Hello Blobbers!  I realize it's been a while since I've Blobbed...I've been taking a respite since the season ended, while converting my occasional musings to my Twitter account (where you can find incredible insight like what kind of burger I ordered from In 'N Out...woo hoo!)

But Mark McGwire's admission of steroid use compelled me back to the keyboard --

Look, right out of the gate, I'm happy he finally admitted it.  I'm happy for fans, the game and for Mark...he's a decent guy and shouldn't have darts thrown at him his entire life...I imagine he feels a greater sense of relief today, after getting this dark secret out in the open.

However, what compels me to Blob is not the admission itself...I'm not here to pontificate on the evils of steroid use, nor am I going to wring my hands and say how it ruined the game....blah, blah, blah.  What I don't understand is this:  why does it seem that with every mea culpa that comes out these days, from athletes to entertainers to politicians, they are always given with about 95% truth and conviction.

What I mean is, McGwire says he's ashamed, apologizes, cleanses his soul...TERRIFIC...but he also says that he took it only for healing purposes and (get ready for the spin) that it never helped him hit a baseball.  YEAH, WE ALL GET THAT!  We have for years, ever since steroids came to light and we've all been educated/bombarded with detailed information of 'roids and what they can do to one's body.

But steroids DO increase your strength...maybe a little, maybe a lot...I rather doubt juiceheads at neighborhood gyms have, for decades, taken steroids NOT to get bigger or more muscular, but for healing purposes only....so I'll put this in the simplest terms possible, so that any future athlete and their accompanying spin doctors can understand...

Yes, a player like Mark McGwire is blessed with "God given talent and abilities to hit a baseball"...and with "incredible hand/eye coordination"...BUT the non-steroid fly ball that travels 398-feet into the glove of an outfielder standing on the warning track, most likely flies 5 or 10 feet (or more) further coming off the bat of a steroid-enhanced hitter, enough so that maybe 20, 30 or even 50 such potential outs become homeruns instead.  Steroids didn't help you hit the ball.  But it did help you hit it further.

I mean...I get that, you get that, a 5th-grader gets that!  So, do us all a favor...steroid-using athletes of the past, present and future...stop insulting our intelligence.  You're using your great ability and talent to try and mask the obvious, and all that does is add a gray, murky area to what should have been 100% cleansing absolution.

In that regard, I give Alex Rodriguez credit for his 2009 Spring Training admission of using performance-enhancing drugs.  He came clean, moved forward and found peace...and along the way, he re-discovered his love for the game.

As for McGwire, he's going to be left to answer questions that come from the gray, murky area he failed to clean up...and those questions won't go away, though that's what he had hoped for.

So the next time any athlete has to make such an admission and come clean, I guess I have just one question for them and their lawyers, handlers and spin doctors...

"Are you smarter than a 5th grader?"

This chat is brought  to you by Yankees.com.

Good start for the Yankees in the ALCS...the Arctic League Championship Series...Guys are so bundled up with earflaps and face mufflers, I'm quite sure that, in a couple innings, we'll see a player take the field wearing a Snuggie!

Ken Singleton in studio with me, saying that MLB should build a retractable roof stadium in Las Vegas...here's his plan...during the course of every regular season or every other regular season, every team will host a series there, to make sure the stadium is in use.  Ultimately, the World Series will be played there...every year.  Also, the World Baseball Classic will play the finals there...college games, concerts...Vegas can handle it with hotel space, traffic, etc...(BY THE WAY, the weather in Vegas today is 89 and sunny, 64 for the low)...But what about gambling issues, you ask?  Singy says all games played there would be off the board, no betting on 'em.  Also, because the All-Star Game already determines who gets homefield advantage, it's not a problem...that's already decided anyway.

Now, here's my question to Kenny...what about REAL homefield advantage?  Taking fans from, say the Bronx, and making them travel 1,800 miles to the World Series, if the Yanks get there?

Kenny says when you get down to the 4 teams in the LCS, you offer tickets to the season ticket holders first...and then you offer them to the general public for sale.  When a team is having a good year, Kenny says it won't be a problem getting support to travel there.   And the team or MLB could arrange deals with airlines...cheap tickets or even charters for season ticket holders.

Kenny admits this plan is not perfect...there would be a certain amount of lost revenue for each competing Major League city...but memorabilia from all 30 teams would be sold in the Vegas stadium.

So, there ya go, let me know what you think...back with more later.

PS  We went Italian tonight for dinner...Kenny and I each went with the Caprese for an appetizer and a chunk of lasagna the size of ur head...and he had a regular Coke...that's gotta be bubblin' in his stomach right now...LOOK OUT!

This chat brought to you by Yankees.com.

That was fun, wasn't it? 

Congratulations to Derek Jeter for career hit No. 2,722, placing him first on the Yankees' all-time hits list. Watching any ballgame is great, but there's something special about following every at-bat, making sure that you know when it's coming...getting into the details of the game...Is Derek coming to bat this inning or next inning? Hey! Who's at the plate right now, you say, as you hurry quickly to the kitchen to grab a snack. Because you do not want to miss it.

I'm willing to bet very few Yankees fans missed what happened tonight at 9:23 p.m....only if they had absolutely no way of getting in front of a television, or getting within earshot of a radio.

We didn't want to miss Ripken's historic game when he passed the Iron Horse for consecutive games played. We didn't want to miss McGwire, at the time, when he stood poised to pass Maris for the single-season home run record. And we can't help but keep checking when pitchers today are flirting with perfect games or no-hitters...into the seventh, then eighth, then ninth innings.

But this had a different feel...maybe because it's not part of the everyday grind of a 162-game season. It is, quite possibly, a once in a lifetime happening. I mean, the record that Jeter broke tonight stood for 72 years! How many of us will be around when, or even if, Jeter's new record is ever broken?

And, as Michael Kay put it so appropriately, this is just a signpost for Jeter. It's not like he's stopping at 2,722, one hit ahead of Lou Gehrig...there are plenty more to come. We'll be celebrating hit No. 3,000 in almost no time, the way he hits...then 3,500...and, dare we say, 4,000? Or will he become baseball's all-time hit king?

Guess I'm getting way ahead of myself. I'll take the advice that Derek's dad, Dr. Charles Jeter, gave him: I'm just going to enjoy the moment tonight...because the journey is far from over.

On our pregame show tonight, we opened with a sound bite from Nick Swisher, in which he basically said that they got a little angry losing 2 in a row and were out to change that last night.  Well, they did it in a big way, with the offense coming to life in the 6th inning, while CC Sabathia got better and better as the game went on.

I don't know if you've noticed the same thing, but this team is unlike others of the past few years in that, it seems very unaffected by anything negative...a 2-game losing streak?  Big deal... whereas the past few seasons, it seemed like doubt would begin to creep in and the players would hear the whispers (and from some live-on-the-ledge fans...screams) that there is something wrong...they can't hit, they can't pitch, the sky is falling, trade everybody, fire the entire coaching staff...etc, etc, etc.

There may be some anger mixed in there, as Swisher alluded to, but there's also a concrete confidence that hasn't been around in a while...this team knows its good, but doesn't have to go around beating its chest about it...the players just show up, wreak havoc for 3 hours, and go have a latenight bite to eat.  In the case of last night's game, I guess I'd feel that way, too, if I had a guy like Sabathia taking the mound...let's see, give me CC or Harry Hittable in that spot... who would I feel more confident with?!

And I believe this confidence has trickled down to the fans...again, how many times have we heard or read quotes from Yankees fans in the past, like in Game 20 of the season, heralding the end of the world coming soon...not now...it's all quiet on the Eastern front...while the Yankees are making plenty of noise on the Western front.

Allow Me A Quick "Reality" Rant

OK, I know that ever since reality shows started popping up on TV, they've become popular...and very cheap for networks to produce compared to scripted shows...and while some of them may be entertaining (while others are train wrecks)...the culture of them...the things that we see consistently, it seems, on all of them...have begun to infect us.  Yes, I used the word "infect":

"To taint or contaminate with something that affects quality, character, or condition unfavorably: Example: to infect the air with poison gas."

Or, in the case of something I heard the other day on the radio, hot air the equivalent of poison gas...I heard the final part of an interview between Ryan Seacrest and "Speidi"...the reality TV knuckleheads Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, who take shameless self-promotion to a beyond- shameless level...Ryan asked Spencer, who by the way, when he has a beard looks like an Ewok from Star Wars...about the fact that people feel Speidi is more than a bit overexposed (as in: we are sick and tired of seeing them...please disappear)....Spencer responded by comparing Spedi to Barack and Michelle and Brangelina...Uh, OK...said they are not going away, while in the same breath promoting the book the 2 of them are coming out with later this year, which will teach us all how to become famous like they are...can't wait!...and here's how the Ewok wrapped up the interview..."...blah, blah, blah, because everybody should be famous.  Because we're all humans."

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH THAT EVEN MEANS?!!!!!!!  Because we're all humans???  Great observation, Spency...Thanks for the insight...because I was sure there were robots and aliens living among us...and they do not deserve to be famous...only us humans!  By the way, after I looked up the word "infect" in the dictionary, I looked up the word "idiot"...guess who's picture I saw next to it?

And one quick PS to the whole "reality TV has infected us" thing...it has no doubt bled into the reality of sports TV, as well...without getting into crazy rant details, I was watching one of the Little League Regional games the other night...and you can't help but notice all the stuff the kids do to emulate pro athletes...from the Kevin Millar eye-black warpaint, to doing the sign of the cross during every at bat, to pointing up to the sky after a big moment in the game... it's ridiculous.  Sorry if you're the parent of a kid who does any of those things, but it is...it's not sincere, it really isn't...it's "Look at me, I'm just like a big leaguer"...I wonder if they've watched tapes of past LL game broadcasts to learn when the camera's on them... and it seems like some of the things they do might as well come with thought bubble over their heads that says, "I'm going to try and do something that will get on SportsCenter"...as opposed to just focusing, playing the game hard and trying to win.  I know I WORK in TV, but in watching some of these games, it's a clear reminder that I grew up in a far different era, one very far away from the trappings of reality TV.

Text message from my sister Jeanne tonight: 

"Your blog is languishing.  What candy is on the table?  What did you have for dinner?  Enquiring minds want to know!"

Now, she DID use a smiley face emoticon afterwards, but that's besides the point!  Now I have my own sister putting the hammer down on me...OK, truth be told, I have been a bit lax when it comes to Blobbin'...maybe it's the dog days of summer...but my man, Flash, is back in the studio...there's new candy on the table...Yankees v. Red Sox...it's all good!

So to answer one of Jeanne's questions...What candy is on the table?  Well, note the NEW additions...Smarties on the left...the mouthwatering mix of regular and dark chocolate peanut butter cups on the right...and, well hey there?!  What are those delicious delights in the silver wrappers?

Well, those are a wonderful little changeup to the Hershey's Miniatures that normally fill that bowl, brought in by our very own John Flaherty, who brought them in last week when he was here because he felt guilty about destroying bowlfuls every time he's here...they are pure Hershey's Milk Chocolate goodness...but did you notice that bowl is kinda empty?  Here's why:

The July 31st trade deadline, I'm talking about!  C'mon!  Gotta admit, I do love this time of year... keeping a close eye on which teams might be buyers and which might be sellers...and which might sell their souls (ie: top prospects) for the one shot this year to be the World Champ.

We saw the Matt Holliday deal go down today, while monitoring the Roy Halladay situation... right up 'til 7:00pm, while I was on-set doing the pregame show, I was asking our Research Grand Poobah, Jeff Quagliata (you can call him Quags)...if Halladay was still listed as the starter for the Jays' game vs. the Rays...I'd read a quick blurb in Pete Abe's LoHud blog that "perhaps" a Halladay to the Phillies deal was close...thought he might get pulled from his start at the last second...but it didn't happen and he took the ball for Cito tonight.

No, Seriously, What's That Smell?!  As I walked up to the set for the 4th inning cutin, I smelled a chemical kinda smell that I absolutely love, but couldn't remember what it is...Lighting Legend George Greczylo told me that it's contact cement!  I remember using that in school and I don't know why (insert "stoner" joke here) but I love that smell...just like I love the smell of regular gasoline as well as airplane fuel...weird...anybody else like that?

So, George, Paul Ferrigno (you got to know him in a previous Blob) and me started reminiscing about glue in elementary school...I mentioned how I loved to pick and peel all the glue off the gigantic bottles of glue we shared in class...Paul said same thing with him.  George brought up spreading glue on the palm of the hand, letting it dry, then peeling it off...always good fun, too.  Then he added, or what about putting contact cement on the palm of your hand and lighting it on fire!  (insert sound effect of album scratch bringing everything to a halt here)...What?!  No, George...first of all, I don't think I walked around with a lighter in kindergarten...and second of all, I thought moms and pops said NOT to play with matches!  I guess we just found out what George's parents didn't know ANYTHING about!  Gonna have to check on that...perhaps George's dad was a movie pyrotechnics expert.

I can't wait for the 7th inning cutin...

I can't believe I did it again!  I was heating up some soup for dinner tonight, and I caught myself just staring into the microwave for about 20 seconds, like watching a bowl of soup spinning around in a circle is the most awe-inspiring event ever.  Good grief.  I Blobbed about this before...I just don't get it.  Why do I just stand there, watching it as if something incredible is going to happen, when I know that in 29..28..27..26 seconds, it's going to be done.  Can't I find anything better to do for those 29 seconds?!

Hey, you've gotta check out the picture below...I recently Blobbed that my son has gotten me into Arrested Development.  Well, he was hanging out with me in my office a couple days ago, and he stayed behind while I went upstairs to the studio to do the postgame show.

Today, when studio producer/impresario Bill Boland was sitting in my office, he looked behind me and said, "Who's that?", and he pointed at a picture next to my printer.  Well, that particular picture is SUPPOSED to be of me, my wife and some friends hanging in Islamorada, FL.  But instead, it was THIS picture...

That's right...Dr. Tobias Funke (David Cross) from Arrested Development!  My son had secretly replaced the one picture with this one.  Classic!  I laughed so hard I nearly fell outta my chair!  Well done, Ty...well done.

Welcome back!  Really weird having that extra day off, wasn't it?  Just kind of threw me out of whack, but then along comes an 8th inning rain delay...our 75th of the season, I think???... and all seems right with the world...not really.  Love the rain only because it keeps my water bill down from less sprinkler usage.

Here's my All-Star Break version of "How I Spent My Summer Vacation"...spanned the entire Tri-State area and beyond, logging a lot o' miles in the Vista Cruiser...among the excitement, welcoming an exchange student from France for 2 weeks, as she spends time with our daughter and sees NYC for the first time...chauffering them around...sightseeing...beach...major rollercoaster riding at Six Flags...eating fried dough covered in powdered sugar...nearly giving it right back after riding the biggest coaster in the park...more driving...trip to JFK to pick up our son, who decided to make a cameo appearance at Casa Lorenz this summer...watching backlogged episodes of Eureka and Psych on the DVR with him, plus he turned me on to Arrested Development and now I'm hooked!  So, we'll probably blow out the rest of the existing episodes over the next few days...this "work" thing is really getting in the way of that!  We're watching those on Hulu...and he's just informed me that there are new episodes of Psych on Hulu as well...my eyeballs are gonna be hurtin'.  I might end up looking at the wrong camera in studio I'll be so bleary!

Also made the trek to Montclair, NJ, Thursday to play in Yogi Berra's annual charity golf tournament.  I wish everybody could meet Yogi.  He's one of the greatest, most humble men I know...and very giving of his time, obviously.  I had a great time moving chunks of real estate around that day...our team actually played well, finishing the scramble at 9-under...big thanks to Seafood Bobby, Joe, Peter and Ray for keeping me entertained and out of trouble (mostly).  Awesome guys.

Then it was back to work today...in early to tape the latest edition of Forbes Sportsmoney, Presented by Fox Business Network (gotta pay some bills)...with Michael Ozanian, who's a great, high-energy guy...definitely has a passion the biz side of sports and brings it to the table every time.  Then pregame, game..rain delay...

Oh wait...10:47pm...I'm told we'll be resuming play soon!  Enjoy the rest of the game!