This & That (Thursday 10/29/09).....

--- Cliff Lee! Wow! Complete game, 6 hits, 0 earned runs, 0 walks and 10 strikeouts, against this Yankee lineup and in Yankee Stadium. The only run coming on the throwing error by Jimmy Rollins, or he might have had the shutout. In 2007 he was kept off the Indians' playoff roster, in 2008 he wins the AL Cy Young, and now this great performance. This deadline trade may be considered one of the best ever made if Lee can keep this up.

This takes nothing away from CC Sabathia who pitched a good game. Sabathia's performance would have been good enough to win on most nights, but not last night. He struggled early, but got out of the first inning after loading the bases. The Chase Utley homer in the 3rd is a warning track flyout in most other parks, and then he retires the next 8 before Utley gets him again, with a well hit ball off a location mistake.

I really thought that if both guys made it through 6 or 7 innings with three runs against them, we would be talking about how well they pitched. Instead, two runs and 8 hits total for the first 7 innings? Great pitching by the two aces.

Phil Hughes made my preview of this series look good with his terrible performance in the 8th, when he walked the only 2 batters he faced, allowing the Phillies to open up the game. The Phillies bats only got one hit in the inning, and that was the Raul Ibanez single that scored the two runs to make it 4-0. Then Brian Bruney was a disaster in the ninth when the Phillies made it 6-0. Besides not keeping the game close, this happened at home, when they should be relaxed. How will this bullpen react when they get in front of the hostile Philadelphia fans? Joe Girardi is going to have tough decisions to make when he leaves the dugout to pull his starting pitcher the rest of this series. I don't think he has confidence in anybody besides Mariano Rivera and maybe David Robertson.

As for the Yankees' bats, this was a bad performance. Derek Jeter with three of the six hits, while Alex Rodriguez strikes out three times. It will be interesting to see how A-Rod bounces back, if he does bounce back, after looking like the "old post season" Alex Rodriguez.

For tonight, the ball is in AJ Burnett's hand for the Yankees, with the pressure on. The Yankees paid him like a #2 pitcher, and he has shown those flashes this year, but that money was really given for this type of situation. Let's see if Burnett is able to step forward.

For the Phillies, a relaxed Pedro Martinez takes the mound. No pressure on Pedro after last night's win, but the demons of Yankee games past will be in his mind. I think we might hear quite a bit of the "who's your daddy" chant tonight at the stadium.

--- The NCAA has decided the Oklahoma State's wide receiver, Dez Bryant, will remain suspended for the remainder of the year. The decision basically ends his college career, as Bryant will most likely enter next year's NFL draft. His crime? Lying to the NCAA about being with former NFL star, Deion Sanders. Although he didn't think he did anything wrong when he met with Sanders, when questioned by the NCAA, Bryant, in speaking with ESPN, claims the questioning made him feel that he did do something wrong, so he lied about being with Sanders.

In the end, Bryant did nothing against NCAA rules in his meeting with Sanders, and this has been confirmed by the NCAA. What he did was lie about the meeting, and while I don't condone his lying, there are legitimate concerns brought up by Bryant concerning the questioning of him, and how they made him feel during that questioning. In the end, a one or even two game suspension would have served it purpose, but instead the NCAA has decided to be heavy handed and end a kid's college career. In my opinion, this is a real shame, and a terrible ruling by the NCAA.

--- Mark Sanchez didn't feel well on Sunday (not sure why with his opponent being the Raiders) with a slight upset stomach. Late in the game, with the Jets well ahead cameras caught Sanchez on the bench eating a hot dog. He was trying to keep it secret, but it is just something football players do not do. Most of the "controversy" has to do with it being a hot dog as compared to a "sport snack" that is usually on the sidelines, like a Power Bar.

At least he put mustard on it (though with an upset stomach was that the smartest thing). Can you imagine the uproar in New York if he went the ketchup route? Mike Francesa over at WFAN in New York, would have ranted for two days about it.

--- Larry Johnson was suspended one game by the Kansas City Chiefs following two gay slur remarks he made on Twitter. While it is one game for now, I would not be surprised if further action is taken by the Chiefs, or the NFL, after this one game passes and that Johnson does not see the field again this year.

Johnson, who had two monster years in 2005 & 2006, has not been the anywhere close to the same player since. Add in the fact that he had prior off the field problems, and will be 30 this November, and it does not make a great combination for the former Penn State running back.

--- Vince Young will be starting this Sunday for the Tennessee Titans in place of Kerry Collins. While the dreadful start has not been Collins' fault, at 0-6 the Titans season is lost, and they have a large investment in Young. This will be a ten game audition to see if he is the possible quarterback of the future, or if they need to find someone else to put under center in the coming seasons.

--- The NBA season has started, but not particularly well for the Cleveland Cavaliers. So far the LeBron James & Shaquille O'Neal pairing is 0-2, and looks a little out of sorts, though James is putting up monster numbers. This should be interesting to keep an eye on.

--- Over in the NHL, the Rangers, Sabres, Kings and Avalanche have been the surprise success stories in this early part of the season, but it is Sidney Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins and Alex Ovechkin's Washington Capitals that are leading the show. Add in that some of their teammates are having outstanding starts (Marc-Andre Fluery in goal for Pittsburgh and Nicklas Backstom centering Ovechkin) and this is going to be another good year for the NHL.