cough

the boss was on hand, of course, hovering like a turtlenecked mother hen in aviator glasses: "It was like having the principal watch the class," [alex rodriguez] said. "It was pretty funny."

yeah, haw haw haw. but lest we lose perspective amidst all the rollicking good times:

The Yankees finished last night with a seven-game cushion over Anaheim in the American League playoff race, the only race that is truly meaningful in a sport whose last two champions did not win their measly four- and five-team divisions. Sometimes it is difficult to remember this around George Steinbrenner's Yankees, who often seem psychologically trapped in a universe of two.

In the South Bronx, you can almost imagine Steinbrenner on his horse, galloping down the Grand Concourse, shouting, "The Red Sox are coming!" Like a summer romance, much of a 10½-game lead over Boston in the A.L. East has melted away, but here's the twist: While the Red Sox were hammering the Angels again last night, they were looking more and more like a playoff team but easing the postseason pressure on the Yankees as well. [ny times]