Cheats ...

Reports say that Manny Ramirez and David "Big Papi" Ortiz have been named in same MLB steroids report from 2003 that got A-Rod in so much hot water back in February. Let's see if it's treated the same way, with days and days of non-stop media coverage. Will there be a big press conference in Boston for Papi, like the Yanks had to do with A-Rod? Will there be a special sit-down interview on ESPN with Peter Gammons? I doubt it. But hey, whatever. The fact is the greatest team in BoSox history, the 2004 club, continues to get more and more tainted. For some thoughts on that, read the comments, and please share yours ...

FOLLOW UP: Check out this article from the New York Daily News on Friday that really rips the 2004 Red Sox and agrees with our thoughts:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/2009/07/31/2009-07-31_red_sox_2004_title_is_tainted.html?page=0

These guys ain't bad ...

Yanks just completed a 10-game home stand, during which they went 9-1 and at one point won eight straight games. I refused to post anything here on the blog during the winning streak out of fear that I would be blamed by some of you for jinxing the streak. (That means you, Dad.) But now that it's over, we can celebrate a great start to the second half. Starting pitching has been good, bullpen has improved and Mo is in the zone. And, they are still a great team late in the game. No lead is safe against the 2009 Yankees. They just keep coming at you. Jeter is so clutch it's ridiculous. On to Tampa ... with an eye on Aug. 6-9 when Boston comes back to New York.

We need Doc Halladay

I want Roy Halladay in pinstripes, really bad. He's an amazing pitcher. Saw him pitch against the Yanks last year in Toronto and he made them look silly. Honestly, as our guys were walking back to the dugout, after continuously being struck out, they were glancing back over their shoulders, just looking at him, as if to say, "What the f-ck was that?" It was really nasty stuff. I not only want to get him because he's great, but also because, if he goes to any contender, we are screwed. If he goes to the Angels, he will beat us twice in the ALDS. If he goes to Boston, he will beat us twice in the ALCS. If he goes to the Dodgers, he will beat us twice in the World Series. I'd give Toronto half the farm and two roster players for this guy in a heartbeat.

Torre book a must-read

Finally got a chance to read Joe Torre's "The Yankee Years." It really is a must-read for the die-hard Yankee fan. I'd already read all of the books written about the late '90s championship teams, so I was more interested in reading about the 2004-2007 teams, which I thought were good enough to win it all, but came up way short. This book does a good job and explaining why, from the way some GMs started to change the way they evaluated talent, to the steroid era, to the simple fact that most of the guys the Yanks brought in to replace the championship players simply weren't as good, especially the pitchers. The demise of George also plays into it, as do some interesting other factors. I was a bit down on Torre after the 2005, 2006 and 2007 seasons, but after reading this book, I now really feel he was the best manager for the Yankees and for NYC, and he should have been able to leave on his own terms. I got the book for Father's Day and finished it in about two weeks. Highly recommended.

Yanks 51-37 at break, trail BoSox by 3

The Yanks are 51-37 at the All-Star break. They are 14 games over .500 and trail Boston by three games in the A.L. East standings. However, they're actually four out in the loss column, and Boston is 20 games over .500. Plus, we are not really at the "halfway" point in the season. There are actually only 74 games left, which means Yanks must go 44-30 in second half to get 95 wins. As usual, they beat up on the grabage teams over the past few weeks, but when they ran into a first-place club in Anaheim, they got swept and ended the first half on a downer. What are your thoughts on the Yankees first half? What's been positive and what's been negative?