Game On!

Will the Yankees be sidetracked by the suddenly sputtering Jarrod Washburn trade? How will falling just short of a sweep in Boston affect New York's mentality? And what's going on in Jose Molina's head as Brian Cashman tries to pry his brother Bengie away from the San Francisco Giants?

How do things happening behind-the-scenes and off-the-field impact the team?

External Factor No. 1: Washburning Ink.

Everywhere you turn it's Jarrod Washburn this, Jarrod Washburn that. Even before the Yankees faced off with Boston in the final game of the series, several New York beat writers continued to hint that the Seattle Mariners left-hander was only a phone call away.

Here we are almost 24 hours later and there is no Washburn in sight. And although talks reportedly remain hot, it doesn't appear that a deal is going to get done at any time in the near future unless Seattle comes down from its high horse.

Despite the hiccup, it has not stopped several Yankees from taking notice — namely Washburn's former teammate Richie Sexson.

"I've been texting back and forth with him, and he seems to know about as much as everyone else. But I know he'd be really excited to play for a good team," Sexson said. "He's not a city guy, but he's a baseball guy, and he's a guy who thrives in a winning environment. A great team guy. He may be quiet in the clubhouse, but then on the field his personality does a total 180. The three years I played with him, we never seemed to ever get him any runs and he never griped, never complained, always did his job."

External Factors No. 2: A sweep would have been sweet.

You've all heard the saying: You're only as good as your last game.

Unfortunately for the Bronx Bombers, their last game was nothing to be proud of. After dominating Boston (first with pitching, then with offense) in the first two games of their three-game set, the Yankees and Sidney Ponson rolled over and were hit with a big loss last night.

Sure, the team took two of three and managed to gain a game on the second-place Red Sox, but you can bet that no one in the clubhouse is satisfied with that. New York had Boston on their heels and were only nine innings away from pulling into a virtual tie with them for second ... that has to be frustrating.

External Factors No. 3: Brotherly love?

With Jorge Posada facing season-ending surgery, the Yankees have decided to hit the market and check for available catchers. Ironically enough, one of the first players being shopped to them happens to be the brother of current starting catcher Jose Molina.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the Giants have offered Bengie Molina to both New York teams for the right price.

While Bengie may be a better offensive option for the Yankees, his brother Jose has obviously done a fantastic job defensively. He's also proven the ability to manage the Yankees pitching staff, which has been the key to their resurgence.

But how would one of the Molina's feel about backing up their brother? Well, it's certainly not unheard of — especially for these two. From 2001 through 2005, Jose was Bengie's primary backup in Anaheim. But would he be as accepting of a backup role now that he's finally gotten the sweet taste of being a starter?

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