The Dominican Short-haired Pointer got a birthday win tonight, much like Al Spalding did on his 21st birthday in 1871.

Yankee Stadium's empty seats almost were treated to a comeback tonight, but they ended up keeping their blue armrests at their sides, as Pap struck out Classy McYouCan'tTeachThat looking to end the game.

I was about to start writing about the horseshit play by A-Rod, when TC and Eck brought it up just now on the postgame. Eck was saying how the play was no big deal, and he had no problem with it, nor did he have a problem with the famous slap play. Eck, get your head out of your ass! Here's my take: Terrible job! A-Rod will be getting drilled next time up! To think, the idiots on EEI were recently talking about how in a few years we'll all be rooting for A-Rod to break the home run record because he's never done drugs or whatever. I wouldn't root for that bush league SOB to save my own life.

This wasn't a slide into second, attempting to break up a double play. That would be part of baseball. When you do that, you're trying to affect the fielder so that he can't complete the DP. You have the right to the baseline, and in that case, the fielder is usually in it. Hence, if you end up bowling him over, it's okay. That's why fielders try to get the hell out of the way or even jump, to be able to make that throw without getting taken out. You'll notice that when a baserunner goes too far out of the baseline, proving that they're strictly trying to go after the fielder, as opposed to staying in the baseline he has the right to, the ump will call him out. That's called interference. In this case, A-Rod was already on the bag, realized Pedroia hadn't thrown yet, and threw an elbow at him! And connected!

That would be like if there was a man on second who stays put on a grounder up the middle that the shortstop fields, and then as the guy's about to throw, the runner on second punches him. If you want, you can stand on the bag stock still (and risk a ball in the ear), but you can't go out of your way to make contact with the guy. That was horseshit. It was almost exactly like the slap play.

Moving on: Good to move them 10.5 back again. They needed a sweep, and now that that's out of reach, I don't think they'll even show up tomorrow. But even if they do, we're 9.5 up leaving the Bronx. I'm voting for 11.5, though.

In TV commercial news, they're mostly annoying. But also, have you noticed Uncle Leo in the new Domino's spot? And that girl in the Civic ad, the one that starts "my Civic is the perfect size for me," is the same one who appeared in the old McD's ad, where she says, "a girlfriend is like coffee," or some stupid crap like that. Okay, now I have to walk like a zombie to Empire Today to get five new carpets. 800-588....