The Little Things

Its been a couple of weeks now, but I am still glowing from the Yankees World Series victory. As you listen to the commentators and analysts, you would think the Yankees dominated this series from start to finish.

But honestly, think about how close this series really was. We won every game not started by Cliff Lee. But there were so many key moments when the momentum of the series hung in the balance and things broke our way.

In game 3, the Yanks are down 3-0 and things are looking bleak. Teixeira works a walk, but ball 4 would probably be called a strike about 80% of the time. If A-Rod comes up with no one on, does he still hit the home run? Does the home run change the momentum as much as it does?

The home run hit the camera. If the original ruling of double is upheld, do the runs score?

Pettitte gets a hit to tie the game. Pettitte.

In game 4, the Yankees looked as if they were going to let this one get away when Joba comes in and gives up the game-tying home run to Feliz. Then, in the top of the 9th, Damon works his magic with the nine-pitch single that seemed to rattle Lidge.

Then, Damon steals second and goes to third because no one was covering. (Inexcusable). Ever seen a play like that? Now, Lidge is scared to throw his dynamite slider, for fear of a wild pitch. He hits Teixeira then grooves one to A-Rod.

In every baseball game there are so many key moments. A ball/strike call. A hard line drive that is just foul.

I love the Yankees and the win was fun. But it could have so easily gone the other way. We won the series with solid starting pitching, timely hitting, and several breaks at turning-point moments.

How One At-Bat Can Change a Game

I have to admit that I lost faith tonight. The Yanks hadn't been hitting and when the Phillies tied it up in the 8th with that home run (by Feliz???? - you HAVE to be kidding me!) I kind of felt like we might not get it done tonight. If we didn't score in the 9th, who thinks someone wouldn't have hit one out for the Phils?

Matsui-san starts it off with a weak popup in the infield. Then, Jeter works a fairly good at-bat to a full count. Then, he swings at BALL FOUR! I was discouraged. Then Johnny Damon stepped up and had one of the great at-bats anyone will ever see.

Lidge was looking pretty good, but Johnny worked him like a pro. He took a ball inside that almost hit him. Then, he fouled off two good pitches to go to 1-2. Looked bleak. But then he got busy. He fouled off a pitch to stay alive (barely tipped), then took a pitch up (close) and one away to run the count full. He then fouled off two more pitches to stay alive for the ninth pitch he had seen.

He slapped that pitch into left field for a single. He stole second and third (on the same play) then scored on A-Rod's double. Yankees win.

A-Rod and Posada are the heroes, but they would not have had the chance to shine if Damon had not worked one of the great at-bats you will see. A professional hitter who changed the outcome of a game.

A-Rod for MVP

I haven't been writing at this blog for several reasons. I have been sick. I have been busy. And after the Yankee games, I have been so worn out and stressed out I couldn't handle it.

But, if the Yankees go on to win this series (and that's a big "if"), A-Rod should get the MVP even if doesn't get another hit the rest of the series.

Things were going poorly and the Yankees were lethargic. They just looked listless. Couldn't hit. Swinging at bad pitches. I was not encouraged. Andy Pettitte was not sharp and the Yankees were down 3-0 in the fourth inning. It looked like the makings of a Phillies blowout.

Then, Teixeira worked a walk (if I was a Phillie fan, I'd be mad about ball 4). That's when A-Rod stepped up and slapped one down the right field line. It was originally ruled a double, then after the replay, it was ruled (rightly so) a home run. Suddenly, the Yankees come alive.

If the Yankees lose today, they would really have a tough time winning the series. A-Rod turned things around. He is a World Series hero, regardless of what happened in games 1 and 2 or what happens from here.

I'm Having a Coronary

That was one of the most amazing games I have ever watched. If you are a Twins fan (stop reading here, pal), you have to feel like that was one you should have won.

AJ Burnett was wonderful, if wild. He matched Nick Blackburn inning for inning, although his innings were a little more interesting that Blackburn's. Fantastic!

While Jorge didn't like it, Burnett's performance leaves Girardi's decision looking good. Burnett pitches better when Molina catches. He pitched well enough that you have to support the decision that was made. Vindicated!

The umpires were AWFUL in this game. Unless pitch-trak was malfunctioning, these guys should be demoted to Single A ball. Home plate ump was so erratic, no one knew what the strike zone way. And the call on Mauer's hit in the 11th was one of the worst I have ever seen. It was nearly a foot inside the line and he called it foul. I'm glad for the call, but goodness gracious. Pathetic!

A-Rod is hot in the clutch. He got a single with two out in the sixth to tie the game at one. Then, after Teixeira led off the ninth with a single, he tied it again with a long, long home run. He is hitting with both cylinders and is silencing all the critics. Impressive!

Brett Gardner should be shot. He subbed for Jorge in the tenth, after he got a single. He went to second on a steal and third on an error, so they walked Jeter. That brought up Damon. It was first and third with one out. Damon lines a hard shot up the middle. Little leaguers know you hold at third to see the ball go through. If it goes through, you still have plenty of time to score. It didn't. Gardner breaks from third on the contact and the shortstop snagged the line drive and doubled him off third. Inexusable!

Nobel prize for David Robertson. He came in with two on and no out in the top of the 11th. (I will admit that had the inning started with a double as it should have, it would have been a different inning.) He gave up a hit, but Mauer did not try to score, probably figuring with one out, why risk it? Bases loaded with no out - looks pretty bad for the good guys. The next batter lined a bullet, but it was right at Teixeira. One out. The next guy bounces one to Teixera, who goes home for the force. Two out. Third out was a fly ball to Nick Swisher and the Yankees got out of it without a run scoring. Amazing!

I felt that might break the Twins' will. Teixeira took care on that. He lined a shot down the left field line that hit the top of the wall and bounced into the seats. Yankees win and go up 2-0. Incredible!

I don't remember too many games this tense or amazing. It was big, too. The last three years (in the playoffs), the Yankees won the first game then lost the next three. Now, they are up 2-0 and have Pettitte going against Pavano. We should not be as intimidated going into the dome as the Tigers were. We've done pretty well there. Optimistic!

If they get Pettitte, they will have to beat Sabathia next. Then they will have to go back to Yankee stadium and face Burnett again. We've got a good chance to get to the second round. Angels are up 2-0 and looking good.

By the way, are there any teams that do not have a player named Cabrera?

Postseason Pinstripes: The Unique Nature of the Baseball Playoffs

It can hardly be argued that the Yankees are the best team in Major League Baseball this year. Many would have argued for the Dodgers or Red Sox in the first half of the season, but the Yanks rendered those arguments moot with a dominating second half. We have a ten game lead on the Sox. Our record is eight games better than California and nine games better than the Dodgers, who play in the inferior National League.

The Yankees are the best team in baseball. Big Whoop! Baseball is a unique game. In basketball, over a 7-game series, the best team almost always wins. In football, the dominant teams usually make it to the Super Bowl and take home the trophy. I don't know about hockey - who really cares, right?

But the baseball playoffs are unique. Very seldom does the team with the best regular season record win the World Series. A Wild Card team has won several times - they couldn't win their own division in the regular season, but won it all in the playoffs. A couple of years back, St Louis stunk up the league in September and October, and squeaked into the playoffs looking horrible. They won the World Series.

There is a reason for this. Playoff basketball is essentially the same as regular season basketball, just more intense. Same with football. But the nature of baseball changes dramatically in the postseason.

The difference is starting pitching and days off. To win a lot of games in the regular season, you need to have three, four, or five starting pitchers. If you have two dominant pitchers , that is nice, but you still have to run somebody out there three times between their starts. But in the playoffs, two dominant pitchers can win it all (ie Randy Johnson and Curt Shilling on the 2001 Diamondbacks). There are enough days off that the two dominant pitchers can lead the team to victory. Smith wins game 1, Jones wins game two, then Smith wins game 5 (or 6) and Jones wins game 6 (or 7). In the opening series, you can do the same thing if you get the extended series.

In recent years, the Yankees have had a team better suited to win lots of regular season games, but have not done well in the playoffs. I hope this year will be different, of course, but you never know.

Baseball is a quirky game. In a five games series, one team can get hot while another goes cold. The Washington Nationals could beat the Yankees in a five-game series. Not likely, but it could happen.

I am more optimistic this year. The Yankees have some of the best pitchers in the AL playoffs. all the other Cy Young contestants are on teams that missed the playoffs - Halladay (Toronto), Grienke (KC - likely Cy Young), Hernandez (Seattle). CC Sabathia is as good as any of them and better than any other playoff pitcher. Pettitte and Burnett are just about as good as the other pitchers on the teams we will play.

The Yankees have been hitting consistently - we have even beaten some of the really good pitchers.

I'm optimistic about the Yankees' chances this year. We are the best team going in. I am also realistic. Baseball is a strange sport - the best regular-season team does not always win.

But this seems like a GREAT year for #27!

Yankees Tie...The-e-e-e Yankees Tie!

By skunking the Roid Sox 3-0 today, the Yankees clinched at least a tie in both their division, the AL East (best in baseball) and for the best record in baseball and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Yankees were AWFUL today with runners on base. Finally, in the 6th, Cano parked one and then Damon got a two-out bases-loaded hit in the bottom of the eighth. Mariano got his 43rd save and the Yankees lead both Boston and California by 7 games with 7 games left.

Yanks have taken 8 of 9 from Boston and tomorrow will go for the remarkable feat of tying the season series with the Evils, after going down 0-8 in the first couple of months.

Folks, if CC Sabathia does not get the Cy Young, its a rip. This guy has been an absolute stud the second half. The Sox only got one hit against him. Absolute domination.

And there is good hope that CC might still have some strength for the playoffs. Last year, the Brewers rode him like draft horse down the stretch, pitching him long innings on short rest. By the time the playoffs came around, he wasn't sharp.

CC hasn't been going more than 100 pitches or so for his last few starts and has been pitching on 5 days rest (sometimes 6).

The AL playoffs are almost set. The Yankees will play either Detroit or Minnesota - whichever one of them gets out of the woeful AL Central. Boston will go to California for the first round. The Angels should win that, but Boston seems to have their number. The Yanks should have no problem in the first round, but we have to break our bad playoff mojo. We will see.

Pass in the Song Books

The good guys beat the bad guys 9-5 tonight, putting the Yankees up 6 games in the loss column and pretty much finishing any chances the Sox have to win the AL East (magic number is 3 with 8 games left).

Significant happenings:

• Joba looked Very good, for the first time since the Joba rules were imposed. He gave up home runs to Martinez and Ortiz, but he looked in command.

• Lester got hit in the knee by a line drive. Looks like he's going to be okay, and it is so wrong to cheer for injuries. But if Lester were out of the rotation, Boston's goose would be cooked.

• The bats were booming. A-rod is hot, Teixeira is going good - lots of Yankees are hitting. We scored 9 runs and probably should have had more.

• What a comeback in the second half. The Yankees lost the first 8 games of the season to the Red Sox. They are now 7-9. If we win the next two games, we will be even for the season. Not many people would have predicted a split series for the year. We have a chance to make it a reality.

An ANGELic Series

The Yankees did exactly what we needed to do - we got two wins in our three games in Anaheim - first Yankees series win in Anaheim since 2004. Boston has lost two of three to KC (they are playing now - no score), allowing the Yankees to get back to a five game lead in the loss column. We've got 9 regular season games left. Our "magic" number is 5 (any combination of 5 Yankees wins and Evils losses gives us the division). Shouldn't be too hard.

Perhaps the biggest thing is that AJ Burnett looked good for the second game in a row. We need him on a roll in the playoffs.

Biggest problem is Joba. The "Joba Rules" have messed him up royally, at least for this year. His start against the Evils tomorrow night is a big deal.

Yanks need to win one of the games against the Sox. Two would be great. Three would be heavenly - and clinch the AL East.

Let's go Yankees.

Three Big Outs

Yankees got a sac fly in the top of the ninth (by A-rod) to take a 6-5 lead. Mariano is coming in to get three outs in the ninth. If we win, we will have a 6 game lead (5 in the loss column) with 10 games left. I think it will all be over.

The bigger thing is two-fold. 1) We really need to beat the Angels in Anaheim - just for confidence.

2) Mariano needs to get back on track after the fiasco in Seattle.

A-rod has a home run, a sac fly and a great play with the bases loaded to stop the Angels from taking the lead. Let's go Yankees - finish it off!

First up - Morales, who is 5 for his last 5 at-bats. Full Count. Morales swung at ball four. Walked him. Tying run on with no outs. We can't get this Morales guy out.

Juan Rivera - ball one. Mariano does not look sharp tonight. WOW! A strike-em-out throw-em-out double play. Two outs and no one on.

Erick Aybar - grounds out on first pitch.

Yankees Win! Yankees Win! The-e-e-e Yankees Win.

A big day for the Yankees! I am going to breath a little easier now.

Baseball is a WEIRD Game

The Red Sox have been almost unbeatable recently, and I was actually starting to be afraid that they might catch the Yankees for the AL East title. Then, they go into KC to play one of the truly bad teams in baseball. Low and behold, the Evils lose two straight to the Royals - my new second favorite team.

The Yankees are stinking it up again tonight in Anaheim. They had runners at first and third in the first, so A-rod struck out and we stranded the runners. Then, Cano led off the second with a double and we stranded him at third.

If we could somehow win tonight in Anaheim, the magic number will be 6. It stands at 7 now.

Another weird thing: I mentioned above how bad the Yankees are doing, and within a minute or two of publishing that, both A-rod and Jorge have hit 2-run home runs. Now, Chad Gaudin has got to keep throwing blanks!

Gotta LOVE the Royals!

I'm now a huge Royals fan. Tonight was looking pretty depressing. The Yankees are down 3-0 in the 6th inning and they just aren't hitting (haven't been since they flew to the West Coast.) The Boston Evils were up 6-0 against the Kansas City Royals, one of the worst teams in baseball. It was looking bleak. The Yankees lead is down to 5 games, 4 in the loss column. Another Yankees lose, Evils win night would suddenly make this thing a race.

Then, KC's bats came alive. They started scoring and just kept on going. They beat Boston 12-9 and took the pressure off a little. The magic number is now 8.

If only the Yankees can come back and win tonight! If only...

I LOVE CC Sabathia!

After a difficult loss yesterday, and another win by the Red Evils today, we really needed a win tonight. We got it. CC was masterful. Texeira brought the bat (2 HR's, a triple and a single). It was a much needed win.

Our magic number is now 9. Any combination of Yankee wins or Evil losses totaling 9 and we win the AL East. We have 13 games left. So, if we go 9-4, we are in. If the Red Evils lose 2 games, then we have to go 7-6.

Let's go, Joba! A win tomorrow in Seattle would be great. And, for Pete's sake, couldn't you Evils lose one tomorrow?

That One Stung a Little

Mariano struck out the first two batters.

Then, in two pitches the game was lost. Sweeney double. Ichiro home run.

That Ichiro is amazing. AAARRRGGGHHH!

Boston picks up a game.

The Irrelevance of ERA

A pitcher's ERA (earned run average) is one of the key statistics used to judge a pitcher's quality. It is probably that CC Sabathia will lose the Cy Young this year to Zach Grienke because of the difference in their ERA's, even though CC has more wins.

But, watching the Yanks in Seattle tonight, I thought about how skewed that statistic can be. The Yankees have only gotten 2 runs so far (lead 2-1 at this point in the seventh). But if this game was being played at Yankee stadium they would have 5 or 6 runs. They have hit several balls that would have been out of the park at New Yankee Stadium , which went for harmless outs in Seattle. Swisher crushed one that was caught at the wall.

It is no wonder, with half his starts at Yankee stadium that CC's ERA is a little higher than pitchers like Felix Hernandez (pitching against us tonight) who pitches half his games in the cavern they call Safeco field.

I am not saying that ERA is insignificant. I'm just saying that since ballparks are so different, it is a statistic that will be skewed, like hitting stats in Colorado.

(One more thing, while I'm at it - the Yankees hit into more double plays than any team in the history of baseball - it is FRUSTRATING!!)

A Big Win for the Angels!

I haven't been writing much, because I have been busy and because I haven't felt much distress about the state of the Yankees. But the last couple of days have made me just a touch nervous. Boston won seven in a row, and the Yankees were in a minor funk (winning one, losing one, etc) and the Evils had cut a once nine game lead down to 6.5 games (only 5 in the loss column).

Last night, the umpire cheated the Angels out of a win that would have made things a little more comfortable, but tonight, the Angels squeaked out a 4-3 win. The Yanks are now up 7 games (6 in the loss column) and things are a little more comfortable.

The Yankees are 94-53. The Evils are now 86-59. That means that the Yankees have to win 6 games the rest of the way (6 wins, 9 losses) to reach 100 wins. If we do that, Boston has to go 14-3 to tie. They now embark on a 10 game road trip. The first two series are against two of the worst teams in baseball. They will go to Baltimore for three and to Kansas City for 4. The good news is that Grienke should be pitching one of those games, unless that line drive yesterday messed him up. The Yankees are headed to the West Coast to play Seattle and LA three games apiece. Then we are home to play the Red Sox and KC. Then, we go to Tampa Bay for our last three games.

• Someone has to tell me why on EARTH the Yankees have two trips to LA this year! The next nine games are the last big stretch of the season. We need to win two of three in every series.

• We seldom play well on the West Coast, so winning a good percentage of the next 6 games is big.

• We may play LA in the playoffs, so we need to establish that we can win out there. That is a crucial series psychologically.

• We need to beat Boston two of three to stop their momentum. They have really been hot recently.

In the last 24 hours, two good things have happened. First, we came back last night from being down 2 in the eighth to beat Toronto. Then, Boston blew a 2 run lead tonight to lose. Had those games gone wrong, thing could be way too tense right now.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Yankees play about 500 ball from here on out. We are pretty much guaranteed to be in the playoffs, and have a good lead on the home field advantage. We are resting pitchers and players, getting ready for the postseason.

I just hope we can do that without losing our edge.

I'm going out on a limb, here. We are going to go (at least) 8-7 the rest of the way to finish at 102-60. (That is 3 of 6 on the West coast, 1 of three with Boston, then two of three with each KC and Tampa Bay.) Boston may well win 12 of their remaining 17 games to finish the season at 98-64. That means that we get Detroit (or Minnesota if a miracle occurs) in the first round and Boston and LA will go back at. Boston wins that, setting up what will probably be another Empire/Nation Pennant series.

NOTE: The best thing would be more simple. The Yanks get hot this week, win 5 of 6 on the West Coast, win 2 or 3 against the Sox and make the last week of the season absolutely meaningless. Tough to imagine the Sox losing many to Baltimore or KC, even on the road.

Nick Swisher Can Hit .250 for My Team EVERY Year

Nick is not a good fielder, often turning routine fly balls into adventures. He bats .250 when he's hot, strikes out a lot and hits some weak ground balls.

And I love him. He is such a great guy to have on a team. He gets big hits (walk-off home run tonight). He brings fun to the clubhouse. The Yankees can probably go out in the off season and pay 15 million for another outfielder (Matt Holliday or someone like that). But I like having Nick Swisher up there. He's my kind of Yankee!

FYI - Yankees are 90-50 with 22 games left. We will probably end up with around 100 wins, up to 105. We are resting guys and playing a different lineup every night. Just got to keep the pitching staff sharp.

Today's Most Important Event

The Yanks have pretty much wrapped up the AL East, forging a 9 game lead with 23 games left by sweeping the Bay Rays. Lots of good things happened today. Good pitching (1 run allowed in both games) good hitting (2 HR for Tex) and other stuff.

But the most important thing that happened was the game pitched by AJ Burnett. In the postseason, we need to have three dominant pitchers (four would be nice). CC and Andy have been consistently good. AJ has not. He looked pretty good tonight. Now, we just need to get these stupid Joba Rules nullified and get him back on track.

Stick a Fork in the Red Sox

The Yankees won the first of a double header today. We are 88-50 with an 8.5 game lead with 24 games to go. Using the calculation we used before, if the Yankees go 12-12, they will will 100 games. To catch us, the Red Sox have to go 21-4. That's if we just keep on splitting games.

Update: We won both, and are 89-50 with a 9 game lead. "See ya!"

The AL East is over.

Unfortunately, Texas can't seem to get it going (losing Young and Hamilton dI idn't help) and so the Evils still have a lead in the Wild Card. I'm hoping that they get hot and push the Evils out of the playoffs completely.

Honestly, the Red Sox keep on scaring me. Beckett can't keep getting beat forever. They have good starting pitching and a good bullpen. If they make the playoffs, they can win it all. That is evil beyond consideration. We must not let that thought cross our minds, folks.

Not Loving the Joba Rules

After the All-Star break, Joba Chamberlain was firing blanks. He was amazing, solid, consistent. Then, the Yankees started monkeying with his innings, to "save" his arm. There may be good reason in the long run to do that, but they have royally messed him up right now. He can't throw strikes and his fastball is 6-8 mph slower than it was. If they are going to do this kind of stuff, they should just put him in the bullpen for the rest of the season.

One more thing - why did Halladay have to choose tonight to break out of his slump? Why couldn't he have shut the Red Sox out last time?

The only bright note of the evening is that the Red Sox are down 12-1 right now in Chicago.

Something to Think About

The Yankees are 86-48 (38 games over .500). If we go 14-14 in our remaining games, we will finish 100-62.

If we finish 100-62, then Boston has to finish 22-7 to tie us (and win the division). They have 15 games at home and 14 on the road, including three at Yankee Stadium.

In other words, it will take a massive collapse by the New York Yankees to give the Evils a chance to win the division.

However, stick a fork in the Rays. They are done! We need to cheer for the Texas Rangers to get hot and knock the Evils out of the playoffs.