Clockwork Apple: Sam's Baby Steps

The runner I previously saw every day, Melvin, has disappeared, but there's a new one to replace him. During my walk to the subway station, there's this guy that does laps around the block... 4 streets and one avenue. Sam runs very slow though... about the same as my walking speed. He wears regular clothes... shorts and a t-shirt, but not jogging gear. His strides are unusually short... baby steps and he bounces up and down almost as much as he's going forward. He's got a cowlick on the back of his head that also bounces up and down in the same rhythm. Sam is in his 50's and doesn't have any injuries. He just has a funny way of running. It seems to work though as he's definitely not overweight.

If I see Sam, it means I'm on time!

Tale of Two Tall Guys

Tracy McGrady
McGrady recently worked out with the Bulls, but the organization is undecided if he will make a good fit. We definitely could've used him last year, but the hesitation comes now because of the pieces the Bull already acquired. There's no question that he would add some depth, but the problem is he would need to accept a secondary role at this point. The starting 5 is all set and we're not looking at the vintage McGrady anymore. Ther shooting is still there, which would be important off the bench, but his knees probably won't hold up to this young, fastbreaking team. He looked mostly sluggish in his limited minutes with the Knicks last season. The fact that he thinks he's 100% now could cause some ego problems... something the Bulls have always been careful about. So this only works if McGrady will be happy with limited minutes off the bench.

Yao Ming
Yao will be playing for the Rockets this year, after sitting out last season on the injury list. There was also word that he may retire after this coming season if he either reinjures himself or doesn't return to where he was 2 years ago. That would be a really sad ending because he was just on his way to becoming one of the league's best centers. If he retires, he will not have made a dent into NBA history... just another good tall player that dabbled in the NBA and disappeared. I miss him on the court and in commercials. The NBA just isn't as international without Yao.

iMac Update

Apple quietly updated the iMac today, which was already expected. The model was overdue for a refresh and late into the "Core i" game. There are 4 price points with 2 monitor choices now. There's the 21.5" and 27". All models have the Core i3 except the top one, which has the i5. So Apple is holding back as usual. They could've easily gone from Core i5 to Core i7. The Mac mini should have the i3. If you had to get one of these, I would recommend the higher model of each monitor size. For the 21.5", you get a 3.2 Ghz Core i3, 4 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD and 512 MB graphics card for $1499. There's no point getting the lowest model because the graphics card is only 256 MB. For the 27", you get a 2.8 Ghz Core i5, 4 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD and 1 GB graphics card for $1999. There's no point going with the 27" model if you're going to settle for a Core i3 processor.

Additionally, Apple also released a multitouch trackpad... basically you can have all the laptop functions for your desktop system. It kind of sounds cool for a few seconds, but the Magic Mouse already covers that. A mouse with multitouch is certainly more efficient than a trackpad. So it's just another cool looking useless item!

Milestones

The Yankees won yet another series this weekend... 3 out of 4 against the Royals. The news was all around A-Rods chase for 600 homers though. He hit 599 on Thursday, but has been stuck on that since. It's not as bad as it looks though. Everyone is waiting to see it, but truthfully, he's not in the middle of a homerun streak and has been consistently getting his hits. He's continuing to drive in runs as well. So he's not distracted by it as much as his chase for 500. Also, based on his batting average and homerun percentage, he's not due for another yet. There were other milestones hit over the weekend though. Posada had his 1,000th RBI and Cano had his 1,000th hit. A-Rod will get his 600th HR, but it'll be on the road as the Yankees pack for their next series in Cleveland.

A-Rod has been great on the interviews surrounding his upcoming milestone too. He's stressing teamwork and the goal to win another World Series. It's not about individual goals. But it's hard to hide the numbers though. Every time he comes up to bat, the umpire hands the pitcher marked balls. So there's no way he could put it out of his mind. Also, like he mention in today's interview, when a pitcher gets one of these balls, it's more motivation to get him out. No pitcher wants to be remembered as the guy that gave up #600... and be a future trivia question answer!

Tech Deals of the Week (7/25-7/31)

Flash Sales
- 4 GB SanDisk @ BB for $14.99
- 8 GB SanDisk @ BB for $24.99
- 8 GB SanDisk (colored) @ ST for $19.99
- 16 GB SanDisk @ BB for $39.99
- 16 GB SanDisk w/ 1-touch Backup @ BB for $49.99

iPod Deals @ TG
- 8 GB iPod touch for $195 + $15 gift card
- 64 GB iPod touch for $395 + $35 gift card

Targus 16" Laptop Backpack @ BB for $9.99
This is the best backpack deal since I started the blog. It's better than the Targus Groove for $7.99 because it's a larger backpack and the design is better. There's slightly more padding and it has more of a solid shape. Though the laptop trend is getting smaller, this is a good one for the gamers who are buying the 15-16" 16:9 models. It also has lots of room for accessories.

Logitech M310 Mouse @ ST for $19.99
This is a slightly higher model than the one that was on sale last week. I'm not sure if there's a technical difference... might just be design, but it's still a good basic mouse at a good price.

Targus Combo Lock @ ST for $14.99
Since everyone is going for laptops these days, this is really the first accessory you need to buy. Every time you're on vacation or even at the coffee shop, it lessens the chances of your system getting stolen if it's chained to a fixture.

Store Key: BB = Best Buy, CC = Circuit City, CU = CompUSA.com, DI = Directron, NE = NewEgg.com, OD = Office Depot, RS = Radio Shack, ST = Staples, TG = Target

Trades

Even though the Yankees have still been winning series, their pitching has looked very shaky lately. The middle relief is on and off as it has been all year long. One day, a guy would show promise and then revert back to terrible on the next outing. Joba is still ironing out some kinks. AJ is inconsistent and Pettitte is on the DL. The trade deadline is coming up at the end of the month and the Yankees really need to do something about it.

Generally, with the Yankees, I'm pro trade in a lot of cases. I already know that they're going to keep their core... Jeter, Rivera, Pettitte, Posada, CC and A-Rod. In baseball, the team is so large that a few trades don't really affect the face of the team as much. With the Bulls, I'm generally anti trade. Give away 2-3 guys on a basketball team and you already risk chemistry problems. Each time the Bulls gave away a core member of the 2009 and 2008 teams, they got one step worse. If we look at the last 10 years, the team with Gordon, Hinrich, Nocioni, Deng and Wallace was probably the team with the most potential. They were also supported by a deep bench. When the 2010-2011 season starts, the Bulls will send a completely restructured team out on the floor. None of the starting 5 from 2 years ago are there anymore. Hopefully they got pieces that will mesh well together.

Chicago Jazz

I'm pretty happy with the Bulls moves considering they didn't get James or Wade. They certainly rounded up all of the best "2nd round" players and also kept chemistry in mind. The Utah Jazz never had a super star, but were always in the playoffs. Like the Bulls, they did it with chemistry. Kyle Korver joked in his interview that he hand Boozer were planning on creating the Chicago Jazz. It really came true though as they recently recruited Ronnie Brewer. I don't know much about him, but he's supposedly a good defensive shooting guard, which would be the Hinrich replacement. So the Bulls are in pretty good shape. They've got 3 starting players from the Jazz who are used to playing with each other. Rose is potentially better than Deron Williams. And if Noah plays like he did last year, they've got a great starting 5... one that can beat the Heat with good teamwork.

Jazz fans can't be happy because they're not getting anything out of this. Deron Williams publicly voiced his displeasure about the moves, especially this last one with Brewer. He threatened to leave the Jazz when his contract ends. They basically let all of the core pieces go away. I just hope half of the Bulls core and mesh with half of the Jazz core.

Sword of Azrael: Jason Green

Back in December, I gave the excommunication punishment to the 2 EMTs that let a woman with asthma die because they were "burned out." It seems like some carried out the more extreme punishment as one of those EMTs, Jason Green was shot twice. He died at the hospital. Apparently there was some kind of dispute with a man in a car as he and a friend headed out of a night club. It's unclear if the incident was related to last year's event or if this was just karma.

Yankees Update

Coming out of the All-Star break and right after the passings of Bob Sheppard and George Steinbrenner, the Yankees had to take care of business against the toughest team in the AL... the rival Rays. Friday's game, the the memorial ceremony ended in a walkoff win. Nick Swisher had both the game tying homer in the 8th and the walkoff base hit in the 9th.

Saturday's game was a blowout loss 10-5. Burnett had a bad start and only last 3 innings. After getting frustrated in the 2nd, he went back into the dugout and pushed a Plexiglas double door. The Yankees had noticed posted on the doors encased in hard plastic, which cut AJ's palms in a freak accident. He came back out and told the coaches he cut himself tripping on the stairs. He was clearly not the same and was taken out of the game. He later revealed the truth, which angered management and his teammates. We've seen this before with Kevin Brown breaking his pitching hand. The rule is that you can take out your anger, but pick something that can't hurt you back. Players need to be responsible. An injury like a broken hand can not only end the season for the player, but for the team... especially if the player is a pitcher. Hopefully Burnett learns from this and bounces back.

Sunday's game was a win, but not without a cost. Pettitte who had his usual shaky 1st was starting to settle down, but pulled his groin in the 3rd and will be on the DL for 3-4 weeks. The bullpen was able to emulate the typical Pettitte game by shutting down the Rays for the next 6 innings. While this shows promise in middle relief, the Yankees lost their best pitcher for a critical period of time.

Take-On New York Showdown

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Tech Deals of the Week (7/18-7/24)

I was able to squeeze one out this week! In general, most technology items stayed at the same price range, but products are getting better. The exception is flash memory... same price for same product as a year ago.

Flash Sales
- SanDisk 4 GB @ BB for $12.99
- SanDisk 8 GB @ BB for $19.99
- SanDisk 16 GB @ BB for $39.99

Hannspree 20" LCD @ ST for $99.98
This is a good basic monitor with 1600x900 resolution, DVI input and built-in speakers.

Logitech M305 Mouse @ TG for $14
This is basically the replacement to the V220 mouse. It has a nano receiver that you can leave plugged into the laptop since it's so small and doesn't protrude. Best Buy has a $27 sale price on this, so $14 is a steal.

iPod Deals @ TG
- 32 GB iPod touch for $295 + $25 gift card
- 8 GB iPod nano for $145 + $10 gift card

Store Key: BB = Best Buy, CC = Circuit City, CU = CompUSA.com, DI = Directron, NE = NewEgg.com, OD = Office Depot, RS = Radio Shack, ST = Staples, TG = Target

Take-On New York Showdown Results

Last night's event was a loaded lineup, featuring an 8-man pro tournament with a bunch of superfights between tournament rounds. Here are the results:

- Sylvie von Duuglas Ittu def Jessica Ng (unanimous dec. 3rd)
- (T1) Omar Ahmed def Marc Deluca (unanimous dec. 3rd)
- (T1) Vishnu Gulati def Kevin Molina (unanimous dec. 3rd)
- (T1) Turan Hasanov def Sheldon Gaines (dec. 3rd)
- (T1) Terrence Hill def Gabriel Varga (unanimous dec. 3rd)
- Aby Rulloda def Peelo Deonarain (unanimous dec. 3rd)
- King Opaku vs. Marcus Fisher (draw 5th)
- (T2) Omar Ahmed def Vishnu Gulati (dec. 3rd)
- (T2) Terrence Hill def Turan Hasanov (unanimous dec. 3rd)
- Gaius Ebratt def Elijah Clarke (TKO 4th)
- Mohammed Lemjerdine def Jay Matias (dec. 5th)
- (T3) Omar Ahmed def Terrence Hill (unanimous dec. 3rd)

Hometown hero Omar Ahmed was the star of the show as he won the tournament and didn't look totally exhausted at the end. He showed up ready and he fought his best series of fights ever. Terrence Hill was awesome too, especially in the last 2 rounds of the tournament. The only thing is, I thought he lost to Gabriel Varga in the first round. Most of the crowd thought so too as there was a loud chorus of boos at the decision.

Pictures coming soon.

M11x vs U35JC

Back in February, I called the Alienware M11x the ultimate laptop. That was short lived because I think it will soon be dethroned by the Asus U35JC.

Affordability
If you really load up the M11x, it's no longer close to the starting $900 that was being promoted. This machine can be powered up with a Core i7 processor and up to 8 GB RAM. The price ends up over $2000. That seems like a good price for a gaming laptop, but for an 11" one? The Asus U35JC fully loaded ends up at about $1500, which is more reasonable and it's a 13.3" laptop.

Portability
At 13.3", you might think the U35JC is not as portable, but because of it's thin form factor, it's actually lighter than the 11" M11X. It's almost like the Macbook Air. Battery life is much better than the M11x (4-6 hours). Asus advertises 10 hours, but in reality, it's probably more like 7-8 at normal use. Asus does have a hybrid engine where you could reduce power and save battery life, so it's possible that 10 hours is the truth.

Computing Power
This one is pretty close. The M11x is said to be better for pure gaming, but its low clock speed makes it a little slow for Photoshop and normal tasks. The U35JC is a better everyday computer, but a little slower with gaming. Most base systems come with a Core i3, but I've seen some stores have the Core i5 option. The max RAM is equal in both machines at a whopping 8 GB.

Graphics
Both have the discreet NVidia graphics card and both have a max VRAM of 1 GB, so both of these are meant to be portable, but desktop replacements that can plug into a hi-res monitor via HDMI. The U35JC system has an auto switching feature, so you don't need to restart when it's going from the integrated graphics card to the NVidia. The M11x needs a reboot.

So the systems are somewhat even with all the comparisons depending on taste, but the big difference maker is the price. With a $500 difference, I don't have to think twice about going with the Asus over Alienware.

RIP Boss & Voice

It was a sad week as the Yankees lost 2 great pieces to their history. First, it was Bob Sheppard, the Voice of Yankee Stadium over the weekend. Then it was The Boss, George Steinbrenner yesterday, before the All-Star Game. For the rest of the season, the team will wear commemorative patches to honor the 2 icons:

Defending the King

Almost a week after LeBron James made his decision to join the Miami Heat and I've heard nothing but negative press accusing him of dragging out the situation and claiming he already had his decision made years ago. There's no conspiracy theory here. True... he did meet with Wade and Anthony 3 years ago and they all agreed to sign short term contracts with their teams. But there was no way of knowing how things would turn out. What if James was successful in winning a championship in Cleveland? I don't think FA 2010 would've been half as exciting. Cleveland has gotten close, as they made the playoffs in each of the 3 years... making the finals in one year. So James absolutely DID NOT make his decision to leave 3 years ago. Right now, a lot of cities are just bitter that they didn't get him. Cleveland should've known he was gone the moment he did not commit right away. If he was staying in Cleveland, he would've announced if before July 1. I also believe that he really didn't make up his mind until last week. By reading his body language and the way he carried himself on the ESPN special, he was obviously uncomfortable and sincere. And when I put myself in his shoes, it's a tough decision. Every team pitching to him made things look good.

Cleveland just plain and simple... doesn't deserve LeBron James. They booed him off the court during the final game of the season as the Cavs lost to the Celtics. The fans' true colors showed when LeBron made his decision as they burned his jersey. As he said, his REAL fans will still support him. A true fan is one that sticks with his/her player through thick and thin. The Cleveland fans were ready to embrace him if he came back and reject him if he left... not true fans at all.

I can't believe NY was bitter about the whole thing. They must've been delusional to even think he'd play there. If you just use common sense, a team with Wade and Bosh looks better than an depleted team with Amare Stoudemire. A team with Rose, Noah and a couple of good role players looks better than the unbuilt Knicks. The Bulls and Heat are pretty much guaranteed playoff teams with the addition of James. The Knicks are not. So for NY fans to be bitter with the decision just shows that Knicks fans... and the organization were in fantasy land. What the Knicks should have done was be prepared with alternative like the Bulls. The moment they had a gut feeling James would not come, they quickly made a move for Boozer and began talking to Korver. The Bulls followed through with plan B and pretty much got the 2nd round of free agents before it was too late.

LeBron James' Decision

Bulls 2010-2011 So Far

So the projected starting lineup is set at Deng (F), Boozer (F), Noah (C), Rose (G) and Korver (G) so far. That's not bad at all. The offense is probably comparable to back when we had Gordon. Boozer is the inside guy we never had and Korver's threes make up for Gordon, though I don't think he's as versatile. What we lack now is defense. Without Hinrich, I don't think we can guard guys like Wade and James. Our depth is also weak right now. On the bench, Pargo is OK, Taj Gibson is solid and Brad Miller has flashes of his vintage Pacer self. The rest of the guys are scrubs. 2 years ago, the Bulls had what I thought was one of the deeper benches in the NBA. The starting 5 right now is more of a traditional starting 5. Previous successes were on the fast break with a 3-guard set. So this is the chance for Bulls management to prove me wrong.

The Bulls don't need a better team than 2 years ago to make the playoffs. A Central Division w/o James makes things much easier. Then adding Boozer and Korver boosts the Bulls significantly from last year. It looks good on paper, so hopefully the chemistry works out.

Lucky 7... not 8

The Yankees won a season high 7 straight games until it ended last night with an improbably grand slam in the 9th... given up by Joba Chamberlain. Joba was a bit shaky last month, but like AJ Burnett, looked to be back on track after coach Dave Island returned. That is until he gave up 2 base hits and a walk, followed by the homer. Javier Vasquez pitched a great game, but didn't get a decision. The good news is the starting rotation is very strong. They missed out on a Cliff Lee trade Friday, but with the current rotation, it would've been tough to pick an odd man out. It may have been Vasquez, but if you erase his first 4 games, his ERA is probably as good as Pettitte's. Teixiera has also been on fire, especially during the streak. He's batting over 400 and has raised his average to above 250. This is where the law of averages comes into play. He's a good player, so a slow first half means he'll have a great 2nd half and bump his average up to pretty close to 300.

The bad points about recent games is the bullpen. Aside from Rivera, everyone's been a little off. Robertson will be good 50% of the time. Chan Ho Park and Chad Gaudin are terrible. Park gives up a run per inning... almost always a homer. When he gets people out, it's a deep fly ball. Is "Chan Ho" Korean for "Out of the?" At least in Friday night's game, he was able to work out of trouble. With 6-1 lead, Ghirardi brought him in to give him a chance to close things out without risking the game. It looked like he was about to blow it again as he gave up 2 hits. Mariano almost started warming up, which would've caused everyones' eyes to roll.

The Decision

The most exciting tournament of the 2010 NBA season has finally come to a close. Free Agency 2010 just ended with LeBron James officially signing with the Miami Heat. It wasn't a surprise given the news from the rest of the day. Also, once Wade & Bosh committed, every sort of knew it in the back of their mind that this whole tournament was over. So Wade was the leader of the movement. Of the 3 "superstars," Wade was the most settled even though he tested the waters. So it made sense for him to recruit the other 2. Bosh was clearly unhappy in Toronto and James was booed off the court by Cleveland fans in the loss to Boston. It was later reported that it was hurtful. The Cleveland fans just don't deserve LeBron, who has done so much for the city.

LeBron was visibly nervous and sincere in his televised interview. He was clearly undecided until today... he wasn't dragging this thing out and creating drama. It was a tough decision as we all know. One day it's one team. The next day another looks better. He was diplomatic and respectful to all the teams, including his former Cavs. I'll still be a fan of LeBron James. He's still the same great player, the same nice guy. No Cleveland fan should boo LeBron for this decision. His true fans will stick with him. I only would've ditched him if he went to NY because it would be clearly about the money and not the championship potential.

Best of luck to LeBron James. You're joining a good team with another great player in Wade and a great young coach in Eric Spoelstra.

FA 2010 Update

There have been reports all day long that LeBron is going to sign with Miami to join superstars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, who committed yesterday. I've been glued to ESPN since coming home from work. They must've been talking about it all day despite the official announcement being scheduled for 9pm. I think it's a done deal and all this media coverage is just for ratings and drama. Miami got the 2 big names. The 3 wanted to play together. James spent the most meeting time with Miami. NJ is out. Cleveland still has the dollar edge and an OK team. Chicago now has Boozer, Rose & Noah + an OK bench. All NY had going for them is the fact that the announcement will take place in CT. I think he's going to Miami 100%, but as a fan, have to give it some hope that he'll go for the most solid core in the Bulls. Chemistry with James will be better than star power in my opinion. 1.5 hours left...

FA 2010 Update

The rumors sure shifted heavily over the past couple of days. First it seemed like James was going to go to Chicago. Then news centered around Wade, who had 2 good meetings. But the least exciting option was announced today. Wade will stay in Miami and bring Chris Bosh along with him. As is, I don't think that makes a championship contender... maybe a 1st rounder. Bosh is overrated and there's not much else in that roster yet. Signing James would certainly do the trick, but there hasn't been a lot of news around that. James will announce his decision tomorrow. While Chicago makes the most interesting news, many are expecting him to resign with Cleveland. The Knicks got Amare to try to bait James and Chicago signed Boozer today. I still think Chicago has the better core. My partial fantasy starting 5 right now would be Rose & Deng at G, James & Boozer at F and Noah in the middle. That's the only way I can live with the Bulls letting Gordon go last year and dealing Hinrich away over the Summer. The 2011 team will be all different. Only a James can make them better than the team from the last 7 years.

Weekend Sports Wrapup

Yankees
After a bad start, the Yankees still got out of the weekend with another series under their belt as they took the Saturday & Sunday games in the Toronto series. Saturday's game was a blowout win, but not a typical one where the bats were red hot for the whole game. The amazing thing is all runs (11) were scored in one inning... 3rd. Even more strange... there was a grand slam... by Gardner! Pettitte got his 10th win despite giving up an early 2 runs in the 1st. As usual, he pulled himself together and recovered. Sunday's game was a close one with a 7-6 win in walkoff fashion. It was an offensive slugfest of hits, so Hughes had another shaky start. He did not get the decision. Marcus Thames had the game winning hit that scored Cano.

Wimbledon
No surprise here. After Federer was eliminated, it cleared the path for Nadal. While Nadal is the world's greatest clay player, people tend to forget that he's also one of the best on grass as well. He defeated Federer 2 years ago in the Finals and in the years he did not, he often finished as runner-up. Nadal now has 8 majors (5 French, 2 Wimbledon & 1 Australian). He's just missing the US Open trophy... the tournament that gives him the most trouble... and up next! Serena Williams defeated Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-2 for her 4th trophy at the All-England Club. 13 majors for Williams.

Clockwork Apple: Pale White Horse

The Clockwork Apple miniseries talks about people I come across regularly on the daily commute. This post is a rare one because it's a vehicle I see when I'm running late. In order for a vehicle to operate like clockwork, it really takes precision, especially in Manhattan. Whenever I'm about 5 minutes behind schedule, I see a white mustang with blue stripes going in the opposite direction. The driver must really be organized to pass by the same intersection the same time each day. And the chances of me seeing a pattern with cars is extremely rare.

Selfish NYers

"We got shafted. For years, we've been going up on rooftops to watch the show, but this year, only Manhattan gets to see it. We all live here amd our taxes pay for it, so we should get to see it, too."
- C. Cheliras, Greenpoint

"They just took away our view and gave it to Manhattan two years in a row. We can't see past the buildings. There's nothing fair with what they're doing this year."
- K. Berget, Astoria

I couldn't believe the selfishness when I read these quotes in AMNY, referring to the annual Macy's Fireworks Show planned for the Hudson River. They did it last year there for the first time to commemorate an anniversary of Henry Hudson. Macy's liked the setup and wanted to do it there again this year for design reasons. So now, some Brooklyn and Queens residents are claiming it's unfair because they won't get to see it live. What about other people in the city who haven't had the luxury until last year? All people think about in NY is themselves and this is a perfect example. Just turn on the TV. You'll still get to see it. NYers from all parts of town pay their taxes. So everyone deserves to see it!

FA 2010 Update

So LeBron met with all of the major players, but gave no indication of where he's leaning towards. So everyone is still confident they can get him. So far, Chicago & Cleveland seem to have the upper hand. NJ seems to have an edge over NY. In a surprising twist, Wade is starting to look like a realistic Chicago option. He had a good meeting with the Bulls and is leaning towards it because Chicago has a solid core right now. The other teams are much more depleted at the moment and are more of a question mark. If he signs first, there could be a chain reaction that might not include James (if he hesitates too much). Joe Johnson also wants to play for the Bulls.

Free Agency 2010 is so exciting! It's much better than the last season and even the playoffs. There's drama, action and so many fantasy scenarios to write and dream about! I love this game!

Bullpen Sucks

...except Mariano of course...

AJ Burnett really bounced back in this game, as he pitched a 4-hit shutout into the 8th inning. The return of pitching coach Dave Island really made a difference in the way Burnett adjusted. He was on target and had great control. It's too bad the bullpen blew the game though. Joba, who has been shaky lately let the Jays tie the game in the 8th. Rivera got them through the 9th, but the Yankees couldn't use him for 2 innings again. They brought Robertson in who gave up the lead and left with the bases loaded. It was the unreliable Park next and he let the Jays blow the game away as usual. The final score was 6-1... hardly indicative of the pitchers' duel this game actually was.

Verizon iPhone

The rumors keep coming up and dying out. But they've been resurfacing again with the release of iPhone 4. I also just heard from a semi-credible source that the Verizon iPhone will be coming out January 2011. He's a Verizon employee and he stated it pretty confidently. The thing is... January 2011 is very far away. A lot can happen between now and then. I also feel like it's too little, too late. Verizon has released 3 very powerful Droid models, with a 4th, the Droid X coming out soon. The iPhone 4 doesn't have anything technologically more advanced than the Droid Incredible (aka HTC Incredible).

Sweep Avoided

After securing enough wins to get 1st place during the interleague games, the Yankees blew a series to the lowly Mariners this week. Game 1 was almost an automatic loss because they faced Cliff Lee... the guy they couldn't hit last year in the World Series. While he wasn't quite as invincible, Phil Hughes had an off day, giving up 6 runs behind bad fielding (2 errors). Hughes seemed like he may have been too pumped up for this game, throwing a bit harder than usual. Lee was efficient, despite giving up 4 runs, earning a complete game victory. Just to give you an idea of how bad Seattle is... Cliff Lee is one of the best pitchers in the league, yet he came into this game with only 6 wins.

In Game 2, the Yankees took one of their worst losses of the season, getting shutout 7-0. One of the worst hitting teams in the league lit up AJ Burnett for 7 runs on 9 hits. The Yankees offense was dead... just 2 measly hits. Burnett obviously has to figure something out. At first, I thought it was some internal coverup and he wasn't getting along with the team. But he did admit he wasn't doing his job and seemed sincere at putting in extra working time. We'll see if it pays off in his next start.

In today's matinee, CC stopped the bleeding in a nice pitcher's duel. The Yankees had a 2-0 lead for most of the game. Seattle tied it up in the 8th, but that was quickly erased by a 2-run, game winning homer by A-Rod in the same inning. That makes 10 wins for CC and 595 homers for A-Rod as he climbs up in baseball history. This puts the Yankees on a positive note going into a full daytime series against the tough Blue Jays. The Mariners series was one they should've swept or taken 2 of 3 though.