers on what sounded like a very unpredictable conclusion breaking Sun hearts. The kid I saw when he starred for LaSalle Academy could always ball. It’s just a matter of staying focused on the court.

-Love to see the Suns force a seventh in Hollywood and somehow get it done just for my close buddy P. He deserves it.

-I don’t feel sorry for Coach Calhoun or UConn. Unfortunately, they probably won’t get severely punished or miss any postseason play. Nice job NCAA!

-When I wrote that column begging for change at St. John’s, they must’ve heard me. But you know, the way those guys played down the stretch for Norm Roberts, you could tell how much they enjoyed playing for him. Such a heartbreaking ending for a nice guy who at least brought back respect to the program. Now, we’ll see if Steve Lavin can take that next giant step forward with a senior core featuring D.J. Kennedy, Malik Boothe, Sean Evans, Paris Horne, Justin Burrell and Dwight Hardy.

-As an avid hockey fan who did a preview on our Battle Of New York blog, has the Stanley Cup begun yet? More proof that Gary Bettman’s still working for David Stern.

-Should be interesting to see what the Celtics come up with in what amounts to a must win versus the Magic. If they lose, just imagine how Boston will feel after witnessing the wrong kind of history made by their Bruins in that same building. They should’ve put it away already.

-And finally, a salute to The Richburg family who buried their son Thursday. Lyndzay was a wonderful human being who touched everyone he was around making us smile and laugh. We’ll forever miss him but his spirit shines down brightly in our hearts.

So, who suffered a worse loss last night? The 200-plus million Yankees, who somehow scored two runs the last two days against one of the worst teams in baseball history- even getting shutout 3-0 by the Nats at the Golden Palace after a six hour rain delay. Meaning yes Mike Francesa, who proclaimed the Yanks wouldn’t lose last night. Joe Girardi’s ballclub really lost a series at home to a 16-win team.

Or is it the Mets, who showed their usual grit rallying from two down versus n0-name Birds’ rookie starter Jason Berken to build a 4-2 lead before the wheels came off late with normally dependable Francisco Rodriguez blowing the save in a horrible 5-4 loss at Camden Yards? Meaning they also dropped two of three to the last place O’s, who entered the series with 27 wins as one of the AL’s worst.

Not a good June April day to be a New York baseball fan. Of course, WFAN has been flooded with rain with plenty of calls from upset locals over this crisis. So, what’s worse? Come on. It’s definitely Girardi’s high priced Yanks dropping two in a row to beleaguered Manny Acta and the Nats with Jim Riggleman rumored to be taking over any day now. How can Girardi explain how poorly his team performed? If you can’t score runs, you can’t win. Understood. But against the Washington Generals- to borrow a line from our fave FAN talkie Steve Somers?!?!?!?!?! Like one of our favorite Weezer songs from the blue album, “Say It Ain’t So.”

Thanks to a rain shortened Marlins’ 2-1 win at Fenway over the Red Sox, the Yanks remain three out. Hardly a bad place to be considering that they’ve stunk it up the last week. Let’s face it. Had it not been for a Luis Castillo drop, that would’ve been three straight series defeats and a dreadful 2-7 record. Still, 3-6 ain’t exactly lighting the world on fire. So, you think if the old Boss was still ticking, Girardi would have a job? Until proven otherwise, the man can’t manage in a big spot.

Judging from their impressive sweep in Philly, the Jays aren’t going away and you have to believe the Rays have a run in them. Loose Translation: It will once again be tooth and nail for the Yanks to reach October. Could they conceivably miss a second consecutive year? Never say never.

As for the Amazin’s, they can send postcards to Boston and Toronto for keeping them within striking distance of first. Because they’re now 5-10 this month. But hey. The Phils continue to have problems winning at Citizen’s Bank Park dropping to preposterous 13-19. The Orioles now come in for three while the Mets return to Citi Field to host Tampa Bay. So, it will be a good test for Jerry Manuel’s club. Oddly enough, both teams are two over looking to get untracked.

The Mets won’s see Matt Garza or DL’d former top prospect Scott Kazmir. The match-ups favor the Queens club with surprising Fernando Nieve facing Andy Sonnanstine in the opener. Shields opposes slumping Johan Santana tomorrow and Sunday pits Jeff Niemann versus Mike Pelfrey. If they get the starting pitching, it’s likely the Mets can bounce back and take two of three. But the Rays’ lineup is much more potent containing MVP candidate Evan Longoria along with first base slugger Carlos Pena, plus speedsters Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton. Even secondary players like Ben Zobrist and Jason Bartlett are threats offsetting Pat Burrell’s dismal showing (1 HR, 18 RBI’s).

As for the Bronx Bombers, they’ll take their show to Florida for three versus the Marlins. Florida is a weird team that’s hanging around two below .500 despite talented superstar Hanley Ramirez (.325-8-34). The supporting cast has streaky power hitters like 2008 All-Star Dan Uggla along with Jorge Cantu, Cody Ross and Jeremy Hermida. Speedster Emilio Bonifacio has struggled since a hot start. Rookie Chris Coghlan is also seeing playing time.

The match-ups for the series pit veteran Andy Pettite against rookie Sean West, who goes for a third straight victory. Florida ace Josh Johnson takes on former 2003 World Champ A.J. Burnett tomorrow and then it’s talented Chris Volstad versus Yankee lefty ace C.C. Sabathia. By no means, do the match-ups favor the Yanks as all three of the younger Florida guys can all pitch. But can they match New York’s savvy experience this weekend? That’s if there’s no rain. Perhaps they’re lucky it’s down south for a change.

Give the edge to the Yankee lineup which is due to explode off such a weak showing the past three days. Maybe this is the weekend Alex Rodriguez (28 for 132, .212-9-26) finally gets going. He’ll be home. Aside from him, there’s Mark Teixeira continuing to mash and Robby Cano heating up with Johnny Damon having a great year. How many games does Jorge Posada get behind the plate? Does Derek Jeter return to the lineup?

With three at Atlanta following an off day and then another Subway Series at the Mets, this becomes a key nine-game road swing (really six) for the Yanks, who don’t return home until June 30 to host Seattle.

We’ll see where they stand. Ditto for their crosstown rival.

The Daily News illustrates what the Red Sox have become to the Yankees in a now familiar role reversal of the most storied rivalry.

It’s Thursday and another crummy day here in Shaolin. If the calendar didn’t say June, we’d swear it was late March/early April. Be that as it may, we’re less than 10 days away from the start of the NY-Penn League season over at the nice ballpark by the Ferry terminal.

Hopefully, that will be a breath of fresh air compared to the state of panic on today’s airwaves with Yankee and Met fans carrying on with Mike Francesa following a pair of frustrating losses last night to the Red Sox and Phillies respectively.

Let’s first get to the latest Yankee failure in Beantown when Joe Girardi foolishly had Chien-Ming Wang go in the middle game versus Tim Wakefield. Not long ago, that match-up would’ve favored the Yanks but not no more with the predicted run-o-meter reaching four with a struggling Wang not even getting through three frames before Phil Hughes replaced him. Hughes’ only mistake was a two-run homer to Kevin Youkilis in his first full inning putting the Yanks in a 6-2 hole. Afterwards, he was solid fanning five in 3.2 IP giving his team a chance to comeback. They nearly did thanks to back-to-back solo shots off the bats of Johnny Damon and AL home run leader Mark Teixeira (No.19). But Terry Francona went to ace setup man Hideki Okajima, who tossed one and a third scoreless fanning three including Hideki Matsui stranding a runner in the eighth. Then Jonathan Papelpon closed it out popping out Jorge Posada to left in front of the Green Monster leaving the tying run on second for his 15th save in 16 tries.

And so, once again the Bronx Bombers fell to their bitter nemesis making it 0-for-7 in 2009. Can heavily hired ace Ca$h Cow Sabathia end the drought tonight versus Boston fifth starter (soon to be gone) Brad Penny? If he doesn’t, they might need to fit a team psychiatrist into that payroll. Ahhh. Money can’t buy everything.

The Yanks trail Boston by a game for the division. If they get swept, it will be 0-8. But hey, at least it’s June 11. Could always be worse.

At least Girardi started rookie Francisco Cervelli behind the plate giving Posada a night off. We’ll see how that pans out in a big game preceding the overhyped three-game set at the New Palace against the guys from Queens.

Speaking of Queens, the Mets try to bounce back from a tough 11 inning 5-4 defeat to their own bitter rival the Phillies. They’ll send fifth starter Tim Redding to the hill versus crafty veteran southpaw Jamie Moyer at Citi Field. If it’s anything like the first pair of games, then we’re in for quite a treat tonight. Both were decided by a run going down to the wire.

The good news for the Amazin’s is the NL’s best lineup hasn’t figured out closer Francisco Rodriguez yet with the former Angel holding two one-run leads and tossing two scoreless yesterday including the 10th thanks to a great unassisted Fernando Tatis double play off a line drive to first. You have to wonder though if K-Rod will be available for the rubber match. If not, does Jerry Manuel use Bobby Parnell to close after he allowed the winning home run to Chase Utley? Or perhaps Brian Stokes gets the call. For some reason, we see Rodriguez being around late if the Mets have the lead. He’s a gamer.

Had the Mets not left a ridiculous 27 on base last night including several from the eighth to 10th when one big hit would’ve meant a ‘W,’ they’d be 5-1 versus the Phils this year. Instead, they’ll settle for four of the first six trailing first by three. Even minus stars Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado, the Amazin’s can take another series tonight and get within two. It’s more important for them than the defending champs to stay within striking distance. We’ll see what they come up with.

Much of the talk today on WFAN in NYC has centered around how the Mets only scored three runs in the fourth when they nearly batted around versus an ineffective Cole Hamels, who went just five permitting four earned on 11 hits while walking a pair and fanning only one. Mike Pelfrey was the big hitting star delivering a couple of hits including an RBI single that got them going in the frame. The trouble was they kept getting station to station base hits with unaggressive third base coach Razor Shines holding runners including on leadoff man Luis Castillo’s dunk to right that should’ve plated two flustering the second baseman. On the play, Ryan Church, who scored was waving teammate Omir Santos home. Instead, he stayed at third coming in on Alex Cora’s base knock. Following a Carlos Beltran 5-4-3 twin killing which first base umpire Dan Iassogna’s latest botched call, Pelfrey was left at third with what would’ve been a huge insurance run against an opportunistic lineup. That would comeback to bite them when Pelfrey got lousy D from a pair of Gold Glovers in Beltran (missed catch somehow ruled a hit) and David Wright (ground ball for eighth error) allowed the Phils to score three with Jimmy Rollins’ RBI fielder’s choice tying it in the seventh.

That’s all a championship ballclub would need to comeback and take the second game making Met fans scratch their heads because these are the kind of games their team’s lost forever. It must change eventually.

And so, you have two NY teams that are good but don’t win games against division rivals instead finding ways to lose. It doesn’t matter that they have the two highest payrolls in baseball. Until proven otherwise, neither is as good as Boston or Philadelphia. That doesn’t change even if they both win tonight. Talk to us in September.

-Tonight is Game 4 of the NBA Finals with Dwight Howard and the Magic looking to draw even against Kobe and the Lakers. If they want to have any realistic chance, they must win setting up a pivotal Game 5 in their building this weekend. The 2-3-2 format puts a ton of pressure on the team hosting the middle three. Especially when they lose the first two. The Magic can’t go back to LA down 3-2. They must find a way to get it done.

So far, despite no LeBron, the series has fared well garnering good ratings including their highest in over a decade. Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel has a good piece on these Magic, who have earned respect this Spring.

They’ll try to continue it tonight looking for big games again from D-Howard, Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu and key role player Mickael Pietrus.

-And finally, this absurd comment from an incensed Yankee fan to Francesa earlier on the great Mariano Rivera:

“He shouldn’t close anymore.“

Welcome indeed to the Twilight Zone.

-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.

They’re not even my baseball team. It’s always been known that I root for the other New York team known as the Yankees, who this time weren’t good enough to make October. They just never got untracked and by the time they played their best ball, it was way too late to help the cause.

Sure. It’s nice that they’re still playing hard since they closed Yankee Stadium having taken nine of 10 after last night’s 19-8 drubbing of the archrival Red Sox in Fenway helped insure Tampa Bay’s first ever AL East Division Title. How cool is that? I sure hope the Rays do well in their first ever postseason as Joe Maddon’s gritty ballclub deserves all the kudos they get! More than you can say for Joe Girardi’s first season as Yankee skipper and his rocky relationship with the press which he caused by purposely lying about some of his players’ health status.

While the circus will be officially letting out of the Bronx Zoo Monday after a great 13-year ride, that other New York team is driving their fans nuts wondering if they’ll somehow make the playoffs or if it will be another September to forget. The last three days still can’t be explained unless you’re a Met fan.

I’ve never really cared one way or another since I was a little kid rooting for the 1986 Amazin’ Mets take this city on a wild ride nobody will ever forget. If you were around, you know where you were the day Bill Buckner let Mookie Wilson’s little trickler as legendary announcer Vince Scully called it get through his legs into right field allowing a disbelieving Ray Knight to score the winning run in one of the greatest two out rallies in World Series history. I can still see the WS MVP’s hands on his helmet. It’s just one of those defining moments which stands out along with all the unbelievable two strike two out base hits Davey Johnson’s destined ballclub strung together to shock the Red Sox and NBC.

Twenty two years later, here is another resilient exciting gritty bunch facing possible elimination from postseason contention today with their bread and butter ace Johan Santana taking the ball on three days rest against a Marlins team who openly has stated they want to end their season just like last year. The question is will the heavy rain forecast for today’s game at Shea delay making baseball’s most schizo fanbase wait even longer?

In such a topsy turvy roller coaster ride of emotions since the personable Jerry Manuel took over for Willie Randolph in June, why not? What’s another 24 hours for these Met fans who are living and dying with every pitch? The dying of course should be underlined considering the kind of stinging losses their team has inflicted making something which seemed so promising a week prior look so dire because now the Mets need help from Lou Piniella’s Cubs, who are getting ready for October resting guys in Milwaukee this weekend.

Not only must Santana deliver another big performance on short rest for just the second time in his career but his team will be curiously watching the scoreboard hoping for Cubbies to cross home plate against Ben Sheets, who’s taking the ball despite questions about his arm in hopes of getting the Brewers to their first serious baseball in 26 years.

The Mets need a win and a Brewer loss to at least have destiny in their own hands for Sunday’s final scheduled regular season games. Somehow, they want to come out with two wins and hope Milwaukee splits so there’s at least a one-game playoff to be played in Queens due to New York winning the coin flip.

Cause at the moment, the NL East looks lost as the Phillies have played tremendous down the stretch winning 11 of 14 thanks in large part to NL MVP candidate Ryan Howard, who slugged a three-run homer and had an RBI double knocking in half in their 8-4 win over the majors worst team the Nationals. The same one which took the first two drawing a split of four against those Mets last week when things looked much more hopeful. Then, the division was realistic. Now, they’re two behind with two to play and the Phillies’ Magic No. is down to one. So, one win or a Met defeat will seal a second consecutive NL East to Charlie Manuel’s bunch.

How did the Amazin’s get into this pickle? Well, losing two to Washington and two of three to the hated Braves in Atlanta wasn’t exactly the recipe. It still pales in comparison to what’s taken place this week. Even if you were the most optimistic Met fan, you didn’t want to see the Cubs at Shea for four because that’s how good they really are. Piniella sat out star players in every game and still came away with a split.

Santana of course won his game tossing a career high 125 pitches in eight frames fanning 10 Tuesday to even up the series. Everyone knows what happened the next night where this team suffered their most excruciating loss of the year blowing so many golden opportunities to win the game in one of those final at bats. If only David Wright didn’t chase ball four with bright eyed rookie Daniel Murphy 90 feet away with nobody out. If only the bad Oliver Perez didn’t show up spoiling Carlos Delgado’s grand slam for what should’ve been a win. If. A word which might be repeated often by a frustrated fanbase dying to see their team come through erasing last year’s bitter memories.

Such a defeat had fans exasperated fearing the worst even leaving NY SportsDay colleague Joe McDonald to declare the Met season finished.

But with this team, you knew better. Under Manuel, despite not having any pen to speak of with no Billy Wagner, this team has always responded well to adversity. They showed plenty of heart Thursday never giving up coming back from three down against the Cubs with the kinda improbable two out eighth inning rally which made even this guy think maybe they’re destined for special things. How could one not when Carlos Beltran beat out an infield hit and then Ryan Church followed with another hit to keep it going?

Then, it was little used reserve second baseman Ramon Martinez who is of no relation to Pedro’s older brother and former Dodger delivering the big hit getting his desperate team a run closer. By now as I was driving home from a meaningless Lightning-Rangers exhibition game, I knew third string catcher Robinson Cancel would somehow come through because if Martinez, who entered with one hit the entire year could get a hit, so too would another journeyman delivering a tying single but not without dramatics. Church was a dead duck but even without sliding, he somehow eluded the tag touching home plate to miraculously tie the game 6-6.

Howie Rose’s excitement on WFAN was at a decibel level. You could feel the little kid in him coming out. Why not? This Met team has been fun to watch even for opposing fans. In the ninth, it didn’t matter that Murphy missed a sign bunting foul for strike three with Jose Reyes on first. The lightning rod of the Met offense swiped second a batter later and would come around to score three batters later when Carlos Beltran walked off after Piniella intentionally walked Delgado putting two runners on. It didn’t matter if Wright again came up small striking out because Beltran was the hero allowing his team to celebrate along with the 20,000 loyal fans who remained despite lots of wind swept rain.

There were the Mets saving their season because the Brewers a few minutes later responded with Ryan Braun’s first career grand slam in the 10th sweeping the Pirates to keep pace. You had to feel good though because they were still tied for the wild card and only a game behind the Phils, who dropped two of three to Atlanta.

Then came last night where the Marlins immediately scored a pair of runs off Mike Pelfrey beating him for the fourth time this season by a count of 6-1. The troubling aspect was it looked too easy despite all the runners the Mets left on base the first few innings against rookie Chris Volstad. They just couldn’t muster up enough energy to carry the momentum from such a magical come from behind win.

Why not? Because this is who these Mets are this season. The weirdest team in baseball. Where one day they look like a serious contender who just won’t die. And then the next, they invent tough ways to lose or lay a proverbial egg like last night putting their season on the brink with the Brewers winning a fifth straight 5-1 over the Cubs and the Phils taking care of business.

So, do they have another miracle in them? It’s not entirely up to them but you can bet they’ll try their best to take Met fans home.

Hopefully not for good.

-Maybe it hasn’t been echoed before but there really is a huge difference between how the Yankees and Mets go about their business on the field.  In the past, the Yanks were always looked up to as the model franchise doing things the right way and having success on the field making the postseason 13 straight years. It was during last year that we saw the Queens club come apart at the seams in colossal fashion losing the division to the Phillies with key players not performing up to capabilities leading to heavy criticism.

Fast forward a year later and it’s the Mets who are now the primary example of what the Yanks used to be not making excuses after a poor first three months along with injuries. Instead, under new manager Jerry Manuel, they have fought back from seven down and are playing a crisp brand of ball continuing to lead the Phils by a game and a half after rallying for five runs with five outs to go in a 7-4 win over the Braves at Shea last night. Carlos Delgado delivered the big hit with a go-ahead two-run double followed by a Damion Easley two-run hit and then a Ramon Castro base knock as they maintained their lead in the NL East.

Even if Jose Reyes’ celebrations can be a little over the top in the dugout, when’s the last time you saw that sort of fire from the Bronx club? One New York ballclub has heart and edge while the other lacks it which once again rared its ugly head last night in a crushing 2-1 loss in Toronto. This time, Joe Girardi’s Yankees couldn’t support Darrell Rasner, who pitched splendidly matching Yankee killer A.J. Burnett, who as usual had the Yankee lineup baffled due to his blazing heater and wicked curve which froze batters all night to the tune of a season high 13 strikeouts. The ex-Marlin also tossed a season best 120 pitches but never looked worn down in winning his 16th thanks to the Jays pushing across a run in the home eighth on a two out Marco Scutaro gift run scoring two-base hit which center fielder Johnny Damon couldn’t haul in for the final out letting it go off his glove near the wall allowing the run to come in from first. It was Damon’s second bugaboo of the night as he also dropped a routine deep fly in the first putting runners in scoring position with one out but Rasner pitched around it.

You have to question why Girardi chose to keep Damon in center that late in a game which was tied an inning prior on Rasner’s only mistake resulting in an Adam Lind tying blast to right. Especially with Melky Cabrera down with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Still, the first-year Yankee skipper had two defensive choices at his disposal in Brett Gardner and Justin Christian but opted not to make a defensive change. It was Hideki Matsui’s first game back. He DH’d and hit seventh taking the collar in three at bats with a strikeout. Xavier Nady was in left and it forced Damon to center where he’s not as fleet of foot since his injury crashing into a wall.

Every move or non-decision Girardi makes in which his team falls short will continue to be magnified here in NYC. He just hasn’t had the magic touch. Say what you will about all the injuries to the rotation along with the disappointments of Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy but he still had enough in his arsenal to do a better job. You just don’t get that vibe from this veteran-laden club. The middle of the order continues to fail in big spots with A-Rod and Jason Giambi striking out while leaving Bobby Abreu at second after he ledoff the fourth with his second double of the night. It was the No.3 hitter who back in the first on a hit and run drove a Burnett high outside fastball down the left field line for the Yanks’ only run. Then with him on second and one out, Alex Rodriguez was frozen on a curve and Giambi was overmatched on a 2-2 heater.

Speaking of which, how in the world does Girardi get away without explaining why he continued to hit that dynamic dud 4-5 when they rarely deliver big hits with runners on base? If they’re both stinking it up in those spots, isn’t it time to make a lineup change and perhaps move up Xavier Nady, who has torn the cover off the ball since coming over from the Pirates? Sometimes, you wonder if the bulb will go off in Girardi’s head. Just amazing.

As for A-Rod getting nailed trying to get the extra base on a perfect defensive play by Lyle Overbay to start the ninth, what can ya do? Initially, I yelled probably just like every other Yankee fan. But really, it was the right play on what was a dunker just over the first baseman’s head and rolling to the wall before Overbay dove and then in one motion made a perfect throw to get Rodriguez. Chalk it up to just bad luck which sums things up. Not surprisingly, the Yanks went out with a whimper as B.J. Ryan K’d Giambi and then got Nady to harmlessly fly out to right putting them six and a half behind the Red Sox, who got Kevin Youkilis’ 24th dinger in a 7-2 win over the Orioles extending their lead.

The Twins also won and remained a game behind both Boston and the White Sox. And the Rays won again despite not having certain AL Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford rallying for three to get past the Angels for a second straight day. Want to know why? Cause they got plenty of heart.

Sadly, the Yanks have morphed into a bunch of Tinmen. A word I once used to describe Peyton Manning before he stood up and rallied the Colts past the Patriots and then won a Super Bowl MVP. That’s how a once proud franchise rich in history and tradition looks like it will bow out in the final season at the House That Ruth Built. They now trail Tampa by 11. And really, what’s the point of even tracking it? They’re deader than the people who were on The Titanic.

Ya know what also gets me. How a Girardi managed team could be so unclutch despite what’s supposed to be a tougher manager. You would’ve thought he’d lace into them and they’d snap out of it. But that’s never been the case. Apparently, all they had was that strong second half start where they even got within three of the Rays making us believe they could again turn it on and make a 14th straight October. But that was all. Even if you point to Joba Chamberlain on the DL, the Yanks have gotten plenty from retread Sidney Ponson and even Rasner gave them every opportunity to win last night. But again, the offense came up small which has been the broken record all season.

When they write the obituary for this team, it should mention how an offense led by a three-time MVP fizzled and not talk much about a banged up staff which for the most part kept them in games. Whoever would’ve believed it? Not even the biggest Yankee hater.

-Whatever happened to Pudge Rodriguez putting the Yankees over the top?!?!?!?!?!?! They should’ve just kept Kyle Farnsworth. Guess the message never got through that Pudge is done as a productive player now that he’s off the juice.

-I’ve seen more intensity from Brett Favre in his press conferences with the Jets than the Yankees.

-Considering how shaky their pen remains without closer Billy Wagner, perhaps the Mets should dial up 1986 hero Jesse Orosco.

-It was nice to see the USA gymnastics tandem of Shawn Johnson and all-around champion Nastia Liukin finish 1-2 in the final competition on the balance beam. Both were terrific as usual and for once, the scoring was about right with the 16 year-old Johnson taking home her first ever Olympic gold while Liukin added another silver to an impressive list making it five total medals. Congrats to both!

-Speaking of Liukin, we came across an interesting piece featuring former NFL star corner Deion Sanders swinging by her family house in Texas to follow a day in the life of her Olympic training which included two gym workouts over three hours between four half hour sessions at school. Talk about dedication. Definitely worth the watch.

-Whoever thought it was a novel idea to roast Bob Saget and why? The man’s never been funny even if he did star on Full House with Dave Coulier and John Stamos. It’s also just a tad weird for them to be cracking jokes about the Olsen twins all these years later. Still, if they’re roasting the guy who hosted America’s Funniest Home Videos and is just very dull, then you know it’s completely gone to Hell in Hollywood.

-I’m not a big NFL preseason guy but that was quite a first half performance by Domenik Hixon the other night in Big Blue’s 37-34 home win over the Browns. Speaking of which, should Cleveland be concerned when former Heisman candidate Ken Dorsey is outperforming Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn?!?!?!?!?!?! Just saying.

-I have to admit that it’s still a little odd seeing Roger Federer’s name as the No.2 seed at the upcoming U.S. Open while Rafa Nadal assumes No.1. And when you see a No.8 next to former 2003 champ Andy Roddick, this isn’t quite how you pictured it five years later.

-I like how those quirky NBC announcers stole my Usain “Lightning” Bolt nickname before the 200 M semi-heat. It’s my opinion that this time, he could be pushed by defending Olympic champion Shawn Crawford and Churandy Martina in the final. We’ll just have to anxiously wait and see later today.

-I like Method Man but what the heck’s he doing on a SC set for a stupid fantasy football draft discussion? Talk about a wasted segment. Click.

-If you haven’t caught Little Children, see it.

-If ever there were a tale of two New York baseball teams, then this was probably the defining week as the Mets went from a devastating ninth inning loss to running a perfect 6-0 response over lowly Washington and Pittsburgh with the final game of four later today versus those Pirates. Jerry Manuel’s club is a season high 12 over .500 and instead of trailing the Phillies by a couple, they’re up by that margin with the Marlins lumbering four and a half behind after a lost weekend versus the Cubs.

Even with the continued uncertainty of closer Billy Wagner, it’s all working for the Mets who now have emerged into the team to beat in the NL East as many predicted. They did pick up Luis Ayala from the Nats for minor league second baseman Anderson Hernandez to help aid what still is a shaky pen. It remains to be seen if he can rediscover what once made him one of the better late inning guys with a contending team. Still, the move by Omar Minaya is a no-brainer. His pen needs all the help it can get.

-As for the Yankees, they’re fortunate to even still be within striking distance of the WC-leading Red Sox, who dropped the final two games to the streaking Jays opening the door slightly as Joe Girardi’s struggling club got the last two from the lowly Royals though Saturday won’t be remembered for Brett Gardner’s walkoff but rather the amount of runners they left on base with established veteran stars failing time and time again as the game dragged on before the rookie recall delivered the two out hit in the 13th to possibly salvage their season. Have you ever seen a more pathetic bunch when it came to bringing in a runner from third with less than two out? With the caliber of talent they boast, it’s inexcusable. They’re so fundamentally unsound that it begs the question whether they’ve given completely up. That fourth inning where Jason Giambi bounced into an inning ending 4-6-3 double play following an Alex Rodriguez strikeout looking leaving the bases jammed was as ridiculous as it got and that included Derek Jeter hitting into yet another DP and Girardi in a tie game with the first two on electing not to bunt with Johnny Damon, who wound up K-ing for a third time preluding Jeter’s twin killing. Inexplicable strategy considering how much his team was struggling and needed the game.

The offense finally snapped out of it responding with six in the first with A-Rod blasting his club-leading 28th to tie the score followed two batters later by Xavier Nady’s seventh in Pinstripes as they hammered ex-Met Brian Bannister for 10 earned in one-plus with Jason Giambi’s grand slam the exclamation point in a 15-6 rout. Even Cody Ransom got into the act later with a two-run shot as the Yanks made Mike Mussina a 16-game winner.

Sure. It was a good day which hopefully will give Girardi’s guys a spark with only 38 games left including 22 on the road where they’re three under .500. But if they don’t follow it up with a strong road trip versus AL East foes Toronto and Baltimore, then it’s all but over for them. And who actually thinks they’re going to hit A.J. Burnett and Roy Halladay? This team has been inconsistent all year and almost never makes a dent against either. That must change starting tomorrow. They also better discover a way to get Aubrey Huff out when they visit Camden.

For now, the Yanks gained two games on Boston to get within five. Problem is they’re also chasing the Twins or White Sox with the co-AL Central leaders half a game worse than the Red Sox. It’s very possible that both make October leaving the Yanks and Red Sox home. A rarity which is possible considering how flawed both are.

-What happened to the Phillies offense? Granted. They had to play the Dodgers for four getting swept while the Mets were destroying Washington and Pittsburgh but at this point of the season, you don’t expect Charlie Manuel’s club to lose all four to Los Angeles and even drop one to the lowly Padres.

-I thought Romania’s Sandra Izbasa had a great routine capturing gold in the floor gymnastics competition but was it really 1.5 better than American silver medalist Shawn Johnson? Still, the talented 16 year-old was all smiles enjoying her time in the limelight while all around teammate and gold medalist Nastia Liukin took bronze. Speaking of which, her routine was pretty special as well and probably merited a higher score than what she received which tells you just how hard it is to judge three fantastic routines. They all were brilliant.

-Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser blitzed the women’s field in the 100 coasting to gold with a 10.78 time besting teammates Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart giving her country a sweep of both 100’s and gold, silver and bronze while American Lauryn Williams was edged out by Stewart finishing fourth compared to runner-up four years ago in Athens. Disappointing? Certainly. But for years, American has dominated the short distances. Perhaps it was just Jamaica’s time after previously never having a gold medal winner in either 100. While Usain “Lightning” Bolt made it look routine as if he wasn’t trying celebrating the last 20 meters, Fraser got off to a blistering start and ripped through to the end to take gold. Most impressive about world record holder Bolt’s 9.69 was that he easily could’ve gotten 9.59 if he didn’t celebrate prematurely waving his arms. Never before has anyone made it look that easy. Hopefully, it was legit. You never can tell when it comes to world class sprinters.

-Why does NBC even bother touting our USA competitors in the longer distances when they have absolutely zero chance. Even former Kenyan two-time medalist Bernard Lagat struggled in his semifinal 1,500 heat finishing a disappointing sixth with his famous kick not there as he looked gassed after waiting too long to make his move. He just didn’t run a smart race falling too far back and then needing to pass many midway through the final lap which proved to be too much.

-You have to feel bad for Chinese star 110 M hurdler Liu Xiang, whose hamstring injury before his heat didn’t even allow him to defend his gold medal. To say seeing him walk away in obvious pain pulling out would be an understatement. Especially with so much of his country invested in seeing one of their brightest stars in such pain. That had to be very very hard.

-Meanwhile, yahoo’s Josh Peter documents sprinter Tyson Gay’s disappointing Olympics by alluding to a poor decision six weeks prior taking part in a 200 M quarter despite a bad left hamstring.

-I like James Blake and respect how hard he competes and handles himself. I get his complete frustration at Fernando Gonzalez not giving him that first point eight apiece in the final set. But he still could’ve dug deep and overcome it. Gonzalez is a good player but does anyone really believe he’s better than Blake? That’s not getting any press.

-I’d much rather watch curling than synchronized swimming. Just saying.

-While the Mets have been busy taking care of business sweeping the hapless Nationals to move into sole possession of first place in the NL East with the rival Phillies getting swept four straight to Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers, the Yankees were finishing up a disastrous 10-game road trip which saw them go 3-7 against Texas, Los Angeles California and Minnesota the other day concluding it in style by committing several blunders in the field to lose again and drop six behind the Red Sox and nine behind the Rays. Making matters worse, both AL East teams won again yesterday while the Bronx Bombers were idle coming back beaten up to get ready to host the Royals. A team the White Sox slugged a MLB-tying four consecutive home runs against in a 9-2 beatdown to pull a game up on the Twins. Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Alexei Ramirez and Juan Uribe laid out the lumber in their third straight victory.

By show of hands, who thinks the Jekyll & Hyde Yankee offense could turn that trick? Perhaps if they trick their fans by showing highlight reels of the last 13 Yankee playoff teams, they could pull it off. Anyone who’s followed Joe Girardi’s club knows that they have little heart when games get tight and they need that big hit. I don’t care if Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada are out. It’s no excuse when you still have a pretty potent lineup filled with three-time MVP Alex Rodriguez, resurgent first base slugger Jason Giambi, catalyst Johnny Damon, team captain Derek Jeter, Bobby Abreu plus deadline pickups Xavier Nady and Pudge Rodriguez. There’s also Robby Cano, whose laziness sunk to new levels Wednesday. So, before anyone points the finger at the underperforming Melky Cabrera who usually hits ninth, you might want to take a look at the guys in front of him and see how they’ve performed in money situations with runners in scoring position. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to tell ya which big names have not delivered in those key spots.

Many have also pointed to what the pitching staff has become where after Mike Mussina and Andy Pettite, it’s pretty thin with them trotting out Sidney Ponson, Darrell Rasner and the latest DL victim Dan Giese. But really, how many times has it been the pitching with this team? Moose has delivered all year. Pettite while up and down usually goes six-plus giving his team a chance. Ponson has pitched quite well and at least two or three times deserved a better fate. Out of the five with the rehabbing Joba, Rasner’s been the most inconsistent while the veteran Giese has performed admirably. If not for Girardi’s brain cramp pulling him after 83 pitches a week ago when things spiraled out of control, he probably gets a ‘W’ against the Yankees’ kryptonite, the Angels.

Can you really point the finger at a pen that for the most part overperformed with Jose Veras and Edwar Ramirez doing solid jobs making Kyle Farnsworth expendable before each fell back to earth? And even if you want to say Mariano Rivera’s come up small in tie games, he’s only blown one save which is less than he usually has at this time of year. Sadly, the pickup of Damaso Marte has hurt the pen rather than aided it. He’s been brutal. No other way to slice it.

Also one other thought on the pen. Only the Yanks could ruin a prospect with a good arm such as David Robertson, who by now should have been sent back down to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Just more proof that the bozos who are running the asylum have no clue.

Adding to the misery is that recently exiled failure LaTroy Hawkins has redeemed himself in a big way posting a perfect ERA with the suddenly streaking Astros, who won their eighth in a row sweeping four from the Giants as they desperately try to make a big run at the Brewers. Either he couldn’t pitch in New York or perhaps was better suited for the Senior Circuit where he was a key contributor to the Rockies’ big October run last Fall.

The onus here is on the Yankee hitters who for the most part have failed miserably in clutch situations with RISP or a runner on third and less than two out. This team doesn’t do the fundamental things well. While you saw a well managed team like Ron Gardenhire’s manufacturing two runs on sac flies, the Girardi Yankees continue to get an F in that respect. Remember how well all complained about Joe Torre’s recent ballclubs becoming more reliant on the big hit? Wasn’t that supposed to change under Girardi?1?!?!?!?! So much for that.

Instead, his team looks finished with even NY Post beat writer George King writing an obituary yesterday dated 2008 Yankees: 3/31-8/13. A fascinating read with excellent examples of why this team just doesn’t have it like past teams to make that one good run and make it 14 straight years of postseason ball.

Sometimes, all runs come to an end. Let’s just say the fat lady is warming up in the pen with the quicksand in the hour glass sinking pretty rapidly.

-Ain’t it ironic that while Girardi’s club is falling apart at the seams, there’s Torre who was kicked out the door having his new team out West filled with former 2003 Red Sox in position to win the NL West? Funny how things turnout.

-After watching Michael Phelps again pull away from the rest of the field with a breathtaking breast stroke before putting it on cruise control in the freestyle of a 200 individual medley for his sixth gold in Beijing for yet another world record, it becomes apparent that this cool 23 year-old American who looks poised to break Mark Spitz’ 1972 OR of seven in Munich just might be the most dominant athlete we’ve ever seen. He makes it look so easy. Almost like a video game turning it on when he needs to. The guy is a brilliant racer and is so humble despite what he’s on the fringe of accomplishing. Just maybe he really is a machine. Might be time to check the DNA!

-The floor routines of dynamic American women gymnastics duo Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson were splendid late last night. It was nice to see them go 1-2 for gold and silver in the individual all around competition as each were technically more sound than China’s bronze medalist Yang Yilin. Still, it was very difficult to comprehend how they got a few more points deducted in previous routines during the challenging four-piece exercise than their Chinese competitor. Why must judging always come into question at the Olympics? At least it didn’t factor into who prevailed thankfully. Try telling that to Roy Jones or a figure skater who was wronged. There’s just too many instances where this becomes an issue when it never should be. The story should always focus on how tremendously gifted these special athletes really are.

-Speaking of China, the Olympic host might have used too young a participant in He Kexin who helped them beat out the USA in the team gymnastics female competition for gold. For more on this story, yahoo’s Dan Wetzel had more on China’s recent history of bending the IOC rules when they must be at least 16 to take part.

Looking at the way some of these girls look leads me to believe that it’s still an issue which needs to be resolved. But will it at the next Olympics? One can never tell.

As for myself, I just like to enjoy the competition and spirit of each Games. The way NBC covers it is great for the most part except when they overdo our country’s coverage as if it’s the only one competing. Sometimes, the analysts go overboard but hey. It’s fun to watch such wonderful athletes compete on a world stage for their respective countries.

Maybe that’s why I prefer amateurs to NBA stars with the Olympic basketball.

-It’s not so much that Roger Federer lost to James Blake for the first time in nine meetings. And sure. It was a close straight sets but maybe it’s time for the former world No.1 to take a break. He just looks and sounds very stressed out which happens sometimes in tennis when such a special player dominates for as long a stretch as the 12-time grand slam winner has. You can see it in his body language now that he looks uncomfortable. Sure. He’s still a class guy through and through crediting his opponents when he loses but it just looks like he doesn’t want to be out on that court. Perhaps he erred in taking part in these Olympics. He wanted to win gold and add it to his impressive resume but maybe the rest and time off would have done wonders. Now, he’ll return home to Switzerland without the desired result and try to get any kind of momentum possible into defending four straight U.S. Opens and at least salvaging his season. Question now is does anyone believe he can?

-I really did think Serena would win gold but it wasn’t to be as Russian Elena Dementieva ousted her in three sets while big sis Venus lost to China’s Li Na meaning suddenly it’s the 28 year-old Yonkers native Blake who has the only chance to win gold in tennis. He’ll take on Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez for a berth in the final while Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic do battle in what shapes up to be a great semi clash. It says here that Djokovic gets it done and delivers gold for Serbia. Of course, I’ve already been proven wrong. But that surface should be to his liking.

Regarding Blake, there’s nobody more likable and easy to root for. It would be wonderful if he finally won on a big stage. Perhaps a gold could give him that extra confidence boost to finally win a slam here in NYC. He loves the spotlight as much as Agassi did. I really like what Federer said in defeat saying he “hopes he goes all the way.” Very cool stuff from as classy a champion as there’s ever been.

-This David Murphy sure looks like a keeper on the Mets. Not bad for a 13th round pick in 2006. Just imagine this though Met fans. If Moises Alou and Ryan Church don’t go down, he never gets a chance. How does that make you feel?

-I still want to know what’s keeping Jerry Manuel from trotting out the rookie Eddie Kunz to close a game cause it certainly can’t be that vaunted pen led by Aaron Heilman and Duaner Sanchez.

-Speaking of the Mets, I had a weird dream the other night that I concluded that Jose Reyes deserves MVP but when I woke up, I thought ‘Over Berkman, Pujols and Utley???’

-Watching the Nats is like watching the Bad News Bears. How can a team be that bad? They should have stayed in Montreal. When you look at some of the pitchers they send out, it begs the question how this could actually be a major league franchise.

-Mike Francesa and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo had a great run as Mike and the Mad Dog but like all great things, it comes to an end after 19 years. They were the pioneers of sports radio who drew you in and made it worth listening to. It’s sad that they won’t be together anymore but that’s how it works sometimes. I’ll definitely miss listening to Russo’s classic rants. Whether it was on the shortcomings of his beloved San Fran Giants, tennis or Pacman Jones, the guy was a bundle of energy and made you laugh. He worked well as Francesa’s sidekick. I wish him the best of luck in the future and hope to hear him again.

-Anyone else think those cameramen make sure to intentionally get as many closeups as they can of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh? Just saying.

-Field hockey don’t look half bad but the ultimate intensity of power walking is where it’s at. I know my buddy Rob “Kraze” Davis can’t wait for that big Olympic event to start up.

-Weezer tix are on sale today for the Garden and somehow, I’ll be up to grab them!