"It's great to be young and a Yankee."

I feel like I’m supposed to be fired up about the brawl last night, but it’s the complete opposite. All the Yankees did was put their health at risk and incense a team that now has something to play for. And that might have been my first departure from immaturity in the last decade.

The AL East-leading Yankees meet the AL Thorns in Everyone’s Side Blue Jays, for the 18th time for their final match-up of the season. During the melee last night, which is a gracious term for it really, equipment was thrown everywhere, CC Sabathia was spotted rubbing his head (the only part of his body not protected in flubber), and Shelley Duncan mauled Rod Barajas. Your basic stuff for a Tuesday night game.

Tonight Chad Gaudin (1-0, 3.42) goes up against Brian Tallet (7-9, 5.26). Gaudin’s starts (3-0) work out pretty well for the Yanks (often surprisingly), so let’s hope he gets it done tonight. Tallet’s got some tricky junk, including a cutter I have no interest in seeing and an assaulting change-up. HOWEVER, I think the Yanks are pissed enough that they’ll put some wood on the ball, and tag him for circa 6 runs. Where I got this number from, I’m not sure.

The Yankees just have to win 6 games to clinch the Wild Card, but as Sterling noted the other night, ‘I don’t think any Yankee fan is going to be particularly happy if we finish the remaining games at 6-11." This Yankee fan in particular will not be happy if we don’t go on at least a 4-game streak at some point before season’s end. This is no time for messing around in playground scuffles.

Keep your head in the game, NY.