where the hell do i even start

Tony Clark was still dripping with sweat, the adrenaline still rippling through his body, when Joe Torre sidled up to him in the clubhouse following the Yankees 18-6 thrashing of the Toronto Blue Jays early last night.

"You know John Olerud is back in there (today), right?," the Yankees manager asked.

"No question about it," said Clark, who immediately headed off for his usual postgame weight-lifting routine. [newark star ledger]

madness. milestones and madness: the most bizarre save of mariano rivera's career... ruben sierra's 300th home run, and yawn, his third grand slam of the year, even... tony clark with the first 3 home run game of his career and only the first yankee since tino in 1997 to do so... alex rodriguez's 31st home run on the year making the yankees the first team in history to post four 200 home run seasons in a row... sheer run-happy madness ended only by the arm of a jays utility infielder. by the time it was all said and done, kevin brown's early difficulties and that the jays at one point had been up 4-0 seemed like hazy fiction. eric hinske said it best: "We got our asses kicked."

in light of the offensive struggles of recent weeks, the explosion was like being able to breathe again; my all out hopping up and down clapping my hands giddiness, however, was tempered lightning-fast by the sight of gary sheffield's ankle rolling at an angle ankles are not supposed go:

The laughter and merriment that come with an 18-6 victory, with watching one teammate launch three home runs and another hit his 300th, with forcing the opposition to put a second baseman in to pitch - all of it dissolved Saturday with one cold jolt of reality.

There was Gary Sheffield writhing in pain at third base, and all the Yankees' universe was aghast, wondering if it was his knee, his ankle, if his season was over and theirs with it. [the hartford courant]

my heart plummeted stomach-ward, and yes, my face looked much like this. because as tony clark put it, "I'm surprised his back isn't sore, too, for as much as we've been riding him this year."

praise baby jesus, he's day to day with a sprain. sheff's reaction when asked if he'd be available today? "I just need to tape it and I can go." hardcore.