A-Rod's bomb salvages Yanks win

Nothing is easy for the 2008 New York Yankees. Last night in Minnesota, Mike Mussina hands a 6-3 lead to the rebuilt bullpen bridge--Damaso Marte--and chaos follows. Marte's production in Pinstripes has not been what the Bombers bargained for when they acquired the respected southpaw at the trade deadline. He entered the game with an ERA of 9.0 in eight appearances, last night he faces three batters allows two hits and only gets one out. The Great Rivera enters early and the unthinkable happens--Delmon Young goes deep, game tied.

Those searching for progress in 2008 could hang their hats on the relief corps. Fans of the front office want to believe that the talent has always been there but old Joe didn't know what to do. The legend of Torre's mangling grew as Girardi's shrewd cultivation took hold. An unfunny thing happened on the way to the pennant race. The heat got turned up and the new bullpen crew melted. Bruney, Veras , Ramirez and Marte have been pelted nine games into the road trip from hell.

Last night's story has a happy ending. A-Rod hits a bomb in the 12TH, over the 408 foot mark, Veras and Ramirez rebound and the Yankees salvage a win. The wild-card race is still mathematically feasible--42 games, third place, five game deficit. But the list of issues for the 2008 New York Yankees continues to grow. Nothing is easy.

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