A Freaky Friday for the Angels

NEW YORK

Since the day Babe Ruth showed up, nobody has ever had the New York Yankees' number. Not until, in this new century, the Los Angeles Angels have started to show signs of knowing how to beat even the most powerful and expensive of Bronx teams.

So far, while the evidence is inconclusive, it is also surprisingly long-lived and substantial. The Angels not only knocked New York out in the first round of the 2002 and '05 playoffs but have a splendid 73-63 regular season record since the beginning of the recent powerhouse Yankees era in '96.

Year after year, the Angels compete -- and with an edge. Manager Mike Scioscia, who arrived in 2000, was the only manager with a head-to-head winning record over Joe Torre in his Yankees term.

Perhaps those earlier New York teams, especially over the last eight infuriating years, were flawed, ready to lose and, twice, the Angels just got credit for doing the October deed. But not this year. These are the fully loaded Bombers -- all options included -- jacked up with $423.5 million of new free agents this season. No New York excuses allowed. No compassion for Halos. Stomp 'em.

That's why Friday's first game of the American League Championship Series, won by the Yankees, 4-1, on a frigid night, carried even more freight than such title bouts always contain. So will Saturday's battle. Viewed coldly, the Angels may have one more crucial opportunity here to convince the Yanks that their head-to-head past is once again prologue.

If the Angels play another nervous, error-plagued game, looking distracted by the wind and chill, affected by the chanting crowd, and looking more than a bit star-struck in the Big Apple, the burden of this ALCS may become too great for them.

In this first game, they let a simple infield popup go untouched as a run scored. Cue the Bronx cheers for bystanders Erick Aybar and Chone Figgins. Starter and loser John Lackey, the staff ace, threw a pickoff attempt wildly to set up another unearned run. Torii Hunter kicked a ball in center field. And despite hitting the ball hard off CC Sabathia in many innings, Los Angeles barely nicked him. Not an Angelic start.

"We have to clean it up," Scioscia said of his shoddy defense, while acknowledging that Sabathia's command and control on such a finger-freezing night was the key to the game. "If you crack the door open for them, it's going to be tough. We did our share [to open the door] tonight."

With Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, their store-bought aces, working the first two games, the Bombers needed to make a statement: This time it's different. Now, half of the job is done.

But the other half, when the gifted but emotional Burnett, who can be overpowering or wild and air-headed, faces Angels southpaw Joe Saunders (from Falls Church), could be pivotal.

Despite a history of poor work against the Angels (now 6-7 career), as well as past postseason stumbles, Sabathia is still baseball's unique 6-foot-7, 290-pound monster. The Yankees' worldview assumed this win. It is Saturday that worries the Yanks. If the rain-threatened game is canceled, New York's plans to pitch Sabathia three times in a seven-game series would probably die. And if it is played, will Burnett live up to New York demands?