Toronto Blue Jays v New York Yankees, August 3, 2006

Yankee Stadium, Sec LOGE 30 Row 524A

A hot and sticky afternoon game. The hottest the Yanks have played in all year. But not hot enough to keep 52, 156 away. There were free water coolers around the stadium. They couldn't even keep them filled. Game time official temp was 97. Reports on the field were as high as 105 degrees.

We had no tickets so I used the moment to teach the youngin how to handle scalpers. Every time we saw a scalper, he would point out in excitement. But I was buying my time to sniff out my victim. I spotted him from across River Ave and bolted across the street to track him down. Two seats in the shade, first row in the Loge. Two for the price of one. That's how it's done, son.

Cory Lidle was making his first start for the Yanks after being traded from the Phillies along withBobby Abreu.

Derek Jeter got things started with a single to left in the bottom of the first. Alex Rodriguez worked the count against the Jays Shaun Marcum. And Jason Giambi emptied the bases with a blast to right-center. 3-0 in the 1st.

The game remained scoreless until Ryan Roberts hit a home run in the 5th for the Jays. The Bombers responded by manufacturing 2 more in the bottom half of the 5th and 3 more in the bottom of the 6th with Mount Laurel, NJ's Scott Schoeneweis on the hill for Toronto.

In typical Joe Torre Yankee fashion, this one lasted over 3 hours. Lidle got the win, his 9th of the year and 1st as a Yankee.

A few month later, on October 11 of the same year, Cory Lidel lost his life in a small plane crash in Manhatten.