FanHouse Dan Giese

It wouldn't be the dog days of summer without a good old fashioned panic attack in the Northeast, where baseball fans live and die with the outcome of each night's game. In almost perfect symmetry, the Red Sox, Yankees and Mets all got bad news on the injury front Wednesday.

Considering where the big three sit in the standings, fans in New York and Boston have plenty to be concerned about. Let's look at each team's situation and try to assess how bad things are right now and how bleak they could get.

Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz has already missed almost two months this season with a torn tendon sheath in his wrist. Now the slugger is reporting that he's hearing a "clicking" sound in the wrist he injured back on May 31 in Baltimore. The good news for Boston fans is that, on its own, the clicking sound isn't a concern. Indeed, Ortiz was back in the lineup for Wednesday night's game against the Royals.

However, as injury guru Will Carroll points out, the problem could be more mental than anything. If Ortiz's swing gets less violent and vicious because he is afraid of getting injured, it could hurt his productivity -- a frightening proposition for Boston in the wake of the Manny Ramirez trade.

I'm sure this is the way Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman drew it up coming into the season. The last turn through the Yankees rotation went like this: Mike Mussina, Dan Giese, Andy Pettitte, Darrell Rasner, and Joba Chamberlain.

Ok, so Mussina and Pettitte: check. Joba? Wasn't he supposed to be setting up? Instead Yanks fans get treated to a rousing rendition of Kyle Farnsworth in the 8th ... woo hoo! Rasner was an uninspiring injury replacement last year, and who the heck is Dan Giese? Sidney Ponson is next to the party. You remember him, right? He's the fat dude pictured here who got kicked off the Rangers for being a royal pain in the arse and enjoys driving after a few pops.

Injuries got them here.

The major issue is Chien Ming-Wang's foot injury -- because the NL hasn't grown up.

Ian Kennedy is on his way back from injury and threw impressively -- seven K in three shutout innings -- in a rehab start last Monday.

Finally, Carl Pavano is apparently closer to a MLB return than Phil Hughes.

Whaddaya say we fantasy spin it up for each dude after the jump ...

Before you get confused by the headline, that's Jon Lieber of the Cubs, whom our intrepid YouTube hero spotted roaming the concourse of Wrigley Field before a recent Cubs game. I mean, what are the odds? A actual big league player mingling with the common fan? It happens more than you think, apparently.

Take the case of Dan Giese, the 31-year-old rookie just called up by the Yankees. He arrived at Yankee Stadium five and a half hours before last night's game, so what did he do? Tyler Kepner of the New York Times tells us:

Giese wanted to see the sights, and he noticed a group taking a tour of the ballpark. He tagged along a few feet behind, careful not to step out of line.

"I didn't want to get yelled at," he said. Giese could have amazed the group by revealing himself as an actual Yankees pitcher, but the fans might not have believed him.

After all, unless you were down in Florida watching spring training or in Scranton watching the Triple-A Red Barons, chances are you haven't seen Giese pitch this year. After pitching 3 2/3 innings under the bright lights last night, he'll probably be recognized the next time he takes the tour, but at least no one will yell at him.