Baseball Goes On...Without Us

The Yankees used their powerful one-of-a-kind lineup combined with potent pitching, starting and relieving, to bash the Tigers 8-4. Also on the busy Tuesday that was, the Cards won behind a home run by Pujols and sparkling pitching while the A's won on the road in Minnesota behind Frank Thomas' two home runs. I'm rooting for the Twins but I find it hard to imagine the World Series being played in that awful cavern called the Metrodome. Barry Zito took care of them yesterday.
Here in Connecticut, life is tough this time of year when the Yankees are playing and the Red Sox are not. It's different than points North and East, where 9 of 10 are ardent Sox fans. Down here in the Hartford area it's a 50-50% mix, and the summerlong rivalries between neighbors and friends, even people walking down the street, have morphed into a "hold your nose up in the air" type of disdain for all things Red Sox. They're better than us now, and we're not even worth a second look or a casual hello. Part of baseball? Yes. But it's not an easy part. It would be better if the Yankees were sidelined also, but they've put together a monster lineup and look stronger now than they have all season. The haves and the have nots. I'll take the former. Wait 'till next year. Yeah, but it ain't easy.