On the brink of elimination, Yanks break out the steroids

NEW YORK (AP) - Jason Giambi got his first start of the playoffs Sunday night, inserted into the Yankees lineup for Game 3 against Cleveland.
The Indians also made a lineup change, putting Trot Nixon in right field. Nixon's combined numbers in the regular season and playoffs against New York starter Roger Clemens were striking: 15-for-39 (.385) with four homers, five doubles, eight walks and 12 RBIs.
With the Yankees looking for more offense as they tried to stave off elimination in the best-of-five playoff series, Giambi batted sixth and replaced defensive whiz Doug Mientkiewicz at first base.
Slumping slugger Hideki Matsui was New York's designated hitter, batting seventh, with leadoff man Johnny Damon playing left field.
Giambi had just one plate appearance as the Yankees combined for only four runs in the first two games of the series at Cleveland. He singled as a pinch-hitter in the opener, late in a 12-3 loss.
The 2000 AL MVP with Oakland, Giambi hit .236 with 14 homers and 39 RBIs this year during a season interrupted by injury. He had only 254 at-bats, but walked 40 times to give him a respectable .356 on-base percentage.
Giambi entered 6-for-14 (.429) with two homers and five walks against the Indians' starting pitcher in Game 3, Jake Westbrook.
"That, plus the fact we really haven't done anything offensively. Our ballclub scoring four runs and three of them on home runs is not our identity," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "We need to put men on base, get them in the stretch, make them think about what we're going to do."

God hates the Yankees

It was Maine Sen. George Mitchell who said to Oliver North that "God doesn't take sides in politics."

Now George Mitchell is investigating steroid use.

And God is taking sides in Major League Baseball.

OK, this has nothing at all to do with steroids or George Mitchell.

But who can deny that Divine Intervention came into play Friday night as the Yankees lost to go down 0-2 vs. Cleveland and be on the brink of having their season ended.

The game was even - a pitchers' duel - and the Yankees had gotten as good an outing as they could have asked for from Andy Pettitte.

Their phenom fireballer, Joba Chamberlain, was on the mound, and he's been unhittable.

Yankee fans everywhere were starting to think about pitching matchups against the Boston Red Sox, jumping ahead to a prospective ALCS.

And God looked down on Jacobs Field, and sent a swarm of insects left over from one of the plagues on Egypt, to smote the Evil Empire.

Blinded by swarming bugs, Joba started throwing wild pitches, and the rest is playoff history.