The Hangover starring Ramiro Pena

1. We are terribly sorry for our disappearance. We have been watching. We have been pumped. We just haven't been writing. There's really no excuse. We won 100+ games, clinched playoff birth, clinched the AL East and leveled the season series (that began 0-8 we might add) with Red Laundry. There. just. is. no. excuse. So, we won't offer one and we'll just say we've been overcome by happiness and we promise you, we've been watching. We're in an incredible place and we are optimistic about October. Carsten Charles Sabathia looks inhuman this season, Jeter majors in October and we just might be able to combat the inevitable "A-Rod will choke" media frenzy. Got momentum? This may just be our year again.

2. Sweeping the BoSox at home to clinch division couldn't have been spielbergly scripted better for a Yankee fan. But, the one thing we took away from this last series (besides a bubbly soaked broom) is just how much of a team this roster has become. Game 1, Joba showed up. He was rewarded by offense. Game 2, everything was clicking. Down to Brett Gardner's steal of third - not a pinstripe didn't offer up something positive, most specifically Cano and go-johnny-go. CC's new grip on the fastball looks like it has batters scratching their heads. Can he be stopped? We hope he has been fed a month in advance. Game 3? Pettitte goes hot in the 4th and Melkman, Tex, Rod and Matsui all deliver in various ways. If it's not one, its a dozen others. No one is cold and everyone's communicating. It's as collective as it can possibly be.

3. The Hangover lineup beat the Royals last night. Yes, we know. The Royals. But our reserves still played like they cared. Pena got a homer and we have secret bench weapons. We won't settle. We're still brushing up for the postseason. PS. Swisher, hair off the dog or tomato juice. It helps.

4. We've noticed a lot of Red Sox team shrugging and self-depreciating fan talk. You may not have played great, but you weren't awful. Dice K was shutting us down for quite awhile and Byrd held us off until the late innings. If anything, we were playing better than you were playing bad. This is not to say it won't be a showdown if we meet in the ALCS. We know what you can produce offensively, but our pitching especially was on point and you know it.

5. Derek Jeter, don't think you don't deserve a special shout out for passing Lou Gehrig in all time Yankee hits. You remain the most clutch, poised, classy thing on this team and there isn't a game that goes by where we don't notice another single up the middle or defensive move that has our tongues wagging. You're money, baby.