Intimidation is a major component in a sporting endeavor. The ability to get into your opponents head will make the difference between winning and losing when the physical aspect is so close, like it is in this World Series. The Highlanders have always liked to use this physiological warfare when dealing with an opponent. Whether it is the constant in stadium bombardment of how many championships they have won or trotting out old time players or prominent political hacks or just flaunting their monetary wealth, the Highlander are masters of head games. Sometimes is works, but sometimes it doesn’t and it looks likes this World Series is one of those times it doesn’t.

You think Cliff Lee is intimidated buy the Bronx Bastards or their palatial surroundings? Not in the least. When asked twice last night after his Game 1 gem first by Fox garden gnome, Ken Rosenthal, if he was nervous and then by Baseball Network’s Trenni Kusnierek, Lee just shrugged and said “What do I have to be nervous about” Lee went on to say that he prepared and did all his side work so he was ready to go and when you do your proper prep work what’s there to worry about? This was the same attitude that Josh Beckett had when his Marlins and Red Sox beat the Highlanders as well. Mystique and Aura, HA! My ass.

CC Sabathia did a good job last night but this biggest fault was falling behind in counts and the inability to throw strike one on a first pitch. Against Chase Utley he fell behind on his first pitch to the Philly second baseman 1-0 but came back to gain a 1-2 advantage as Utley just missed on two fastballs fouling them off. Utley then made Sabathia work by after getting the count even, Utley fouls off two more pitches and then CC misses for ball three and a full count to Utley. So now Utley has seen eight pitches in this at bat and the whole CC portfolio, now with two outs the last thing Sabathia wants is to walk Utley and bring up Ryan Howard with a man on. So CC tries to bust on inside on Utley but the pitches gets a little too much plate and Utley sends just barely over the right field wall for a 1-0 Philly lead. Sabathia pitched a terrific game but some times when you hook up against a guy who is tossing a classic, who have to be better than terrific.

If I’m Joe Girardi, I’d be very concerned about Phil Hughes. Hughes has been awful this October and the grumbling is he’s scared shit. Not a good rep to have and barking at home plate ump Gerry Davis doesn’t help his bad reputation either.

Speaking of Joey G, I’m done trying to figure out his bullpen moves. After the Phil Hughes melt down of walking Victorrino and Rollins, JG brought in Damaso Marte to go lefty-lefty with Utley and Howard. Now with Werth up JG goes with David Robinson who had nothing as he gave up a four pitch walk to Werth. Now you have the lefty Ibanez with in a bases loaded situation and the Highlanders down 2-0. The situation was calling for Phil Coke. But JG leaves in Robertson who gives up a two run single to Ibanez and 2-0 lead is now a 4-0 lead for Philly. That Ibanez AB was the turning point in the game as far as I’m concerned, the game was over at that point.

I’m fascinated by tonight’s match up of Petey and Pie Man. Petey is a Hall of Fame pitcher who like Cliff Lee will not be intimidated by the surroundings of this game. On the other hand, Pie Man has not shown the ability to step up his game in a big spot. You could say when it’s time to put up AJ Burnett is more cream puff than lemon meringue.

No problem here with Mark DeRosa going to the Cardinals for pitcher Chris Perez and a PTBNL. Then Mets equivalent to Perez is Bobby Parnell and I wouldn’t trade Parnell for a 34 year old rental player. The Mets problems are beyond adding DeRosa.

With all due respect to some of my Highlander buddies (Ben Kabak, Alex Bleth, Rebecca Glass) just observing Highlander fans most of the young ones are clueless when it comes to not only the rules of baseball or the strategy of the game but have no idea at all about their teams history. The older ones have a Pavlovian way about them as soon as you mention the name of the team they all bark out “26 Championships” I guess what I’m saying they’re a sad bunch. Our team may not win much but we’re a better class of fan.

A little bit of Tim Redding is good a lot of Tim Redding…..ahh…not so good. If there is one pitcher on the Mets that is the picture of a mop up guy in the pen, it’s Tim Redding.

Ol’ Cholly Manuel laced into his team after a another loss on Friday night and his club responded with a 10-0 win over the Blue Jays. After losing two straight to the Highlanders, Jerry Manuel took his team to the Lemon Ice King of Corona and told them it’s not their fault we have a lot of injuries and “You’re all winners YEAH!!!!!” Maybe that’s why Ol’Cholly has a ring and J-Man doesn’t. I’d love to see J-Man lace into his team and remind them this is the big leagues and they need to compte like big leaguers even if he doesn’t believe half of his roster belongs here.

I hate to bring up this Michael Jackson is dead thing again but there are a few things bothering about this whole Jacko worship that’s on going. As I stated the other day I was not a big fan of Jackson the man or the music. Pop music is not what I listen to I’m a Garage/Punk kinda of guy plus all the folks who think that Jackson was the greatest showman alive obviously had never seen a Stones concert, a Queen concert or a Plasmatics concert but that is neither here nor there

My biggest trouble with Jackson is the fact he slept with little boys, and that is fucking sick. My feeling for this does not just lie with Jackson but with the Catholic church as well and it’s the reason why I have no respect for the clergy any more.

Now if you bring up this part of Jackson’s life to a fan of his you get called al kind of names from a racist (which is funny as the guy went above and beyond to be white) or a heartless fuck. And that is because the truth hurts. But his fans and the media have given him a pass on his past crimes and have treated him like an American hero in his passing.

Michael Vick didn’t sleep with little boys (as far as we know) but he did maim, torture and kill animals which is still despicable and I would love to see Vick tortured the same way he did to those dogs. I’m not some crazy PETA zealot but I do own pets and I’ve been around dogs and just the thought that this scumbag gained the trust of the dogs then made them fight and the ones who weren’t fighters he killed makes my blood boil. Again if you are anti Vick you’re a racist, and a heartless reactionary and the man severed his time and deserves another chance. Not to me as Michael Vick is nothing but a fucking coward and also he wasn’t a very good QB either but he will get a chance some place and his past history of cruelty and murder of dogs will be replaced with cheering fans and enablers

What I’m getting to in my long winded way is Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, Manny Ramirez, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds are just some of the biggest stars in baseball who have been found to use performance drugs to enhance their play on the field and to recover from injury to stay on the field. Of course their actions were wrong as taking PED’s they way they did were unlawful but for the most part not against the laws of baseball well not until the jig was up and the Used Car Salesman acted with shock and horror that players were using PED’s, a performance worthy of an Oscar.

In no way do I condone the actions of the players involved in what is now the Steroid Scandal Era (especially since I’m reading American Icon which will become the essential reading when people look back on this time in baseball) but what I don’t get is how these players are treated worse than a guy who slept with little boys and a guy who killed dogs?

I just wish there was the outcry for the actions of Michael Jackson and Roger Vick like there is for Manny Ramirez who of the three committed the lesser crime.