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THE NEW YORK YANKEES ARE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS ONCE MORE

CC Sabathia was a bona fide ace, on and off the field, and an absolute gamer, taking the ball on short rest for virtually the whole postseason.


A.J. Burnett helped foster a sense of camaraderie the Yankees have lacked for years now, and pitched the game of his life against Pedro and the Phils in Game 2.


Andy Pettitte, who almost got away during the offseason, cemented his legacy as one of the ultimate big game pitchers, becoming the all-time postseason wins leader and clinching every single game along the way.


Damaso Marte seemingly came out of nowhere and dominated. Joba seemed to find himself again. And Robertson got a few important outs as well.


And what more can you say about the greatest closer of all-time, Mariano Rivera, who was ready and raring to go in the 8th inning of nearly every win?


While the right side of the infield struggled mightily at times, Posada was steady behind the plate (well, at the plate), Derek Jeter was Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez was truly a revelation, seeming like a new man entirely and coming through time and time again.


Damon caught fire (and the Phillies sleeping on that unusual and heads up "double steal" in Game 4), Melky was steady before going down with an injury, and Swisher had a Halloween homer that was huge.


And in what may have been his last game in pinstripes, Hideki Matsui came through with 6 RBI in Game 6 and won himself the MVP.


The 2009 World Series title is back where it belongs.


The Yankees sure throw one hell of a housewarming, huh? 1923 and now 2009. Guess those ghosts made it across the street after all.


See you at the Canyon of Heroes.

(All photos courtesy of Yahoo! Sports)

The Yankees Win The Pennant!

World Series Bound!

ALCS: Freezing Up and Walking Off

I was in the bleachers for an epic Game 2 of the ALCS, and although I am still drying off and thawing out, it was all 100% worth it. 13 innings. Over 5 hours of baseball. ANOTHER clutch hit provided by A-Rod. And, of course, another walk-off.

The Yankees are up 2-0 in the best of seven series and will now play three games on the road in Anaheim.



The 40th American League Pennant is in sight; two more wins and they're in.


How will the 2009 New York Yankees be remembered?

Twins Are Swept Away! Yankees Advance to the ALCS

The New York Yankees will advance to the ALCS for the first time since 2004.


Postseason '09 has been good to the Yankees thus far.


And this has got to be my favorite picture of the whole lot.

Yankees/Angels in the American League Championship Series. Should be epic.

( More photos can be found here )

Walk-off Win and a Postseason Pie

The New York Yankees took a 2-0 series lead thanks to two dramatic long balls, one a two-run blast from Alex Rodriguez to tie the game in the bottom of the 9th and the other a wall-scraping solo shot to left off the bat of Mark Teixeira for the walk-off win. The new Yankee Stadium has become the "Home of the Walk-Off," Teixeira's home run marking the 16th victory to be earned in that fashion. And the Minnesota Twins have been victimized more than any team.

Both teams are en route to Minnesota, where the Twins face a do-or-die Game 3 and send Carl Pavano (of all people) to the mound to oppose Yankee veteran and playoff-pro Andy Pettitte on Sunday night.

American League Division Series: New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins

Round 1 gets underway in the Bronx tonight.

2009 Postseason: Yankees Are Officially In

With Tuesday night's Texas loss (coupled with a hard-fought (and rare) win on the West Coast), the New York Yankees officially clinched a postseason berth for the 14th time in 15 years. They currently lead the Red Sox by 6 games in the A.L. East with 10 games remaining (including a three-game series with Boston at the Stadium). The magic number is at 6.

It's nice to know the Bronx Bombers have a guaranteed spot in the playoffs, especially considering their relatively poor play of late. Something about the Angels just brings out the very worst in this team, which is why it's so important for the Yankees to hold on and win the division so that they don't have to face L.A. in the first round of the playoffs. Wrapping up the season with the best record is imperative, too, in the event that the Angels and Yankees wind up playing one another in the ALCS; this Yankees team simply cannot win at Angel Stadium.

The weather might be cooling down, but the playoff races are heating up.

Instant Karma

Despite a 6-4 loss on Saturday afternoon at the hands of the Oakland Athletics, the first place New York Yankees are really clicking on all cylinders right now.

The Bronx Bombers won eight straight following the All Star break, including all five games occurring during "HOPE Week".

What the Yankees did this past week was unprecedented and should make you all proud to be fans of the organization.

This video, detailing the events of the week, is absolutely worth checking out.

Second-Half Sweep

The Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the first place Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon, pulling to within one game of Boston and starting off the second half strong.

All three victories came in tight ballgames and featured strong starting pitching, timely hitting, and a Mariano Rivera save.


Sunday's strong start by Joba Chamberlain was very encouraging, and Phil Hughes continued his lights-out dominance out of the bullpen. The hitting heroes were Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez, who each provided a solo home run en route to the 2-1 victory.


Sunday was also Old Timers' Day, and marked the first Old Timers' appearances by a number of Yankees, including the recently retired Mike Mussina, who got a nice hand from the Stadium crowd. Don Zimmer also returned and got emotional as he stood along the first base line and listened to his ovation. Yankee newcomers A.J. Burnett and Nick Swisher seemed to particularly enjoy the festivities.

On Monday, the Orioles come to town as the Yankees look to keep the ball rolling and catch the first place Boston Red Sox.

American League Dominance Continues

Congratulations are in order for the American League All Stars.

The A.L. squad once again prevailed in the Midsummer Classic, thanks to a timely triple from the Tigers' Curtis Granderson, a leaping, game-saving grab by Carl Crawford, and a shut-down save from the Yankees' very own Mariano Rivera (now the all-time leader in All Star Game saves).

Starters Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum both allowed two early runs, but the bullpens stepped up and kept the game close. The National League was entirely shut down after the 2nd inning before threatening against Jonathan Papelbon (the eventual winner) in the 8th. Brad Hawpe was nearly a hero, but Carl Crawford (who was later named MVP) reserved what he described as his first home run-stealing grab for just the right moment and helped keep the A.L. in the lead.

When the 9th inning rolled around, Mariano Rivera was on the mound, which meant one thing: Game over. And after a breezy 1-2-3 inning, Rivera and the A.L. were victorious once more.

Do these guys ever lose? Sure doesn't seem like it... Not since I was nine years old, at least...

State of the Yankees

After completing a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins on Thursday afternoon, the New York Yankees now find themselves tied atop the American League East division standings, along with (who else?) the archrival Boston Red Sox.

The Yankees are headed to the West Coast for one last series before the All Star break, where they will take on the always difficult Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (of California of the United States of North America of the former Pangea of Earth of the Universe). Meanwhile, the Red Sox will continue their four-game set versus the Kansas City Royals.

Should be an interesting weekend! What a shame the Yankees can't play the Twins every game.

American League All-Star Selections: Did the Fans Get It Right?

It’s hard to believe, but the Midsummer Classic is less than a week away. All Star selections are in (with the exception of the Final Vote) and I thought it would be interesting to take a look and determine if the deserving players made it.

POSITION PLAYERS

Catcher: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
(Reserve: Victor Martinez, Cleveland Indians)

Mauer and Martinez have comparable offensive statistics. But considering Mauer missed the start of the season and boasts an unbelievable .384 batting average, he deservedly will be behind the plate for the first pitch of the 2009 All Star Game in St. Louis.

Verdict: Good call by the fans


First Base: Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
(Reserves: Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins; Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox)

Teixeira and Youkilis battled for starting honors until the very end of the voting race. Ironically, though, Justin Morneau is probably the most deserving All Star, as he leads the trio in hits, home runs, RBI, and batting average. Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera definitely qualifies as a snub, considering his .324 batting average. In fact, one could argue that Cabrera deserves a spot on the team more than Youkilis (and that isn't just because I can’t stand the man).

Take a look:

Miguel Cabrera: .324, 17 HR, 48 RBI
Kevin Youkilis: .291, 14 HR, 47 RBI

Verdict: Wrong. Sorry, Tex, but Minnesota’s M & M Boys deserve to be starting behind the plate and at first base on July 14th.


Second Base: Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox
(Reserve: Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays)

Reserve Aaron Hill has more hits, more home runs, more runs batted in, and a higher batting average than Pedroia (and so does Robinson Cano, for that matter). Dustin has the superior numbers when it comes to OBP, doubles, and runs scored.

Verdict: Not blatant oversight, but I believe Hill should be the starting second baseman, with Pedroia as the reserve. Considering Pedroia plays for the team with the best record in the American League, though, I really don't have much of a problem with it.


Third Base: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
(Reserve: Michael Young, Texas Rangers)

Brandon Inge’s home run numbers and Scott Rolen’s high batting average notwithstanding, Young and Longoria are the best All Star choices for third base.

Verdict: Tough call. But considering Young has a higher average (.313 vs. .285), more hits, runs, doubles, stolen bases and a slightly higher OBP, I think Young deserves the starting nod over Longoria.



Shortstop: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
(Reserve: Jason Bartlett, Tampa Bay Rays)

Jason Bartlett certainly has the edge over Jeter when it comes to batting average (.354 compared to Jeter’s .313). Bartlett also has 2 more RBI. The Yankees captain, however, has more hits, home runs, and runs scored. Both shortstops have 17 stolen bases and are within one double of one another.

Verdict: It’s a toss-up. The vote could have gone either way and I think people would agree the fans were right.


Outfield: Jason Bay, Boston Red Sox; Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers; Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners
(Reserves: Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays; Curtis Granderson, Detroit Tigers; Torii Hunter, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles; Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay Rays)


Josh Hamilton being selected as a starter is a joke; Melky Cabrera deserves a spot on the All Star team more than he does. Besides that error in judgment, I agree with the other two starters. Jason Bay leads all outfielders in home runs and RBI and Ichiro is batting .358 with 119 hits. Carl Crawford has stolen 41 bases and the rest of the reserves have put up some equally impressive numbers, with one exception. Ben Zobrist? I would take Jermaine Dye, Jacoby Ellsbury, Johnny Damon, Juan Rivera and a handful of other outfielders before I would even think of Zobrist.

Verdict: The fans were 2/3 right, and the coaching staff 4/5 correct. Not a bad percentage.


STARTING PITCHERS

Andrew Bailey, Oakland Athletics; Josh Beckett, Boston Red Sox; Mark Buehrle, Chicago White Sox; Brian Fuentes, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; Zach Greinke, Kansas City Royals; Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays; Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners; Edwin Jackson, Detroit Tigers; Joe Nathan, Minnesota Twins; Jonathan Papelbon, Boston Red Sox; Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees; Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers; Tim Wakefield, Boston Red Sox

It’s difficult to sort through the statistics of so many different pitchers. It’s hard to argue with a bullpen consisting of Fuentes, Nathan, Papelbon and Rivera. Zach Greinke (10-4, 2.00 ERA, 120 K) deserves to start for the A.L. squad. Beyond that, I can’t really find any one pitcher who is not worthy of a trip to the Midsummer Classic.

Verdict: The fans don’t have a say when it comes to pitchers!

What are your thoughts?

It's Just a Flesh Wound

According to Dick Kaegel of MLB.com, lovable and reliable ex-Yankee Kyle Farnsworth had a bit of an accident this morning after he was bitten on the hand by one of his two American bulldogs, either Rambo or Strike.

"I think it was Rambo," said Farnsworth. "I don't know. I reached in there and started grabbing dogs and throwing dogs. And one of them got me. One of those things that happens. It's never pretty. I've had to do it a few times and it's ugly."

I'd be more likely to put my money on Strike, as Farnsworth and strikes are often at odds with one another.

Luckily for Kyle, he was bitten on his left hand and the hard-throwing righty shouldn't miss any playing time.

"It hurts a little bit, but no big deal. Just a flesh wound," he said.

Birthday Wishes

I apologize once again for my lack of updates. Expect a lot more posts after this weekend. My summer class ends tomorrow and I will be working with Joe Buck and HBO for the first installment of Joe Buck Live (Monday, June 15th at 9:00 p.m.). After that, I'm all yours!

As for now, on my birthday, there is nothing I would like more than a Yankees victory.