Last night, up by 10 runs, The Master was singing

Seasoned Yankee fans can instantly discern game situations by the tone of John Sterling's voice. In recent years, if the Yanks were down by two, he'd moan like a death row prisoner pondering a plate of cold garbanzo beans. Alcatraz had nothing on the Hertz 24-7 Broadcast Booth.

This year, though, the croaking caterpillar has become a music-fluttering butterfly.

Last night, in the fourth, with his team leading by 10, John resembled a songbird on the first dawn of spring. At one point, he launched into "Oh-Me-Oh-My-Oh," an obscure ditty about Ohio, and when Suzyn asked why he was singing, he had so answer. This was godforsaken Texas - 100-degree, bug-infested, gun-nut Texas. This had no connection to Ohio. He had just burst into song spontaneously, like Elvis with Ann-Margret.

If you're not listening to games, you're missing the happiest man alive, and - for now anyway - the most joyous aspect of this Yankee resurgence.

For years now, we've called John "The Master," a title befitting his loquaciousness, his ego and - most of all - his love for the Yankees. But yesterday, we learned that John had been captain of his WMCA Radio softball team during the 1970s. This puts a new perspective on the man.

From now on, considering the Yankee void, instead of "The Master," should we call him "The Captain?"