The dog days of June wear down the Squawkers

I told Squawker Jon last night I was bone-tired and running on empty. I said I needed a break from this relentless pace of Squawking. "I've written every day this season," I told him. "Give me a day off now."

But Jon insisted upon putting me into the Squawker lineup. "Better keep on writing," he demanded. "We have fans expecting to read you."

There were rumors that we spoke sharply to each other and needed a conference call with Yankee higherups to work things out. At any rate, I got a little more than 24 hours away from Squawking, before having to pinch-Squawk tonight. I feel like A-Rod or something!

Here's the real story. One of my brothers was in New York State this weekend for a basenji convention, of all things. Basenjis are dogs that don't bark - they kind of howl and yodel!

So Squawker Jon came along with me to keep me company on the drive upstate. We're in Syracuse now with a whole mess of hounds. It's kind of how what it would be like to put Met fans, Yankee fans, and Red Sox fans in the same room. They might get along, but there could also be some howling!

Anyhow, I missed seeing most of last night's game, and also missed much of tonight's game. I think A-Rod's time off was long overdue, and I'm glad to see good pitching performances out of Andy Pettitte and A.J. Burnett. Just wish the Yankee bats would wake up a little more.

Tomorrow afternoon, we're going to Cooperstown on the way back to the city to see the Hall of Fame Classic. It's the Old Timers' Day featuring five Hall of Famers and 20 other retired big leaguers. We're looking forward to seeing the 90-year-old Bob Feller start the game!

What do you think of the state of the Yankees? Leave us a comment!