Let the Games re-start

OK, all the happy horses**t surrounding the baseball All-Star game is over. And naturally, I'm pleased that my Yanks collectively went 5-10, rbi, 2 runs and 2.1 IP perfect innings and that Joe Torre again won an All-Star game, but . . . BREAK'S OVER.

Now, back to work.

If I told you that the Yanks would have had Kevin Brown out for a month, Mike Mussina stinking up a 5.20 ERA, Derek Jeter hitting < .200 for the first 55 games, Jose Contreras pitching BP, the Miguel Cairo leading the team in batting average, and Giambi hitting sub-.250, would you say the Yanks would be 55-31, best record in baseball and 7 ahead of the RedSux? Neither would I.

The task remaining: suck less. Pitch fewer home-run balls, string together more hits, straighten out the starters, keep the relievers healthy and have some of the hitters settle down (ARod, Giambi, Williams, Posada) and stress less at the plate.

Some notes on the Yanks:
(1) Kudos to Brian Cashman for nabbing Tom Gordon. Flash's effectiveness has made Rivera a one-inning closer and Mo has been awesome. After having at least 8 saves more than one inning in 2000, 2001 and 2003, Mo has only two this year.
(2) I like Gary Sheffield -- he is the dash of nasty that the Yanks have needed recently. Best moments: staring down Pedro and intimidating the little s't during the most recent Yankees-RedSux series after Pedro plunked him; and whacking a HR off Danys Baez after a long battle following Baez's brushback pitch to the Sheff.
(3) Hideki Matsui has 17 HR (more than all last season) and 58 RBI. Nice. And he's usually hitting after the big dogs have had their chances to clean up the basepaths.

Now some other thoughts:
(1) I think it's interesting that Randy Johnson is fairly dismissive of Curt Schilling and seemingly does not want to be in Schilling's personal shadow -- a factor that will limit the possibility that Johnson ends up in Boston. The pick here is that if Johnson is traded, he's going to the Angels.
(2) It's ridiculous that the Astros are 44-44 even with Pettitte and Miller missing time on the DL. That team needed a better manager and I'm not sure Phil Garner is it.
(3) I'm waiting for the Padres to shape up and take over the NL West. I'm also wondering how the Phillies will blow the NL East and when Bowa will be sacked.
(4) Sports are about winning NOW if you have the chance. I don't think Johnson would approve the trade, but the Rangers would be stupid to not explore the possibility of getting him just for the sake of keeping their young core together -- they have enough to move pieces around and keep the main guys (Young, Soriano, Blalock, Cordero).
(5) This season looks a lot like 2002 -- no dominant pitching team in either league (the sketchiness of the Cubs' bullpen, the questions in the Yankees' and RedSux's rotations), the AL full of hitters dominating over the pitchers, the NL full of teams that are roughly equal to each other.

It'll be interesting.