Yes, the Yankees swept the Red Sox. More on that -- and all the rest of the big games this week -- tomorrow.

At the moment I want to talk about Joe Girardi.

Girardi's currently serving as one of the Yankees' many TV analysts. By my count, there are seven of them, which has to be some sort of all-time record. What's more, most of them are truly excellent. In addition to Girardi, my favorite, Al Leiter, John Flaherty and Paul O'Neill all are solid (Leiter's better than solid, actually), and Ken Singleton has a million stories to tell.

Today, in the bottom of the fifth inning, this exchange came after Robinson Cano hit his second home run of the afternoon:

Michael Kay: One of the big knocks against Robinson Cano, for the first couple of years, has been his lack of production in day games. And that's changing with these two home runs today. And that's something that Jeter really rides him about.

Girardi: That's a small sample. When you hit well, they're always going to find an area where you don't hit as well as you have in the past. But it's a fairly small sample. Some guys are just better nighttime hitters. There's no doubt about it.

Actually, Cano's never showed any particular lack of production in day games. As a rookie in 2005, he played just slightly worse in day games than night games. In 2006, he was significantly better in day games. It's not until this year that he's struggled in day games, with a .721 OPS in 187 plate appearances (before today).

You know what, though? Girardi's right: That is a small sample. Of course, we can't know the depth of Girardi's understanding of statistical significance. But just a passing familiarity is something you like to see in a future manager, and Girardi will manage again someday.

Labels: joe girardi, john flaherty, ken singleton, michael kay, paul o'neill, rob neyer, senator al, YES