Jen – Ditto on still having the buzz – now over 12 hours later.

The difference, for me, between last night and 7/1 was that the Yankees were never losing on 7/1 until the 13th inning. And, last night, they came back (from losing) three times – with the first comeback from being down 9-0.

Paul, I agree that the July 1 game was more intense (because it was Boston and the game was close the entire time). But last night was, as Steve said, magical. For me intensity doesn’t necessarily make a game better. I went through a range of emotions last night, none of which was the same as how I felt on July 1. This game was a thing of beauty, almost cinematic. That may seem like an exaggeration to some, but that’s how I saw it. I still have a buzz from last night.

i’m still in awe. Nice recap Steve.

In terms of recent mid-season classics, I’d have to rank the Jeter-dive game as better, because it was way more intense. Remember, we still had a grip on that Curse thing, and it ruined Nomar’s career in Boston.

Also, the 13 runs we scored last year in the eighth inning against the D-Rays after Randy got racked around. If you watch that now on Yankees Classics, they have to go to commercial a few times, because that half-inning was a major assault that lasted over half an hour.

BTW, Kaat’s remark about how it would help if Yankees’ starters pitched more complete games…uh, I thought that was the reason for 12 man staffs like the Yankees have. A 7 man bullpen should be able to share the load of innings if managed efficiently. Many teams have become accustomed to shuttling arms in and out of the pen throughout a season as par for the course…this only works if there isn’t a protracted period of “trust-earning” that effectively reduces your staff from 12 to 8 or 9 “trusted” pitchers. It seems as if earning Mr. Torre’s trust is slightly harder than being voted into the HOF or making the All-Star team (hello, Jeff Nelson).

bailey, I’m unsure of what’s really going on with the pattern of Mo’s usage. Is it strictly a strategic decision (only save situations on the road, only close games at home)that often means days without an appearance or is it, perversely, Torre’s way of trying to preserve Mo’s arm (since he believes that his is the only arm actually worth being careful with)? Is it as simple as Torre believes the amount of innings a pitcher can throw is proportional to his size? If that’s true (and he always referenced Sturtze as an “animal” in baseball parlance), that is sad.

R.I.P., Scott Proctor’s arm. Even Kaat, who never criticizes Torre, said he was being overused. I believe Proctor has thrown more innings than any reliever in baseball. Not only is Torre using him a lot, but it’s for multiple innings. All this talk about not burning out his guys, and he does it all over again.

When did Ron Villone become a lefty specialist? He can pitch innings, Torre. Did Ron bump into Torre’s wife or something? Why does he hate him?

Thank God for bad Texas pitching. Wow, what a pitiful pitching staff. This was an amazing comeback, but the utter lack of pitching by the Rangers sure helped.

It was good to see everyone — Phillips, Cairo — get in on the offensive act. It just goes to show that even a horribly-constructed bench can come through SOMETIMES.

Anyway, I’ll admit I thought the game was over after two. But it was a truly exciting game that ended fittingly.

Small still needs to go. Torre is blind to his problems, too. Yeah, he eventually settled down, but he looks more and more like a fluke.

Torre needs to start getting Mo regular work. He’s giving up a ton of hits, not striking anyone out, and walking people — and the walks are the disturbing part. He hasn’t been sharp this year at all.

I caught the last three innings of the game on TV. It must have been a wild ride, Steve.

I think the best thing about last night’s win is that it reminds the team not to pack it in just because the big bats are sidelined for a while. Just how bad the Yankees are banged up was driven home to me in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the 7th when I saw Posada step to the plate after Rodriguez. But he got the job done in last night’s game. It’s great to see the homegrown veterans Jorge and Jeter leading by example.