why do i even bother reading anyone else? if she wrote every day, i probably wouldn't.

On the television behind Shawn Chacon, the Red Sox were down to their last out. It was the bottom of the ninth at Fenway, and a team that hardly ever loses at home was about to fizzle away for the second straight night.

Chacon never bothered to turn around and gawk at all the fuss. Other Yankees, especially the ones who have some experience in this phenomena, were peeking at the carnage and trying not to grin. It was like watching hounds being held back from chasing the fox. But Chacon didn't need to witness what he already understood to be a Yankee commandment, one that's etched upon the owner's rock-hard heart.


"I just know this weekend is the most exciting and most important weekend of my career," Chacon was saying after pitching the game of his life, a 2-1 win over Baltimore that, coupled with Boston's loss to Toronto, gave the Yankees a one-game lead in the AL East with four delicious days remaining in the regular season.

"I see what lies ahead," said Chacon. "It's win or go home."

It's onto the postseason, if we are to go by Chacon's good vibes and infectious karma. Forget about his previous existence in Colorado. Chacon isn't inclined to dwell on mistakes, a trait that makes him perhaps the Yankees' most precious starter in a season in which their pitching hasn't exactly set hearts afire. Chacon's only regret last night was the fat 2-0, second-inning pitch he threw down the gut that Javy Lopez lifted over the left-field wall. From then on, through another 20 batters, Chacon was like a character in a Kanye West video, all smooth moves and sly winks.

"He's Mr. Cool Cat, walking through the dugout with his hat pulled down, baggy pants down," said Joe Torre.

Baseball's nirvana commences this weekend in Boston, where anything can happen and probably will. Chacon has never pitched on three days' rest and probably won't, unless Torre has an epiphany between now and Sunday. How perfect that the season might come down to a guy who earns not much more than baseball's minimum wage taking the ball for this $220 million team.

Labels: yanquis