Season's Greetings

It's the end of the regular season and as always we usher in a new season. It's fall, it's postseason, it's October. It's the time when hero's are born and legends are made (ha that's so corny) but seriously it's the big stage and it's when the real teams square off. But before we completely welcome in the next wave, let's conclude with a quick recap/analysis of how this regular season ended.

On September 1st the Red Sox were in first place in the divison and the Yankees were 8.5 games ahead of the Rays for the wild card. It was all but official that the Yankees and Red Sox were to be playoff bound and fighting for the division with the loser getting the wild card. September changed things a little. The Tampa Bay Rays had quite a number of games vs the Yankees and the Red Sox and played some pretty darn good baseball. They went 17-9 during September, that's a .653 winning % which is good for 105 regular season wins if played out for the whole season. So they definitely played well down the stretch, but it would take a miracle to make up 9 games....right?

Miracles do happen folks. The Red Sox went 7-19 in their final 26 games, a .26 winning % and good enough for 43 regular season wins. That horrible stretch coupled with the Rays was just enough to drop a 9 game lead with 26 to play to fall 1 game back in the standing when all was said and done. The Red Sox will have to wait until 2012 and the Rays epic comeback now brings them to Texas where they will have to avenge last year's playoff loss against the Rangers. But the story is less about the collapse in theory, it's more about how it actually happened. How everything fell right into place to create the perfect storm of circumstances that this might go down as being the worst and most painful moment for a team in the history of sports. The Braves fell to the same demise this year in losing their 8 game lead in the final month to the Cardinals. But then again they lost their two best pitchers Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurjens to injury and their team was never supposed proclaimed title worthy.

What makes the Red Sox loss so much worse was the feeling of helplessness knowing that it was doomed to happen and there was nothing they could do to stop it. The Red Sox lead had trimmed to 2 with 6 games to play when they faced the Yankees over the weekend and couldn't win that series and all of sudden the lead was down to 1. But Boston still had the lowly Orioles on their schedule, needing only to win 2/3 to guarantee a play in game or sweep for a lock. The Rays meanwhile would face the Yankees, who just took 3/4 from them the week before and 2/3 from Boston. The Yankees with the 2nd best record in baseball could play spoiler for either Tampa or Boston, just depending on their success. Despite the Yankees rolling their A and sometimes B lineups out there, they managed to lose the first 2 of the series. Boston meanwhile collapsed vs Baltimore in game 1, and barely held on in game 2, setting up a tie for the wild card with 1 game to play.

The Yankees jumped to a 7-0 lead in Tampa going to the 8th inning and Boston was cruising 3-2 heading to the 8th. It all seemed like the nightmare September was a thing of the past. However it was not over and the Rays never stopped shining. Tampa pulled out an improbable 6 run rally in the 8th (capped off by a Longoria 3 run Hr, we will see him again I'm sure before this WC race is over) and it was 7-6 to 9th we go. In the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs and a 1-2 count and nobody on base, Corey Wade leaves a hanger right over the plate and Dan Johnson crushes one off the foul pole to tie the game at 7. What an insane comeback by the Rays! Meanwhile in Boston, the RedSox squander an opportunity to tack on more runs as Scutaro is nailed at the plate on a Crawford double after Scuatro tried to score from first. This sends the game to the bottom of the 9th where Papelbon will have a chance to lock up the save and end the game (Boston still up 3-2).

Red Sox nation is aware at this moment that the Rays have comeback from 7-0 and its currently 7-7, sending the game to extras. Because Baltimore was experiencing rain earlier in the day, the bottom of the 9th in Baltimore was occuring just as the Yankees and Rays were entering their extra innings of play. With the Yankees not wanting to waste their best pitchers with the playoffs looming, they use Scott Proctor in the 12th inning to face Evan Longoria...hold that thought. Back in Baltimore Jonthan Papelbon has struck out the first two batters and with a 1-2 count on Chris Davis, is 1 strike from winning the game and at least guaranteeing a playing in game and possible a stright up Wild Card berth. Davis had other ideas however. He lines a double in the corner, quickly followed by Nolan Reimold who takes a 96 mph heater over the plate into the gap scoring Davis and tying the game. Robert Andino, the Red Sox September nemesis, hits a liner to left field and Carl Crawford lunges out and can only just trap the ball, setting up a quick throw to home for the out, but it was too late. Reimold swipes the bag, the Orioles celebrate in walk off fashion, the Red Sox take their dejected selves into the clubhouse only to turn on the TV and see what the Rays were doing. Now back to Longoria who sees the scoreboard flicker as he walks into the batter's box.

4-3 Orioles over the Red Sox!! The fans go beserk and the stadium filled with only 5,000 at this point (it's midnight on a Wednesday after trailing 7-0 but still no excuse) are erupting. They can smell the playoffs. They get the Red Sox tomorrow should they lose, or they pop champagne and fly to Texas should they pull this one out. We know it's gotta be a walk off, just who was going to be the hero. Longoria steps up and stares down Proctor. He takes a couple of pitches and then eventually gets one he can handle. Boom, he lines a bullet into the left field corner. It definitely was a hit, likely a double. But wait a minute, that one has a chance to go out. Sure enough the ball cleared the 315 wall by a foot and the Rays dugout explodes....welcome to October baseball. Not 3 minutes after the Red Sox melted down, the Rays walked off and the playoffs were determined.

This was one of those epic nights in baseball you will be telling your children about. Every playoff team, matchup, & scenario you could imagine coming down to midnight on the last night. All the end of the season collapses, heroics, and general madness was taking place and it was all setting the stage for one hell of a postseason.

The Red Sox will have a lot of thinking to do. How did it all come to this? Papi went cold, Crawford stopped playing defense and continued his anemic hitting, Lester and Beckett were miserable, Daniel Bard took 4 September losses, Papelbon was inconsistent, Francona made terrible managerial descisions, Youkilis got hurt, Bucholtz was already hurt, Lackey was wild and assholish (that's a great word fyi), too many things went wrong went they only needed a few things to go right just to limp into the playoffs. Their epic collapse came down to a few crazy moments we are in awe about but will likely forget about. It's not the Boone HR or the Bucky Dent Hr. There's not one play that will stand out in people's minds. I think about Scutaro gunned at the plate, Crawford missing the ball, Papelbon allowing 3 straight 2 out hits, the 7-0 comeback for the Rays, the Longoria HR, or even the triple play the Rays induced the day before to beat the Yankees. These were all great moments but it's the collection of them and the collection of countless others that compiled together created a 9 game lead to disappear in 26 days that will go down as the monumental implosion of the 2011 Red Sox. Nothing more and nothing less.

After all of that ridiculousness that took place, that had me sprawling around my living room in disbelief, it's time of for the playoffs. That was what that whole drama was about, just to get this chance to play for the World Series. The Yankees will do just that when they face the Tigers in what is sure to be a good matchup. We have the Cy Young and the runner up in Verlander and Sabathia facing off in game 1 and there is much to discuss, but that's for later today and tomorrow. For now let's reflect on the best damn day of sports I can recall in my whole life. And what a day it was....

Yankees Update....Playoffs Near

The Yankees are two games away from the playoffs and it's time to take a hard look at the roster these bad boys in pinstripes will be throwing out and I will speculate my 25 man roster. Also important to mention the Yankees have already wrapped up the number 1 seed and home field throughout (except the WS thanks to an AL meltdown).

Starting Pitchers

CC Sabthia, Ivan Nova, Freddy Garcia, & AJ Burnett.

I think the first 2 are 100% clear cut number 1 and number 2 starters. I think Garcia gets the 3rd spot because he's been great this year, screwing up less lately than his competition, and has a playoff moxie going for him.

AJ is an anomally but again, he's been there in the past and he has worked out the kinks lately and should at least earn 1 start before we throw him outta the rotation.

Relief Pitchers

Rivera, Robertson, Soriano, Hughes, Wade, Logan, and Ayala

I'm tempted to think the Yankees will add Laffey or Valdes to get a second lefty on the roster but then again those guys have not been reliable this year and I'd rather Wade or Ayala with their stats in big situations against lefties regardless of the matchup situation. Robertson Soriano and Rivera are clearly the big 3 and will get most of the big outs, but Phil Hughes might find himself in a 6th or 7th or extra inning situation where he is needed as well. Altogether a very good pen we have here.

Starting Offense

Martin, Tex, Cano, Jeter, Arod, Swisher, Grandy, Gardner, Chavez

Here's to the assumption we play Detroit first and see Verlander. We'll have our lefties playing and that means Gardner for sure and likely Chavez. A great lineup top to bottom with speed, switch hitting ability, power, production, and rarely a plus but in this case it definitely is, age. This is a veteran team. There are no 22 year old rookies in this starting roster and that's good when playing meaningful October games.

Bench

Montero, Andruw Jones, Posada, Nunez, Golson

This and the relief staff are the hardest to predict (oddly this year starting pitching is difficult too) but I think this is the bench i'd go with. You have to have a backup catcher and you kind of have 2. You don't ideally want to see Montero or Posada get too many at bats behind the plate but both are serviceable there and can handle it if Martin is not able to catch every game (I somehow think he will). You have the right handed bats in Jones and Montero to complement the lefites in Gardner and Chavez who should be used interchangeably when its a L or R pitcher starting. Golson over Dickerson because of speed and defense. I doubt that spot will get any at bats so all I want is a 9th inning defensive switch for a Swisher or Jones, or a guy to run for Montero, Chavez, Tex, or Swisher late in games. Golson gets the nod for speed and defense. I think Posada has to be on the team because he's been there before, he's been better lately, he is a switch hitter and has the propensity for big hits, and another big reason that no one wants to discuss, the potential backlash.

We know all about the beef between Joe and Jorge which dates back to their early playing days and includes this year's debacle. Joe will take enormous heat if Jorge is left off, and it will taint a legacy that will surely end this year when Jorge retires or takes his talents elsewhere (he's a Free Agent and we aren't resigning, trust me). I want to see Jorge win another title as a Yankee even if it means that the 25th spot is a tad bit worse for it. I doubt it will play it's part in the game too seriously and I think Jorge will actually be useful for his playoff experience and his power bat. For all that and more, he's on the squad.

Last spot is Nunez over Pena. I think it's obvious but for extra clarification, he's faster, a better hitter, been playing all year, and his defense has improved. Sure Pena is probably a better fielder. I say probably because he is supposed to be the better fielder but even he has struggled with the glove this year. But yea he is a better fielder and will likely provide more value as a defensive replacement late in the game but who is he replacing? Arod, Jeter and Cano all have enough speed and good D skill that they should be playing every inning of every game. Nunez/Pena spot is for an emergency if someone were to get hurt or as a pinch runner. As a runner, Nunez is better. If one of the two of them has to play the whole game because god forbid Jeter left in the 2nd with an injury, I'd want Nunez. It will be a few at bats and that could be the difference. I want the guy whos played 100+ games with us and to the tune of .260. That's a legit threat as a backup infielder. Pena's .111 average and 20 games played doesn't belong on the field.

So there's the 25, 4 starters, 7 relievers, 9 starting hitters, and 5 back up hitters. A solid group and one ready for the run to begin this Friday. I cant wait!! Only a few things left to ponder, will we play Detroit or Texas and who will win that last wild card spot? Should be a fun week/weekend.

Yankee Rundown

The Yankees just completed a 7 game road trip in Kansas City and Minnesota, two places where they historically have had great success and this road trip was no different. After nearly sweeping KC (actually took 2/3) the Yankees took 3/4 from Minnesota in 4 very one sided games. It was not only great to keep pace with Boston and maintain the lead in the division, but nice to see the Yankees return to form individually with a lot of good praise to go around. Quick round of praise, haze, and flop.

Praise:

Curtis Granderson has been absolutely sensational this season as he continues to be the front runner for AL MVP. He continued his torrid success in the 7 game road trip going 10 for 26 (.384 avg) with 2 HRs (one of them being an inside the park HR in a crucial situation in the road trip finale) 7 runs scored, 6 BBs, and 2 SBs. Granderson still strikes out too many times for my liking but you cannot deny what this man has done at the dish and he was very much the reason for our 5-2 roadtrip.

Derek Jeter has been red hot since coming off the DL on July 4th and was even better the past week improving his avg to .292 for the season. Jeter went 14 for 31 (.451) on the road trip with 5 runs scored and 5 RBIs. Jeter has provided the extra punch this offense had been lacking earlier in the season and with him and Granderson at the top of the lineup, the Yankees will continue to put pitchers in jams early and often.

Phil Hughes looks like the old phil of the future that the Yankees foresaw in 2004 when they drafted him to be a dominant starter. Hughes had his fourth consecutive quality start and his best outing of the season going 7 2/3 innings while allowing only 2 hits. If Hughes can maintain this success, the Yankees are looking at a nice #2 starter for the playoffs and beyond (what was expected of him back in April).

Mariano Rivera never really needs praise but I'm going to give it to him. Rivera had been struggling mightily at the start of this month and it brought on a wave of questioning his age, his location, his effectiveness, and whether he was the same Mo. I didn't buy into the crap because every pitcher goes through a mini skid here and there and Mo just reminded us he is human. Rivera this week reminded us of why he is 2nd all time in career saves and considered the best of all time. Mariano pitched 3 shutout innings en route to 3 saves in 3/5 Yankees wins last week. Rivera did not allow a baserunner and had 5 strikeouts, was hitting 94 on the gun, his cutter moved as much as it ever has, and location was pin point. Typical Mo but nonetheless deserving of praise.

Robinson Cano has also entered the category of constantly deserving praise for he earns it on a regular basis. Cano had a hit in every game last week to continue his hit streak (now at 13) including a 3-run HR in a win over KC. Cano also has no reservations about flashing the leather and made a few sensational defensive plays as we've come to expect. The best part about Cano this week was his plate discipline. Cano was working 2-2 and full counts all week and came back from 0-2 to have a 13 pitch ab that led to his HR, the best ab from him this season. Cano continues to amaze and astound and scares me how good he really is as an all around player.

Russell Martin has struggled this year at times offensively and has lots of trouble hitting off speed pitches. This last week however Martin exploded for 3 HRs, two of which were bombs and had 7 hits in the week providing a nice boost for the Yankees. Not to mention he caught 6/7 games and threw out multiple runners, something he's done a lot this year. He plays every day and he plays with a defense first mentality. You gotta love the Russell signing and he's the only reason Montero isn't on this roster.

Haze:

Alex Rodriguez returned from a 6 week DL stint where he was recovering from a torn meniscus. A-rod was supposed to return Thursday but it got pushed back to Sunday. A-rod went 0-5 in his debut yesterday so we haven't seen the Arod we are accustomed to yet but just having him back in the lineup beefs up the offense and makes the lineup more cyclical.

Ivan Nova had arguably his worst start of the year on Tuesday against Kansas city and the offense bailed him out. Yesterday he had arguably his best start of the season and bailed the offense out. It was good to see him bounced back and after struggling so much on Tuesday, he looked very confident and strong on Sunday. He even overcame a rare fielding blunder from Swisher/Granderson and struck out 2 batters in a row with a man on third and no one out. Nova went 2-0 last week despite the bad start.

Dave Robertson pitched 4 shutout innings during the road trip so it's hard to find this hazy and not worthy of praise, but we've come to expect that from Robertson. What we haven't come to expect at least lately is him walking batters. Robertson has at times struggled with his control but he had gone his last 10 innings without a walk before issuing one this week en route to loading the bases before getting a fly ball to end the inning. It's great to throw up scoreless innings, I just hope he can do it without putting men on each time.

Flops:

AJ Burnett it seems is pitching for his job. There is enough material in the last few weeks about AJ to fill up a dictionary but I'll keep it simple. The man has serious control problems, mental issues, and he has become insubordinate with his manager. Neither of these problems can be tolerated and he only has a job while Garcia is hurt. Once we are again staring at the 6 man rotation dilemma he will find himself out quite quickly. The 16.5 million dollars he is being paid per year does not seem to be enough of a force to keep him in the rotation when he doesn't give the Yankees the best chance to win. This last week he went 1-1 but did so with two very poor performances and was not even able to finish 2 innings in his last start. I hope for his sake and the Yankees sake he has a good start or two to finish this month because he will not be on the playoff roster if he struggles this badly to end the season.

Eric Chavez earned the everyday DH role from Jorge Posada and upon doing so went 0-11 this week on the road. Not that a little skid offensively means you should lose your job, but when you get a newly appointed position and out of the gate struggle it's not good. Not to mention Andruw Jones is fighting for the spot as well and he was torrid this week hitting 2 very long HRs and batting over .300 in the last month. Chavez may find himself only hitting off righties as a DH.

Freddy Garcia is now on the DL with finger injury. Freddy cut his throwing hand while cutting in the kitchen and can't pitch until it heals up. He'll miss a few weeks and hopefully that's it. Let's hope this little cut and break will not affect our guy because he's been nothing short of sensational as a Yankee and has really aleviated all starting woes through his and Colon's rejuvinated performances this season.

The Yankees now return home and should be able to prey on a weak Oakland team for three games before heading back on the road to take on the Orioles over the weekend. Let's take 5/6 please? Yankees are red hot and shouldn't have a problem winning these next 2 series.

Yankees 8/9/11

It's 8/9/11 and the Yankees are 69-45, 24 games over .500 and staring at a 6 game lead in the wild card over the Angels. The very same Angels who just beat the Yankees 6-4 in another heartbreaking loss from the bombers. If you knew going into this season the Yankees would be missing A-rod, Jeter for a stretch, Hughes for 80% of the year, Colon for a month, Soriano for a long stretch, Joba for the season, Feliciano for the season, Chavez for a bit, throw in a few other bumps and bruises and I'd have expected turmoil.

The starting rotation was a mega concern but turned out to be the biggest strength of the squad. Colon has been lights out and looks like its 2005, Garcia has been masterful, CC his old dominant self, AJ is still AJ but is more like his 2009 self than the 2010 disaster, and Nova has been more than the Yankees could have dreamed as a 2nd yr pitcher. Now Phil Hughes has returned to the staff and even he's starting to come around. The bullpen has found lots to like about Robertson and of course Mariano, and other pieces have fallen into place that have created a very optimistic August-September-and soon October run...until this last weekend.

Saturday afternoon against the Red Sox Sabathia got completely destroyed. Not only do we count on CC for wins every time he pitches, but that dropped his season numbers to 0-4 with a 6+ era against Boston. Sunday we followed that up with a miserable 0-10 with RISP and a Mariano blown save, which seems to be happening more and more against Boston. Then tonight the Yankees managed a decent game from AJ, despite a bad 6th he finished 6 inn 4er, I'll sign up for that. The Yankees struggled vs Haren but did what good teams do and found ways to up his pitch count and get runs when they could and clawed back from 4-1 to tie it at 4 in the 7th. Jeter provided the big hit with a game tying 2 run single in typical Jeterian fashion.

The disaster struck when for the 2nd straight game Mariano was hitable. Mo allowed a 2 run HR with 2 outs to Bobby Abreu to break the 4-4 tie. In the bottom of the 9th with a mini rally in their bones (first and third 2 outs and Tex at the dish) Granderson gets picked off attempting to steal 2nd base to end the game.

Thoughts? Too many to relay in one evening, but I'll start simply. This team is too good to lose the way they have the last 3 games. We all know this team is going to the playoffs and it's only a few August regular season games, but these loses are embarrassing and I hope don't highlight things to come. Sabathia had better be prepared to put the team on his back because we will need him more than ever come October. As good as our rotation has been, it's all 3 and 4 starters, we need Sabathia to be a big fat 1 and 2 rolled into one (he's sure big enough for 2 spots). Mariano had better get past this recent funk and be the Mo we all know and love. He does this a few times a year and everyone goes crazy, but it's worrisome when it's angles and Sox, two likely playoff foes and two teams that have patience and discipline and make Mo work. I also don't like the lack of fundamental baseball we've played. Nunez and Granderson attempting to steal in the 9th inning? I don't even begin to understand that. Nunez not covering third in the 9th inning against the Red Sox with Mo on the hill. A little dribbler bunt should have been fielded by Mariano and Nunez should have been prepared to cover that base. These are routine mental mistakes and they are costing us games, things we have never and will never tolerate.

Does this really change where they Yankees are headed this year? Maybe. Plain and simple winning the division means more than dumb ESPN analysts will care to admit. Playing on the road vs Anaheim with Haren and Weaver in a short series is no cake walk. Playing Detroit with Verlander out dueling Sabathia could be trouble. If we do emerge, playing Boston in the second round would be significantly easier if we didn't have to play 4/7 games on the road. I believe each loss is important and when you lose games to playoff rivals the way they have, it's going to come back and bite you.

In the end the Yankees still get 6 games vs Boston and have another 47 games to play and very little gap separating them and Boston. They could easily win 100 games and be the division leader and we'll laugh at this post in 2 months, but as of now as good as our record indicates I am not pleased to be in 2nd place, 2-10 vs Boston, and losing games the way we have. What does give me hope is that the last 3 games have been loses as much of a result of Sabathia and Rivera, easily the 2 most consistent Yankees on the team. It's unlikely they will put 3 games together like this, so maybe these losses are ones to let go and relax. Im going to try, because this one sure hurts. On to tomorrow, let's bring our bats and make it a clean victory.

Yankee Update

The Yankees have got to do something about Eduardo Nunez. The man has been a fantastic hitter this year and the man is clearly a great athlete. We have been more than happy with what he's provided offensively but enough is enough, Eduardo can't field. He has now racked up an excellent total of 13 errors for the season. That number doesn't even include the amount of plays he's botched that can't be ruled as errors. It's no longer easy to turn away from his occasional blunders and shrug it off as the every now and then mistake. It has now become routine for Nunez to butcher a play and it's hurting the Yankees more than his bat is helping.

I'm sick of people texting me and telling me Joe Girardi is fucking up the bull pen. I'm also sick of hearing how bad Boone Logan is and how Sergio Mitre should never take the field. I love the Yankees winning games and of course games vs Boston and Tampa are important, but Dave Robertson and Mariano Rivera can't play every day. They can't even play every other day. I don't want Mo logging 80+ games this season. I want Mo fresh and ready for October innings. The Yankees got screwed with Feliciano, Soriano, and Joba all getting hurt and they have to roll with some guys other than Mo and Robertson sometimes. Ideally I'd like our starter to go 7 and then go to Dave and Mo, but that doesn't happen. We need some other relievers to get some 6th 7th and at times 8th innings outs. Enter Boone Logan.

Boone Logan has never been my favorite Yankee and he did struggle his ass off to start the year, but he has merit on this team. Logan has been a different man since his special A-rod chat. He is the only lefty in the pen and it's necessary for him to continue to see crunch time minutes so he can continue to get going and be a key member of the playoff rotation. Not to mention the fact that he's actually providing lots of value right now.

Sergio Mitre is the official white flag of the Yankees. You cam't win every game and when it's 7-2 in the 8th, it's ok by me if Girardi decides to save some good arms and throws out Mitre. Agreed it's frustrating but that's what the last guy in the bull pen is for. Granted Mitre is below average even for the last man on the roster, but he is not costing the Yankees any winnable games so end of discussion.

It's because of this that I actually have like Girardi's managing and think Yankee fans should find other things to be mad about.

Cano, don't ya know

Robinson Cano showed off his skills last night destroying the field en route to his first HR derby title. It's not as if the world doesn't already know the wonder that is Robby. He's now been a Yankee for 7 years, won a World Series title, and made 3 all star games so the man has been showcasing his skills plenty but this was a whole other level. Cano has always been a great hitter, but it's never been with the long ball. At the derby last night Cano demonstrated that his swing is so great and so pure he could easily drop hit more home runs but chooses to hit for doubles and singles.

Adrian Gonzalez sure put on one hell of a show in the finals, notching a finals record 11 HRs, that is until cano got up. Cano hitting balls from his Dad Jose, hit 12 HRs with only 6 outs in the finals. He was showing no signs of exhaustion from his previous 20 jacks in the Arizona heat. Cano spent the offseason 2 years ago working hard with his dad to get better and since then has been on fire. He went to a level only Yankee fans new was possible and showed some serious pop. Prince Fielder hit the farthest HR at 474 FT and the next 4 farthest were all Canos, including 2 at 472 feet.

It was the first time in a while the HR derby for me was really a pleasure to watch. After watching the all star game tonight I realized that the baseball all star festivities are the best of the major sports by far and I enjoyed seeing my Yankees compete as well as the rest of the AL stars. Too bad the best players weren't in attendance, but I think it gives the secondary players a chance to shine. Good to see Ricky Weeks, Starlin Castro, Joel Hanrahan, and players of the like who don't get much respect and deserve it. Would have like to have seen CC, Verlander, Price, Arod, Jeter, Reyes, and a few other stars but they were hurt and ineligible and such is life.

The NL won 5-1 and had clearly the more dominant starting pitching. I don't really care about the stats too much but Fielder hit the big blast, a 3 run dinger off CJ Wilson and that was all she wrote. It was unfortunate because the Yankees could use that home field advantage and we missed out because Wilson was pitching and shouldn't have been. Not if Haren, Verlander, Price, or CC were out there. But that's the way the cookie crumbles, let's hope the Yankees can get there before it matters. At least last night the world got to witness the joy that is Cano and why the Yankees future remains bright. It was an enjoyable 2 days without the Yankees and now only one more miserable day off before the 2nd half is underway.

New post tomorrow breaking down the 2nd half season...For now congrats NL and go Robby

Derek Jeter Goes for History

Derek Jeter will attempt to collect his 3,000 Major league hit (every one hit as a Yankee) tonight at home against the Rays. The Yankees begin a 4 game series with Tampa at home before the All Star break and then heading on a 7 game road trip shortly thereafter. Jeter has openly stated the 3,000 hit mark has not weighed heavily on his mind but he did admit he wants 3,000 to come at home (Duh! Although for Jeter that's quite a confession). What this means is we have a golden opportunity for the achievement to be reached during these four games, otherwise it ain't happening at home. He currently stands at 2,997 and so needs 3 hits in 4 games. Since I'm going to the game tonight, ideally I'd like to see a 3 hit game and have the record happen tonight. Unlikely as it is it should be a good game as my friend Cobe has procured some wonderful seats. thirty feet behind home plate with a great free buffet of food and spacious seating to boot.

The series itself against the Rays should also not be downplayed. With the Yankees losing 3 of their last 4 games and losing their first series since being swept by Boston almost a month ago, it's important to turn things around. The Rays are closing in on first place in the AL east and with only 2 teams from the east making the playoffs, it's crcuial to beat division rivals. The Yankees have looked phenominal in June and July and look to keep firing on all cylinders. At 51-34 the Yankees look poised for another second half run and playoff birth. Let's see them get back on the winning track tonight and if we get lucky....some history!

I want to Jump off a Lilli-bridge

The Yankees lost for the second straight game to the White Sox in another low scoring tight battle. For two straight nights the Yankees could hardly manage a hit against the Sox starter. Yesterday they were no hit until the 7th by Humber, finishing the game with 2 hits and 0 runs. Tonight they had 4 hits off Gavin Floyd and 2 runs, failing to up his pitch count and get him out before the final inning. Last night the team never scored, never led, never smelled a chance at a win, and just got outplayed. Tonight they let the game slip through their fingers.

Rafael Soriano is slowly starting to emerge as a huge bust of a signing. For a 10 million dollar set up man, you can't be blowing leads like this. He came into the 8th with a narrow 2-1 lead after the Yankees got just enough from two solo shots from Cano and Gardner and Nova pitched a great game. Soriano proceeded to hit Quentin and then served up a two run shot to konerko. He also walked Dunn and let AJ get a single in the inning. This disaster of an inning was hardly the first implosion for Soriano and upped his already disturbingly high era up to 7.8! Let's hope he can right the ship soon or it will pave the way for Dave Robertson in some 8th inning duty.

The Yankees had a chance for the comeback pie in the 9th but were thwarted by some spectacular defense by Brent Lillibridge. With first and second and 1 out A-rod scalded a ball to the right field wall and Lillibridge made a fantastic leap up against the wall to rob Arod of an extra base hit and saving the game. One batter later Cano drills a line drive to right and again that man Lillibridge made an all out diving grab to rob Cano of a game tying single. The Yankees did show some fight with the late game rally but this is two games in a row the offense has been non existent.

Overall there are a few concerns here. The offense will not struggle for very long but I am worried that the Yankees rely too much on the long ball and will fail to tack on runs to insure Ws against teams like the Chi Sox. Also the bull pen was supposed to be a huge strength has now become shaky. Soriano looks miserable, Job has been inconsistent, Mariano is Mariano but he did blow 2 straight saves, Logan is awful and he's the only lefty, and Robertson is the only reliable RP thus far.

I don't look at these two losses as the end of the world but I do look at them as a microcosm of the issues the Yankees are facing. An offense that needs to learn how to play small ball, a bullpen far under performing, and starters that MUST maintain their excellence. On a final note, it was good to see Posada FINALLY pulled out of the lineup in favor of Chavez. Arod can DH sometimes this way and if Posada is hitting .148, it's time to rest up dude. He's never been a full time DH and he's never been 40 before. I hope it's April struggles but you never know....

Knicks Down in a Sweep

Well the Knicks season has come to a violent and disturbing end. After showing improvement and making the playoffs for the first time in 7 years, the team looked lackluster and failed to win a playoff game just like the last playoff series in 2004. The Knicks playoff drought is now up to ten years without a playoff win and they became the only team in the playoffs to get swept (possibly Denver ironically).

After a 42-40 season and the first winning season in a while, it looked as if things were on the rise for this struggling franchise. The Knicks came out and looked great in game 1, but collapsed in the final minutes as the Knicks tend to do. However they played the whole game with hustle, defense, determination, wit, and aside from a few boneheaded plays by Carmelo Anthony, should have walked away up 1-0. They lost Chauncey at the end of the game to a knee injury and wouldn't see him again for the rest of the series, likely his last game in Knick colors.

In game 2 the Knicks came out with a vengeance, firing on all cylinders. They did it without Billups and Amare Stoudemire got hurt within the first ten minutes creating a 1 on 5, Carmelo vs the Celtics. They hung in there with grit and sheer dominance from Melo to the tune of a 1 point lead with 19 seconds left. For the second straight night at the TD Garden they blew the lead and lost the game in heartbreaking fashion.

After those first two games it felt like all of the wind was knocked out of their sails. Imagine a team that made a big blockbuster trade during the middle of the season adding one superstar to join another superstar to provide a huge 1-2 punch but only has 20 games to work with each other. The team makes the playoffs for the first time in a long time and has to go into Boston to play the defending Eastern Conference Champs. You do so with injuries and a very young and inexperienced supporting cast. You play two nail biter games that come down to the wire but the team fails to execute and loses both games. It's not difficult to see why and it was impressive to see the team play with such heart, but there are no moral victories. The two losses in Boston were symbolic of the team itself, very talented and very competitive but not quite there. It also set the tone for the two games in NY. The collapses by the Knicks in Boston were so difficult to overcome that it was clear the team was going to get mowed down at the real Garden.

The team did just that. They got stomped in both games at home and Boston just showed why they have been the best defensive team in the East and are two time Eastern Conference Champs in the last 3 years. They came out with energy and were dominant and unafraid to go for the kill shot when the lead ballooned. Rondo was penetrating in the paint and looked to quick to guard. He was hitting his open jump shots, getting his running layups, and dishing for any man in a green Jersey. He did this to the tune of 20 assists and his 3rd career postseason triple double. Pierce and Allen looked like they couldn't miss and any time the crowd started to creep back into it, they would have a big shot and silence the New York faithful.

The Knicks on the other hand looked tired and uninspired. The were lazy, didn't rotate, failed to box out on the glass, and were not dishing and swishing as Clyde would say. Only 3 assists in game 3 from their PG play, you could say they missed Billups. Amare looked like he was at 50% strength and was only in there to play Willis Reed for motivational support. Anthony tried his best Superman impression as he had done in game 2 (42, 17, and 6) but he was double and triple teamed and no one was willing to help him. All in all, they just got manhandled by a better team.

So game 3 and game 4 the Knicks went quietly and they now sit around for the next 6 months and wait for their next chance to play with Melo and Amare. The good news? They have 2 superstars who will learn how to play with each other and have training camp to learn the system. They got their young guys some playoff experience which will be vital going forward. They didn't expect to win a playoff series, however it would have been nice to win a game or two.

The team needs to address big man and point guard in the offseason. Billups injury showed a glaring hole in their team, they have point guard play and it is the KEY to a D'Antoni offense. Toney Douglas is hardly a point guard, he is a scorer and a good defender but he doesn't distribute the way a PG should. The Knicks were at their best this season with Raymond Felton dropping 9 assists a game and establishing a pick a roll offense every time down the court. Billups is old and over the hill and if the Knicks bring him back, they'll need better than Carter or Douglas as a PG to back him up. Chauncey will get hurt and will not play more than 30 minutes so we need something legitimate. We also desperately need a big man. Jeffries, Turiaf, Sheldon Williams; none of these guys qualify as a solid C and none of them can score. Amare shouldn't play the 5 and this is something we need to work on for next season.

We did bring some energy back to the Garden, but we have a little ways to go....

Baseball Courtroom--The Steroid Debate

Should Proven Steroid Users be Allowed in the Hall of Fame?

My answer is a clear and resounding no. Let me preface this by saying it is difficult to argue such a blanket statement and as with all things baseball being no different, it's hard to not look at things on a case by case basis. That being said I still firmly believe that proven steroid users have no place in the shrine of baseball legend. My arguments can be broken down into three different categories. They are as follows:

Argument 1- Character and integrity are key factors that Hall of Fame voters must use to determine if a player is worthy.

· It doesn't matter that everyone was doing it and it doesn't matter that there was tons of peer pressure blah blah blah, any baseball player who knowingly did steroids would have trouble admitting that what they were doing was ok. Every proven roider who knowingly took steroids knew they were cheating and getting an unfair leg up on the competition. They didn't want others to gain that advantage over them, so they joined in on the party. Not that I can't sympathize with that mentality, but it doesn't make it a moral or legal act and when being judged on character and integrity, these players unquestionably fail.

Argument 2- Cheating is cheating and the issue must be addressed.

· As good as many of the steroid users are and were (Arod, Bonds, Clemens etc) and yes you could field one hell of an all-star team with those users, they cheated and must be penalized. When Reggie Bush broke the NCAA rules, they stripped him of his Heisman Trophy. That's one way to handle things; maybe we should strip our steroid users of their accolades. Take Bonds' 7 MVPs away, wipe clean his career home run record and strip him of his single season home run record. But Baseball has elected not to go that route, leave the past in the past move forward. Since many of these players are done playing, we can't suspend them or make them leave baseball. So what do we do to punish cheaters? The only we can....tarnish the legacy.

Argument 3- What about the other guys?

· I look at baseball and the way it's handled incidents of this nature in the past. Roger Maris' 61 home runs had an asterisk for over 20 year simply because baseball changed and he played 8 more games than Ruth. Pete Rose is still not in the Hall of Fame because he gambled on baseball years after playing and racking up the most hits of all time. If these players can be vilified for their actions, should we not treat these roiders the same way? Granted we have evolved and nobody thinks what happened to Maris was justified, but if we are determining that rule breaking such as Rose merits you on the outside looking in, this should fall into the same category.

· What about guys like Chipper Jones, Omar Vizquel, Mike Mussina, John smoltz, Curt Schilling, and many others who are border line Hall of Famers (you may disagree with my list), if we allow steroid users in the HOF many of these guys will simply miss out. It's not fair that the outcome for playing the game with honor and dignity is to not be remembered among the greats. Had Larry "Chipper" Jones done steroids could he not have reach 500 home runs and won another MVP? Would his achievements not have surpassed a Manny Ramirez? I'm not arguing who's a better player; I just don't know how much the drugs help an athlete. I know it won't turn me into a Hall of Famer that's for sure, but I wonder to what lengths it makes an impact. For example the most home runs hit in a season was 60 and then 61 for 71 years combined. Then in a matter of 4 years we had that record broken 6 times, 6 times!! Bonds had 73, McGwire had 70 and 65, and Sosa had 66, 64, and 63. These were very good home run hitters no doubt, but would any of them have broken 60 without help? We will never know. So I wonder what accomplishments were aided by steroids and what wasn't and rather than attempt to sift through all of the statistics, I'd rather support the Smoltz's of the world for racking up great stats fairly. He might be a worse pitcher than Clemens and honestly I'd have a hard time arguing that he was better. However Smoltz deserves the HOF in my opinion because he didn't succumb to the pressure (I hope) and he accomplished so much with dignity.

In Conclusion I just want to address one final point, the "Everyone was doing it" argument. This to me serves as a justification for acting unethically and doesn't serve as any excuse. Steroid users and other baseball writers have said that it's hard not juicing because they're all competitors and to win and stay competitive you have to do anything you can to improve your chances. I've even heard players and former players say they would do steroids if they knew they wouldn't get caught because they were such fierce competitors and they wanted to be the best. My response to that: Real competitors want to win the right way. Juicers want the stats and the fame; the clean players want to honor the game. The real competitors want to work harder to succeed and deserve to be viewed in a class amongst themselves, not with phonies.

Analysis of AJ Burnett

Is AJ Burnett's good start a fluke or has AJ turned it around from last year, that's the question we all want to know. Last year Burnett dominated in April and fell off the rest of the year, are we in for the same nonsense this year? I think these first three games are a sign to come for a few reasons.

Reason 1- Russell Martin

AJ looks way more comfortable with Russell, someone who will be in the lineup every time he starts and brings a defensive presence. Russell also showed up for AJ last start. Not with the bat, but with his glove, diving into the dugout to try to make an impressive catch. These actions demonstrate a hustle, a determination, and a desire that may not have been present the past season with Jorge and Cervelli such liabilities behind the plate.

Reason 2- New Pitching Coach

I don't know if Burnett worked well with Dave Eiland, but what I do know is it helps to have a new pitching coach to bring a new perspective in the off season. Burnett seemed really bothered about the way he performed last year and I think he worked hard in the offseason and spent a lot of time with Rothschild to get his head right. We saw evidence of this in the last game he pitched. In the second inning he walked Morneau and Thome and I thought he was going to fall apart like typical AJ. Instead he geared up and got out of the jam and demonstrated a new confidence in tough situations.

Reason 3- The Yankees need him

I think somewhere deep down Burnett is going to will himself to be better this year. it's weird to say that because it's not as if he's going to try harder this year, but I do think there is something to be said for the pressure of the number 2 starter role in a very chaotic rotation. He knows there is a lot that rests on his shoulders and he knows how poorly he pitched last year. He understands he is a key component in this team's success and is doing more than his fair share of extra work to get things going right.

Conclusion

Only time will tell if this is just a couple of good starts in April of if AJ is really going to be a better pitcher, but I think it's the latter. I think between Russell, Rothschild, the pressure, and a year off to get his head right, AJ will continue to thrive and will be back to his 09 self. Let's see him continue that magic tonight...

Football Sunday Continues...

It's Sunday January 23rd, you know what that means? It means it's the last Sunday of the year where we get at least two football games in one day, before the climax of the season and then the long dreaded off-season. Unless you've been living under a rock, this year we have the Blitzburg Steelers and the NY J-E-T-S in the AFC and the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears. For the first time in a long time, longer than I can remembers, we have 4 great teams that are all capable of being Superbowl champs just depends on how they perform these final few weeks. we also have two 6 seeds, which means we may have the first #6 vs #6. But enough of this preliminary set up Bull-Shit, let's get down to the meat and discuss the previous few weeks of football and what we expect to see today. First let's breakdown each team so far.

NY Jets
The Jets have surprised nobody as they themselves have been self declared Superbowl champs since training camp and during the show "Hardknocks". They had some bumps during the regular season but it appears as though they play their best football during the playoffs, leading many to believe that they are going to win the Superbowl. Their boisterous coach Rex Ryan has the D playing at an enormously high level and they now have beaten Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in back to back weeks. Mark Sanchez is evolving before our eyes and the drive/hustle/determination/will, whatever you want to call it, is arguably the highest of the playoff teams.

Last week the Jets shocked the world, beating the NE Patriots, the evil empire of football, in Foxborough 28-21. They beat Tom Brady and Bill Belichick in their home, something very few teams can say they've done. At first after watching the game I thought, did the patriots lose or did the jets win? The answer is really, both. The Patriots hardly looked like the Pats. They ran it too much and didn't rely on Brady until it was too late. They got beat in the trenches. They got out coached and made far too many bad judgement calls, poor clock management, bad 3rd and 4th down decision making. They also looked like a young and inexperienced defense that they were supposed to be. The D was wildly above expectations leading them to 14-2 but in the final game of their season, fell to a sub par level. However the Jets did play a fantastic game. They stuffed the run, and dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. They blitzed Brady and had a lot of sacks as well as pressure in his face. They made him look off-balanced, something hardly anybody in the league has done. Sanchez made some bad throws, but overall played a solid game. The run game was good and then great as the Pats D got tired. And the coverage....Oh my goodness was the Jet coverage unbelievable. They rushed 3 sometimes and got no pressure, giving Brady 10 seconds at times and still he had nowhere to go. Cromartie, Revis, Wilson, and the rest of their D backs played some inspired football. If they play this game again against the Steelers they will win.

Keys for the Jets--They need to not turn it over. Their D is good enough to keep them in the game, don't throw a costly pick and don't fumble and they'll be in it to win it in the 4th quarter. They also need to bring Roethlisberger down when they have the chance. You cannot let him escape a sack and throw for a first down. That's what he wants to do and he will if you let him, he's 245 pounds so it's no easy task bringing his ass down, but JT, Ellis, Pace, Price, Devito, get on that boys. The last key for me is the ability to stay out of long 3rd downs. When you run on first down you NEED to get 3-4 yards. When you throw on first or second down, you must at least complete the pass for positive gain or throw it away when it could lead to a sack. 3rd and 8 or even more could be disastrous. The Steelers love to bring pressure, they have a very opportunistic defense, and they have Troy P. So if you get in long yardage situations it can lead to sacks, fumbles, and picks, which they always return. Field position is essential in big games, so sacks on 3rd downs are bad news and can fire up a crowd. Jets need to remember not to turn it over, shorten the field when necessary (run on 2nd and 12 to make it more manageable on 3rd), and look out for Troy Polamalu.

The Chicago Bears
The Bears came into the playoffs like the luckiest team on Earth that nobody believed would be successful. They won 11 games and got the 2 seed somehow. They got a lucky win week 1 vs Detroit, the benefit of an easy schedule (Minnesota stunk this year, Dallas as well, Carolina, the NFC West). Their tough wins included Philly, GB 1/2, and the Jets. Only 3/11 wins were vs above ..500 teams. Their losses included NE, NYG, GB, Washington, and Seattle. so of their 5 games in 16 against good teams, they went 2-3, not sure that's an elite team. They won their first playoff game against Seattle, a, 8-9 team, another fortunate event. They also saw the #1 seed lose and so have earned themselves a home game, another lucky break. The only not lucky thing, they get the Green Bay Packers. Their biggest rival, in their biggest game, in their freezing cold home town Soldier Field.

Their defense is looking like the elite unit that got them to the Superbowl just 4 years ago. Their offense with Mike Martz coordinating is looking pretty good. Cutler is always a question mark, but we know he has the talent. Matt Forte makes some nice plays, and their receivers are starting to grow up. Hester, Olsen, Bennett, and Know make an interesting bunch. They also have the best special teams guy in NFL history, Devin Hester, and don't forget Danieal Manning (watch him make a big play today either as SS or as KR). To win today the Bears will need some big plays from their special teams, their D to play like a tough hard nosed unit. Urlacher, Briggs, Idonije, Peppers, Tinioshomoa, Harris, Peanut Tillman, etc, they have the guys to do it. They will also need Cutler to hang onto the ball. No costly turnovers, and don't let the one or maybe two turnovers lead to points. The Packers love to go for the strip and love to make big plays on D, the Bears cannot let that happen. Cutler has to be, as Ron Jaworski loves to say, judicious with the football and 2+ turnovers would be a dagger.

I expect Forte to be leaned on heavily, expect 20 carries and 5-7 catches for the 3rd year man out of Tulane. His running style works for the Bears today, he's powerful and quick, doesn't fumble, can make big plays in the passing game, and wears you out as the game progresses. If the Bears want to win, they'll need to ride Forte and keep Rodgers off the field. They also will have to have a big game from Peppers or some other guy free rushing. Rodgers avoids the rush so well and makes so many plays on the roll and out of the pocket. When he runs out, they must get him down and get the ball out. A strip sack or a hit forcing an interception is crucial. If the Packers don't turn it over and the sacks are down, they will not be stopped.

Green Bay Packers
This team is easily the most intriguing of the playoff teams. The Packers were my Superbowl favorite entering the season but because of ENORMOUS injuries and a really rough schedule, they almost missed out. But they got hot at the right time and booted the Giants from the playoffs by beating NYG and the Bears in the final two weeks. They then followed that up with wins against Philly and Atlanta on the road. Arguably the best two teams in the NFC and they did it on the road.

Green Bay needs their D to keep pressure on Cutler and make him uncomfortable, stay stout against the run and force those turnovers they love so much. On offense, don't think you can run, cause you can't. They are not a running team, so don't do what you don't do. Let Rodgers drop back and be the beast he is. The Bears were 9th against the run and 21st against the pass. Let it be an aerial assault. Rodgers is over 100 passer rating in cold weather and beats Chicago all the time. Green Bay should be fine.


Hopefully its a fun football sunday!

Green bay 28-13
Pittsburgh 23-17