Monday's Bunts and Boots--Molina and Sims, Stadium Sendoffs, and Sweet Lou

Baseball has a remarkable symmetry that borders on the supernatural. On September 30, 1973, a fading, aging backup catcher named Duke Sims hit the final home run in the history of the original Yankee Stadium. On September 21, 2008, a light-hitting backup catcher, Jose Molina, perhaps the least likely longball threat on the entire Yankees' roster, hit the final home run in the history of the renovated Stadium. On a team featuring the powerful likes of Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, Hideki Matsui, and Xavier Nady, among others, who would have figured that?...

In celebrating the final night of the Stadium's baseball existence, the Yankees did a wonderful job honoring both the distant and recent past, parading a full range of icons onto the various positions on the field, from a sliding Willie Randolph to a standing Bernie Williams. Yet, I was more captivated by the postgame celebration, which seemed far more spontaneous than the highly orchestrated pre-game introductions. Derek Jeter's impromptu but eloquent salute to the fans, followed by an emotional lap around the Stadium confines, involving all of the current Yankees, made for a sincere and softened finish to a night full of emotionally jagged moments. As Yankee players and fans lingered on the field and in the stands, the Stadium bowed out--respectfully and almost happily...

While the Yankees honored their Stadium, the Cubs basked in the aftermath of Saturday afternoon's clinching, which puts them into the postseason for a second straight fall. It's amazing the impact that manager Lou Piniella continues to have on his teams offensively, whether it's in New York in the eighties, Cincinnati and Seattle in the nineties, or now the Windy City in the 2000s. When Sweet Lou took over Chicago's helm three winters ago, the Cubs found themselves choked by an offense that could only kindly be described as below-average. They didn't walk, didn't get on base, and didn't score runs. In 2008, the contrast is stark. Aside from Alfonso Soriano, almost all of their hitters work the count capably. Youngsters like Geovany Soto (the clearcut NL Rookie of the Year) have thrived under Piniella, as have seemingly past-their-prime oldsters like Jim Edmonds. Even the bench's role players, from Mike Fontenot to Reed Johnson, make ample contributions when given their share of at-bats. It's no wonder that the Cubs have scored over 800 runs, putting them well ahead of all remaining teams in the NL. Simply put, runs scored have translate into games won for the Cubs, just as it did for Piniella long ago with the Yankees, Reds, and Mariners.