I have to sit here and wonder what would have happened if Lugo’s smash had gone a foot to either side. Karstens would have stayed in the game, obviously, but for how long? It’s a strong possibility the Sox would have tagged him hard, built up a lead, and put a hurtin‘ on the Yankee bullpen. But we’ll never know. Lugo dropped him like a sack of potatoes and Kei Igawa came in to save the day. Wakefield got screwed out of another win. Coco got ejected after questioning why home plate umpire Bruce Froemming’s strike zone was suddenly the size of Rosie O’Donnell’s ass. All in all, a crappy day for the Sox. Not one of those games that really gets you fuming. The Sox ran into a hot pitcher, nothing more, nothing less. But I do have a few questions…

What’s With Kei Igawa’s Sunglasses?
We all know it was cloudy in the Bronx. Christ, we could see on television there was no need for shades. Yet Igawa kept them on until he was lifted in the 7th. Was this a fashion statement? Does Igawa fancy himself as the Asian Tom Cruise? The way he had hitters fooled, I have to think the shades were equipped with some high-tech laser that temporarily blinded the batters.

Where Did Youk Learn To Run The Bases?
Seriously, what was he doing? In the first inning, he kind of stutter-stepped…OK, he actually stopped on his way to second, eliminating any possibility of breaking up a double-play. Later in the game, he did the same thing running from second base. If Jeter had played it right, he could have easily thrown Youk out at third, cutting down the lead runner. And speaking of Youk, did anyone notice when he got up in the first that there was water pouring out of his helmet? Not dripping – pouring. I thought his head sprung a leak.

Why Didn’t Manny Swing The Bat In The 8th?
After watching his 10-pitch at-bat in the first, I was thinking Manny was back. He was fouling everything off, waiting for his pitch. He never got it but drew a walk. But in the 8th? He struck out looking on 4 pitches, and never took the bat off his shoulder. He represented the tying run with nobody out, and just stood there like he didn’t know what to do with the piece of lumber he was holding. This is the guy that hit .550 versus the Yankees last year. Why?

Why Does Torre Wear That Honkin‘ Watch?
I know, this has nothing to do with the game, or baseball in general for that matter. But did you see the piece of hardware Torre had on his wrist? It looked like something out a Bond movie. Or a Ronco commercial. “It slices! It dices! It tells time in 200 countries! Order now and get the hair dryer attachment free!”

So Tim Wakefield loses another game he pitched well enough to win. And worse, the Yankees get a huge confidence boost with a strong start and good pitching out of the ‘pen. Is this all they needed to get on one of their ungodly rolls? Let’s hope not. The rubber match features Wang against Tavares. My money’s on Tavares to plunk Jeter or A-Rod and start a real donnybrook. And thankfully, it will be Remy and Orsillo telling us about it.