Series Preview: Sox @ Stanks

Boston (30-13) at New York (19-23)
AL EAST: Sox up 10.5 on Stanks

STATS (AL Rank) BOS/NYY
AVG: .277 (1st)/ .276 (2nd)
ERA: 3.44 (t2nd)/ 4.58 (11th)
RUNS: 232 (2nd)/ 217 (5th)
HRs: 46 (6th)/ 47th (5th)

Pitching Matchups:
Game 1 Mon 7P ESPN HD
Wakefield (4-4, 2.41) vs. Wang (2-3, 4.54)
Game 2 Tues 7P, NESN HD
Tavarez (2-4, 5.59) vs. Mussina (2-2, 5.64)
Game 3 Wed 7P ESPN HD
Schilling (4-1, 3.57) vs. Pettitte (2-3, 2.83)

KEY PLAYERS:

• A-Rod: .311/17/41- it's official: he's Mr. April (.254/3/7 in May)
• Jeter: .365/26R/24BI-has hit in 21 of last 22 gms (36-88, .409)
• Abreu: .243/2/22-OBP almost 100 pts below career avg (.410-.320)
• Posada: .382/6/25- Georgie leads the American League in batting
• Giambi: .268/5/18- recent 'roid reference may get him cut
• Matsui: .295/3/20-power #s down since return from DL
• Demon: .256/24R/15BI-he's been banged up, blah blah blah

Last meeting: Sox took two of three in the Bronx Apr 27-29

I'm not sure if it's just me, located down here in the RSN South branch but there seems to be absolutely no hype for this series whatsoever. I mean, even ESPN, the megawatt hype machine that is broadcasting 2 of the 3 contests, is barely advertising this series, and I can't figure out why.

Is it because the Stankees are more banged up than than the guy who hit on Meadow Soprano?

Or because after being declared as having the greatest month in the history of the game, A(pril)-Rod has fallen to earth faster than SkyLab?

Or perhaps it's because the bumbling, stumbling Stankees, who have dealt with enough insults and injury to fill an entire season worth of Scrubs, are just too sorry & pathetic an organization right now for anyone to give a crap about this series one way or the other.

I'm going to have to go with all of the above because the same feeling just isn't there with this 3-gamer about to get underway in the Big Apple. Perhaps it also has to do with the fact that even if the Stanks somehow managed to sweep the Sox, they would still trail the East leaders by 7 1/2 games, and with another series scheduled in Boston for the first weekend of June, any damage done now could be easily repaired in Fenway, presumably with Josh Beckett back in the rotation.

The latest round of humiliation for the Stanks came this weekend in their interleague series with the rival Mets. The boys from Queens took 2-of-3 from their Bronx brethren and knocked another Stakee starter out of the rotation in the process when Darrell Rasner was injured on a ground ball by Endy Chavez on Saturday; he broke his finger an will need at least three months to recover.

Rasner joins Carl Pavano, Phil Hughes and Jeff Karstens as Stankee starters who are gone for the foreseeable future, and the ones who aren't hurt are pitching like they are. Mussina's ERA is two runs higher than his career average, Pettitte has allowed 56 hits and 21 walks in 57.1 innings, Chien Ming Wang has not regained his pre-injury form yet, and Kei Igawa, their prized $46 million Japanese import, is down in Tampa working on his mechanics with the A-leaguers.

Throw in the fact that Judas Demon is playing like a $13 mil/year octogenarian outfielder, Jason Giambi has opened his mouth and stuck his steroided foot in it again, national columnists are calling for Joe Torre's head, and the entire Stankee organization & fan base is waiting with baited breath for Roger Clemens to recycle up and ride in to save the season, and what you've got is one sorry bunch of sonafabitches residing in the house that Ruth built.

Just for shits and giggles, I hope the Sox sweep those sorry sonafabitches!

Go Sox! Sweep the Stanks!