Mo Better? Update
After a controversial report in a respected daily e-mail baseball newsletter hinted that Mariano Rivera might be shut down for the year, the Yankees made a pointed effort to put out a release announcing that he would start throwing off a mound around Wednesday of this week. Whether that qualifies as good news -- "throwing from a mound" is a bit sketchy at this late date -- is up for debate. It looks like the Yankees are trying to determine if Steve Karsay can be the guy on the mound in Game 7 this year, in case Rivera isn't available for the post-season. His last three outings (3.2IP, 5H, 3ER, 2BB, 5K, one save) haven't been encouraging.

September Roster Shuffling Minimal
The passing of the August 31 trade deadline was lost amid the labor announcements, and late rumors that the Yanks made a run at Paul Byrd proved unfounded. The September roster shuffle saw Mike Thurman optioned to Columbus (again -- as has been announced in about half of these weekly reports this season), while P Randy Choate and C Alberto Castillo made September expanded-roster returns to the Bronx. None of these moves have the slightest bit of fantasy impact. Thurman has not yet been re-re-re-called, nor has OF Marcus Thames, who broke camp in pinstripes this April. The Yankees are reportedly cooling on Thames' potential upside.

The most interesting move is Tuesday's scheduled recall of 3B prospect Drew Henson, who, as reported here last month, is re-considering the Chad Hutchinson/Josh Booty route to the NFL. Robin Ventura's aches and pains may have spurred Henson's path to New York in 2002, and recent talk that he would be called up to offset the lure of the NFL apparently outweighed the start of his arbitration clock. Keeper leagues, Henson is not a good option. One move that might pay off in AL-only leagues this season is the surprise re-activation of Juan Rivera, who returned Friday specifically so he will be eligible for post-season. That means playing time in September.

Probable Starters 9/3: Clemens vs. BOS (Castillo) 9/4: Pettitte vs. BOS (Lowe) 9/5: Weaver vs. DET (Sparks) 9/6: Hernandez vs. DET (Redman) 9/7: Wells vs. DET (Powell or Lima)

E-mail Question of the Week
A fantasy GM blessed with catching depth noted Jorge Posada's recent cool stretch, and wonders "Should I play Posada or Mike Lieberthal?" If Lieberthal hadn't recently signed an extension, the easy answer is to play him for the "contract run" numbers, especially since Posada is likely to get some pre-October downtime. Ironically, though, the Lieberthal extension means Philadelphia will also want to showcase catching prospect Johnny Estrada for an off-season trade. So, believe it or not, the decision to start Posada should probably be based on whether or not the Phillies call up Estrada for September. What a tangled Web(site) we weave ...

Pitching Matchups; Hurts So Good?
As the entire baseball world knows, Pedro Martinez will NOT start Tuesday against Roger Clemens, but emergency sub Frank Castillo is just the type of pitcher who has just baffled the Yankees this year ... Andy Pettitte will start Wednesday instead of Tuesday, but last week's skipped start was precautionary; if the Red Sox were up four games, Pettitte wouldn't have missed a start in the first place ... Clemens has struggled (3-2, 6.09) since returning from the DL in early August, but he will be fine ... Jeff Weaver is set to go Wednesdy, though oddly he was throwing in the 'pen during Monday's late innings.