I'll take it

As they say, a win's a win, but, man, what a wild ride.

To be thinking, going into the seventh, about how lucky I was that I was Tivo-ing the game, as it was looking like it could be a historic perfect game, to sweating out the eighth inning as Ortiz bashes one practically through Matsui's glove for a triple (Matsui's bat, fortunately, more than made up for his ineptitude in the field), that's a helluva lot to take.

But, as so often been the case in the wonderful, crazy ten year run the Yanks have had, they have an advantage in the post-season that no other team has. Ma-ri-a-no. After attending the funeral of his two cousins in the morning in Panama, then flying back and entering the clubhouse in the second inning, then going out and getting the last four outs in a game he should not have had to pitch in, including a 1-6-3 double play to end the game, Rivera is simply one of the most remarkable players I've ever watched. I feel extraordinarily fortunate to have been able to watch him, day in and day out. He's one of those guys you feel should be inducted into the Hall of Fame before he retires.

Rivera's day was draining. After the funeral, he flew for nearly five hours, emotionally spent. But when he arrived, he immediately told pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre that he could pitch. He rode to the bullpen in a golf cart through the tunnels underneath the Stadium in the fifth inning, like he does during every game and when he saw backup catcher John Flaherty, his usual riding partner, he said, "Let's go, buddy."

"I knew what was going to happen when he got to the bullpen, with the fans and everything," said Flaherty, referring to the huge hand Rivera got from the spectators nearby. "It was incredible."

Rivera gave up two hits in the ninth and the Red Sox had their final chance, but the righthander got Bill Mueller, who had beaten him earlier this year with a two-run homer, to hit into a game-ending double play. Rivera shook his teammate's hands and Derek Jeter gave him an extra squeeze at the end.

"I've been with Jeter so many years, since the minor leagues," Rivera said. "We have the kind of relationship that nobody can break. He's my friend, my teammate and I love him."

There is no telling what will happen in this series. It was fun to watch the Yanks bludgeon Schilling, but it was not fun watching Tanyon Sturtz and, especially, Tom Gordon get beaten up. But the Red Sox have so set themselves up for rueful failure. Whether it's their fans hoping the Yanks would beat the Twins so that the Sox could whack the Yanks on the way to the World Serious, or Schilling saying before last night's game that "the perfect scenario was making 55,000 Yankee fans shut up," you wonder why they never learn to just quietly go about trying to beat the Yanks on the field instead of in the press conference.

I will say one thing about Johnny Damon, the classy center fielder for the Sox. Apparently, when Rivera entered the bullpen in the fifth, Damon noticed and made a gesture of support to the grieving reliever. Well done.

More excitement tonight as the Yank's Lieber will face Pedro "Who's your daddy" Martinez. Lieber gives up plenty of hits -- no small thing to this relentless Red Sox offense -- but with Schilling failing so spectacularly the pressure now falls on L'il Petey to right the collective psyche of Red Sox Nation.