CC you in Arlington!

"We play today, we win today- that's it."

- Mariano Duncan

It's been 52 years since the Yanks came back from a 3-1 hole, but they're not going down without a fight.

C.C came out today and did exactly what he needed to do. He gave up 11 hits, but he kept Texas in check in the run column. Hamilton was a non-factor and, in his final inning, he got himself out of a bases loaded, 1 out jam. All in a 7-2 victory for the Yanks.

The defending champs knocked the Rangers square in the mouth. Back in the starting lineup he should've never been out of, Jorge got things going with the RBI single and the Granderson came through with the 2-run double that looked like a play straight out of little league. By the way, good thing A-Rod didn't slide because he would've been toast!

The game was put out of reach in the bottom of the 3rd when Swish woke up from his 1-16 funk and put one over the wall. Robby Cano followed suit with his 4th bomb of the ALCS to make it 5-0. Texas might as well have packed it in then because it was over. C.J Wilson was a shadow of his game 1 self.

The Yanks may have lost Tex, but the Rangers may have also lost a big bat today in Nelson Cruz. His left hammy that kept him out of 51 games this year acted up on him again and he was taken out in the 5th. Anytime you can get someone that's hitting .371 4 HR 6 RBI in October, it's a good thing.

Outside of Berkman's not so graceful plunge in the right field foul ground today, my bonehead play of the day award goes to Elvis Andrus. What the hell was he thinking leading off of second base when your fighting to get back into a game? Should never happen. Kudos to Kerry for picking off 2 in the series.

Hey. At least Joe finally went to Mo to closse out the game.

We resume in Texas Friday night with Phil Hughes against Colby Lewis. Can the Yanks keep the momentum rolling? If they do, the only thing stading between them and the World Series... is Cliff Lee.

Yanks lose game 4, Teixeira, all hope?

Going into last night's game, the Yankees were clinging onto hope and a prayer. Now, it looks like they may very well need a hope in a prayer to win this series. With Mark Teixeira ruled out for the rest of the playoffs and Cliff Lee looming, their chances may be slim to none and slim just left the building.

All of the madness that jam-packed last night's game began in the bottom of the second inning when it appeared that the second coming of Jeffrey Maier made an appearance.

Robby Cano sent this Tommy Hunter delivery over the right field wall, but this Arte Lange reject literally took his hand and pushed Nelson Cruz's glove down. Why wasn't this play reviewed?! Isn't this why we have instant replay? Two batters later, Lance Berkman sent a blast about a half an inch to the right of the foul pole that was called a HR. The umps got this one right, however, and the call was reversed. The Yanks were absolutely pounding Tommy Hunter pitches last night. End of 2, 1-0 Yanks.

Not enough madness for you? Good, because were just getting started.

The top of the 3rd inning I cannot blame on A.J Burnett, the only big mistake he made came in the top of the 6th, but we'll get to that one later. The Rangers tied it up after Andrus grounded out to Tex; who saved another run from scoring with a nice play at first. With 2 outs now, Michael Young hits a weak grounder to short that A-Rod couldn't get out of his glove. Instead of getting out of the inning, the Rangers take a 2-1 lead and A-Rod runs to watch a Tom Emansky video. Fortunately for him, this blunder wouldn't cost them the game.

Then the real insanity began...

The Yanks ran Tommy Hunter out of the game and regained the lead going into the top of the 5th. It was at that time that Grim LeRogue thought it was a great idea to personally let A-Rod know that he's not happy about A-Rod doing the deed with Cameron Diaz. Later top 5, we almost had a New York version of Steve Bartman as a fan interfered with was would have been the 3rd out of the inning. Young walks and the fan is seeing his life flash before his eyes Luckily for his life, Hamilton flew out and the inning was over. Did we really just re-live two of baseball's most infamous moments within 5 innings of this game?

Then the beginning of the end occurred.

Tex is a true gamer and gives it his all on every play. Trying to beat out a groundball, Tex felt a pop in his hammy and now the Yanks will have to play the rest of the way without him. Fortunately for them, they can bring Berkman off the bench to play 1st. For all you Berkman haters, my apologies that he's only 5th all-time in Home Runs for a switch hitter with 327. Cry me a river.

Then the big blow happened.

A.J Burnett threw one pitch that summed up his entire season. Cervelli was set up on the outside corner and A.J left a fat slider over the plate that Bengie Molina turned on and put over the wall for a 3-run shot. Goodbye baseball and goodbye game 4. The place was silent after that.

The Yanks sent Robertson out there in the 7th, he promptly got 2 outs and then Girardi pulled him for the lefty, Logan who proceded to serve up a bomb special to Josh Hamilton. Good god he's good. Good call, Joe

Time to stretch, Roman Tynan couldn't have helped them at this point.

Bottom 7. Derek Holland comes out and completes a solid 3 2/3 innings pitched. Yankee fans may think he was all over the place, but he only allowed one hit. Sounds like a good outing to me.

Top 9. 7-3 Rangers. At this point, Joe Girardi is devastated after realizing that he won't get the Cubs managing job so he throws out Sergio Mitre for the 9th; essentially waving the white flag.

Cue the Natural.

Hamilton blasts his 2nd HR of the game (4th of the ALCS). Vlady hits a single and then Nelson Cruz hits a 2-run bomb to deep left. 10-3 Rangers. Nolan Ryan is beyond giddy in the front row as Yankee fans couldn't get to the subway fast enough.

In today's afternoon matinee, C.C gets the nod.

C.C is by far the perfect man to get the ball for

today's game and perhaps he can give them a much needed shot in the arm. Although I hardly see the Yankees going down in 5 games, the team that won last night's game was going to win this series.

There will be a new champion this year.

kudos to nydailynews.com for the great photos!

How good is Cliff Lee?

Good enough to get $200 million next year in free agency and have nobody doubt how crazy it is.

Lee's 13 K's last night made it 3 consecutive postseason starts that he's had 10+ strikeouts in a game. The only other person to accomplish that? Bob Gibson.

It took him 19 2/3 innings to allow a walk this postseason. Lee punched out 30 batters before he walked a batter! These are both postseason records!

He's now 7-0 with a 1.26 E.R.A in the postseason. Who has a lower E.R.A? Christy Matthewson (5-5 0.97) and Sandy "The Left Arm of God" Koufax (4-3 0.95). Even these pitching legends have lost postseason games. Lee has yet to do so.

The New York Yankees have played in over 360 postseason games and had never been held to a measly 3 baserunners in any one of those games.

That's how good Cliff Lee is.

It's all on you A.J!

Andy Pettitte was solid last night, Cliff Lee was dominant! A 3rd straight 10 k preformance and an 8th inning blowup has the defending World Champions in a 2-1 hole.

The hopeful savior has not pitched in 17 days, an $83 million dollar contract, 15 losses and an E.R.A over 5.

I hope you know what your doing Joe, because you clearly made a bad call not going with Mariano last night. The more I thought about it, the more you needed to keep that lead to just 2 runs in such a pivotal game. Connor Robertson just didn't have it and the Yankees were held to just 3 baserunners all game; the lowest total they've ever had in a postseason game.

To Joe's credit, however, you can't throw the rest of your rotation out there on 3 days rest for the rest of the series. But c'mon man! A.J Burnett?!

Because of Burnett, Cervelli will get the catching duties tonight instead of Jorge Posada. I would have told A.J to find a way to deal with it for the sake of a W. Experience is key, and now Girardi has just pissed off a member of the core 4.

The silver lining? Tommy Hunter gives up the long ball (21 HR in 128 IP) The Yankees hit home runs. Tonight will not be a pitcher's duel, it will be an offensive explosion. The only question is whether or not A.J will cough up the runs more than Hunter. Yanks tie up the series tonight.

Pettitte vs Lee..Showdown in the Bronx!

The series is all tied up 1 game to 1. The Rangers are sending out the dominant Cliff Lee; a man who has been absolutely filthy in every postseason game he has ever started. The Yankees counter with a man who has 19 postseason victories to his name and, quite frankly, the man you want on the mound in a big game situation. With momentum on the line, you want Andy Pettitte with the ball in his hands.

The Rangers are proving that they are not some pushover; just ask C.C sabathia and Phil Hughes. Many people may be asking just who the hell Colby Lewis is, but he was a solid pitcher all year that was a victim of lousy run support.

Yankee fans, if it wasn't for Brett Gardner and his gutsy dive into 1st base, you may be in a 2-0 defecit in this series. Gardner's play in the top of the 8th ignited a 5-run inning and a wild comeback that spoiled the solid pitching preformance of C.J Wilson. If Andy comes out on top tonite, your up 2-1 and don't need to worry as much about Burnett in Game 4. If Lee takes down the Yanks in the Bronx tonight, do you pull Burnett? C.C is known to pitch on 3 days rest, but will he be able to shake off his game 1 preformance? Andy Pettitte hasn't been anything short of clutch, but will Lee be just a little bit better?

Road To The Ship Day 1: Mr. Doc-Tober!

I hope everyone had the opportunity to tune into TBS last night around 7:30 last night, because what you witnessed is something that we see once in a lifetime.

A no-hitter hasn't been pitched in the postseason since Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series. Even if Doc Halladay wasn't "perfect" last night, he couldn't have looked more in the zone in his 1st ever postseason start. Halladay scattered 104 pitches over his 9 innings; 79 of those strikes. A fifth inning walk to Jay Bruce was his only blemish. Watching him, you just had the eerie feeling that nobody was going to touch him...and they didn't. Between this amazing feat, his perfect game back in May and most likely being named the NL Cy Young Award winner, i'm expecting a statue of Roy being built in front of Citizens Bank by April.

Oh yea, Phils won 4-0, rocked Edinson Volquez, who shouldn't have been starting game 1 after missing most of the year and had an RBI single from..you guessed it..Roy Hobbs..err..Halladay

Before this historic game, however, we had the postseason kick off with a phenomenal matchup of Cliff Lee vs David Price. Unfortunately, David Price didn't get the memo.

Price went 6 2/3, but gave up a couple of bombs to Bengie Molina and Nelson Cruz; not to mention an RBI single to Jeff Francoeur! You think the playoffs have revitalized him?

If there's one thing I did learn yesterday it was that Lee ALWAYS steps it up in October, regardless of what kind of year he had this season. Cliff scattered a run and 5 hits over 7 with 10K's..probably would have been the talk of yesterday if Roy Roy didn't go nuts.

Texas has a lineup full of hitters and this series will NOT be easy for the Rays. At least 35,000 strong actually showed up to the game. C.J Wilson and his 15-8 record take the mound for the Rangers while James Shields goes for TB this afternoon and Shields just did not have a good year. He has given up at least 4 earned runs in 5 of his last 6 starts and facing this potent Texas offense won't help. Expect Texas to go up 2-0 and win their first ever playoff series!

In Minny last night, C.C Sabathia wasn't at his best, but the Yankees still managed to come out on top 6-4 with a little help from Big Tex. Mariano came on, faced four batters and broke 4 bats; definitely looked like the Mo of old last night. Now, the question is can Andy Pettitte look like his old self in Game 2 against former Yankee, Carl Pavano. I can only imagine how bad you Yanks fans wanna stick it to this guy.

Don't forget about the Braves and San Francisco baseball Giants. They get kicked off tonight around 9:30! "Big Time Timmy Jim" Lincecum battles Derek Lowe as the Bravos look to extend Bobby Cox's managerial career. In a side note, the highest paid player on the Giants, Barry Zito, was left off the roster because he has sucked for the first 4 years of his contract

Just for the record, does anybody else hate the pitchtracker on TBS? Just saying!

Enjoy the games tonight and i'll be back to recap day 2 tomorrow!

Johan better than C.C?

If there is one title that best suits Johan Santana since his arrival to Queens in 2008, it's "Hard-luck loser." The chart to my left further shows this.

Besides total wins, Johan is literally just as good as, if not better than Cy Young hopeful, Yankees ace C.C Sabathia.

C.C may have 19 more strikeouts than Santana, but Johan has actually drawn fewer walks (54 to C.C's 62) and has a lower WHIP (1.19 TO C.C's 1.22)

Keep in mind that 10 of Johan 65 earned runs were from one tragic inning in Philadephia. Just goes to show you what a little run support can do for a guy.

(chart found on metsblog.com)

Did NY forget how to win already?

Remember this New York sports fans?



This happened just 2 short weeks ago and unless you wear pinstripes.....you don't win games



Now just incase you haven't heard the rediculous statistic that was shown on Sportscenter...it is a sad but true fact that in the first 17 days of the month of November...the World Champion Yankees have won more games (2) than the Giants, Jets, Nets and Knicks combined...(1)





Let's start off with the team that's actually won a game this month...The New York Knicks...



At 1-9, the Knickerbockers are a team that is obviously locked into next year...unfortunately, there is 72 games until next year...



10 games deep, Donnie Walsh is already at a crossroads with his team...the players who already know they won't be back next year are not showing up while Harrington and Lee continues to be the glue that holds this team together....They might as well go full force with the youth movement...Guys like Gallinari, Chandler, Toney Douglas and Jordan Hill have really shown me something and they should be getting more looks than bums like Larry Hughes, Jordan Jeffries and Darko "please don't call me a bust" Milicic...



I can see clearing cap space for 2010, but what if Donnie doesn't get his man? The Knicks will, no question, nab at least 1 big free agent next offseason with all that cap room, but will it be LeBron? Do you really see him leaving from Cleveland and a team on the brink of a championship to a franchise that only watches the playoffs from a TV set?



It won't be a complete failure if they don't nab "The King", but it'll definitely be one hell of a disaster considering the Knicks bagged the last 2 years with hopes to get James..









Knicks fans will surely be crying if the King doesn't come to the Big Apple, but the man shedding the waterworks around these parts lately is Coach Cryin' Ryan of the New York Jets..or is it Titans? I'm not too sure anymore..




After starting the season off 3-0, gang green has actually not looked as bad as their record indicates...As close as these games have been, this team fails to make the big play when it matters and they have gone 1-5 since....







When he is not eating hot dogs or throwing interceptions, Mark Sanchez is writing his postgame press conference on a napkin somewhere...and Rex Ryan has been doing his best Mark Messier impression by crying during the best and worst of times...if he keeps this up, he could go into business filling swimming pools....he'll need something to do during the playoffs...




So will Eli Manning if the Giants can't find a way to win a game...








After cruising to a 5-0 start, the G-Men have faced good team after good team and the flaws in their injured defense began to shine....






It was inexcusable to lose to the Chargers the way they did and their schedule will not be getting easier with the Falcons, Broncos, Cowboys and Eagles coming up..








Lucky for them, the first-place Cowboys are due for their December collapse and the Eagles haven't been able to pull ahead of the pack...unlike the other 3...there's still some hope






And then there's the Nets......


A team that has recently resorted to giving out an extra pair of tickets to their season ticket holders in order to increase fan attendence...it's not working...




The Nets are into full rebuilding mode...while V.C, J.Kidd and RJ have all gone off to greener pastures, Jersey remains in the swamps with the worst start to a season by any team in 8 years...




11 games into the season the Nets have failed to win one game, but they've also been playing with 8 players as half of the roster is reenacting the 2009 Mets season, including All-Star Devin Harris....Once Devin gets back in the fold and mixes it up with Lopez and CDR...a win could be on the horizon...eventually...until then...the Nets will continue to hype the first win of the season as a way of selling tickets...

1 More for the Core 4...Yanks win their 27th 'Ship!

A week ago today...I was sitting at ESPN Radio in New York City taking in the World Series Celebration and listening as Brandon Tierney and company shared the excitement that over 3 million fans had watching their Yanks taking a stroll down the famed "Canyon of Heroes"

As I sat there watching the spectacle, I couldn't help but think how relieved that the "Nightmare in Flushing" series was over.....I didn't root for either team, but at the end of the day I couldn't stand the thought of seeing the Phillies win it two years in a row....

What more can I say, the bombers finally used that money to put an actual baseball team on the field....not a cluster of overpriced "superstars"...nah, this team had chemistry...and they actually acted like they all cared about each other...

Andy Pettitte pitched like the warrior that he was to win the clincher, Alex Rodriguez finally earned his pinstripes (can we give Kate Hudson an honorary MVP for that?)... and fittingly...Mo Rivera shut the door on what was an unbelievable season...

What's even more remarkable to me is the fact that the "core four".....Jeter, Pettitte, Posada and Rivera...just won their 5TH World Series....most players are lucky if they even play in 1...

Hideki Matsui had one of the best series-clinching games of all-time with a 6-rbi preformance...will Godzilla be back next season? How about Johnny Damon? My bet is that only one of them will be back....Scott Boras is comparing Damon to the likes of Jeter and seeking another rediculous contract....why mess with a good thing JD? Take a one-year incentive-laden deal and stick with the good situation you have because you may be able to hit....but you can't throw or play the outfield anymore....

Matsui feels like he's got 3 years left before he rides off into the sunset....realistically, he can take his moster postseason and score a DH gig somewhere else if the Yanks go with Damon....Unlike Damon, Godzilla has been verbal, through his translator, of course, about staying in the Bronx....

Every Year, the Yanks say they have a "championship caliber" team...this year, however, they finally built a championship team..and this team is good enough to be in the World Series for the next couple of years....

Nightmare in Flushing Series: 27 Outs away from #27!

Another clutch hit from A-Rod and the intelligence of Johnny Damon allowed the Yanks to score three times in the Top of the 9th to beat the Philthies 7-4 and put themselves one out away from a championship….

After a grueling AB, Damon stole second and third simultaneously when he took advantage of a shift and saw that nobody was covering third…This play may have been what seals it for the Yanks in this series...If your Philly, why is your defense set up like that in a crucial game? Finger of shame goes to Brad Lidge for not doing what most little league pitchers manage to do..and that's backing up 3rd base when nobody is there...

With the implosion of Brad Lidge, is it “Lights Out” for Philly?

C.C Sabathia wasn’t his sharpest, but he just proves to me time and time again that he is the definition of a workhorse…

Ryan Howard was TOAST at the plate when he “scored” the tying run in the fourth inning…he never touched and somewhere, Matt Holliday had a good laugh…

The Philthies showed some grit in the 8th when Feliz went to souvenir city off of Joba…but the Yanks are simply a team on a mission…

BIG win for the Yankees! They lose last night and its tied 2-2 with Lee on the Mound….

As much as I want to see the Phils lost in Philthadelphia, Cliff Lee is a beast and I just don’t see the Yanks getting to him tonight…He won’t pitch another CG with 10k’s, but he’ll be…dare I say it…lights out?

This one will go back to the Bronx and the champagne will be put on hold for only a couple more days for the bombers…

Nightmare in Flushing Series: A-Rod and Swish come back to life

The Yankees have a 2-1 lead and their ace C.C Sabathia taking the hill for game 4...ruh roh!

Andy Pettitte wasn't exactly on his "A" game, but ARod and Nick Swisher finally showed up in the series with a pair of bombs to take down the Philthies 8-5 in game 3 of a rain-soaked affair...

After an hour and 20 minute rain delay complete with seeing Tim McCarver dancing in the booth way more times than necessary, the Bombers found themselves in a 3-0 hole going into the top of the 4th inning...

Que this year's version of Captain Clutch....A-Rod delivered a 2-run shot off the right field camera to pace the Yanks to a big win...

As expected by this blogger, the man to the right didn't step up to the occasion and delivered a lousy preformance...

The man who many girls find the apple of their eye left several hanging breaking balls over the plate in this one, including a pitch to Andy Pettitte that ended up tying the game up at 3....Do you Philly fanswant to blame this start on his wife in labor too...Face it, this man didn;t show up in 2009...bottom line

Jayson Werth did show up for this game, however, hitting two homers and his second one nearly hit the "Hit it Here" Sign that would have won a Philthy fan a million bones...

Andy wasn't on top of his game, but pitched well enough to keep his boys in the game...Tonight, the Phils send Joe Blanton to the hill against C.C Sabathia, who i'm convinced doesn't neet rest to go out there and at the very least go out there an pick up a quality start...

The fans will be nothing short of electric tonight, but they know full well that if they can't pull off a W tonight that this series is damn close to over...

Nightmare in Flushing Series: All tied up goin to Philthadelphia!

The Nightmare in Flushing Series is heading back to Philly all tied up…maybe all it took was Jay-Z and a smoking hot Alicia Keys…

A.J Burnett looked solid in his first ever World Series start by going 7 strong and whiffing 9 in a 3-1 Game 2 win…

Burnett started off with a 1-2-3 first inning, something he couldn’t do in Anaheim and then from there on out his breaking stuff was on like Donkey Kong…A.J threw 22 first strikes to the first 26 batters he faced…like the great Tom Seaver once said, it all starts with strike 1….Clutch performance

With that being said, Pedro had a solid outing of his own…The Yankees didn’t have the chance to make him their daddy because Pedro went six strong striking out 8….Watching him in that game immediately gave me a nostalgia trip back to ’03 and ’04 when he was one of the most feared pitchers in the game…I felt the smirk symbolized 2 things…that Pedro was back to form, even though it’s more finesse these days, and that he knows someone will undoubtedly offer him a contract before July of next year…I’m sure the Mets are glad the balked on a man that wanted to come back to Flushing, but that’s a story for another day…

Philly got it going early in the second when Beer League Softball extraordinaire Matt Stairs came through with an RBI Single…..The tide turned, however, when Jose Molina picked off Jayson Werth from first base…Big Tex ties it up in the 4th with a solo bomb and Matsui counters with one of his own in the 6th and then Posada hit an RBI single off of Park in the 7th to put it away…

Kudos to Girardi for going with Hairston, who had a solid 1-3 night…

What grinded my gears was that we had yet another night with lousy displays of umpiring….(is that even a word?)

Scott Eyre came in, with bone chips and everything, and Johnny Damon seemingly lined into a Double Play…However, Howard caught it on a bounce and the inning was still deemed over…where was the home plate, second and third base ump on that one???

Big play of the game in the top of the 8th when Utley grounded into the inning-ending DP…on a 3-2 count down 2, you need to absolutely start the runners! If Manuel sent them, it would have been bases loaded with 1 out for Howard….

Game 2 wasn’t a “must-win”, but it was as close to one as it could have been….It was key to tie it up before the Yanks went to the raucous crowd that Philly is sure to be…As much as I hate Philly, their crowd will show the Yankee fans what a World Series crowd should act like….We all know that Susan Finklestein will be cheering her clothes…I mean..her heart out!

Tonight we get Cole Hamels facing his idol and fellow lefty Andy Pettitte….Cole didn’t pitch until now because he has been horrible on the road and this entire postseason…Andy is a warrior and I fully expect him to show up tonight….Hopefully for Andy’s sake, A-Rod decides to show up ….If he does, the Yanks go up 2-1……

photos courtesy of daily news and foxsports.com

Nightmare in Flushing Series: Ut-Lee conection take game 1 in the Bronx

Cliff Lee had the silent Yankee fans begging for a rain delay last night as he outdueled C.C Sabathia and hurled the first complete game in a World Series since Beckett in game 6 of '03 to take game 1 of the Fall Classic....

Lee threw an absolute gem going the distance and whiffing 10 in the process....the Bombers looked absolutely befuddled and Cliff Lee acted as if he was pitching in a Spring training game with the ho-hum catch in the 7th and behind the back snag in the 8th...

My hat goes off to C.C as well...He threw alot of pitches in the first inning and only made two mistakes after that...2 Solo Shots to Chase Utley...the second dinger was the dagger....it definitely felt like the game was more out of reach than it really was...

How ineffective is Brian Bruney? He was throwing meatballs last night and I feel as if Girardi is immediately regretting his decision to throw him on the ALCS Roster...Freddy Guzman may have looked better on the mound than he did last night...

62% of the teams that have taken Game 1 have gone on to win the World Series; including each team since 2003...If not labeling tonight as a "must-win", but the Yanks will definitely be in some trouble going down 2-0 with the next 3 in Philly and Hamels and Lee waiting in the wings for games 3 and 4...

Tonight we get Pedro going up against A.J Burnett...Pedro looked solid in the NLCS, but he's not the same guy he was 5 years ago...You never really know what you'll get out of A.J, but for Yankee fans' sake he better show up tonight...

Nick Swisher has been pulled from the starting lineup in favor of Hairston and this move was absolutely necessary because he has had a miserable postseason hitting a miserable .114...hopefully it's a wake-up call..

If they do go down 2-0, down worry Yankee fans...just think of '96...I do think the Yanks will tie it up tonight tho...

The Nightmare in Flushing!! Yanks vs Philthies for the Ship!!

The day has finally arrived….the Fall Classic is upon us and Mets fans are hoping for the first ever World Series Tie…

After racking up pennant #40, the Yanks are looking to win their first World Series since beating a certain team in 2000 and the Philthadelphia Philthies are looking to be the first team, since the Yankees, to win back-to-back World Series Championships….

The series kicks off in the Bronx tonight with a matchup that not only has baseball enthusiasts frothing at the mouth, but also has Indian fans shaking their heads wondering what if?…C.C Sabathia and his 3-0 record in this year’s postseason square off against Philly’s own lefty ace Cliff Lee; last year’s A.L Cy Young Award Winner and a man who is also throwing lights out this October going 2-0 with a e.r.a of .74…yuck..

After the aces, the starters for both teams are quality..but not exactly prone from getting lit up…Burnett has been erratic and Pettitte, although he has been solid and clutch, may not hold up so well against the Phils’ power offense…Although Pedro was lights out against L.A, he’s not the same Pedro that pitched against the Yanks in ’04 and Cole Hamels got moved to game 3 because he has pitched terrible on the road, and for the better part of the postseason…

The Offense that both teams bring is sure to light up the scoreboards…AROD is playing absolutely out of his mind with clutch hit after clutch hit…With his .440 avg, 5HR and 12 RBI, the man is earning his pinstripes..Did I mention that in games 3 and 4 of the ALCS he swung and missed at 0 pitches?!?...absolutely dirty…..On the other side, Ryan Howard is having quite the postseason as well with 14 RBI’s; including an RBI in the first 8 playoff games…

This Series will come down to the Pen, and the Yanks have the clear cut edge in that department….My recommendation to Girardi would be to leave in Robertson when he’s doing well because he has been the rock of the pen this postseason…Who knows if/when the Postseason Lights Out Lidge will morph back into the dude he’s been all season…Although it’s hard to pick a winner in this nightmare of a World Series, I’m going with the Yanks because a) the pen and b) I hate them much less than the Phillies

The Yanks and the Phils battled it out in the Fall Classic back in 1950 and the Yanks swept them…I don’t think this will be a sweep, and I think J-Roll’s on crack for thinking this thing will be over in 5…but I do think this will go the full 7….finally…and the Yanks will get their 27th World Championship..

Yanks/Halos ALCS Preview!

Weather forecasts speculate that the next two days in the Bronx will have you running to grab a hot cup of swiss miss...However, the series between the 103-win Yankees and 97-win Los Angeles Angels will, without a shadow of a doubt, be nothing short of a scorcher....










The Yankees steamrolled through the regular season and made short work of the Twins, but if there's one team that is sure to give the bombers a run for their money...it's Mike Scioscia's Angels squad...a squad that finally managed to beat the Boston Red Sox in an ALDS; something they could not accomplish in 2004, 2007 or 2008.






Both of these offenses are nothing short of dominating...The Yanks come at you with straight up power...Jeter and Posada have been their typical postseason selves....AROD has used the Kate





Hudson treatment to become the new Captain Clutch, hitting 2 HR and 6 RBI in the ALDS; including that game-tying 2-run jack in the 9th inning of game 3...However, the rest of the lineup combined to hit .140 in the opening round against the likes of Carl Pavano...that won't fly with a stellar Angels rotation...











The Angels offense comes at you with power as well, but they also have more speed than the Yanks...L.A.A has a team that can get you with small ball and are among the best with getting runners from first to third...Bobby Abreu has gotten off to a hot start this postseason and playing against his old club will certainly fuel the fire..I also think that Vlady has got one more flash in the pan...free agency is looming for him you know...







I give the Starting pitching edge to the Angels because a) they're sending out 4 starters in this series that are capable of shutting down the yanks and b) one of those starters is this man to the right.................



John Lackey, who is two postseason wins away from getting monster money in free agency next season, hurled a gem in game 1 of the ALDS and beat the Yankees in the only time they faced him this year...The losing pitcher of that same game? C.C Sabathia..



Joe Girardi's decision to only use three starters shows me that a) he has no faith in throwing Joba or Chad Gaudin out there in a tight series and b) he's legitimately scared of the Angels....Although he looked good in his first postseason start this year, he lost both of his games started against L.A.A this year and didn't look all that great doing so....A.J and Pettite have more thrown on their shoulders. While Andy is a warrior, the jury is still out on AJ's warrior badge in the postseason ....



While the Angels have a shaky Brian Fuentes closing games for them, the Yanks gain the pitching edge right back with a much deeper bullpen...Phil Hughes needs to put the ALDS behind him and pitch to his ability or the Yanks will lose that a piece of the bridge to Mo in the 9th...



While the Angels are fully confident that they can take the Yankees out like they did in 2002 and 2005, the Yanks have shown a mental toughness this season that I have not seen on the bombers in years...This series will deliver and be one for the ages...The Yanks will pull it out, but it will take 7 games to do so...

Yanks clinch....Do they have the pitching?

After a one-year absence, the New York Yankees are back in the playoffs!



After defeating the L.A Angels of Anaheim last night, the Bombers (96-56) have reached the postseason for the 14th time in the last 15 years...



With an offense that has 7 players with 20 or more HR's and comeback wins coming out of the wazoo...the Yanks are looking to get out of the first round for the first time since 2004...but do they have the starting pitching to do so?



Let's take a look at the staff...



1st off, you've got the ace of the staff in C.C Sabathia...His 18 wins lead the American League and since August 2nd he's 8-0 with an e.r.a of 2.44, including 77k's in 66 1/3 innings pitched...dirty...What's not dirty is his career numbers in the postseason, which is 2-3 with an e.r.a of 7.92...Even as unstoppable as he looked last year with the Brewers, the Phils found a way to shut him down in last year's NLDS....will this year be another example of C.C's inability to pitch in the postseason?...



Next up, we have A.J Burnett...a man that SHOULD be the # 2, but hasn't really proven that to me just yet...While he is quite good at creating a shaving cream pie, he has not been very good at being consistent...take a look at his last 6 starts...
Sept 18th @ Seattle......1 ER.. 7 H... 7.0 IP...........ND
Sept 12th vs. Orioles....6ER.. 7 H... 7.0 IP.............LOSS
Sept 7th vs. Rays..........1 ER.. 4 H... 8K ...6.0 IP..WIN
Sept 1st @ Orioles........6 ER.. 11 H... 5 1/3IP.......ND
Aug 27th vs. Rangers...3 ER.. 2 H... 12K ...6IP.....LOSS
Aug 22nd @ Red Sox...9 ER.. 9 H... 5.0 IP............LOSS

Seems pretty hit or miss to me...and did I mention he's NEVER pitched in the playoffs??



You could not have asked Andy Pettite to do any better this season, but at age 37, the status of his tired shoulder is starting to come into question..Although he came back nicely after missing his turn in the rotation..a tired arm isn't something to be ignored..just ask John Maine...



And then there's Joba...



In his last 5 starts, Joba hasn't thrown over 4 Innings or 70 pitches thrown! These Joba Rules are flat out ludacris and they should seriously just let the guy pitch...If his arm can't handle it, Joba shouldn't be considered any kind of prospect..It's to the point that his entire throwing routine is all out of wack...In his last start, Joba gave up 7 runs in 3 IP...How can this guy be relied on for the postseason? Did Bob Gibson and Tom Seaver have pitch counts? Worked out well for them...



Even if the Yanks break out the hit parade in the postseason, how far is it going to go without reliable starting pitching? About as far as a first-round exit.....

Jeter takes his rightful place in Yankee immortality!

The captain....Mr. November...the man who made what is known simply as "the play" in Oakland...the man who slashed up his face to make a diving catch in the stands against the Red Sox..the man who has led the Yankees to 4 World Series rings...all of these describe the man who, had already in the eyes of many, officially placed himself into the list of all-time Yankee greats...Derek Jeter



Last night, DJ tied "The Iron Horse" Lou Gehrig's all-time team hits record when he recorded the 2,721st hit of his storied career in typical Derek Jeter fashion..going the opposite way with a single down the first base line past a diving Chris Richard...



Coming into the game, Jeter was hitless in his previous 12 at-bats...but he took care of that in the first inning with a leadoff bunt..hey what better way to break a slump then by dropping one?


After he blasted a double over the head of B.J Upton in the fifth...despite the 2-0 lead, the fans at the stadium starting buzzing over the fact that history could be made...



When he finally tied Gehrig's mark...Jeter received the adulation from the crowd as he very well deserved as he tipped his helmet twice to the adoring faithful...



Being the class act that he is....he didn't want to pause the game and show up his opponent (after all they were down 2-0 at the time)..but those thoughts quickly went away when he saw the entire Rays bench showing their respect to him as well...



DJ has had many a big hit in his time...whether it be his clutch home run in Game 4 of the 2001 World Series or the Jeffrey Maier homer in the '96 ALCS...but his next base knock may be the biggest he will ever have...



Take a look around the Major Leagues...how many shortstops emulate Jeter's trademark fadeaway throw from shortstop? Superstar Shortstops in the making such as Troy Tulowitski and Hanley Ramirez even wear #2 in honor of Derek...



Derek Jeter is a man that is very, very easy to admire and respect. He is a ray of sunshine in all of the dark clouds and negativity that have surrounded the great game of baseball over the last several years...


#2 is the greatest Yankee to ever don the pinstripes since the great Mickey Mantle and indeed a legend in his own time..

Walk-Off Warriors

Another walk off...another pie...

This is starting to become a regular occurence for a team that is quite simply...on fire

Friday night's walk-off blast by Robbie Cano showed me a couple of things...this team refuses to ever say the word die and this team is going to be a force to be reckoned with come October...

In a rain-drenched extra inning affair, Cano blasted the 12th walk-off win for the bombers this season...They have literally made the whole walk-off celebration a routine..complete with players fighting over a batting helmet used as a wedding bouquet and A.J Burnett pies to the face...

On Saturday, the Yanks followed it up with a 1-hit gem from SERGIO MITRE?!? and a 10-0 rout...Today, they put the Chi Sox and Freddy Garcia (remember him Mets fans?) away with a five-run seventh, courtesy of the 32nd text message of the year delivered by Mark Teixeira...

At 82-48, they have a 6 game lead over the Sawx that actually feels like a 66 game lead because of the way this team has played....

They are a disguisting 31-9 since the All-Star break and if I were a future opponent, I would debate whether or not to even show up to the game...

The man pictured to the right has already reached the 100 ribbie plateau and is playing like he can taste that MVP award. Since A-Rod came back on May 8th, he has raised his batting average 85 points...His gritty style of play is giving Yankee fans the first first basemen they have been able to truly love since the days of Tino..

The captain Derek Jeter has hit a rediculous .460 over his last 20 games and I can't recall a time where I have EVER seen DJ look this zoned in at the plate..

C.C Sabathia is pitching like...well C.C usually does down the stretch and is emerging as one of..if not the best pitcher in the American League at the moment...Over his last 6 starts he is 5-0 with an e.r.a of 2.60..

And then there's Mo...Rivera is pitching like only he can pitch and at age 39 has me wondering if he can pitch like this forever...For god sakes, the man hasn't blown a save since April 24th and has only given up 1 earned run since June 16th!

This is easily the best Yankee team since the team that won 114 back and '98 and yet they are playing like they haven't won anything yet....quite frankly because...they haven't...As long as they don't get too overconfident and continue to grind games out...expect the Yanks to steamroll all the way to the World Series this year...

Losing 3 out of 4 to the Red Sox?? What was I thinking?

An A Bomb from....Captain Clutch?!

If being wrong in my prediction means I get to sit back as a baseball fan and take in one of the best games i've ever seen....i'm glad I wasn't right...

For only the fifth time in the history in baseball, Alex Rodriguez broke a scoreless tie in the 15th inning or later with a home run. After a 72 at-bat homerless streak, A-Rod took Junichi Tazawa delivery over the left-field wall to send the fans home happy.

A,J Burnett finally pitched well against the Red Sox this season, but his counterpart and former teammate Josh Beckett matched him with 7 scoreless innings as well....

I honestly didn't expect the Sox to be beaten the way they have over the past two games...A defeat like last night is enough to put a team down for a couple days, which would be bad timing considering they've already slipped back to a 4.5 game defecit in the division.

Up in Smoltz! Yanks finally take one from the Sawx!

Tiger woods proclaimed that John Smoltz was ready for a career in golf....Last night, the Bombers taught Smoltz how to tee off....

With Muhammad Ali in attendance, the Yanks blasted 4 bombs en route to a 13-6 W on the 30th anniversary of Thurman Munson's untimely passing...

It took 9 tries, but the Yanks finally beat their rivals in what can be considered the first game of the first big series at the new Yankee stadium....and they did it in a big way

Smoltz cruised through the first two only to later run into the hit parade...A Johnny Rocket and delivery from the Melk man would lead to another early exit for the HOF pitcher who has given up 8 dingers in his last 4 starts....

I was feeling a big outing from Johnnie because I felt he was due...After last night's thrashing, I'm not convinced he can do it anymore....His e.r.a swelled up to an atrocious 8.32 and his pitching was very predictable...Smoltz slowed down his delivery when he threw breaking pitches...if I can see that from my t.v, I can guarantee the Yankees could too!

Stick a fork in John Smoltz.....he's done!

The Yankees would proceed to pull away after putting up an 8 spot in the 3rd, including another 3rd inning homer from hip hip Jorge (who proudly wore a #15 on his helmet)...Later in the 7th up by 8, Big Tex sent one last message over the right field wall that sent beantown fans to the exits if they already hadn't done so...

Joba had the outing I suspected (and very Oliver Perez-like) walking 7 and throwing 108 pitches over 5 innings...He wasn't gonna throw goose eggs forever, but if giving him extra rest is what the Yankees think he needs, they couldn't be more wrong. At the very least, give him an inning or two in the bullpen every couple days to keep the arm fresh....It's time to end the "Joba Rules" once and for all! Joba's a gamer...let him do his thing!

The only "thing" Joba should stop doing is his caveman celebratory antics after pitching a subpar game...Yea you got out of a bases-loaded jam, BIG DEAL...you put yourself there! If he wants to do this after going 7 and striking out 10..fine....when you do it after going only 5 and walking 7 you look like a complete jackass!