You SHOW them, A-Rod

The Patriot Ledger, 9:30 p.m. The Red Sox game starts in seven minutes, but all eyes here are on the New York-Minnesota game. It's the ninth inning, and it looks like the challengers are going to go away with a win on New York's turf.

The Twins were one of the few teams to get to Phil Hughes this year, tagging him for a couple runs to take a 3-1 lead.

But the Yankees got one last try, in the bottom of the ninth.

It's the chance every kid dreams about, and the Yankees' highest paid batters were there to take advantage of it, or to fail.

Mark Teixeira did his bit, with a strong single up the right side.

But all eyes were on the cleanup spot, for the second time that night.

Alex Rodriguez had already hit the equalizer in the sixth inning, raking another monkey off his back in the process, in the city of blinding lights that has no room for playoff error.

Now he was digging in again, with the Twins' star closer on the hill.

Man on base, no outs. Home run ties it.

It's not going to happen, right? That's what the Patriot Ledger newsroom was saying. That's what Red Sox Nation was saying, especially the millions of TV sets flicked on for the Sox-Angels game, due to start as soon as A-Rod would bounce into a double play and set up the Yankees defeat.

Rodriguez has never hit in October, and that's been the mantra of Yankees naysayers all the while. What else do they have to say? They can't decry the 103 wins, the nine dominating takedowns of the Sox this year, the withering pitching and loaded lineup in the Bronx. They have to pick on A-Rod, feast on A-Rod, call him A-Fraud, consider him A-Not.

This year's been different, with Rodriguez powering the team and not padding his stats. This October has been different, with Rodriguez actually hitting the ball when there's runners on base.

But no, it couldn't happen, not twice in a game. He tied it once; he can't be expected to do it again. Even a single would be a stretch for a guy who is this bad in October.

Twins' closer Joe Nathan tosses a ball. A-Rod waits and shifts, completely composed.

Is he screaming in his head? Does he know that he has to have this one? That one swing will get all those blasted fans and monkeys off his back for good?

"He's putting it over the fence," I tell the guy next to me. "He'll do it."

"I don't know," he answers, with the typical Red Sox shake of the head. "It's October."

"He tied the game before," I say. "He'll do it again. Home run."

Two balls later, then a strike.

"That was your pitch," I growl.

It was a nice toss, in around the belt where he can pull back and tee off. He's ahead in the count, though, so he had to take that one, and he'll get another.

Here comes the pitch. The most perfect swing in baseball. It's a hit. It's deep, so deep, so deep....

"I told you!"

I'm screaming and jumping as much as the lone Yankees fan, the lone girl, the employee who's only been at her job for two weeks, the interloper who hardly knows her co-workers names, can.

"I told you."

I'm grinning like crazy now, clutching my hands together in claps and holds that only hurt. A couple double-fist pumps, more smiling.

This game is tied, and A-Rod has done as I've said.

Yes, Yankees, yes. I'm going to go call my mother.

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