Now that was a game.

When Bartolo Colon winced in pain after throwing his final pitch of the game in the second inning, Yankee haters everywhere figured it was just another little bit of Yankee luck. But that was before Ervin Santana.

The 22-year-old came in for Colon and looked shaky early, but ended up pitching 5 1/3 innings to earn the win. Thrust suddenly into a crucial role, Santana looked more like a seasoned veteran than the inexperienced young rookie that he is. From the moment he took the mound, his young baby face became that of a chisled warrior, his eyes reflecting a confidence beyond his years. After walking three and giving up a 2-run single and a 1-run sac fly in the second inning, Santana gave up just one hit in each the third, fourth, and fifth innings before pitching a 1-2-3 sixth. He left the game to a standing ovation in the seventh after allowing a homerun to Derek Jeter and getting A-Rod to ground out.

Every Red Sox fan's favorite Angel, Orlando Cabrera, called Santana the team's "secret weapon."

Looks like the secret is out.
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Another highlight of last night's game for Red Sox fans, and Yankee haters, everywhere was the continued failure of Alex Rodriguez in the postseason. Granted, the Yankees early exit from the playoffs does not lie solely on the shoulders of the purple-lipped wonder. The Big Ugly pitched a horrible game on Friday night, Matsui went 0-for-5 last night, leaving eight runners stranded, Mussina pitched poorly in the clincher, and Gary Sheffield's bat was silent for much of last night. But it should be noted that in the five games against the Angels, A-Rod went 2-for-15 for an average of .133 without a single RBI, capping it off by grounding into a double play in the ninth after Jeter had reached safely with a single. He also contributed a crucial error in Game 2.

And this is the guy who is going to win the American League Most Valuable Player award over Big Papi/Senor Octubre/David "I'll bail your sorry asses out again" Ortiz?
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Also, file under: "shaudenfreude is German for Yankees Suck":