Biggest hit of the year?

Old Friedrich Nietzsche - when not playing linebacker for the Green Bay Packers - once said, "When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares into you." (Hey, whatever works on waitresses in bars...) And in Anaheim, the home of humanity's direct porthole to Hell: the "It's a Small World" attraction at Disney Land, Old Fred clearly could have seen the Yankee 2014 season headed into the abyss. (Hey, what Nietzsche has to do with Disney Land, Anaheim or the 2014 Yankees, I leave for greater minds than me to discern. Don't stop me, I'm on a roll.)

Last night, the Yankee fates were cued up like a Fox News graphic on Benghazi to serve another classic, out-of-body, Cesar Cabralian defeat - in other words, a blinking contest with The Abyss. We blew the lead in the eighth. We pissed away several rallies. If the game went into extra innings, it would be only a matter of time before the ghost of Chris Leroux appeared, shaking his bones and humming, "It's a Small World After All..."

Then Mr. Roberts hit one.

It wasn't a cheap smash. It looked like a vintage drive from Mattingly or Brett, far into the seats, long gone before it left the infield. Roberts added two singles and boosted his BA to .250. Not exactly Rod Carew, but the guy was swimming in Lenn Sakata waters throughout April. Lately, Roberts has been hitting the ball hard. I don't want to jinx him, but if Roberts returned to 75 percent of his former abilities - let's say .285 with 10 HR - he would save Cashman's parking space. He would give the Yankees yet another lead-off hitter in practically an entire lineup of them -  (Gardner, Soriano, Jeter, Ellsbury, Roberts, Ichiro) - despite the fact that we only seem to score with HRs. Of course, the Yankee problem is not putting men on base: It is driving them home.

Make no mistake: Last night, Roberts' home run saved this team from a 15-minute glance into the abyss. That's a long hard stare. Because 15 minutes can save you a lot on car insurance. Old Freddie Nietzsche knew it. That guy could really sack a quarterback.