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.