Game 33: Yankees at Tigers

YANKEES (21-11)
Derek Jeter DH
Brett Gardner CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Marcus Thames LF
Francisco Cervelli C
Ramiro Pena 3B

RHP Phil Hughes (4-0, 1.69)

TIGERS (19-14)
Austin Jackson CF
Johnny Damon DH
Magglio Ordonez RF
Miguel Cabrera 1B
Brennan Boesch LF
Alex Avila C
Don Kelly 3B
Ramon Santiago SS
Scott Sizemore 2B

RHP Jeremy Bonderman (1-1, 5.74)

Let's Play Two: The Yanks and Tigers are gearing up for the second game of the day. Detroit took game one, but the Bombers send Hughes to the mound to try and split the day.

Sleeping bats: I guess the 1 PM start was a little early for the position players, with the two teams combining for 2 runs and 9 hits. Maybe they'll be awake for the 7 pm game.

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Game 31: Yankees at Tigers

Lineups via Chad Jennings

Yankees
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Marcus Thames DH
Brett Gardner CF
Randy Winn LF
RHP Sergio Mitre

Tigers
A. Jackson cf
J. Damon dh
M. Ordonez rf
M. Cabrera 1b
B. Boesch lf
B. Inge 3b
S. Sizemore 2b
G. Laird c
A. Everett ss


Hello, Johnny: The Yankees will face Johnny Damon for the first time since he left the Yankees after five seasons with the team. The game is an away game so we're still going to have to wait to see the reaction he gets from the Yankees fans. Johnny was close to alot of guys on teh team so I'm sure they'll all be happy to see him.
And Hello, Sergio: Sergio Mitre makes the spot start today for the aching Andy Pettitte. Mitre had an impressive spring, but has been rarely used this season. It'll be interesting to see how he does.
AAA Reunion: The Yankees called up Ivan Nova to give them a long reliever in the pen. Austin Jackson is on the Tigers and Yankees utility man Kevin Russo had lockers next to each other in Scranton. The three of them all played together in the minors, and are all in the same ballpark today at the major league level.

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Damon Agrees to sign with Tigers

Ex-Yankee Johnny Damon finally has a team for the 2010 season. He has agreed to a 1-year $8million contract with the Detroit Tigers. He essentially replaces Curtis Granderson while Granderson is replacing Damon.





I don't know what Damon or Scott Boras were thinking when negotiating with the Yankees. They Yankees offered 2 years $14mil and they declined. I know they wanted an Abreu-like deal but there was no way he would get the money he was looking for from any other team.Now he accepted a one year offer for just $1 million more. I wonder how badly Damon needs that extra million.





In other Yankees news, CC Sabathia threw today and said he felt fine. Sabathia threw 240 innings including the postseason and Girardi knows they need to keep an eye on him but at the same time knows he is capable of a heavy workload.



Enjoy your Saturday night.

See Ya!

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Top Yankee Games of the Decade Part 2

Here is part two of our top 10 Yankees games of the decade.

5. October 13, 2001 Game 3 ALDS "The Flip": The Yankees found themselves down 0-2 in the best of 5 series going on the road to Oakland. So this was a must win game for them. No team had ever come back 0-2 on the road adding a little more pressure too. The game was a pitcher's duel but the Yankees struck first on Jorge Posada's solo home-run in the fifth for the only run of the game. Leading 1-0 in the 7th Mike Mussina faced Terrence Long with a runner on first and two outs. Long hit a double down the rightfield line. Shane Spencer fielded the ball and overthrew both cutoff men (Soriano and Martinez) on the relay to home plate. Jeremy Giambi was on his way home when out of nowhere Derek Jeter scooped the ball on the first base line. With all his momentum carrying him toward the dugout he quickly flipped the ball banckhanded to Posada, who tagged Giambi (who was not sliding) on the back of the leg for the final out of the inning.


The play saved the game and the Yankees season as they went on to win 1-0 and eventually came back to take the series in 5 games. The flip showed everyone what makes Jeter so great. Most teams don't run a third backup on a relay, but Jeter was standing at the pitchers mound waiting to make the necessary decision. A's third baseman Eric Chavez said, "you probably never see that play made again."


4. November 1, 2009 Game 4 World Series "The Double Steal": I'm sure everyone remembers this game as it is the most recent on the list. The Yankees were up 2-1 heading into the game with CC Sabathia pitching on three days rest. The Yankees got to Joe Blanton early taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning. But Sabathia gave up an RBI double to Chase Utley to pull the Phillies back within one run. With the game tied at two in the fifth, Jeter and Johnny Damon had back-to-back RBI singles to put them up 4-2. However, Sabathia's troubles against Utley continued as he hit a monster shot into rightfield tocut the score to 4-3. It was Sabathia's last pitch of the game as he went 6.2 innings giving up 3 runs and striking out 6.


In the bottom of the eighth Joba Chamberlain came out in relief and struck out the first two batters he faced. Joba was one pitch away from striking out the side when Feliz crushed the ball tying the game at 4-4 with a solo home run. The Phillies had all the momentum and called on Brad Lidge for the top of the ninth, who had yet to blow a lead or tie game in the postseason.


Like Joba, Lidge got the first two outs with ease. Then came Johnny Damon. Damon worked a tough at-bat reminiscent of Paul O'Neill's at-bat off Armando Benitez in 2000. On the ninth pitch Damon singled to left bringing up Mark Teixeira. With Teixeira up left-handed the Phillies had a lefty shift bringing third basemen Feliz to the shortstop position. On the first pitch Damon took off to steal second. The throw was low and in front of the bag. As Damon popped up he did something that caused every fan from Philadelphia to New York scream at their television...he started running to third.


Because of the shift nobody was there to cover third base. Lidge could have, but he just stood on the mound and watched. Damon caught Feliz offguard and easily made it to third base. Lidge proceeded to hit Teixeira, setting up A-Rod with a go-ahead two out double to put the Yankees ahead 6-4. The Yankees won 7-4 and the rest is history. If it were not for Damon's at-bat or his heads up, instinctual play of stealing two bases on one pitch, the game could have very well headed into extra innings with the Phillies having the home-field advantage.

To me it was this inning that decided the World Series. Because of the double steal the Yankees won this game. After they won it, it was only a matter of when the Yankees would win their 27th World Series title, not if.


So I expected to write way more than I originally planned, so the next games will appear on another post, probably later tonight.

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Yanks, Damon Begin Negotiations

ESPN is reporting that the Yankees have begun negotiations with Scott Boras to re-sign Johnny Damon. Damon made $13 million last year and was rumored not to take a pay cut. However, the deal for Granderson give the Yankees leverage in this situation. If a deal cannot be reached Mike Cameron and Mark DeRosa are the other expected targets for the Yankees to pursue.

In other news, the Yankees selected Jamie Hoffman from the Dodgers with the first pick (acquired from the Nationals) in the Rule 5 Draft. The Rule 5 Draft isn't much to get excited about. Nobody really amazing comes out of it other than a few excpetions (Josh Hamilton, Dan Uggla). Here's how Chad Jennings of the LoHud Blog describes it:

The Rule 5 Draft is a bit of a crapshoot...It's all about teams going after a specific need. Maybe that’s a left-handed pitcher or a utility infielder or a speed guy off the bench. It’s often high-ceiling, not quite ready talent for a team that doesn’t expect to contend.

Hoffman is a right-handed hitting outfield who hits lefties well. Cashman expects that he has a chance to win a bench spot on the team. If he does make the team you'll be sure to hear what the Rule 5 Draft is everytime he comes to the plate from Michael Kay. For a complete profile of him check out the LoHud Yankees Blog.

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Granderson apparently headed to Yanks in 3-way trade

Multiple outlets, including SI's Jon Heyman and ESPN are now reporting that a deal that was rumored last night has been finalized and center fielder Curtis Granderson will be coming to the Yankees.

Granderson" style="border: medium none ; display: block;" width="224" height="240">Image by Keith Allison via Flickr

It is a three-team deal involving the Yankees, Tigers, and Diamondbacks. Here's how it breaks down:

Yankees get: Granderson (from Tigers)

Tigers get: Phil Coke and Austin Jackson (both from Yankees) and Max Scherzer (from Diamondbacks)

Diamondbacks get: Edwin Jackson (from Tigers) and Ian Kennedy (from Yankees)

Different reports differ slightly on whether the Diamondbacks give the Tigers pitcher Daniel Schlereth (better known as the son of ESPN football analyst Mark Schlereth)

If this trade goes through, it means a couple of different things for the Yankees.

1. The Yankees now have some leverage in negotiations with Johnny Damon
2. The Melky/Gardner combination in center field, despite being relatively successful last year, will not continue next season, unless they slide over to platoon in left or...
   
3. Melky Cabrera or Brett Gardner may now be trade bait.
4. Say sayonara to Hidkei Matsui.
5. The Yankees won't be going after Matt Holliday or Jayson Bay (unless they were kidding about cutting payroll).
6. By trading 3 for 1, the Yankees open up 2 spots on the 40-man roster for other free agent signings.
   
7. Granderson will be your everyday centerfielder through at least the 2012 season, and possibly the 2013 season because of an option.
   
8. The Yankees pick up a very back-loaded contract: Granderson is due $5.5 mil in 2010, but that increases to $8.25 mil in 2011, and $10 mil in 2012.
   

We'll update with more as soon as more news becomes available.

UPDATE 3:45: No news as of yet, as they are apparently looking over medical records and physicals and things of that nature. I just had a couple of other thoughts:

• From the Tigers point of view, they get considerably younger and it makes you wonder if people like Miguel Cabrera and Maglio Ordonez are on there way out the door as well.
• While I was a little hesitant about giving up Austin Jackson, reading a Tweet from PeteAbe made me reconsider it a little:

  Look at the trade this way, #Yankees fans, the best you could have hoped for Jackson to be was Granderson. So get Granderson.

• With stats of .249/30/71 Granderson helps to make up some of the offense lost by Matsui and/or Damon leaving. You'd like to see a higher average and a better on-base percentage (.327 in 2009, .344 for career) especially if he bats towards the top of the order.
• Plugging Granderson in centerfield and possibly move Melky/Gardner to left vastly improves their outfield defense, which at times was horrendous.
  
• With Coke headed out, that means Mike Dunn, who the Yankees are very high on, will most likely get the chance to be the 2nd lefty out of the bullpen behind Damaso Marte.

UPDATE 5:00: John here, busy day for me today, but even busier for the Yankees. Just wanted to give my reaction of the trade. I thought the Yankees did a good job here. Despite giving away our best position player prospect, the Yankees sent Kennedy who is coming off a shoulder anuerysm and has shown inconsistencies in his development and Phil Coke (who I deemed the name Choke) for an All-Star centerfielder. So when it comes down to it, the Yankees made the right move.

It took me a while to deal with losing Jackson, but for a team looking to repeat, Granderson is probably the better option. Look what happened when we threw Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy into the spotlight in 2008. They stunk up the joint. It takes a few years for players to develop. If you can give up prospects for a relatively young and inexpensive player who is in the prime of his career and fills a need on the roster then you pull the trigger. The difference between this and Johan Santana a few years ago is the cost of Granderson, which Jim talks about above.

Now, as for Granderson, what I like about him is his defense, power, and his speed. I don't like his splits against lefties which is why I have mixed feelings about him. His average has also declined over the last two season. However, playing in a hitter-freindly park like Yankee Stadium, especially for a lefty, and with a little faith in Kevin Long, things may work out. And as Jim pointed out, Granderson in center Melky in left improves our defense tremendously.

Now we just have a few more questions which we kind of answered but we'll make a post later or tommorow. What does this mean for Damon and Matsui? And where does Granderson fit in the lineup?

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Free Agents 2010: The Outfield

With nothing really solid happening on the free agent market yet, we'll take a look at some of the names being associated with the Yankees in regards to offseason plans, and how realistic the chances are they are wearing pinstripes in 2010.

Today we will look at he outfield candidates that could possibly end up in pinstripes next season. This is arguably the area the Yankees need to concentrate most this offseason because of Damon and Matsui (if you consider him OF) are free agents.

Outfielders
Matt Holliday
Age: 29
Status: Free Agent
2009 Salary: $13.5 Million

Matt Holliday is probably the biggest position-player free agent on the market. With Johnny Damon also a free agent the Yankees are looking to fill a void in leftfield and Holliday can provide that. Holliday hit .313 with 29 HRs and 109 RBI last year. He was the leader of the Colorado Rockies team that went on an incredible run in 2007 to win the NL Pennant. However, he started the season with the A's last year and struggled power-wise in the AL. Once traded to St. Louis he re-emerged from his power-outage, making him a National League hitter. However, he is young and in the prime of his career, and is almost in the exact same situation Mark Teixeira was last year.

Like Teixeira Holliday will want a long-term contract and with Scott Boras as his agent that contract will be over the $100 million mark. Cashman has already made it clear he wants to watch spending, so I do not expect Holliday to go to the Yankees. However, the Red Sox are candidates to sign Holliday if they cannot re-sign Jason Bay, and if the Red Sox are in play so are the Yankees. It will be interesting to see if the Yankees lurk in the bushes like they did with Teixeira, or go after another outfielder.

Jason Bay
Age: 31
Status: Free Agent
2009 Salary: $7.8 Million

Jason Bay's name has gone hand-in-hand with Matt Holliday this offseason because they are the two biggest position player commodities ont he free agent market. Bay hit .267 with 26 HRs and 119 RBI last year with the Red Sox. Bay came to the Red Sox in the Manny Ramirez deal, and easily filled that void by quickly becoming a Yankee-killer the way Manny was. Bay's numbers show he had a solid season, but it was also a streaky season as his OPS was below .800 in the months of June and July and his batting average dropped from .301 on May 21 to .251 on July 31.

The Red Sox recently offered Bay a 4-year $60MM deal that Bay rejected. So obviously Bay is looking for something more than $15MM a year, but how far up would the Yankees be willing to go? Bay could be looking for something more like a 4-year $80MM which the Yankees can certainly provide. Bay might cost less money than Holliday, although there has been speculation that he wants a similar contract to Holliday. I do not think Bay will sign with a team until Holliday signs, but looking at the numbers, Holliday is clearly the better player. I wouldn't mind having Jason Bay on the Yankees, he is certainly an upgrade over Damon and other than Holliday there is no other free-agent outfielder who can provide the offensive production that these two can.

Johnny Damon
Age: 36
Status: Free Agent
2009 Salary: $13 Million

Johnny Damon had a career-year hitting .282 a career high 24 HRs and 82 RBI. Damon was a vital part of the Yankees 27th World Championship and his double steal in Game 4 will go down as one of the greatest postseason plays and World Series moments in Yankees history. If not for Matsui's Game 6, Damon may have been the MVP. So, how do the Yankees deal with a player who has been so good for the team the last 5 years, but at the same time is aging and exiting the prime of his career? It all comes down to if Damon is willing to take a pay cut. And as a client of Scott Boras, that is highly unlikely.

Damon has reiterated that he wants to stay in New York while Boras has been saying that they will listen to who has the best offer. They finally got on the same page this week, when Damon tweaked his wording around, saying, "I want to continue to be on a team that can win and to play in front of great fans – and we know that the Yankees fill both of those,” Damon said. “I think everyone knows my desire to come back. Still, every time I’ve been a free agent, I’ve ended up switching teams. It’s the nature of the beast. If people are interested, I’m going to listen.”

Signing Damon back on a short-term deal would be the most cost-efficient way to fill the hole in leftfield. His defense may be shaky, but they were still able to win a championship with him out there everyday. Then again, this is the same guy who said he would never leave Boston, and then went to the Yankees that same winter. I would love to see Damon return to pinstripes, but the Yankees objective is to get younger. I think that Damon is their first choice at who to play left-field next year, but with Boras as his agent and Damon's free agent history, signs indicate he will go the highest bidder.

Curtis Granderson
Age: 28
Status: Under contract with Detroit Tigers until 2012. Owed $25.75MM over next 3 seasons.
2009 Salary: $3.5 million

In order for the Yankees to obtain Granderson, they'd have to give up prospects to get him. Maybe not the pitchers that they'd have to give up for Roy Halladay, but star prospect Austin Jackson would have to be the centerpiece of the deal. Acquiring Granderson could also mean fixing the DH spot, as the Tigers are also looking to get rid of Magglio Ordonez. If they can dump his contract off in a deal with Granderson and the Yankees are the one's who can do it, than they can fill the void in the outfield and DH in one deal. Acquring these two would also be less expensive than re-signing Damon and Matsui.

The downside to Granderson is that many believe he has turned into a platoon player. His numbers against lefties are downright awful. He only hit .183 against lefties last year. Granderson's numbers were .249, 30 HRs, and 71 RBI. Are the Yankees willing to deal Jackson for a guy who isn't any better than a platoon player? I only see the Yankees getting him if they can pull off a deal without giving up their top prospects. I believe if a team takes a chance on Granderson, he can have the type of season Nick Swisher had this year with the Yankees.


Mike Cameron
Age: 36
Status: Free agent
2009 Salary: $10 million

Mike Cameron has been mentioned as a possibility of going to the Yankees for the last few years. Cameron hit .250 with 24 HR and 70 RBI last year and has above-average defense. With him in center Melky in left that gives the Yankees two-above average outfielders defensively. However, Cameron would be a downgrade offensively, despite similar numbers to Damon, his OBP is 20 points lower and he struck out 58 more times than Damon did last season. Cameron would come at a low price, but I think he's more of a last-option.

Hideki Matsui
Age: 35
Status: Free-agent
2009 Salary: $13 million

I decided to include Matsui in this category, despite him now being a full-time DH. Matsui was the World Series MVP and had himself a pretty good year too. He hit .274 with 28 HRs and 90 RBI. I have always liked Matsui and see him as a very professional ballplayer who is all about winning. He has gotten his share of big hits over the years for the Yankees, and if they cannot re-sign Damon, I think the Yankees would be more than happy to re-sign Matsui to return as the DH. The only problem is re-signing Matsui does not answer their problem in left-field, and that needs to be addressed first.

Matsui will probably sign for less money as he is in the decline of his career. It could be possible he can be this year's Bobby Abreu, and sign a 1-year deal for about $5million with incentives.

That conclude's the outfield edition of free-agents. There are still many possibilities we didn't explore, such as the Yankees taking a chance on Austin Jackson, or other free-agent outfielders like Jermaine Dye. But I felt both those were highly unlikely to happen.

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Weekend Trade Rumors

We apologize for not having any updates over the weekend, but there really hasn't been anything but rumors. So, we will give you a rundown on what some of those rumors are.

• Saturday rumors were flying around about Curtis Granderson. Granderson hit 249/.327/.453 in 710 plate appearances this year. Those are not his best numbers but what is really striking is his numbers against lefties. The Yankees have to ask themselvesx how much would they be willing to give up for a guy who may possibly be a platoon player due to his numbers against lefties. And if the Yankees do acquire him, say goodbye to Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui.
• Speaking of Matsui, he says that he would be disappointed if he does not return to the Yankees. The Yankees are going to have to make a decision on who is more important to resign Damon or Matsui, because I only see one, if any, of them returning.
• Rumors continue to link the Yankees to John Lackey. I don't know if there should be anything read into that yet, being that a big-name player on the market the Yankees will always see what the price and if he fits their needs, but I don't see the Yankees handing out a big contract to him.
• Joel Sherman of the NY Post suggests that trade possibilities for the Yankees. One possibility would be making a deal for Magglio Ordonez/Granderson to replace Damon and Matsui. By doing this it would be cheaper than to resign them.
• Bob Klapisch of FOX Sports thinks the Yankees should consider extending Jeter's contract before it expires. I think the Yankees will take care of this situation under the radar, and before you know it Jeter will have a contract extension.
• Buster Olney thinks that Tigers RP Brandon Lyon could end up with a team like the Yankees as a setup man. I think this is not a bad idea, considering it seems Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain may be part of the rotation next year.

There are a lot of rumors and not much real news, and it is going to be like that probably until the Winter Meetings. We're going to continue to hear rumors about Holliday and Bay talking to the Yankees and Damon with the San Francisco Giants. We'll let you know if anything noteworthy happens.

For some real news, Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan and A's pitcher Andrew Bailey were named Rookie of the Years for their respective leagues today. Tommorow AL Cy Young is announced. I'd say Greinke wins over Felix Hernandez.

See Ya!

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World Series Game 5: Yankees at Phillies

YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Brett Gardner CF
Jose Molina C
A.J. Burnett P
Pitching: RHP A.J. Burnett (1-0, 3.55 ERA in postseason)

PHILLIES
Jimmy Rollins SS
Shane Victorino
CFChase Utley 2B
Ryan Howard 1B
Jayson Werth RF
Raul Ibanez LF
Pedro Feliz 3B
Carlos Ruiz C
Cliff Lee P
Pitching: LHP Cliff Lee (3-0, 0.54 ERA in postseason)
TIME/TV: 7:57 p.m., FOX

Champagne On Ice: The Yankees are up 3-1 in the World Series and are on the brink of winning their 27th World Championship, their first since 2000 when they beat the Mets in 5 games.
Stealing the Show: Johnny Damon stole two bases last ninght in a play that will forever live in Philadelphia infamy. The play was only the 13th time someone has stolen two bases in one inning in a World Series game, the last coming from B.J. Upton last year.
A-Clutch: A-Rod only has two hits in the World Series, but they are pretty big hits. His first was a home-run that closed a 3-0 Phillies lead to 3-2. His second was the go-ahead double in the top of the 9th last night.

Enjoy the game and hopefully the next headline on this blog has will be World Champs.

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Smooth Criminal: Damon's steals spark Yanks to win

Yankees 7 9 1
Phillies 4 8 1

WP: Chamberlain
LP: Lidge
S: Rivea

Googie Man 11:59, 4 May 2006 . . Goog..." style="border: medium none ; display: block;" height="560" width="300">Image via Wikipedia

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Johnny Damon went 3-5 with an RBI and 2 runs scored. One of those runs was the winning run off of a A-Rod double.

PLAY OF THE GAME: A-Rod's go-ahead double in the ninth inning off of Brad Lidge. Just another clutch postseason hit for A-Rod.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: Damon's at-bat, and stolen base(s). With 2 outs, Damon got on and then stole second and third because of the shift on Teixeira.

GAME NOTES:

• Well, I don't have to tell you, but I love saying it: The Yankees are one win away from winning the World Series.. They have 3 games to win 1 game. Their first chance will be tomorrow against Cliff Lee.
• I loved the Damon steal for several reasons. One, simply stealing second was a good play because it puts him in scoring position. Then, obviously taking third the way he did, in my opinion, took something away from Lidge's focus. He plunked Tex, gave up the double to A-Rod, then gave up the 2-run single and a half to Posada.
• A-Rod got plunked for the third time in two games in the first inning. Alex was heard telling the umpire, "That's the third time, it's kind of obvious." In contrast to Tim McCarver's opinion (which he felt the need to tells us many, many, many times), I believe it was intentional. I don't think Blanton was trying to injure him, but using it as an intentional walk, and saving three pitches. And then warning the dugouts is just bogus, especially if you aren't going to throw people out when the hit people (like Lidge with Tex in the 9th, but lucky for us they didn't toss him).
• AJ Burnett will go in Game 5 on three-day's rest against Cliff Lee. Lee will be trying to save the Phillies season and AJ will be looking to clinch a World Series title.
  

SEE YA!

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Yankees Win AL Pennant

Like I'm going to get any homework and sleep done now...might as well do the postgame recap.

WP: Pettitte
LP: Saunders
S: Rivera

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Andy Pettitte gets the nod in this one. 6.1 IP giving up 1 run and striking out 6.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Johnny Damon's two-run single in the bottom of the fourth to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: Scott Kazmir's throwing error in the eighth inning, scoring Robinson Cano, giving the Yankees a 4-2 lead. The Angels had just brought the game within 1 run, but Kazmir blew up in the fourth, erasing any hope the Angels had to make a comeback.

GAME NOTES:

• Andy Pettitte earned his 16th career postseason win, and fifth elimination game win, making him the winningest pitcher in each category.



• The Yankees clinched their 40th pennant today. An MLB record, obviously.



• CC Sabathia was named the ALCS MVP.

Game 1 of the 2009 World Series is Wednesday. It will be CC Sabathia vs Cliff Lee at Yankee Stadium. I have the privelege of attending this game...with a Red Sox fan rooting for the Phillies. Should be fun.

See Ya!

[photo courtesy espn.com]

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ALCS Game 6: Angels at Yankees

YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jorge Posada C
Hideki Matsui DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Melky Cabrera CF

Pitching: LHP Andy Pettitte (1-0, 2.84 ERA in postseason)

ANGELS
Chone Figgins 3B
Bobby Abreu RF
Torii Hunter CF
Vladimir Guerrero DH
Kendry Morales 1B
Howie Kendrick 2B
Juan Rivera LF
Jeff Mathis C
Erick Aybar SS

Pitching: LHP Joe Saunders (0-0, 2.57 ERA in postseason)

TIME/TV: 8:20 p.m., FOX

Forty: The Yankees are trying to clinch the fortieth American League Championship in their illustrious history tonight.

Weather: There are clear skies in the forecast tonight, so we will have baseball in the Bronx.

History on the line for Pettitte: If Pettitte gets the win tonight, it will be his 16th postseason victory, which will be more than any other pitcher in the history of baseball,

Follow on Twitter @jgeant and @kayssuccessors to keep up with the action.

Enjoy the game everyone.

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GAME 5 ALCS: Yankees at Angels

YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Hideki Matsui DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Melky Cabrera CF
Jose Molina C
Pitching: RHP A.J. Burnett (0-0, 2.19 ERA in postseason)

ANGELS
Chone Figgins 3B
Bobby Abreu RF
Torii Hunter CF
Vladimir Guerrero DH
Kendry Morales 1B
Maicer Izturis 2B
Juan Rivera LF
Jeff Mathis C
Erick Aybar SS
Pitching: RHP John Lackey (1-1, 1.38 ERA in postseason)

TIME/TV: 7:57 p.m., FOX

For the Pennant: The Yankees can clinch their 40th pennant tonight, and their first since 2003 with a win. To do that, A.J. Burnett will take the mound for the Yankees while the offense will face John Lackey.
A-Mazing: Alex Rodriguez has driven in 11 RBI this postseason, and at least one in ever game. The franchise record is held by Scott Brosius (98) and Bernie Williams (96).
They've been here before: Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui, and Andy Pettitte were all on teh 2004 team (that's as far as I'll go explaining what happened). They know nothing has been won and have probably been itching to get back to this point the last six years.

As always Jim will be tweeting @jgeant and I may or may not be tweeting @KaysSuccessors. I've been slacking off on my tweeting since school started and I hate doing it from my phone because it kills my battery and I don't get good service in my room.

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Game 4 ALCS: Yankees at Angels

YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Jorge Posada C
Hideki Matsui DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Melky Cabrera CF

Pitching: LHP CC Sabathia (2-0, 1.23 ERA)

ANGELS
Chone Figgins 3B
Bobby Abreu RF
Torii Hunter CF
Vladimir Guerrero DH
Juan Rivera LF
Howie Kendrick 2B
Kendry Morales 1B
Mike Napoli C
Erick Aybar SS

Pitching: LHP Scott Kazmir (0-0, 7.50 ERA)

TIME/TV: 7:57 p.m., FOX

Get one out of the way: Even the most optimistic of Yankee fans couldn't have believed that the Yanks would go undefeated in the postseason, so a loss isn't entirely unexpected. I only wish that the Angels had actually won the game, instead of the Yankees losing it.

If the spit doesn't fit, you must acquit: An Angels fan blog posted a video that made it appear that Mariano Rivera spit on the baseball during last night's game. MLB actually took the claim seriously before deciding that it was an optical illusion, and there was no evidence that he spit on the ball. Expect a lot of signs and talk from Buck and McCarver when Mo enters the game.

Girardi using up bullpen phone minutes: After using all but one of his relievers on Saturday, Girardi went to the 'pen repeatedly yesterday. There is the decision that has been dissected all day, by everyone, including us, where Girardi took David Robertson after getting 2 outs on 11 pitches to bring in Alfredo Aceves. As we all know, Aceves lost the game after giving up a hit to Kendrick and a double to Jeff Mathis.

CC on 3: I'm going to give you the numbers that you will hear Joe Buck and Tim McCarver will beat to death all night long. CC Sabathia pitched on three-days rest 4 times last season going 2-1 with a 0.83 ERA, before running out of gas and getting hit hard in the playoffs. Since 1995, a starter has started on three-days rest 85 times going 20-34 with a 4.65 ERA in 458 1/3 innings.

Get 1 in LA: If you look at the rest of the series, I believe that the Yankees only really need to win one game in Los Angeles/Anaheim. While I would obviously love for them to finish this in 5 games, if the Yankees can come home up 3-2, they'll be in great shape. With Games 6 and 7 at Yankee Stadium and CC going in Game 7, on normal rest, I would feel comfortable as a Yankee fan.

I'm setting the over/under for the amount of times the fact that Sabathia is going on three-days rest is mentioned on the FOX telecast at 25, and I'm still going to go with an over.

You know the drill by now, follow at Twitter @jgeant and @KaysSuccessors.

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Game 2 ALCS; Angels at Yankees

YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Hideki Matsui DH
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Melky Cabrera CF
Jose Molina C

Pitching: RHP A.J. Burnett (0-0, 1.50 ERA)

ANGELS
Chone Figgins 3B
Bobby Abreu RF
Torii Hunter CF
Vladimir Guerrero DH
Kendry Morales 1B
Juan Rivera LF
Maicer Izturis 2B
Mike Napoli C
Erick Aybar SS

Pitching: LHP Joe Saunders (0-0, 0.00)

TIME/TV: 7:57 p.m., FOX

I wonder whether the weather will be nice: Since John is on his way to the game, I'm keeping a watch on the weather reports to keep him updated. He's had some pretty bad luck in the past with going to rained-out games. Off the top of my head, I remember him having to go back for Opening Day last year and missing a playoff game against Detroit because of a scheduling conflict after the game got pushed back a day. I, however, have never had a game rained out or had to go back another day, so maybe he should have brought me. But, alas, he's pulling the family card and going with his younger brother.

Bad spark plug: Chone Figgins, the Angels catalyst and lead-off hitter is hittless in four postseason games this year. If the Yankees pitchers can keep him off base, it will prevent him from stealing and getting the Halos's running game going.

Molina Time: As with Game 2 of the ALDS, Jose Molina gets the nod to catch AJ Burnett. The results were too good last time to warrant a chang, so Jorge sits again. But as was the case last time, Posada will be in there the second Burnett is done pitching. Plus, Molina will help keep the Angels in check on the bases.

Do you believe in magic?: The Yanks are trying to draw on some of the positive energy surround the 90's dynasty as Tino Martinez will throw out the first pitch tonight after David Cone did the honors last night.

Meeting of the Minds: There will apparently be a meeting between Girardi, Scioscia, and MLB officials at 7 to decide on the fate of the world. Or maybe just tonight's game.

Stay tuned for news on the state of the game. And if the game gets rained out, maybe I'll post John's text message. That is, if it's not just a string of curse words.

UPDATE 7:46: There will be baseball! Keep up with the game @jgeant on Twitter.

Enjoy the game and your Saturday night.

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ALCS Game 1: Angels and Yankees

YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Hideki Matsui DH
Jorge Posada C
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Melky Cabrera CF

Pitching: LHP CC Sabathia (1-0, 1.37 ERA)

ANGELS
Chone Figgins 3B
Bobby Abreu RF
Torii Hunter CF
Vladimir Guerrero DH
Juan Rivera LF
Kendry Morales 1B
Howie Kendrick 2B
Jeff Mathis C
Erick Aybar SS

Pitching: RHP John Lackey (1-0, 0.00)

TIME/TV: 7:57 p.m., FOX

Revenge is coming: The Yankees are looking to get back at the Angels for knocking them out of the playoffs in 2002 and 2005.

Weather Watch: It's gonna be a chilly night in the Bronx. Hopefully there are no delays or postponements that mess with the schedule, especially for John who is headed to Game 2, (hopefully) tomorrow.

CC for 3: Assuming the weather holds up, tonight will be the first of three starts for the Big Lefty.

Getting on the board: Winning Game 1 will be very important, to prevent falling into a hole, especially when they head to Los Angeles (or Anaheim, whatever you want to call it) for Games 3, 4, and 5.

As with the ALDS, follow updates on Twitter @jgeant, and maybe after John gets back from a Pep Rally @KaysSuccessors.

Oh, and definitely look on some commentary on Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. It's been a while since we had a little fun with them.

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Game 1 ALDS: Yankees vs Twins

YANKEES
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Cabrera CF

Pitching: LHP CC Sabathia (19-8, 3.37 regular season)

TWINS
Span CF
Cabrera SS
Mauer C
Cuddyer 1B
Kubel RF
Young LF
Harris DH
Tolbert 3B
Punto 2B

Pitching: LHP Brian Duensing (5-2, 3.64 ERA regular season)

TIME/TV: 6:07 p.m., TBS

The Hangover: The Twins enter Yankee Stadium roughly 20 hours after winning the AL Central. Their reward? CC Sabathia in the Bronx.

But Look At His Postseason Numbers: CC Sabthia is 2-3 with a 7.92 ERA in five playoff starts. He is also 9-4 with a 1.91 ERA against the Twins in his last 13 starts. So you can pretty much throw all trends out the window at this point and just expect the best pitcher in the AL since August to show up (at least that's what I'm doing).

Weather Report: No Ollie Williams today. Instead it is a blustery fall evening in the Bronx. With winds blowing out to...where else? Right Field. Expect some home runs to fly out tonight. My money is on Johnny Damon in the first inning for the first home run of the game.

Pressure Point: Alex Rodriguez arrives in October with probably the least amount of pressure than previous years. However, the moment he starts struggling he will be ridiculed and become the focus of attention. If he suceeds, he will be praised as a hero. Either way, all eyes will still be on A-Rod even if it seems like the pressure of previous years isn't there.

If you have 5 minutes to spare and want to get pumped up for the game, watch this video It's a compilation of the Yankees season that YES showed after the final game on Sunday.

I know I don't want to be by my computer and be distracted from the game, but perhaps we may do a little live blogging in between innings.

UPDATE 5:34: Jim here: I will be tweeting during the game @jgeant, because I can do that from my cell phone. So you can follow my quips and comments about the game there and we'll get on the blog a little bit, too.

Enjoy the game.

UPDATE 6:19: After giving up a leadoff double to Denard Span, CC Sabathia came back and struck out Orlando Cabrera, Joe Mauer, and got Michael Cuddyer to fly out to center. Hopefully after that first at bat he's settled down. Now for the Yankees offense to go to work.

UPDATE 6:35: Not only did I, but apparently Jim also thought that ball by A-Rod was going to be out. We both pulled a Michael Kay on that one.

UPDATE 7:10: Ok, Sabathia is not getting that outside corner. Posada can't catch. And I think the entire Yankee Universe is now panicking. Let's get those two runs back NOW!

UPDATE 7:15: And that is why he is the modern day Mr. October. The Captain strikes again with a 2-run home run to tei the game and the crowd has not stopped chanting his name.

UPDATE 8:10: Sorry I missed Swisher's go-ahead RBI, but now A-Rod is getting in on this thing called the postseason with an RBI of his own. And now Matsui just hit one into Monument Park for a 6-2 lead. Things are looking good right now for the Yankees as long as CC keeps rolling.

UPDATE 8:41: CC Sabathia leaves the game after 6 2/3 innings giving up 8 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned, and striking out 8. Phil Hughes enters the game with runners on second and third 2 outs. It'd be first and second if it weren't for Posada's awful defense. Orlando Cabrera up at the plate.

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SWEEP THE NATION! Yanks Complete Bronx Beatdown

I can't think of any song that can relate to a four-game sweep of the Red Sox and being in total domination of the American League right now, so I'll just let this picture do the talking:

(NOTE: I found a song on iTunes called Sweep the Nation by Time Tells All. I hate this type of music, but the title fits, and I'm one of the most superstitious people around, so I'm using it- Jim)

We were at the game and it was crazy, playoff-like crazy. The place went nuts when A-Rod hit a home-run, but when Damon and Tex went back-to-back with 2-outs in the eighth it was the loudest I've ever heard the new stadium. If there was a roof, it would have blown off after Tex's home-run. And the "Sweep, sweep, sweep" chants at the end were priceless. Also I cannot forget to mention the job Andy Pettitte did tonight. He was the unsung hero of the night, pitching 7 shutout innings outdueling Jon Lester, who gave up 1 run in seven innings.

The Yanks take on the Blue Jays tommorow, but who cares? Six and a half up!!! And now the Sox are tied with the Texas Rangers in the Wild Card! What a great weekend.

See Ya!

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Johnny B. Goode: Damon and Yanks sweep Jays

Yankees 8 10 0
Rays 4 11 0

WP: Aceves (7-1)
LP:Rzepczynski (1-3)

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Johnny Damon. With a 3-5 night at the plate with 3 RBI's and a home run, he helped spark the line up.

Image via Wikipedia

PLAY OF THE GAME: The catch by Melky Cabrera as he went back to the wall in the 8th inning in support of Phil Hughes.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: The 7th inning. The Yankees scored 4 runs to take the lead with a game-tying home run by Swisher and then 3 singles by Matsui, Damon, and Teixeira.

GAME NOTES:

• So now that this series is over, we can turn our full attention to the Red Sox series. Thanks to the Rays, the Yankees will go into that series 2.5 games ahead of the Sox.
• The bullpen situation: Hughes has pitched 2 straight days, but Mo did not pitch today. So Philthy may not be available tomorrow, but Mo can maybe get 4 outs tomorrow.
  
• I have the YES Network Postgame on as I'm writing this, and Bob Lorenz just said something about "doing his 'Sweating to the oldies' tape twice a day now." Is the not-talking-about-baseball thing (AKA the Michael Kay syndrome) contagious?
• PeteAbe says the Yankees told him that Muhammad Ali will be honored before the game tomorrow night. Upon hearing this, John and I set the over/under for Michael Kay boxing references at 7.
• The Yankees are 30-16 since the last time they played the Red Sox, so they are a very different team than they were in mid-June.
  

TOMORROW:
The Empire Strikes Back
Red Sox at Yankees
Smoltz vs Joba

And I am rooting for the Yankees not only because I am a die-hard fan, but because I already have a great headline for it if they do.


SEE YA!

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Yankees 5- Blue Jays 3

Yankees 5 10 0
Blue Jays 3 9 1

WP: Pettitte (11-6)
LP: Halladay (11-5)
S: Rivera (31)

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Mark Teixeira. Big Tex went 2-4 with a home run and an RBI. His home run in the 8th off of Doc Halladay was big as Hughes struggled a little bit in relief.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Melky Cabrera's nice catch going back towards the wall. (In the interest of full disclosure, I missed the game because of work, and just stole that award from the YES postgame show.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: Johnny Damon and Teixeira going back-to-back, belly-to-belly in the 8th inning off of Halladay.

GAME NOTES:

• This was Pettitte's first win since July 1. He had been struggling and suffered from a little bit of bad luck. But in his post-game interview, Posada said that Andy's cutter was working well tonight, and that's always a good thing.
• The Yankees finally figured out how to hit Halladay. In their last two games against the Cy Young award winner, the Bronx Bombers have scored 10 runs on 19 hits. That information from PeteAbe.
• Good news on the health front, as Ian Kennedy threw 25 pitches from a half-mound a little over 2 months after having an aneurysm removed from his right arm on May 12.
  
• The stats for the 2-5 hitters in the Yanks lineup: 7 hits, 5 runs, 4 RBI's. That's pretty good.
• Remember people, no matter how bad it gets, just remember: We could be Mets fans.
• Great game going on between the Red Sox and Rays. I'll be watching that closely.
  

TOMORROW:
Yankees at Rays, 7:07 PM at the SkyDome (same situation as Comiskey Park)
Mitre vs. Rzepczynski (thankfully, this blog has no audio portion, because I would have no idea how to pronounce that)

SEE YA!

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