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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)

A Good Article Regarding The A.L. MVP...

BRONX BIAS STRIKES JETER

By Mike Vaccaro
November 22, 2006

MAYBE it's best that Derek Jeter get a preview of what's in store for him across the next 15 years. Maybe it's best that we get it on the record, from a sizable cross-section of the nation's baseball writers, exactly what his perception really is, what his national image really is.

This time, it was an MVP Award, one that he deserved, one that should have his name on it, one that was taken from him primarily because of the team he plays for and the city he plays in. The voters will tell you differently, but know this: If Derek Jeter had the season he had playing for the Minnesota Twins, and if Justin Morneau had the season he had playing for the Yankees, it would be Jeter who would be reserving space on his shelf for the MVP plaque.

But Jeter doesn't play for the Twins. He plays for the Yankees. He plays in New York City. He makes a lot of commercials, and he dates a lot of starlets, and he makes a lot of money, and if you think that doesn't count in the minds of the people who cast these votes, you're a greater believer in the purity of human nature than I am.

And here's the thing: This is only the warm-up. Just wait another 15 years or so, when it's time for the same assemblage of writers to size up Jeter's credentials as a Hall of Famer. Just wait, especially, when the arbiters of immortality decide whether Jeter's career merits the honor of a first-ballot selection, or whether they'll force him to endure a few years of consolation phone calls first.

Jeter has long been a source of endless speculation and endless fascination in the ongoing debate between we in New York who see him every day and the larger audience of Yankee-weary skeptics who've been convinced from day one that Jeter is solely a product of the New York hype machine.

Look, Morneau is more than a worthy candidate. Jeter may have outhit him by 23 points and had the better on-base percentage by 42 points, but the Twin had 20 more homers and 33 more RBIs, and his .559 slugging percentage dwarfed Jeter's .483. It isn't an outrage that Morneau won.

But this poll certainly is a commentary about the way Jeter lost. One voter, a shameless Chicago shill named Joe Cowley, actually listed Jeter sixth and then spent yesterday double-talking his explanation to anyone who would listen. Cowley didn't cost Jeter the MVP. No one voter robbed Jeter the way Ted Williams was robbed in 1947, when some long-forgotten Midwestern bum kept Williams off his ballot entirely and Williams wound up losing the vote to Joe DiMaggio by a single point.

Was Jeter hurt by the fact that, as an "intangibles" player and as a captain, that he failed to publicly support Alex Rodriguez during his most embattled year? It would be a shame if he were, but that's certainly possible. Was he hurt by the fact that, as an "intangibles" player, he was steamrolled by voters who always favor gaudy numbers? That's certainly possible, too.

What's hard to dispute is this: the overwhelming perception of the Yankees is that they are not a team that needs an "intangibles" guy, even if their lack of recent championships is a direct tie to a growing dearth of intangibles guys.

Alex Rodriguez won the MVP last year in what became a controversial duel with David Ortiz, but the truth is Rodriguez had MVP-level numbers that allowed voters to assuage their inherent anti-Yankee bents.

He was the best player having the best year. In the end, that mattered most.

Jeter didn't have those numbers. He'll never have those numbers. And it's not likely he's ever again going to have a year like this one when his singular presence in the Yankee lineup - during a year when the Yankees made the '06 football Giants look strong and robust and healthy by comparison - is what kept them from a freefall while half the batting order nursed injuries.

He should have won. He didn't. Now save your breath and wait, because in 15 years or so, you'll be hearing exactly the same arguments from exactly the same precincts. It's best to get used to it early. For Jeter and for his army of fans.

And The MVP Goes To...

Justin Morneau.

JUSTIN MORNEAU?!?!?!

You have got to be kidding me. Justin Morneau is not even the most valuable player on his own team. That distinction belongs to Johan Santana and Joe Mauer.

This is absolutely disgusting. The anti-New York sentiment is getting completely ridiculous and out of control. When Ichiro won the Rookie of the Year after leaving Japan, no one said a word, and rightfully so- He absolutely deserved it. But when Hideki Matsui came over from Japan two seasons later and put up EASILY the best season of any MLB rookie, suddenly the writers decided that he wasn't "technically" a rookie because he'd played professional ball in Japan. HELLO, AND ICHIRO DIDN'T?!?! And Robbie Cano was robbed of the ROY last season as well, because the writers chose YET ANOTHER member of the Oakland A's to firmly solidify the rampant West Coast bias that exists in Major League Baseball.

2005:

Huston Street (Oakland Athletics) over Robinson Cano (New York Yankees)- Rookie of the Year (1st and 2nd Finishers)

Bartolo Colon (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) over Mariano Rivera (NYY)- Cy Young (1st and 2nd Place)

2004:

Vladimir Guerrero (Anaheim Angels) over Gary Sheffield (NYY)- MVP (1st and 2nd Place)
2003:

Angel Berroa (Kansas City Royals) (HAHAHA!) over Hideki Matsui (NYY)- R.O.Y. (1st and 2nd Place)

{STILL UNBELIEVABLE, 3 YEARS LATER}

And just to further my point- Since 1996 (11 Award Seasons), you know how many players from the A.L. West won MVP Awards? 9. NINE! Disgusting. A-Rod (as a Yankee) and Morneau are the only ones not on the West Coast.
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Derek Sanderson Jeter, to say you were robbed would be an understatement.

What's New With the Yankees?

George Steinbrenner- Yanks Will Win it All This Season

"It's been a while; we haven't won it," said Steinbrenner today. "We're going to win it this year. We're going after them this year." Steinbrenner has been more visible at this year’s Spring Training than any year in recent memory and has made a point of being there in order to patch up his relationship with Joe Torre.

Gary Sheffield (from www.yankees.com)

Sheffield took the entire winter off, giving his battered body time to heal. He said that the Division Series loss to the Angels didn't stick with him, as he traveled to Paris, Italy, London and the Bahamas, spent time with his family and got as far away from baseball as he could.

General manager Brian Cashman met privately with Sheffield after the right fielder finished with his physical, telling the nine-time All-Star that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the club would likely pick up the $13 million option.

"The only thing I judge it on is how many rings I have, and I don't have any," Sheffield said. "That's the thing that eludes me right now and agitates me. It agitates me a lot, because I feel with the guys in this room, we should have two rings since I've been here and be working on our third. With that in mind, the mission never stops until I get it."

Mike Mussina Not Concerned With Contract

Cashman spoke with starter Mike Mussina, conveying the impression that the Yankees want to keep him beyond this season. But even Mussina said he believes he will not return at a salary of $17 million, meaning the Yankees will probably decline his option for that amount and try to sign him for less. "I'm pretty sure it won't be picked up unless I win 25 games," Mussina said. "But I've known that for years."


Johnny Damon: High Expectations

"I thought Joe's introductory speech was amazing," said Johnny Damon. "It really hit home. We do have to enjoy being a part of this, because the game of baseball will pass you by. This is my 12th year, and it seems like yesterday that I took the field for the first time."

"Knowing we have a good team, knowing that the goal here is to win a championship, that's what it's all about," Damon said, adding that no other manager had ever set his sights that high on the first day of spring. "There is no reason to celebrate getting into the postseason. It's great, but it's winning that championship that stays with you for a long time."

Bernie Williams Looking Forward to New Role

"It will probably be a more complicated role than being an everyday player at a set position," Williams said. "If I look at it that way, I think it will be more of a challenge for me."

Alex Rodriguez (from www.yankees.com - Sorry, I was lazy today!)

Alex Rodriguez's 2005 season was as good as any player's in Major League Baseball. He led the American League in home runs, slugging percentage and runs scored, placed in the top four in batting average, RBIs and on-base percentage, capturing his second AL MVP Award in three years.

None of that matters to the 30-year-old superstar. The Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round, sent home early after just five games in which he went 2-for-15.

"It was very painful," Rodriguez said Monday, shortly after arriving at Legends Field for the first time this spring. "When you play as miserable as I did in the most important five games of the year, that kind of fuels you going into this year. It fuels me tremendously, because I feel that my career won't be complete without a world championship.

"This year, to use a poker term," he added, "we're all in."

Aside from A-Rod's obvious crack at his offseason poker scandal, it is clear that the third baseman is extremely focused on filling in the one gaping hole on his resume.

"[The MVP Award] is a consolation, but if you don't win in October, if you're not a world champion, nobody really cares about anything else," he said. "I came here for one reason. Winning, that's it. I could have won MVPs in Texas. I did that."

Lara*