NYaT Roundtable: National League Championship Series Picks

Well that was an exciting first round, eh? A no hitter, comeback wins, heroes, goats, umpire mistakes--everything. But now that we've gotten done with the first round, it's time to pick the pennant winners. We'll start today with the National League:

Will Halladay add an NLCS MVP to 2010? (ModBee)

Ben W: Phillies will win this series but the Giants will certainly be a bigger challenge than the Reds. The Phillies hitters will see much better starting pitching than they saw against the Reds and since their bats have been relatively cold, this series will be a challenge. However, don't be surprised if you see Roy Halladay start three times during this series. They will have to out-pitch the Giants to win this series, which will be difficult but they would be the favorites to do so. Phillies in 7 - Series MVP: Roy Halladay

Jay: Everyone seems to be on the Philly bandwagon right now. I'm not quite there yet. Everyone is raving about how dominant the Phillies' rotation is. Yes, Roy Halladay threw an amazing no-hitter, and yes, Cole Hamels was outstanding in Game 3. But Tim Lincecum (9 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 14 K, 1 BB) and Jonathan Sanchez (7.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 11 K, 1 BB) were similarly dominant, albeit against Atlanta's weaker bats. So I don't see Philadelphia having a tremendous pitching advantage over San Francisco. I think Halladay will slightly edge out Lincecum in Game 1, but after that I just don't know. What I do know is that the Giants' offense (4 games, 28 hits, scored 8 earned runs), as much as it has been criticized, wasn't that much worse than the Phillies' offense in the LDS (3 games, 21 hits, scored 7 earned runs). So are the Phillies that much stronger offensively? I say no. But having home-field advantage, and 2-possibly-3 starts from Roy Halladay, gives the Phillies the edge in seven games. Phillies in 7 - Series MVP: Roy Halladay

Ben P: The Giants might be able to pitch with the Phillies but they certainly can't hit with them. Phillies in 5 - Series MVP: Jayson Werth

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NYaT Roundtable: Division Series Picks

The Yanks' bobblehead and I

As I walked through midtown today, I saw a giant Yankees and Phillies bobblehead right outside the Major League Baseball offices (the picture on the right). TBS was sponsoring it and it reminded me that they're back doing broadcasts (sans Chip Caray) and playoff baseball is back. We're also back here at NYaT to give our picks (and quick thoughts) about the division series starting this afternoon:

New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins

Jay: "Yankee pitching (even sans AJ Burnett) keeps Minnesota in each game, but Yankees scratch out enough runs to escape in five games. Small ball and an effective bullpen help the Yankees win games on the road." Yanks in 5

Sarah: Yanks in 4

Ben P: "The Yankees offense has enough to carry them over the Twins in this series. The Twins do everything well, but nothing great. CC wins his two starts and the Yanks find a way to get one more win." Yanks in 4

Ari: "Minny is missing some big pieces. And they don't have many to miss. Yanks gut this one out." Yanks in 4

CC Sabathia will target the Twinkies tonight at Target Field (CBC)

Elissa: "Just like with the Rays, it all comes down to pitching. The Yankees have a shaky starting rotation at best. Andy Pettitte has only pitched in 3 games since coming off the DL (3 underwhelming outings), Phil Hughes has been relatively ineffective in August and September, A.J. Burnett needs no explanation on why he's a liability in the rotation, and although CC pitched outstanding in the 2009 playoffs, his previous experiences in Milwaukee and Cleveland were less than stellar. I really don't see how the Yankee's pitching staff can pull it together this week." Twins in 5

Ben W: "Yanks need to turn on the switch and there's no better opponent to do it against than the Twins. Liriano matches up well against Sabathia but he's still CC. After that it's Carl Pavano and the illustrious Brian Duensing. The Yanks will put their faith in Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes. The Yankees know better than any other team that you start over again in the postseason and that their poor September is but a piece of history. Look for the Yanks to play like they did for the first five months of the season." Yanks in 4

My opinion: "The Yankees and Twins have met quite a bit recently in the postseason and despite optimism things would change, they've stayed the same. Although the Yankees have holes after their #1 starter, the Twins holes look just as bad--and worse considering the Yankees have an edge in the top tier of their bullpen. If the Twins had Justin Mourneau and Joe Nathan, I would feel differently about this series, but without them, I'm not sure the Twins have enough firepower or pitching to go toe-to-toe with the defending champs." Yanks in 4

Texas Rangers at Tampa Bay Rays

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Doc Halladay at Citizens Bank Park

Yesterday I got to spend a lovely afternoon at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park (thanks to $4 Stubhub tickets). I got there early for batting practice and watched Roy Halladay (pictured) and fellow Brandeis alum, Nelson Figueroa spend quite a bit of time signing autographs for all the kids lined up against the outfield wall.

Although it was a 1-0 snoozefest in The City of Brotherly Love, the awesome Citizens Bank Park made it a lovely afternoon. I'm still convinced that the Philly Phanatic is the best mascot in sports--though I'm still trying to figure out their hot dog giveaway where he launches hot dogs into the stands from the same gun that shoots out T-shirts in many other ballparks. It was a fun afternoon of baseball, though.

-Andrew

View from the Seats: Halladay/Sabathia

Ben sent this picture to me from Grandstand Section 408 for the New York Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies and wrote this in the first inning:

I'm here at World Series rematch round 1.  CC Sabathia looks on his game, while Roy Halladay hasn't flashed his best stuff yet.

Just visited the new Malibu Terrace Bar where I paid 16 bucks for a frozen mojito that tastes like Crest Toothpaste.

Enjoy the game!

The Yankee Clipper: World Series Rematch Preview

It's been a while since the Yankee Clipper has sailed so I figured it was time to get some Yankee thoughts out there. Today's post come after my astonishment that the Yankees once had a mascot named Dandy as the Wall Street Journal talked about today (and where that picture on the right comes from). Looking at those pictures, I think the Yankees are much better without a mascot. On to the top 5:

1. One thing the Yankees aren't better without is CC Sabathia. Despite Sabathia's struggles, he's still their ace. Make no mistake about that one. When the Yankees needed wins down the stretch and in the playoffs last year, they gave CC the ball and, most of the time, they won. And, despite that fact that many are discounting it, ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand pointed out that his numbers from this year after 13 starts are pretty similar to his numbers through 13 starts from last season. True his numbers on the Yankees weren't as good as his numbers pre-Yankees as ESPN's Rob Neyer points out, but I don't think that's enough to worry about for CC. He still is racking up the wins and even though he's doing it quite a bit against teams like the Orioles which concerns the New York Posts' Joel Sherman, good teams (and good pitchers) are supposed to beat up on bad teams HarballTalk's Craig Calcaterra writes and if he looks good in those starts (as ESPN's TMI blog points out he did against the Os), it doesn't matter much to me. Would I love to see the dominant CC from last summer show up again? Sure. But since it took a while for him to show up in 2009 and the results were pretty damn good, I'm willing to have patience in 2010 as well.
2. Even with Sabathia struggling, the Yankees have been the best team in baseball. They're tied for the best record, have the best run differential in baseball (+103), the most runs scored in baseball (355), the best home record in baseball (22-7), and ESPN Power Rankings has them at #1 (which is probably the kiss of death). This is also without a productive Mark Teixeira, a powerful Alex Rodriguez, a healthy Nick Johnson, a catching Jorge Posada, or a dominant bullpen. 
3. Phil Hughes has been a big part of the past year. As ESPN's TMI blog points out, Hughes was demoted to the bullpen last season on June 14th and in the year since has gone 16-2 with a 2.36 ERA, 122 IP, only 6 HR allowed and 133 K to 33 BB. He wasn't spectacular in his last start but still found a way to win. While Stephen at TYU argues that the birthday boy Andy Pettitte is no All-Star (and I disagree with him, but that's for another post), there's no doubting that Hughes should be heading to Anaheim (close to his hometown) for the Midsummer Classic.

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Is There a Free Agent Market For Cliff Lee?

One of the biggest off-season moves of this past winter was the Seattle Mariners acquisition of Cliff Lee from the Philadelphia Phillies. With one year left on his contract, Lee was deemed expendable by a Philadelphia team that didn’t think they could resign him once his contract was up. The Mariners had dreams of pairing Felix Hernandez and Lee together for one season and seeing what they could do in the spacious confines of Safeco Field.

Well, it may only be one year that they have together. Lee’s agent, Darek Braunecker, told ESPN’s Buster Olney that Lee will be testing the free agent waters in five months. With Josh Beckett locked up, Brandon Webb injured and Javier Vazquez having a rough go of it in the Bronx, Lee is definitely the cream of the free agent pitching crop.

But what type of market awaits Lee? Which teams will be involved in the bidding? While 5 years ago, Cliff Lee would be looking at a huge contract deal, in 2010 with a depressed economy, sagging attendance in some parks, and teams looking to be more fiscally responsible, it seems like Lee’s prospects are drying up in certain areas. So will Lee get a CC Sabathia-type contract or will he be left disappointed after the off-season is over? Let’s take a look at the possibilities (with thanks to Cot’s Baseball Contracts on the salaries):

Seattle Mariners: The Mariners traded away some of their best prospects to get Cliff Lee so it would make sense they would keep him, right? Well some of thought behind acquiring Lee was that they would keep him for a year and try to recoup the prospect loss in draft pick compensation for Lee signing elsewhere (Lee should be a Type A free agent). And since the Mariners are yet to approach Lee about a contract, that draft pick grab may be the path they are going to head down. If Lee has a huge season in Seattle, though, the Mariners will have a lot of incentive to resign him. If the team struggles, however, they may have to trade him and The News Tribune says they should think about doing that now, rather than later. The Seattle P-I says that the Mariners haven't really been showing much love Lee's way (picture to the right from that article).

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Let's Play Two (for one)

With New York getting pounded by some real April weather (remember how April Showers Brings May Flowers used to actually make sense?) the Metsies decided to postpone last nights game before the gates even opened. First off I want to take an unusual step for me and applaud their decision to postpone the game well before it started. Last year both the Mets and Yanks opened the gates on nights where it was almost obvious no baseball was to be played, collected their fans parking and concession money, let them sit in the wet and cold for 90+ minutes and then called the game. It made economic sense for them - new ballparks, plenty of fans, but was a real gut punch to the loyal fanbase that showed up.

Whether for altruistic reasons this year (or merely because they knew nobody would show up anyway) the Mets decided to call yesterday's game before 6pm and schedule a classic, old-school, doubleheader for today at 4pm. Yes that's right, one of those goodie 2-for-1 opportunities that I personally never thought we would see at Citi Field. The Mets are clearly struggling with attendance - even with the Dodgers in town they still have well over 10,000 seats per game unsold, so this move probably made economic sense. They also moved Johan up to game one, so there should be fannies in the seats starting with the 4pm game, if the weather improves.

So, kudos to the Mets for going with the fan-friendly value option here, instead of trying to milk two separate gates today or Wednesday. With the team's improved play they could even be, gasp, in first place by 10pm tonight. However, as most of the educated NYaT community knows, it is statistically unlikely that any team sweeps a doubleheader, even if they are playing at home. So mother nature might have delivered some value to Met fans, but may also now be responsible for ending their win streak. But hey, you gotta believe!!

Any of our loyal readers heading out to Citi this afternoon?

Side note: The Metsies hit Philly this weekend for a series with their hated rival. The weather forecast is looking good and the Saturday 3pm matchup will likely be Doc Halladay (fresh off his first loss) vs. Mike (Hand-licker) Pelfrey. The game is sold out but there is plenty of inventory on Stubhub and I am seriously thinkin about making the trip. Startin to feel things turning around for my Mets!

NYaT's Expert MLB Predictions for 2010

We're not really experts--but we're really doing our predictions. Last year I did pretty well. Not great. I had the Yankees and Phillies in the League Championship Series. So, hey, I did OK. But let's get ready for 2010 with some more "expert" predictions. Here's my predictions with the rest of the blog writers chiming in:

AL East
1. Yankees
2. Red Sox  (Wild Card)
3. Rays
4. Orioles
5. Blue Jays

This is a three team race with a third team (the Orioles) who have an up-and-coming team. The Blue Jays have some good young players but are probably a few years from competition. The Orioles have one of the best young outfields in baseball (Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, and Nolan Reimold) but their starting pitching and bullpen may be too raw to compete in 2010. So that leaves the big three. I love the Rays team, but while everything came together for their bullpen in 2008, last year we saw what happens when that bullpen implodes. They will hit and they will field, but can they protect leads? I'm not confident in that. That leaves the Yankees and the Red Sox. The Yankees were 8 games better last year. While the Red Sox probably improved 8 games with their pitching and defense, the Yankees improved as well, basically replacing Chad Gaudin/Sergio Mitre in the rotation with Javy Vazquez (the only guy to throw 198 innings every season of the past decade). It's going to be closer, but I still think the Red Sox are an acquisition or two from beating the Yankees. While the Yankees could be undone by injuries, the Red Sox injury risks (John Lackey, Josh Beckett, Dice-K, J.D. Drew, etc.) are equally as present. What remains to be seen if Jonathan Papelbon has any ill effects from his implosion in last year's deciding game of the ALDS. The Fenway Faithful may not be too forgiving if he blows a game or two in the opening series vs. the Yankees. The Yankees fans will probably feel the same way if Javy Vazquez starts off slow as well. Ben and Ari took the Yankees with the Red Sox as Wild Card as well. Jay took the Yankees winning the division with the Rays as the division winner. Sarah has the Red Sox winning the division with Tampa winning the Wild Card. (picture from the New York Daily News)

AL Central:
1. White Sox
2. Twins
3. Tigers
4. Indians
5. Royals

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Hot Stove Coal: Why Did The Phillies Have To Trade Cliff Lee?

"What's goin', I say, What's going on here?" - Foghorn Leghorn

Well I've already gone through the odd decisions made by Dave Dombrowski and the Detroit Tigers this offseason, but the next team I'll take a look at is the NL Champions: the Philadelphia Phillies and their General Manager, Ruben Amaro, Jr. . The Phillies traded for Roy Halladay this season and traded away Cliff Lee. This was not a 3-way deal. The Phillies traded their own prospects to Toronto for Halladay and got back completely separate prospects from the Mariners for Lee. The reasoning at the time was that the team could not afford to keep both Lee and Halladay. But as this off-season has progressed, that seems to have been far from the truth.

Lee was 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA (and an amazing 7.4 K/BB ratio) and was the playoff hero for the Phillies last season after coming over to The City of Brotherly Love in a trade deadline deal with the Cleveland Indians. With one year under his contract, it was assumed that Lee would come back this season and the Phillies would try to work out a contract extension either before, during or after the season. But when Lee mentioned that he was looking for CC Sabathia-like money and years, the Phillies quickly moved to acquire Roy Halladay (who they knew they could lock up for the years and money they wanted) and traded away Lee.

At the time, the reasoning behind the trading of Lee was that the Phillies had overspent the past season to get to the World Series and couldn't spend the money again in 2010 (some were reporting they were over their payroll limit even before this trade). They also didn't want to leave their farm system barren after trading for both Lee and Halladay within a year. Fine.

But the Phillies moves this off-season makes me think that maybe they weren't so enamored with Lee as a long-term option. Amaro first gave Placido Polanco a three-year, $18 M deal which seemed excessive at the time and, how this market's performed, it seems pretty insane now. Polanco hasn't played third base since his days when he last played with the Phillies in 2005. Their incumbent 3rd baseman, Pedro Feliz, has been in serious decline, but they could have found another option for 3B (Adrian Beltre's contract would be more palatable for the Phillies than Polanco).

I just really point that signing out as a place the Phillies could have saved some money. Another place? Trading Joe Blanton. That's what Buster Olney argued today and it was made even more obvious when they signed Blanton (a workhorse, for sure, but no where near the ace status of Lee) to a 3-year, $24 M extension. Cliff Lee was signed for $8 M this year. Are you seriously telling me that keeping Lee for $8 M and trading Blanton for a prospect would not have been better than the prospects they got for Lee and keeping Blanton for 3 years? Add that to the fact that Lee would have brought back two picks as a Type A free agent if he left and you got me scratching my head.

Here were the four choices as I see it:

1. Don't trade for Halladay

• Keep prospects (and the Phillies prospects were the best given up in the deal)
• Pay $8 M to Lee for one year, get draft pick compensation if he walks
• Give Blanton 3-year, $24 M extension
• If it ain't broke, don't fix it. You have a pitcher whose proven he can pitch in the playoffs and in the friendly confines of Citizen Bank Park and Blanton, a workhorse. This rotation was able to handle the NL East last season and should be able to this season as well. You have the prospects in stow to make a mid-season splash, if necessary. Plus you have Kyle Drabek waiting int the wings in case Jamie Moyer/Antonio Bastardo/Kyle Kendrick can't cut it as the 5th starter.
  

2. Trade for Halladay and keep Lee and Blanton

• Drains the farm system
• Pay $8 M to Lee for one year, get draft pick compensation if he walks
• Pay $15.75 M to Halladay in 2010 and sign to 3 years/$60 M extension
• Give Blanton 3-year, $24 M extension
• You need to get rid of money someplace, so you can start with Polanco's $6 M and not sign Danys Baez for $2.75 M. There's over $8 M right there. You have the best rotation in baseball with Halladay, Lee, Blanton, Cole Hamels and JA Happ. You replace Baez and Polanco with low-priced talent and hope to pick someone up on the cheap midseason or at the end of the off-season. I don't think they would have ever gone with this, but it would have made them the NL favorites right off the bat.
  

3. Trade for Halladay, trade away Lee, keep Blanton

• Trade away the better prospects, but at least replenish the farm system a bit. From Olney: "[J.P.] Aumont, the best prospect in the deal, is projected as a possible set-up man with the promise that he might develop into a closer. The Phillies also received outfielder Tyson Gillies and pitcher Juan Ramirez in the deal."
• Pay $15.75 M to Halladay in 2010 and sign to 3 years/$60 M extension
• Give Blanton 3-year, $24 M extension
• This is what they did. They got Halladay (a better overall pitcher than Lee but unproven in Philly's home park or in the playoffs) and kept Blanton. The one advantage of this rotation is they can go righty, lefty throughout the entire rotation. The New York Times' Tyler Kepner points out @TylerKepner: With Blanton deal, the Phillies now have Halladay-Hamels-Blanton-Happ under club control through '12. I don't know if that's a good thing, though. You basically replaced a great starting prospect with a great relieving prospect. Sounds like the Joba debate all over again, but I think that it's now proven that a great starter is much more valuable than a great reliever.
  

4. Trade for Halladay, keep Lee, trade Blanton

• They would have a pretty barren farm system but would recoup a B-level prospect for Blanton (he is better than most of the other options out there) and draft picks for Lee if/when he walks
• Pay $8 M to Lee for one year, get draft pick compensation if he walks
• Pay $15.75 M to Halladay in 2010 and sign to 3 years/$60 M extension
• I still have no clue why they didn't do this. Their rotation is the best in the National League with Halladay, Lee, Hamels, Happ and Jamie Moyer/Antonio Bastardo/Kyle Kendrick and the left-handedness of the rotation was hard for most teams to handle. They would be paying their roster the same amount in 2010 as the third option, but they would have Lee plus prospects and payroll flexibility for this option and Blanton for three years in the other. I also think this instantly makes them the NL favorites and one of the most scary teams in baseball. It's basically replacing Blanton with Halladay. That's scary.
  

In the end, I think the fourth option was the best and I'm not sure why the Phillies didn't go in that direction. If they fall short of winning the World Series this year or are searching for pitching at the trade deadline, they'll be wishing they had gone with Lee and Halladay, the best 1-2 punch in the majors.

Google Wave Invitation Giveaway With Trivia

I have 8 invitations to give away to Google Wave. How do you get them? Be the first eight to get an answer to this trivia question correctly:

10 different players hit home runs in the 2009 World Series. Name one of them.

Post your answer in the comments below and include your e-mail address so I can send you the invite. You cannot duplicate one that someone else put up there or else you will be disqualified. If you answer more than one player, you are also disqualified. Again I only have 8 invites right now so the first 8 people to get the question right will get the invites.

Good luck!

Top 5 Teams of the Decade

Sorry Red Sox fans, the decade is over. 2000-2009 was a great time in baseball, but the era is now closed. Let's look at the top five teams from the decade that was.

Honorable Mention:

• Houston Astros (won 1 pennant, played in 2 LCS, made playoffs 3 times, won 1 division, 7 seasons over .500)
• New York Mets (won 1 pennant, played in 2 LCS, made playoffs 2 times, 6 seasons over .500)
• Arizona Diamondbacks (won 1 World Series, played in 2 LCS, made playoffs 3 times, won 3 divisions, 6 seasons over .500)
• Los Angeles Dodgers (played in 2 LCS, made playoffs 4 times, won 3 divisions, 9 seasons over .500)
• Minnesota Twins (played in 1 LCS, made playoffs 5 times, won 5 divisions, 8 seasons over .500)
• Seattle Mariners (played in 2 LCS, made playoffs 2 times, won 1 division, 6 seasons over .500)
• Chicago White Sox (won 1 World Series, played in 1 LCS, made playoffs 3 times, won 3 divisions, 8 seasons over .500)
• Oakland As (played in 1 LCS, made playoffs 5 times, won 4 divisions, 7 seasons over .500)
  

#5: Philadelphia Phillies
World Series wins: 1
Pennants: 2
LCS: 2
Playoffs: 3
Divisions: 3
Playoff record: 20-12 (.625)
Series record: 5-2

Seasons over .500: 8
Overall record: 850-769 (.525)

Maybe it's just recent memory getting in the way, but I'm going with Philly #5 over all the teams listed above. It was tough, but I think that 8 seasons over .500 and 3 straight divisions gives it to the Phillies. Pat Burrell led them over the decade with 251 HR (with Ryan Howard in 2nd with 222) and Brett Myers led Philadelphia with 73 wins (second was Randy Wolf with 63).


#4: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

World Series wins: 1
LCS: 3
Playoffs: 6
Divisions: 5
Playoff Record: 21-24 (.467)
Series Record:  5-5
Season over .500: 8Overall record: 900-720 (.556)

The Angels had a pretty bad playoff record for so much success. They can thank the Red Sox for a lot of that damage. Although they were the Anaheim Angels for half of the decade, they were a successful team throughout. Garret Anderson led the Halos with 200 home runs to Vlad Guerrero's 173 and John Lackey won 102 games, much more than the next closest Angel, Jarrod Washburn at 65. The Angels could have vaulted up this list with a World Series win in 2009, but their LCS exit to the Yankees bumped them back.

#3: St. Louis Cardinals
World Series wins: 1
Pennants: 2
LCS: 5
Playoffs: 7
Divisions: 6
Playoff record: 31-24 (.564)
Series record: 8-6
Seasons over .500: 9
Overall record: 913-706 (.564)


I was surprised to see how much success the Cards have truly had this past decade. If Matt Holliday doesn't drop the fly ball in Los Angeles, they may be moving up the list as well as a World Series win would have given them consideration to move up to #2. Alas, they'll sit in #3 as the best team in the National League during the decade. They made half of the LCS played in the first decade of the 00's so that's points in their column which is tied with the Yankees for the most in baseball over that span. Albert Pujols had 366 HR over the decade (2nd was Jim Edmonds at 241) and, amazingly, Matt Morris led all redbirds in wins with 82 (2nd was Chris Carpenter at 68).

#2: Boston Red Sox
World Series wins:2
Pennants:2
LCS: 4 
Playoffs: 6
Divisions:1
Playoff record: 34-23 (.596)
Series record: 8-4
Seasons over .500: 10
Overall record: 920-699 (.568)

Red Sox fans are just pissed that they can't use their own definition of the decade to make their case look better. Sorry. This resume is pretty damn impressive as it is. A .596 winning % in the playoffs including two sweeps of the World Series certainly looks great as does the *gulp* 3-0 comeback against the Yankees. Manny Ramirez slugged 274 HR for the BoSox to beat out David Ortiz (259) and knuckeballer Tim Wakefield won 110 games to easily put away Pedro Martinez (who won his 75 in only 5 years and did it to a .743 winning %). Again, the Red Sox finish second to the rival Yankees.

#1: New York Yankees

World Series wins: 2
Pennants: 4
LCS: 5 
Playoffs: 9
Divisions: 8
Playoff record: 52-41 (.559)
Series record: 11-7
Seasons over .500: 10
Overall record: 965-651 (.596)

It took a while to get back there, but the Yankees are truly the team of the decade once again (they won that honor in the 90s as well). Although they had some hiccups in the playoffs (too many first-round exits, that 3-0 blowup), it is also magnified because they made the playoffs 9 out of 10 years--more than the rest of their entire division combined. A-Rod (238 HR) edged out Jason Giambi (209) and Jorge Posada (208) on the offensive side and Mike Mussina won 123 games to best Andy Pettitte (111). In the end, the Pinstripes rained supreme. Others agree:

David Wells:

Let's end one debate before it really gets started. The Red Sox gave it a nice run for a while, but the Yankees are the team of the decade -- again. 

I can just imagine what the scene in Red Sox Nation is about now. The fans are bitter. Very bitter. The Yankees are back on top, and that can't be sitting too well in New England.

Rob Neyer:

Landslide. Sorry, Nation. 

Update 1:15 PM: Forgot to include this link which says that Brian Cashman also agrees that the Yankees are the team of the decade with very, very angry Red Sox comments underneath.

World Series Game 6 Notes and Pitching Matchups

Yankees lineup:

1. Derek Jeter SS
2. Johnny Damon LF
3. Mark Teixeira 1B
4. Alex Rodriguez 3B
5. Hideki Matsui DH
6. Jorge Posada C
7. Robinson Cano 2B
8. Nick Swisher RF
9. Brett Gardner CF

P. Andy Pettitte

Some notes:

• Despite Jerry Hairston, Jr's good numbers vs. Pedro, Joe Girardi rightly resisted the urge to start him over Cano, Swisher or Gardner. I think that's a very good move. Swisher is the better hitter, Cano is the better player and Gardner is the better defender. Makes the most sense
  

• After Hideki Matsui had to sit out a July trip through NL parks, he his .349/.473/.767 with 5 HR and 14 RBI in his next 15 games. With the same amount of rest maybe he can be as productive tonight. Also, Matsui's postseason career was going along swimmingly until Pedro brushed him back in the 2004 ALCS. Can Matsui exact some revenge?

• If this is Matsui's last game as a Yankee, they will miss him. He is .303/.385/.517 w/ 9 HR, 33 RBI in his postseason career
  

• Speaking of revenge, I think Posada would like some after being sat for Jose Molina and going back to 2003-2004 rivalry with Pedro where Posada thought Pedro was threatening to throw at his head.
  

• Girardi said that A.J. Burnett is available in relief as early as tonight. Since he's sucked it up in the first innings of his games, I'm not sure you want him in there in any big spot. Girardi said Mo is good for 2 innings tonight

• Supposedly Charlie Manuel hasn't ruled out bringing back Lee for a possible Game 7--on two days rest. Why, if that was the case, didn't he bring him back Game 4 on 3-days rest? Strange
  

• I'm thinking of showing up tonight at Yankee Stadium with a pan and a spoon and telling security I'm here because Freddy Sez is going on short rest. I don't know if they'll buy it, though.
  

• I was thinking of this Seinfeld quote today: "George Costanza: Do you wanna talk about hotels or do you wanna win some ball games?/Derek Jeter: We won the World Series/George: In 6 games"

• Although George Constanza was my pick to throw out the first pitch, they're going with Scott Brosius who is a pretty good choice too. Mary J. singing national anthem.
  

Quick Links:

• Love the ending of this blog post by Chris Shearn
• Great job by Fack Youk taking apart Mike Lupica
• River Ave Blues points out that the Yankees have won before with key players struggling
• Joe Posnanski wonders if The Boss "deserves" another championship
• The OC Register shows just how good Mariano Rivera really is
• Walk Off Walk has a great list of things they can't deal with today
  

Let's just take a quick look at how these two veterans pitchers match up against their opposing teams (stats from Baseball-Reference and include the postseason):

Yankees vs. Pedro

PA  AB  H  2B 3B HR RBI  BB  SO   BA   OBP   SLG   **OPS**   SH  SF IBB HBP GDP G_miss YR_miss
+-----------------+---+---+---+--+--+--+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+---------+---+---+---+---+---+------+-------+
 Jerry Hairston     34  30  11  2  1  0   0   3   7  .367  .424  .500    .924     1   0   0   0   0                
 Mark Teixeira       9   9   2  1  0  1   1   0   4  .222  .222  .667    .889     0   0   0   0   0                
 Derek Jeter       119 105  28  6  0  4  10  12  29  .267  .347  .438    .785     1   0   0   1   0                
 Jorge Posada       84  72  15  4  1  4  12  11  34  .208  .321  .458    .779     0   0   0   1   1                
 Hideki Matsui      48  45  11  4  0  2   3   3   8  .244  .292  .467    .759     0   0   0   0   0                
 Alex Rodriguez     70  61  17  2  0  1   4   7  22  .279  .371  .361    .732     0   0   0   2   1                
 Eric Hinske        33  30   8  0  0  1   7   1  10  .267  .303  .367    .670     0   1   0   1   1                
 Melky Cabrera       9   8   2  0  0  0   0   1   3  .250  .333  .250    .583     0   0   1   0   0                
 Jose Molina        14  11   2  0  0  0   1   1   1  .182  .308  .182    .490     1   0   0   1   0                
 Johnny Damon       30  28   5  0  0  0   0   2   5  .179  .233  .179    .412     0   0   0   0   1                
 Robinson Cano      16  15   0  0  0  0   2   0   1  .000  .000  .000    .000     0   1   0   0   1                
 Nick Swisher        2   2   0  0  0  0   0   0   0  .000  .000  .000    .000     0   0   0   0   0                
+-----------------+---+---+---+--+--+--+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+---------+---+---+---+---+---+------+-------+
 Total             468 416 101 19  2 13  40  41 124  .243  .318  .392    .710     3   2   1   6   5                

Philllies vs. Pettitte

PA  AB  H  2B 3B HR RBI  BB  SO   BA   OBP   SLG   **OPS**   SH  SF IBB HBP GDP G_miss YR_miss
+-----------------+---+---+---+--+--+--+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+---------+---+---+---+---+---+------+-------+
 Carlos Ruiz         3   3   2  0  0  1   1   0   0  .667  .667 1.667   2.334     0   0   0   0   0                
 Brett Myers         2   2   1  0  0  0   0   0   0  .500  .500  .500   1.000     0   0   0   0   0                
 Shane Victorino     6   6   3  0  0  0   0   0   1  .500  .500  .500   1.000     0   0   0   0   0                
 Ben Francisco       6   5   2  0  0  0   0   1   1  .400  .500  .400    .900     0   0   0   0   0                
 Raul Ibanez        22  21   6  1  0  1   3   0   5  .286  .318  .476    .794     0   0   0   1   1                
 Pedro Feliz        10   7   2  0  0  0   2   3   1  .286  .500  .286    .786     0   0   0   0   0                
 Jimmy Rollins      18  18   4  0  0  1   1   0   2  .222  .222  .389    .611     0   0   0   0   0                
 Chase Utley         8   7   1  0  0  0   0   1   3  .143  .250  .143    .393     0   0   0   0   0                
 Jayson Werth       13  13   1  0  0  1   2   0   5  .077  .077  .308    .385     0   0   0   0   2                
 Ryan Howard         9   9   1  0  0  0   0   0   1  .111  .111  .111    .222     0   0   0   0   0                
 Paul Bako           1   1   0  0  0  0   0   0   0  .000  .000  .000    .000     0   0   0   0   0                
 Chan Ho Park        5   4   0  0  0  0   0   0   3  .000  .000  .000    .000     1   0   0   0   0                
 Matt Stairs         9   9   0  0  0  0   0   0   1  .000  .000  .000    .000     0   0   0   0   0                
+-----------------+---+---+---+--+--+--+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+---------+---+---+---+---+---+------+-------+
 Total             112 105  23  1  0  4   9   5  23  .219  .261  .343    .604     1   0   0   1   3                

Some more great stats on this game here

Quick, non-reliable prediction: 7-4 Yankees in a game decided by bullpens. Posada, Matsui and Werth go deep, Mariano closes it out.

Who Will Win The World Series MVP?

When the World Series ends an MVP will have to be declared. Let's take a look at the candidates:

Yankees hitters:

• Johnny Damon is tied for the series lead with 8 hits, has scored a team-high 5 runs and is 3-3 in stolen base attempts. His 2-out approach in Game 4 and his double steal puts him in the spotlight and a big game tonight to seal the deal could give him the MVP.

• Derek Jeter also has 8 hits in the series and if he has a big hit to win the game tonight or picks up 3+ hits, you could see him sneaking in and winning it. Mostly because of "intangibles". But the GIDP in Game 5 will hurt him. But winning the MVP would be very Jeterian.
  

• Hideki Matsui will be back in the lineup tonight and the Yankees have missed him in their regularly. Matsui has an awesome .556/.600/1.222 line (yes, that's a 1.822 OPS) with 2 HR this postseason and if he keeps up that fire tonight, he has a chance of winning it. Being only available to pinch hit for all three games in Philly may hurt him

• A-Rod just missed out on winning the ALCS MVP but he has a chance to take home the World Series MVP with a big Game 6. He has had a ton of big hits this postseason and few more may vault him over the top. His no-show in Games 1 and 2 may hurt the cause, however. If he does win, I wonder if he has to split it with Kate Hudson?

Phillies Hitters:

• Chase Utley is having a monster World Series. I came in praising the job he has done without as much critical acclaim as Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins or many of his other teammates, but Utley is truly a beast. As Sporting News and Big League Stew point out, Utley could win it without his team winning the World Series for only the second time in MLB history. If he hits another home run tonight, he may seal it.

• Jayson Werth has a very outside shot of winning it. But let's say he hits two more home runs against Andy Pettitte tonight to win Game 6 and produces big in a Game 7 win...don't you have to think about giving it to him at that point? That also means that Chase Utley can't do any more damage than he's done now so this is a very outside shot

Yankees Pitchers:

• Andy Pettitte could win it with an 8 inning, 1 run game tonight (or something like that). That would give him two out of four wins for the World Series, including yet another clincher.

• Mariano Rivera could win it with a big save tonight. Let's say he gets 7 outs tonight. That would give him 3 saves and 6 innings pitched. I think he would have earned it, too.
  

• CC Sabathia would need a huge Game 7 to win it. But imagine if he finishes the World Series with a huge Game 7 and a low ERA. He would have pitched 3 really good games for the Yankees, though I wonder if he'll get punished for getting an L and an ND in the other two.
  

Phillies Pitchers:

• Cliff Lee could win it by coming out of the bullpen tomorrow night and closing out the World Series for the Phillies. If he does that a la Randy Johnson, I think you have to give him the hardware.

• Ryan Madson is a dark sleeper here but let's say he gets two huge saves in the final two games. That would mean he would pitch in 6 of 7 games and get 3 saves. I don't know if it'll ever come to that, but it would be an interesting choice.
  

Who do you think is going to win it? I've put a new poll up on the right. Put your vote there but let us know in the comments why you chose that player.

Three Bothersome Things and a Few Takeaways

It's weird to feel nervous about this World Series. The Yankees are up 3-2 and coming back to the Bronx. The Yankees have lost two games in a row at home only twice since A-Rod returned to the lineup at the beginning of May. Amazingly, those two times were to the Nationals and the Orioles. So there's reason to have faith that the team with the best record in baseball and the best record at home should be able to win one of two back in the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium.

It also may be unreasonable to think the Yankees should have won all three games in Philly. The last team to sweep the middle three games of the series on the road were the 1996 Yankees who swept the Braves in Atlanta to win the 1996 World Series. But it doesn't mean that last night's game isn't bothersome. Here's four reasons why:

• Joe Girardi starting A.J. Burnett on 3 days rest and going with Molina over Posada. I was a big fan of going with A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia on 3 days rest. I still think it was the right decision to do so. It just didn't work out. Burnett was awful last night and the Yankees were forced to use their bullpen for a lot of pitches. That bodes poorly when you consider the Yankees have Pettitte on short rest coming up next. The one thing I have a problem with was keeping Jose Molina in the lineup over Jorge Posada. I can at least tolerate it in an American League park with the DH, but with Gardner, Molina and Burnett at the bottom of the Yankees lineup last  night against Cliff Lee, they were already playing from behind. And Molina's game calling hasn't stopped A.J. from having bad first innings in Game 5 of the past two series. So that move was a total failure.

• Phil Coke's two home runs. One big takeaway from last night was how well the Yankees bullpen pitched--except for Phil Coke. The rest of the bullpen (David Robertson, Alfredo Aceves and Phil Hughes) pitched 5.1 innings, giving up only 3 hits, 0 BB, and 4 K. Although they were mostly low-pressure situations, it was good to see some reliable arms emerge from the bullpen. Phil Coke, on the other hand, was downright awful. With Damaso Marte having worked a lot this series and coming off arm troubles this season, it was up to the other lefty in the Yankees 'pen to get the job done. Instead, Coke gave up two home runs to two lefties and those two runs were the insurance the Phillies needed as that was the difference in the game. Add Phil Coke to Brian Bruney on the list of pitchers who should never see the pitching mound again this season.

• Derek Jeter's GIDP and Mark Teixeira's K. The last bothersome thing is that the Yankees had a chance to come back, but fell just short. Derek Jeter grounded into a huge double play in the 9th inning. With runners on first and third and nobody out, Jeter had a chance to really put the pressure on the Phils. Jeter let a fastball go right down the middle then turned over on another fastball for an easy GIDP. Derek Jeter has hit into 14 postseason double plays, including 3 costly ones in the 2007 ALDS. None were more costly, however, than last night's. Johnny Damon reached after Jeter (another great AB by Damon) and Mark Teixeira represented the tying run. But Ryan Madson made Tex look silly and struck him out looking. The gameplan for the Phils facing Teixeira seem to be fastballs away and breaking balls down and it has been working. Teixeira now has struckout 7 times so far in the World Series after 8 Ks in the ALCS. He has only two hits in 19 ABs (although one was a HR and the other a 2B). Mark Teixiera's first playoffs in pinstripes is looking a lot like Tino Martinez's first playoffs for the Yankees in 1996, especially the World Series. Tino was only 1-11 in that series and had to be replaced by Cecil Fielder, but was an offensive force in his next 4 World Series with the Bronx Bombers. Teixeira still has a chance to be a hero both because of his defense and because he had 24 HR, 71 RBI and an OPS of 1.013 at home during the regular season. He also had 30 of his 39 HR and 91 of his 122 RBIs as a lefty this season and he will switch around to that side for Pedro Martinez, the pitcher he went deep off of in Game 2. That's little consolation for the Yankees comeback last night, however.
  

A few Twitter reactions when I posed the question about what bothered people the most this morning:

• @Lumpy231: how bout the decision to throw the whole staff on 3 days rest
• @yankeechick78: I was just talking about the goats of the game. and I named all three that you did. Cokes bothers me the most.
• @YankeeClipper09: Coke's HRs and Jeter's GIDP.  But, I love the fight in this team.  They made the Phillies, and their fans, nervous in the 9th
• @darry2385: coke's HRs.  turned out to be the difference in the game, despite AJ's no-show
• @Milfhunters: the gidp was the game killer, but tex's weak outs are really troubling
• @jonathan_meola: AJ put us in the hole 2 begin with.  Coke's HRs was just the frosting on the cake
• @5States: I'd say AJ's start, because without that, the other stuff really doesn't happen.
  

One good thing for the Yankees is that Pettitte has been really good for the Yanks on short rest. Here's what he's done in the postseason on 3-days rest via Baseball-Reference:

Date          Series G Tm   Opp GmReslt App,Dec    IP   H  R ER BB SO HR Pit Str GmSc BF AB 2B ERA
-------------+------+-+---+----+-------+---------+----+--+--+--+--+--+--+---+---+----+--+--+--+--+--+
1996-10-13    ALCS   5 NYY @BAL W  6-4  GS-8  ,W   8    3  2  2  1  3  2 100  60   70 28 27  0  2.25 
1996-10-24    WS     5 NYY @ATL W  1-0  GS-9  ,W   8.1  5  0  0  3  4  0  96  59   74 31 28  1  0.00 
1997-10-06    ALDS   5 NYY @CLE L  3-4  GS-7  ,L   6.2  6  4  4  0  2  0  97  68   48 26 23  2  5.40 
2000-10-08    ALDS   5 NYY @OAK W  7-5  GS-4       3.2 10  5  5  2  4  0  88  55   23 23 19  1  12.27 
2003-10-19    WS     2 NYY  FLA W  6-1  GS-9  ,W   8.2  6  1  0  1  7  0 111  70   76 32 31  0  0.00 

That's really only one bad start in there. I know Pettitte is a bit older, but if you look at the World Series success he has in the past on short rest, there's a reason to be optimistic

Here's another few reasons to be optimistic: the Yankees never give up, the Phillies bullpen is shaky at best, and the Yankees are still up 3-2 in this series. This is how the ALCS was won as well and keeping with my original prediction, I see the Yankees bringing it back to the Bronx and wrapping it up in 6. This team never gives up in a game and I think it would be apropos of the themes of the 2009 season if the Yankees won it at home tomorrow night with Pettitte starting, Rivera closing and a comeback win for the Yankees in the Bronx.

Key World Series Stats

Key Yankees Hitters:



The Yankees have had only four big hitters so far this series: Hideki Matsui (.500/.556/1.250, 2 HR), Nick Swisher (1.030 OPS), Derek Jeter (.412/.444/.529, series-high 7 hits), and Johnny Damon (.745, 5 hits, 3 for 3 on SB). I was surprised to see Nick Swisher on there especially with the tough start he had to the series, but he has really come on as of late. The worst hitters have been Mark Teixeira (1-14), Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano (combined 4-28, 1 run, 6 K, 0 BB)

Key Phillies Hitters:



For the Phillies, the biggest hitters have been Chase Utley (1.286 OPS, Phillies-high 3 HR and 4 RBI), Jayson Werth (.308/.438/.769, 2 HR), and Carlos Ruiz (1.067 OPS). Their worst hitters have been Ryan Howard (0 BB, 10 K), Raul Ibanez (0 BB, 9 K), and Jimmy Rollins (.586 OPS, 0 XBH after his 5-game prediction). The Phillies have only hit solo home runs this series.

Key Yankees Pitchers:



Mariano Rivera has been his normal great self and Damaso Marte has been their most reliable set-up man. A.J. Burnett was great in his first start and tries to follow that up tonight. CC Sabathia has been really good in two starts but only has a loss and a no-decision to show for it.

Key Phillies Pitchers:



The Phillies bullpen outside of Brad Lidge has not been bad. Should the Phillies have thrown Cliff Lee on short rest? If Brad Lidge had held onto the game last night, I don't think that decision would have been questioned. But it's all on him tonight.

Back in New York, Ready for Game 5

It was an adventure, but I am finally back in the United States. I heard the Yankees won Game 2 from the flight attendant on the loudspeaker when landed. Games 2 and 3 I watched, for the most part, in a hotel's business center. For Game 3, I wasn't even staying at that hotel anymore. That's why it was an adventure. Amazing that Europe refuses to show American sports except on satellite. I know that Americans don't love soccer, but at least we show it on television.

Now it's time for Game 5 of the World Series! The New York Post's Joel Sherman says that it's Ramiro Pena in for Melky Cabrera (injured in the last game) which is an interesting choice.

Hopefully the Yankees can wrap it up tonight and it won't matter much. But a bottom of the lineup of Brett Gardner, Jose Molina and A.J. Burnett is not going to be very intimidating tonight. If A.J. Burnett pitches like he did in his last game, it won't matter. Then again, if Cliff Lee pitches like he did in Game 1 of the series, it won't matter either.

I think the Phillies find a way to win one tonight. The Yankees bottom of the lineup is weak, A.J. Burnett is pitching on short rest and Cliff Lee has been one of the best pitchers of the playoffs. But I wouldn't be surprised if the Yankees found a way to win. Their ability to grind out wins late in games could be a huge advantage tonight in what should be a hard-fought pitcher's duel.

By the way Philly, I know that Jimmy Rollins predicted the Phillies in 5, but Macy's didn't have to rub in the fact that the Phillies did not accomplish this by running an ad congratulating them on winning. I understand when sometimes they make 19-0 t-shirts because anyone can win that one Super Bowl game, but this is a bit ridiculous.

A few interesting videos to enjoy before Game 5:



Did Chan Ho Park throw a spitball? Looks a lot more egregious than Mariano Rivera's supposed spitball, but I think it's just a case of a guy rubbing down the ball. YouTube has gotten a lot of attention this postseason, but I think that sometimes it gets overdone. Though I wonder if the Phillies and Park will get as many questions as Rivera and the Yankees after the viral video on Rivera.



This second video was sent to me by Jenn and is a crazy video. Just wow. Has nothing to do with baseball...but wow.

Too Bad I Was Sleeping

I want to open this post by saying I am not an early-to-bed kinda guy. On work nights I routinely go to bed after midnight, sometimes even later. If there is a big game on I will generally stay up to watch, even when my beloved Mets are on the west coast (I saw ALL their games against the Dodgers, including the extra inning Church-missed-the-bag debacle). So I am pretty committed to finishing up a late night game. But even I occasionally cant make it all the way through - and I bet I have a lot of company on this.

When Johnny Damon came up in the 9th last night and had his (and subsequently AROD's) defining moment as a Yankee I was already catching up on Zs. I watched the game up through the top of the 8th. It was already after 11 pm in New York, and due to the daylight savings change earlier yesterday morning it felt like it was after midnight. A long weekend of Halloween revelry (once again, I am pretty sure I wasn't along on this one) left me totally beat, so I went to sleep, and missed an ending for the ages.

My issue with this is, it didn't have to be this way. Sure, the game ran a bit long (3 hours, 25 minutes), but World Series games, on national television, with powerful and patient lineups ALWAYS run long. So then how is it possible that a game played on the east coast, in my timezone, managed to run past my formidable bedtime (and possibly WELL past the bedtime of most normal people)? The answer is simple, FOX Primetime. FOX chose to start this game around 8:20 pm. Due to the DST change this actually felt like 9:20 pm. The game ran almost to midnight, which felt like 1 AM! Had the game started right after football, say at 7:30 pm, I wouldn't have missed Damon's heroics.

I understand the football schedule left FOX with no option but to start late last night. But that excuse doesn't exist for any of the other World Series games, all of which have begun after 8pm. To ask viewers to stay up after midnight last night, and now come back again tonight and do it all over is a bit ridiculous. Live athletic events do not lend themselves to DVR technology - you really have to watch live. Baseball talks about being America's past-time, and a game of the youth of America. If that is so true then why routinely play games when most of east coast America and its youth aren't awake to see a dramatic two out, two strike comeback ending? The kind of ending that really would solidify that love of the game they are so desperately looking for.

Some Encouraging Words

Sent along by Jay from his girlfriend, Elissa (who happens to be a Mets fan):

Look at the picture on the right. This is the starting pitcher you're going up against...unless you are an 80 year old overweight man, Pedro can't hurt you.  That should make you feel a little better ;-)

Thanks Elissa! If that's not encouragement enough, how about a little "Who's Your Daddy?" for Pedro:

It's Only One Game...

It's one of those things you need to tell yourselves as Yankees fans: it's only one game. I heard a lot of people panic yesterday (as well as complain about the crowd in Game 1 of the World Series, which is a whole 'nother issue). We've lost the first game of the series before and went on to win the series. The Yankees lost the first game in the 1996 playoffs when John Burkett pitched a complete game against them, but the Yankees won the next three to win that series. They lost Game 1 of the 2000 ALDS (to Gil Heredia), the 2000 ALCS, the 2001 ALDS, the 2003 ALDS, and the 2003 ALCS. They won all those series. But the series this reminds me most of was the 1996 Fall Classic.

In the 1996 World Series, the Yankees were facing an Atlanta Braves team that was the defending world champions and looking to repeat. The Braves had a power-hitting lefty first baseman and featured multiple former Cy Young award winners on their pitching staff. Yet they came into the Bronx for Game 1 seemingly as the underdogs (maybe because of their erratic closer that sometimes got hanging sliders hit out of the ballpark...?). The Yankees threw their ace lefty on the mound. And the Braves blew the Yankees out of the house that game. They made it look easy.

About as easy as the Cliff Lee catch shown to the right (picture from Twitpic). John Smoltz and Cliff Lee both pitched as well as you could want in Game 1 so even if the opposing lefty (Andy Pettitte in 1996 or CC Sabathia last night) had been a little tighter, they may still not have won. Last night, the Yankees bats--outside of Derek Jeter--went silent. A-Rod didn't look like the guy who had crushed pitching throughout the playoffs, Nick Swisher, Mark Teixeira, Melky Cabrera, Robinson Cano and others who had struggled at times in the ALCS, went back to struggling again. The Yankees need to get a better effort all around, but if they don't pick up the hitting, they're not going to win squat.

Cliff Lee pitched brilliantly. You have to tip your cap to him. He had the first 10 K, 0 BB game in the World Series since the first World Series in 1903.

Sabathia's obvious problem was two pitches to Chase Utley that he left over the plate. Chase Utley is one of the best hitters in baseball (probably one of the more underrated all-aroudn players in all of baseball) and you cannot give him two fat fastballs. The other players to hit two home runs in Game 1 of the World Series against the Yankees? According to Jesse Spector it was Andruw Jones in 1996 (there's that year again), Greg Vaughn in 1998, and Davey Lopes in 1978. The Yankees won all three series.

But Sabathia's bigger problem was that he wasn't getting ahead of hitters or putting them away. The first inning was a microcosm of his game in that way. He got out of trouble that inning, but he threw way too many pitches and let too many guys get on base. The hefty lefty wasn't locating well at times and didn't seem comfortable out there until after Chase Utley hit his first home run.

Sabathia leaving early opened the floor gates to the ineffective bullpen. Phil Hughes was once again awful and has seemed to have lost his regular season mojo. Brian Bruney is not a good baseball player and the fact that he is even on the roster has to be classified as "overmanaging". This was not mop-up duty, Joe; there was no reason to bring in Bruney with the game still within reach. Brian Bruney right now can't be relied on for more than just cleaning up a blow-out; last night he contributed to one. Damaso Marte was the one bright spot for the Yankees out of the bullpen, but--correctly--Joe Girardi only uses him against lefties.

David Robertson wasn't great either but got a bit unlucky. Although he seemed to have a hard time locating pitches, he got hosed on a couple of calls. Check out this pitch-by-pitch for his walk to Jayson Werth from Brooks Baseball:

Um...ump, where was pitch 2 and 3? I don't meant to pick on the umpires, but a couple of strike calls against the Yankees and balls called for their pitchers, and especially the check swing strike call against Robinson Cano were not good calls. The veteran crew did a little bit of a better job, but there's still work to do.

There's also still work to do for the Yankees. Like in 1996, they face another former Cy Young award winner in Game 2. But unlike Greg Maddux that season, Pedro is past his prime. The Yankees need to show him who his daddy truly is and send this series back to Philadelphia tied at one. The Yankees showed in 1996 that it is possible to win all three games in the visiting ballpark after dropping two at home. But I don't think the Yankees want to take that chance again. It's on to A.J. Burnett for Game 2.

World Series Preview: Power vs. Power

The last step. Yankees vs. Phillies. World Series #40 for the Yankees searching for World Series championship #27. The Phillies are the defending World Champions and may be coming in better than they were last year. So who is going to take it all? Who is going to be the 2009 World Series Champion?

Let's take a look:

New York Yankees

They're going to win #27

• It's all set up. They have a new stadium, a new group of players, and a new attitude. It seems like this is their year. A-Rod is hitting in the playoffs, CC is pitching in the playoffs, Tex is playing great defense, and the rest of the "Dynasty Boys" (or "Core Four", if you will) are doing their part and hungry for another title. They're pitching, they're hitting and they're ready to dominate.

• Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia have been unstoppable. He reached base 12 times in his last 15 times to the plate in the ALCS. He's gotten over his postseason issues in a big way and no one wants to pitch to him...in any situation. CC has taken the ball three times and dominated all three times. Both are going to have to be big for the Yankees to win. Sabathia could potentially start 3 times in the World Series and needs to pitch like he's pitched the past 3 months.

• The Yankees have the better bullpen. Brad Lidge has found his touch but he is no Mariano Rivera. The Yankees set-up men struggled in the first two rounds but they have been much more reliable all season. 

• The Yankees have homefield advantage once again. The Yankees are 5-0 in the first two rounds in the new ballpark in the Bronx.

• The Yankees are kings of the comeback. They ended the ALDS and the ALCS that way. They have led in every game of the playoffs so far. You can never count them out which is big in the postseason.

Mystique and Aura didn't move across the street

• The Yankees don't have a fourth starter and we discussed the issues faced if they have to use one. If A.J. Burnett or Andy Pettitte are ineffective, they may have no choice. This would be extremely bad for the Yankees. 

• They really didn't hit in the playoffs outside of A-Rod and a few good games for others. Teixiera, Swisher, Melky, Damon and Cano all came out at the end of the Angels series but none of them are having great playoffs. Matsui looks like he's losing his strength before our eyes and Jorge Posada is a GIDP machine at times. If the Yankees can't hit around A-Rod, they're going to walk him every time.

• The bullpen has not been great and I don't think Joe Girardi really trusts anyone to get to Mo. That could be a problem

• Speaking of Girardi, his overmanaging has been documented all over the place. If he gets anxious on the bench he could make things a lot more difficult than they need to be. FanGraphs doesn't have as much of an issue with the bunt in general but a lot of other people have taken issue with Girardi
  

Philadelphia Phillies

The first repeat since the Big Red Machine

• This team matches up really, really well with the Yankees. They can hit, they can pitch, they have the comeback swagger. The one difference? The Phillies have already won one with this core group. That experience may help them out against a team that has not faced real adversity yet this postseason

• Cliff Lee has actually been better than Sabathia this playoffs and the Phillies have a much deeper staff with JA Happ and Joe Blanton ready to go if they need more starters. Hamels has not been good, but he was their best pitcher last season. 

• They have four 30 HR hitters who are capable of going deep at any point which is scary in these two parks. And they're impossible to matchup with as they have lefties and righties all throughout the lineup.

• They've already beat CC Sabathia in the playoffs (last season in the ALDS). Shane Victorino hit a grand slam, showing anyone can be the hero for them. Jimmy Rollins has been as well. Carlos "Chooch" Ruiz has been great this postseason. They can beat you a lot of ways.

• They have a superior defensive team which is important in these tight games. They can put Ibanez as the DH against lefties and have even better defense. They also are "fundamentally sound", whatever that means.
  

They are no "Little Red Machine"

• The Phillies bullpen problems have been masked. Ryan Madson was great in the regular season but has been hit in the playoffs. Brad Lidge had two blown saves in the regular season against the Yankees and 11 in total. He has been better this playoffs, but the competition has put runners on against him and he looks like he's about to break. That may spell trouble for the Phils.
  

• Pedro in Game 2 may be an all-time mistake. He could get lit up at Yankee Stadium. Cole Hamels has not been great either, but at least he's a lefty. If Pedro loses Game 2, it puts a lot of pressure on Hamels who has wilted under the pressure at times this year. FanGraphs gives a good scouting report on Pedro.
  

• Chase Utley is a great player, but he's had a case of the yips this postseason. If that continues in the World Series, the Phillies are in real trouble. The Yankees have pounced on other team's mistakes so far this playoffs. It's possible he is hurt, but he is really hurting the Phillies at times in the field
  

• Because Ryan Howard is not A-Rod and Cliff Lee is not CC Sabathia. Lee struggled in the American League this season and has not faced a full lineup. He faces a very full lineup tonight. Ryan Howard can be pitched to if you hit your spots. A-Rod cannot be pitched to right now.

Prediction: This is a really, really good matchup. I think this is going to go exactly like the ALCS, the Yankees win Game 1, win two more out of the next 4, and then come home and win Game 6 to clinch it in the Bronx. I'm going to go with my original prediction and say Yankees in 6.

A few other articles:

• My dad waited with others in the rain today for tickets and I have to say I'm pretty upset by what happened there. The Yankees need to issue an explanation. 
• RealClearSports writes about all the stories of redemption that could occur this World Series
  
• Ken Rosenthal writes how the Yankees have found a good balance of youth and veterans. It really is true, as you can see from looking at John Sickles list of where the Yankees came from. Sickles lists 12 Yankees as having come up through the farm system but it is really with Pettitte (who left and came back) and even Matsui had never played in the Major Leagues before he came to the Yankees. Joel Sherman reviews how some of those guys came through the system. The Yankees have truly defied their advanced age as the New York Times writes.
• Frankie Piliere gives four keys to the series to AOL FanHouse. Joel Sherman provides a scouting report as well. Jesse Spector has some key numbers for the World Series. FanGraphs says that the Yankees are good and FanGraphs again on the Phillies aim to repeat.
  
• Forbes writes that this World Series could be a ratings smash. Jesse Spector has some things to look for at the beginning of the game.
  
• The Philadelphia Inquirer is worried about the payroll disparity in this World Series. I wonder if they were so worried last season when the Phils payroll was higher than the Rays or just this year? Either way Hank and Hal have followed in the footsteps of their father, The Boss, as Mike Lupica writes. The Daily Beast lists the top earners in MLB.