After weeks of boring, unimportant games the playoffs are finally here.

I’m a little mad at Anaheim right now after the Ducks spanked the Bruins 6-1, but I’m very excited about the Sox and their familiar foe, the Angels. The Angels have lost to the Red Sox three out of three times in the ALDS, and are 0-4 to them all-time in the playoffs. History would give the Sox the edge, but the Angels are a different team this year.

Jon Lester is pitching tonight against John Lackey. The Sox clearly have the pitching advantage, with the only match-up that favors the Angels being Game 3’s Bucholz-Kazmir duel. The teams are even at the plate, with the Sox having the power edge and the Angels having the small-ball advantage.

The umpiring crew may be a factor in this series, as some of baseball’s worst are among it. Curt Schilling called in to WEEI this afternoon and had some words of wisdom about the crew. He said a few of them sucked, and he went so far as to calling Joe West and ass and criticizing him for being against the Red Sox. Whether or not this will be a factor remains to be seen.

Another positive note for this postseason is the coverage TBS will provide for the series. Chip Caray is working the Yankees-Twins series this year (suckers!) and working the Sox-Angels is none other than NESN play-by-play man Don Orsillo. Sure we have have to contend with Buck Martinez mispronouncing Ortiz’ name again, but at least this will only happen every few innings.

When the season ended for the 2008 Yankees there was one glaring need: Pitching.  This was nothing new, and as the old adage went, “you can never have enough.”  But the Yankees from 2004 to 2008 never had enough starting pitching to bring a World Series, or even a Pennant, home.  The Yankee pitching staff has not been outstanding since the end of 2003 when Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens momentarily defected to the Astros.

So when the Yankees signed C.C. Sabathia to a huge deal, they hoped they got the true ace they have long coveted.  Well, in case anybody was not sure after a dominant year of 19 wins, C.C. Sabathia proved to all that he was for real tonight.  Sabathia may have labored through some long innings, and some bad breaks, but he limited the damage, and only let up 2 runs in 6.2 IP.

Those two runs were more than enough for the Yankee offense, which hammered the Twins for 7 runs.  Derek Jeter, of course, was on base all four times he came to the plate.  Hideki Matsui had an important two run home run.  And Nick Swisher had a key double.

But the biggest news of the night was the exorcism that took place at Yankee Stadium.  No I am not talking about a movie from the 70’s, but the two clutch hits, and yes I say clutch hits, for Alex Rodriguez.  There are two important parts to these hits.  First, the team, and A-Rod, will not have to deal with questions about his inability to hit in the clutch during the playoffs.  Second, the manner in which A-Rod got these hits proves he is more devoted to the Yankees.  The two clutch hits were singles that drove in one RBI.  In years past, A-Rod would have been swinging for the fences, trying for the big splash on one swing.  Perhaps he finally realized that a single with RISP in the playoffs is just as important as a homerun; something Bernie, Tino, and Paulie knew all too well.

Whatever the reasons for A-Rod’s sudden productivity in October, all this blogger knows for sure is that A-Rod exorcised some demons with a couple of big swings tonight.  And the Yankees now lead the series 1-0.

Oh, the end to the 2009 regular season was heartbreaking. But there were many wonderful accomplishments. I’m going to write down some of those accomplishments:

• Congratulations to Jair Jurrjens who was named September NL Pitcher of the Month.
• Garret Anderson got his 2500th hit on 1 October 2009. Go Garret!
• My favorite Peter Moylan was phenomenal after the All-Star Break, having an ERA under 1.00 (considering that he had a 145.00 ERA by the time he got his first out, that’s very impressive). He surpassed Chris Reitsma on the Franchise All-Time appearances with 87! I’m very proud of Pete, considering all he went through to come back. If it weren’t for Chris Carpenter, I’d totally say Pete was going to be NL Comeback Player of the Year! And did I forget to mention that he didn’t give up a single homerun in 09? Go Pete!
• Tim Hudson was very, very awesome his first time back. He had two wins, though I’m sure he deserved more. I really hope he’s around next year. He’s a good person and a great pitcher.
• Tommy Hanson had a wonderful rookie year. I so hope that he wins Rookie of the Year.
• Matt Diaz was just awesome this year! Despite a base-running blunder to end a game against the Marlins, I have very little complaints about how well MattE D did this year.
• Kris Medlen, though I can’t say he was remarkable, was pretty good. I just love Little M, for more personal reasons, but you know me.
• Martin Prado had an outstanding year. I really like Kelly Johnson, but Martin is my choice for 2B next year!
• Yunel Escobar, besides a few attitude problems, was just fantastic this year. I really hope we can see more of Yunel has got!
• And finally, Javier Vazquez has been amazing. I hear his name is popping up in Cy Young Award discussions, so let’s see how Javy does!

Though the end of the season was disasterous, I’m still faithful to the Braves and cannot wait for next year. One last year of Bobby Cox, which I still have mixed about. The boys really had me excited about the NL Wildcard race, and although they didn’t win, this was ten times better than last year. In 2010, we’re a force to be reckoned with. No doubt it my mind.

Also, both Mike Gonazlez and Rafeal Sorianoare free agents this year. I hear there is a fifty-fifty chance on keeping Gonzo and little chance of keeping Soriano, but the other day at a season ticket holder’s event, Frank Wren mentioned (without realizing it) that they would have to replace both. I’m very curious as to how this works out. Because I also hear that my favorite Peter Moylan could possibly replace them as closer. You probably can guess my opinion, but if they don’t re-sign Gonzo, well then I’ll be upset. I love his fire, his excited air that he gives off. Though, Yunel should be able to fill that whole :p.

One last note, Mr. and Mrs. Kelly Johnson are expecting their first child in December, according to Chop Talk! Though I don’t think Kelly will be around next year, that is very exciting! I have no doubt the child will be as adorable as daddy dearest.

Until next time!

The final baseball game of the 2009 regular season was an absolute gem – perhaps the most exciting game of the season.  The Twins overcame a 3-0 deficit to outlast the Tigers 6-5 in 12 innings before the largest crowd in Metrodome history.  This was not a great comeback, however, so much as it was a grueling inning-by-inning slugfest.  Both teams made some terrible mistakes, as well as great plays, as players from each team lost – and then saved – the game time and time again. 

By way of example, Detroit leftfielder Ryan Raburn gambled and lost in the bottom of the 9^th inning when he dove for a base hit that bounced past him and went all the way to the wall for a lead-off triple, opening the door to the tying run being scored shortly thereafter.  But after opening that door, Raburn then shut it in the same inning when he gunned down the would-be winning run from left field with a perfect throw to send the game into extra innings. 

There was also a great bang-bang double play by the Twins to kill a late inning rally when Magglio Ordonez hit a line drive to the Twins shortstop, who then doubled up Curtis Granderson off of first base.  And then there was a great diving play by Brandon Inge for a 5-3 putout that otherwise might have knocked in the winning run had the hot grounder in the hole  gotten past Inge. 

And so it went, back and forth, until the Twins finally punched home the go-ahead run in the bottom of the 12^th.  The action was fierce, and the competitive play just riveting as hell.  In short, it was one of the most exciting games in recent memory – a shining example of baseball at its finest. 

All this having been said, our interests as Yankees fans in admiring this AL Central slugfest are admittedly more sinister.  While a great baseball game is to be appreciated, a 12-inning baseball game wherein the team you’re about to face in less than 18 hours has spent itself and its bullpen both physically and emotionally, on the other hand, is very encouraging indeed.  The Twins used 7 pitchers, including 1.2 innings from closer Joe Nathan, who presumably will be unavailable to pitch in Game 1.  Further, it is 10 p.m. EST.  The Twins now have to get on a plane, fly to New York, and try to sleep and prepare for a confident and well-rested New York team who, incidentally, went 7 and 0 against the Twins this year.  It is also worth noting that one-half of the Twins’ M&M combo, Justin Morneau, will not be playing in the ALDS.  Add all that up, and the Twins’ awesome evening may turn out to have been a very good nite for the Yankees as well. 

But all that remains to be seen.  For now, congrats to the Twins for their great victory, and goodbye to the 2009 regular season, which went out tonite with real style, courtesy of the Tigers and the Twins.

Bobby…Bobby…Bobby

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.

The season is winding down and the playoffs are looming. The Yankees have all but wrapped up the division despite several Red Sox fans still insisting they go all out for the last few games. The Sox do have the Wild Card and will play the Angels again in the 1st round.

Yesterday, Jon Lester took a liner off the side of the leg—the right quad to be exact—and he is listed day-to-day. This is terrible news considering he was just named the Game 1 starter in the postseason. The good news is that he does have time to recover before the playoffs, but just how healthy he will be is a giant question mark. The rest of the rotation is iffy right now. Josh Beckett hasn’t been as dominant recently as he was earlier in the year, which is why Lester was named the Game 1 starter in the first place. Clay Bucholz has been lights-out as of late, but he has never pitched in October. Daisuke Matsuzaka was huge in the ‘07 postseason, but he is still returning from injury that has drastically shortened his year. How he pitches today against CC Sabbathia could be a big sign of what he may be like in the playoffs.

The lineup is not a problem at all for the Sox, as 1 through 9 have been producing, not including Jason Varitek. The two guys in the lineup who will be key are David Ortiz, who’s 2nd half stats do not reflect those of the first few months, and Alex Gonzalez, who has given the team much more out of the 9-spot than Gold Glove defense at short.

Jason Varitek on the other hand is a black hole in the lineup and he isn’t worth it defensively. While he calls the game better than most catchers in the league, it’s not like Victor Martinez can’t hold his own behind the plate, and against a good hitting team like the Yankees, the Sox can’t afford to give away outs like Varitek that could be avoided. I have a feeling this might be Tek’s last year in Boston and the talks with Texas over Jarrod Saltalamaccia and/or Taylor Teagarden will start back up and get deeper this offseason. As good as he has been in his long tenure with Boston, it just doesn’t seem like Vartiek will fit with the Sox moving forward. But as bad he has seemed to Boston fans this year, he would still be a valuable addition to a young playoff contender like the Marlins to give their pitching the boost it needs.

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…

I’ve been slightly unprofessional offering a sundry of random trade offers the Mets should at least attend to (all of them being interesting but completely unrealistic). Some could realistically happen if it were proposed by the actual GM’s, such as Beltran + SP prospect for Matt Cain or the Farm for Nick Markakis or Prince Fielder, however I don’t think any big trades will occur this season, because as you’ve already been hearing, many of the Mets prospects are seasons away from the majors (Jenrry Mejia/sp; Brad Holt/sp; Wilmer Flores/if; Reese Havens/Ruben Tejada/mi; Jefry Marte/3b). I think all 6 are MLB talent, but all 6 are under or well under 23 years of age. The most interesting unrealistic trade I’ve recently thought about is: Matt Cain & Pablo Sandoval for Carlos Beltran, Fernando Martinez, Daniel Murphy, Tejada/Havens/Flores-mi or Marte/Lutz-3b, and Niese/Mejia/Holt-sp. The Mets would have to use Angel Pagan every day at CF so this is somewhat unrealistic, but maybe we could trade back for Carlos Gomez to man CF at CITI Field along with Pagan. He shouldn’t cost too much (maybe a MI/3b prospect not in the Cain & Sandoval deal). Again, this is highly unlikely because both Cain and Sandoval are fantastic and cheap.

A possible trade that does make some sense: Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors (http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/09/discussion-milton-bradley-for-oliver-perez.html) discusses a Cubs-Mets swap of Milton Bradley and Oliver Perez – both disappointing and costly. As per Tim Dierkes post, Joel Sherman of the New York Post (http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/hardball/up_yanks_postseason_al_mvp_bradley_OGXQ3Gwj8DrsvfRTrOZGXN) also wonders if Carlos Zambrano & Luis Castillo could switch sides. It’s an interesting idea. The Mets could get their #2 starter they need in Zambrano and an OF in Bradley if they don’t think Angel Pagan & Prospect Ike Davis (who has mainly played 1b) could play every day. If the Mets are willing to take on all the money, I don’t see why the Cubs wouldn’t trade Zambrano & Bradley straight up for Perez & Castillo, but maybe the Mets would have to offer up a 2nd/3rd tier prospect in addition. Zambrano’s a good quality SP, but if we take on Bradley’s entire salary that’s 28ish million per year coming the Mets way and only 18 million per year going the Cubs way. This gives the Cubs lee-way to resign Rich Harden/sp & Reed Johnson/of.  If the Mets were to pull the trigger on this, they would then need a 2b (Chone Figgins preferably – I’d rather sign him to 3-4 years at 11-12mm per than Orlando Hudson for 8-9mm per year for 2 years I think). The Mets would use Anderson Hernandez at MI to back up Reyes and Castillo/Figgins/Hudson then. Our rotation after this would look like Santana; Zambrano; Pelfrey; Maine/Parnell; Niese/Figueroa/Nieve. I still think we need one more consistent starter for the rotation. According to Rotoworld (http://www.rotoworld.com/Content/playerpages/player_main.aspx?sport=MLB&id=3044), Jeff Francoeur says Jason Marquis would love to pitch for the Mets. To me, he does epitomize a consistent #3 starter.

So if the Mets pulled the Cubs trade, signed Figgins, and Marquis that’s about 30-34mm in additions to the team. Carlos Delgado, Billy Wanger, JJ Putz, Gary Sheffield, Fernando Tatis, Alex Cora, and Brian Schneider ‘leaving’ for free agency takes about 33mm off the books, so I think it’s only fair with a new stadium, that the Mets allow for such additions.

This provides a 2010 lineup of:

1-      Chone Figgins; Anderson Hernandez/mi

2-      Jose Reyes; Anderson Hernandez/mi

3-      David Wright/3b

4-      Carlos Beltran; Angel Pagan/cf

5-      Jeff Francoeur; Milton Bradley; Pagan/rf

6-      Milton Bradley; Angel Pagan; Murphy/Davis/lf

7-      Daniel Murphy; Ike Davis/1b

8-      Josh Thole; Omir Santos/c

& a 2010 Rotation of:

1-      Johan Santana

2-      Carlos Zambrano

3-      Jason Marquis

4-      Mike Pelfrey

5-      John Maine; Bobby Parnell; Jon Niese

6-      Fernando Nieve; Nelson Figueroa

A Decent 2010 Bench of:

c- Omir Santos; Josh Thole

1b/of- Nick Evans; Ike Davis; Daniel Murphy

mi- Anderson Hernandez

of – Angel Pagan; Milton Bradley

of – Jeremy Reed; Cory Sullivan

& a 2010 Bullpen of:

K-rod

Bobby Parnell; John Maine

Pedro Feliciano

Brian Stokes

Carlos Muniz

Sean Green

Takahashi/RP Prospect/FA LHP

*Roster Notes: Figgins-Reyes-Wright is pretty good infield obp and speed for Beltran-Francoeur-Bradley to drive in, and I think Daniel Murphy & Ike Davis can man 1b while Josh Thole and Omir Santos can man C well enough for the 2010 Mets to more than compete with a deeper 5 man rotation with Zambrano & Marquis while a hopefully healthier John Maine and a hopefully better Mike Pelfrey depict a better number 4&5 starter than a 2&3 starter.

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.