Back-Page Barometer Postseason Edition #3 (10/8)

In which we track the Yankees' Postseason Exploits Through the All-Seeing Eye(s) of the New York Post and the New York Daily News.

GAME: Game 3 of the American League Division Series between the AL East Champion Yankees and the AL West Champion Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

RESULT: Angels 11, Yankees 7

SUMMARY (25 Words or Less): The Yankees scored six unanswered runs over the fifth and sixth innings to erase a five-run deficit, only to have their bullpen blow the lead.

HEADLINE EDGE? The tabs are understandably and hilariously in panic mode here, so neither headline is particularly witty or incisive. When humans are forced to confront death, we usually do so in terse, cliched terms. The gravity of the situation precludes meaningful dialogue and distorts one's perspective.

The same is true for the Post and the News here. They don't seem to know what to say, so they resort to cliche. A Randy Johnson "Big"-themed headline seemed inevitable this postseason, as it recurred throughout the regular season as reliably as a beautiful rainbow appears after a light summer's rain. Still, "Big Trouble"?, that's as boring as they come.

We're gonna go with the Post's "On the Brink". No, it's not a particularly engaging three words. But check out the picture -- A-Rod staring death in the face, maintaining a resolute stoicism even as he and his teammates face "doomsday".

We here at GPC are constantly thinking about death and the painful realities of our mortality. The tabs help us in this regard, illustrating the struggles of those who have come to the precipice of existence.

The Yankees aren't dead yet, however. Will they win their staring match with the grim reaper, and be granted a brief reprieve? Tune in tomorrow to find out!

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