Batter’s box has great view

IN THE first game of Wednesday’s Indians-Yankees doubleheader, YES’ Al Leiter and Paul O’Neill became the confederated sound of an annoying background drone, like the neighbor cutting his lawn, up and down, up and down, then across and back, with a gas mower.

Only once did they have nothing to say. In a 2-1 game, Cleveland’s Roberto Perez hit a long fly down the leftfield line, then stood at the plate, watching to see if it would be fair, foul or caught. From what was seen on YES, Perez never took a step toward first.

The ball landed atop the stands, just 4 feet foul. Finally given the chance to say something pertinent about this game, O’Neill and Leiter didn’t say a word.

If there was one message viewers could take from ESPN’s first week of U.S. Open tennis coverage it was this: College football is coming on ESPN! We even were given the split-screen option of watching a match or watching and listening to Kirk Herbstreit beat his drum for college football on ESPN!

Reader Mel Gross has a worthy idea: If “defensive indifference” is applied to players who steal second, unchallenged, late in large-lead games, why not apply “offensive indifference” to those who home run-pose doubles into singles?

Need a good fairytale book for bedtime reading to a child? Try “Roger Goodell & the Good Investment PSLs.” The Jets have contacted PSL suckers to sell them additional nearby tickets at face value, no PSL tack-ons. To think the Jets once had a 20-year waiting list. Good night.