"Offensive Futility"

How fun to see my team on TV tonight!

You really know things are bad for the offense when a pitcher throws 115 pitches in 5 innings, walks 5 batters, hits one, and has the bases loaded twice. . . and gives up only one run.

Thankfully, said offense had their ace on the mound tonight - and he was pitching like he was their ace, for once. Johan Santana blanked the Yanks for 7 innings tonight. Wasn't it beautiful? The TV announcers drove me crazy most of the time, but I have to say I liked it when they said, "Santana looks like he's throwing to his son in the backyard, and these are the New York Yankees, for cryin' out loud!" Well, they didn't exactly say, "for cryin' out loud," but if they had been from North Dakota they would have!

But right before Santana left the game, our guys decided that, for cryin' out loud, after shutting out the Evil Empire for 7 innings in Yankee Stadium, he should get the win. They started hitting! Extra base hits! Home runs! And, to quote Batgirl,

The crazy thing about this game was the players who were supposed to be our offense actually were. Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer, Torii Hunter, Shannon Stewart, Jacque Jones. They hit the ball. With runners in scoring position. They scored runs and got RBIs and—oh, it was so beautiful.

And then Juan Rincon came in and decided things were going a little too smoothly and we needed back some of our normal angst. But then Mr. Nathan came in and sewed it up.

'Til tomorrow, then, my friends, and remember sometimes when things are at their very darkest Joe Nathan strikes out A-Rod to end the game, and we can look off into the horizon and see just the faintest glimmer of light.