ALL IS QUIET ON THE YANKEE FRONT

The trade deadline passed this afternoon without too much fanfare as the Mets never got Manny Ramirez and the Yankees just traded their designated for assignment pitcher Buddy Groom and His Band of Renown for a player to be named later or just cash. That shouldn't be much more than 8 bucks.

Speaking of Buddy Groom he blasted the Yankees and Skipper Joe Torre in the press today. All the tabloids had similar reports but ESPN sums it up nicely. Groom became expendable when the Yankees signed Bosox castoff Alan Embree. The Yankees also designated former Staten Island Yankee Alex Graman for assignment and recalled Wayne Franklin. All the afore mentioned are lefthanders. The Yankees are hoping that Embree and Felix Rodiguez will sure up the middle relief.

They Yankees had another wild ride on Sunday as the fans were passing out the Zantac as the Yankees came through victorious on a see-saw game 8-7. Jason Giambi hit two home runs in the victory giving him 14 dingers for July the most since Mickey Mantle did that feat in 1961. His second homer was his 300th of his career.

The 13 year old boy that was became missing on Friday Night at Yankee Stadium was found Sunday in Queens. What the report doesn't say is that the young man was a foster child . Either way always keep the ticket stub in your kids pocket. Heck a 13 year old that never been to Yankee Stadium before should NOT be sent to the mens room alone on a sold out game. I am sure more will come out in days to come.

WHERE HAVE ALL OUR PITCHERS GONE?

Greetings Bomber Buddies, If you didn't believe in Murphy's Law you probably do by now. Or perhaps it is just the Bambino's Curse being reversed. You did see that when David Wells stopped wearing #3 he and the Sox started winning. Let's add Chien Ming Wang to our list of Yankee casualties. He has been DLed with what is believed to be a torn rotary cuff and should be out for the remainder of the season. He will be examine by Dr. Andrews on Monday to determine the severity of the tear. That is added to Carl Pavano's tendinitis, Kevin Brown's back spasms and Jarad Wright's flavor of the year injuries. Never thought I would be looking forward to getting Kevin Brown back. Kevin Brown had a solid bullpen session yesterday and could be Monday's starter if he still feels good today. The Yankees would prefer him do do rehab but the situation may not permit it.

HELP IS ON THE WAY
Help (???) is on the way in the form of Al Leiter as the Yankees struck a deal with the Marlins to bring the veteran lefty back to Pinstripes for the proverbial player to be named later. Leiter, who is 39, was designated for assignment by the Marlins on Thursday. The team had 10 days to release or trade the left-hander, who was 3-7, 6.64 ERA this year as a starter and reliever. Gee a contender getting rid of a lefty pitcher, to an AL team no less??? Doesn't look like a cure to me. Mel Stottlemyre can't work miracles. Well if he doesn't work out maybe we can trade him for Jesse Barfield again. Leiter was a Yankee prospect before being shipped to Toronto for Barfield. One note on Al Leiter's Topps rookie card the mistakenly printed the wrong photo on it.

MORE HELP
In other news Felix Rodriguez, who pitched two scoreless innings with Trenton Friday and is scheduled to make one more rehab appearance with the Thunder (possibly on Saturday) before being activated. Further down the road, Ramiro Mendoza has began throwing batting practice as he attempts to come back from the rotater cuff surgery he had back in January.

In what is being biled as the battle of aces the Yankees seek revenge as Randy Johnson takes on Matt Clement on the FOX Game of the Week today at 1:20 PM.

HALFTIME

It's the All Star Break and off to Detroit are Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera and Gary Sheffield. At the break we are really lucky to be only 2.5 games back after the way that we played. Aboard the Yankee Express now are three key rookies. Chein Ming Wang, who has been are most consistant starter in the first half. Robbie Cano who has opened a lot of eyes at 2B and Melky Cabrera who just two season ago was named the 2003 Staten Island Yankee MVP. The jury is still out on Melky who is adjusting to the large Yankee Stadium centerfield not to mention the tricky sun you have out there on day contests. His biggest advantage is that he is one of the few rookies who can hit a breaking ball, which is something that hampered such names as Dan Pasqua, Andy Phillips and even big names like Jack Clark.

BACK TO BUSINESS
After the break it is back to work when the Bombers face off against the Bosox in Beantown. Let's hope it isn't Deja Vu all over again as the Red Sox have already broke the momentum of this club of All Stars. We are on a roll right now and I for one didn't want this break to break our streaks especially with the Red Sox on the menu.

Last time around Joe Torre skipped young Chein Ming Wang against the Red Sox. You can be sure that won't be the case this time around. Let's hope that Brian Cashman doesn't have even remote plans to trade any of these three players.

REHAB-ROD
Here is a scoop that my new Bomber Buddies at POTY don't even know. I had the luck to see Felix "F-Rod" Rodriguez starting his rehab last night for the Staten Island Yankees. He was welcomed back to live pitching with a home run to left field by the Williamsport Crosscutter's (Pirate Short Season A affiliate) John Santiago (his first). Keep in mind this kid is 20 years old at most. He was erratic for the most part in the SI Yank 6-5 comeback but he did pick up 4 strikeouts without a walk in the two innings of work. He is scheduled to throw Wednesday for the Baby Bombers as well as they go for their ninth straight victory. Melky Cabrera was on hand to receive a plaque and his old SI Jersey.

MAY OR MAY NOT

Jason Giambi homered for the third straight game leaving him 5 short of tying the major league record. Former Staten Island Yankee 20-year-old Melky Cabrera singled in his major league debut and Mike "Mooooose" Mussina and the Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians 7-2 Thursday night. Alex Rodriguez homered for the second straight game leaving him 6 short of tying the major league record, tying Boston's Manny Ramirez and Texas' Mark Teixeira for the AL lead with 22, and Derek Jeter went long for New York.

The big news is tha Carl Pavano has wound up on the 15 day disable list. Rumor has it that Saturday's starter will be the newly aquired Darrell May, or it may just be the committee headed by Tanyon Sturtze. We'll see following Old Timers Day tomorrow. Former Yankee OF and current YES broadcaster David Justice will participate in the OT game. What's up with Paul O'Neill? Your fans want to see you Paully!!

Saturday marks the Behind the Bombers reunion. If you are at the game stop by and see us in the Outdoor Cafe after 12 noon or so.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOSS

What better day to be born on than the 4th of July? Who better to have a birthday then than George Steinbrenner? Many people are pround to wish the Boss a big 75th Birthday but Harvey Frommer sums it up best. The New York Post printed quite a tribute themselves. Happy Birthday George and thanks for all the great teams you put on the field.

BERNIE BASEBALL/NEW HITMAN
Bernie Williams passes up the Hitman. Williams went 4-for-5 with five RBIs as DH on Saturday night. This launched him past Don Mattingly for fifth-place on the all-time Yankee hit list. The only Yankees still in front of Bernie are Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio. Someday we may see #51 hanging out there in Monument Park. I guess Bernie isn't so "tired" anymore.

I'VE FALLEN AND I CAN"T GET UP!!!!

With less than a week to go before the 2005 BTB reunion the Yankees are falling deeper into the AL East. Growing up your mom always told you to act your age, well now the Yankees are acting their age and it isn't pretty at all. That alien pod that resembles Randy Johnson is pitching like Bob Shirley while Carl Pavano is doing a great imatation of Ed Whitson.

I SHALL BE RELEASED
The Yankees released the unproductive Mike Stanton and the over used and worn out Paul Quantrill. Back into the Bronx is Jason Anderson who returned to pinstripes by pitching two scoreless innings agaist the timers in Friday night's 10-2 loss. If you remember Jason was sent to teh Mets for Armando Benitez. He made a stop in Cleveland until he was released and claimed by the Yanks. Two days after designating Quantrill for assignment, the Yankees surprizingly found a taker for the right-handed reliever, shipping him to the San Diego Padres for right-hander Tim Redding, left-hander Darrell May and cash.

FOR STARTERS
As if we didn't have enough problems Carl Pavano has come up with a sore shoulder, but as ESPN reports he isn't too concerned about it. That puts the Grand Tanyon, Tanyon Sturtze into the starting rotation. He'll start Monday against the Orioles at home.

BTB salutes John Franco who was released by the Astros today in a career that included the Reds and Mets. Class act John, good luck.