You had to know it changed when Alex Rodriquez knocked the ball out of the hand of that Boston in- fielder. The play was reversed, momentum for another comeback was stopped before it could even start and the old addage, good pitching and good defense which forged an early 3-0 lead turned with the final piece of that formula, timely hitting.

The Yankees got alot of it in three games, but it went missing for the balance of this series. You had to know it was near the end when Jeter drove in a run and at first base screamed with a desperation that I had never witnessed in him.It was confirmed with the second swing of Johnny Damons bat as the ball left the yard and the competitive phase of this series had been put to sleep.

Over the course of this season the Yankees were not only obsessed with Boston, but ultimately it drained all their reserves of strength. It took sometimes as much as three weeks for the Yankees to rcover their edge after every Boston series. The image of Jeter smashing into the seats showed what it would take to hold off this determined, talented, veteran unit.

The final out ignited a celebration of Red Sox voices amplified in an empty stadium. The symbol of futility had made all attempts to harness them futile and they now owned the castle.

Randy Johnson was announced today as the latest addition to the Yankee staff. It was a deal made a year too late and ultimately may have cost them the title. Now it is not a surety for this aging former dynasty of recent years must somehow revive the echoes of years past.

It was not only the Babe that roamed these Hallowed grounds. Let us remember that it was through their play and not re-plays, that the glory of the past was forged.

It has been five years since that trophy celebration in Shea Stadium. This unit has only a short shelf life. No future prospects on the horizon, a revamped pitching staff anchored by a now vulnerable closer.

There are no sure things with a human Mariano Rivera except that nothing is for sure. Unless, just maybe the pride, that used to be a hallmark of the New York Yankees, was rudely trampled enough to warrant a true return answer to their long time rivals. The only way that they can remove the bad taste of this collapse will be to redeem themselves by winning the world series and going through Boston to do it.

It wont make anyone forget the greatest choke job in history, but as Defending World Champions, without a Derrick Lowe or Pedro Martinez to stand in their way,we may be able to remind the baseball world that the Babe may have been put to rest but their is a legacy that remains to be defended til times immortal end.