Entire coaching staff retained for '09

ST. LOUIS -- The entire Reds coaching staff will be back with the team in 2009.

General manager Walt Jocketty and manager Dusty Baker invited to return bench coach Chris Speier, hitting coach Brook Jacoby, pitching coach Dick Pole, third-base coach Mark Berry, first-base coach Billy Hatcher, bullpen coach Juan Lopez and bullpen catcher Mike Stefanski.

"We decided about a week ago, but we were trying to get the contracts out," Baker said on Friday.

A shakeup seemed possible, since Jocketty didn't have a hand in hiring any of the coaches. He took over in April from predecessor Wayne Krivsky. Before this season, Baker brought in only Speier and Lopez and had previously worked with Pole, who was hired under former manager Jerry Narron.

The Reds entered the night ranked 16th out of 16 National League teams in hitting with a .247 team average, and near the bottom in fielding. The pitching staff came in ranked 11th with a 5.04 ERA, but the bullpen made considerable improvement to be ranked third in the NL.

It's been a transitional year for Cincinnati, which retooled towards a youth movement. The players will get continuity heading into 2009.

"They've all done a good job," Baker said of the coaches. "I don't think we can get rid of guys if they do the job. They work hard. They're conscientious and always teaching, especially with the young players. They have the players' confidence for learning. We'll be better next year because of it."

Worst to first: Rays in pursuit of history

A year ago, as in every prior September, Tropicana Field had the feel of a flea market at sundown. Boxes were being packed, lockers cleaned out, trucks backed up, customers thinning out.

Last Sept. 4, a "crowd" of 9,112 watched the Rays lose to Baltimore, 8-4, and fall 27 games behind first with loss No. 82 that ensured an imperfect 10 -- 10 consecutive losing seasons, most of them spent in the American League East cellar.

Since their 1998 birth and through this April 27 -- when they first surfaced atop the division -- the Rays had spent 1,392 days in last place and 19 days in first place.

The Rays' prior "visits" to the top had all been made during the first few formative days of seasons. But as they began to demonstrate staying power this time around, the Rays became aware of a strange phenomenon as they bounced from series to series.

During games, opposing teams tried to take them out. But before and after, opposing players discreetly applauded and encouraged them, wishing them well.

Not too difficult to understand where that came from: "If you, why not us?"

The Tampa Bay Rays had become the latest beacon for the game's downtrodden. Like a high-pitched whistle audible only to junkyard dogs, their message was clearly heard by baseball mongrels. They spoke to the Reds, to the Pirates, to the Royals -- to all the teams that have been down for so long, hope had become just another four-letter word.

We've heard that sermon being delivered before, with increasing frequency in a sport of shrinking divisions and player mobility.

The Rays have become baseball's ninth worst-to-first chameleons, every one of them since 1991. Here's yet another motivation for closing the deal: Five of the precedents, hardly wilting in the ensuing postseason heat, wound up in the World Series.

(That count, incidentally, doesn't even include two other National League teams that followed-up last-place finishes with postseason berths, but only as Wild Cards: the 1997 Cubs and the 2007 Rockies.)

Worst-to-first is an inspiring trend because, notwithstanding the quick-fix venue of free agency, it demonstrates that some teams' hunger can go even deeper than others' pockets.

Tampa Bay's rise, of course, might go down as the most impressive of all because it would mean the Rays leapfrogged two of the game's Goliaths, the Red Sox and the Yankees.

"It's been an amazing thing," said starting pitcher James Shields. "Almost like a Cinderella story."

Almost? What's missing, the horse-drawn pumpkin?

Despite the Rays' profound about-face, the reasons behind it are blatantly simple: They upgraded a bullpen that in 2007 had coughed up 52 games in which Tampa Bay led, and their confidence fed on some significant early-season wins.

Tampa Bay's collective bullpen ERA of 6.16 last season was the game's highest since the '50s. Entering Monday night's game, the Rays' 3.48 bullpen ERA was the fifth best in baseball.

First to WorstWhat goes up, must also sometimes come down. Worst-to-first clubs are swathed in glory, but in the course of baseball history there have also been some first-to-worst goats.YearTeamRecordGames AheadYearRecordGames Behind1914A's99-538.5191543-10958.51986Angels92-705198775-87101992A's96-666199368-94261994Expos74-406199566-7824

Left-hander Trever Miller, converted starter J.P. Howell and late-season acquisition Chad Bradford have been big -- so the face-lift involved far more than just closer Troy Percival.

However, the mere symbolism of free agent Percival's choice to sign with Tampa Bay was huge, an explicit vote for the club's future. This was a recently retired veteran not interested in just hanging on, someone who had finished last with the Angels in 1999, three years before they won the World Series, and was part of the Tigers' stepping-stone from 119 losses in 2003 to the World Series in 2006.

So it meant a lot when Percival said in Spring Training: "The talent level is here. I got abused [in 2005] when I signed with Detroit ... but I went through that roster, and that team was really talented. I did the same thing here. What I liked was that there were young, talented starting pitchers here. And young, talented players."

Those words meant almost as much as a slew of early-season statements at home against some of the AL's elite -- an April 25-27 sweep of Boston, a May 9-11 sweep of the Angels, three straight wins over the White Sox from May 30 to June 1.

"Somewhere along the way we learned how to win," Shields concurred. "I think those sweeps we had early in the season, those were first-place teams that were supposed to go to the World Series, and we hung with them and actually swept them. Those wins gave us a lot of confidence."

Teams began taking such fantastic voyages, not surprisingly, when the distance to cover from the bottom to the top shrank. In the old eight- and 10-team league alignments, the extremes were too far apart to cover in one great leap of faith.

American League East standings 2007-0820081. Tampa Bay Rays, 96-642. Boston Red Sox, 94-663. New York Yankees, 88-724. Toronto Blue Jays, 85-755. Baltimore Orioles, 67-9220071. Boston Red Sox, 96-662. New York Yankees, 94-683. Toronto Blue Jays, 83-794. Baltimore Orioles, 69-935. Tampa Bay Rays, 66-96

Not even the 1969 New York Mets, the first example of "overyear" sensation of which people think, did it. Although a textbook model of instant rise from pathos to a World Series championship, the Mets had actually escaped the National League cellar in 1968.

The Mets didn't do it by much, finishing in ninth place only a game ahead of the Houston Astros, but enough to not qualify as worst-to-first. (Besides, the Mets' flowering coincided with the first season of divisional play, giving them "only" a six-team East Division to climb.)

Similarly, neither does history's biggest leap in the standings qualify. The 1899 Brooklyn Dodgers (or, as they were known at the time, the Superbas) won the NL pennant a season after finishing 10th. But, alas, in those days the NL was a 12-team league. So Brooklyn was only very-bad-to-first.

Then, there were a couple of ne'er do worst-to-firsts who deserve mention: The 1966 Red Sox, the precursors of the '67 Impossible Dreamers, finished a half-game out of the cellar ahead of the Yankees, who played three fewer games due to cancellations; the 1986 Dodgers took the NL West flag a year after also missing the basement by a half-game over the Braves, who had one postponement.

Enter divisions -- through 1993 two in each league, then the ranks further thinned out by the addition of Centrals.

The dream, and the brass ring, became more accessible for the oppressed.

The Rays, in fact, have become the third team in the last two seasons -- and the sixth of the tri-division era -- to complete the trip. The worst-to-first honor roll:

1990-91 Twins
1990: 74-88, 29 games behind A's
1991: 95-67, 8 games ahead of White Sox
Upshot: +21
Offshoot: Beat Blue Jays in ALCS, beat Braves in the World Series.

1990-91 Braves
1990: 65-97; 26 games behind Reds
1991: 94-68, 1 game ahead of Dodgers
Upshot: +29
Offshoot: Beat Pirates in NLCS, lost to Twins in World Series.

1992-93 Phillies
1992: 70-92, 26 games behind Pirates
1993: 97-65, 3 games ahead of Expos
Upshot: +27
Offshoot: Beat Braves in NLCS, lost to Blue Jays in World Series.

1996-97 Giants
1996: 68-94, 23 games behind Padres
1997: 90-72, 2 games ahead of Dodgers
Upshot: +12
Offshoot: Lost to Marlins in NLDS.

1997-98 Padres
1997: 76-86, 14 games behind Giants
1998: 98-64, 9.5 games ahead of Giants
Upshot: +22
Offshoot: Beat Astros in the NLDS, beat Braves in the ALCS, lost to Yankees in World Series.

1998-99 D-backs
1998: 65-97, 33 games behind Padres
1999: 100-62, 14 games ahead of Giants
Upshot: +35
Offshoot: Lost to Mets on NLDS.

2006-07 Cubs
2006: 66-96, 17.5 games behind Cardinals
2007: 85-77, 2 games ahead of Brewers
Upshot: +19
Offshoot: Lost to D-backs in NLDS.

2006-07 D-backs
2006: 76-86, 12 games behind Padres
2007: 90-72, 0.5 ahead of Rockies
Upshot: +14
Offshoot: Beat Cubs in NLDS, lost to Rockies in NLCS.

2007-08 Rays
2007: 66-96, 30 games behind Red Sox
2008: 96-64, 2 ahead of Red Sox
Upshot: +30
Offshoot: To be determined.

Mets' fate in hands of Phils, Brewers

NEW YORK -- For the first time in quite some time, there is clarity in the National League.

Because the Mets lost Friday and the Phillies and Brewers won, the latter two teams now both own complete control over their own destinies. Even if the Mets win their final two games against the Marlins, the Phillies can clinch the NL East title simply by winning one more game, and the Brewers can win the NL Wild Card by winning both of their remaining games against the Cubs.

"I would have to say I'm concerned," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. "There's no doubt about that."

To counteract all those negative circumstances, the Mets on Saturday -- perhaps drawing from the Brewers' playbook -- will turn to Johan Santana, their ace, on three days' rest. It will be Santana's second start on three days' rest in his entire career, and his first since a playoff appearance with the Twins back in 2004.

CC Sabathia has started back-to-back games on three days' rest with fine success for the Brewers, and is scheduled to pitch Sunday, if needed. And so the Mets can only hope that Santana will give them similar results.

"I don't know much about pitching," Mets third baseman David Wright said, "but I like Johan."

Santana, who does know a thing or two about pitching, had an equally simple view.

"When your team needs it most," Santana said, "that's when you have to step it up."

Jeff Suppan and Seth McClung did that much for the Brewers on Friday, combining for nine effective innings against an almost-regular Cubs lineup. And they'll look for similar success Saturday from Ben Sheets, who hasn't pitched since enduring right elbow pain on Sept. 17.

The Phillies, meanwhile, received a strong bullpen performance to beat the Nationals, 8-4, to clinch at least a share of the NL East title.

"We have a lot of adrenaline," Phillies closer Brad Lidge said. "We're so close."

Yet despite their confidence and the Mets' dire situation, nothing is settled -- the Phillies simply own a magic number of one and can clinch the division title with a win Saturday. But as long as the Mets also win Saturday, nothing can be settled in the NL Wild Card race until the season's final day.

And it might even go beyond that. If the Mets and Brewers tie for the NL Wild Card, they would play a one-game tiebreaker at Shea Stadium on Monday afternoon. And if the Mets and Phillies tie -- which would require two Phillies losses -- then those two teams would play a one-game tiebreaker at Citizens Bank Park. Finally, if all three teams tie with the same record, then the Mets and Phillies would play Monday in Philadelphia to determine the NL East champs, with the loser hosting the Brewers on Tuesday to crown a NL Wild Card winner.

The Astros were involved in many of those scenarios, as well, but were officially eliminated Friday when the Brewers won. That leaves only three teams -- the Mets, Phillies and Brewers -- fighting for two remaining spots.

Tropical Storm Kyle could yet play a role in all this, threatening to cancel games throughout the Northeast on Saturday afternoon. If that happens, and a doubleheader is needed Sunday, then the Mets could pitch Santana on four days' rest instead of three, and use Oliver Perez on short rest Sunday -- which they plan on doing regardless.

But such scenarios assume, of course, that Sunday will still hold relevance for the Mets.

"We really, really have put ourselves in a tough spot," Manuel said. "And we're the only ones to blame for that. We had opportunities and didn't get it done."

2007MetsPhilliesMets' Lead2008MetsPhilliesMets' Lead 9/1 Won @ ATL, 5-1 Lost @ FLA, 12-6 3 9/1 Won @ MIL, 4-2 Lost @ WSH, 7-4 2 9/2 Won @ ATL, 3-2 Lost @ FLA, 7-6 4 9/2 Won @ MIL, 6-5 Won @ WSH, 4-0 2 9/3 Won @ CIN, 10-4 Lost @ ATL, 5-1 5 9/3 Won @ MIL, 9-2 Lost @ WSH, 9-7 3 9/4 Won @ CIN, 11-7 Won @ ATL, 5-2 5 9/4 Off Off 3 9/5 Lost @ CIN, 7-0 Lost @ ATL, 9-8 5 9/5 Lost vs PHI, 3-0 Won @ NYM, 3-0 2 9/6 Off Off 5 9/6 Rain out Rain out 2 9/7 Won vs HOU, 11-3 Lost vs FLA, 6-3 6 9/7 Split DH with PHI Split DH with NYM 2 9/8 Won vs HOU, 3-1 Won vs FLA, 9-1 6 9/8 Off Won vs FLA, 8-6 1.5 9/9 Won vs HOU, 4-1 Won vs FLA, 8-5 6 9/9 Won vs WSH, 10-8 Lost vs FLA, 10-8 2.5 9/10 Won vs ATL, 3-2 Won vs COL, 6-5 6 9/10 Won vs WSH, 13-10 Lost vs FLA, 7-3 3.5 9/11 Lost vs ATL, 13-5 Lost vs COL, 8-2 6 9/11 Off Won vs MIL, 6-3 3 9/12 Won vs ATL, 4-3 Lost vs COL, 12-0 7 9/12 Rain out Rain out 3 9/13 Off Won vs COL, 12-4 6.5 9/13 Split DH with ATL Won vs MIL, 7-3 2.5 9/14 Lost vs PHI, 3-2 Won @ NYM, 3-2 5.5 9/14 Lost vs ATL, 7-4 Won DH from MIL 1 9/15 Lost vs PHI, 5-3 Won @ NYM, 5-3 4.5 9/15 Lost @ WSH, 7-2 Off 0.5 9/16 Lost vs PHI, 10-6 Won @ NYM, 10-6 3.5 9/16 Lost @ WSH, 1-0 Won vs ATL, 8-7 -0.5 9/17 Lost @ WSH, 12-4 Won @ STL, 13-11 2.5 9/17 Won @ WSH, 9-7 Won @ ATL, 6-1 -0.5 9/18 Lost @ WSH, 9-8 Won @ STL, 7-4 1.5 9/18 Won @ WSH 7-2 Won @ ATL, 4-3 -0.5 9/19 Won @ WSH, 8-4 Lost @ STL, 2-1 2.5 9/19 Won @ ATL, 9-5 Lost @ FLA, 14-8 0.5 9/20 Lost @ FLA, 8-7 Won @ WSH, 7-6 1.5 9/20 Lost @ ATL, 4-2 Won @ FLA, 3-2 -0.5 9/21 Won @ FLA, 9-6 Won @ WSH, 6-3 1.5 9/21 Lost @ ATL, 7-6 Won @ FLA, 5-2 -1.5 9/22 Won @ FLA, 7-2 Won @ WSH, 4-1 1.5 9/22 Lost vs. CHC, 9-5 Won vs. ATL, 6-2 -2.5 9/23 Won @ FLA, 7-6 Lost @ WSH, 5-3 2.5 9/23 Won vs. CHC, 6-2 Lost vs. ATL, 3-2 -1.5 9/24 Lost vs WSH, 13-4 Off 2 9/24 Lost vs. CHC, 9-6 Lost vs. ATL, 10-4 -1.5 9/25 Lost vs WSH, 10-9 Lost vs ATL, 10-6 2 9/25 Won vs. CHC, 7-6 Off -1 9/26 Lost vs. WSH, 9-6 Won vs. ATL, 5-2 1 9/26 Lost vs. FLA, 6-1 Won vs. WSH, 8-4 -2 9/27 Lost vs STL, 3-0 Won vs ATL, 6-4 Tied 9/27 FLA WSH 9/28 Lost vs FLA, 7-4 Won vs WSH, 6-0 -1 9/28 FLA WSH 9/29 Won vs FLA, 13-0 Lost vs WSH, 4-2 Tied 9/30 Lost vs FLA, 8-1 Won vs WSH, 6-1 -1

Rays crowned AL East champions

DETROIT -- Anticlimactic, maybe, but take nothing away from the Rays -- the 2008 American League East champions.

After taking a 6-4 loss to the Tigers on Friday night in front of a crowd of 39,617 at Comerica Park, the Rays were crowned division champs early Saturday morning after the Yankees defeated the Red Sox with a lopsided win at Fenway Park.

"[It] would have been nice to have won it on the field," Cliff Floyd said. "But any way you get in, you get in. You don't back in with 96 wins. We're here. Nobody wants to play us in the playoffs."

Few could have expected this outcome, which has seen the team go from worst to first. The highest finish the Rays had prior to this season came in 2004, when they won 70 games during a fourth-place campaign.

Tampa Bay turned in its green uniforms and changed its name from "Devil Rays" to "Rays" prior to the 2008 season. And ultimately, it changed the face of the franchise by being cast in the winner's circle.

The Rays' Division Series playoff opponent will shake out in the final weekend of the season. Winning the AL East assured the Rays they will begin the playoffs at home against the winner of the AL Central -- either the Twins or the White Sox -- while Boston, the Wild Card winner, will head to Anaheim to play the Angels, who will finish with the AL's best record. The Angels chose Wednesday to begin their series against the Red Sox, meaning the Rays will open on Thursday.

The Rays dug themselves into an early hole Friday night when Magglio Ordonez laced a two-run double and Gary Sheffield belted a solo home run in the first inning to put the Tigers up, 3-0.

Ramon Santiago, who hit two home runs against Tampa Bay on Thursday, added a two-run homer in the second off Rays starter Andy Sonnanstine, giving Santiago four home runs on the season while staking the Tigers to a 5-0 lead.

"Very [disappointing]," said Sonnanstine of not being able to nail down the clinching game. "I felt like I let the team down, in a sense, today, and [I'm] just thankful that I'll have another game to pitch at some point in the postseason."

The Rays got on the scoreboard in the third when Jason Bartlett scored on a fielder's choice. They scored again in the fifth on Pena's RBI single to cut the lead to 5-2.

B.J. Upton hit his ninth home run of the season in the seventh off former Rays left-hander Bobby Seay to pull Tampa Bay to within two. The Rays were unable to cash in on a golden opportunity in the eighth, when they loaded the bases with two outs, but Pena's liner to center field couldn't find a hole, ending the threat.

"You know what, that's something I noticed today," Pena said. "We swung the bats pretty well, we really did. We didn't catch the breaks. Not only my ball -- I hit that ball on the screws -- there were a few balls that could have dropped that did not, that was the story. We talk about momentum. When you've got the momentum shift, those balls start dropping. It was shifting toward the end, but we just came up a little short."

Mets win coin flip over Astros

NEW YORK -- The Mets won a coin toss with the Astros on Thursday to determine home-field advantage for a potential one-game playoff between the two teams.

Tiebreaker ScenariosAL CentralTwins at White SoxNL EastMets at PhilliesNL WestD-backs at DodgersNL Wild CardBrewers at PhilliesBrewers at AstrosBrewers at MetsAstros at Mets

Should the Mets and Astros tie for the National League Wild Card lead after Monday's play -- the Astros have a makeup game scheduled for Monday against the Cubs -- then the two teams would play a one-game playoff on Tuesday at Shea Stadium.

The flip was the second won by the Mets this season. Should the Mets and Brewers -- who are currently tied atop the NL Wild Card standings -- remain knotted after 162 games, they would play a one-game playoff on Monday at Shea. And should the Mets and Phillies tie for the NL East lead while the Brewers win the NL Wild Card outright, then the two NL East teams would play a one-game playoff on Monday at Citizens Bank Park.

Heading into Thursday's play, the Astros stood 3 1/2 games back of both the Mets and Brewers in the NL Wild Card standings. Any Astros loss, combined with a Mets or Brewers victory, would officially knock them out of the playoff chase.

Giambi appreciates time in pinstripes

TORONTO -- Jason Giambi is aware that he may be putting on his Yankees uniform for the final time this weekend, ending a dizzying seven-year run in pinstripes filled with ups and downs.

The slugger believed that the Yankees would have won a few World Series titles over that span, and finds it a little difficult to believe that they won't have a chance in 2008. But Giambi lives without regrets, and reflects that time really has flown by.

"I'm a better person, no doubt about it," Giambi said. "It's been incredible. The baseball has been fun and I got a chance to play with some of the greatest players in this game. Unfortunately, we didn't win a World Series, but it wasn't for lack of trying."

The Yankees have not ruled out a return from Giambi in 2009, and general manager Brian Cashman has already reached out to Giambi to gauge his interest in playing in New York for another season. Giambi said that Cashman told him he would need to figure out his own situation first. Cashman's contract expires Oct. 31 and, though the Yankees want him back, he is waiting until after the season to decide.

The Yankees figure to evaluate Giambi as they would any other free agent, primed to buy out his $22 million option at a price of $5 million. Giambi's response to Cashman was that he is interested in a multi-year deal but would love to stay, as he hopes to play into his 40s.

"It's been fun -- it's been awesome," Giambi said. "I think that's the thing you miss out on when you play in California, that passion. We're from the beach and we just like to hang out. It was really fun to be thrust into that atmosphere every single night. You really come to love it as a ballplayer."

One of the turning moments of Giambi's time in New York came on July 9 of this season, when the Yankees sponsored a giveaway of 20,000 faux mustaches in a "Support the 'Stache" promotion, intended to rally Giambi's candidacy for the All-Star Game Final Vote.

Giambi wound up in Las Vegas for the All-Star break instead of at Yankee Stadium, but a candid conversation with YES Network broadcaster David Cone that month really set a deeper meaning for the whole mustache event.

"[Cone] said, 'You got the fans back,'" Giambi said. "You worked hard and you've been that guy and you were honest. I worked hard to get back where I was, and at the same time, still being that player and playing to that caliber of baseball I played before."

Giambi has succeeded in proving his doubters wrong, playing through a full season at age 37 with no injury concerns. Giambi entered Thursday's game batting .251 with 32 home runs and 95 RBIs, and with no foot injuries to slow him, has started 109 games at first base after making just 16 starts there in 2007. That makes Yankees manager Joe Girardi believe that there is a lot left in Giambi's tank, no matter where he finds a home for 2009.

"I think Jason can continue to be productive," Girardi said. "He's done everything that we've asked. He's stayed healthy the whole year. He's played nine innings at first as much as he's probably played in a long time."

It was Girardi who was among Giambi's most outspoken supporters this season, from the moment he accepted the managerial post in November. Girardi called Giambi at home and told him that he expected him to be ready to play upwards of 100 games defensively at first base.

That was welcome news to Giambi, who historically hits better when he plays the field. Able to begin a running program after losing months of last season to a torn plantar fascia, Giambi reported to Spring Training in shape and reaped the rewards.

"He's been through a lot, but he responded very well this year," Girardi said. "It's something that he should be proud of."

That would have seemed a long shot during Giambi's early days in pinstripes. Signing a seven-year, $120 million contract before the 2002 season, Giambi hit .314 with 41 homers and 122 RBIs, overcoming a slow start by announcing his presence on the New York stage with a May 17 grand slam in the rain against the Twins. He also had a productive 2003 (.250, 41 HR, 107 RBIs), but injuries and maladies began to set in.

Giambi missed time with an intestinal parasite and a benign tumor in 2004, playing only 80 games, and testimony was leaked from a federal grand jury to which he had admitted previous use of human growth hormone. Giambi rebounded to win the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award in '05, though he admitted that was far from a certainty.

"I got a chance to play with some of the greatest players in this game."-- Jason Giambi, on his run with the Yankees

"To not have a little doubt, I wouldn't be human," Giambi said. "Of course I had a little doubt. But I always knew in my heart that if I just figured out what was the matter when I got sick, I'd come back and work hard. I always had the same work ethic, so that wasn't going to be a problem. I made it."

It was during those darkest of days, marked by an apology unspecific in nature, that Giambi realized what he had with the Yankees. He recalled how a comment to the media from Yankees captain Derek Jeter resounded with him.

"When it all came out and I was basically the only guy, it was very controversial," "Jeter stepped up and said, 'Listen, he's my teammate and he's my friend and we welcome him back.' It's huge for a guy like Derek Jeter. It's a very controversial issue for who he is and what he represents. For him to do that, he's a great friend and I'll never forget it."

For Giambi, the biggest moments have been witnessing his teammates' achievements. He points to the accolades and honors earned by Alex Rodriguez, Jeter and Mariano Rivera over the seven years.

"When you look back, being here is like being in a time capsule," Giambi said. "I'm sure it was like that when those guys played with Mantle. All the great things that people have accomplished here, not only individually but as a team. We're going to step back someday and view this as a time of the greats of the game."

Yanks gear up for final meeting vs. Sox

TORONTO -- It has been more than a decade since a Yankees club occupied the cramped visiting locker room at Fenway Park with nothing on the line but pride. For a team accustomed to playing in October, this weekend's tilt at Boston will be odd indeed.

The Yankees will complete their regular-season schedule against the Red Sox, in a series they had circled, hoping it would have postseason implications. Instead, it can only affect Boston, still clinging to a slim hope of securing the American League East.

"It's strange thinking that we're not playing beyond Sept. 28th," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "But as I said, you see the last couple of days and there's a lot of pride out there and I expect the guys to play hard. That's what I expect our guys to do. I think our guys will still play the same way, no matter what."

With rain in the forecast for much of the weekend, the actual timing of games could be affected. But regardless of the place in the standings, the Yankees and the Red Sox always seem to present a hot ticket.

"I'm sure the crowd is going to be into it," Derek Jeter said. "You're not going to change the fans. The fans are always into it. We've gone there when they've been out of it and they've come to New York when they've been out of it. I don't think it's different."

That holds especially true in Boston, where the first game not to sell out at Fenway Park in their recent run of capacity entries will certainly not be against a team wearing gray New York uniforms.

"I was talking to someone about that earlier," Xavier Nady said. "I've only been to Fenway one day and it was crazy, but it'll be interesting. We'll see. It's unfortunate that we're not playing in October, but hopefully we'll end on a positive note."

Joba Chamberlain -- no friend of Fenway after repeated dustups with Kevin Youkilis -- expects his reception to be much the same as it has been over his brief big league career.

"I don't think it's going to be any different, because it is what it is," Chamberlain said. "Guys are still going to play hard and do the things that we've done all year.

"Those fans and our fans that travel from New York want to see a good game, and that's what we're going to give them. Just because we're out of it doesn't mean that we're going to go out and not play hard."

Since the Red Sox and Rays still have unfinished business in the division, Girardi said he plans to field a club capable of presenting a good challenge to the Red Sox.

Rookie Alfredo Aceves -- a Mexican League product who called Fenway Park "just another place to pitch" -- will start on Friday, followed by Sidney Ponson on Saturday and then Mike Mussina on Sunday.

That final game, above all others, is the one the Yankees really want to win, as Mussina will be vying for the first 20-victory season of his career.

"If they're still competing for something, our regulars will be in there," Girardi said. "There might be one younger guy, but I'm going to play the regulars in Boston, especially if it means something."

The Yankees fully expect to hear it from the Fenway faithful over their time in town, having no real argument for the fact that their 13-year postseason streak is history while the Red Sox are headed for the October dance.

"Of course we're going to hear it," Chamberlain said. "You take it with a grain of salt. It won't be the first time we hear it."