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The future of the Yankees arrived tonight, and his name if Philip Hughes.  It seems like we have been hearing about Hughes forever, and to some he has been a bust.

Well, tonight he came into his own.  Five innings, three hits, two runs, and six strikeouts.  And one of the runs scored after he was out of the game.  Although he struggled a bit with his control, for most of his stint on the mound he appeared to be overpowering.  For the first time in memory, the Yankees have a young stud on the mound, a pitcher who can eventually lead the staff.

Strangely, the Yankees have never been very good at developing top of the rotation pitchers.  The last one they grew was Ron Guidry, and Guidry was unexpected – he was considered a minor prospect, too small to be a number two, let alone a number one.  Before Guidry, you have to go back to Whitey Ford to find a number one starter who came out of the farm system.

That sounds like an extreme statement, but think about it.  Andy Pettitte is a great Yankee, but even in his prime, he was never more than a number two starter.  The other pitchers of the last fifteen years – Cone, Wells, Clemens, Johnson, Key, Mussina – were acquired from other teams or through free agency.  El Duque doesn’t count; he was a star in Cuba before he defected.

The champs of the 70s featured Catfish Hunter (free agent), Tommy John (free agent), and Ed Figueroa (trade with the Angels).  The team in the early ’60s was built around Ford.  None of the others were more than a number three (Jim Bouton, Bill Stafford, Al Downing), with the exception of Ralph Terry, who qualified as a number two for a couple of years.  And the teams of the mid fifties featured Ford, Bob Turley, and Don Larsen.  The latter two came from the Orioles in one of the biggest (in terms of the number of players involved) trades in history (something like 19 players).

The great team that won five straight from 1949 through 1953 did include one home grown Yankee in Vic Raschi.   Raschi could conceivably qualify as a number one, but Allie Reynolds (from Cleveland for Joe Gordon) was the true ace.  In the ’30s and early ’40s, Red Ruffing, a refugee from the then moribund Red Sox, was the number one.  Before Ruffing, Waite Hoyt and Herb Pennock, both from the Red Sox, were the aces.  Happy Jack Chesbro, who won a record 41 games in 1904, came over from the Pirates during the bidding wars between the American and National Leagues.

So Hughes has a chance to be something special for the Yankees – a home grown ace.  It should be fun to watch his progress.  But he’ll have to wait a while to be number one until the present ace, CC Sabathia (free agent), gives way.

The Yankees could not have asked for a better start.  Okay, they could have won six straight, but four out of six on the road against the Red Sox and the Rays is damned fine.  Especially considering that they lost the first game of each series.

High notes so far include the following.  First, Curtis Granderson looks great.  He has been the team’s best hitter so far, and he completes a mid-career core four with  Teixeira, Sabathia, and Cano.  Those four players give the team a solid base to build around as the original “Core Four” move into the twilight of their careers.

Second, the pitching has generally been solid.  Vasquez looked awful Friday night, but it is way too early to panic about him.  CC, AJ, and Andy looked solid.  The bullpen is deep, and the incredible Mariano can still bring it at age 40.

The hitters have not yet hit their stride, yet the team has pounded out runs.  The offense is demonstrably superior to that of the Red Sox, and the pitching looks considerably better than that of the Rays.  The Yanks remain the team to beat in baseball’s best division.

Concerns.  First, the team has no left fielder.  Brett Gardner lacks the power necessary to play a corner outfield position, and he has yet to demonstrate he is a big league hitter.  Randy Winn and Marcus Thames are journeymen.  The Yankees clearly believe they can win this year with a hole in their line-up.  Hopefully, they can win the Carl Crawford sweepstakes next winter.

Joba looked great in his first outing against Boston, but he looked sluggish today in Tampa.  Maybe the layoff hurt him.  If he can pitch as he did in 2007, the bullpen will be almost impregnable.

Posada looks shakey again behind the plate.  His passed ball cost the Yankees the opener, and his deteriorating defensive skills have to be a concern.  I would not be surprised to see Jesus Montero appear in mid-summer.

Phil Hughes has yet to pitch this year.  We will have to wait until Thursday to see how he does as the fifthe starter.

But these concerns are minor.  The team has started strong, and hope springs eternal.  Thank God baseball is back.

I hope you all noticed  that I have said nothing bad about Girardi.  Yet.

With Halladay to the Phillies and Lackey to the Sox, the Mets need to get creative to improve their rotation. I’m not saying either of these Aces wanted to pitch for the Mets, but now that it’s a sure thing they won’t, the Mets need to react. Ben Sheets/Erik Bedard are great when healthy, but that may not be often enough for the Mets to compete, and I don’t think Piniero/Doug Davis is the answer either. I think they have to look the trade route. So to get creative, what about a deal with the Reds? They have two starters over the 10mm mark and could potentially look to unload that payroll (Harang & Arroyo). I know Votto is a fantastic, young 1b, and makes league minimum but would the following work: Joey Votto/1b, Brandon Phillips/2b, Aaron Harang/sp, Bronson Arroyo/sp for Fernando Martinez/of, Ruben Tejada or Reese Havens/mi, Luis Castillo/2b, Daniel Murphy/1b, Jefry Marte/3b, Mike Pelfrey/sp, and Moviel/Familia/Urbina -2nd tier SP prospect. Fair?

I’m more than content. Cliff Lee was lights out for the Phillies, they have less payroll flexibility for 4 years, and the Phillies could have had both Lee & Halladay leading that rotation together.

Halladay; Lee; Hamels;  Happ; Blanton/Drabek/Moyer would have been Lights Out.

Also I think some other moves fall into place now. The Mariners upgraded already this off season with the Figgins signing and another ace in Lee. I think they’ll next go with power in LF via Bay or Holliday, which then potentially forces the other to accept a little less money from the Mets/Giants/Red Sox/Yankees. However, with Cameron to Boston, the Sox are out of it, and in my opinion Damon (for 5-7 million and 3-4 years less than Holliday) re-signs with the Yankees. Therefore, either Holliday or Bay signs to a slightly less than expected deal with the Mets.

No matter what, I fully expect the Phillies to take the NL East yet again – unlike the past 3 years.

I truly wish the Mets were the 3rd team in the Yankees-Tigers-(D-backs) deal replacing the D-backs. I thought 0f a crazy, but interesting scenario that could have actually worked: Carlos Beltran, Ike Davis, Fernando Martinez, Wilmer Flores, Ruben Tejada or Reese Havens, and Brad Holt or Bobby Parnell from the Mets; Robinson Cano, Phil Hughes, Austin Jackson from the Yankees, and Edwin Jackson, Curtis Granderson, and Miguel Cabrera from the Tigers.

Mets receive: Miguel Cabrera/1b, Robinson Cano/2b, Curtis Granderson/cf, Phil Hughes/sp (go on to sign a FA LF & another SP and their offseason needs would have been completed beyond expectations)

Yankees receive: Carlos Beltran, Edwin Jackson, Wilmer Flores (and go on to sign Hudson or FA 2b + FA lf)

Tigers receive: Ike Davis, Fernando Martinez, Tejada/Havens, Holt/Parnell, Austin Jackson (and get even more payroll flexiblity trading Miguel Cabrera for a decent haul). I of course understand the Tigers got a very nice haul of SP’s from the trade they actually did complete with the Yanks & D-back. I think if Scherzer stays healthy, Verlander through Porcello can still keep them toward the top of the AL Central.

Do you think my proposed 3-way above is irrational, however? It completely depletes the Mets farm system, which isn’t great any way, but I think it instantaneously helps them compete with the Phillies.

The Red Sox kicked off their offseason quickly, acquiring Jeremy Hermida from the Marlins just hours after the Yankees won the World Series (insert vomitingsound here). The Sox gave up minor league southpaws Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez for Hermida, the 11th overall draft pick in 2002. He hasn’t performed up to expectations for the Marlins, but a change of scenery and a different role could be just what he needs. Hermida had this to say about his first major career move: “I made some great friends and they treated me very well [in Florida]. On the other hand, I’m very excited to go to a city like Boston and a team like that. There isn’t a better team, in comparison. Just the history and the fan base that they have. I’m very excited to go up there and be a part of that as well.”

In other hot stove news, the Red Sox picked up their option for catcher Victor Martinez, who was acquired from the Indians at the Trade Deadline. Martinez will return as the starting catcher in 2010, and a long-term deal may be around the corner.

Boston had three more contract options to make a decision on today, none of which were exercised. Shortstop Alex Gonzalez had a $6 million option, though the Red Sox may have plans to re-sign him for less money. Captain Jason Varitek had his $5 million option declined, but he has three days to decide if he wants to exercise his personal $3 million option that would keep him in Boston for the 2010 season.

Knuckleballer Tim Wakefild’s year-to-year mutual option was nullified by a new two-year deal for the longest-tenured member of the Sox. Wakefield is just 17 wins shy of the All-Time Red Sox record of 192 that is shared by Cy Young and Roger Clemens.

The Yankees are world champions.  Truth and justice have triumphed over evil.

Actually, the triumph over evil occurred when the Red Sox were eliminated.  But now the Yankee haters in the media and in the hinterlands are once again attempting to belittle the Yankees’ victory.  Over and over the talking heads on ESPN, Yahoo, and other so-called pundits are bleating that the Yankees bought the championship.  There is a technical term for this argument.  That term is:  HOGWASH.

Their theory is that the Yankees signed all the best players, thereby “buying” the championship.  A careful examination of the Yankee roster demonstrates the fundamental inaccuracy of this assertion.

Granted, the Yankees signed Sabathia, Teixeira and Burnett last winter.  But aside from those three players, the Yankee roster contained only one other free agent signing – Johnny Damon, who was lured away from the Red Sox three years ago.

The rest of the team was either developed in the farm system or acquired by trade.  Posada, Cano, Jeter, Pena, Gardner, Melky, Cervelli, Duncan, Guzman, Pettite, Joba, Hughes, Coke, Robertson, Aceves, and Mo all came up with the Yankees as rookies and, with the exception of Andy’s three year hiatus with the Astros, are life-long Yankees.  The balance of the roster came through trades.  Molina was sold by the Angels.  Arod was traded by the Rangers for Soriano.  Swisher came from the White Sox for Wilson Betemit.  Hairston came from the Reds, and Hinske from the Pirates.   Bruney was reclaimed off the scrap heap after Arizona let him go.  Marte and Nady were traded by the Pirates, and Gaudin by the Padres.

Matsui was signed after a distinguished career in Japan.  You could argue that he qualifies as a free agent signing, but he was not an established major leaguer, and therefore is not in the same category as Sabathia and Burnett.  And let’s not forget that the Red Sox have incessantly raided the Japanes leagues.  Their roster includes DiceK, Okajima, and Tazawa.

In short, the Yankees did not buy the championship.  Brian Cashman did a masterful job of assembling this panoply of talent in the traditional way – through player development and trades.

But you would never know it if you listen to the mainstream media.  The so-called pundits play to the crowd, the crowd being the extensive anti-New York element that pervades the hinterlands.  I find it interesting that no one accused the Red Sox of “buying” the championship when they won with two free agent signings in the heart of their lineup.  Everyone conveniently forgets that David “Big Juicer” Ortiz and his pal Manny came from the free agent market.  And I noticed no one complained last winter when the Red Sox offered Mark Teixeira seventy million dollars to sign with them.  That was considered smart business.  But when the Yankees swooped in and stole Tex, they were “buying the championship”.

What a load of HOGWASH.

So get over it, Yankee haters.  The Yankees won fair and square.  They are the best team.  That’s why they won the World Series.  We are the champions, my friend.  Deal with it.

My Girardi-loving sons have been responsible for recent posts on this site praising the efforts of the Yankee manager.  I shall now inject a note of rationality into their fantasy land.

Girardi is a lousy manager, and he proved it tonight.  Against all logic, he chose to start AJ Burnett on short rest.  And predictably, Burnett imploded, yielding 6 runs in 2+ innings and facilitating an easy Phillie victory.

Let’s review.  The Yankees were up 3 games to 1.  They were facing the Phillie’s ace, Cliff Lee, the one pitcher who has shut them down this postseason,  at the Phillies’ home park.  Burnett has no history of successfully pitching on 3 days rest.

Girardi could have gone with Chad Gaudin.   Perhaps Gaudin would have been bad (he has barely pitched this month).  Maybe he too would have given up 6 runs in two innings.

But then Girardi would have had Burnett at home, where he has had great success, on full rest, and against ancient Pedro Martinez.  Now Pedro has pitched well this post season, but he is not Cliff Lee.  Under that scenario, the Yankees would have had a big advantage.

Instead, they will now have Andy Pettitte for Game 6, again on only 3 days rest.  Andy is a gamer, but he has a history of not being able to pitch on three days rest.  At his age, a strong performance is unlikely.

Which may well bring the Yankees to Game 7 and CC Sabathia.  CC would appear to give the Yankees a big advantage, but CC too will be pitching on 3 days rest, his third outing in eight days.  He is certainly capable of handling this kind of load, but the past two years he has broken down in the playoffs because of overwork.  Against him the Phillies will throw Cole Hamels on full rests.  Now Hamels has been bad this year, but he has pitched the phils to a championship in the past, and he may use Game 7 to redeem himself.

The Yankees had a lock on this Series.  If they blow it, Girardi will be directly responsible.  Once again, he will have shown that he panics in the clutch.  We can only hope the Yankees will overcome their manager’s incompetence.

The answer:  Probably not. 

Sure, there are certainly other ways the Yanks can win.  The Phils could fumble and collapse of their own accord (not likely).  The Yankees’ starters could all go 8 innings every start, with Mariano Rivera closing out the 9^th (tough, but can be done).  Or the Yankees’ offense could just knock the cover off the ball and win every game by a blowout, such that the performance of the Yankees’ bullpen becomes irrelevant (not likely, especially in light of Lee’s performance last night). 

But other than that, the Yanks really need the bullpen to pitch up to form – specifically, the middle relievers – or they will not win this Series.  The middle relievers have been mediocre at best; but for the most part, they’ve been lousy – and it’s primarily because Phil Hughes has not pitched as well as he has in the regular season.  Indeed, the only reason the ALCS went six games was because Hughes and the middle relievers gave Game 5 away after the offense rallied to go up 6-4 late in the game. 

They did it again last night, with Hughes opening the 8^th inning with 2 walks, and the rest of the middle relief following suit, giving up 4 runs in the last 2 innings to put the game out of reach.  True, when a pitcher like Cliff Lee has a dominant outing like he did last night, there’s not a lot a ball club can do, except wait until he shows a weakness and then pounce.  (And if that doesn’t happen, you tip your cap to the opposing team’s fine play, and you put that game behind you.)  But you have to be in it to win it – which the Yanks might have been if the score in the bottom of the 9^th with runners on first and second and no outs had been 2-0, instead of 6-0.  After the bullpen’s collapse, however, this was not to be.  And while this was a collective failure of the middle relievers, it is Hughes’ failings that have been the most significant. 

This is not to knock Hughes.  As we all know, back in April and May the Yankees were a 3^rd place team because they had a big gaping hole in the 7^th and 8^th inning between the point when the starter ran out of gas, and the point where Rivera got the ball.  The whole season turned around when Hughes went to the bullpen and became that reliable middle reliever that was missing.  Since then, Hughes has been the glue that has held the Yankee pitching together for 9 innings … and, apparently, he still is. 

But now that Hughes is not pitching up to form, are the Yankees not as vulnerable as they were back in April and May? 

It’s not clear why Hughes hasn’t pitched as well – whether it’s because he’s just had a bad couple outings; whether it’s the colder weather; or whether its because he’s now facing the best teams in baseball. 

The good news is that Hughes remains an extraordinary talent, and is the future of the franchise.  He’s got excellent stuff; and when he’s on, he’s the perfect complement to Rivera.  And, as previously discussed, great Yankees are born in the post-season.  So with that in mind, the next several games represent an enormous opportunity for Phil Hughes – a date with destiny, and one that he is no doubt worthy of.  He has had a break-out year, and so a break-out World Series for Hughes would seem only natural.  If Hughes gets back into a groove, the whole team will follow as it did last summer.  If he doesn’t, it may be a very short series for the Yanks.  We shall see.

The Yankees were predestined to lose tonite.  This was true because:

1. The Angels were at home.

2. The Angels had their best pitcher going.

3. The Angels had their backs to the wall.

So the series will return to New York, where Game 6 figures to be pivotal.  If Pettitte can’t close it out on Saturday, the Yankees will have to count on CC to win Game 7.  Either way, the Yankees will lose.

Obviously, if CC loses Sunday night, the Yankees will have collapsed, and the season will be over.  But even if he wins, the Yanks will be in trouble.  If CC pitches Sunday, he will not be available until Game 3 of the World Series.  That means Burnett will pitch Game 1 against Cliff Lee, a matchup that will favor the Phillies.  Andy will go in Game 2 against Cole Hamels.  Hamels has not done well in the playoffs so far, but he is still one of the better pitchers in the game.  If the good Hamels shows up, the Yankees could head to Philadelphia down 2-0.

So a lot is riding on Game 6.  If the Yankees want to win a world championship, they need to close out the Angels Saturday night.  A great deal will depend on the veteran left arm of Andy Pettitte.

My sons tell me I am too negative about Joe Girardi.  They point out that the Yankees are six wins from a World Championship, and that Girardi must receive some credit for this achievment.

I must respectfully continue to disagree.  If the Yankees win the World Series, it will be in spite of Girardi, not because of him.  Today’s disastrous loss to the Angels provided a showcase for Girardi’s incompetence.

The game was lost in the 6th innings.  Andy Pettitte had a 3-1 lead.  He did not have his best stuff, but he was handling the Angels’ punch and judy lineup.  With two out, Andy had a man on first and a 2-2 count on Vlad Guerrero.  For reasons passing understanding, Girardi found it necessary to come out to the mound IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AT BAT!   Remember, this is Andy Pettitte, the Yankees most experienced pitcher, a man who has been pitching in the post season since 1996.  What could possibly have been so important that Girardi felt it necessary to go to the mound and break his pitcher’s concentration???

Well, he succeeded.  Andy’s concentration was broken, and he served up a home run ON THE NEXT PITCH.  At that moment, the game was effectively lost.

But Girardi wasn’t done.  Instead of letting Joba Chamberlain start the 7th inning, he let Andy face one batter, then brought in Joba in mid-inning.  With a regular relief pitcher, this approach might have been acceptable, but Joba has been a starter most of the year.  After Girardi jerked him around the last two months of the season, it’s a wonder Joba knows what he is.  Anyway, Joba promptly fell apart and gave up the go ahead run.

In the bottom of the 8th, Matsui led off with a walk.  Girardi promptly pinch ran with Gardner.  Now at this point, the Yankees were losing 4-3, so there is a reasonable argument for putting in the faster runner.  But then Girardi ran Gardner on 0-1, the obvious place to do it.  So obvious that Mike Sciosia easily anticipated the move and pitched out.  Gardner was a dead duck.  Posada homered on the next pitch, tying the game instead of giving us a one run lead.

Worse, the Gardner move meant that there was no one in the five hole to protect Arod.  As a result, Sciosia was able to walk Arod intentionally with two out and nobody on in the ninth.

Finally, in the last inning, David Roberston got two quick outs.  For reasons unfathomable, Girardi abruptly pulled Robertson and brought in Aceves, another right hander.  Aceves had nothing, and immediately gave up two hits and the game.

What can we conclude from today’s debacle?  Two things.  First, Girardi personally threw away this game.  If the Yankees go on to lose this series, Girardi will bear direct responsibilbity for starting the team’s demise.

But second, Girardi cannot manage under pressure.  When things get tight, his insecurities kick in, and he feels compelled to try to control events.  Instead of trusting Pettitte in the 6th inning, he had to come out and meddle.  In the 8th inning, he had to substitute Gardner, with no thought of how it might affect Arod later in the game.  In the last inning, he had to tinker, even though Robertson was cruising.  Like Bobby Valentine, he always makes one move too many.

Girardi manages tight.  He can’t handle pressure.  He does not trust his players.  His bungling may cost the Yankees a chamionship.  If they do prevail, it will be in spite of Girardi and not because of him.