“Take the wave to Shea! Take the wave to Shea!” That’s the chant coming out of the right field bleachers as the rest of the fans at Yankee Stadium perform the ultimate time-killer for the disengaged fan. In the RIGHT FIELD bleachers it’s a crime to perform the wave. But, right next door in the LEFT FIELD bleachers, they started this wave. (A lot could be said about the difference in these sub-cultures…).

Think what you will about this ritual from the 80’s. The disappointing thing about the wave right now is that it’s the top of the seventh inning with two on and no one out for the Blue Jays while the Yankees hold a 6-3 lead. The top of the Blue Jays order is batting. This game is not over and it’s getting dangerous.

My message to the fans waving their hands in a frenzy? Take a page from the crowd in right field and watch the game.*

*(Note: this was written and posted during the pitching change…with the Yankees only leading 6-5…I blame the fans NOT in right field for jinxing this…)

You heard the cheers from the Bronx last night in the 8th inning. Sure, the home team had just scored 5 runs to widen their lead over Baltimore to 12-0…but smearing of the O’s was not the only thing that had fans cheering. Yes, the final word had just come down from Toronto that Eric Gagne had blown another game for the Red Sox who fell 4-2 to the Blue Jays.

2.5 back in the East, 2 in the loss column, 11 games to go…

So what are the Yankees playing for?  Well, the playoffs are nice…but so is the right to avoid their nemesis, the Angels, in the first round. Win the Wild Card and open out West where the Yanks have been spanked time and again. Win the East and the Yanks are playing the Indians, most likely opening on the road. Not to say one’s tougher than the other, but Torre’s boys have tried their hand plenty against the Angels and have been run into the ground. At least Cleveland brings an element of the unknown…

A few weeks ago the Yankees and their fans would have been happy with just any old playoff birth…now, with 11 games left and an outside shot at the Eastern Division, it’s time to get greedy.

I’ve taken quite a few breaks this summer and I’m fresh off another. So is the life of a first-year teacher (lucky enough to teach sports journalism)…

But that’s not to say I haven’t been following the Yanks and their red-hot run. So much to cover when you take a couple weeks away, where to start? Joba-Mania, the Flying Squirrel, Moose Returns, Rocket in Boston one last time (again), the Yanks making you live and die with every win and loss. Today, Yankee fans are living big with Detroit and Boston losing making it 3.5 up and 3.5 back, respectively.

As the Yanks fight and claw to get in, so many questions arise: Who are the starting five and who would pitch on a playoff roster? Are Joba’s rules going to apply to the post-season? Will Mike Lupica once again call for Joe Torre’s job if the Yankees don’t win? Will Torre retire anyway (I doubt it)?

A lot to chew on. As for tonight’s game, I think Doug Mien-whatever just took another chunk out of Jason Giambi’s future playing time. Doug’s line: 1-2, 2 BB, 2 RBI. So he can’t leg out a double. Neither can Giambi. We all know what Dougie can do with a glove…and that will shove Jason Giambi a little further down the bench as Torre prefers having Hideki Matsui at DH. Interesting saga on this one…we’ll see what plays out.

Back with more soon, I swear.

It was hard not to notice that Ian Kennedy stooped down low on the mound like Moose when he pitched out of the stretch today.  Seriously, it was eerie.  He wasn’t overpowering, but found a way to keep the D-Rays off balance for one earned run in seven innings…sound like someone we know?

The performance was solid enough to earn the 22-year old another start in five days, but there was one downside.  He was SLOW!  Particularly after he gave up two runs (one unearned) in the second inning.  Now, I took this one in from the stands today and let’s just say the crowd around me was starting to draw comparisons to former Met Steve Trachsel…personally, I’d also point at David Cone in his final year as a point of comparison.  The crowd even tried starting the wave to stay entertained…fortunately, Kennedy picked up the pace once he had a comfortable lead.

Yes, it’s too early to be so hard on the kid who helped keep us in the ballpark for over three-and-a-half hours.  And it’s also too soon praise a kid too much after one day (although check out the papers in Boston tomorrow and see what they’ll do for a kid after TWO starts).  It was his first day in the Bigs…congrats, kid.  Let’s just hope he keeps things moving a little quicker next time.

Five games behind the Sox who had their kid pitch a no-hitter with a pronounced breaking ball.

Two ahead of Seattle who lost in Toronto.

Getting fun, eh?