Okay, okay.  So I panicked in my last blog.  The last couple of years have not been easy.  I was afraid to hope.

But today it all came together.  Victory number 100.  The clinching of the American League East title.  And against the Red Sox.  With a sweep.  What could be better?

Well, a World Championship would be better.  But for the moment, this was a day to savor.  Unless and until someone else wins the World Series, the Yankees are the best team in baseball.  As they should be.

This year was a triumph for the mighty four – Andy, Jorge, Mo, and, most of all, Derek.  No matter how many out of town writers vote for Joe Mauer, Jeter is the MOST VALUABLE player in the league.  If that is the true definition of the award, then Derek should win in a walk.

The year was also a validation for CC and Tex.  They came aboard and proved they are among the elite players in the game.  Robinson Cano came of age.  Phil Hughes justified his “can’t miss” label.  Swish showed he can still play (although pretty badly in the outfield).  A bunch of unknown kids (Melky, Garnder, Coke, Pena, Cervelli) showed there is a bright future.

Brian Cashman proved once again that he is the best GM in baseball.  He kept adding pieces (Burnett, Swisher, Hairston, Hinske) until he had built a powerhouse.  His genius overcame Joe Girardi’s managerial bungling.  Girardi is still a dope, but today is not the time to dwell on his deficiencies.  We won the division, and even Girardi is entitled to celebrate.

It has been a season to remember.  Let’s hope it is followed by a postseason for the ages.

If only every Yankees game could be like tonite’s game.  Tonite the Yankees defeated the Red Sox 9-5 in the first game of their final 3-game series of the 2009 regular season.  

The game belonged to New York right from the first, with Jeter swatting Lester’s first pitch for a base hit; then stealing second on the next pitch; then scoring.  Read: Jeter = run creation. 

Lester’s evening went downhill from there.  The Yanks piled on a comfortable early lead, with most of the Yankees’ lineup accruing solid hits off the Boston hurler, before the Yanks literally knocked Lester out of the game in the 3rd inning with a line-drive off Lester’s knee cap (or so it appeared on the instant replay).  Early reports indicate that Lester is okay, no confimed setback as to his ability to pitch in the playoffs having been reported; but there’s always hope. 

Joba Chamberlain retired the first 11 Boston batters, and turned out an encouraging quality start.  The Red Sox battled back for some late inning runs, but by then it was too late, the outcome of the game already a foregone conclusion.

The beauty of tonite’s game – from a Yankees’ perspective, anyway (as if there were any other!) - was the overall ease with which the Yanks won this one.  The Yanks scored at will (except, perhaps, for Matsui); they stole bases at will (stealing 7); and they looked confident.  The Red Sox, by contrast, did not seem so dangerous, never really threatening.  They struck out swinging on pitches they shouldn’ve taken; and they hit an inordinate number of pop-ups.  In short, everything went the Yankees’ way. 

Tonite’s victory extends the Yanks’ lead in the AL East to 6.5 games with 8 to play, and their magic number to 3 in terms of winning the division.  Barring a 1964-like collapse (notice I didn’t say 2004, i.e., The Year That Never Happened), the Yanks are going to win the division.  With that having been said, the larger questions still loom.  Will Joba pitch anywhere near this good in the playoffs?  Will the Red Sox starters pitch up to form?  Will Sabathia come out as a viable post-season big-game pitcher?  Will the real A.J. Burnett please stand up?  All this and more, as the countdown to the 2009 playoffs continues…

The Yankees are on the verge of disaster, disaster spawned by overconfidence and managerial incompetence.  For the last month everyone has assumed the Yankees had the American League East rapped up.  Certainly, Joe Girardi believed it.  Since the Yankees swept the Red Sox in early August, Girardi has run the team as if the division title was a foregone conclusion.

Now he is about to blow the lead.  And the division.  As I write, Andy Pettitte is down 2-0 in the first inning against the Angels.  If he loses this game, the Yankees will be only four games ahead of the Red Sox, and only three in the loss column.  The Red Sox have all their pitchers back, they have a pussy cat schedule the rest of the way, and they play the Yankees three games this weekend.  If they take two out of three at Yankee Stadium, they will fly right by the Yankees and win the division.  Which means the Yankees will play the Angels in the first round of the playoffs instead of the easier Tigers, and if they are not careful, the Angels will also pass them and take home field advantage.

How did this happen?  Well, for starters, Girardi overused his Big Three of Sabathia, Burnett and Pettitte.  Time and again, he forced long innings out of them unnecessarily.  Overuse has made Burnett a .500 pitcher, and given Pettitte   a tired arm.  Andy has missed a start and appears ineffectual so far tonite.  Girardi has worn out his key starters.

And he only has three starters, because he has destroyed Joba Chamberlain.  The obsession with limiting Joba’s innings may not reside solely with Girardi; the entire Yankee infrastructure appears to share the blame for this disaster.  But Girardi is the guy in control on the field, and the buck has to stop with him.  By taking Joba out of the rotation and pitching him odd innings, Girardi has rendered him totally ineffectual.  Chamberlain gave up seven runs in two innings to a mediocre Seattle attack this weekend.  He is now so fouled up that he has become worthless.  If the Yankees somehow get to the second round of the playoffs, they will have to start Sergio Mitre in game four.

In the process of destroying Chamberlain, Girardi has given us a steady diet of Mitre and Chad Gaudin, a couple of fringe players.  The lack of both a fourth and a fifth starter has caused the once insurmountable lead to dissipate.  If Joba had been allowed to take his regular turn, the Yankees might have won some of those games, and Chamberlain might still be an effective pitcher.

If the Yankees blow the division lead, it will be one of the greatest collapses in baseball history.  And if the health of the starting pitching does not turn around, we can look for a speedy departure from the playoffs.  It would be a terrible end to what looked like a great season.

If all of the above transpires, there could be one silver lining.  Maybe Cashman and the Steinbrenners will finally wise up and fire Girardi.

We’ve got trouble

Right here in River City

With a capital T

And that rhymes with B

And that stands for Burnett

(With apologies to Meredith Wilson)

The Yankees have trouble.  Potentially big trouble.  As we approach the playoffs, the starting pitching is in disarray.

Starting pitching?  The strength of the staff?  Yup.  Sad to say, but the Yankees look weak in that key area going into the playoffs.

The Yankee rotation in the playoffs is supposed to be Sabathia, Burnett, Pettitte, and Joba.  This group looks strong on paper, but upon closer examination, they are not what they seem.

CC is the clear number one, and he has been great.  He is one of three pitchers who could win the Cy Young Award for 2009, the other two being Greinke and Verlander.  Unfortunately, the Yankees will likely face the Tigers in the first round, and CC will have to outpitch Verlander.  Should he fail to prevail in game one, the Yankees could be in big trouble.

The primary concern is Burnett.  AJ Pavano, as I am fond of calling him, has had some great moments this year, but he is 3-5 with an ERA of 5.11 since the All-Star break.  True, he has had some no-decisions, most notably the 15 inning masterpiece against Beckett that stands as the pivotal game of the season.  And he has beaten the Rays twice.  But the rest of the time, he has been decidedly lousy.

If Burnett doesn’t straighten himself out, it will fall to Pettitte to take up the slack.  Now I love Andy.  He is a true warrior, an all-time great Yankee, and he has been brilliant for much of this season, but he is no longer the solid number two of the 1996-2001 glory years.  To expect Andy to function in that role in 2009 is asking a lot.

Finally, there is the Joba disaster.  Obsessed with the spector of Mark Prior, Joe Girardi and the Yankee hierarchy have reduced Joba to a 3 inning pitcher.  Which means he is fundamentally useless as a starter.  If the Yankees need a game four starting pitcher, they are looking at a committee, and a committee will cripple the bullpen.  Aceves and Gaudin will have to be held out of the other games so they are available for extended innings in game four.  Their absence will strain the pen in the other games if the starters cannot provide longevity.  How the team with the best record in baseball can go into the playoffs without an established fourth starter is mind-boggling.

I am not suggesting that the Yankees cannot beat the Tigers.  The Tiger bullpen is weak, Edwin Jackson has not had a great second half, and the Yankees are much better hitters.  But after Detroit, they will face either the Red Sox or the Angels.  I don’t know if any of you have noticed, but Clay Bucholtz has been terrific since his recall, and DiceK gets his first start since June this week.  Add in Lester and Wakefield and you have a formidable staff, even if Josh Beckett continues to stink.  If Beckett rediscovers his magic, the Yankees will be hard pressed to prevail.  Remember, as good as the Yankee bullpen has been of late, overall the Red Sox bullpen is better (although Papelbon still can’t hold Mo’s jock).

And if the Red Sox fall in the first round, the Yankees will confront their ultimate nightmare – the Angels.  The Angels have a deep starting staff that has added Scott Kazmir.  They have a great bullpen and arguably the best manager in baseball (while the Yankees have one of the worst).  But most of all, historically the Angels are the one team the Yankees can’t beat.  The Angels starters spent the first two months of the seaon on the DL.  Since Lackey and Santana returned, the Angels have matched the Yankees win for win.  And the last time they met, the Angels swept.

AJ Pavano better get it in gear.

Tonite Derek Jeter broke an 0 for 12 mini-slump with 3 hits (including a bunt base hit) in the Yankees’ 4-2 win over the Rays to tie Lou Gehrig as the all-time Yankees hits leader.  Jeter had an opportunity for yet another hit in the bottom of the 8^th to overtake Gehrig, but drew a walk on a low-and-outside pitch after working the count full. 

The temporary postponement of Derek’s ascension to the Yankees hitting throne notwithstanding, tonite’s game is no doubt destined to be seen again on Yankees Classics.  The Yankees trailed 2-0 as late as the 8^th inning, at which point the sinking Rays seemed intent on giving the game away, when their first baseman threw what might have been a double play-starting throw into left field.  But the Yankees didn’t need any help.  After Cano struck out (more on him later), Jorge Posada launched a monster 3-run homer into the right field stands to take a 4-2 lead and cement the Yanks’ 91^st win, their 45^th come-from-behind victory of the year. 

While none of Jeter’s hits contributed directly to the 4-run 8^th inning, he was, for my money, the cause of tonite’s victory. 

You will note that Jeter is hailed for what is referred to as “his intangibles.”  Tonite his intangibles included the excitement he generated with each base hit.  While the Yanks were unable to pull the trigger offensively for most of the night, you never would have noticed this.  The crowd was never discouraged; and, indeed, the excitement in the stadium only became more intense with each passing inning – so much so that the collapse of the Rays’ lead became inevitable.  The butterfly feeling I (and doubtless many other Yankee fans) had in the pit of my stomach as the excitement built, just knowing that the Yankees were going to pull this one out – that the night was too special for them not to do so – was wonderful to feel again.  I don’t recall having that feeling of inevitable Yankee triumph since the inspired days of Brosius-O’Neill-Cone-Bernie-Rivera-Jeter. 

A colleague of mine pointed out today that the Yankees are currently on pace to win 105 games.  While a number of teams have won 100 games throughout the years, very few teams win 105 or more games, which makes 105 victories a bit of a threshold for being a “great” team – assuming, of course, that the team goes on to win the World Series.  In light of the flaws and inconsistencies in the Yankees’ pitching, the injuries, etc., I’m still far from convinced that this year’s Yankees team will ultimately qualify as one of those “great” teams (I think they will need an awesome post-season to make a run for that claim).  That having been said, when I see the Yanks rally around their Captain tonite, and when I see them once again literally will a victory away from another team, it’s hard not to feel their energy – their intangibles at work.  Maybe this is a great team in the making.  Maybe Jeter will finally be named league MVP.  We shall see.

C.C. Sabathia battled Matt Garza this afternoon in a 4-1 victory that Yankees fans ought to find very reassuring as the playoffs near.  A classic pitchers’ battle, both starters went 7 strong innings giving up 1 run each (the run Garza gave up was unearned).  But after some strong defense by the Yanks – a nice contrast with yesterday’s debacle in Toronto – the boys in blue finally broke through with 3 runs in the 8^th to take Game One in this Labor Day doubleheader.  And, to top it all off, I had a GREAT nap toward the end of the game, which, combined with this Yankees victory, has made this a truly first-rate afternoon. 

The defensive highlight of the game for my money (in part because I slept through the 8^th inning gunning down of Crawford by Posada, which I had to watch on the post-game highlights) came from Brett Gardner, who was recently reactivated from the DL.  With the score tied 1-1 in the 5^th inning and a man on, Gardner made a GREAT running catch on the warning track in No Man’s Land in deep right field.  The catch was particularly impressive in light of the real estate Gardner had to cover to make it, darting across the television screen from left-to-right like a bat out of hell to cut off what would have been extra bases and knocked in the go-ahead run.  As baseball is a game both of momentum as well as of inches, it is not unreasonable to say that Gardner saved the game because, if he doesn’t make that catch, the Rays get at least one run that inning instead of getting shut down, and it is a whole different ballgame.  Although Gardner did not get a hit, his speed, hustle, and enthusiasm – both in the outfield as well as on the base paths (Gardner darn near legged out at least one routine groundout today) – was refreshing to see after yesterday’s defensive comedy.  (For a more comprehensive rundown of Gardner’s finer points, check out our March 2, 2009 post written by my younger brother: “The Case for Brett Gardner.”)  Welcome back, Brett.

Although he did not get the win, this marks yet another quality start for Sabathia, who has been dominant since the All-Star Break.  Hughes and Rivera came on to shut down Tampa in the 8^th and 9^th, respectively, in what continues to look like a championship-bound bull pen combination. 

In other news, Mark Buerhle and the White Sox topped Josh Beckett and the hated Red Sox 5-1, which means the Yanks are now 8.5 games up in the AL East, and 11.5 up on the next wild card team. 

The Yankees have another game against the Rays tonite: A.J. Burnett vs. Andy Sonnanstine.  Hopefully Burnett, who has been inconsistent as hell, will find surer footing against this sinking Rays team, and develop a badly-needed groove of consistency which the Yanks need him to be on if they are going to go all the way this year.

After losing the season series opener in Baltimore, the Yanks continued their rout of the last place Orioles with an easy 5-1 victory on this unseasonably cool night to close out the month of August. 

The main story of the evening was Andy Pettitte.  Pettitte pitched a perfect game for 6 and 2/3rd innings.  The perfect game was lost when a lightening-fast shot was powered through the legs of Yankee backup third baseman Jerry Hairston, Jr. for an E-5 – a reminder that the greatest pressure in a perfect game situation is perhaps not on the pitcher, but on the fielders.  The demise of the no-hitter soon followed with a base hit down the third base line.  Because the Yankees only led 2-0, Pettitte, as so often happens when a no-hitter is lost, suddenly found himself in danger of losing not only a career outing, but also the shutout and the lead.  But a groundout to Jeter ended the 7^th inning threat, and the Yankees answered with a 3-run 8^th, which started with a double to lead off the inning by perennial MVP candidate Derek Jeter.  All told, Pettitte gave up 1 earned run on 2 hits over 8.0 innings to pick up his 12^th victory of the season.  Thank you, Andy.   

Baltimore starter Jeremy Guthrie also pitched well, giving up only 2 earned runs over 6 innings. 

Nick Swisher led the Yankee offense, going 3 for 4 with a single, double, homerun, and 2 RBIs. 

This Yankee victory brings their record to 21-7 for the month of August, the best in baseball.  The Yanks also picked up a half game on the idle Red Sox to extend their lead in the AL East to 6.5 games. 

Looking ahead to September, the Yankees’ schedule looks very reasonable, with 2 series each against Baltimore and Toronto; a 4-game set against Tampa Bay; a 6-game west coast stint which includes 3 games against the Angels; the final 3-game series against Boston; and a 3-gamer against Kansas City.  Steady as she goes.  Steady as she goes…

To quote Rickey Ricardo, would somebody please “splain” to me what the Yankees think they’re doing with Joba Chamberlain?

Aside from a short stint immediately following the All-Star game, Joba has been shakey all season.  He throws too many pitches, can’t throw strikes when he needs to, and generally can’t get out of the fifth inning.  Nothing has worked, and Joba has continued to struggle all year.  The guy who the Yankees hoped could be their number one starter of the future has been relegated to the fourth slot, and would be the fifth starter if Wang wasn’t shelved for the season.

So how do the Yankees help their struggling prodigy?  They decide to skip a start.  The ostensible reason for this insanity is the prevailing obsession with pitch count.  Ever since Dusty Baker blew out the arms of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, the timid men who run baseball have been terrified the same fate would befall their prized prospects.  As a consequence, young pitchers not playing for the Nolan Ryan-led Rangers are coddled like infants.

The Yankees have fallen prey to this obsession.  They are so intent on limiting Joba to 150 innings that they have implemented a new system for  him.  Apparently he will now pitch every other start.  Which means he is going ten to twelve days between pitching engagements.

Well, we all saw what a success this system was.  Joba was awful: 4 innings, nine hits, seven runs.  He appeared to be hopelessly out of cinque.  Clearly, the long layoff left him rusty.

So what have the Yankees accomplished?  They have saved Joba’s arm.  He will not suffer the fate of Mark Prior.

He also won’t be worth a thing in the playoffs if this madness continues.  We can look for Sergio Mitre in game four against the Red Sox during the AL Championship.  If we get that far.

CC, AJ, and Andy better be perfect.  It doesn’t look like they will get any help from Joba.

THE BASEBALL SEASON IS OVER!  THIS AFTERNOON BUD SELIG ANNOUNCED THAT THE BALANCE OF THE SEASON WAS UNNECESSARY!  AFTER THEIR STUNNING SWEEP OF THE MORIBUND RED SOX THIS WEEKEND, THE YANKEES HAVE BEEN AWARDED THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP!  NO WORLD SERIES WILL BE NECESSARY AFTER THE YANKEES DEVASTATING PUMMELLING OF THEIR LOWLY RIVAL!

Or so the bleating has gone in the Yankee Universe.  And not without reason.  Yankee fans have every cause to beat their chests with pride.  The team showed its moxie with four gritty victories over their hated rivals.  The eight Red Sox victories earlier this year are now a thing of the past, and Boston must now struggle simply to win the Wild Card.

My friend and fellow Yankee fan Xword says I am never satisfied, and my younger son says if I don’t stop with the gloom, he will no longer watch games with me.  But I feel compelled to point out that, although this weekend marks a watershed in the 2009 season, the Yankees cannot yet declare themselves world champions.

1.  THE RED SOX STARTERS

The Yankees pummelled Boston starters for 11 runs in 23.1 innings, a rate of nearly one run every two innings.  Very impressive.  Unfortunately, 8 of those runs were scored in 3.1 innings off John Smoltz, who has since been designated for assignment.  Against Beckett, Lester, and Bucholtz, the three guys the Yanks are likely to see in the playoffs, they managed only 3 runs in 20 innings.  Yuck.  The Yankees won all three games because AJ, CC, and Andy came up huge.  But any weakening by our starters could have turned those three wins into three loses.  The Red Sox starters will be very dangerous in the playoffs.  Everybody should root hard for the Rangers to win the Wild Card.

2. JOBA

Joba stunk.  There is no other way to put it.  He walked 7 and couldn’t hold a 6 run lead.  His performance raises significant questions about his ability to contribute in the playoffs.  He has yet to prove he can come up big in a key situation.

3. THE VILLAGE IDIOT STILL REIGNS

Unfortunately, Joe Girardi still manages the Yankees.  And once again, he proved that he cannot handle the pressure of the late innings.  Girardi tried hard to give game four away.  With a 1 run lead going into the 8th inning, he inexplicably brought in Coke instead of Phil Hughes.  Now Hughes has been lights out, and has been the big reason the Yankee bullpen has turned around, so naturally, Girardi left him on the bench.  His excuse was that Hughes had pitched two days in a row, and he did not want to strain him.  Two days in a row?  Hughes faced one batter Friday night and one batter Saturday.  I fail to see how his career would have been jeopardized by one more inning, especially in a game against the Red Sox with a sweep on the line.  The bottom line is, Girardi is a panic manager.  He does not trust his players, and always has to make one more move.  Invariably, it is the wrong move.  So long as he is the manager, the Yankees are no lock to win.

All that aside, this was a great weekend.  If the Yankees can play this way in October, they will be unstoppable.

Well, the Yankees got the monkey off their backs.  The offense came alive, and they broke the Red Sox jinx with a rousing 13-6 win.  The Yanks lead the AL East by 3.5 games, and the Red Sox are reeling.  For now.

It was a good thing the offense came up big, because Girardi and the pitchers did what they could to hand the game to Boston.  Girardi’s sins were several.  First, he held Joba back from his usual start day so he could pitch against the Sox.  Sounds like good strategy, but the result was an erratic Joba, who was wildly and generally ineffective.  In five tortuous innings, he gave up 4 runs, 6 hits, and 7 walks.  In short, he stunk.  No doubt the extra rest had an adverse effect.

Not to be outdone, the bullpen couldn’t throw strikes either.  Of course, when I say “the bullpen”, I am talking about the second team, because Girardi used Hughes in both Toronto games, making him unavailable, and used Aceves against the Jays for over two innings, putting him on the bench.  So we were forced to suffer through Robertson (ineffective), Coke (adequate), and Melancon (not ready for prime time), who gave us three more walks, numerous full counts, and an unintentional drilling of Dustin Pedroia (oh damn).  Anthony Claggett gave us the eleventh and twelfth walks in the 9th.  Twelve walks in a 13-6 win.  Can’t anybody here throw strikes?

In short, it was a tedious game, made tolerable only by the fact that the offense scored 13 runs.  But they got it done.  The hex is broken.  The monkey is off their backs.   Girardi may be a lousy manager, but this year he’s been lucky.  And you know what Napoleon said about Marshal Murat:  “I know he’s good, but is he lucky?”  Lucky counts.

Although I’d still rather have Joe Torre.

As for the Sox, all the pundits disparaged Brian Cashman when he signed Sabathia and Burnett, while praising Theo for his “wise” use of his money in signed John Smoltz.  Well, guess what, Theo, you can stick a fork in Smoltz – he’s done.  The Yanks shelled him for 8 runs and 9n hits in 3.1 innings, featuring two gargantuan home runs by Melky and Jorge.  And let’s not forget Big Steroid.  He was a rousing 0-5.

An ugly night for everybody.  But I’ll take it.