The BQOYA

I'm still laughing...

The Best Quote of the Year Award goes to Chicago White Sox television broadcaster Ken "Hawk" Harrelson.

The setting: U.S Cellular Field - south side Chicago

The date: Sunday, August 26th, 2007

The players: Red Sox @ White Sox (final game of a 4 game series)

The context: Following three straight shellackings of the South Siders by our beloved Red Sox (combined score of 35-6), the television broadcasters were obviously hoping for better results with Javier Vasquez on the mound. Early in the fifth inning the White Sox had a chance to turn a double play to end the inning with no runs scoring and keeping the game tied at 1. Doh! No DP and then comes a full count on the next batter... unfortunately for the White Sox, rookie Dustin Pedroia had now just hit a predictable pitch in a predictable location for a go-ahead 2-run single in the 5th inning. Mere moments after this, David "Big Papi" Ortiz demolishes a waist-high fastball to the opposite field for a 2-run dinger and a 4-run lead.

The quote: "Well, the first thing that comes to mind is, dad-gum-it."

P.S. Final score: Boston 11 Dad-Gum-Its 1

A pressing question in a tightening race...

People have been asking me recently if I think the yankees have enough steam to overtake the Red Sox in the AL East.

Well, in the words of the new Hyundai summer sales campaign... "Duh."

Of course they do - in fact I predicted almost a month ago before the Bronx Bombers got rollin' that they would overtake the Red Sox before the end of August. The plain and simple fact is that they have too many weapons offensively NOT to play well on average over the course of the whole season. Fact is, if they played at 80% capacity for an entire season they'd still finish ahead of all but 2 or 3 teams.

Can you say "salary cap?" Besides, George Steinbrenner practically invented the luxury tax. You think that levels the field? Heh, heh... whatever.

The turnaround in the New York season has been thanks in large part to their incredible offense - which has disguised their continuum of appalling pitching (only a pinch better than Baltimore and Kansas City). Their record in one-run games will not serve them particularly well come post-season (if they indeed make it) but then the way the division and wild card leaders have ALL come back to them they don't NEED much to make up for it.

One (and only one) sportswriter wrote several weeks back that Roger Clemens had the aura and ability to carry the yanks to the post-season - fortunately for the Bronx Balloons, DESPITE the Rocket the yanks offense is carrying them in that direction at full steam.

And Omar Minaya comes in second again...