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