October 19, 2003 [LINK]
Fish: out of frying pan...
The Marlins astutely exploited their advantage in having had more rest by getting on the scoreboard in the first inning of Game 1 on Saturday night, putting pressure on the Yankees and eking out a win. Why did Aaron Boone cut off that throw to the plate from Hideki Matsui?? The Marlins are indeed masters of "small ball," and Ivan Rodriguez continues his record-setting offensive and defensive performance that could end up tipping the balance. (Note to George Michael: Pudge's first name is pronounced "ee-VAHN," not "EYE-vun.") Am I worried? Not really. The Yanks returned to form and got revenge last night, as sluggers Bernie Williams and Alfonso Soriano hit multi-run homers. Too bad they pulled Andy Petitte in the ninth inning; he almost got a shutout. According to the Fox announcers, since Joe Torre became their manager in 1996, the Yankees have lost the first game in eight postseason series -- and then came back to win in seven of them. Fish beware!