Orioles 11, Yankees 5: The Ol' Rope-a-Dope

Longtime readers will remember my affinity for a certain dark and stormy September night, during which Christopher Tillman first caught my eye. Tillman was just a 21 year old top prospect getting his first exposure to the major leagues, and he struck out Nick Swisher on a beauty of a curveball. Such was the joy of this one pitch that not only am I still talking about it as if Tillman didn't lose almost all of his luster in the ensuing years, but Nick Swisher let out an obscenity audible enough to perfectly punctuate the memory for me.

Tonight, Tillman showed more of that luster-lacking mediocrity, getting banged around in the first and showing almost nothing worth