World Series Game 2: Musings on a New York night

Was lucky enough to go to Game 2, and it was quite a night in the Bronx. From Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' live pregame performance of "Empire State of Mind" to Mariano Rivera's game-ending strikeout, it felt like New York's night -- the Yankees, the city, the fans, everything.

The Yankees' 3-1 win featured a little bit of everything: great pitching, clutch hitting, key home runs, poor umpiring and a finale from the best closer in baseball history. A few thoughts:

-The "hidden play" in this was Jose Molina's snap throw from home plate to pick Jayson Werth off first base in the top of the fourth. For the first 13+ innings of the season, the Yanks were getting none of the breaks. Whether it was Hideki Matsui straying off first base in Game 1 or Alex Rodriguez letting a fairly routine ground ball get by him to give the Phils a 1-0 lead in Game 2, things just weren't going the Yankees' way. But Molina's heads-up play completely changed the momentum and gave the Yankee Stadium crowd something to cheer out. A.J. Burnett got out of the inning, and Mark Teixeira led off the bottom of the fourth with a game-tying home run off Pedro Martinez.

--The starting pitching was excellent on both sides. Despite the "Who's Your Daddy?" chants raining down from the sands, Martinez was solid in his first start at Yankee Stadium in five years. The former Red Sox's ace gave up six hits and three runs in 6+ innings, taking a hard-luck loss despite changing speeds beautifully and baffling the Bombers for much of the game. Martinez's downfall came at the hands of an old nemesis, Matsui, who added to his litany of big hits against Pedro with a go-ahead solo blast in the sixth.

Burnett was on his game, turning in his best start of the postseason in allowing just one run in seven innings. If A-Rod gets his glove down on Matt Stairs' RBI single that basically went right by him, Burnett holds the Phillies scoreless.

--Phillies' manager Charlie Manuel is one of the best in the game, yet he still victim to the Grady Little-Terry Francona Memorial Curse of keeping Pedro in too long. Manuel let Martinez come out for the seventh inning, even though he'd already thrown 99 pitches. Pedro's threshold has long been considered 105 pitches, a stat backed up by John Olerud's two-run homer off Pedro on his 105th pitch in Game 2 of the 2004 ALCS. Sure enough, Jerry Hairston tagged Pedro for a single on his 105th pitch. Two pitches later, Melky Cabrera smacked another single, and Pedro was done for the night. The Yankees went on to score a valuable insurance run in the inning and give Rivera some breathing room.

--Candidates for new Yankees' good-luck charms: Jay-Z, ignorance (the fans in the two rows in front of me spent half the game in the Jim Beam Lounge and barely paid attention when they were in their seats), my new navy Yankee hat (first time worn to a game). Heading towards a lifetime Yankee Good Luck Charm Award: Pedro Martinez.

--Derek Jeter's baseball IQ is almost unparalleled, but sometime the Yankee captain can outsmart himself. With runners on first and second and no one out in the seventh, the Bombers were looking to add to their 3-1 lead. Twice, Jeter squared to bunt, and twice he failed. With the count 0-2, everyone in the stadium, including (most likely) Joe Girardi, expected Jeter to swing away. Instead, he tried to be slick and bunted the 0-2 pitch. It went foul, Jeter was out, and the Yanks didn't score another run in the inning. The brain lock didn't end up hurting the Yankees, but Girardi should sit Jeter down before Game 3 and tell his captain he made the wrong move.

--The umpires just can't buy a break, and they keep compounding their mistakes. Johnny Damon followed Jeter in that seventh inning and hit a line drive to first. Ryan Howard appeared to catch it on the fly, and first base umpire Brian Gorman ruled Howard had indeed caught it. Howard had already fired the ball to shortstop Jimmy Rollins just in case, who tagged Jorge Posada for an inning-ending double play.

Only replays showed Howard had in fact trapped the ball. On another bang-bang play, the umps got it wrong again.

Before you get too incensed, I'd argue the call had no effect on the outcome of the play. If the play is correctly called a trap, Howard fires to Rollins anyway to start a 3-6-3 double play, ending the inning all the same.

Gorman's second missed call had a larger effect on the game and may not have been born of incompetence. With runners on first and second and one out in the top of the eighth, Rivera got the dangerous Chase Utley to ground into a 4-6-3 double play. Replays showed Utley was actually safe at first, which means the inning would have continued had the play been called correctly. The tying run would then have been on first for the red-hot Howard, who could have given the Phillies the lead with a home run. You have to wonder if Gorman knew he blew the call on Damon and gave the Yankees a break with a makeup call on Utley.

--Speaking of Rivera, bringing him in for a two-inning save was unquestionably the right move. There's an off day tomorrow, no one else in the bullpen inspires any confidence, Burnett had already thrown 108 pitches, he's the best relief pitcher in baseball history and at his best in the playoffs... how many reasons do you need? Mo clearly did not have his best stuff and struggled to locate his fastball on the outside corner. But even without his regular command, he still pitched two scoreless innings for yet another postseason save.

Let me add one thing. Two-inning saves are hard to begin with in the age of the one-inning closer, and in the postseason the pressure is greater and the opposing hitters are usually better -- it is baseball's best teams after all. So it's a pretty rare thing; since 1996, the year before Rivera became a closer, there have only been 25 two-inning saves total in the playoffs. Rivera has 14 of them.

--I'll close with the overwhelming feeling of relief you could sense in the fans as they walked out to Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York". Dating back to 2003, the Yanks had lost four World Series games in a row, including the series-ending Game 6 loss to the Marlins. In other words, another team had celebrated wildly on the Yankee Stadium field since the Bombers had last won in the Fall Classic. A loss Thursday would have put New York in a perilous 0-2 hole before three games in Philly. Instead, the Yanks head to Pennsylvania even with the defending champs. Now it's a series.

Game 1 Analysis: Pick an order, and stick with it

Question: What is dizzying, moves around constantly and always seems on the verge of collapse?

A) A top
B) Health care reform
C) The pecking order of the Yankees' bullpen
D) All of the above

In this case, D stands for Defeat.

Thanks to Cliff Lee's complete-game gem and Chase Utley's two solo shots off C.C. Sabathia, the Yanks probably weren't winning Game 1 even if Mariano Rivera had pitched for two innings. But two runs in the eighth inning and two in the ninth for Philadelphia turned a long shot at a comeback into a certain loss for the Bombers.

The four late-inning runs by Philadelphia weren't amazing so much as the convoluted way the Yankee bullpen gave up those runs. Check out the box score from Wednesday's 6-1 loss. Joe Girardi used five relievers to get six outs and let Brian Bruney give up two nail-in-the-coffin runs in the ninth inning, yet somehow Joba Chamberlain wasn't used the entire time. Instead, Girardi used first David Robertson (allowed a two-run single in the eighth that made it 4-0) and then Bruney (couldn't even get to two outs in the ninth) while keeping Joba and his electric stuff in the 'pen.

Whaaat???

I just don't get it. Middle relievers and setup men are a mercurial bunch. Give them a defined role and they tend to do OK, but switch them around to the point where they have no earthly idea when their number will be called, and they will struggle. Girardi was a catcher for 15 years; he has to know this. So why did Damaso Marte suddenly become the go-to lefty over Phil Coke in the middle of the ALCS, after Coke had been the guy the entire season? And why was Joba suddenly behind Robertson and Bruney -- Bruney, who wasn't on either the ALDS or ALCS rosters -- when he got two huge outs in the seventh inning of Game 6 against the Angels in his last appearance?

I mean, everyone in the Stadium, the city, the country and beyond knew Bruney wasn't getting out of the ninth inning unscathed. Everyone.

The only explanation I can offer is Joba was hurt or otherwise unavailable, and that Marte's retired the last eight batters he's faced this postseason. The latter explanation I can live with. If the former isn't true, then Girardi is spinning his bullpen like a roulette wheel and doing what most roulette gamblers do -- losing.

Yanks-Phillies last minute updates

An addendum or two to my World Series preview:

--Instead of Raul Ibanez in left field and Matt Stairs at designated hitter for Games 1 and 2, the Phillies will go with Ben Francisco in left and Ibanez at DH. The throw-in in the Cliff Lee deal in July, Francisco was solid for Philadelphia in the second half and showed some power -- 14 of his 29 hits for the Phillies were for extra bases. In the playoffs, though, he's been a dud, with no hits and no impact in a few late-inning appearances.

--In addition to swapping Freddy Guzman for Eric Hinske, the Yankees dropped third-string catcher Francisco Cervelli from their playoff roster and added hard-throwing reliever Brian Bruney. Once the Bombers' eighth-inning setup man, Bruney fell from grace and off the radar with a series of poor appearances. He wasn't on either the ALDS or ALCS rosters, which suggests he's around for the back end of a possible extra-inning affair.

--Ending on a whimsical note. In an article in the Wall Street Journal, prediction "experts" from an astrologist to a computer predicted the outcome of the World Series. I'm just glad my prediction (Yanks in 7) is the same as the computer's.

Yankees-Phillies World Series Preview

It's the $200 million team vs. the defending champs. Before we get started, let's put a name on this baby. Faced with a pair of Northeast cities just 97 miles apart (if you use I-95), writers looking for a moniker for this World Series have focused on the means of transportation between The Big Apple and The City of Brotherly Love.

ESPN.com provided multiple options in the same World Series Preview section. All-purpose scribe Howard Bryant called it "The Amtrak Series", while Baseball Tonight veteran Tim Kurkjian went with "The New Jersey Turnpike Series" (the aforementioned I-95).

All well and good. But why is everyone just coughing up a repackaged version of the Subway Series? Why is it always about transportation? Surely New York and Philly must have something else in common.

So may I present to you: The Greasy Sandwich Series! The infamous Philly cheesesteak sandwich is a classic greasy staple, and I've heard from reliable sources that the local Wawas (18 within five miles of the city) make a great hoagie. Any New Yorker who's ever been to Katz Deli knows a good pastrami on rye is piled thick and high with fatty, greasy pastrami. Mmmmmmmm.

So without further ado, let's break down The Greasy Sandwich Series.

CATCHER: On paper, this matchup isn't even close. Jorge Posada is a career .277 hitter with 12 years of postseason experience and a huge game-winning home run in Game 3 of the ALDS to his credit. Then there's Philadelphia's Carlos Ruiz, who's played in just three full major league seasons and hit just .255 this year.

But as Kenny Mayne so often says, "Game aren't played on paper, they're played inside TV sets." Since his series-winning homer, Posada has been a disaster at the plate, hitting just .200 in the ALCS with one homer and one RBI. Against the Yankees this season, Ruiz was a regular Howie Kendrick, with a stat line (.750 average, 2.028 OPS in three games) more reminiscent of my old T-Ball average in first grade than the big leagues.

The numbers, then, are basically a wash and may even favor the young Ruiz. But I can't go against a guy who's played in 105 postseason games and is a charter member of the Dynasty Boys. Edge: Yankees

FIRST BASE: Talk about a stacked deck. Former NL MVP and current All-Star and NL RBI leader. All-Star starter and home run and RBI leader in the AL this year. Scary big and a threat to hit one into next week every time he steps to the plate. Best fielding first baseman in the game and OPS machine. Yes, Ryan Howard and Mark Teixeira are the two best first basemen in baseball not named Albert Pujols. It's almost impossible to put one ahead of the other when looking at the bodies of their careers.

The 2009 postseason, however, shows a clear-cut winner. Howard has been a monster at the plate, hitting .355 with two homers and a whopping 14 RBIs in just nine playoff games (that's how you have a playoff OPS of 1.203). Teixeira has looked, well, mortal in October, with just eight hits in 39 at-bats and a woeful .273 on-base percentage. One walkoff homer doesn't make up for a postseason of general futility. Not against Howard. Edge: Phillies

SECOND BASE: Chase Utley is the best second baseman in baseball and has four straight All-Star starts to prove it. Robinson Cano isn't even the clear-cut best second baseman in the American League. Much as I'd love to belabor the point and harp on Utley's recent case of the yips, that's pretty much the end of the discussion. Edge: Phillies

SHORTSTOP: If the debate at first base was a pair of kings, this one is pocket aces. Despite owning an NL MVP, two straight Gold Gloves and the most important hit of the entire postseason, Jimmy Rollins is the obvious underdog in this matchup. I mean, how can you bet against Derek Jeter, who will alternately go by "Captain October" or "Mr. November" depending on how far into the series we are.

Not only does Jeter have 13 Octobers of clutch hits, dazzling gems in the field and singular plays forever etched in our memory, but he's been a better leadoff hitter than Rollins from Opening Day on. Jeter has a massive edge his Phillies' counter part in on-base percentage in both the regular season (.406 to .296) and the postseason (.435 to .279). If the job of the leadoff hitter is to set the table for the big bats behind him, Jeter has been the best in baseball in 2009, while Rollins has been barely above average. And that's not even taking into account the plethora of intangibles Jeter brings to the Yanks. Edge: Yankees

THIRD BASE: The only player having a better postseason than the red-hot Howard? Alex Rodriguez, who has a sick postseason line (.438 average, .548 on-base percentage, .969 slugging percentage, five homers, twelve RBIs, and three kittens saved from trees) that doesn't even take into account his three super-clutch, game-tying home runs in games the Yanks eventually won. Used to be the knock on A-Rod was his inability to catch up with fastballs and his disappearing act in the clutch. The latter is obviously a thing of the past, and the former has been eliminated because of A-Rod's new, more compact swing, which he debuted after his hip surgery at the beginning of the season. Maybe a torn labrum was the best thing that's ever happened to A-Rod, as it forced him to shorten his swing and take fastballs to right field, where all three of his equalizing homers have gone. At this point, he has no obvious weaknesses and is a terror for all opposing pitchers.

If it seems like I've focused entirely on A-Rod and ignored Pedro Feliz, it's because the matchup is that one-sided. Edge: Yankees

LEFT FIELD: Ah, the outfield. The place where the Phillies seem to have an edge that gets bigger and bigger as you go from left to right. The matchup in left field is relatively even, considering Johnny Damon's ALCS resurgence, capped by his go-ahead two-run single in Game 6. He even appears to have won Game 1 of the World Series for the Yanks, according to this absurd simulation. While Raul Ibanez got off to a sizzling start and was one of baseball's best hitters at the All-Star Break, he hit a wall in the second half of the season and began a three-month slump that has continued in October.

Given their recent production -- namely, that Ibanez has one hit in his last 14 at-bats and Damon hit .300 in the ALCS -- it's hard not to go with Damon. But know this: No position player on the Yanks scares the crap out of me more than Damon. He could hit .400, .100 and everything in between in this series. Edge (gulp): Yankees

CENTER FIELD: Setting his mad dashes at umpires from center field aside, Shane Victorino has been a solid No. 2 hitter for the Phillies this season, hitting over .290 and scoring 102 runs. He's been even better in October, posting five multi-hit games in nine starts and reaching base safely in every game.

You could make the argument that it's easy to do that when you're surrounded by Rollins, Utley and Howard, while poor Melky Cabrera usually has Nick Swisher hitting in front of him (more on that in the minute). But strip away the lineups and ask yourself who you would want up at the plate in a vacuum. It's an easy choice. Edge: Phillies

RIGHT FIELD: Is Philadelphia getting good value on Jayson Werth right now or what? For $2.5 million, the Phillies have a player who was a solid back-of-the-lineup guy in the regular season and then exploded in October with five homers and 10 RBIs in 32 at-bats. He almost single-handedly closed the door on Joe Torre's Dodgers in the NLCS with a two-homer, four-RBI performance in the Phillies' 10-4 win in Game 5. If that's not enough, he has the coolest facial hair on either team (though that's not really fair, considering the Yankees don't allow facial hair.

For more than twice as much money, the Yankees have Nick Swisher, a good-field, good-walk, no-hit career castoff who's been REALLY no-hit in the postseason (4-32 so far). Swish has killed more rallies than I can count in the last two weeks, to the point where you almost want to see him dropped below Melky to the No. 9 spot in the lineup. In a series filled with big hitters, Swisher may distinguish himself as one of the few real offensive liabilities. Edge: Phillies

DESIGNATED HITTER: Not exactly a fair fight, since the Phillies play in the NL and therefore have no DH. The position will only relevant in Games 1,2, and possibly 6 and 7 at Yankee Stadium, since all games played in Philadelphia will feature pitchers hitting (can't wait to see C.C. Sabathia in the batter's box). The Phillies will probably go with veteran Matt Stairs, whose built-only-for-power lefty swing may actually pay off with the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium.

In the end, though, it will probably be all trash and no treasure for Stairs, who hit just .197 in the regular season and is 0-4 as a pinch hitter in October. Meanwhile, Hideki Matsui continues to go along nicely, flying under the radar as the epilogue to Texeira and A-Rod in the lineup. He's not the best No. 5 hitter in the league, but he has seven hits and eight walks in nine postseason games and always seems to come up with a huge hit when you least expect it. Edge: Yankees

BENCH: Minus Stairs, the Phillies don't really have a bench, just a hodgepodge collection of 30-somethings who played their best -- ie mediocre -- ball for other teams. Backup catcher Paul Bako has his best season with the Tigers 11 years ago, Greg Dobbs' best season average (.370) came as a second-half callup with the Mariners, and Eric Bruntlett was better in Houston than Philly. As the Associated Press put it: "This is far from a dazzling unit, but the Phillies don't necessarily use their bench that much."

Well, the Yankees do. They have speed, in the form of backup outfielder and pinch running specialist Brett Gardner. They have "savvy" in the form of A.J. Burnett's personal catcher, Jose Molina (I put savvy in parentheses because if he is actually calling most of Burnett's pitches, I take the whole sentence back). And it appears they will have slugging as well, as power-hitting lefty Eric Hinske is reportedly replacing speedster Freddy Guzman on the World Series roster. All three would immediately be the best player off the bench for Philadelphia, even the light-hitting but rocket-armed Molina. Philly just doesn't have anybody. Edge: Yankees

STARTING PITCHING: Ah, there's the rub! I could write more on the starting pitching in this series than this entire post. Let's keep it simple and give some bulletpoints.

--C.C. Sabathia (2007 AL Cy Young winner with the Indians) will face Cliff Lee (2008 AL Cy Young winner with the Indians) in Game 1. I think folks in Cleveland would rather be beset by midges than watch their former aces start the World Series for other teams. Hard to give the edge to either ace, but right now C.C. would be hard to bet against at home even if Walter Johnson started for the other team.

--It looks like Pedro Martinez, the Yanks' old nemesis himself, may start Game 2 in Yankee Stadium on Thursday. After all Pedro's been through, it's hard to tell which pitcher will show up. Will it be the one-hit, 17-strikeout Pedro? Or will we see the "Who's Your Daddy?" Pedro? I'm leaning towards the latter.

--Game 3 would then feature a battle of two lefties -- veteran Andy Pettitte and youngster Cole Hamels -- who have more than proven themselves in the postseason. Hamels won the NLCS and World Series MVP honors in 2008, and as for Pettitte... well, just read my last post. As good as Hamels has been in the last two Octobers, I'll take Pettitte against lefties Utley and Howard and hope Rollins and Werth don't burn him from the right side.

--Oh, one more thing. New York starters are 5-0 this postseason. Edge: Yankees

RELIEF PITCHING: Each side has three setup men they can't really count on: Scott Eyre, Ryan Madson and Chan Ho Park for the Phillies, and Phil Coke, Joba Chamberlain, and Phil Hughes for the Yankees. That's right, you can't argue Joba and Hughes are reliable when Mariano Rivera is pitching two-inning saves and everyone -- I mean everyone -- is calling it the only possible move.

And that's the thing. The conversation really starts and ends with Rivera. Phillies' closer Brad Lidge blew two saves in two days against the Yankees in May; Rivera blew two saves all season. The best reliever in baseball history is also the only guy on the planet I want to pitch one, two, even three innings with my season on the line. No one -- not Lidge, not anybody -- can stand up to that. Edge: Yankees

MANAGER: The New York Times ran an article earlier this week that succinctly sums up the difference in coaching styles between Joe Girardi and Charlie Manuel. The Cliff notes: Girardi coaches from his head a la Joe Torre, while Manuel coaches from his gut a la Stephen Colbert.

We could debate the contrasting approaches all day, but what it really boils down to is results. Manuel has a World Series ring as a manager, and Girardi doesn't. Until that changes, Manuel's on top. Edge: Phillies

X-FACTOR -- MOJO: Austin Powers had it, James Bond certainly has it, and the Yankees and Phillies have it in spades. Both teams breezed through their first two series, and both were comfortable waiting until the last moment for come-from-behind wins that broke the backs of their opponents. The Yankees have Jeter; the Phils have Rollins and Utley. The Bombers have A-Rod; the Phillies have Howard. The Yanks have Sabathia; the Phils have Lee. The Yanks have 26 World Series and four in the last 13 years; the Phillies are the defending champs. And so on and so on.

These are the two best teams in baseball, and more importantly, the two clubs best suited for a short series. They're full of confidence and talent, and neither team will be scared by the other's formidable attributes. Going forward, we'll see which team can exert its mojo on the opposition. But I couldn't for the life of me predict who comes out ahead. Edge: Even

BOTTOM LINE: This series is Ali-Frazier, Affirmed-Alydar, Pacino-DeNiro, a heavyweight fight that promises to be a classic. Both sides can score runs in bunches, and both will be looking to get past the elite starting pitching and exploit the opposing bullpen.

It's almost too close to call. But three projected starts by Sabathia and Rivera waiting in the ninth inning is too much to bet against. After the ALCS, Girardi said he picked the number 27 to wear as manager because he wanted a constant reminder of his team's goal: a 27th World Series title. Next season, he'll have to wear #28.

PREDICTION: Yankees in 7

The Rundown: Hats off to Andy Pettitte

As promised, I'm leading with the Yankees until they win it all or go home.

NEW YORK YANKEES: When the discussion of "greatest postseason pitcher in baseball history" comes up, people my age will throw out Pedro Martinez, Mariano Rivera and Curt Schilling and wax eloquent about the Bloody Sock Game until I want to be a cadaver myself. The old guard often counters with a pair of New York lefties, Whitey Ford (though he faded near the end of his career) and Sandy Koufax (4-3 record I know, but look at that ERA!).

After Sunday night, it's time to include another name in the discussion: Andy Pettitte.

The veteran lefty set a number of records with his win in the Yanks' 5-2 victory over the Angels in Game 6 that put them back in the World Series for the first time in six years. Pettitte picked up his fifth career series-clinching win, best all time, and moved ahead of John Smoltz into first place alone with 16 postseason wins. With three postseason series played each year (ALDS, ALCS, World Series) instead of one, Pettitte certainly has an advantage over Ford and Koufax. But having the most postseason wins of any pitcher in the history of baseball is nonetheless an impressive feat.

Ironically, Pettitte's first signature postseason victory came against Smoltz, when he outdueled the Braves ace in a classic pitcher's duel in Game 5 of the 1996 World Series. The Yanks won the game, 1-0, and were in front of Atlanta for good. Since then, Pettitte helped the Yanks win three straight World Series and played in three more, including the 2005 fall classic for the Houston Astros.

But Pettitte's importance to the Yankees lies beyond the numbers. He brings an infectious consistency and tenacity to the mound in every start, inspiring everyone in pinstripes with his iron will to win. At 37, Pettitte no longer has the same stuff he did 10 years ago, and he seriously contemplated retirement before signing a one-year deal with the Bombers in January. Yet there he was, shaking off a hard-luck bloop double by Vladimir Guerrero and battling back from 3-0 down to get Kendry Morales and preserve the Yanks' 3-1 lead in the sixth on Sunday.

After retiring Morales on a comebacker to the mound, Pettitte gave an emphatic fist pump as 50,173 fans at Yankee Stadium roared. An inning later, they cheered even louder, giving Pettitte a standing ovation as he exited with one out in the seventh and a two-run lead. It was a well-deserved tribute to one of October's all-time best.

(P.S. It was the Yanks' 40th American League pennant and first since 2003. Check back tomorrow for a mammoth Yankees-Phillies World Series preview).

NEW YORK JETS: After three straight losses, the last two to AFC East opponents, Gang Green was in need of a pick-me-up. It came in the form of the Oakland Raiders, who proved to be the panacea for all that ailed the Jets -- almost.

Rex Ryan's squad pounded the pitiful Raiders, 38-0, dominating every facet of a game that was basically never in doubt. The Jets rushed for more than 300 yards (318) for the second straight game, a feat not seen in the NFL since 1975. Mark Sanchez went the whole game without a turnover while his Oakland counterpart, JaMarcus Russell, had two interceptions and a fumble in the first quarter before he was banished to the far corner of the bench.

It wasn't all fun and games for the Jets, though. In a gruesome scene, running back and kick returner extraordinaire Leon Washington fractured his right fibula so badly the bone broke through his skin. Washington will undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season, dealing a big blow to the Jets' return game and putting the running game squarely on the shoulders of Thomas Jones (and, perhaps, rookie and 2008 Doak Walker Award winner Shonn Greene). Gotta feel for Washington, who tried and failed to get a long-term deal with the Jets in the offseason and will now be a free agent coming off a possible career-altering injury.

NEW YORK GIANTS: In a post on the new NFL Blog Blitz site, I predicted a frustrating Giants loss to the Cardinals marred by mistakes and a big game from Larry Fitzgerald. Man, do I hate being right sometimes.

The Giants brought their best mistake-prone mindset (three interceptions by Eli Manning, the last one on a ball thrown into double coverage, and a fumble by Ahmad Bradshaw when he tried to "heroically" turn a very good run into a great one). And while Fitzgerald didn't get a touchdown, he led all receivers with six catches and 83 yards and consistently burned Big Blue's cornerbacks.

Despite the secondary's poor game, the blame for this loss lies mainly with Eli. Apparently, the quarterback's torrid start to the season was a product of bad opposition more than good play. In his last two games, Eli has five turnovers, a 48.5 completion percentage and a horde of mocking headlines in the New York tabloids. I hope I'm not right about this prediction: Come next Monday, the Giants will be in third place in the NFC East.

NEW YORK RANGERS: Yes, the Blueshirts gave up 16 goals in their three-game losing streak last week. But cries about the plight of the Rangers' defense may be a tad premature. Five of those goals were let up by backup goalie Steve Valiquette in a 7-3 loss to San Jose. One was scored by the Devils on an empty net, and one came in overtime in a 5-4 loss to the Canadiens. And before that, the Rangers didn't allow more than three goals in any of their first eight games.

So let's put those "Where is the defense?" moanings on hold. At least wait for the Blueshirts to fall closer towards .500.

NEW YORK KNICKS: The Knicks -- or if you prefer, the Wait For 2010s -- kick off the regular season against the Miami Heat on Wednesday. Check in for a season preview later in the week. Until then, I'll leave you with 33 words of wisdom from one of ESPN's NBA gurus, Marc Stein. Hint: scroll way, way down.

Time for Game 7 -- I mean Game 6

The low-pressure system that dumped more than an inch of rain on New York and postponed Game 6 of the Yanks-Angels series gave the media an additional 24 hours to harp on the following stat.

CONSECUTIVE ALCS-CLINCHING GAMES LOST BY THE YANKEES: 5

That brings up a round of comparisons to the Yanks' 2004 collapse against Boston and questions about whether this team will suffer the same fate. But since only five of the 25 players on this year's playoff roster were on the team during that epic fail in '04, I think I'll leave that discussion to the talking heads.

That said, the Yankees have to win Game 6 tonight against the Angels. If they don't, they will not win the World Series. Oh, they could easily take home the ALCS, but that's as far as they'll go.

And there's one 6-foot-7, 290-pound reason why: C.C. Sabathia.

The Yankees' bulldog of an ace has been unbeatable in the postseason, throwing eight innings in each of his three sterling starts and giving up a total of four runs. Even short rest couldn't stop the C.C. locomotive -- Sabathia bulldozed the Halos in Game 4 and brought the Yanks within one game of their first World Series since 2003.

In Game 5, A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes demonstrated why the only pitches Joe Girardi can really trust are Sabathia and Mariano Rivera. Even veteran Andy Pettitte looks beatable after allowing a 3-0 lead in Game 3 to slip away.

Pettitte takes the hill for Game 6 against the Angels' Joe Saunders, a matchup that seems to favor the Bombers, especially at home. But if Los Angeles/Anaheim/California manages to win tonight, the Yanks will have to go to Sabathia in Game 7.

Now, that seems like a good thing. Handing the ball to the best pitcher in baseball (right now, at least) in an all-or-nothing game is a recipe for mosh pits on the mound and champagne in the clubhouse (Game 7 of the 1968 World Series notwithstanding). But if Sabathia goes in Monday's Game 7, he won't be available for Games 1 or 2 of the World Series on Wednesday and Thursday.

What it boils down to is that C.C. would start Games 3 and 7 instead of Games 1,4, and 7. That's two starts instead of three against a Phillies team that promises to give New York all it can handle. In a short series, one game often makes the difference. Not having C.C. for an extra game would put the Bombers at an immediate disadvantage, since Philadelphia will have both Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels rested and ready to go come Wednesday.

The Yanks should win tonight and have a rested Sabathia ready for Game 1 against the Phils. But if they don't, a Game 7 ALCS victory may be the best they can hope for.

Mr. Selig, Remove Tim McClelland

Commissioner Selig:

This time of year, your job should be pretty easy. You can sit around and enjoy the fruits of a long regular season as four teams from three of baseball's biggest markets (New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia) battle it out in the LCS. You even have a marquee World Series to look forward to (at this point it's looking like Yanks-Phillies, but hey, who knows?).

The last thing you want to be doing this week is making controversial decisions. So I apologize in advance for making this request on behalf of all of baseball.

Relieve ALCS crew chief Tim McClelland from his umpiring duties for the rest of the playoffs. Today. Right now. Without a second thought.

See the link I put up there on McClelland's name. That's to the 28-year veteran umpire's Wikipedia page. As you can see, the page has been locked -- meaning no changes can be made by anyone except registered users -- because of vandalism. Now why do you suppose that is?

Well, it might have something to do with his historic spate of bad calls in the Bombers' 10-1 win over the Halos in Game 4. Mr. Selig, allow me to break this one down point by point.

1. With one out in the top of the fourth inning, the Yanks had Nick Swisher on third. Johnny Damon lifted a high fly to center field, more than deep enough for Swisher to tag and score, which he did easily. Immediately, the Angels dugout began clamoring Swisher had left third early and should be called out. So Halos' hurler Scott Kazmir threw over to third to appeal, a play that happens occasionally but works once in a blue moon.

This time, it worked. McClelland, the "third base umpire" for the day, called Swisher out, even though replays showed that not only did Swisher stay on the base until the catch was made, but McClelland wasn't even looking at Swisher as he tagged up. It's hard to rule a player left early when, you know, you didn't see him leave early.

2. An inning later, the Yanks were threatening again and had Jorge Posada on third and Robinson Cano on second with one out. Swisher chopped a ground ball to pitcher Darren Oliver, who caught the slow-footed Posada in a rundown between third and home. As the rundown continued, Cano crept toward third base but inexplicably stopped two feet short of the bag, as if he didn't want to cut off Posada's escape route.

Angels' catcher Mike Napoli alertly went after both runners, tagging Posada as he scampered toward third, then slapping the tag on Cano as he continued to stand just off the base.

We could discuss the baserunning stupidity of Posada and Cano getting caught in an inning-ending double play -- if it had been called a double play. Instead, McClelland called Cano safe, even though replays showed him a full step away from third base when he was tagged.

3. After the game, McClelland had a chance to go in front of the press and admit he was very, very wrong on both calls. And he did -- sort of. But he added some unbelievable commentary. Here's a snippet of his thoughts on the two calls:

First call: "The first one, with Swisher leaving too soon, in my heart I thought he left too soon... After looking at replays, I’m not sure I believe the replay of the first one."

Second call: "On the play with Cano and Posada, I was waiting for two players to be on the base. When he tagged Cano, I thought Cano was on the base."

Both explanations don't hold water, but as a baseball fan I'm much more concerned the first one, the one where McClelland thought "in his heart" Swisher left soon and "is not sure he believes the replay."

Are you kidding? ARE YOU KIDDING??? THIS ISN'T AN AFTER-SCHOOL SPECIAL, IT'S A BASEBALL GAME!!! IF YOU DON'T SEE SOMETHING, YOU DON'T CROSS YOUR FINGERS AND GO WITH YOUR HEART, YOU DON'T CALL IT!!!!! AND A REPLAY ISN'T SOMETHING YOU CAN 'NOT BELIEVE', IT'S A VIDEO RECORDING!!!!!! IT CAN'T LIE!!!!!!!!!

Whew... sorry about that, Commissioner. I'm just moved beyond sanity by those comments, which indicate either a man with no clue what he's doing or someone who's entered the advanced stages of dementia.

Either way, it's textbook gross incompetence. Even at best, it means McClelland knew he got the Swisher call wrong for the Yanks and called Cano safe in an attempt to "make up" the earlier gaffe. Still beyond unacceptable for a spring training game, much less the ALCS.

Luckily for baseball, neither call directly affected the outcome of the game, which featured 10 Yankee runs scored on non-controversial plays. But what if either McClelland blunder had changed the result of the game? How bad would that look for baseball?

How bad would that look for you?

So please, Mr. Selig, do whatever you have do as leader of Major League Baseball. Cite his incompetence. Bring in a new crew chief. Bring in a whole new umpiring crew (second base ump Dale Scott wasn't far behind McClelland in idiocy on Wednesday). Hell, you can kidnap him in the middle of night and hold him in Borneo until the postseason is over. Just get him off the field.

There will be fallout. The umpires union will have an aneurysm, and some will accuse you of being too heavy-handed. There will be so much red tape to go through in the next 24 hours that you may literally drown in paperwork.

But the Yankees and the Angels will thank you. The fans will thank you. And baseball itself will be better for it.

So please, Bud. Do it for the good of the game.

Sincerely,
A Concerned Lover of Baseball

The Rundown: Joe's Magic Book

Hate to lead with the Yankees AGAIN, but they keep having these crazy extra-inning games in the postseason, so...

NEW YORK YANKEES: "Conventional wisdom" is a dangerous thing. In sports, managers and coaches often forget the old adage that change is good and fervently stick to the script. The rise of statistics, analysis, statistical analysis and Bill James has only made it worse, with coaches often allowing even the smallest minutia of stats to influence an in-game decision.

So now we're left with Joe Girardi and his big black book.

The Yankee skipper has been good all year, keeping his machinations to a minimum and pretty much letting the most talented team in baseball do its thing. But in the ALCS, he has begun to (gulp) overmanage, pulling relievers after just one or two batters and inserting pinch runners faster than you can say Alfredo Aceves.

Speaking of Aceves, he has been overmatched by these Angels. Forget numbers and watch Game 2, where he gave up the potential game-winning run in the 11th inning only to be bailed out by Alex Rodriguez's game-tying homer. I know Girardi watched the game -- I saw him there on TV. He was in that dugout thing.

And yet there the Yankee skipper was, looking at a book the size of a family photo album and pulling David Robertson for Aceves with two outs and none on in the bottom of 11th in Game 3. All Robertson had done was win two postseason games, the same number as C.C. Sabathia, and get the first two batters of this inning on 11 pitches. You know, everything.

Aceves came in and promptly surrendered a single to Howie Kendrick and a triple to career .200 hitter Jeff Mathis. Game over.

Watching SportsCenter this morning, I learned what had been in that weighty tome of baseball stats that caused Girardi to bring in Aceves. Kendrick's a top 10 hitter in the league against fastballs, Robertson gets 71 percent of his outs on fastballs, while Aceves gets only 51 percent. Apparently, that justifies pulling a hot pitcher and bringing in a cold one when a single, double, or triple by Kendrick -- off a Robertson fastball, perhaps? -- still doesn't beat you.

Great book you got there, Joe. Can't wait for the sequel.

The Yanks are still up 2-1 in the series, and Girardi will undoubtedly get more chances to employ his heavy-handed managing. But since he went to Northwestern like I did and seems to be a pretty smart guy, I'm going to make a direct appeal. Destroy the book, Joe. Burn that thing Fahrenheit 451-style. Go with the action on the field, not the numbers that ultimately mean very little in the heat of a postseason series.

NEW YORK RANGERS: Screw the Giants and Jets. These Rangers have been far more impressive this month. Even a 7-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Monday shouldn't really blunt their momentum, since it came with backup goalie Steve Valiquette getting a rare start. When the chips are down, Henrik Lundqvist will always be the netminder, and he's been superb thus far.

Rangers' general manager Glen Sather is looking more and more like a genius for his decision to sign former Minnesota Wild right winger Marian Gaborik to a lucrative free-agent deal in the offseason. Gaborik is tied for fifth in points with 12 (six goals, six assists), best among right wingers, and he has provided an offensive catalyst for the Rangers, who have scored at least three goals in their last eight games and are averaging 3.9 goals per game for the season. The Blueshirts may not have come out of the blocks as fast as the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins, but at 7-2 they are one of the elite teams in the NHL.

NEW YORK GIANTS: What can you say, really? The Giants had their first real test of the season after three "cupcake" games, facing the 4-0 Saints on the road. Big Blue got an F.

The Giants were thrashed, 48-27, in a game that was actually more lopsided than the final score. New Orleans scored touchdowns on five of its six first-half possessions, and a costly fumble by Eli Manning with 20 seconds left in the second quarter led to a Saints' TD, a 34-17 halftime deficit, and a swift push of the "Last Channel" button on the remote so I could watch Vikings-Ravens.

The G-Men play Arizona and Philadelphia the next two weeks. If they can get two W's, perhaps they will once again be considered a top team. Right now, though, they simply don't belong in the same discussion as the Saints or Vikings in the NFC.

NEW YORK JETS: It's not exactly earth-shattering that Mark Sanchez threw five interceptions. He is, after all, a rookie quarterback. What is amazing is the numbers in the Jets' 16-13 overtime loss to the Bills.

Gang Green racked up 318 -- 318! -- yards on the ground, the most by a losing team since 1944. I believe Bronko Nagurski may have been somehow involved in that game.

My question is why was Sanchez throwing the ball at all in overtime? The Jets had run over, around, and away from the Bills the entire game, and the rookie QB already had four picks. Just run the ball three times in a row every time. Odds of getting at least 10 yards: very high. Odds of a game-killing Sanchez INT: nonexistent.

NEW YORK KNICKS: Other than this insane scene in Sunday's preseason game, the biggest subplot of the Knicks' preseason has been the continued poor shooting of Danilo Gallinari. The Knicks' swingman and supposed sharpshooter has shot just 28 percent from the field in the preseason, and coach Mike D'Antoni has hinted the 21-year old Italian may start the season on the bench. It's too early to tell, but Gallinari may prove to be another Frederic Weis -- sorry, Maciej Lampe. You get the idea.

Link'd Up, 10/18/09: Overstaying his welcome

The Knicks can't even have a preseason game without something going wrong.

To be fair, this one wasn't the hapless franchise's fault. This was more like a combination of customs, an insane coach, and replacement referees.

New York played an exhibition game against Maccabi Tel Aviv in front of a packed house at Madison Square Garden, rare for a preseason contest. The 14,602 fans were treated to a spectacle they most likely have never seen before and will never see again -- at any level.

After being ejected in the third quarter, Maccabi coach Pini Gershon refused to leave the court, leading to a bizarre sequence of events that included a rabbi coming out of the stand to moderate and an impromptu half-court shooting contest from the players while they waited.

The replacement referees -- installed for all NBA games going forward after the league locked out its referees -- were completely befuddled as Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman, clad in a black hat and coat and sporting a long white beard, pleaded with the refs to let Gershon stay. Knicks' guard Nate Robinson even wandered over to figure out what was going on, but he was stymied by all the Hebrew being spoken and retreated.

Eventually, Gershon left and the game continued. But for a while, it looked like security would literally have to drag him off the court.

Bizarre. Even for the Knicks.

The Curse of the Shellaclava, and the apotheosis of A-Rod

Amazon.com advertises the shellaclava as a lightweight, low-bulk, microfur neck warmer. It's great for alpine adventures or a day on the ski slopes.

No one in baseball should wear one ever again.

The ALCS has become the curse of the shellaclava, with two Angels and one Yankee already victims of the insidious garment. It started with Halos' shortstop Erick Aybar, who let a pop fly drop directly in front of him in Game 1 that gave the Bombers basically a free run in their 4-1 victory. Saturday, it claimed Robinson Cano and Maicer Izturis as well.

Though conditions for Game 2 were just as cold and wet, Aybar trotted out to shortstop Saturday with an exposed neck and no headwear, possibly on pain of death from skipper Mike Scioscia. And Aybar had a stellar game, racking up a hit, a walk, a stolen base, and a run and contributing almost spotless defense. His only blemish came when second base umpire Jerry Layne negated a double play on of the once-in-a-blue-moon neighborhood play.

Cano and Izturis, meanwhile, donned their shellaclavas without a second thought. The curse lay dormant until the late innings, when it struck with a fury. First, Cano muffed two routine ground balls, including a misplay in the 13th where the ball literally rolled under his glove. The ball was hit by Aybar, now on the other end of the curse.

The Yankees were able to maneuver around Cano's errors each time; Izturis was not so lucky. The Angels' second baseman fell victim to the curse on the final play of the five-hour, 10-minute classic. With runners on first and second and one out in the bottom of the 13th, Melky Cabrera slapped a ground ball into the hole. Izturis grabbed the ball, spun, and fired to second, trying for a heroic double play.

The throw was wild, and Jerry Hairston Jr. came around to score the winning run as the ball dribbled away.

After the game, Izturis defended his decision to try for the double play. Maybe the shellaclava was wrapped around his head a little too tight.

The series shifts to warm and sunny L.A. for Games 3-5, so the shellaclavas will be put away for now. But the forecast calls for more rain and low temperatures in the 40s next weekend in New York, when a possible Game 6 and 7 would be played. We'll see if anyone is foolhardy enough to break out the headgear again.

In other news, how 'bout that Alex Rodriguez guy? Earlier this postseason, I questioned the sanity of anyone who threw A-Rod a fastball in a big moment. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Brian Fuentes! The Halos' closer had A-Rod down 0-2, with light-hitting Hairston and Brett Gardner on deck. In that driving rain, only A-Rod and Mark Teixeira are hitting it out for the Bombers. How could you possibly throw the hottest hitter in baseball an 0-2 fastball?

Out in the cold

In my ALCS preview, I wrote the cold weather would be the X-factor in the series because the Angels just weren't used to near-freezing temperatures, howling wind, and a steady mist. Actually, was I said of the Angels was: "You cannot adequately become used to these conditions, no matter how hard you try, if you live where they filmed Baywatch."

Maybe the reference was dated. But after Game 1, the sentiment appears to be absolutely right.

From the first inning of the Yankees' 4-1 win, the Halos looked miserable in the chilly, wet conditions and played like a badly coached high school team. Four separate miscues by Mike Scioscia's club led to three of the Yanks' four runs and forced the Angels to play from behind all night.

To say Los Angeles couldn't get out of its own way isn't quite right. It was more like the Angels left their fielding skills -- and their brains -- in balmy Southern California.

Leading the race to the bottom was left fielder Juan Rivera, who reminded the Yankees why they let him go when he threw to no one on a Johnny Damon single, allowing Damon to advance to second and setting the early standard for defensive futility.

Three batters later, shortstop Erick Aybar did Rivera one better. With two outs in the first, Damon was still on second and the Bombers led 1-0. Hideki Matsui lofted a mile-high popup between short and third, and it looked like the inning was over.

Only it wasn't. As the ball fell toward the infield, Aybar and third baseman Chone Figgins stood stock still 10 feet apart, neither player making any move to catch the ball. The ball fell to the dirt between them, a stunned Matsui stood on first with a "single", Damon scored and the Yanks led 2-0.

It's hard to articulate how monumentally bad this play was, or how much it cost Los Angeles. But it's easy to assign blame. Scioscia chewed out Figgins in the dugout, but that was probably more getting on the veteran infielder for not picking up Aybar's slack. Aybar's the shortstop. He runs the infield. He's got to make that play or be 100 percent sure that Figgins has it.

One Yankee fan brought a banner hailing Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter as "Captain October." Jeet's counterpart on the Angels is Captain Moron.

The Angels went largely mistake-free for the next few innings, though Aybar bounced a routine throw to first that Kendry Morales had to make a nice scoop on. But as the game wore old, the cold wore its way into everyone in the stadium, including Halos' starter John Lackey, who braved the elements in short sleeves but made a critical mistake on a pickoff attempt in the sixth with Melky Cabrera on first and two out. The errant throw got past Morales, and Melky scooted to second. Jeter laced the next pitch up the middle, and center field Torii Hunter booted the ball for the Angels' coup de grace.

Hunter has won eight consecutive Gold Gloves. When the best defensive center fielder this decade is making errors, you know you're in trouble.

The cold unquestionably played a major role in the Angels' mistakes. Aybar was wearing a shellaclava that covered most of his face, and he didn't hear Figgins yell for him to take Matsui's pop fly. And the Angels appeared more uncomfortable than the Yankees on the field throughout the game, as if they couldn't wait to hit the clubhouse for a steaming mug of hot cocoa.

The Yankees didn't exactly look happy on the field either. But ace C.C. Sabathia (eight innings, one run, four hits) could pitch at the North Pole and still turn in a quality start.

The weather may actually be worse for tonight's Game 2, with temperatures around 40 and heavy rain likely. The teams may face multiple rain delays, as the MLB will be reluctant to postpone the game until tomorrow and fight Sunday Night Football for ratings. Forget Jeter and A-Rod -- Mother Nature may turn out to be the Yankees' ALCS MVP.

Yankees-Angels ALCS Preview

Time for another exhaustive breakdown (couldn't be happier -- two down, one to go). But first, a look at a more unheralded explanation for the Yanks' 2009 success.

In today's Wall Street Journal, Matthew Futterman and Austin Kelley examine whether a more relaxed clubhouse attitude has led to more success on the field for the Bombers. They focus on the usual suspects, offseason acquisitions C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Nick Swisher. But while it's certainly true that pies to the face and mohawks in the clubhouse have eased the tension for the traditionally buttoned-up Yanks, Futterman and Kelley -- like everyone else -- fail to give one much-maligned Yankee his due: Alex Rodriguez.

I imagine most of you are squawking in disbelief, "A-Roid? The guy who makes more than a small country every year and still couldn't get a big postseason before last week? I think not (or other more graphic language)." Just bear with me.

Since he arrived in New York in 2004, the single biggest point of tension between Yankee players has been the frosty relationship of A-Rod and team captain, ladies' man, and general savior Derek Jeter. The Yankee shortstop, who has a tendency to hold grudges, never got over A-Rod's infamous comment to Esquire:

'he [Jeter] has never had to lead. He can just go and play and have fun. He hits second — that's totally different than third or fourth in the lineup. You go into New York, you wanna stop Bernie [Williams] and Paul [O'Neill]. You never say, "Don't let Derek beat us." He's never your concern.'

For four years, the feud persisted, and burdened with a poisonous dynamic between the two most visible players on the team, the Yankee clubhouse dynamic suffered. Then came the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009, when A-Rod received a triple dose of humility. In rapid succession, he got divorced, he admitted to steroid use from 2001-2003, and he was forced to the DL because of hip surgery.

Rodriguez missed the first month and a half of the season, rehabbing his hip and staying out of the public eye. During his time away, A-Rod "took a new approach to life, personally and professionally." The Yankee slugger mentally took the weight off his shoulders, choosing to be just another part of the team rather than the center of attention.

The results has been more than a looser, more happy-go-lucky A-Rod. The left side of the Yankee infield finally appears to be in sync, as Jeter and Rodriguez have reached at least a detente, if not an actual friendship. Combine that with the offseason of Burnett and Swisher, clubhouse pranksters both, and you get Kangaroo Courts in May and walkoff wins in October.

I'm not saying A-Rod should get all the credit for the Yankees doing their best "Idiots" impressive all season. But give the man his due for making a positive change in his life, and acknowledge his contribution to the new Yankee way.

Now back to the field...

CATCHER: No Joe Mauer for the Yanks to face in the series. Instead, they get a two-man platoon that features one of the Angels' many Yankee-killers. Mike Napoli is 22-54 lifetime against New York, a sizzling .407 average, and should see a lot of favorable matchups with lefties C.C. Sabathia and Andy Pettitte in the Yanks' three-man rotation -- and if needed, he can be spelled by Jeff Mathis. That said, it's hard to go against Game 3 hero and "Dynasty Boy" Jorge Posada when Mauer, the prospective AL MVP, is off the table. Edge: Yankees

FIRST BASE: The Angels made a calculated decision in the offseason: let superb slugger Mark Teixeira go and roll the dice with the unproven Kendry Morales at first base for 5 percent of the cost. Morales has made the Angels' front office look positively clairvoyant hitting .306 and smacking 34 homers and 108 RBIs. He even went .375 with three longballs against the Yankees. Teixeira, meanwhile, was nabbed by the Bombers as one of their lucrative free-agent signings. All he did was lead the AL in homers and RBIs and make a viable case for the MVP. Oh, and that walkoff homer in Game 2 against the Twins was pretty good too. Edge: Yankees

SECOND BASE: It can be argued that outside of Dustin Pedroia and Chase Utley, Robinson Cano is the best second baseman in baseball, he of the incomparable athletic, often lackadaisical manner and maddeningly inability to work a walk. It can also be argued that two good players are better than a single very good one. The Angels will throw the two-headed monster of Maicer Izturis, who hits well and fields better, and Yankee-killer extraordinaire Howie Kendrick at the Bombers. Kendrick's unconscious numbers against New York -- .468 average and 1.165 OPS in 79 at-bats -- make the difference here. Edge: Angels

SHORTSTOP: Anyone doubted Derek Jeter's ability to change a game with just his head can be quiet now (Exhibit 451: Sunday's Game 3 against the Twins). If that weren't enough, Jeter went 4-10 with a homer and two doubles against Minnesota, raising his lifetime postseason average to .311. Jeter can be the catalyst for the whole Yankee ballclub, and Los Angeles' Erick Aybar just doesn't measure up. Edge: Yankees

THIRD BASE: Like I said in my ALDS preview, the Yanks have a pretty, pretty, pretty good infield. And that was before A-Rod went all Reggie Jackson on the Twins. Don't get me wrong -- Chone Figgins is a terror on the bases, a top leadoff hitter and a possible nightmare for Yankee pitching. But is he one of the best players is baseball going through a postseason Renaissance? No. Edge: Yankees

LEFT FIELD: Former Yankee curse, Part 1: Juan Rivera, who never won over the Yanks or the New York fans and was shipped out well before he realized his full potential for the Angels. After posting the best power numbers of his career in 2009, Rivera seems to be on his way up. Johnny Damon, meanwhile, is clearly on his way down, and after his 1-12 performance in the ALDS, it's questionable whether he could even hit Triple A pitching at this point. Anyway, it's not a debate when the general consensus among Yankee fans is Damon should no longer be hitting second. Edge: Angels

CENTER FIELD: The Angels shelled out money like the Yanks at this position. This year alone, they paid out $28.4 million to center fielders alone -- $18 million to Torii Hunter and $10.4 million to backup Gary Matthews Jr., a rich man for doing virtually nothing. What the Angels get for all that money at least one and possibly two players who are better than the Bombers' Melky Cabrera, who made $1.4 million this year and will most likely never come close to $10 million a season. This time, you get what you pay for. Edge: Angels

RIGHT FIELD: Former Yankee curse, Part 2: Bobby Abreu, jilted by the Yanks in the offseason, has been better than ever as a table-setter for the Angels. Only Figgins had better numbers across the board in the AL than Abreu's 96 runs, 94 walks and .390 on-base percentage. In the ALDS against Boston, he had a .556 average, best of anyone in the playoffs, including a crucial two-out double off Jonathan Papelbon to keep the Angels' ninth-inning rally in Game 3 alive. Because of the season-ending injury to Xavier Nady, the Yanks have essentially replaced Abreu with Nick Swisher -- and it's been a downgrade. Edge: Angels

DESIGNATED HITTER: Let me tell you of a dark time in Yankee history, when George Steinbrenner made the personnel decisions even though he was slowly losing his mind, and the Yankees got Randy Johnson and Kevin Brown and Jaret Wright and we thought the madness would never end...

What was I saying? Oh, yeah. The worst decision the Boss made in those years earlier this decade was choosing Gary Sheffield over Vladimir Guerrero, a move that I knew even then would haunt the Yanks for years. Six years later, Guerrero is the heart of Los Angeles' lineup, while Sheffield wears a Tigers' uniform. While Vlad swings at pretty much anything he sees, he manages an inordinate number of extra-base hits on ball two feet out of the strike zone. Hideki Matsui has more discipline at the plate than Guerrero, but he possesses neither the power nor the raw skill of the Angels' star. Edge: Angels

BENCH: The key bench players for both teams -- Brett Gardner for the Yanks and Reggie Willits for the Angels -- bring speed and more speed to the table. Both can steal bases, score from first on a ball in the gap, and run down fly balls in the outfield, and both will see time in the series. This category come down to whether Yanks' backup catcher Jose Molina can do as good a job handling the finnicky A.J. Burnett as he did in Game 2 against Minnesota (six innings, three hits, one run). I say he does. Edge: Yankees

STARTING PITCHING: The Yankees have the big names -- C.C. Sabathia, Burnett, and Andy Pettitte. But none of them had an ERA better than Burnett's 4.26 against the Angels this season. The Halos' starters fared little better against the Bombers, though ace John Lackey gave up just two runs in seven innings in his one start against New York. The Angels are hoping for three things: Joe Saunders can keep the Yankees in the park in Game 2, Jered Weaver can bring his A game in Game 3, and former Ray Scott Kazmir can continue his strong play against the Yanks in Game 4. The Yankees know what they got from their Big Three in the ALDS: 19 innings pitched, four earned runs, 2-0 record. Edge: Yankees

RELIEF PITCHING: In days gone by, the Angels had such bullpen bulldogs as Francisco Rodriguez, Troy Percival, and the bespectacled Brendan Donnelly. These days, the Los Angeles relievers appear much more beatable. Though closer Brian Fuentes led the AL with 48 saves, he's been skating on thin ice in his recent appearances and looks prime for a meltdown. Their right-handed specialist, Kevin Jepsen, had a 4.94 ERA this season. Meanwhile, the Yanks bring the same murderers' row as last series: Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Phil Coke to get to the ninth, and Mariano Rivera to be like death and taxes: inevitable. Edge: Yankees

MANAGER: Joe Girardi has been solid in his second season and accumulated enough postseason experience as a player to be comfortable in the big time. But there's a reason the Angels are 2-0 against the Yankees in playoff series this decade and haven't lost the combined regular-season series to them since 2003. A big part of it Mike Scioscia, who was a catcher like Girardi and can apparently somehow see directly into the minds of the Yankees. His ninth-inning moves with Fuentes and Jepsen have been curious, but he still owns the Yanks until he's lost a series to them. Edge: Angels

X-FACTOR: The gametime temperature for tonight's Game 1 will be about 42 degrees, with a 70 percent chance of rain. It may not be Colorado, but it will be borderline miserable out there nonetheless. Game 2 will be no different -- cold, cloudy, and probably rainy. The Angels hail from Los Angeles, which at this moment Friday afternoon is 92 degrees and sunny. You cannot adequately become used to these conditions, no matter how hard you try, if you live in where they filmed Baywatch. Edge: Yankees

BOTTOM LINE: The Angels play a running game on offense that frustrates the Yankees to no end, and they have no shortage of hitters who circle every game against the Bombers on their calendar. And yet... I keep thinking about the Yanks' home-field advantage. Through the ALDS, Girardi's squad is 59-24 at home, the best mark in the league. If the Yankees can get the series back to New York for Games 6 and 7, I can't see them fumbling it away at home. And the Angels aren't beating the Yanks in five.

PREDICTION: Yankees in 7

Link'd Up, 10/16: Goal, Estados Unidos!!!

This has nothing to do with New York sports. To be honest, it really doesn't have anything directly to do with American sports, only tangentially. But rarely do you hear such unbridled joy.

Wednesday night was the final night of World Cup qualifying for the CONCACAF group (North America), with the top three teams qualifying automatically and the fourth-place country relegated to a playoff with the fifth-place team from South America.

Honduras, beset by presidential turmoil since June, needed a win over El Salvador and a U.S. win or tie against Costa Rica to avoid that all-or-nothing playoff and qualify automatically in third place. Honduras did its part with a 1-0 win, but Costa Rica had an early 2-0 lead on the U.S., and it looked grim for Honduras.

Only the U.S. pulled off a miracle, coming back despite being a man down and tying the game in the fifth minute of second-half injury time with a miracle goal. The score gave Honduras its place in the 2010 World Cup and set off what can only be described as advanced delirium brought on by ecstasy.

Here is the call from a Honduras radio station. If you're in a bad mood or just in need of a pick-me-up, listen to it. It will give you goosebumps, and it will bring a smile to your face. Promise.

Plus, it's the happiest a Central American country has been with the U.S. in years.

Link'd Up, 10/13/09: The future of baseball?

In the 72 hours since Phil Cuzzi became a household name across the country and a pariah in Minnesota, the debate about major league umpires has once again entered the national spotlight. No less an authority than the Wall Street Journal devoted its one-page sports section Tuesday to an in-depth look at the men in blue, detailing the history of umpires in baseball and examining new technologies that may one day render umpires obsolete.

The latter point is what really interested me. If the Pitch f/x system is in fact close to 100 percent accurate calling balls and strikes, then my dad's continuous pleas for "an infrared strike zone" may actually already be possible. Numerous obstacles would remain before home plate umpires could be replaced by technology, and there are those who would fight the change tooth and nail even if the new system got it right on every pitch. But it's intriguing to know the technology is out there.

The Rundown: Ode to the Dynasty Boys

It seems redundant to lead off with the Yankees after my 1,600-word monster of a post wrapping up the ALDS from last night. But the Bombers are the talk of the town after their sweep of the Twins over the weekend. And it occurs to me that I neglected to recognize the accomplishments of a very specific group of Yankees, who the New York Post's Joel Sherman aptly named "The Dynasty Boys" in his 3UP column Monday.

Sherman was referring to the quartet of Yanks who have been around since the beginning of the Joe Torre Era: Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada. Sure, Posada was still in the minors when the Yankees won the 1996 World Series, and Pettitte was banished to the Astros for three seasons during George Steinbrenner's I'm-slowly-going-insane-but-still-making-all-the-major-baseball-decisions phase early in this decade. But from 1996 to 2009, these four have been on the Yankee roster for 52 out of a possible 56 seasons (the math works, I promise).

And each of them were vital to the Yanks' series-clinching, come-from-behind 4-1 win in Game 3. Pettitte set the tone by allowing just one run and three hits in 6 1/3 sterling innings, tying John Smoltz for the most postseason wins in baseball history (15) and taking his place in the pantheon of great postseason pitchers. Next came Posada, who smacked the biggest home run of his 13-year career to give the Bombers a 2-1 lead in the seventh. Posada took a fastball from Carl Pavano the other way, an impressive hitting job even though the ball barely cleared the left-field fence.

Then came Jeter, who for the second time in his career made a heads up, game-saving play in Game 3 of a divisional series. This one wasn't quite as extraordinary as his backhanded flip against Oakland in 2001, but it saved the game nonetheless. With Nick Punto on second and no one out in the eighth, Denard Span slapped an infield single up the middle. Jeter immediately recognized he had no chance of getting the speedy Span at first, so he turned his head towards home plate and saw Punto round third with a full head of steam, sure the Yankee shortstop would throw to first. Instead, Jeter threw home, a stunned Punto scrambled back towards third, and Posada's throw to A-Rod got there first. Rally over. Punto's atrocious baserunning aside, Jeter has displayed his incredible baseball acumen time and time again. In the age of Manny Ramirez, it's a refreshing thing to see.

Rivera provided the coup de grace, getting the last four outs for yet another postseason save and propelling the Yankees to the ALCS for the first time in five years. His wicked cutter got the best of Joe Mauer, whose .365 average was the best in baseball this season, and his pinpoint control and fastball took care of everyone else.

The Yankees open the ALCS at home on Friday against their old nemesis, the Anaheim/Los Angeles/California Angels. The men in pinstripes are 0-for-2 in playoff series against the Halos this decade, but with the Dynasty Boys on their side, you can never count the Yanks out.

NEW YORK GIANTS: Eli Manning didn't really have to play Sunday against the hapless Oakland Raiders. But the fact that he did sent a powerful message to his teammates and Giants fans everywhere. The fact that he played out of his mind -- that sent a message to the rest of the NFL.

Manning went 8-10 for 173 yards and two touchdowns in a little less than one half of work on his way to a perfect 158.3 passer rating and a 28-0 second-quarter lead. He then handed the reins to backup quarterback David Carr, who added a rushing touchdown of his own in a 44-7 thrashing that said less about the Giants' place among the elite teams in the league and more about the heart of their starting quarterback.

Eli has now started 76 consecutive games, behind only his brother Peyton (181) and octogenarian wonder Brett Favre (274) among active quarterbacks. Say what you want about Archie Manning's handling of his sons, but he definitely imparted a truckload of toughness into Eli and Peyton. Both the Giants and Peyton's Indianapolis Colts know they have a leader who's willing to play banged up, and though you can't measure the tangible effect that has on a football team, you can count the two Super Bowls won by Mannings in the past three years.

The G-Men will learn a lot more about their team next week when they travel to New Orleans to face Drew Brees and the 4-0 Saints. But at least they know what they've got at quarterback.

NEW YORK JETS: The Jets play tonight against the Miami Dolphins, so I'll save my comments for tomorrow. I will say this, though: Man, does Gang Green have an easy schedule! Beat all the teams they're supposed to beat and the Jets go 11-5 without breaking a sweat.

NEW YORK RANGERS: The Blueshirts have shot out of the gate this season and are tied atop the Atlantic Division -- and the NHL -- with eight points in their first five games. After a 3-2 loss to the defending champion Penguins to open the season, the Rangers have won four in a row, including a 3-0 pasting of Anaheim that featured the debut of backup goaltender Steve Valiquette, who dazzled the Madison Square Garden crowd with shutout in his first career appearance. Don't expect starter Henrik Lundqvist to lose his job anytime soon -- he shut down Alex Ovechkin last week -- but Rangers appear to have a competent fill-in.

ALDS Wrapup: New Stadium, Same Ol' Shakin'

Sometimes you witness an event as a fan that leaves emotionally drained and totally speechless, which is OK, because you've lost your voice. You've shouted yourself hoarse, lived and died with every play, and run the gamut of emotions in four nerve-racking, tense, euphoric, nervous, jubilant, exhausting and ultimately satisfying hours.

Then, as Bill Simmons once wrote of his beloved Red Sox, "Wait a minute... I'm supposed to write about this???"

Putting your emotions together in your head is borderline impossible, so putting good words on a page seems like a lost cause. You need time to digest. You need time to fully process how amazing what you witnessed was.

Anyway, that's my excuse for not writing about my firsthand experience at the Yankees' epic 11-inning, 4-3 win over the Twins in Game 2 until now. The Yanks wrapped up the sweep with a 4-1 win at the Metrodome tonight, so there's lot of stuff to get through. But I'll start with my thoughts on the experience that was Game 2 and then throw out my thoughts on the series as they pop into my head.

LOUD AS IT EVER WAS: For months, I heard about the lack of crowd noise at the new Yankee Stadium, that was formerly a madhouse was now just a quiet summer evening. Well, I'm hear to tell you that the playoff ambiance was every bit as raucous as in year's past.

Twins fans were heckled, verbally abused, and generally ridiculed throughout the night. Two-strike situations for A.J. Burnett and the Yankee relievers brought the crowd to its feet, screaming for a punch out. And when Alex Rodriguez blasted a game-tying two run homer in the ninth, the upper deck literally shook.

It reminded me of Game 4 of the 2001 World Series, the "Mr. November" game. It had almost the same feel.

In fact, Friday's win followed almost the same path as that Halloween classic eight years ago. The Yankees trailed by two going into the bottom of the ninth and had done nothing on offense. They faced their opponent's elite closer -- the Diamondbacks' Byung-Hyun Kim in 2001 and the Twins' Joe Nathan on Friday. The Yanks' top slugger (Tino Martinez then, A-Rod now) hit a game-tying two run blast in the ninth. And a solo walkoff home run gave the Bombers the win each time.

The difference in Friday's win was that the real hero was A-Rod, the one with the horrific postseason track record and the constant derision from media and fans desperate for one series-changing hit.

If you listened really closely as A-Rod rounded the bases, you could almost hear the monkey finally jumping off his back.

By the time the Yanks had survived a bases-loaded, no out jam in the top of the eleventh and finally won the game minutes later on Mark Teixeira's longball, the 50,006 fans were going back and forth between exultation and delirium. There are few better feelings in the life of a fan.

AS IF THAT WEREN'T ENOUGH: A-Rod was the offensive catalyst again Sunday night, blasting a solo shot of Twins' starter Carl Pavano to tie the game at 1-1. The slugger finished the series 5-for-11 with two home runs and six RBIs. Quick sidenote: Both home runs came on fastballs. At this point, why would you ever throw A-Rod a fastball in the strike zone in a key moment?

REASON NO. 311 WHY DEREK JETER IS THE COOLEST PLAYER IN BASEBALL: His at-bat music is "Empire State of Mind" from Jay-Z's new album. Great hook, great song, great message. Also, since when does Jay-Z sponsor the Yanks' at-bat songs? Jeter, A-Rod and Robinson Cano all use songs from H.O.V.A's new album "Blueprint 3".

MEN IN BLUE BLUES: Yes, the blown fair/foul call by left field umpire Phil Cuzzi was by far the worst of the plethora of botched calls by the umps in the series, and it may have cost the Twins Game 2. But some of the ball/strike calls by the last two home plate umpires (Chuck Meriwether in Game 2, Mark Wegner in Game 3) made me yearn for an infrared strike zone.

Case in point: Bottom sixth, runner on second, two outs, 2-1 count on Orlando Cabrera. Andy Pettitte threw a perfect backdoor breaking ball over the outside corner -- so good Jorge Posada didn't even bother trying to catch Denard Span stealing because he wanted to frame the pitch. Only Wegner called it a ball. This pitch had the strike zone by at least three inches on every side. It wasn't even close. Pettitte ended up walking Cabrera, and Joe Mauer lined a single to left to give the Twins their only run of the game. Umpires shouldn't be deciding games with bad calls, and that includes Game 2. End of story.

STAT OF THE GAME, FRIDAY EDITION: The Yankee pitching staff did not get a single 1-2-3 inning in the 11-inning Game 2. And the Yanks still won.

SUPER SUB: Talk about making the most of six innings. Twins' bench player Brendan Harris came in to pinch hit for Matt Tolbert and promptly hit an RBI triple to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead, then took Tolbert's spot at third base. In the eighth inning, he hit an opposite-field single to keep a two-out rally alive and eventually came around to score. In the tenth, he made a diving stop on a smash by Jeter to save a double and threw him out at first. Not bad for a guy who didn't even start in Game 1.

ONLY ONE FINGER NEEDED: Before Game 3, the TBS cameras caught an odd seen in the Yankee dugout. Posada was having the nails on his right hand meticulously painted, Seventeen style. It turned out Posada wanted his pitchers to be able to clearly see what fingers he was holding down. And when you think about it, nail polish was probably the best way.

When Mariano Rivera came on with two outs in the eighth and a man on first to protect a 2-1 lead, Posada needed only one of those fingers. Rivera faced AL batting champ and potential MVP Mauer, and the best closer in baseball history didn't mess around. Twice, Posada extended his pinky finger. Twice, Rivera threw his signature cutter. Mauer managed a weak foul ball the first time, but the second cutter shattered his bat and produced a dribbling groundout to first. Rally over. It was vintage Mariano, and it ended the Twins' best shot at a comeback.

TWO OUTS, TOO MANY WALKS: The Twins scored all their runs in Game 2 with two outs -- actually, they scored all their runs after there were two outs and no one on. Both Burnett and Phil Hughes gave up two-out walks to start the rallies, and both walks came after a 1-2 count. The way the Los Angeles Angels run, two-out walks will be equally costly in the ALCS.

BALLS TO THE WALL: The Twins' nearly tied the game in the seventh after a cup shot ended up icing Joba Chamberlain. Joba was rolling along and had a 1-2 count on Delmon Young. But when Young fouled a ball off the plate that bounced up and hit him squarely in the groin, he spent the next five minutes doubled over on the ground in agony. Most people in the crowd were either winced or were amused, but Joba was not happy with the extended delay, eventually soft tossing with Posada and shooting glares at the prostrate Young. As we all know, it doesn't take much to get into Joba's head, and the next pitch to Young was a flat fastball the Twins' outfielder lined into right center for a double. Luckily for the Yankees, Joba escaped the inning unscathed.

SHIFTING WORKS: Several times in Game 3, Yankee batters hit ground balls up the middle that in other situations would have been base hits. But Twins' manager Ron Gardenhire had clearly done his homework, and the Minnesota were always in the right place to make the out. Safe to say Angels' manager Mike Scioscia will take notice of Gardenhire's successful shifts.

AND FINALLY, AN ODE TO IDIOCY: The only way to describe the Minnesota contingent in the game's final innings is stupid. First, Twins' second baseman Nick Punto decided it would be a good idea to try and score the tying run from second base on an infield single with no one out. God, it even looks stupid in print. Jeter saw Punto round third with a full head of steam and threw to Posada. Now trapped, Punto scrambled back to third, but Posada's throw to A-Rod got their first, and Gardenhire appeared ready to strangle Punto in the dugout.

If that weren't enough, one Twins' fan decided the appropriate swan song for the Metrodome was a classless dash onto the field that held up the bottom of the ninth for several minutes and made all those Homer Hanky-waving fans look very bad. Shame it had to end like that. Hopefully, the guy spends the night in jail and is permanently uninvited from Target Field, the Twins' new ballpark.


That's all for tonight. Oh, almost forgot. In the other ALDS series, the Angels swept the Red Sox behind a 7-6 win in Game 3 that should permanently remove Jonathan Papelbon from the "best closers in the game" discussion. The Yanks will now have to go through their playoff nemesis if they want to get back to the World Series for the first time since 2003.

Game 1 is Friday. So stay tuned.