Pettitte vs. Lee

Were it not for the 8th-inning miracle in Game 1 of the ALCS, the Yankees would find themselves in a sizable hole. Even though the Yankees left Arlington tied at one game each, they played like a team that should be down 2-0. Of course, now the series shifts to Yankee Stadium and tonight's pivotal Game 3, featuring the classic matchup of Andy Pettitte and Cliff Lee.

Lee has been dominant this post-season, as he was last year. The only losses the Yankees suffered in the 2009 World Series were games started by Lee. This season, Lee is 2-1 against the Yanks: a complete-game win in June and an 8-inning gem in September. One positive for the Yanks was a win in August where they managed to knock Lee out in the 7th. (He did notch 11 K's in only 6-1/3 innings, though.)

As for individual matchups, Joe Girardi will likely tweak the Yankees lineup. For his career Marcus Thames is a .194 batter against Lee, striking out 15 times in 36 at-bats. Conversely, Lance Berkman has three hits, two of them doubles, in eight career AB's against Lee. The simple call would be to start Berkman at DH. Oddly enough, the only other Yankee who has truly struggled against Lee is Robinson Cano. For his career, Robby is only hitting .214 (6-for-28) against the All-Star lefty.

On the other side, Pettitte pitched a great game against the Rangers in April, going 8 innings for the win. But April seems like a very long time ago, to the Yankees and Pettitte, who sat out two months this summer with a groin injury. For his career, Pettitte has given up a lot of hits to the Rangers' lineup, though he's had success against Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz.

With the series tied, home field advantage now swings to the Yankees. For 2010, that has yielded the Yankees a substantial advantage. The Yanks won all three game played in New York back in April, and knocked around the Rangers for a 6.14 ERA at the Stadium. (Granted, Cliff Lee was still wearing a Mariners uniform at the time.) The Rangers struggled on offense though, too, managing only six runs in those three games, batting just .181 (15-83) with one home run.

Joe Torre used to call Game 3 the most important game in a series. There's no question that the fortunes of both teams will turn on the outcome tonight.

Normally I don't pay much attention to the Mets. Okay, pretty much none, except to get a laugh here and there. But I happened to stumble across a little tidbit regarding the... ahem... "Amazin's" that struck me as remarkable. Tucked away in a "Mets Insider" column was the following revelation. Apparently, Jose Reyes doesn't always pay attention on defense:

It's hard to get ready for every pitch because how many pitches does the pitcher throw to home plate? A hundred and something? It's hard to get ready on every pitch.

Now maybe I'm naive. But can you imagine -- ever imagine -- those words coming out of the mouth of Derek Jeter? Check that -- can you imagine those words coming out of the mouth of one of Jeter's teammates? It would be the last day they were teammates. Perhaps I am spoiled, but I cannot picture a member of the Yankees saying something like that. Ever.

Oh, but Reyes wasn't finished, either:

Maybe you are going to get lazy with two or three because it's tough to get ready all the time.

Wow. Because when you're nine games out of first, perhaps every pitch isn't that important. Maybe that's just why Reyes is on the Mets. Or maybe, just maybe, that's why the Mets are the Mets. Either way, it's just Reason #184 why it's great to be a Yankees fan.

The Beat Goes On

The reality of the situation is this: I rarely, if ever, watch an NBA game that doesn't have the Knicks playing. And the Knicks have been so bad for so long, I could barely stomach watching them play. So now that LeBron is in Miami, it's not like my viewing habits are going to change. I can't not watch the Heat any less than I already didn't watch the Heat.

As for the Knicks, I might -- might -- watch them play to see how Amare and the rest of the lesser assembled pieces are getting along. But chances are, my lack of interest will ultimately prevail. Until next summer, that is, when the Knicks will have the opportunity to be stood up by Carmelo Anthony.

Let's Go Rangers!

Miami? Really?

Here's hoping that the sheer mass of egos now concentrated in South Beach causes the American Airlines Arena to implode.

Fuck off, LeBron.

Yeah, that about does it.

Bull Feathers

According to a report in the New York Times, LeBron James will be headed to the Chicago Bulls. An unidentified NBA executive

who did not want to be identified discussing a player who is not yet a free agent, said he had gathered from discussions with his fellow N.B.A. executives that James was strongly leaning toward joining the Bulls in tandem with another free agent, Chris Bosh

Aside from the obvious disappointment and unbridled hatred of the Bulls, I still don't like this idea. I just don't get it.

If you told me LeBron had decided to stay with the Cavs, OK. Disappointed, sure. But James decides to be the hometown hero and re-up with the only NBA team he's ever known. Plus, the Cavs are in a position to give him the most money, not that I really think James is in it for the money. Wherever he goes, he will be a rich man.

Then there's the Heat -- sure, you can make a case for that. A running buddy in Dwayne Wade, South Beach, and possibly Pat Riley as coach. Yep, I could see that, too. Even the Nets, if you buy that Jay-Z can get LeBron to put up with Newark for a few years before going to Brooklyn. And you're almost in New York.

But the Bulls? Really? Not to put too much pressure on a guy who seemed to be buckling under in Cleveland, but Chicago? They don't have much of a winning history there. Perhaps he misunderstood about being the next Jordan -- you don't actually have to follow in his footsteps. Why not ask for your #23 jersey while you're at it?

Like the song goes, "If you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere". There's nothing like winning it all in New York. While no contemporary Knick can explain this phenomenon, the Knicks may want to bring Mark Messier along with them to Ohio. As with the push for James, Messier was brought to New York for one reason only -- to win a championship. "The Messiah" delivered and will be forever remembered as a conquering hero. Hey, LeBron -- that could be you, too.

Thanks for coming -- See you in four years

In the nightmare scenario that ESPN laid out coming into the World Cup, the United States fails to get out of the Group round. This morning, ESPN faces its slightly lesser nightmare -- the U.S. team is eliminated on the first day of the second round. Ninety-eight percent of Americans forget that soccer exists until 2014.

Instead being inundated with stories of how the U.S. is finally ready to compete on the world stage, we are now faced with hearing about how the World Cup will finally make soccer relevant in America. At least, that's what Mike Freeman thinks:

Really, this time, the soccer flame might not be extinguished.

Really, Mike? For me, the World Cup is a lesser version of March Madness. Every year, millions of people with absolutely no interest in college basketball get all pumped up for the NCCA Tournament. Brackets are filled out. Bars are packed. Businesses suffer productivity loss as early round games are streamed live into cubicles across the country. And as soon as the Final Four comes to a close, most of those millions, who wouldn't know a Blue Devil from a Bulldog, go back to ignoring college hoops until St. Patty's rolls around again next year.

Cue "Soccer Madness". Brackets were filled out. Bars were packed. And now, millions of Americans who wouldn't know a volley from a vuvuzela can go back to ignoring "the beautiful game". Bet that seat in the bar won't be hard to find now.

Alton Brown Boils Eggs

Please note that this post has nothing to do with sports. It's just that every time I want to boil eggs properly, I try to remember Alton Brown's preferred method. Unfortunately, I always come up blank. Internet searches sometimes pay off, but I figured this time I'd make my own permanent record.

Here, culled from an internet chat session, is Alton's method for making the perfect hard-boiled eggs:

I put however many eggs I want to cook into a pot of cold water. I bring it to a boil, I cover the pan, I remove the pan from the heat, and I wait eight minutes. Peel immediately under cold running water. That will give you a slightly soft yolk. If you want a really hard yolk, go with twelve minutes.

Feel free to make yourself some eggs. I've got the pot on the stove, now...