too little, too late...

brutal series over the weekend. yanks look like sh*t. make some freaking plays already.



Somewhere in the middle innings last night, when the Yankees were on the verge of being swept at home by the Mets, the talk in General Manager Brian Cashman's box turned fanciful. Cashman was watching the game with Billy Connors and Bill Emslie, confidants of the team's principal owner, George Steinbrenner, who were up from Tampa, Fla.

"Maybe," someone in the box said, "something like a walk-off win will get us going."

The Yankees got their walk-off victory in the ninth, when Jason Giambi ripped a two-run single off Braden Looper to lift the Yankees to a 5-4 victory. The Yankees' record nudged above .500, to 38-37, the opposite record of the Mets. It was a thrilling victory, and Manager Joe Torre was hopeful of its significance.

"If this doesn't build our character, what will?" Torre said.

Even in saying that, Torre was wary. He has seen enough inconsistency from his team not to let one meltdown by the Mets' bullpen obscure all the troubling signs the Yankees have shown. There is still plenty to deal with, Torre said, and the players agreed.

"We'll see," Derek Jeter said. "Every time we win now, people are saying, 'Is this the turning point?' You decide that when the season's over."