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

I get high strung during Wheel of Fortune spins, merging onto highways, and when I see kids riding around on Razr scooters. Among other things. So no-no's are typically so stressful that it's almost unbearable.

For Giants fans, think back to the best day in the history of life. How they were losing by 3, how it was 3rd down, and the game was about to end with Eli eating turf. That was the Super Bowl. The biggest game of the year. Playing against the only 18-0 team in NFL history. To this day, I'm legitimately shocked I didn't go into cardiac arrest. Or at the very least, mutilate myself unwittingly, e.g. biting my lip, cracking my knuckles, clutching my scalp...all to excess because it was beyond nerve racking.

So no-no's are hard to watch. And when they end the way this one did, it's pretty deflating. Phil Hughes took his no-hitter into the 8th. I was actually getting to a state of confidence. Only 2 innings to go. 6 more outs. And the Yanks would have their first no-no since Coney. (His perfecto!)

But a comebacker took little Hughes by surprise, and that's all she wrote.*

My buddy, the eternal not-knowing-even-a-lick-baseball-knowledge-ist, remarked, "Oh no! Did that guy get hurt?"

No. He wasn't hurt. He wasn't bruised. I'm surprised he was able to continue pitching though. After that? The frustration of giving up THAT hit? Not a homerun, not a roped line drive in the gap. But an awkwardly hit comeback grounder that hit the rocks weird and gave Eric Chavez a base hit.

Hughes had walked Barton in the 1st, taking the pressure off the perfecto. I'd imagine his angst would be a lot worse if that was what he gave up, instead of a measly no-hitter.

Joba came in for relief in the 8th, gave up a run (that was credited to Hughes) and left the game with a 1-run lead. Just enough for Mo to come in and save the day as always. Look at that formula right there. Hughes. Joba. Mo.

Between all three. LOOK AT THIS TEAM. LOOK. More than half their lineup is batting over .300. Everyone doing what they're paid for. A-Rod being A-Rod. Cano hitting behind the power slots. Posada somehow being productive despite the overwhelming majority insisting his age has rendered him well past his prime. NJ walking. Gardner fielding. Grandy working. Randy converting O2 to CO2. Mo shutting shit down.

I told my buddy...the same one who couldn't name someone other than A-Rod who plays on the Yankees, that I love this team so much that it's safe to say that, yeah, outside of my family/friends, I'll never care this much about anything.

Til tomorrow, boys. A nice little day game to feast on. Thanks for lighting it up so far. It never goes unnoticed.



*I think it's safe to say that this text message was the #1 cause of the no no-no:

"dont get mad but keith axed me to ax u if he has given up a walk."

Kevin gets MVP as always because Kevin always get MVP and because at least he recognized the total inappropriateness of texting me this AMID AN F*#&ING NO-HITTER. Keith...Good God, man, I'm not mad. Just disappointed. You're better than that.