BASEBALL: NY Yankees at Chicago White Sox

In a TOTW first, I'm repeating yesterday's choice to serve as today's one to watch. Last night's game did not disappoint. The White Sox prevailed 6-5 in 11 innings with Jermaine Dye driving home the winning run. The crushing blow, however, came in the 9th as Paul Konerko hit a HR off all-time great closer Mariano Rivera to tie the game at 5 and send it to extra innings.

The Yankees can take a couple of positives from the loss into today's game. Robinson Cano emerged from the DL and went 3/5 in his first appearance in 6 weeks. Cano's average is up to .333 and he appears to be a fixture at 2B for years to come. The game also marked a possible return of $25 Million Dollar Man, Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod has slumped for most of the summer. But out of the hearing range of Yankee Stadium boo birds, A-Rod went 3/3 with a HR and 2 RBIs. Randy Johnson pitches for NY tonight and brings his sad 5.11 ERA to the hill. Losing several mph of speed of his heater, Johnson is no longer the feared ace of years past, despite his $17 million annual salary. However, if he can consistenly give the Yanks 7 good innings from the #2 or #3 hole, that may be enough for playoff success. This will be a good test against a great lineup in a spot where NY needs a win.

The White Sox remain in front of the AL wildcard race with their dramatic win. Losing the division should not discourage the World Champs as Detroit has enjoyed a stunning and historic season. However, the Tigers are not playoff tested and it would surprise nobody to see a wildcard team again win the championship. In addition to their known commodities like Konerko and Dye, Joe Crede has built on last year's breakthrough and emerged as a star at 3B. He comes into the game hitting .304 with 24 HRs and 75 RBIs. And while the White Sox middle relief has been shaky, closer Bobby Jenks pitched 2 2/3 shutout innings last night to seal the win and remind everyone of a younger Rivera in his prime.

My pick: New York. I expect another close game since these teams are very evenly matched - both in talent and in intangibles. Perhaps only a comparison of managers would serve as the greatest contrast. I look for Randy Johnson to put together a decent start tonight and earn some of that mega money.

In another TOTW first, 2 athletes share the spotlight today. The only thing better than good sportsmanship is good sportswomanship. This kiss between Russian tennis stars Maria Sharapova and Anastasia Myskina sure beats that one between George Bush and Joe Lieberman!