Tangible

Derek Jeter:

We can't look at the standings. Who cares about the standings?

Mike Puma, Post:

Good thing the Yankees are leaving town for 11 days - it will take at least that long to fumigate the Stadium from the rancid odor left behind by the home team.

The fans even let Joe Torre have it yesterday, booing the manager for his ill-fated decision to replace Mike Mussina with Scott Proctor in the seventh inning. ...

Even the usually unflappable Jeter had some urgency in his voice after the Yankees lost for the seventh time in 10 games and fell a season-high six games below .500.

"You can't give up, you have to continue to fight," Jeter said. "But you do have to get some wins here."

Mike Mussina (before the Red Sox won):

How many games are we out? ... [He is told] ... Twelve is a lot. ... We need what, 72, 73 wins from here? With four months to play [and 114 games], to get to 30 games over ... [W]e have guys who can pitch and hit and score runs, but we just have to do it at the same time.

Brian Cashman ("his voice barely above a whisper"):

We can't worry about the division, the 12 games back, the wild card or anything. We just have to worry about "that day" and hope we swing a lot of "that days" together.

Anthony Rieber, Newsday:

Is it time to worry about the division race?

"I think it's an appropriate time," said Mike Mussina ...

It is time to stop saying it's early?

"Yeah, but I don't know what you do about it," manager Joe Torre said. "It's not that 'now it's time to panic.' Then what do you do?"

Torre:

We're gonna have to find that magic potion.

Or maybe start praying the "ghosts" return to make the other teams fail ...