It?s often said that fans know their team better than anyone else. So heading into the Yankees? do-or-die Game Three against the Cleveland Indians you could say I was quite the psychological mess. The fact that I had the idea to chronicle my favorite team?s possible final game of the season shows you which way I was leaning. In the end the Yankees were victorious in Game Three and lived to play another day. Hopefully you?ll be entertained by my obsessive, and sometimes schizophrenic, sports? personality. Scoring commentary is highlighted in bold. The First Inning Indians come to bat The first pitch from Roger Clemens is marked by the announcement that George Steinbrenner plans to fire manager Joe Torre if the Yankees don?t come back to win the series. The TBS commentators proceed to repeat the news roughly 45,237 times throughout the broadcast. Derek Jeter throws wide of first base and Asdrubal Cabrera gets an infield single despite colliding with Jason Giambi at bag. If the Yankees are going to win this game, some of those plays are going to have to start going their way. Clemens follows that up with a walk to Travis Hafner. The acid is already starting to reach my esophagus. The Rocket gets Victor Martinez to fly out to left, but Ryan Garko singles up the middle to score Cabrera for the first run of the night. Cleveland leads 1-0, and I?m downing ginger ale faster than Tony Gwynn chews double cheeseburgers. Roger finally gets out of the inning. After throwing 27 pitches. Yankees come to bat Johnny Damon leads the inning off with a single, but Jeter grounds into a very unclutch double-play. Bobby Abreu grounds out to first and the Yankees waste three perfectly good outs. The Second Inning Indians come to bat Trot Nixon hits a one-out home run to extend the Cleveland lead. My girlfriend?s little cousin isn?t making things any easier as he nearly breaks my cell phone in half. I can?t blame him though, I allowed him to play with it so I could enjoy the last game of Joe Torre, Jorge Posada and Alex Rodriguez?s Yankee careers. Clemens gets Asdrubal to pop out to center to end yet another Cleveland threat. His pitch count is a depressing 47 pitches through two innings. Between cans of Canada Dry I?m now popping Tums. I?m expecting my stomach to explode any minute. Yankees come to bat Rodriguez hits a 3-2 pitch into left center as he fends off the boo-birds at Yankee Stadium for the time being. However, Posada kills the rally with another double play. Jason Giambi follows that up with a grounder to first. Inning over. Indians? starter Jake Westbrook has retired six Yankees on 21 pitches. Did you know that Steinbrenner plans on firing Joe Torre if the Yankees don?t comeback and win this series? The Third Inning Indians come to bat Torre comes out to chat with Clemens after he throws two strikes to Hafner. Roger fights off the entire Yankee dugout and infield, and then proceeds to throw three consecutive balls. Make that four. I haven?t felt this sick since Johnny Damon, then with the Red Sox, cranked a grand slam into the right field bleachers during Game Seven of the 2004 ALCS. Clemens strikes out Martinez on his 317th pitch of the game. Torre returns to the mound once again, but this time he removes Clemens from the game. Phil Hughes, who happens to be younger than a majority of Roger?s facial hair, comes in with one out in the inning. Hughes? second pitch is wild and Hafner moves to second base. After getting Garko to ground out to short, Jhonny Peralta doubles to right, and the Indians take a 3-0 lead. My eyes have now started to bleed profusely. Kenny ?The Yankee Killer? Lofton flies out to end the Cleveland half of the inning. The Indians are scoring a run per inning. Terrific. Yankees come to bat Hideki Matsui beats out a ground ball, bum hamstring and all. Maybe his hustle play will inspire the rest of the Yankee batters. Next up, Robinson Cano just misses hitting into the Yankees? third double play, but moves Matsui over to second on ground out to first. Melky Cabrera follows that up with a swinging bunt, which turns into an infield single. New York has runners on the corners with one out, and Damon at the plate. If they don?t score here? They score! Damon smacks a single to right and Matsui scores. Jeter, ?The Captain? himself, is up with a chance to change the Yankees? fortunes. Instead he hits into another uncharacteristic October double play. The Yankees third inning-killer of the night, and his second in as many at bats. The Bombers got a run back, but I wanted more. I?m left sweating and red-faced. Not unlike a majority of my Saturday nights. The Fourth Inning Indians come to bat For the first time there?s little to write when the Indians come to bat. Hughes strikes out two Cleveland batters as he sets them down in order. I hope to have another five of these before the game concludes. Yankees come to bat Unfortunately, the Yankee half of the inning is just as bland. Abreu, Rodriguez and Posada are retired in order by Westbrook. The Fifth Inning Indians come to bat Hughes is on a roll. Another uneventful inning, despite an error by Cano. I could get used to this? Yankees come to bat Quicker than you can say sweep the Yankees have runners on second and third with Melky Cabrera at the plate and only one batter retired. Cabrera delivers with a single to left, and a run scores. The Indians lead shrinks to one as Damon prepares for what could turn out to be the biggest at bat of the season for New York. He cranks a three-run shot into the right-field bleachers! After watching the Bombers struggle offensively for what seems like three weeks (it was actually three days) they finally break through. I?m literally shaking. Caught up in the moment I ask the misses if she wants to name our first-born son Johnny in honor of the game?s hero thus far. Surprisingly, she?s receptive. I realize it?s probably because Damon was a fixture for her beloved Red Sox just a few years ago, but I?m still prepared to put ink to the birth certificate. For your information, we?re not even married yet. Jeter and Abreu quickly end the inning. I don?t seem to care. My Yanks have taken a 5-3 lead. The Sixth Inning Indians come to bat Peralta leads off the inning with a single to left, just the second hit Hughes has given up in his two-plus innings of work. A visit to the mound is made to check on the young righty. The infamous Lofton comes up the bat. I begin to rock myself back-and-forth slowly. Hughes comes through and strikes Lofton out. He retires the next two batters and New York heads to the bottom of the inning looking to add on some insurance runs. Yankees come to bat Despite the Yankees? two-run lead, each at bat seems to carry more weight than Tony Siragusa. As the inning begins, the end seems near for Hughes. Joba Chamberlain is warming up in the New York bullpen. An infield single ends the night for Westbrook as A-Rod registers his first multi-hit postseason game since Family Ties was a television hit. As the new Indians pitcher, Aaron Fultz, warms up they show several Yankees congratulating Hughes on a great performance. I ponder sending him a ?thank you? card. Posada?s bat seems to have come alive as well. He slaps a single to left. New York has runners on first and second with no one out. I run into the bathroom and change my underwear as Doug Mientkiewicz lays down a beautiful bunt. Cleveland decides to intentionally walk Matsui to load the bases for Cano. Who launches a three-run triple into right field. The next several minutes are a blur. All I know is that at the end of the inning the Yankees are leading 8-3. The Seventh Inning Indians come to bat Joba enters the game and promptly strikes out Sizemore. Have I mentioned that I have a fraternal love for this kid? Asdrubal is his next victim. Only this time it takes just three pitches. He ends the inning after getting Hafner to fly out to Abreu. The Yankees are six outs away from forcing a fourth game. Yankees come to bat Jeter strikes out. The Yankees might extend the series, but they certainly don?t have Derek to thank. I?m not trying to be a Negative Nancy, but it?s the truth. In the end it doesn?t really matter. He could strike out in every at bat for the next two seasons and he?d still be a New York icon for the rest of his life. Abreu copies Jeter for the second out of the inning. A-Rod follows suit. Jensen Lewis, the Cleveland pitcher for the inning, strikes out the side. Electric stuff. Hopefully that?s the last time the Yanks see Lewis this season. The Eighth Inning Indians come to bat Joba returns for a second inning, and I have no idea why. Why not take him out so he can pitch in Game Four if needed? Don?t worry, I still love you Joe. Victor Martinez, it?s been awhile so figure I should re-introduce some first names here, singles to right field off Joba. However, Mr. Chamberlain gets Ryan Garko to ground into a double play. Four more outs and the Yankees stay alive. Joba walks Jhonny Peralta and Kenny Lofton comes to bat. Joba?s pitch count is rising steadily, so Ron Guidry pays a visit to the mound to give the bullpen some time. Lofton singles to right and I?m praying for some bullpen relief. He?s thrown 32 pitches up to this point, which leads me to believe he?s no longer available for Monday?s game. That is, if the Yankees make it out of this game alive. Joba remains in the game and gives up a double to Trot Nixon. Argh. The Indians score and the lead is down to four.. Chamberlain is still in. Why!?! Cleveland has runners on second and third with two outs and the tying run is on deck. I?m beginning to rock back-and-forth once again. Every time I blink I see Casey Blake, the current batter, hitting a three-run shot in the throng of Yankee fans. Chamberlain eases my worried mind and gets Blake to fly out to deeeeeep right. Inning over! Yankees come to bat Thankfully Joe Borowski relieves Lewis. Posada leads off the inning with a walk, and I?m beginning to believe the Yankees have this thing wrapped up. The Indians have three outs to get four runs. Not impossible, but not likely against Mariano Rivera. Mientkiewicz flies out, but Matsui walks to bump Posada over to second. Cano and Cabrera both fly out, ending a Yankee threat, and the game heads into the ninth inning. The Ninth Inning Indians come to bat Rivera comes in to close the door, and promptly gets Grady Sizemore to fly out to left. The Asdrubal Cabrera strikes out and Cleveland is down to one out. Mo ends the drama by getting Travis Hafner to strike out swinging to end the game. The Yankees live to play another day. Whether that?s good thing, or is just delaying the inevitable, remains to be seen. I carefully remove my Yankees? raglan baseball shirt and stash it away to wear during tomorrow?s Game Four. That?s right. No sweep for you Cleveland! The shirt might smell like body odor, and have a small pasta sauce stain on it, but it seems to bring some good luck to my Bombers. In the immortal words of John Sterling, ?Thhhhheeeeeeee Yankees Win!? Questions, Comments, Yankee Thoughts? [email protected]