You Can Get With This Or You Can Get With That Week 8

Get with Donovan McNabb not with Carson Palmer

Carson Palmer has had an inconsistent year thus far. He’s thrown for a lot of yards and has a decent amount of touchdowns, but if you’ve watched him play, you can tell that he’s still not the old Carson Palmer. He’s yet to face a top notch pass defense, and while Miami is middle of the pack, I think they will give Palmer a tough time. Cameron Wake has been a revelation this year rushing from the outside linebacker spot and he’ll be terrorizing Palmer all day. Miami’s young corners are also underrated.

Donovan McNabb has also been inconsistent this year, but he’s going against a Detroit Defense that hasn’t given up less than 19 points, and is 20th in the league against the pass. McNabb has yet to throw more than 1 TD in a game this year, but now that the Skins have developed a more consistent running game, I think things will finally open up in the secondary for him as he continues to build chemistry with his new team.

Get with Beanie Wells not with Darren McFadden

Those wise or desperate enough to play the banged up McFadden last week scored big with a 4 touchdown day for the Razorback speedster. Oakland has proven they can run the ball this year, despite the production they’ve gotten from the quarterback position. However, this week they go against the 2nd best run stoppers in the league in the form of the surprising Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks are young and talented at the linebacker position and they’ve shut down some of the top runners in the league already, namely Frank Gore and Steven Jackson.

Every week that Beanie Wells has been healthy, he’s entrenched himself more and more as the lead back in Arizona. Against Tampa, the 2nd to last worst run defense in the league, Beanie has his breakout week. The Cardinals will be committed to running the ball with Max Hall at quarterback, who is coming back after a concussion last week. Not that he was very good pre-concussion. The way to score against Tampa is on the ground, and I think Arizona will figure that out.

Get with Patrick Crayton not with Mike Williams (West)

Read more>>

Bad News for the New York (Football) Giants: Kiwanuka May Be Out for the Season

"Indefinite" timelines for injuries are never a good thing, usually signaling that the end of the player's season is near. Giants' Mathias Kiwanuka reportedly got that news today as ESPN New York reports that the herniated cervical disk in his neck will send to him to Injured Reserve, ending his season. The Blue Screen wonders if this means the end of Kiwi's Giants career as well.

Mathias Kiwanuka is done for the season (Star-Ledger)

This is not good news for a Giants team that we discussed more fully earlier is a team with a great record, but is a team with holes. It's a really sad end for a guy who has showed so much promise as a Giant. Through the first three games, Kiwi had 4 sacks, leading the Giants team and was an extremely versatile player in Perry Fewell's new defense, playing end, linebacker and even tackle. He was "The Guy" on defense and looked to be in the middle of a monster season. It looked like he was willing to rehab and come back this season. And his willingness to be flexible could have been invaluable for the Giants going forward. But it was reported that after speaking to Antonio Pierce whose career ended after a similar injury, Kiwanuka realized it wasn't worth rushing back and risking further injury.

This isn't the first time that an injury has derailed one of Kiwi's seasons; in November of 2007 the Giants placed him on IR as well after fracturing his left fibula. The Giants would, of course, go on to win the Super Bowl that year without Kiwanuka. This year their depth will certainly be tested without his presence.

To replace Kiwi on the roster, the Giants will reportedly sign former Packer DB Will Blackmon who worked out for Big Blue yesterday. Why they wouldn't just cut the inept Darius Reynaud is mind boggling, but Blackmon at least gives them another (read: better) option at kick and punt returner. The G-men seemed to come into the season believing that D.J. Ware was going to be the kickoff returner and Aaron Ross was going to return punts until Reynaud showed up. It seems that Blackmon will now take over some of those duties.

Read more>>

Leo Mazzone: Yankees (or Mets) Pitching Coach?

I've always wondered how a guy who was seen as such a genius as Leo Mazzone could fizzle out of the game so quickly after a brief stint in Baltimore following his mastery in Atlanta. Well, after a hiatus from the game, it looks like Mazzone could be back as the pitching coach for the Yankees (or Mets):

Could Mazzone be rocking next to Girardi next season? (AJC)

Today (Oct. 28) on SIRIUS XM’s Mad Dog Radio channel, hosts Gary Williams and Steve Phillips spoke with former Braves and Orioles pitching coach Leo Mazzone, who expressed interest in becoming the pitching coach for either New York franchise.

Host/Gary Williams: “There are a lot of new staffs and, obviously, there’s an opening with the Yankees. Steve was effusive in praising you. Have you been contacted? I know you want back in. Any job in particular that is of interest to you?”

Leo Mazzone: “Yeah, there certainly is. And it has New York in front of it, too. I mean, it can be in the American League or the National League.”

I've lobbied a few times in the past for the Yankees to consider Mazzone when they had openings at pitching coach, now the rocking man from the Braves 1990s heydays, could be donning Pinstripes after all. Most teams are usually hesitant to hire pitching coaches for large salaries which Mazzone certainly would command, but the Yankees aren't most teams in terms of being able to offer him what he wants. If the Yankees don't go with an internal candidate, I would not be surprised if they looked long and hard at Mazzone. And with Joe Girardi reportedly all wrapped up, the pitching coach decision may come next.

NYaT Roundtable: World Series Picks

We gave you our division series, ALCS, and NLCS picks but now it's time to figure out who is going to win the World Series. Here at NYaT, we didn't do well last round but we'll try to do better with the World Series which starts tonight. Here are our predictions:

Will the Giants pitch to Josh Hamilton in the World Series? (NYT)

Ari: "Texas hitting is just too strong. San Fran pitching behind the Freak has been iffy recently. The MVP will Hamilton if they pitch to him--potentially Cliff Lee if they don't." Rangers in 6 - Series MVP: Josh Hamilton

Ben P: "San Fran pitching is better than the Texas hitting" Giants in 7 - Series MVP: Pat Burrell

Ben W: "Tough choices here. No doubt in my mind it goes 7, since both teams have great starting pitching and strong bullpen arms. After Lincecum vs Lee, take your picks. I'd take Sanchez over Wilson and Cain over Lewis. But I'd also take Hamilton, Guerrero, and Cruz over Posey, Huff, and Burrell. My vote: pitching wins." Giants in 7 - Series MVP: Brian Wilson

Jay: "Just like last year, Cliff Lee will win his 2 starts. This should be a lower-scoring series than the ALCS, but the Texas lineup will score enough runs off Matt Cain and the fading Jonathan Sanchez to pull out the other 4 wins. Elvis Andrus will continue to harass the Giants by stealing 2nd and 3rd seemingly at will. Hamilton won't be walked every single trip to the plate, and he'll make San Fran pitchers pay when they finally pitch to him. Cody Ross will cool down but Buster Posey will shine on the biggest stage of them all. The ageless Vlad Guerrero will come up clutch one more time at some point, not unlike his line drive double in Game 6 of the ALCS against the Yankees." Rangers in 6 - Series MVP: Cliff "Soon to be a Yankee" Lee

Read more>>

NBA Draft Moving from NYC to NJ

Garden State FTW!  On the heels of Andrew's email to me earlier today, in which he (smugly) indicated that the New Jersey Nets lost $64 million in FY 2009, we have just learned that the NBA draft is moving from NYC to Newark.

Scenes like this will soon be taking place in New Jersey.

The draft will be held at the Prudential Center (the new two-year home of the Nets, baby!) in June 2011.  The draft had been held in Manhattan every year since 2001.  Expect the announcement from NBA Commissioner David Stern tonight before the Nets' season opener in Newark vs. Detroit.

And the Mets' GM is...Sandy Alderson!

Sandy Alderson

Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated reported that the Mets have hired Sandy Alderson as their new GM. The Mets will probably make the official announcement on Friday (in between Games 2 and 3 of the World Series). At 62 years old, Alderson has put together quite a resume. He served as GM and later president of the Oakland A's from 1983 to 1997, winning four division titles, reaching three World Series, and winning the World Series in 1989. After his time with the A's, Alderson was MLB's Executive Vice President of Operations, and from 2005 to 2009 he was CEO of the San Diego Padres. The only caveat to Alderson is that he hasn't run a team's day-to-day baseball operations since 1997. Something tells me that with Alderson's skills, he'll be able to jump back into the GM position with no problems.

Wally Backman

The next step for Alderson and the Mets is to start looking for a manager. Since Manuel was fired, Mets fans have been pushing for Wally Backman as the team's new manager. Alderson, with his Ivy League education and Marine Corps background, doesn't seem like the type of guy who will give in to a popular idea simply because it's popular. Most sources close to Alderson and the Mets believe that Alderson is not considering Backman, and is instead looking for a candidate with major league managerial experience who is well-versed in dealing with the media (can you say Bobby Valentine?). Whomever the Mets pick, I feel more comfortable with Alderson at the helm.

 Mets fans will be anxious to see how Alderson handles his first major test. What will he do with Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo, Carlos Beltran, and K-Rod (almost $55 million dollars worth of problems right there)? Hopefully, under the new Alderson era the Mets can expect a sense of credibility and common sense that they haven't had in the last few years under Minaya.

This Year's Giants Look a Lot Like Last Year's Giants

24 hours after the New York Giants buried the Cowboys in Dallas, Giants fans are elated. Another game over and another quarterback knocked out. Moore, Cutler, Collins, Hill, and Romo has become a personal injury firm of beaten down QBs (and in the age of putting every hit under a microscope, all of those hits were legal). The passing game looks lethal and the defense looks dominant. The Giants are 5-2 heading into their bye week, tied for first in the NFC, on top of the NFC East, and looking like one of the best teams in football.

Overcoming injuries like Kiwanuka's is a sign of a good team (Star-Ledger)

And it really doesn't feel too much different than last year.

At the quarter mark last year, the Giants were 4-0 and looked unstoppable. I predicted 11 wins, but Jay was more bold saying they were a 13-win team "at worse". Yeah, well, it was much worse. The injuries piled up. They got embarrassed on Monday Night Football to fall to 5-4. The Giants finally won their first game in 42 days and looked like they could jump right back into the playoff race. And then they laid down to end the season.

So what's different a year later? Well Big Blue has turned into "Jet Blue" and the Giants offense seems to be more in sync. Osi Umenyora is back as a defensive force and Perry Fewell's defenses are not just imaginative, they're effective. But although the defense has looked better, they still have allowed the opponents to stay in the game every game this season--a bad sign for a team that's supposed to go deep into the playoffs. They turnover the ball way too much and although Eli Manning is probably on his way to a Pro Bowl, he still makes decisions that make us all show our "Manning Face". The special teams is anything but special and actually has been the Giants biggest problem area. And let's not forget this team is less than a month away from calls for Tom Coughlin to be fired.

My thoughts? I think this is a playoff team, but the road there is not going to be easy. The Giants have a bye week at the worst possible time considering they're hot and they're healthy. They come back from the bye and go right to Seattle to play a Seahawks team who is very, very good at home, play Dallas at home in a very winnable game, and then they have to go to Philly for a very tough division match-up. After playing Jacksonville and Washington at home (again, two winnable games) the G-men's last 4 games will truly test their might as they play at Minnesota, host the Eagles, and then close at Green Bay and at Washington.

Read more>>

Cliff Lee's Wife Unhappy With Yankees Fans, Yankees, Yanks

Cliff Lee's wife, Kristen Lee, is unhappy with how she was treated at Yankee Stadium during the ALCS.  Apparently, several Yankees fans were extremely rude towards her.  Allegations involving spitting, throwing cups of beer, and shouting obscenities have been made.

"The fans did not do good things in my heart," Kristen Lee said, according to the newspaper. "When people are staring at you, and saying horrible things, it's hard not to take it personal."

GIF credit: Barstool Sports

The USA Today reports that Ms. Lee sat in the visitor's section and suggests that this may have been the Rangers' first negotiating tactic as Texas tries to woo Lee from the Yankees this offseason.

Barstool Sports Boston thinks that Kristen's distaste for Yankees fans and New York in general will torpedo the Yankees' chances of signing Lee.  Naturally, Barstool concludes with: "So if Kristin Lee really wants to get payback like I think she does we’re the only option.  Looks like thing just went from bad to worse for Yankee fans.  Cue the duckboats indeed!"

This is such a non-story.  I blame the media.  It's a pretty ridiculous theory to suggest that the Yankees are out of the running because Kristen Lee had an unpleasant experience in Game 3 of the ALCS.

Read more>>

Trivia Tuesday: Mickey Mantle Edition (with a prize!)

Like many out there, we're very excited about the new book by Jane Leavy "The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood". Ben W is diligently reading it and taking notes for a review on the blog but in the meantime, we'll be giving out three copies at three separate times to make sure everyone gets a chance to win. But to know when we're giving it out, you're going to have to be visiting the blog quite a bit in the next week so you don't miss out on any opportunities.

Here is the first chance: Mickey Mantle is the all-time leader in home runs by a switch hitter. Behind him on the all-time switch-hitting home run list there are 7 other players in the top 13 who played for the Yankees. To win the first copy of the book, name any 5 out of those 7.

Put your answer in the comments below. One guess per person. The person with the first correct guess wins the book  I will announce the first winner later. You have to put down 5 guesses to be win the prize. Good luck and make sure to come back here all this week for more chances to win this great book.

A look inside the Mets' GM search

The Mets are currently playing their own version of the dating game, trying to find a new soul mate to occupy their top executive position. Although the Wilpons, and the Mets organization in general, have botched so many situations in the past, Mets fans are hopeful. We’re not hopeful because the Wilpons have a great track record in hiring talented executives. We’re hopeful simply because the Mets are actually interviewing candidates. Over the last 13 years the Mets have bounced around from one GM to the next, never conducting a full vetting and interview process. In 1997, Steve Phillips was made GM when his superior, Joe McIlvaine, was fired. When Steve Phillips was let go, Jim Duquette, a member of the Mets front office, was made interim GM and then was given the full position. Finally, in 2004, the Wilpons raced to hire Omar Minaya. It’s time for the Mets to finally enter the dating pool and see what the GM candidates out there can offer our little ball club.

Jeff Wilpon has announced that the Mets will choose their new GM by the World Series. (Perhaps the Wilpons are hoping that Mets fans will be so thrilled by the prospect of a new GM that they won’t notice that it’s been a decade since they watched their own team in the World Series?) The Mets are currently pursuing a courtship with five different bachelors: MLB executive and former Padres CEO Sandy Alderson, former D-backs GM Josh Byrnes, former Royals GM Allard Baird, current White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn, and Dodgers assistant GM Logan White. (Just as an aside, if you haven’t noticed, all of these candidates are white. This seems strange considering Los Mets have been heavily Latino over the last few years.)

Even though the Mets have quite the group of candidates, the Wilpons have their eyes set on the great state of Texas. Rumors have been swirling that the Mets’ Plan A involves Rangers GM Jon Daniels, a former New Yorker who grew up a Mets fan and whose parents currently live in Bayside. I LOVE the idea of a GM who is a Mets fan. I especially love the idea of a GM who has led his organization into the playoffs (with the added bonus of forcing Yankee fans into the fetal position). However, the Mets seem to be wasting their time and energy on Daniels.

First, the Wilpons have announced that they will choose a GM by the World Series. Daniels’ team is playing in the World Series. If the Mets truly want him, they will have to delay their timetable and wait until after the World Series to even start to talk to Daniels. Second, do the Mets really think that Daniels is going to leave Texas after the season he’s had? Daniels has an opt-out clause in his contract that allows him to leave the organization if the Rangers change owners. However, Rangers owner Chuck Greenberg has already stated that he wants to sign Daniels to a contract extension. When times are so good in Arlington, I can’t imagine that Daniels will jump ship, even to his hometown team.

The Mets are considering five other candidates, but there’s really only one who can be the Mets’ Plan B if Daniels doesn’t come through: Sandy Alderson. Allard Baird has a history of making bad deals and has little success in the draft. Rick Hahn has little scouting experience, and although he’s a negotiator-extraordinaire, the Mets already have John Ricco as their negotiation guru. Logan White is great at scouting…and that’s about it. Mets fans don’t need a Minaya Jr. The Mets didn’t invite any of these courters back for their second round of interviews.

Read more>>

Manuel and Minaya are out: A belated celebration from a Mets fan

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Minaya and Manuel are GONE!!! Have there ever been five sweeter words spoken?

The Mets have finally decided to trim the fat, starting from the top down. Well, they’ve decided to trim most of the fat. Although Omar Minaya has been dethroned from his seat as Mets GM, the Mets have said that they are planning to retain Minaya. Perhaps they want to keep him around to share his winning ways with the new GM. The Mets would have to pay Omar for the next 2 years and some Mets fans are pushing to keep him on to do something (anything) for his $2 million salary.

This seems like a horrible idea. Firing Minaya and Manuel represents a clean break from the last four years of losing. Every girl knows that when you break up with a boyfriend you get rid of everything that reminds you of him so that you can move on. You definitely do not keep the ex-boyfriend around so he can do menial chores around the house. You just send him on his way. That is what the Mets need to do with Minaya -- cut all ties. Get rid of Castillo, Beltran, K-Rod, and many of the other relics that remind Mets fans of the ex-GM. The only thing that Minaya can do in the Mets’ front office is become a second schmuck that the new GM will have to cater to (the first, of course, being Jeff Wilpon). Why invite that headache?

Although Omar Minaya’s landing spot is still up in the air, Jerry Manuel’s fate is sealed. Manuel has been completely removed from the Mets’ clubhouse, with no carry-over possible. Most Mets fans are not going to miss Manuel. There is a laundry list of characteristics to dislike about our former fearless leader, starting with his demeanor.

For starters, Manuel had the most annoying habit of refusing to look at the dugout camera during in-game interviews. It must have been the highlight of Gary Cohen’s day every time he got to talk to the top of Manuel’s head. If Manuel didn’t want to deal with the media, he should have gone to Kansas City or Cleveland. In New York there are a lot of newspapers, radio, and TV networks dedicated solely to NY sports. Media comes with the job so Manuel should have looked at the camera, smiled, and at least pretended like he wanted to be there.

Read more>>

Guest Post: 2010-2011 New York Knickerbockers Preview

It's time to take a break from the Yankees 2010 funeral. Once in a while a topic comes along which we would very much like to know much about but would be B.S.'ing you if we tried to write an informed blog post about it. That's why we have a great group of guest bloggers and today we go with frequent blog commenter, Alex O to give us a Knicks preview. While I consider myself a Knicks fan, I have no clue how this team is going to fare this year. Alex hails from Connecticut and is a Yankees/Knicks fan (and also a fan of Buffalo Wild Wings). Soon we'll make him a hockey fan, too, so he can root against the man who has the same initials as him down in Washington. Without further ado, here is Alex O's Knicks Preview:

I had to attach this shot of Jerry Stiller with the mid 90’s Knicks City Dancers...“Serenity Now!!!!”- Alex

--------------------------------------------------

The best words to describe this New York Knicks team are VERY INTERESTING! The Knicks are the 4th youngest team in the NBA which is intriguing in itself, and they now have a legitimate All-Star who decided to take his talents to the garden in Amare Stoudemire. I am not one to get into salaries because it ain’t my money and I just want to be entertained. Hopefully we will finally see a team that can run and gun in D’Antoni style. There is no doubt that this is a crucial year for D’Antoni to produce some results. I agree they should contend for the last playoff spot. Big turnover of the roster brings excitement for Knicks fans as they finally have a team with youth, energy, and the ability to protect the rim. I loved David Lee but his shortcomings were obvious and well documented. The Raptors got nothing for Bosh, the Cavs got nothing for LeBron, the Knicks got 3 young players for Lee.

Besides being young and having a legit star the Knicks also continue to build an international roster with new additions:

Kelenna Azubuike -- Born in London but raised in Oklahoma, he is a former D-leaguer who can shoot and score, is a great athlete but will be out with injury till January.

Ronny Turiaf—Born and raised on the French Caribbean island of Martinique, then moved to Paris for high school. He had a serious heart condition that was discovered after he was drafted by the Lakers doctors. He now runs a charity to help provide medical care for children with no insurance or means to pay for the care they need. It is worth checking out his personal website. He is fully rehabbed and will add size and help protect the bucket, which is something the Knicks have lacked since Camby left town.

Read more>>

RIP 2010 Yankees

I figured my own thoughts on the end of the Yankee season would destroy NYAT's comment section so I figured it best to put up my own post.

Friday night was depressing, as I knew that during the 2011 MLB season, the New York Yankees would not be referred to as the defending World Champions.  They were ousted in embarassing fashion on Friday night by the Texas Rangers and will not get a chance to defend their 2009 title.

So as I was walking home on Friday night, I started thinking to myself "How did we get to this point?"  Here's what I came up with.

The 2010 team looked very similar to the 2009 team.  Javy Vazquez replaced Chien Ming Wang, Nick Johnson replaced Hideki Matsui, and Curtis Granderson replaced Johnny Damon.  Unfortunately, with exception of Granderson during the last month and a half of the season, none of these players did a good job replacing their predecessors.  Johnson went down after about a month and we never saw him again, Javy Vazquez was an utter disaster, and Granderson was a disappointment until the middle of August.

The rest of the team was basically the same, but did not produce nearly as well as last year's team.  With the exception of Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, and to some degree Alex Rodriguez, every other starter had a down year.  Mark Teixeira had an EXTENDED slow start and even once he picked up his bat he did not hit consistently through the end of the season.  Derek Jeter, in his walk year, had by far the worst offensive numbers of his career.  Alex Rodriguez did not get on base nearly as much as he has in previous years, nor did he hit for a particularly high average, but he drive in a ton of runs and most of them were significant.  Jorge Posada looked like an old man towards the end of the season.  Brett Gardner showed us a nice glimpse of his potential, but was inconsistent during the second half of the season.

Read more>>

"Mad Season" for the Yankees Comes to an End

Joe Girardi's Binder was part of this Mad Season (NYT)

"I feel stupid - but I know it won't last for long
I've been guessing - and I coulda been guessin' wrong
You don't know me now
I kinda thought that you should somehow
Does that whole mad season got ya down?"
-"Mad Season" by Matchbox 20

Whenever a season ends without a championship, it sucks. As a fan, we feel betrayed, angry, and confused and want to second-guess every decision. Should they have taken A.J. Burnett out earlier in Game 4? Should they have resisted walking Josh Hamilton all those times? Should they have used CC Sabathia instead of David Robertson in Game 6? Should they have gone to Mariano in more games? We look back and we try to figure "when did this go wrong?" We look to blame someone: The Captain, the manager, the general manager, even the idiotic play-by-play guy who declared the series over and done with after the Yankees had won exactly one game. In the end, though, after digesting a tough ALCS loss, I feel that maybe we were fooled by this Yankees team, thinking they were better than they were and that we ran into a better team in the Texas Rangers.

But while I'm ready to tip my cap to the Texas Rangers and wish them luck representing the American League in the World Series, I'm not ready to put this Mad-dening Season to rest. The Yankees came into the season as World Series champs, looked like the favorite to repeat at the All-Star Break, faltered down the stretch, swept a very good Twins team in the first round, and then ran into Cliff Lee and the Rangers in the ALCS. The turning point of the season may have been the Yankees' failure to acquire Lee. I opined at the time that not acquiring Lee may be the move that cost the Yankees the pennant. I thought the lack of Lee on the Yankees was the trouble--I had no clue that Lee would actually be one of the guys to knock the Yankees out of the playoffs.

Read more>>

Tonight's Pitching Matchup: Yankees vs. Rangers Game 6

For the past history of tonight's match-up between Phil Hughes and Colby Lewis, check out the post from Game 2. Of course, what happened in Game 2 isn't included in those numbers, but they should give you a good sense of the two pitchers' history with the Yankees. As you may remember from Game 2, Lewis pitched pretty well (only two runs given up despite 6 hits and 3 walks in 5.2 innings) and Hughes got bombed. ESPN's Katie Sharp goes into greater detail on the match-up and figures out that the breaking point between the two performances occurred at two-strikes.

Phil Hughes looks focused as tonight as he tries to stave off elimination (LoHud)

In Game 2, Hughes struggled to finish off hitters when getting to two strikes, as the Rangers went 5-for-11 (.455), including four extra base hits, in two-strike counts. Hughes also left his pitches up, and the Rangers capitalized, going 6-for-8 (.750) on pitches in the upper third of the zone and above. 

This has been an issue for many of the Yankee pitchers. They have--for the most part--been OK at getting ahead in the count, but the Rangers have been able to foul off a lot of two-strike pitches. CC Sabathia had this trouble with the Rangers on Wednesday as many of the hitters battled him even with two strikes. Hughes' key tonight is finding a way to put the Rangers hitters away.

One key for Lewis in Game 2 was his use of the curveball as an out pitch, as the Yankees went 0-for-4 against the hook. Lewis was also effective in getting Yankee hitters to chase pitches, with four of his six total strikeouts coming on pitches out of the zone.

Again, the issues for the Yankees came with two strikes. It will be even more important to resist the temptation to chase pitches tonight, as free-swinging Marcus Thames will be replacing Mark Teixeira's bat in the line-up and another free-swinger--Robinson Cano--will be moving up in the lineup to the third slot. The Yankees ability to get hits off of Lewis with runners on and to get to the Rangers bullpen early will be a key to this game.

Read more>>

"Was It Over When the Germans Bombed Pearl Harbor?"

The truth about playoff baseball is that it's all about staying alive. I'm sure there is a good deal of momentum and confidence involved in winning a seven-games series, but the truth is that most of the time, momentum--in the words of Earl Weaver--is the next day's starting pitcher. I can see what Cliff Corcoran of Pinstriped Bible means when he writes that Game 5's win feels like it's only delaying the inevitable (a lot of fans in the stands seemed to feel the same way), but I also can see a path to winning this series because of what's happened in the past. Here's what I'm hanging my head on:

Cano and Swisher hope to fuel the Yanks to 2 more wins (Gothamist)

From the time the Yankees won the 2000 American League Championship Series against the Mariners to the time they won the 2009 American League Championship Series against the Angels, there have been 10 best-of-seven series than have gone to a 6th game. In a 6th game, one team is up 3-2 in the series and the other is facing elimination--so 10 teams were in the spot that they needed to win to fight another day. But in all but one case (the 2005 NLCS), the series went to a 7th game. In the 2001 World Series, the 2002 World Series, the 2003 NLCS, the 2004 ALCS, and the 2007 ALCS, the team that was behind 3-2 in Game 6 won Game 7. The other 3 years (2003 ALCS, 2006 NLCS and the 2008 ALCS) the team that forced Game 7 eventually lost that game. Put otherwise, in those 10 series that reached a 6th game, 6 of those teams who were behind 3-2 ended up winning.

That 2007 ALCS won by the Red Sox is the ones that Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave Blues equates to the one the Yankees are currently in. Down 3-1 in the series, the Red Sox climbed back and won. Of course, the Red Sox didn't have to face Cliff Lee in a potential Game 7 (sorry, Nick), but as Neil Paine of the New York Times writes about, Lee would be no sure thing if this series got to a Game 7. Matt Warden of Yankeeist goes through some other notable postseason comebacks.

Read more>>

You Can Get With This or You Can Get With That Week 7

Get with Brett Favre not with Joe Flacco

The Seahawks new RB is worth a start in Week 7 (Seattle P-I)

This week I’m sure the Ravens will be a popular survivor pick against the Bills (for those of you lucky enough to still be in your survivor leagues), but I don’t think this cake game will be beneficial for the Ravens passing numbers. The only two teams that have needed to throw for more than 200 yards against the Bills were the pass happy Pats and Packers, and that’s because those were two of the closer games the Bills have been lucky enough to find themselves in. The Ravens Defense, with the possible return of Ed Reed, will not allow this game to be close. The Ravens run all over the Bills and Flacco’s chances will be limited this week.

Brett Favre loves big games, and last year he loved facing his old team. In his two meetings against them last year, he had over 500 yards and 7 TD’s. This year he has Randy Moss. I think this Sunday night game on primetime will be a high scoring affair. Both defenses are banged up and both teams really need a win. Favre doesn’t disappoint this week.

Get with Marshawn Lynch not with Cedric Benson

Cedric Benson finally topped 100 yards in his team’s last game a couple weeks ago against Tampa Bay, but I think the going will be much tougher this week in Atlanta. The Falcons are a solid team and their stout defense is 9th in the league against the run. After a bad loss against the Eagles, they will be rearing to go this week against Cincinnati. As the Eagles showed last week, you have to pass against the Falcons, who will be without their top corner due to a concussion, if you want to win.

Beast Mode is back now that Lynch has found a new home on a team that didn’t trade for him for him to ride the bench. Last week Lynch got 17 carries, and I think that number will increase as Lynch has had more time to acclimate himself to the new offense. The Seahawks will also go against the Cardinals who are 29th in the league against the run. Seattle always plays well at home and this week Lynch will be a big part of that.

Get With Terrell Owens not with Dwayne Bowe

Read more>>

The Clutchest of the Clutch: Best Yankee Playoff Hitting Performances Since 1995

A fan sitting behind me at the bleachers yesterday was remarking how amazing it was that Robinson Cano had gone from "un-clutch" to "clutch" and how Alex Rodriguez had gone from a playoff zero to a playoff hero. I remarked to my dad that we forget that A-Rod was really good in the 2004 playoffs before the whole team (including him) collapsed. We remember certain performances by guys but forget others. But which individual performances helped the Yankees the most to win games? We can debate if "clutch" actually exists, but there is a way to measure how much someone contributed to a Yankee playoff win. Using Win Probability Added (WPA) from Baseball-Reference, here are the Top 10 clutchest of the clutch Yankee hitters since the Wild Card Era:

Where will Jose Vizcaino's 2000 World Series heroics rank? (ESPN)

#1: Alex Rodriguez, 2004 ALDS Game 2

Alex Rodriguez shows up quite a bit at the top of this list. This performance--hitting #2 in the lineup--was the highest WPA of any Yankee player since 1995 with .684. In this game A-Rod went 4-for-6 and helped the Yankees to a big win after getting blanked in Game 1 at home. He singled and scored a run in the third, hit the go-ahead home run in the 5th, and hit an RBI single in the 7th to make it 5-3 Yankees. But his biggest hit came in the bottom of the 12th inning. Minnesota had gone ahead in the top of the inning and it looked like the Twins were going to leave New York with two wins. But facing Joe Nathan in his third inning of work, the Yankees got two on with one out for A-Rod who took a 1-1 pitch to left center for a game-tying, ground-rule double. The Yankees would win it two batters later when Hideki Matsui hit a sacrifice fly, but A-Rod's big hits contributed most to the win.

#2 Scott Brosius, 1998 World Series Game 3

There was a reason that Brosius won the World Series MVP in 1998. Brosius hit 6th for the Yankees in this game and was their only hitter with more than one hit, going 3-for-4 and putting up a .624 WPA. In a scoreless game, Brosius singled in the top of the 5th but Sterling Hitchcock let him go no further striking out Shane Spencer and Joe Girardi. The Padres took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the 6th, and Brosius answered right back with a home run as the leadoff hitter. The Yankees would score one more that inning but trailed 3-2 when Trevor Hoffman, one of the top closers in the history of the game, came on in the top of the 8th. With two on and one out, Brosius hit a 2-2 pitch out of the park and put the Yankees ahead for good at 5-3. Brosius would hit .471 in the series but his Game 3 performance helped the Yankees go up 3-0 before sweeping the very next game.

#3: Alex Rodriguez, 2004 ALDS Game 4

Read more>>

View from the Seats: ALCS Game 5

Back in the bleachers--this time from section 236--for the best home game of this ALCS so far. The Yankees are up 6-2 as CC Sabathia has scattered 11 hits and two walks over 6 toughed-out innings. The Yankees offense finally came alive and as Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano (who else?) went back-to-back (and belly-to-belly).

The Yankees have still been pretty bad with runners in scoring position, but so far it hasn't hurt them. Sabathia got himself into trouble in the top of the 6th as the bases were loaded, but he got a big K of Mitch Moreland to get out if it. Curtis Granderson just doubled to lead-off the bottom of the 6th as the Yankees try to extend their lead and send this series back to Texas and stay alive. So far, it's been a better game for the Yankees, but still need to get through a few tough innings against a tough and resilient Rangers team. Hopefully this is not my last view from the seats for the season.

-Andrew

When Teixeira's Hamstring Went, So Did the Yankees

When Mark Teixeira walked to the plate in the bottom 5th inning, the Yankees had a 3-2 lead, runners on 1st and 2nd, nobody out, and had a 78.4% chance of wining the game according to FanGraphs. What could have been a disaster of a night with A.J. Burnett starting seemed like it was moving towards being a huge, series-tying victory. And with a groundball to third and Tex hustling down the line (as he always does) Texeira's hamstring, the Yankees game, and possibly the Yankees season all popped.

It was a bad pitch, but A.J. shouldn't have been out there (LoHud)

The Yankees had their way with the Rangers all game, knocking out Tommy Hunter early, but had failed to capitalize with runs on the scoreboard. After Teixeira was helped off the field with his season-ending injury, the air seemed to deflate from the Yankees. To make things worse, the next batter, Alex Rodriguez, grounded into a killer double play to end the rally.

But The Yankees still had the lead and a 65% chance to win the game. So would Joe Girardi tempt fate by leaving Burnett--who had allowed 3 baserunners and a stolen base the previous inning but somehow escaped unscathed--in to start the 6th? He did. Base hit by Vlad Guerrero and Joba Chamberlain up and warm in the bullpen. So would Girardi bring in Joba to face Nelson Cruz? No, and that moved worked out for Joe as Cruz grounded into a fielder's choice. Still no Joba, though as Burnett faced Ian Kinsler who drove the ball to the deepest part of the park for an out (Cruz advanced to second on a heads-up play).

Anyone watching this game could see that Burnett was finished. Guerrero and Kinsler (both righties) had each hit the ball hard against Burnett. Joba was ready and although Joba isn't Mariano Rivera, he is slightly more effective against righties. If Girardi was a poker player, this would be the equivalent position of him being in the big blind with a 10, deuce, but staying in the hand because no one raised him out. He had the chance to bet again and the common sense would be to fold at this point.

Instead, Girardi went all in.

Read more>>

Tonight's Pitching Matchup: Yankees vs. Rangers Game 4

Whether you have faith in A.J. or have faith in the Yankees...or not, tonight is a big game. With the Yankees down 2-1, they need a good outing from the enigmatic starter. On the other hand, the young Tommy Hunter goes for the Rangers. Here's the match-up

A.J. Burnett vs. the Rangers hitters (including playoffs)

	PA	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	SF	IBB	HBP	GDP
Matt Treanor	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	1.000	1.000	1.000	2.000	0	0	0	0
Josh Hamilton	19	16	4	2	0	1	3	2	2	.250	.368	.563	.931	0	0	1	0
David Murphy	22	17	5	0	0	1	2	4	4	.294	.455	.471	.925	0	0	1	0
Nelson Cruz	18	14	2	1	0	1	4	4	8	.143	.333	.429	.762	0	0	0	0
Vladimir Guerrero	60	56	13	6	0	2	6	4	13	.232	.283	.446	.730	0	1	0	2
Mike Young	37	36	9	1	0	1	1	1	6	.250	.270	.361	.631	0	0	0	0
Ian Kinsler	22	20	4	0	0	1	4	1	4	.200	.273	.350	.623	0	0	1	0
Elvis Andrus	17	14	3	0	0	0	0	2	4	.214	.353	.214	.567	0	0	1	0
Bengie Molina	5	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.200	.200	.200	.400	0	0	0	0
Julio Borbon	9	9	1	0	0	0	0	0	4	.111	.111	.111	.222	0	0	0	1
Jorge Cantu	15	15	1	0	0	0	2	0	2	.067	.067	.067	.133	0	0	0	0
Jeff Francoeur	9	7	0	0	0	0	2	1	2	.000	.111	.000	.111	1	0	0	0
Cliff Lee	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0	0	0
Mitch Moreland	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0	0	0
Total	238	213	44	10	0	7	24	20	50	.207	.286	.352	.638	1	1	4	3

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 10/19/2010.

Read more>>