Last night in the Big Apple, the New York Theatre goers missed out on the best one night  performance of the new drama season.  Difficult to categorize, it might best be called a Comedy of Pitching Errors meets the Theatre of the Absurd.  Staged up at the Big Ballpark in the Bronx, the Old Guard of those Damn Yankees miraculously came back 3 times from a 9-zip 2nd inning bad joke to beat the Rangers from Texas, 14-13 on a 2 strike-2 out- bottom of the ninth-Jorge Posada-climatic, walk-off home run.  Poetic justice was served.

Earlier in the game with the Rangers leading by 5, Columbus call-up Melky Cabrera misplayed a double in the tricky left field corner causing the 6 foot 4 inch, broad shouldered  Mark Texiera to be waved home all the way from first.  Yankee Captain and Fearless Leader, Derek Jeter (4 for 5, single, double to the base of the centerfield wall,  3 run HR to the right field porch, beautiful bunt hit toward third, 4 rbi's, stolen base) took the relay and fired home on 2 bounces to Posada who a moment later was hit by a battering ram impersonating a misguided Ranger first baseman. Ouch!

 Actually, it was more than ouch.  It was flashback city.  Shades of Pete Rose running over and through Ray Fosse.  "Georgie" went flying, illogically held onto the ball, and sat stunned in the dust with a "what happened" look and then when he got it somewhat together, possibly thought of better ways to earn his lucrative living. 

Good  for the Yankees that  "Georgie" loves what he does.  Last night, with the trio (Giambi, Sheff, Matsui) of big bats battered and unable to make the call, understudy clean-up hitter Posada earned his keep to the tune of 5 runs batted in, including the game winner into the right field bleachers (take that Texiera!) along with 2 sacrifice flies.  Maybe the casting manager, Mr. Torre should consider a more permanent change to this role?  Didn't Yogi bat fourth?

For those who are in lust with lists and records and stats, Mr. Posada passed the former  late and great Yankee Captain, Thurman Munson on the Pinstripes' lifetime RBI list, 702 to 701.  There's another guy who took his lumps for the team. 

A word for the desperately frustrated Barry Bonds:  take a lesson from Bernie Williams.  Tonight  he tied The Babe on the lifetime Yankee doubles list.  Has "Bern-baby-Bern" been around that long?  No matter.  Along with Jeter and Posada, Bernie showed the young'ins what being a true Yankee is all about. 

And that's something, apparently, that Mariano Rivera is currently unable to demonstrate.  "Mo's" failure once again in the 9th does not surprise us.  Not only does he no longer have the ability to blow away a hitter on demand, but as we have pointed out before, except for the early years, he has rarely been successful coming into the game with the Yanks behind, tied, or with someone else's runners on base.  I know there's a stats-guy out there who could research this for us.  Mariano Rivera's specialty is to jog in from the pen being serenaded for the start of the ninth with the Yanks in the lead.  Sparky Lyle or Gosse Gossage he is not.  And by this time, Torre should know this, don't you think?  We wondered why Farnsworth did not come out for the 9th after easily retiring the Rangers in the 8th on 8 or 9 pitches?  What would have happened if this see-saw match went into serious extras?  Scott Ericson?

A few more words about the Comedy of Pitching Errors.  Last year,  Aaron Small was one of the saviors of the starting rotation, producing in a half season plus, an incredible 10-0 mark.  Whenever he came in as the long- man, he got bombed, like now.  Obviously he has a starting pitcher's mentality.  The record speaks for itself.  Am I blind or do the Yankees have some serious starting pitching problems?  They also have long relief problems.  Except for tonight, who is one of the cooler heads to get out of jam after jam?  Would that be Shawn Chacon?  Now you're catching on.  Flip them and if the Big Unit continues to do the Big Self Destruct, shock him with a dose of forced humility as he tries to become the new 2006 version of the late 1960's  Steve Hamilton (long-man, short relief for lefties, occasional emergency starts).  "Ya gotta get somethin' for yer money, George."  Hey, maybe we can get Steve to come back and teach Randy the Folly Floater?

The physically compromised Johnny Damon and the clutch, utility man Miguel Cairo also came through.  Once we noticed A-Rod breathing deeply and pursing his lips at bat in the ninth, we knew he would not produce in the clutch.  They are his pre-choke facial signs.  And why wasn't he guarding the 3rd base line for the extra base hit in the 9th inning?  Might have made Mariano's post game interview a little less embarrassing.  Got to give him credit though.  He was right out front cheering his teammates who came through.

After Jorge's climatic blast and then the mob scene that greeted him at home plate, the Yankees quickly retreated from the dugout to the clubhouse.  It had been a 4 hour uphill struggle with a couple of brief, temporary tumbles along the way.  As the final curtain fell, Jorge Posada, the evening's shining star, bent down and picked up the tools of ignorance from the dugout floor, and as the last Yankee there, departed for the night. 

During the televised denoument of the post game interviews, both Jeter and Posada made conservative though generous remarks.   Neither one of the Old Guard mentioned anything about themselves having  "so much talent..."   True Yankees, real people.  Did ya hear that Alex?