In your face, Red Sox dopers!

What!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, the two sluggers who anchored the Boston Red Sox lineup on its way to World Series in 2004 and 2007, have been tagged for using steroids.

Ramirez and Ortiz were both named in the 2003 report that implicated Alex Rodriguez and a total of 100 MLB players.

I am almost speechless, unable to make the thousands of points cramming into my head, at this news. Euphoric? Yes. Trying to say something that involves the word "tainted"? Also yes. Pleased that the Curse of the Bambino could only be broken with juice? Yes, yes, yes.

Best in the league

With their 6-2 win tonight, and the Los Angeles Dodgers' 3-2 loss (in 15 innings), the Yankees are tied with the Dodgers for the best record in Major League Baseball.

W, sweep

New York swept Tampa Bay tonight with a 6-2 win, and with a Red Sox loss, that puts the Yankees up another game in the American League East.

Joba Chamberlain went eight huge innings, allowing no runs, before Brian Bruney let things get scary in the bottom of the ninth as two runs scored. Bruney hasn't been the same since his injury earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Chamberlain has won four of his last eight starts and rose to 7-2 on the season.

Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira both had two home runs and two RBI to lead the Bombers. Teixeira is tied for the lead in American League homers and is third in RBI.

Next, the Yankees head northwest to face the Chicago White Sox.

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Joba into the seventh

Joba Chamberlain is pitching into the seventh inning once again, making the reliever-turned-starter one of the Yankees' most solid pitchers this season. In his last couple starts, Joba has one earned run and 10 strikeouts to his credit, spread over 13 innings and a win (and maybe another, depending on how tonight's game against the Rays turns out).

Chamberlain is leading New York past Tampa Bay 3-0 right now.

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Call Rick Sanchez!

I've been cranky for a while about the media's infatuation with Twitter, which I see as a lame attempt to get on the newest facet of social networking before it passes them by completely (read some of their blog posts about suggestions on how to "innovate" with Facebook and you'll see how clueless they are about the usefulness of modern Web-based journalism vehicles).

This article from a USC professor drops the shocker that his students use Facebook, not Twitter, and that he doesn't think Twitter will last. No surprise there.

What journalism institutions today need to do is stop following the 18-to-34-year-old crowd as they jump from fad to fad and instead concentrate on what journalism will look like in the future. Will people want a Twitter feed for their news? If you really think they will, concentrate on that. How about a Facebook-style system? OK, do that. Or, maybe, people will want the information in a solid, reliable way that doesn't jump around on new systems and rely on idiots such as Rick Sanchez reading over the TV airwaves what his viewers (people at home in their pajamas) think about issues.

Here's the point: People like Twitter right now, but it's not Twitter that's making the difference; it's the underlying push toward a new kind of media and a new way of getting news that is important. Journalists need to latch onto that and stop being distracted by shiny, new enterpreneuring, short-lived fads.

A new way for the White House to snub the press

Call it one act in a list of many, but the White House's choice to cancel newspaper subscriptions as a cost-cutting measure is just another shot to the heart of journalism.

Yes, I lll-ove you!

As the fearsome American League East-threatening Tampa Bay Rays charged into their 10-game homestand, one could only hope for the safety of New York, fat off its 9-1 home furlough.

But it was the Yankees who devoured their southern division foes tonight, gulping an 11-4 win that keeps the Bombers a step ahead of the Sox.

A.J. Burnett went seven again, making him one of the hottest pitchers of late in the hitter-friendly half of the league. But the real hero tonight was Nick Swisher, who hit long bombs from both sides of the plate.

He led a Yankee offense that had 15 hits, including three from Derek Jeter and two apiece from Robinson Cano (2 RBI), Melky Cabrera, Mark Teixeira and Swisher (3 RBI). Alex Rodriguez doubled home two runs, and Johnny Damon hit a three-run homer.

The Yankees (61-38) have ticked off the first game in their string of the next 26 games, 19 of which will be away from home. They lead Boston (58-40) by two and a half games, and Tampa Bay (54-46) by seven and a half. Toronto (48-51) has slipped to 13 back.

New York trails the L.A. Dodgers (62-37) for the best record in the majors.

Tuesday and Wednesday's bouts will also be against the Rays, then New York heads to Chicago to face the White Sox into the weekend.

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Coke in glass bottles!

Thank you, Slate, for providing an article that explains why we need to return glass-bottled Coke to the U.S., and not rely on people who let our soda sit in balmy conditions for an extended period of time.

News sources had Internet woes from the beginning

Don't think news sources didn't try to take advantage of the Internet in the beginning, this Poynter article says, just realize that early Internet technology was so bad that some news leaders didn't think it would take off, and if it did, that it would be too difficult to use (for, say, the legions of bloggers and news aggregate sites, all for free).


When the Internet picked up and other people found easier, better ways to use it, the news sources who were ahead were stuck with outdated technology. And like good, Depression-era journalists, they tried to squeeze the juice out of their old stuff like they would with an old press. But technology improves exponentially, and news sources were soon behind the game.

You know the rest of the story from here.

Too close for comfort with Tim Tebow

A lot of people are upset that, during SEC Media Day, a reporter asked Tim Tebow if he was a virgin.

Tebow is well-known throughout all sports not only for his ability to reel in big stats and championships but also because he follows his faith, from the Scripture references written under his eyes to his summer missions work in the Philippines.

On Poynter, Al Tompkins says his issue with the question was that it happened during SEC Media Day. I personally think the reporter was taking the chance he got; even Tebow was surprised no one asked him sooner.

Another writer, Dennis Dodd, seemed more disturbed by the question than anything, saying you don't talk about someone's sex life...or rather, first time...like that. After all the extramarital affairs in sports, towel-droppings and other dirty-mouthed, unnecessary jokes about sex, I'm not sure why we're excluding the topic of sex...except maybe because here, it's the exclusion of sex that is the big deal. In our increasingly sexualized society, where everyone talks about it and no one cares, has it suddenly become uncomfortable to talk about a guy with self-restraint?

Tebow welcomes these kind of questions, and he was ready to answer.

But just as talking about sex was once taboo, and even a cause to squirm, I think abstinance plays a similar role in today's society. Many people can't fathom or understand a lot of the factors surrounding someone who chooses not to have sex until marriage, because it's so uncommon and more often associated with failed political policies (for sex-ed), strange and backwoods cults and religious groups, or awkward, non-cool guys (which I'm assuming no one categorizes Tebow as).

Dodd is upset a line has been crossed. This may be a good line, even if Tebow's in the minority by being on the other side of it.

NYT subscribers, not advertisers, are funding the show

As the New York Times publishes its quarterly profits report, it looks like the Gray Lady is making more from circulation (suscribers, newsstand readers) than advertising.

This means two obvious things: (1) Advertising is nose-diving, and fast. (2) Charging as much for the Sunday Times as it costs to drive across the state of Massachusetts was apparently worth it.

While newspapers as a whole are having trouble figuring out how to remain profitable, the Times has an interesting angle to work: it has a loyal, high-end, well-educated readership. Traditionally, this meant it could count on advertising dollars. But now it also means that the paper may be transitioning into that era that has been theorized in journalism classrooms but hasn't seen daylight thus far: readers being willing to pay more for a specialty publication.

It's no longer mass media time, with the Times reaching out to the world and expecting a wide swath of readers to peruse its pages and pull in its advertisers. The Times' readership has become a distinct group, and many have been clear that they're willing to pay the outrageous subscription prices to keep getting the top-notch newspaper.

(If you think jacking up prices is a mistake, I would say you're right for most papers. But the Times is a unique product. Think about how much more people pay for a specialty periodical than their typical off-the-rack Time or People magazine...around 150-175%. So, the Times can get away with it because it's going for that up-scale slice.)

(But also remember that if this transition does happen, the Times still may lose readers in the process as it separates the wheat from the chaff.)

Could it be that this is what the Times missed all along? That the way to fund its paper was to, in fact, charge the people who really wanted it?

Whether the Times comes out as a smudgy broadsheet, an Internet edition, an online TimesReader edition, or in comprehensive reports published by the best reporters in the world, it will have readers. To stay afloat and fund this content and reporting, now all the Times has to do, apparently, is charge them more.

Eight runs, eight wins in a row

Rumor had it that the A's were sending their ace to the mound tonight.

Well, the Yankees were sending their bats, and they would not be denied.

First it was a modest 2-1 lead, then it built. 3-1 in the fifth. 4-1 in the sixth.

Then, in the bottom of the eighth, when the Yankees could have hung their cleats and let Mo come in to finish off the Non-Athletics, New York ripped it open to lead 8-1.

Eight runs, eight wins in a row.

With the 8-3 win, New York kept its edge in the American League East as the Red Sox slipped past the Orioles 3-1 tonight. (Tampa Bay and Toronto, never satisfied to let a game go a mere nine innings, went into the 10th before the Rays won 4-2.)

The Yankees knocked out A's ace Brett Anderson, who was scoreless in 21 innings and hadn't lost in his past six starts. The Bombers countered with a sharp pitcher of their own, the recently surging Joba Chamberlain, who went into the eighth inning with a new durability that wasn't present earlier in the season.

Joba let a first-inning run score then shut down Oakland the rest of the way.

Derek Jeter went 3-for-5 with 2 RBI, and Johnny Damon's one hit sent home three runs. Melky Cabrera was 3-for-4, Robinson Cano went 2-for-3, and Jorge Posada continued to break out of his recent hitting slump with a four-bag dinger for the second time in three games.

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Now Beckham gets his punishment

Days after a fan was banned for life from the L.A. Galaxy's home stadium, David Beckham has been given his punishment for his part in the fan-player interaction.

Beckham will be fined $1,000 for getting involved.

Proportionally measured against what Major League Soccer makes, that seems fair. Proportionally measured against what other athletes of Beckham's status and income make (think NFL end zone fines, for instance), that seems ludicrous. Proportionally speaking for the amount of grief Beckham has brought MLS, that seems more than a few integers off.

24-7 (and 10)

The Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics 6-3 Thursday night on Mark Teixeira's 24th home run of the season, making it New York's 7th win in a row, with CC Sabathia becoming the first Yankee to 10 wins as he notched a W.

Teixeira is now in a three-way tie for the home run lead in the American League (never mind that Albert Pujols and his 34 homers in the National League). New York is 2-and-a-half games up in the American League East.

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Hughes vs. Joba

The following are some statistics to enter into the case of which pitcher should play eighth-inning anchorman and which should start, Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes.

At first I favored Joba for the eighth-inning fireballer role, since his strikeout ability makes him an obvious choice for quick outs. Hughes had always been a starter and had the ability to go deep into games, although his statistics were inflated by early career injuries. But Hughes' recent dominance has made me reconsider.

Consider this: Since moving to the 'pen, Hughes has struck out 21 through 16-and-two-thirds innings.

Here's the breakdown:
CHAMBERLAIN, 2007: 19 games, 0 starts; 0.38 ERA; 24 innings, 34 Ks; 0-2 (great "reliever" year)
HUGHES, 2007: 13 games, 13 starts; 4.46 ERA; 72.2 innings, 58 Ks; 5-3 (a "starter" year)

CHAMBERLAIN, 2008: 42 games, 12 starts; 2.60 ERA; 100.1 innings, 118 Ks; 4-3 (half-and-half year)
HUGHES, 2008: 8 games, 8 starts; 6.62 ERA; 34 innings, 23 Ks; 0-4 (bad "starter" year)

CHAMBERLAIN, 2009: 18 games, 18 starts; 4.05 ERA; 95.2 innings, 86 Ks; 5-2 (full "starter" year)
HUGHES, 2009: 22 games, 7 starts; 3.70 ERA; 56 innings, 58 Ks; 4-2 (half "reliever" year)

I think the research shows that relievers tend to have better statistics in the Ks-per-inning and ERA ranges. Chamberlain's statistics ramp up just like a line chart as he moves from reliever to starter. Hughes' are more subtle, but being a reliever has obviously suited him well.

Who is better for the team? No easy answer here.

Redesigned Newsweek doesn't get the bump it hoped for

This article from the New York Observer reports that the redesigned Newsweek did not get the bump in circulation it was hoping for.

Newsweek retooled its coverage to be less up-to-date and instead have more heavy reporting and analysis. But from the beginning, the intention that was voiced by Newsweek was that the magazine was aiming to be more highbrow, and attract more affluent readers that advertisers could target to, than be a hot mag off the rack.

I hardly know anyone who sees The Economist on the newsstand and grabs it as an impulse buy; Newsweek is moving in that direction, rather than becoming more People-like (or Time-like, for that matter). (Note: The NYO article also looks at how The Economist is doing compared to a year ago.)

...and this is why I like getting the Globe

Check out this story about a guy who was impaled through the head with an iron rod and lived to tell about it (and get his photo taken!).

Update on the Beckham saga

No new wrinkles on how David Beckham is being received statewide, but one of the angry fans from the L.A. Galaxy's home debut has been banned from the stadium for life for entering the field. Becks 1, Angry Fan 0

The newspaper vs. Web experiment

Slate writer Michael Kinsley has started an experiment where different sets of people will read either only newspapers or only news Web sites for a day, with the aim being to find out if there's anything behind those arguments that one source or the other leaves a reader better-informed.

Check out his Slate article about the idea, and try it yourself. (I'm going to do Web for a few days then newspapers this weekend.)

5 in a row; Division lead

Enter Sandman. Mo Rivera seals the game for the Yankees, who have won five in a row and took the American League East outright with a Red Sox loss tonight (4-2 to the Texas Rangers).

The young pitcher who was called up to start for New York tonight didn't look so sharp, but that's what the rest of the team (and super-efficient Alfredo Aceves: 12 pitches, 4 outs) is for. New York won 6-4.

Meanwhile, the O's sink to 41-52, giving them a firm hold on the cellar spot they fill so well. I'm tempted to say Baltimore would be better if it didn't play in such a tight division, but the botched double play and a dropped fly a couple innings ago took that argument from my fingers.

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A-Rod pokes 'em home

UPDATE: A beautiful Derek Jeter-Robinson Cano double play. Jeter tosses, Cano sends it to first with the whip of his arm, not even turning his hips. YouTube it.

UPDATE: Johnny Damon sends one home with a well-placed single in the bottom of the fourth, putting New York up 6-2.

RUNNING UPDATE: Robinson Cano made up for an earlier whiff of a K with a two-run blast in the bottom of the fourth, putting the Yankees on top 5-2 at home against the Baltimore Orioles. His shot chased Orioles starting pitcher Rich Hill.

One inning before, Alex Rodriguez helped spike the image that he's bad in the clutch.

He sat at the plate in the bottom of the third, with the bases loaded and two outs, letting the Yankee crowd ring in his ears as he faced an 0-1 count.

Hapless Baltimore pitcher Hill (who, despite having a no-hitter through two, had allowed Derek Jeter to score off a walk and a couple sacrifice flies), tossed him a pumpkin, right down the middle.

A-Rod let it go by. But before the slugger could soak in much more hate from the legions of Yankees fans upset at him for letting such a beautiful pitch go by, he unleashed his picture-perfect swing. The result was a solid connection, a poke on a looping pitch that plopped over short and sent two New York runners home.

A-Rod's strong hitting this year with runners on base has balanced an attack that statistically has not been as strong as in other years for the three-time MVP. He's only hitting .250 with 19 home runs and 52 RBIs, which is well under par for him (and especially for an odd-numbered year, when he is usually blistering at the plate).

Despite a slow start due to his hip injury, however, A-Rod has given his team a winning record while he's healthy (thus dooming many theories about the effect of him as a teammate) and is still second on the team in long bombs with 19 and RBI (52).

Across the league, the Red Sox are already behind the Texas Rangers, 2-0.

Cross your fingers....

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Problems with the Digital Age

An unforeseen problem in the digital age: that when you buy a digital copy of something (song, book, etc.), you own it less than you would in real life.

This Slate article explores the way different digital providers can manipulate your devices and software, even after you've bought something free and clear. It's scary.

Tied.

The Red Sox fell tonight 6-3, which, coupled with the Yankees' win over the Orioles, ties New York and Boston atop the American League East.

Both are 55-37, with the Yankees winning the last four in a row and the Red Sox losing the last three.

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Another 2-1 win

It's another 2-1 win for the Yankees, who top the Baltimore Orioles for their fourth win in a row and an undefeated run since the All-Star break.

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Welcome home, Becks

You knew David Beckham was going to get it when he finally returned to his home team, the Los Angeles Galaxy, but it sounds like the game was a little rough.

Playing against AC Milan (that's right, the team that the prodigal Becks ran away to before returning to L.A. to leg out the season) for his first night on home turf probably didn't help.

Time away from the team that is paying him a pantload is always a sore spot for fans and Major League Soccer, but this offseason added it on with a spate of controversy about Beckham's devotion to the team and his treatment of Galaxy star Landon Donovan (which I wrote about here).

Check out a story about Beckham's first night back, and stay tuned to see what the future will hold, the main options being: (A) Beckham rising like a phoenix from the smoldering ego ashes, (B) censorship and fan removal at games or (C) those "gestures" from Beckham mentioned in the game story turning into something a little more.

Joba's back

Joba Chamberlain was back today, pitching a gem to lead the Yankees past Detroit in another National League-like 2-1 win. Joba had eight strikeouts, with five of them being the last five batters he faced. He went well into the game, too (six and two-thirds innings), and notched his first win since June 24.

The bullpen helped New York the rest of the way, with Phil Hughes throwing another solid inning (2 Ks) and Mariano Rivera closing it out the third day in a row for his 26th save in 27 chances this season.

(Side note: whether it's Hughes or Joba, I really like having a guy with starting pitcher-quality firepower anchoring the eighth inning. It's the missing link in a bullpen that was blowing huge leads earlier this season.)

Offensively, only two guys showed up for New York, and it was the two guys with the most green in their pockets: Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez. Both went 2-for-4 with an RBI on solo home run shots. Teixeira also had a double.

The Yankees now sit just one game back from the division-leading Boston Red Sox.

The Bombers host the Baltimore Orioles, a division foe, for the next three games before welcoming the Oakland A's for a series.

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Pitching, in good form

CC Sabathia tossed a shutout through seven innings today to lead the Yankees past the Detroit Tigers 2-1. Sabathia has the best ERA of all New York starters (3.66) and is the first one to nine wins (9-6).

Melky Cabrera legged out a key single that allowed New York to win the game by a run, which is ironic since his spot on the team has been on and off with speedster Brett Gardner.

Meanwhile, Derek Jeter is third in the American League with a .325 batting average, and Mark Teixeira is third in homers (22) and fourth RBIs (66).

Boston dropped a game today, bringing the Yankees within two of the division leaders.

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Back from the break

The Yankees came back from the All-Star break in style, winning 5-3 over the Detroit Tigers.

Google hieroglyphics

An interesting look at some of Google's more strange logos, courtesy of Slate.

Yikes...Michael Jackson, hair on fire

The video of when Michael Jackson's hair caught on fire while he was filming a Pepsi commercial has surfaced on the Web (see it with an article at USAToday.com). This has drawn immediate questions about Jackson's painkiller use, etc., but all I have to say is, how do you not know when your head is on fire? And apparently his dance moves put out the flames. Yikes.

Maybe it was the Holy Spirit coming and anointing him.

Becks

Imagine how big the David Beckham saga would be if soccer were bigger in the U.S.

I'm not going to weigh in on my feelings about Becks just yet, but here's a quick highlight of what has happened in the past couple weeks.

Sports Illustrated ran a feature that showed Beckham as a self-serving, bad (American) teammate wherein he was criticized by top American soccer player Landon Donovan; Beckham got mad at Donovan; Beckham came back to the L.A. Galaxy; and Grant Wahl talked about his book, which was excerpted in the original SI article.

The next few weeks will be crucial to see how Nick-and-Jessica, er, Becks-and-Landon, patch up their relationship.

Enough about those "highly paid" Yankees

Whine about the Yankees' incredible spending power if you will, but remember that it's veterans who have risen through the system (Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada) and low-paid or young players (Brett Gardner, Melky Cabrera, Robinson Cano, Cody Ransom) who are doing most of the work.

Right now, it's the top of the sixth, and the Yankees are beating the Twins 6-4. Ransom and Gardner have two RBIs apiece and Jeter has another.

The only place you can really get away with whining about all that money buys? Half of the starting rotation (CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett) and the No. 3 hole (Mark Teixeira), I guess. But still, the rotation is building on Yankee veteran Andy Pettitte, and New York-raised Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes.

A lot of money has been spent, but that's not necessarily where the wins are coming from.

Check out the Yankees' payroll here. With the exception of the aforementioned veterans, who deserve a pretty buck after spending their entire career in New York, the Yankees' big contributors for the days are all making regular MLB money. Cut out the ridiculously paid guys (Sabathia, Alex Rodriguez, Burnett, etc.), and the Yankees would still have a contending team.

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Why marriage matters...sort of

Time's recent cover story about why marriage matters was interesting, well-written and a good read altogether. But I'd like to think that marriage is more important than just because there may be kids involved (could there be a higher calling for this human race than to reproduce effectively?). Read the article here.

Yankees hit 50 wins

The Yankees won their 50th game of the season tonight, pulling out a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

A.J. Burnett continued his solid pitching, allowing only two runs over his six and one-third innings. Mariano Rivera notched his 22nd save, out of 23 chances.

Brett Gardner singled in two runs, and Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher (both 1-for-4, 1 RBI), Derek Jeter (2-for-5) and Jorge Posada (2-for-3) helped the Yankees at the plate.

Tomorrow night the Yankees close out their series in Minnesota, going for their second sweep of the Twins this year, before flying to Los Angeles to face the American League West-leading Angels (46-36) on Friday.

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Plain and simple, Palin is ununderstandable

Whether you agree or disagree with Sarah Palin, there's a litmus test for your intelligence: whether you agree that, for all Palin says, it's very difficult to know what she actually is, and what it is she supports.

This Slate column mirrors my feelings about Palin's ways of communicating.

Palin is great at being a master politician/celebrity, rallying the base, and calling out her opponents. What she lacks is a clear message behind what she's saying. She has the form, but no content.

In this world of culture wars and reactionary politics, Palin has only fueled the flame for those who want to attack but can't find a platform of their own to speak about...a cause to really back.

This method of Republican/conservative politics, already fueled by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and all at Fox News, is what has made the right a petty, reactionary party in an age when so many people are calling for substantial policies and intelligent debate. Palin still has the base, poll numbers are showing, but that base is coming to represent a sad slice of ignorant America. Until the more conservative side of America finds a leader with true substance who can communicate a real cause well, the ramblings of Palin will be the best it can get.

HR-less win shows Yankees' balance

The Yankees topped the Twins 10-2 tonight with nary a homer, once again showing New York's ability to win with a balanced attack.

Ace CC Sabathia led the defense, allowing only one run over seven innings (with just three Ks), and every Yankees starter had a hit. Over the night, the Bombers patched together 16 hits, including a 4-for-6 night by Mark Teixeira and a triple-led 3-for-5 round by Brett Gardner.

The famed Minnesota onslaught, meanwhile, saw sluggers Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer both go 0-for-3.

On the season, the Yankees aren't really stacking the statistics categories, either. Mariano Rivera's 21 saves are third in the American League, and Teixeira's 20 homers and 62 RBIs are in the top five, but no other Yankees are leading in major statistical categories.

Instead, the team is using a balanced attack. In my tally of the top three Yankees in batting average, homers, and RBIs, I have seven different guys sharing the honors. The four starting pitchers that have been tossing regularly for the Yankees have virtually the same ERAs and win-loss totals. And when players hit the DL or take a night off, the bench players (such as catcher Francisco Cervelli) are hitting, too.

The Yanks were 17-17 when they came into their last series against the Twins, a four-gamer that they swept en route to their current 49-34 record. They needed a few walk-offs in that series; I'm not sure they'll need any this time.

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It's now 10-1

Sixth inning. 10-1. And counting.

Swish and a bang

The Yankees are off to another hot start, prompting me out of my July 4th blogging hiatus to find something new to say about my favorite yo-yoing New Yorkers.

First, a few observations: Whenever I'm working on the sports desk at my illustrious intern position at the MetroWest Daily News, the Red Sox always seem to be winning. A lot. Argh.

Second, although I am a fan who generally trusts management decisions for my favorite teams, the Yankees have started to irk me lately, especially with the choice of the final starter (with Chien-Ming Wang out) and the eighth-inning setup man. Today, the Yanks announced they were starting top-notch receiver Alfredo Aceves in place of Wang, even though Phil Hughes has done a great job in the starting role earlier this season. (Hughes may be a little rusty, but don't tell me never-started Aceves isn't.)

And finally, the reason for my swish-and-bang headline: The Yankees are currently winning 5-1, and I am quite pleased. Nick Swisher scared the Twinsies into walking him, forcing a run, and every member of the Yankees has a hit so far through five innings (except, alas, Alex Rodriguez).

New York is just a game back of the Red Sox, and the Bombers hold down the second-best record in the American League (third-best in MLB).

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Newsweek blurs the ad lines

Newsweek's redesign has incurred plenty of comments about where news is heading and what the magazine now provides, but this week's issue of Newsweek stepped beyond the normal, design-and-content blabber and took a bold step where a newsmagazine probably shouldn't be going.

Part of Newsweek's redesign is the swaths of white space surrounding the columns of text that somewhat fill its pages, and this week Newsweek got creative and sold adspace in those wide white spaces. Here's the catch: the ad and redesign go together so seamlessly, there's no real break where the advertiser is advertising and Newsweek is news-ing, which makes it look like they go together.

Amazon's ad pokes up in the bottom lefthand corner, and a portion of text points to the Newsweek story with an arrow, saying "In the time it takes you read this excerpt, you can wirelessly download an entire book." (And to complicate things, Newsweek is indeed running a book excerpt, which is another form of meshing the divide between coverage and promotion.) The Newsweek story is boxed off by a very thin blue line, but across the spread, Newsweek's fine-print masthead gives the appearance of being the ad's fine print, without any separation from the excerpt's photos, which hang in the margins.

Basically, Newsweek is going from running ads that look like content (which they do earlier in the issue, advertising for books in their books section) to running ads that wrap into the content. A bold, daring way to make money? No, I don't think so. Rather, it's just another way the new design is cheapening a strong product.

Huh. That was easy.

Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera combined for yet another win-save combo (their 60th) as the Yankees moved past Seattle 4-2 on the back of home runs by Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera and Alex Rodriguez.

Next up, New York welcomes Toronto in a hot matchup in the searing-hot American League East. The Yankees (44-32) are two and a half games back from the Red Sox (48-30), two and a half in front of the Rays (44-36) and four and a half in front of the Blue Jays (42-38). Boston and New York have the top two records, respectively, in the American League.

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