Mariano Rivera wants you to get engaged at Yankee Stadium. Well, maybe not you specifically, but someone will. MLB.com/Entertainment has the details.

The 2008 trade deadline will go down as one for the ages, with today's Manny Ramirez blockbuster capping us off. I cannot remember one with as many recognizable impact players and future Hall of Famers switching teams -- Rich Harden, C.C. Sabathia, Pudge Rodriguez and Xavier Nady, Ken Griffey Jr., Mark Teixiera... on and on it went.

Brian Cashman has a 5:30 p.m. ET press conference to discuss the deadline. Unless something transpired that we don't know about, the last move for the Yankees was sending Alberto Gonzalez to the Nationals for right-handed reliever Jhonny Nunez. The Yankees' 40-man roster is now at 38.

Pudge is in uniform, wearing No. 12 and batting eighth in the lineup. He set off a photo frenzy at the bat rack in the dugout just a few minutes ago and called it "a dream" to be here. The Yankees are a better playoff contender now than they were on July 25, before the Nady/Damaso Marte deal, there's no doubt about it.

Revisiting that Jan. 2007 Randy Johnson trade with the D-Backs:

RHP Ross Ohlendorf: Dealt with three others to Pirates for Xavier Nady & Damaso Marte

IF Alberto Gonzalez: Traded to Nationals for RHP Jhonny Perez (2-8, 4.85 ERA in 26 games at Single-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg)

RHP Luis Vizcaino: Big part of '07 Yankees bullpen, allowed to walk and replaced by RHP LaTroy Hawkins, earning the Yankees LHP Jeremy Bleich as draft compensation from Colorado.

RHP Steven Jackson: Currently 1-0 with a 4.05 ERA in 21 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Make no mistake about it, the Yankees borrowed from an area of strength to fill an area of need on Wednesday, and wound up with a good player to fill that void. How much more confident do you feel heading for the last stretch of the season with a catching tandem of Ivan Rodriguez and Jose Molina than you did with Molina and Chad Moeller?

Moeller is a terrific guy, but you're talking about a future Hall of Famer here on a two-month rental, and then you see what happens after that with Jorge Posada's return. This move, even more than the Pirates trade, is an indication the Yankees will go for it in '08 -- something I wasn't completely sure they'd do when they packed their stuff for the All-Star Break.

It's a perfect example of how they'd like to do business in that (to steal a phrase) no prospects were harmed in the making of this deal -- the cost was Kyle Farnsworth, whom most fans wanted out anyway -- and cold, hard cash direct deposited into Pudge's bank account the rest of the season.

Let's not throw a parade just yet, though. As maligned as Farnsworth has been in his 2 1/2 years here, his success out of the eighth inning recently is the reason that we are still not discussing "Joba: Starter or Reliever? -- Part XXIV."

There is an inherent risk with mixing up the late innings leading to Mariano Rivera, and the Yankees need to cross their fingers and hope that Damaso Marte, Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez, Brian Bruney and Dave Robertson are up to the task. If not, they'll need to find an addition somewhere. Such is the roll of the dice with "robbing Peter to pay Paul," as Cashman said repeatedly on Wednesday.

Related MLB.com reading:
Yankees fill catching needs, acquire Pudge
Yankees pleased to add Pudge to roster
Yankees bid fond farewell to Farnsworth
Yankees to face test from baseball's best
Yankees deal Hawkins to Astros for prospect

Sorry, but this quote is too hilarious to pass up.

Kevin Millar on Edwar Ramirez's ejection in the seventh inning Wednesday:

"I was upset they threw him out of the game because he's really good hittin'. He's a cute little fella, he didn't throw that hard and he doesn't have very good stuff. So it's probably a good idea they threw him out, because it probably would've been in Monument Park."

Courtesy of MLB.com's Jason Beck in Cleveland, here's what Pudge Rodriguez has to say:

Pudge Rodriguez: "They just told me what the team's thinking. I'm not going to say it, but that's personal between me and [Tigers GM] Dave Dombrowski. But it's time for me to take the trade and go somewhere else. I hope I can stay there. Right now, I'm going to be there for two months. I hope I can stay there. We'll see what happens, but at the same time. I'm just going to concentrate every single day there and try to make the Yankees make the playoffs again."

"It's going to be exciting to play with the Yankees. A lot of players would like to play there and play with guys like A-Rod, Jeter and Giambi, catching Mussina and those guys. It's going to be nice. I'm excited for that. I'm going to be a little nervous in the beginning. Even all the years I've been playing this game, sometimes you get excited, too. But like I said, I'll just be ready tomorrow night and try to do my job and try to win a ballgame."

Tigers manager Jim Leyland: "I think this is almost scripted beautifully. Here's a [future] Hall of Famer going to Yankee Stadium in the last year of his contract. This is the face of baseball, not just the face of Detroit. This is a face of baseball. It's almost like a movie."Brian Cashman was excited to add Pudge but also said he had a tough time saying goodbye to Farnsworth, who he called a "good man" and also an important part of the Yankees' bullpen.

Cashman: "This is robbing Peter to pay Paul," Cashman said. "We've got a lot of good things going on in that bullpen. You always worry about this stuff, but you've got to make these tough decisions, so I made one."

Joe Girardi: "You're talking about a Hall of Fame catcher coming in here. He's been playing very well and he's been hot. We're looking forward to him being here."

Three losses in a row for the Yankees after their eight-game winning streak coming out of the break, and they'll try to turn it around this afternoon when Joba Chamberlain takes on Dennis Sarfate. If Dave Trembley smoked a cigar after winning on Sunday, what do you think he'd do if they swept the Yankees in the Bronx?

Some assorted notes for Wednesday:

-- The Yankees checked in on Mark Teixiera before he was traded to the Angels yesterday, but obviously there was not a match there. With 10 games remaining against the Angels, the workload just got a little bit tougher, and heading out to Anaheim was never any picnic in the Joe Torre era.

-- It's looking like the Yankees cannot count on Chien-Ming Wang's return this season.

-- Speaking of guys you can't count on ... Carl Pavano pitched two innings for the Class-A Charleston RiverDogs last night and was in an icy mood afterward, the New York Times reports. Luckily Phil Hughes was there to pipe up - Hughes pitched three innings after his first two did not permit him to reach the allotted pitch count.

Just kidding, Carl. I actually have a running $1 bet with someone that Pavano will pitch at least one inning for the Yankees this season. Let's see it happen.

-- This has nothing to do with the Yankees, but an ex-Major Leaguer trying to pass off funny money to pay a cab fare? That's just sad. Might as well make a run for it.

-- Hopefully no one started stitching Jarrod Washburn's Yankees jersey together. Brian Cashman said yesterday that everything seems to have cooled in advance of Thursday's non-waivers trade deadline, and that includes Washburn. The New York Post reports that the Mariners not only want the Yankees to take on all of the $13.6 million remaining on Washburn's contract, but also to surrender a quality prospect. Richie Sexson may believe Washburn will be a great fit, but not at that price.

-- It looks like Jose Molina and Chad Moeller are the catching tandem for the rest of the year, with Jorge Posada out. Cashman isn't painting a rosy picture about the possibility of upgrading behind the plate. Now we know why Moeller hung around so long as a third catcher. They were lucky to sneak him through waivers one time, and Cashman wasn't about to take the risk again.

-- Phil Hughes and Carl Pavano (yes, that Carl Pavano) are set to pitch in a rehab game tonight for Class-A Charleston, taking on the Asheville Tourists lineup. The game was moved from Florida due to inclement weather. Random aside: the Tourists were the team that Crash Davis finished up his career with in 'Bull Durham.'

-- Xavier Nady changed his number from 29 to 22 and promptly hit his first home run in pinstripes. This would be a good place to write something wise about Kei Igawa's impact on the uniform. ... Mark Melancon and Chase Wright have been promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, reports Mike Ashmore.

As a complete offshoot, I'm pumped about the Sirius-XM merger. I've been a Sirius subscriber for years and had to add XM service for its MLB coverage. Having both services on one radio is going to make my driving more enjoyable (and affordable). $12.95 a month for radio is quickly becoming a luxury, but once upon a time people didn't think cable television would fly either.

Not much to write home about in the Yankees' last two games -- just goes to show you how important starting pitching is, with both Sidney Ponson and Mike Mussina putting the Bombers in early holes. They're down big to the O's at the Stadium tonight and this looks like it'll be it for the home winning streak.

You could have predicted the big news story of the day, with Jorge Posada electing to have season-ending surgery. It was curious that Posada took BP before the game, but maybe he just wanted to get a few last strokes in on the playing field at Yankee Stadium. By the time Posada is available to play in a regular season game for the Yankees, the current facility will be history and Posada's uniform will be hanging across 161st Street.

"After speaking with Brian (Cashman) and Joe (Girardi), we thought it was best for me -- and the team -- to have the surgery now," Posada said in a statement. "I've always taken pride in being there for my team and playing every day with them. With Xavier (Nady) here, there isn't as much pressure on me to return. As difficult as it is, I can focus on coming back 100 percent for next season instead of coming back at less than that now."

Eight is great for the Yankees, who must have had one heck of an All-Star Break considering how they're playing right now. This is the Yankees' longest winning streak immediately following the break since 1947, when they won 11 in a row.

The way things are going, who's to say they can't equal that? Pitching, hitting and defense. It's not as easy as the Yankees are making it look, I assure you, but suddenly all of their problems don't seem quite so huge. The Bombers' hurlers have an AL-best 1.56 ERA (13 ER/75.0 IP) since the All-Star Break and have outscored opponents 49-15 during that stretch.

Don't look now, but the Yankees are even up with the BoSox in the loss column. Who would have predicted this? Maybe Joe Girardi, but this run is coming up on some of us by surprise.

"I love the way we're playing," the skipper was saying in the loud, dirty dungeon outside the road clubhouse here at Fenway. "We know that we're chasing teams and we have a lot of road games and we're going to have to win on the road. We're going to have to take care of our own field, too. Win series and things should work out."

You may have noticed Damaso Marte striking out David Ortiz in the seventh inning with two on and one out. That was pretty big and hard to overlook.

What you may not have thought about is that Marte is wearing No. 34, the same number that Phil Hughes lobbied Sean Henn to give up this Spring Training. It turns out that Hughes didn't much care for No. 34 anymore - it may have worked for Nolan Ryan, but it didn't bring him much luck. So when Hughes comes back, expect to see him wearing not only a new pair of glasses, but also his old No. 65.

He's closer than you may think, scheduled to throw on Monday in the Gulf Coast League. Carl Pavano follows on Tuesday, and plenty of good seats are still available. Plenty of sun-baked aluminum bench seats.

I love this kind of stuff. Here in the visiting dugout at Fenway Park, Brian Cashman found a seat and detailed the progression of talks with the Pirates, which opened about 72 hours ago with the Yankees checking in on Damaso Marte.

Pittsburgh had long held interest in Ross Ohlendorf, dating back to when Pirates general manager Neal Huntington took over the post, and it was Huntington who brought up Tabata's name. Obviously the Yankees needed more, and Cashman floated what he called a "weather balloon" by asking for Xavier Nady. When Pittsburgh did not shoot the idea down outright, Cashman felt that a trade could be made.

Original reports had the Pirates also receiving Minor League pitchers Phil Coke and George Kontos, but that changed overnight, leading to the inclusion of Jeff Karstens and Dan McCutchen. Cashman explained that the Pirates were working from a list of prospects they could request, and Coke was even pulled from a start at Double-A Trenton on Friday as a precaution. The Pirates made a final selection on Saturday morning, essentially completing the deal, Cashman said.

Cashman said that one major factor in the trade was that both Nady and Marte could be under the Yankees' control beyond 2008. Nady is arbitration eligible after this year and will not touch free agency until 2010, while Marte has a $6 million club option for 2009 that the Yankees could pick up, or allow him to leave in exchange for draft compensation.

"To give up those pieces, I wouldn't have done it if it was a rental for a few months," Cashman said.

Nady (No. 29) is in the lineup this afternoon, batting seventh and playing left field. He was getting an impromptu primer on the Green Monster from Johnny Damon and bench coach Rob Thomson. Marte (No. 34) is also in the Yankees bullpen and could make his debut if needed.

Say goodbye to Brett Gardner for now (optioned to Triple-A to play every day), LaTroy Hawkins for good (designated for assignment) and probably Kei Igawa (outrighted to Triple-A to remove him from the 40-man roster). It's telling that 29 big league clubs could have had Igawa if only they would assume his contract, and not a single one saw the value.

YANKEES GET
OF Xavier Nady
LHP Damaso Marte

PIRATES GET
OF Jose Tabata
RHP Ross Ohlendorf
RHP George Kontos
LHP Phil Coke
RHP Jeff Karstens
RHP Dan McCutchen

Why the change? What we're hearing is that the Pirates had a list of players to select and have modified their choices beyond Tabata and Ohlendorf. That's why Phil Coke was yanked from his start at Double-A Trenton last night. It's a slightly more recognizable list but still a very good deal for the Yanks. The deal is expected to become official in the 12 p.m. ET hour.

Neither Brian Cashman nor Joe Girardi were at liberty to talk about the pending deal with the Pirates, but assuming all six players pass their physicals, it is done. Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte will be wearing pinstripes.

Personally, I think it's a great deal for the Yankees. They've upgraded over this morning and now have a potent right-handed bat to help balance out the order, while adding another outfield option. Finally, after so much searching, they've also got the left-handed arm in the bullpen to pitch in. Ross Ohlendorf was a nice pitcher and Jose Tabata may one day be the goods, but you're talking about taking a shot at the AL East here. Gotta do it.

Here's some assorted player reaction from the clubhouse here at Fenway:

Derek Jeter: "We've got them  for a reason. Hopefully they come in here and help us out. You know with the Yankees, our ownership always gives us an opportunity to win. It seems like every year if we need some good pieces to help us win, they go out and get them. This year is really no different than any other."

Jason Giambi on Nady's acquisition: "It's huge. A great right-handed bat that takes good at-bats and plays good defense, he's a solid guy that when you play against him, he's a tough out. With this team being so left-handed dominant as far as hitters, it's definitely going to pick us up."

Giambi on Marte: "Lefty [versus] lefty, he's as tough as anybody in the league, to be honest with you. He's got that good hard fastball that runs in and a big slider. He's as good as anybody in this game, from what I've seen of him and when we faced him recently."

Alex Rodriguez: "It's a great move. I didn't think one way or another - I didn't really get into that game. There's so many unexpected things that happen this time of year. I don't think anybody can expect to get two quality players like that in the middle of their primes to help our team."

We've been hammering away to track this one down for the better part of an hour, but now that there's a second to pop up for air, here's the breakdown of tonight's trade:

YANKEES GET
OF Xavier Nady
LHP Damaso Marte

PIRATES GET
OF Jose Tabata
RHP Ross Ohlendorf
RHP George Kontos
LHP Phil Coke

Back with more to talk about later.

Just checking in here from high above Fenway Park in Boston, a city where it can be more challenging than you'd think to find working wireless internet. Either way, the monsoons have stopped here in New England and we're being treated to a gorgeous afternoon - not too hot, not too cool, just right for Joba Chamberlain vs. Josh Beckett.

Remember when Hank Steinbrenner spoke optimistically about Joba and called him "our Beckett?" Here's a chance to see where he's at on that topic. The Hood Milk blimp is circling the Fens four hours before game time and all seems right with the world.

Ian Kennedy threw 6 2/3 hitless innings at Triple-A and, with those numbers, made a pretty good pitch for the rotation. Did Kennedy have a feeling he was going to make the lineup look stupid or did he just have his 'A' stuff?  If he can start to approximate the prospect the Yankees hoped he'd be, there's one way to help out the rotation.  The scuttlebutt has the Bombers discussing Barry Bonds behind closed doors on Thursday in Tampa, but no one knows how quickly that might have been shot down.

Mike Mussina seemed like he was in absolutely no hurry to leave the clubhouse on Wednesday, hanging around to discuss everything under the sun after he beat the Twins for his 13th victory of the year.

OK, maybe he was killing time before fighting gridlock -- but maybe Mussina is beginning to realize just how leaps and bounds ahead of everyone's predictions he really is. Joe Girardi said that you could make a really good case for Mussina being the Yankees' 2008 MVP so far, and 13 wins is nothing to sniff at.

The Bombers are a season-high 11 games over .500 as they get ready to savor the off-day before heading up to Boston on Friday. This recent run has to solidify some of the thinking as July 31 draws nearer. It took six straight wins out of the All-Star Break, but suddenly the AL East is wide open for the Yankees, despite all of the problems we've gone over time and time again on this blog.

What I'm saying is, don't start printing the playoff t-shirts just yet, but Brian Cashman has to ponder long and hard about if and when he can upgrade this roster with outside reinforcements. I don't think you can argue that they've earned it.

That's right, we're officially going back and changing a scoring decision from last night, taking away an error from Melky Cabrera and charging it instead to Section 39.

If you're not familiar with the way things work at Yankee Stadium, every game brings a 'roll call' from the Bleacher Creatures, who chant out the names of the position players in the top of the first inning. (And if you're not familiar with Yankee Stadium, how's the weather look for this weekend in Boston?)

Anyway, the chant had worked around to Melky Cabrera in the first inning last night when Denard Span singled to center. Cabrera acknowledged the bleachers with a wave and then promptly booted the ball for an error, allowing Span to get to second base. Joe Girardi said that he didn't realize what exactly happened until he saw the highlight on TV last night around 11:30 p.m. -- needless to say, there was a discussion in the clubhouse this morning.

"He's a kid having fun," Girardi said. "You want your players to have fun, but you make sure he does it at the right time."

Darrell Rasner and Kevin Slowey are set to go at it tonight here under the lights from the Bronx.

What did you do today? I'll bet you had a better day than Jorge Posada, who spent a few hours in an MRI tube over at the Hospital for Special Surgery. Brian Cashman sent word that the results have not yet been shared with the Yankees by Dr. David Altchek, but even though that's not set to happen until tomorrow, it's fair to speculate that they didn't find everything to be ship-shape in Posada's arm. Once the level of damage is quantified, they'll know how severe it is and can proceed from there.

Chad Moeller is in the lineup tonight to catch Rasner. Joe Girardi believes they communicate well and Moeller knows how to challenge Rasner -- let's not forget that when Rasner was at Triple-A and lighting the world on fire, Moeller was there too. Nobody has really talked about the clock ticking, but Rasner desperately needs a good start to keep his spot in the rotation with July 31 approaching. A bad start certainly won't dissuade whatever trade talks may or may not be happening.

It looks like Johnny Damon is a solid 'maybe' to play left field at Fenway Park this weekend. Damon tossed again today and is getting closer, though the Yankees certainly don't want to rush him -- "I'm not going to push it, because I can't have a setback," Girardi said. Damon doesn't have the strongest arm anyway, and the Green Monster plays into it a little bit, cutting down the distance needed to hit cutoff men.

This is a must-see event. According to this press release, more than 50 former Yankees will be on hand Aug. 2 for the largest on-field assemblage of club alumni as the final Old-Timer's Day is played at the current Yankee Stadium. If you've never been to Old-Timer's Day, now would be a good time to get to one.

I've received a good amount of feedback on the topic of Barry Bonds, and that's not surprising. He's been a hot-button issue for years now, so with baseball's most feared bat in recent memory still hanging around as a free agent and 65 hits shy of 3,000 (to say nothing of the injury troubles plaguing Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui), clearly Yankees fans are thinking about putting everything else aside and bringing him to the Bronx.

Bonds' agent, Jeff Borris, has shopped his client desperately, even offering to have Bonds enter a big league clubhouse for the league minimum. Yet Brian Cashman -- the man who makes such decisions -- appears to be giving it no thought. The other 29 general managers seem to be taking the same approach. What gives?

Here's essentially the response I just hammered out to another e-mail (yes, this means I'm recycling.) Maybe you have a different take:

In this morning's Yankees Mailbag, I answered a question from a reader who astutely noted that Jorge Posada was hurting, and in turn, was hurting the ballclub. My response was that Posada is going to need surgery after the season but, until then, believed he could help the Yankees and would try to play through the pain.

Perhaps no more. Posada is off to have a MRI performed on his ailing right shoulder and this could be the season. Obviously it has not responded to treatment and, really, that's just a temporary fix anyway. The more Posada threw, the weaker his shoulder was likely to get. It's a cycle that would only be permanently cured with surgery, so that's what he's looking at.

Hideki Matsui is still holding out hope, though the knife, for him as well, seems inevitable. He remains on the DL while Johnny Damon has been activated -- just keeping in line with Joe Torre's old axiom about giving a player one more day after he says he's ready.

TONIGHT
Nick Blackburn, RHP (7-5, 3.65) @ Sidney Ponson, RHP (5-1, 3.96)

Scouting Report:
Yankees: Ponson, who signed with New York on June 18, will be making his fourth start in a Yankees uniform this season. During his last outing he surrendered one earned run over six innings while recording two strikeouts against Tampa Bay. Ponson owns a 10-2 record with a 2.42 ERA in 15 career appearances against Minnesota.

Twins: A stellar first half has Blackburn being mentioned as a Rookie of the Year candidate. The sinkerballer has started to become more consistent, delivering quality starts in five of his last six outings. He's started to eliminate his problems with the big inning and could be a factor for the Twins in the second half. He'll make his second start against the Yankees. In the first, he left having pitched just 4 1/3 innings after he was struck in the face by a Bobby Abreu line drive.

TUESDAY
Kevin Slowey, RHP (6-6, 4.26) @ Darrell Rasner, RHP (5-7, 4.97)

Scouting Report:
Yankees: Rasner battled through five innings en route to his fifth victory during his last outing against the Blue Jays. The 27-year-old allowed four runs in the first inning but settled in and managed to get through five innings on 108 pitches. He finished his outing with six strikeouts for his first victory since June 18. After starting the season with three straight victories, Rasner is now 2-7 with a 6.19 ERA over his past nine outings. He is 1-1 with a 3.97 ERA in two career starts against the Twins.

Twins: An infected fingernail on Slowey's right middle finger pushed him back in the rotation.  After a string of good starts, Slowey has found some trouble recently. He's given up at least five earned runs in each of his last two starts. The Twins need Slowey to make quicker adjustments on the mound and keep the ball down in the zone. He'll try when he faces the Yankees for the first time this season.



WEDNESDAY
Glen Perkins, LHP (7-2, 3.84) @   Mike Mussina, RHP (12-6, 3.49)

Scouting Report:
Yankees: Mussina surpassed his win total from the entire 2007 season when he picked up his 12th win Friday night against the A's. He threw six innings of one-run ball and scattered nine hits to quiet the Oakland offense. Mussina struck out six -- four looking -- and did not record a walk for the second straight game. He is now 11-3 with a 3.00 ERA in his last 16 starts.

Twins: The rookie left-hander continues to impress the Twins in a starting role. Perkins held a hot-hitting Rangers lineup scoreless for six innings, allowing three hits and walking three. He's 3-0 in his last three starts and has not lost since May 30, going 5-0 with a 3.81 ERA over that span. That last loss came against the Yankees. Perkins gave up five earned runs on 10 hits over just four innings in that first outing at the Metrodome.

Aided by Jason Giambi's go-ahead homer in the sixth, Andy Pettitte guided a two-hour, 26-minute breezer in New York's 2-1 win against Oakland on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium. It was another sweltering day up in the Bronx but Pettitte kept his cool, working quickly and efficiently.

Johnny Damon wants to be in the Yankees lineup. Well, you can't always get what you want. There's a chance he'll be in Monday as the Yankees meet the Twins.

I've been checking the coolstandings.com site pretty much daily now; it's become part of my morning habit. I was no math major, but this is the time of year for it. In case you're wondering, the Yankees are handicapped at 25.1 percent to make the playoffs, 12.4 percent for the AL East title.

The Yankees finished up yesterday afternoon with the shadows creeping across the big ballyard in the Bronx, hanging around a lot later than we thought ... four hours and forty-five minutes, to be exact, or just five minutes less than the All-Star Game took on Tuesday.

It ended in unorthodox fashion, with Jose Molina taking a cutter off of his right knee, but a hit-by-pitch never hurt so good for the Yankees. Molina carried his bat all the way to first base before being mobbed by his teammates; they've won two of two since the All-Star break and will try for the series sweep this afternoon against the A's.

Never mind that they left 21 men on base -- pay no attention to the elephant in the room. Joe Girardi said the win was the most important thing, and if they can strand less than a dozen against All-Star Justin Duchscherer, they might be able to do OK.

Johnny Damon said that he's made it clear to the Yankees that he's ready to hit, but it looks like they're thinking about giving him another day and activating him - maybe - against the Twins. Damon is strictly a DH right now, as he hasn't thrown yet. ... Expect to see Molina behind the plate Sunday after Jorge Posada bruised the meaty part of his right hand blocking a ball. ...

The early part of this game seemed like everyone was sleepwalking around with the heat, but it sure got a lot more interesting in - say - the ninth inning. Justin Christian has to be the happiest person in the park that we are now in extra innings, but if Christian doesn't fall down, the Yankees have arguably won the game by now. You never know. Mariano Rivera has been awesome in save situations but strangely not so much in tie games.

In the interests of keeping you up to date (and making sure the stories get their play before we push them off the Yankees front page), here's what we've got cooking on MLB.com.

Hideki Matsui ordered to rest through weekend
Yankees back from break with a bang -- beat A's, 7-1
Dave Robertson making Yankees take notice
Johnny Damon inches closer to lineup with BP session

Richie Sexson, all 6-foot-8 of him, is in the lineup tonight for the Yankees at first base, batting fifth. The original plan was to give Sexson tonight to get acclimated, but Joe Blanton jumped ship from the A's for Philadelphia, bumping up lefty Greg Smith for Oakland and wiping out Sexson's free day.

Sexson spoke for about 10 minutes in the clubhouse before the game and said he's looking at the Yankees as a fresh start -- the better he plays against lefties, the more likely he believes he is to grab some at-bats against righties. On first impression Sexson seems soft-spoken and ready to accept his role with the Yankees. He may fit in fine.
 
Here's Joe Girardi: "He used to ruin a lot of my nights when I was with the Cubs and he was with the Brewers. That's what I remember most about him. I actually said to him today that if he had been on my team then, maybe I would have slept a little bit better  at night. He seemed to always come up with a big home run late in a game. He was a force.

"Sometimes you have down years but that doesn't mean you're not still a good player. I believe Richie Sexson is still a good player. ... He's 33 years old. It's not like he's an old man. I still think there's a lot of good baseball left in Richie Sexson."

Other notes and quotes: The Yankees had a 1 p.m. workout at the Stadium. Everyone except the All-Stars, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera had to attend. They worked on PFP, throwing and BP. ... Johnny Damon will rejoin the team in New York. He'll work out and try to get back to game form on this homestand. ... Brian Bruney is still a few appearances away but could join the Yankees around the end of the month. He last pitched July 14 for Trenton vs. Binghamton. ...

TONIGHT
Greg Smith, LHP (5-7, 3.43) @  Mike Mussina, RHP (11-6, 3.61)

Scouting Report:
A's: Smith will get the series-opening nod in the absence of Joe Blanton, who was traded to Philadelphia on Thursday. Smith threw six shutout innings against the Mariners in his last start, but got no run support -- nothing new for him -- en route to a no-decision. He left the game having received zero Oakland runs in seven of his 17 starts, and one run in another three outings. This will be his first career start against the Yankees.

Yankees: Mussina will take the mound, having last pitched on July 10 against at Pittsburgh. He allowed two earned runs on nine hits while striking out five over six strong innings of work. Mussina is 17-10 with a 3.82 ERA in his career against the Athletics.

SATURDAY
Justin Duchscherer, RHP (10-5, 1.82) @ Joba Chamberlain, RHP (2-3, 2.62)

Scouting Report:
A's: Two days before making his second career All-Star appearance, Duchscherer pitched 7 2/3 solid innings against the Angels, giving up two runs on five hits while walking two and striking out three in a no-decision. He has yet to surrender more than three earned runs in a game, and his last start marked the 15th time in 16 starts he walked two batters or fewer. Duchscherer gave up one run through seven innings facing the Yankees earlier this year.

Yankees: Chamberlain will be making his first career appearance against the Athletics. The 22-year-old has been effective since joining the rotation on June 3, posting a 2.81 ERA in eight starts, but has just one win over that span. Chamberlain's last outing was on July 11 at Toronto, when he surrendered three runs on seven hits while striking out nine. Jays ace Roy Halladay outdueled him en route to a shutout victory.

SUNDAY
Sean Gallagher, RHP (4-4, 4.25) @  Andy Pettitte, LHP (10-7, 4.03)

Scouting Report:
A's: In his first career start as an American League pitcher, the newly acquired Gallagher proved he can get a win just as easily as Rich Harden in the A's rotation by pitching seven dominant innings of two-hit, two-run ball. Traded by the Cubs for Harden in a six-player deal four days before he made the start, Gallagher struck out seven in the win over the Angels. This will mark his first career start against the Yankees.

Yankees: Pettitte's successful first half came to a disappointing end during his last outing against the Blue Jays. New York's veteran left-hander suffered through a four-run second inning en route to his seventh loss of the season. The biggest blow came off the bat of infielder Marco Scutaro, who hit a three-run home run to break the game open. Pettitte managed to settle down and completed six innings, allowing eight hits while striking out six. He is 9-5 with a 3.42 ERA in 18 career starts against Oakland.

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a taping of HBO's 'CostasNow' program in Greenwich Village, and they really packed an All-Star lineup together. By far, the highlight of the evening for everyone was when baseball's two greatest living Hall of Famers, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, took the stage.

You couldn't help but feel like you were in the presence of something to be remembered for years as Costas handed his stage over to Aaron and Mays, especially for what was supposed to be a five-minute overtime segment for the Internet. Aaron spoke about the honor he carried the home run title with for 33 years and how he has accepted that Barry Bonds now holds the record. More striking was how Aaron recounted some of the threats he had to deal with in that culture of 1974; his daughter could not leave her college campus for a year and a half for safety while Aaron chased Babe Ruth's record.

Mays caught his second wind and really came alive late, regaling with stories of the Negro Leagues, coming up and hauling his own bags, travels on the road, intentionally falling down at Candlestick Park just so he could pop up and make a basket catch, and hanging on for two years too long to satisfy Mrs. Joan Payson, then the owner of the New York Mets. He joked that he was all wired up and wouldn't be able to sleep until 2 a.m. thanks to the All-Star Game. It was a fascinating experience.

There were a lot of other topics touched upon in the town hall panel portion, like Pete Rose's Hall of Fame candidacy, the case of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens ("He did the same thing I did," Rose said, referring to denial), instant replay, maple bats and more. Make sure to catch the repeats as they air on HBO.

What were you doing at 1:37 a.m. ET this morning? Many of us were watching Justin Morneau tag up from third base on Michael Young's sacrifice fly to right field out at Yankee Stadium, watching the longest All-Star Game in history finally end after four hours and 50 minutes of Midsummer Classic action.

I wish I had all of the story ledes that I'd written during the game in anticipation of its final outcome. Needless to say, that first story about the National League winning 2-0 on Matt Holliday's home run and great pitching didn't quite hold up. It was terrific to see Mariano Rivera get the love he deserved on this stage, and for 1 2/3 innings, Mo made it his night. The fans chanted 'Let's Go Yankees,' even though there was actually only one Yankee on the field at the time.

Jonathan Papelbon's popularity rating in the Big Apple wasn't done any favors when he allowed the NL to go up, briefly, 3-2, and Dan Uggla probably had one of the worst All-Star experiences in history. It's probably for the best that the game didn't end on any of Uggla's three errors ... besides, by the end of it, most of us were getting a little slap-happy anyway. We'd gone that far, why not make like Ernie Banks -- who addressed the NL team before the game -- and actually play two?

The morning after, it seems like 1:37 a.m. was a better idea. I actually set foot out of Yankee Stadium at 3:08 a.m. and I do believe it's the latest (or earliest) I've ever been outside the ballpark. Garbage was swirling around the streets, traffic was non-existent heading to the George Washington Bridge and everyone must have been tucked into their cozy beds. Not us; not on a sleepless All-Star night in New York.

This is an awesome applet, shot with NASA technology. Alex Rodriguez is batting on July 4th against the Red Sox and you have full control of the zoom function. You can center in on individual faces in the crowd, check out Monument Park or even peek over at the new Yankee Stadium across the street. Very cool and very different.

The 79th Major League Baseball All-Star Game is scheduled for tonight, and the star of the show is going to be Yankee Stadium itself. The work crews grinding around the clock have really made the place gleam like October, and across the board, players all pretty much agreed that this was one event they wanted to be part of. We reporters agree, or at least, I do. This will be my second All-Star Game and I've had this date circled on my calendar since the preliminary schedules came out.

Monday was a hectic day -- but then again, all of these All-Star experiences get pretty wild. The morning opened with a big cattle call press conference at the Grand Hyatt hotel in New York, where the managers reveal the starting lineups and hold a media session for a little bit.

Both teams have availability after that in a ballroom, and if you want to simulate the experience of interviewing Alex Rodriguez, have 20 of your closest friends jam elbows and cameras in your face and sides while you try to be heard above the crowd. The real jewel of the night was the Home Run Derby, and you know that even though Justin Morneau was holding the trophy at the end of the night, Josh Hamilton won over New York. Some of those, I was gaping at a television set, just saying, wow.

It seems like we got the job done pretty well. Mariano Rivera is the hot topic of the night, and there's this fantasy that the AL will have a one-run lead in the ninth inning and someone on the press level will be able to hit the Enter Sandman button. Terry Francona isn't tipping his hand, but if that's his poker face, let's ante up. It seems like a slam-dunk that if there's a situation like that, the ball is Mo's.

All this time, we've been asking players what they will miss about Yankee Stadium, and the answers have been pretty uniform. The New York Times took a different route, polling players on what they <I>won't</I> miss about the Stadium. You might be surprised by some of the responses.

The All-Star Break came with some blunt words from Andy Pettitte following the Yankees' 4-1 loss to the Blue Jays up at the Rogers Centre:

"If we want to make the playoffs, we have to be better," Pettitte said. "We stink right now, for the most part. As a team, we've kind of stunk it up here lately, and we need to play better."

The Yankees limp into the break at 50-45, five games over .500 but six games behind and closer to last place in the American League East than they are to first place. The Boston Red Sox have overtaken first place with a 57-40 record and second place belongs to the Tampa Bay Rays, who despite their recent struggles are 55-39, a half game out of first.

Yesterday at the first day of All-Star festivities, Brian Cashman was surrounded by reporters near the batting cage at Yankee Stadium and spoke about how there are some farewell events planned for the Stadium's final days. He said that if the Major League team could straighten their act out, some of the celebrations could stretch into October. Very soon, the Yankees are going to need to figure out if that's realistic. Once again, their string of consecutive playoff appearances is in serious jeopardy.

This is the first day of All-Star festivities where the players will be present. There's a big kickoff press conference in Manhattan at 11 a.m. ET, and the Home Run Derby gets underway out at the Stadium tonight at 8 p.m. ET.

It was incredibly saddening to hear of Bobby Murcer's passing on Saturday, as the Yankee icon lost his battle with brain cancer after 19 months at the age of 62. Murcer came across as warm, optimistic and personable on the air, and upon encountering him in person, you would quickly learn that it wasn't just an act.

Murcer was as genuine of a good guy as you would have hoped him to be, and I never heard anyone say one single thing that would make you think otherwise. There were good days and bad days for Murcer in battling this terrible condition, but through it all, he really showed the heart of a champion.

It's a little difficult to imagine that Murcer will not be returning to the Yankees' broadcast booth, the place he loved so dearly in retirement from baseball and one other thing he felt just as passionately about -- playing for the Yankees. In his final days, Murcer stepped up the efforts on his autobiography, 'Yankee for Life.' That title seems ultimately appropriate today.

I went to the DHL All-Star FanFest yesterday at the Javits Center in New York, and I have to say, if I could grab my 8-year-old self from the 1980s and bring him to it, he would have loved it. I mean, Cal Ripken is running an infield clinic for kids today. That says it all, doesn't it?

If you have a baseball-crazy kid and can get to the New York area, he or she needs to spend a few hours at the Javits Center this weekend.

Either way, here in the present-day, I'm proud to say I did better in the video batting cages than the Yankees did last night facing Roy Halladay. Limited to just an Alex Rodriguez single and a Derek Jeter double, the Yankees went extremely quickly and quietly in a 5-0 shutout loss to quite possibly the best pitcher in baseball.

They'll try again this afternoon as Darrell Rasner tests out some mechanical adjustments while facing the Jays' Jesse Litsch.

Assorted notes and quotes: Looks like Chad Moeller is in the lineup for the Yankees ... Eric Milton signed a Minor League deal with the Yankees but it looks like he may not pitch before the year ends. The Yankees apparently want to supervise his rehab and consider signing him for '09 ... Carl Pavano threw 45 pitches to live hitters and remains, believe it or not, ahead of Phil Hughes ...

Well, Jason Giambi didn't get in through the All-Star Game Final Vote. That's a shame -- I thought he would have been a phenomenal contender in the Home Run Derby on Monday. He'll just have to make do with his second prize ... four days and three nights in fabulous Las Vegas.

First, the Yankees will have to get through the next three days, heading north of the border after last night's unproductive detour in Pittsburgh. More troubling than the loss, we'd say, is the fact that Jorge Posada was once again out of the lineup with Jose Molina catching. Posada is very proud about the fact that he's a catcher, not a first baseman, and he is insistent that he signed with the Yankees to catch all four years of his contract.

Now, we can debate about whether Posada can legitimately expect to catch in 2011. But I don't think anyone saw it coming that he'd be pushed off to the side in 2008 -- obviously, the right shoulder is a major concern for Joe Girardi, even though he won't publicly say it. I asked Brian Cashman the same question in New York last week and he said that there's health, and that nobody works harder than Posada. Then why not play him?

Assorted notes and quotes: Mariano Rivera will not start the All-Star Game, it seems. Good. His place belongs in the ninth inning if the American League has a lead. ... Hank Steinbrenner tells USA Today that he plans to hire Lou Piniella as an advisor once Sweet Lou's managing days are through. ... The FanFest opens today at the Javits Center. Since I'm in town for the festivities and not in Toronto, I may have time to check it out. If so, I'll post a report. ... Don Larsen's perfect game was screened last night at BB King's in midtown. Wish I'd been there. .... Who, exactly, is paying to watch Jose Canseco fight in Atlantic City? ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ONLY 7 HOURS LEFT IN MONSTER ALL-STAR GAME FINAL VOTE ON MLB.COM
Winners of close races in each League to be announced tonight on MLB.com

NEW YORK, July 10, 2008 - The Monster 2008 All-Star Game Final Vote on MLB.com is down to its final seven hours before today's 5 p.m. (EDT) deadline with the record-setting fan voting increasing to nearly one million votes cast every hour.

In the American League, a heated race for the top spot between Tampa Bay Rays rookie third
baseman Evan Longoria and Jermaine Dye of the Chicago White Sox will go down to the deadline. Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees, Brian Roberts of the Baltimore Orioles and Jose Guillen of the Kansas City Royals continue to draw impressive fan support in their campaigns for the final spot on the A.L. All-Star Team.

On the National League ballot, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Corey Hart and David Wright of the New York Mets are locked in a tightly-contested competition as they enter the final hours of balloting. Philadelphia's Pat Burrell remained in third place while Aaron Rowand of the San
Francisco Giants and Carlos Lee of the Houston Astros follow in fourth and fifth place,
respectively.

Fans can also cast their votes via their mobile phones by texting the word "Vote" to 36197 to
receive the Monster All-Star Game Final Vote candidates. In Canada, fans should text the word "Vote" to 88555.

Previous winners of the Monster All-Star Game Final Vote include: Hideki Okajima (AL, 2007);
Chris Young (NL, 2007); A.J. Pierzynski (AL, 2006); Nomar Garciaparra (NL, 2006); Scott
Podsednik (AL, 2005); Oswalt (NL, 2005); Hideki Matsui (AL, 2004); Bobby Abreu (NL, 2004);
Jason Varitek (AL, 2003); Geoff Jenkins (NL, 2003); Johnny Damon (AL, 2002); and Andruw
Jones (NL, 2002).

It's 6 1/2 hours after the first pitch was thrown and I'm just wrapping up here in the press box after the Yankees' 2-1, 10-inning victory over the Rays. It's not that I'm hanging around to savor the Yankees' fourth win in a row. There's a really good reason for it -- the All-Star Game, and a deluge of work to come with it.

Immediately after this game, the Stadium began being turned over to the All-Star Game -- there's new signage directing you to the USA and World clubhouses for the Futures Game, and all sorts of equipment and the like are being moved around. This place is going to be transformed very soon, with the Yankees' equipment boxed up and placed into storage.

On Sunday, the All-Stars' gear starts to arrive, and today I spotted Rob Cucuzza testing out Joe Mauer's All-Star nameplate on Edwar Ramirez's locker. Good news for Mauer - he's got a good location coming up. As for the Yankees, they're off to Pittsburgh for a brief 24-hour stay before getting up to Canada for the first international trip of the year, believe it or not.

The Yankees have had some pretty good promotions in recent years. I've still got those bronze statues of Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford that they gave away (I broke the Phil Rizzuto one ... sorry Scooter, you took a tumble off my bookshelf), and the All-Star Game cap is my usual standby for jogging or the gym.

But these Jason Giambi mustaches today may take the prize for their most memorable giveaway. We're looking at men, women, and children of all ages wearing their Giambi mustaches, and it's unbelievable. Where does one actually go for this many fake mustaches on short notice? Even Mike Mussina was walking around wearing one this morning.

If this doesn't rock the Final Vote for Giambi, I don't know what will. I asked him what it'd be like to look at 20,000 fake mustaches in the crowd today. "A lot of wannabe Italians," he said.

If you were sitting in the press dining room this morning, your meal would have been interrupted by eight reporters charging through to try and catch Hal Steinbrenner on his way up to the elevators. Luckily for us, Hal slowed down and spent five minutes discussing various issues around the team, fresh from spending an hour with Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi.

Steinbrenner visits Girardi's office every other week to touch on matters, but with July 31st right around the corner, you'd better believe trades were discussed behind closed doors. Here's some of the highlights:

On current plans: "Right now we're trying to get everybody healthy. We're trying to get the guys that aren't healthy back into the lineup, and we're trying to win a championship. We're analyzing trades and not getting into that [the offseason] yet. ... I want a good mix, and Hank wants a good mix, of youth and veterans to mentor the youth. That's the way it has to be."

Disappointing season so far?: "There's been times that the hitting has been disappointing to all of us. There's been times that the starting pitching has been disappointing. There's no doubt that the young pitchers at the beginning of the year, it was upsetting at times. It wasn't what we thought and it didn't go the way we thought it would go. That's the way it is - we're highly confident in (Ian) Kennedy and (Phil) Hughes and that they're going to come back strong when they do come back."

On plans for '09: "This is New York and the fans deserve a team with marquee players. We all understand that. I think where we want to end up is a tremendous mix of young talent and veterans. The veterans, the free agents, they cost money, and we realize that. We are going to have a lot of money coming off the payroll, and that's going to give us some options. Believe me, we're going to use a good portion of it to get this city the team it deserves and to try to improve in the areas that we need."

And on those pesky upstart Rays: "I'm hearing my fair share of all that. They're just a great team. They're going to be tough and they're going to be in there until the end, I'm sure, and for many years to come. We've got another good rival to worry about in the division."

This is a really cool graphic the talented designers at MLB.com cooked up for the Final Vote.


I'll admit, I'm interested in seeing Giambi make the All-Star team, only because he'll have something typically hilarious to say about how his mustache made all the difference. I love that he knew it looked terrible for the first few weeks and kept it anyway because he was hitting.

I also love that Derek Jeter told him to clean it up during one of the Yankees' off-days -- that was an official order from the Captain -- and Giambi brushed in some Just For Men, showing up with a much darker and bushier growth.

Well, all that, and I think he'd be a draw to watch in the Home Run Derby. Giambi would be taking aim at the upper deck in right field and he'd probably send a few Jeffrey Maier-wannabes to the hospital in the process.

The series that Joe Girardi called the two most important games of the Yankees' season:

Tonight: LHP Scott Kazmir (7-3, 2.63) vs. LHP Andy Pettitte (9-6, 4.22)

Scouting Report:
Rays: The Rays ace had a career May, but has struggled in his last few appearances. Kazmir admitted his slider and changeup weren't up to par in a five-inning appearance June 27 at Pittsburgh, and he didn't fare much better vs. the Red Sox on Wednesday night. Kazmir threw 107 pitches in five innings and gave up a season-high seven hits. The reigning American League strikeout king matched his season-low by fanning three Sox batters and will look to reestablish his dominance vs. the Yankees. Kazmir won a May 15 contest in New York, delivering six shutout innings en route to a 5-1 Rays win, and will face the Yankees for the second time this season.

Yankees: The Yankees' sharpest pitcher since early June, Pettitte was off his game in the opener of a four-game set with the Red Sox on Thursday, allowing five earned runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings to take his first loss since May 17. The loss prompted a closed-door meeting led by manager Joe Girardi.

Wednesday: RHP Edwin Jackson (5-6, 4.08) vs. RHP Sidney Ponson (5-1, 4.19)

Scouting Report:

Rays: Jackson pitched masterfully on Friday, holding the Royals to two runs on four hits in eight innings. The 24-year-old right-hander faced the minimum through six innings en route to his fifth win of the season. If Jackson is locating his 97-mph fastball, his other pitches can work well, particularly his slider. Jackson is 2-2 with a 4.42 ERA in 10 career appearances against the Yankees and is 2-1 with a 3.44 ERA in five career appearances at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees: Ponson struggled against his former Texas club Wednesday night, giving up seven runs and nine hits through five-plus innings. The seven runs matched his season high in runs allowed, and Ponson surrendered two home runs in the sixth inning before exiting the game. The right-hander recorded just one strikeout and gave up two separate leads before a New York rally gave him a no-decision. Ponson said he felt good physically through all his pitches, but the mechanics weren't there.

What a night for Brett Gardner -- and what a week it must have been for the Yankees' sparkplug. Gardner made his third big league hit count in a big way on Sunday, dribbling a Luis Sojo-type hit up the middle to lift the Yankees to a 5-4 victory over the Red Sox and split the four-game series.

Gardner trotted down to the interview room still in his full pinstripes, his socks pulled high and his jersey caked full of dirt. It was just one night, but you can already tell that Gardner has a pretty good idea of what it takes to be successful in the big leagues. Thinking it and doing it are two different things, but Gardner can be a game-changer with his combination of speed and defense.

He's no Jacoby Ellsbury, as some people have written, but he could be Jacoby Ellsbury Lite. For the next 15 days or however long Johnny Damon is out, you can live with that. Gardner said he'd just get some "good food" and then head back home to tend to his dog, which he brought to New York from Triple-A. He'll enjoy this day off.

So will the Yankees, who welcome the Tampa Bay Rays to New York on Tuesday for what Joe Girardi actually called the two most important games they'll play all year. The site coolstandings.com, which tracks these things, puts the Yankees as having a 13.1% chance of making the playoffs this season. They overcame great odds last summer as well, but it's clear we'll be all watching an uphill climb.

Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera have made the All-Star team. You can also place a vote for Jason Giambi to bring his big-swingin' mustache to the Home Run Derby. A-Rod topped voting for the second consecutive year, edging Chase Utley in a tight race.

As for Mike Mussina? He'll be headed to the county fair unless someone gets injured.

The Yankees have placed outfielder Johnny Damon on the disabled list and are recalling Justin Christian from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

It looks more and more like Johnny Damon could be headed to the disabled list for the first time in his career, though that's still not 100 percent certain. They planned to re-evaluate him on Sunday but when a guy can't put his uniform jersey on, he's a long way from playing left field at Yankee Stadium.

Speaking of that, did Dustin Pedroia think Damon was still playing left field in the first inning or what? Nice throw by Brett Gardner and it got a pretty good reaction from the crowd. That's a heck of a heads-up slide by Jason Giambi there to put the Yankees on the board as well. You wonder what was going through his mind as he huffs and puffs around third base, then sees the ball is going to beat him by a great margin.

Still waiting for the energy to pump this building up. It's warm, hazy and I know it's Yankees-Red Sox, but it seems like there's still 55,000 people (less the people wearing red, and there's a lot of them) waiting for a reason to explode. Maybe some of them are feeling under the weather like Jorge Posada is.

With the trade deadline more than three weeks away, the Yankees do not appear primed to make a major move, though they also will not be sellers at the deadline. The Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger reported Saturday that the Yankees will not pursue a major shakeup, specifically mentioning the Indians' C.C. Sabathia as someone the club will not go after.

"We're looking into different things," Yankees co-chairperson Hank Steinbrenner told the Star-Ledger. "I think we all had more confidence in what we could do with what we have than what we've shown lately.

"I don't think there's going to be any -- for most teams in baseball, 90 percent of the teams in baseball -- there's not going to be anything major that's going to happen."

MLB.com has a look back at Dave Righetti's no-hitter, 25 years ago to the date against the Red Sox. Who can forget Wade Boggs swinging for the 27th out? The ultimate Rags to riches story.

Watching this video clip really brought me back. When I was growing up, the local public library had a VHS tape about the 10 greatest Yankees moments -- I think it was sponsored by Kodak. I must have taken that thing out a hundred times as I tried to get my hands on anything baseball-related.

I do remember at some point, I just decided not to return it and paid the penalty... I think we did the same thing with Bull Durham and some baseball card collecting video hosted by Rangers manager Bobby Valentine. So to the Sloatsburg Public Library, thank you.

Nothing says the Fourth of July like the Yankees, the Red Sox, and a rain delay!

We're set to start back up at around 5:45 p.m. ET. Seems I may have been a bit off today - I actually did believe Darrell Rasner was going to throw a good one on the board. That didn't work out quite so well, with Mike Lowell's three-run homer so far standing as the difference.

The Yankees do have six outs remaining but, once again, the offense has been underwhelming. So much for that meeting -- if this score holds, they'll be stuck looking at the bases-loaded, two-out situation they missed in the fourth inning and the bases-loaded, one-out jam Hideki Okajima and Manny Delcarmen pitched out of in the seventh.

Hope you're enjoying your Fourth regardless of what transpires here in the Bronx -- enjoy some burgers and hot dogs off the grill, and maybe down a cold one or two before the fireworks show tonight.

This headline on MLB.com says it all: Yanks' quiet loss spurs loud meeting.

I'd love to be able to tell you exactly what transpired during the 34 minutes that Joe Girardi ordered not just the reporters to stay out of the room, but also the batboys, clubhouse workers and assorted security personnel. I won't pretend I know exactly what was said. We'll never have a word-by-word transcript, but you can cobble together a pretty good idea of what this meeting was all about.

This was the red alert, the kick in the rear end that told the Yankees to look up at the calendar. When Darrell Rasner throws the game's first pitch on Friday afternoon, there will be only 75 full games remaining -- 75 games for the Yankees to prove they deserve to be a playoff team. If the season ended today, they wouldn't even be close to being one of the four American League teams permitted to play in October. It's the harsh truth.

That's what Girardi's meeting was about -- not so much an indictment of one game or one performance, though there wasn't much to speak of in a sleepy 7-0 setback to the Red Sox. This was about the season, and more to the point, the fact that it is slipping away quicker than they anticipated.

Last year, Joe Torre got loud behind closed doors in Toronto and left even some of the veterans feeling embarrassed about the dressing-down they'd been given. That was in May. Girardi has held four meetings by our count (Derek Jeter hints there have been more we don't know about) and this is by far the most in-your-face, nothing-held-back session so far, from the bits and pieces that were tossed around.

It worked for Torre. Will it work for Girardi? If it does, you'll look back on July 3 as the day the Yankees' season turned for the better. If it doesn't, this will be just a mere footnote in a season that didn't live up to expectations.

You know, for all this talk about the unbalanced schedule, it sure does feel like a long time since the Yankees and Red Sox met. A lot has happened since April 17. Think they'll remember how to play a lengthy game?

Here's the quick hits pre-game that you need to know about ... Melky Cabrera is back in the lineup and they hope the day off cleared his head. This 0-for-19 slump might have been wearing on him quite a bit, but you'd never be able to tell by his demeanor. I crossed paths with Melky in the clubhouse and he was upbeat, saying the day off was good for him and Joe Girardi told him it'd just be for one night.

It also seems that Hideki Matsui won't be able to pick up a bat this weekend, as the Yankees originally thought he would. Surgery still is being viewed as a last resort, but it's clear that something continues to not be going well in that left knee of his. If Matsui has surgery, he said his '08 season will be over, so they'll do everything possible to avoid going under the knife. If that means Matsui has to sit out until after the All-Star Break, so be it.

Fun fact: The last time the Yankees and Red Sox met this late in the season with neither team occupying first place in the AL East was Sept. 15, 1997, when the Orioles paced the division.

Thursday, 7:05 p.m.
Andy Pettitte LHP (9-5, 3.98) vs. Jon Lester LHP (6-3, 3.48)

Friday, 1:05 p.m.
Darrell Rasner RHP (4-4, 4.22) vs. Josh Beckett RHP (7-5, 3.65)

Saturday, 3:55 p.m.
Mike Mussina RHP (10-6, 3.87) vs. Justin Masterson RHP (4-2, 3.75)

Sunday, 8:05 p.m.
Joba Chamberlain RHP (2-2, 2.22) vs. Tim Wakefield RHP (5-6, 3.72)