I was out at the Stadium last night to watch as the Yankees obliterated the Indians, 7-2. It was a little eerie: there were lots more police cars than usual, or so it seemed, and I was reminded of going to Yankee Stadium not long after September 11th… The game was preceded by a moment of silence in honor of the British dead and wounded. Unlike the rote playing of “God Bless America” that now takes place every game, this had the feel of authenticity. Somehow the idea of London being attacked particularly wounds the heart…and riles the spirit.

The game itself was terrific. Mike Mussina held the Indians to two runs in seven innings; A-Rod, Jason Giambi, and Derek Jeter all homered; and the Yankees started a rookie, Melky Cabrera, in centerfield. When Cabrera singled his second time up, the crowd of 52,000 gave him a standing ovation. Sweet.

The Yankees now have three promoted minor-leaguers playing regularly on the team: Cabrera, second baseman Robinson Cano, and pitcher Chien Mien-Wang. (Someone check my spelling on that.) I love it. Somehow it’s so much easier to root for these young athletes when expectations are low and you know they’re just learning the game…and when they’re not getting paid $15 million a year.

Consider the Yankees’ pitching staff at the start of the season: Randy Johnson, Jaret Wright, Mike Mussina, Kevin Brown, and Carl Pavano. Free-agent signings all. While Mussina’s been solid, if not great, Johnson has been inconsistent and generally not very impressive. Wright, Pavano, and Brown are all on the disabled list. After last year’s ALCS Game Seven, Kevin Brown may be the most hated Yankee ever; you might as well have taken $30 million and set it on fire….

Who knows whether the rookies will be good enough to spark this team? That’s okay. I’d rather watch Melky Cabrera play his heart out and struggle than watch Kevin Brown mail it in and cash his checks….

Oh, and by the way, Dan Shaughnessy: it’s 3 1/2 games now….