Touch 'Em All: You could smell the fear on Yankees fans

NEW YORK - They'll deny it today, these Yankees fans, but for most of yesterday, Gotham was in full sweating panic. After Game 4, they already had packed subways from all the boroughs, racing to get quality curb spots for the inevitable parade down Broadway's Canyon of Heroes.

Yesterday, no parade talk. World Series doom scenarios dominated the day.

You couldn't see this panic on your Fox telecast, since few in the lower seats at Yankee Stadium seemed familiar with the Yankees. Maybe that guy wrapped in a cashmere scarf caught one once in his youth. We were too intimidated to find out.

In truth, the lower seats last night were a mishmash. A lady of a certain age in her fur coat. Former Yankees great Dave Winfield high-fiving his way through the seats pregame. But not entirely Park Avenue.

"Game 2, they got kicked out, six of them," one guy in the back of the section behind the Yankees dugout said to an usher, pointing toward some seats closer to home plate. "They pushed the lady cop?"

"They pushed the lady cop," the usher confirmed.

"It was early in the game," the other guy said.

Last night's game played out the way it did, but yesterday, Yankees fans - the most sophisticated on Earth, just ask them - were all but shouting that their manager had turned into a bozo, sending old men to the mound on short rest.

Yankees fans openly feared that if Ryan Howard found his groove, another historic collapse would be inevitable. They couldn't even win a battle of the bullpens until it was time for the great Mariano Rivera.

Discussing the bullpen - that's where you really saw the flop sweat. (Who says NYC and Philly have nothing in common?) Yesterday, adult baseball fans seriously discussed the possibility of bringing Rivera out of the Yankees' bullpen for the seventh inning of Game 6.

Make no mistake: No bad words here for the man who turns 40 this month. Rivera's the best in the business, ever. When he retires, his cut fastball will go straight to the Hall of Fame.

We wished they just went ahead and started Rivera in Game 6. Really see how long he could go.

You walk into Yankee Stadium and they've got the YES network on the televisions, often with the sound down. the only thing worse than watching the simulcast of Mike Francesa's WFAN radio show is seeing it with the sound turned down.

This from Jack the Hack, once the pride of Long Island: "The night that Chris Chambliss hit a ninth-inning home run to give the Yanks their first pennant since '64, three friends and I went across the street afterward to Stan's Bar . . . waiting for the crowds for the 4 train downtown to thin out. We walked in, and there was a guy standing behind the bar - no, it was

on

the bar - holding a Cincinnati Reds cap he'd just bought a couple of storefronts down at Manny's Baseball Land. He held the red Reds cap aloft, and then pulled out his lighter and lit it on fire. And the entire bar - jammed, hundreds and hundreds of drunken Yankee fans - started chanting, 'Pete Rose sucks! Pete Rose sucks!' "

As of yesterday at 4:30 p.m., the cheapest tickets on StubHub for both last night's game and a potential Game 7 were $450 for outfield bleacher seats. The most expensive? I was rooting for the guy who put his 18th-row seat behind the dugout at $992,895.35. Only $18.95 above the list price.

Have you seen the photo of the Phanatic climbing the Empire State Building? It's making the rounds via e-mail.

The New York Post was on its game. Shane Victorino in that cheerleader outfit was a strong start. But yesterday's Photoshopped portrayal of Pedro Martinez was inspired. Pedro's head on a baby in a diaper.

Spank him, Yanks. Daddy to whup Pedro tonight.

Fitzpatrick was kind enough to send in his daily limerick from an undisclosed location.

There once was a writer named Fitzy,

on the road he stayed at the Ritzy.

When the Series went six,

he took out the sticks,

a golf ball is something he hits, see?

Former Phillies pitching coach Joe Kerrigan said yesterday on ESPN-AM (950) that in the postseason, opposing hitters have batted .478 against Cole Hamels after his 60th pitch.

Jay Z walked by before Game 2, about to perform. Taking big strides, he looked exactly like an athlete before a big game, even a fighter going to the ring. He meant business.

Jack the Hack, now the pride of Atlanta, recalls this one from Game 1 of the '96 World Series, after the teenage Andruw Jones went deep twice and the Braves humbled the Pinstripes: "After the game, the tiny old press elevator was already packed when another person climbed aboard. Henry Kissinger. Someone asked Doctor K what he thought about the game, and H the K, in his best Dr. Strangelove accent, replied: "I've had days like this. I've lost countries on days like this."

1 "They're going for 27. You know that, right?"

2 "You know what, this guy deserved to get punched."

3 "If you have to win every year, seek therapy."

4 "I think those seats in the Aux [press] Box are higher than Balloon Boy."

5 "Second time in two days. We lost him last night at dinner."