Davidoff: O's a reminder that Rays could give Yanks fits

Buck Showalter, after managing his first game at the new Yankee Stadium yesterday, compared the ballpark to Cowboys Stadium in Texas. Which, if you don't know your aesthetics, is like comparing your homemade coleslaw to the stuff they serve at Denny's.

"It's a different place. Obviously, it's a real busy place," the Orioles' skipper said, comparing the new Stadium to its predecessor. "I know I'm probably preaching to the choir. It's kind of like Arlington [Texas], where the Cowboys play; you watch the game on TV, and all of the people in the stands are watching everything else.

"Anybody wants to put a sign up, wants to pony up, they've got an opportunity. That takes away from some of that part of it."

Oh, snap! Showalter 1, Yankees bean counters 0.

There's a greater point to be made here beyond trash talk, though. Just as the Yankees' home can seem unwieldy, so can the Yankees themselves.

In dropping this holiday matinee to Showalter's O's, 4-3, the Yankees looked older and less athletic than their opponents. When you remember that the Rays share the Orioles' profile, but with considerably more talent . . . it can make you nervous about the postseason.

"Obviously, we're not on a playoff run, but these other teams are," winning pitcher Brian Matusz said. "It's fun to go out there and be a team that you can't just walk over us.''

Baltimore owns a 20-13 record since Showalter took over the club Aug. 2, and as both Showalter and veteran second baseman Brian Roberts pointed out, the club has benefited from an influx of players coming off the disabled list. Roberts, outfielder Felix Pie and designated hitter Luke Scott have spent time inactive this season, as have setup man Jim Johnson and new closer Koji Uehara, who threw a 1-2-3 ninth against the Yankees.

Coincidence or not, however, it's hard to recall the Orioles playing such a good game against the Yankees since the franchise hit the skids in 1998. This was a game the Yankees easily could have won. The Orioles won it because they capitalized on Marcus Thames' throwing limitations in leftfield - Roberts' run-scoring single in the fifth and Matt Wieters' sacrifice fly in the sixth - and because the visitors played very strong defense. Most notably, rookie third baseman Josh Bell made back-to-back outstanding plays on fifth-inning grounders and first baseman Ty Wigginton scooped several low throws and made a diving stop to his right.

"In the American League, the balls that stay in the ballpark and aren't squared up, you've got to get outs," Showalter said. "It's not just good enough in the middle of the diamond to make routine plays, unless you have a plus bat."

The Orioles took two straight from Tampa Bay leading into yesterday's game, and Showalter, referring to his last-place team's high level of competition, spoke of "barometers right in our face this month."

The O's, in turn, serve as a barometer for the Yankees. As they try to hold off the Rays for the American League East title, at times the Yankees can come off as slow-moving as a luxury yacht. Starting pitcher A.J. Burnett managed just one 1-2-3 inning, and pinch runner Greg Golson got caught stealing second by Wieters in the seventh.

It's just one game, of course, and the Orioles' first win in the Bronx after six straight losses. However, there's a certain sort of team that makes the Yankees look bad, and it's not one that comes with bats blazing. It's one that, as the Orioles did Monday, refuses to give the opportunistic Yankees many holes to run through.

The Rays represent such a club. They might not insult the Yankees' home, but they'll treat it with the same lack of reverence.