MLB Corner

[Karafan1]

That was a good back and forth game. The Yankees do like to win stuff at home, so I'm sure they'll be popping champaigne saturday night..

[WickedJenn]

I hope so too Jim, I hope so too.

Melissa have you gone to a game this season in NY?

[Karafan1]

Well I don't hope they do, but I'm sure they will:rotfl:

[melissan02]

Dodgers are a great team redk! Keep having hope.

I had a feeling we wouldn't win this one. I know that if the Yankees win to go to the WS, it HAS to be in The Bronx, nowhere else. Yes, the Dodgers are a good team w/ a great manager in Joe Torre.:)

I didn't think my Yanks would win in L.A. either, so I'm not too terribly disappointed. Would have been nice to see them break open the champagne bottles in the locker room tonight, but that'll have to wait until we're back in the Bronx.:D

----- Added 3 Minutes later -----


I hope so too Jim, I hope so too.

Melissa have you gone to a game this season in NY?

No.:( In fact, I've never seen the Yanks play other than on the tube.:lol::o
But my dad was a die hard Yankee fan all his life, a baseball pitcher himself who was scouted to play for the Orioles and the Cardinals back in the 60's (but he never went on), so his love for the game and the Yanks was just passed on to me.:)
He loved the Yankees so...and always wanted to name me 'Mickey' in honor of his idol Mickey Mantle!:lol:

[WickedJenn]

No.:( In fact, I've never seen the Yanks play other than on the tube.:lol::o
But my dad was a die hard Yankee fan all his life, a baseball pitcher himself who was scouted to play for the Orioles and the Cardinals back in the 60's (but he never went on), so his love for the game and the Yanks was just passed on to me.:)
He loved the Yankees so...and always wanted to name me 'Mickey' in honor of his idol Mickey Mantle!:lol:

Oh man you HAVE to get out to a game some time. That stadium is just unreal and the energy and faith of the fans is felt everywhere. Just amazing.

Haha, well I named my fish Mickey Mantle ;)

[myankskent]

Tough game. I figured that Burnett was going to have trouble but once again, Girardi makes some bad decisions in the 7th. He allows Burnett to put two guys on base. I would've pulled him after one guy. Then he goes to Marte? Marte? Now Marte got two guys out, while a run scored in the process, but wouldn't it be wise to bring in a strikeout pitcher like Robertson in that situation? Hughes didn't have it, plain and simple. And then in the 8th, here comes Joba into the game. You know, it really is amazing to me that Girardi actually thinks that this is 2007 Joba coming out of the bullpen. Face it Joe, he's not the same pitcher and it makes no sense to bury Robertson in the back of the bullpen, who has actually pitched well this postseason, for Joba.

It was good to see the offense fight back. Swisher is killing us, though. The guy can't buy a hit. I think that the Yanks will wrap this up in game 6, but I still don't like the fact that the Angels started to hit the ball in this game. That concerns me a little bit going into game 6.

[Karafan1]

Haha, well I named my fish Mickey Mantle ;)

I named my dog Chipper after Chipper Jones:lol:

[WickedJenn]

Tough game. I figured that Burnett was going to have trouble but once again, Girardi makes some bad decisions in the 7th. He allows Burnett to put two guys on base. I would've pulled him after one guy. Then he goes to Marte? Marte? Now Marte got two guys out, while a run scored in the process, but wouldn't it be wise to bring in a strikeout pitcher like Robertson in that situation? Hughes didn't have it, plain and simple. And then in the 8th, here comes Joba into the game. You know, it really is amazing to me that Girardi actually thinks that this is 2007 Joba coming out of the bullpen. Face it Joe, he's not the same pitcher and it makes no sense to bury Robertson in the back of the bullpen, who has actually pitched well this postseason, for Joba.

It was good to see the offense fight back. Swisher is killing us, though. The guy can't buy a hit. I think that the Yanks will wrap this up in game 6, but I still don't like the fact that the Angels started to hit the ball in this game. That concerns me a little bit going into game 6.

Again, read my mind Matt. I was going nuts at the TV when Girardi put in Marte. Seeeeriously? Then the man has the uh, baseballs to CLAP? :eek::lol:

[Atomic girl]

I'm in the minority, but yea! Angels! I knew you could do it......although I got a bit scared when they took Lackey out....then those hits.......but overall enjoyed the game and thought both sides did well and I'm sure both sides in hindsight would do a few things differently. Now we get an exciting weekend.....

[WickedJenn]

I'm in the minority, but yea! Angels! I knew you could do it......although I got a bit scared when they took Lackey out....then those hits.......but overall enjoyed the game and thought both sides did well and I'm sure both sides in hindsight would do a few things differently. Now we get an exciting weekend.....

That is the exciting thing about two good teams playing, keeps you on your toes.

[myankskent]

Yeah, I'm not too thrilled with Girardi right now. I wish that he would put away his little stat book and start taking a look at how his players are performing in the playoffs. Stats don't tell the whole story. You have to be able to realize when a player is not getting the job done and make the necessary adjustments.

[WickedJenn]

Yeah, I'm not too thrilled with Girardi right now. I wish that he would put away his little stat book and start taking a look at how his players are performing in the playoffs. Stats don't tell the whole story. You have to be able to realize when a player is not getting the job done and make the necessary adjustments.

Thank you!!! Ugh...I mean Hughes came on and we led 6-4. He needed ONE out just ONE, then 7-6 Angels...

I just get absolutely flabbergasted with Girardi and his crazy bullpen ideas. You're right, stats mean crap when the pitcher's out on the field throwing ball after ball :rolleyes:

[melissan02]

"...I want to wake up baby where the skies are blue...I want to be in New York! Neeeeewwww Yorrrrrrrrk!"

What can I say? What a night! What a swing!:p Left it Mo!;) What a way to end!:D

Now onward to the World Series!!! Look out Philly, here come the Yanks!!!:D

[myankskent]

Well, it's good to be back in the world series again. Pettitte to Joba(briefly) to Rivera. That's a pitching formula that I love. This world series is going to be very interesting. The Phillies are going to be tough to beat. Cannot wait to get things under way on Wednesday.

[WickedJenn]

"...I want to wake up baby where the skies are blue...I want to be in New York! Neeeeewwww Yorrrrrrrrk!"

What can I say? What a night! What a swing!:p Left it Mo!;) What a way to end!:D

Now onward to the World Series!!! Look out Philly, here come the Yanks!!!:D

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!

*Dances*

I am SO excited. I had to come on here to celebrate, I was out earlier watching the game after work.

"Neeeeeeeeeeewww York, Neeeeeeeeeeeew YORK!" I was blasting that out of my car windows.

[Karafan1]

Congratulations to Matt, Melissa and Jenn for your team making it to the World Series!

----- Added 9 Minutes later -----



"Neeeeeeeeeeewww York, Neeeeeeeeeeeew YORK!" I was blasting that out of my car windows.

Jenn, you're insane:lol: But I like that..

[xrayvision]

Well, it's good to be back in the world series again. Pettitte to Joba(briefly) to Rivera. That's a pitching formula that I love. This world series is going to be very interesting. The Phillies are going to be tough to beat. Cannot wait to get things under way on Wednesday.

I'm glad. I think they should have kept Joba on for 1 more inning as long as he didn't let any runs score or let men get on base. But Girardi's strategy worked.

Man, for some moments there, I was having shades of 2004 all over again. This was a big step in putting that behind us. I wanna destroy the Phillies since I'm a Mets fan before I'm a Yankees fan and I totally hate them as much as I hate the BoSox. I really wanted us to play the Sox and beat them for the ALCS to avenge 2004, but I'll take what we got.

The Yanks better win. It's been 9 years and I didn't even want them to win in 2000 for obvious reasons. I was heartbroken that they lost after coming so close in 2001 & in 2003 when they got beaten pretty badly. Though that 2003 ALCS Game 7 against the Sox was the greatest Yankees baseball game I ever saw. I wish I had that game on tape. Boone's homer was so surprising. I still remember what I was doing that night. Let's just say I was in enemy territory but had an ally in the bartender who was serving at the place I watched the game.

Let's go Yanks!! Let's shut Rollins' big damn mouth up.

----- Added 4 Minutes later -----

If there's a parade this year, I'm definitely going. I missed out on all 4 parades that I could have gone to during their championship days (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000) when I was in college right across the river. I ain't missing it this year if there is one.

[myankskent]

Man, for some moments there, I was having shades of 2004 all over again. This was a big step in putting that behind us.


I hear ya. Once you've been burned in the LCS once, it's hard to think positive thoughts because you know that it could happen again. But the Yanks are a different team this year and they just proved that to us.



I wanna destroy the Phillies since I'm a Mets fan before I'm a Yankees fan and I totally hate them as much as I hate the BoSox. I really wanted us to play the Sox and beat them for the ALCS to avenge 2004, but I'll take what we got.


Well, I'm sure the Yanks and the Red Sox will meet in the playoffs again in the near future. The Yanks finishing the year 9-9 against the Red Sox after going 0-8 was sweet enough for me. I felt that the Yanks facing the Angels was a better match-up in the ALCS because they were the two best teams in the AL and the Angels had given the Yanks so much trouble over the years. Now in the World Series, you have the two best teams going head to head. Not having to go back and forth to the west coast is nice too.



The Yanks better win. It's been 9 years and I didn't even want them to win in 2000 for obvious reasons.


If the Yanks can pitch, particularly out of the bullpen, they'll win. On paper, they have better pitching than the Phillies but the Yankees bullpen scares me right now. They have not been dominant, outside of Rivera, who actually gave up a run last night. That was the first run he gave up in the last 30 something postseason innings in New York. I guess if the streak is going to end, it's better to have it end when the Yankees still win the game.



If there's a parade this year, I'm definitely going. I missed out on all 4 parades that I could have gone to during their championship days (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000) when I was in college right across the river. I ain't missing it this year if there is one.

If there's a parade, NYC is going to have one busy November. Two huge parades in one month, with the Thanksgiving day parade coming at the end of the month.

[xrayvision]

I hear ya. Once you've been burned in the LCS once, it's hard to think positive thoughts because you know that it could happen again. But the Yanks are a different team this year and they just proved that to us.

I'm glad A-Rod is finally starting to earn his salary. Posada isn't what he used to be, but he definitely still has some good game left in him. He was always one of my favorites. I miss Brosius & Williams. Tino Martinez was another great.


Well, I'm sure the Yanks and the Red Sox will meet in the playoffs again in the near future. The Yanks finishing the year 9-9 against the Red Sox after going 0-8 was sweet enough for me. I felt that the Yanks facing the Angels was a better match-up in the ALCS because they were the two best teams in the AL and the Angels had given the Yanks so much trouble over the years. Now in the World Series, you have the two best teams going head to head. Not having to go back and forth to the west coast is nice too.

I couldn't believe after starting off that bad against the Red Sox that they were able to do that. If they had their game together earlier, they would have easily had at least a 13-5 lead over them this season.


If the Yanks can pitch, particularly out of the bullpen, they'll win. On paper, they have better pitching than the Phillies but the Yankees bullpen scares me right now. They have not been dominant, outside of Rivera, who actually gave up a run last night. That was the first run he gave up in the last 30 something postseason innings in New York. I guess if the streak is going to end, it's better to have it end when the Yankees still win the game.

The bullpen is what concerns me too. I understood why Girardi didn't leave Joba in for 1 more inning given his troubles. Hughes has also been inconsistent. They might have to use Sabatthia for 8 innings at least once. Last time he pitched, he looked like he could have gone the whole game. But I don't think they need to use him on short rest anymore.


If there's a parade, NYC is going to have one busy November. Two huge parades in one month, with the Thanksgiving day parade coming at the end of the month.

I never go to the Thanksgiving Parade. It's too crowded and the traffic & congestion on Thanksgiving is nuts without the parade let alone with it. It's been a while since I even watched it on TV. But yeah, it will be a busy November. Two parades (hopefully) and the marathon.

[Night_Hawk90]

^what do you mean starting to earn his salary? last i checked most of the yankees have been struggling in the playoffs since 2004 yet a-rod is the only one highlighted even jeter struggled during that time frame. it was only a matter of time before a-rod cracked out of the slump even the great yogi berra predicted it (though anyone could have predicted he is too good ). The bullpen will be a major achilles heel for both team especially since both ball parks are hitter friendly its gonna be a major slugfest. i can't wait till wednesday. Yanks are too good to blow this Yanks in 5.

[Atomic girl]

Congratulations to Matt, Melissa and Jenn for your team making it to the World Series!

----- Added 9 Minutes later -----



Jenn, you're insane:lol: But I like that..ITA, Congrats to The Yankees!! Best of Luck in the World Series!! Is this the year that pitchers have to bat? (I hope not) I can never keep track.....

[Karafan1]

The pitchers will bat in games 3, 4 and 5 in Philadelphia..

[myankskent]

Congratulations to Matt, Melissa and Jenn for your team making it to the World Series!


Thanks Jim and Atomic girl above. The Angels showed a lot of heart in this series by coming back in game 5 the way they did.

[Karafan1]

Yep..The Angels coulda just quit after the Yankees got those 6 runs, but they didn't and they made the series interesting..

[Night_Hawk90]

they also practically handed the yanks the series with their defensive gafs which is totally unlike them, the yanks played well but in all honesty the angels practically gave this series away. their hitting was also abysmal abreu was not good, figgins was poor as was their hitting with risp. totally unlike the angels

[melissan02]

ITA, Congrats to The Yankees!! Best of Luck in the World Series!! Is this the year that pitchers have to bat? (I hope not) I can never keep track.....

Thanks!:)
But my hat is off to the Angels!:) I'm glad we didn't go to game 7:lol:, but it wouldn't have surprised me if there'd been one! It was hard to shake off the Angels...and the Yankees knew that.
Their work is cut out for them against the Phillies---no doubt about that.

[myankskent]

^what do you mean starting to earn his salary? last i checked most of the yankees have been struggling in the playoffs since 2004 yet a-rod is the only one highlighted even jeter struggled during that time frame.


Jeter didn't struggle nearly as much as A-Rod since 2004. Jeter had one bad series and that was in 2007 against the Indians when he hit .176. He hit .333 in 2005 against the Angels and .500 in 2006 against the Tigers. A-Rod hit .133 in 2005, .071 in 2006 and .267 in 2007 with 1 home run and 1 RBI in those three postseason series. That's why A-Rod was highlighted during those years. Fortunately for A-Rod, he's taking care of business this year.



it was only a matter of time before a-rod cracked out of the slump even the great yogi berra predicted it (though anyone could have predicted he is too good ). The bullpen will be a major achilles heel for both team especially since both ball parks are hitter friendly its gonna be a major slugfest. i can't wait till wednesday. Yanks are too good to blow this Yanks in 5.

I definitely think that there will be at least one game where we will see a back and forth, high scoring affair. As confident as I am about the Yankees right now, I can't predict them to win in 5. I think that the Phillies are too good. This is a team that just won last year, so they have the experience while the Yankees do not. I'm going to say Yanks in 7 because I am going to assume that the Yankees bullpen has some trouble in the later innings. I also think that the Phillies might be in for a rude awakening if the Yanks heat up offensively. Playing against NL lineups is very different than playing against the Yankees, whereas the Yankees are very used to pitching against tough AL lineups, which is basically what Philadelphia is.

----- Added 9 Minutes later -----


they also practically handed the yanks the series with their defensive gafs which is totally unlike them, the yanks played well but in all honesty the angels practically gave this series away. their hitting was also abysmal abreu was not good, figgins was poor as was their hitting with risp. totally unlike the angels

As far as the errors go, the Angels were probably a little rattled playing at Yankee Stadium. The Yanks weren't great with RISP either. They left a small village on the bases yesterday and erased some additional men on base by grounding into a couple of double plays. No home runs last night either. It's apparent that the home runs have died down at Yankee Stadium at the end of the season compared to the beginning.

[Night_Hawk90]

I like the yanks in 5 because it's their year everything that can possibly going right is, their off-season spending is for once not back firing i just think they have the all the intangibles to make these phillies struggle. Plus the phillies have been waiting a while now i expect a lot of rust for them.

[myankskent]

I like the yanks in 5 because it's their year everything that can possibly going right is, their off-season spending is for once not back firing i just think they have the all the intangibles to make these phillies struggle. Plus the phillies have been waiting a while now i expect a lot of rust for them.

All good points. I almost feel like this has the potential to be another 1996 for the Yankees.

[Karafan1]

You mean get blown out the 1st 2 games at home, then win the next 4??:p

[myankskent]

You mean get blown out the 1st 2 games at home, then win the next 4??:p

Oh, I hope that doesn't happen. I'll take the win anyway I can get it but I don't want the Yanks to go to Philadelphia down 2-0, especially since it looks like Pedro will be pitching game 2 at Yankee Stadium.

[redkryptoniteisthebest]

All I have to say is..

Phillies! Go Phillies!

:D

Congrats to all the Yankees fans, as well. Either way, two great teams are going head-to-head, in a great series of games.

[myankskent]

We're less than 24 hours away from game 1 and what's the forecast in New York? It's raining now and it's supposed to continue to rain through tomorrow night. If the Yanks weren't in the playoffs, we'd be getting 70 degrees with abundant sunshine.

[Karafan1]

See what happens when they screw with the schedule I grew up with?? Chaos!!:lol: The World Series always started on a saturday when I started watching baseball!!

[myankskent]

But Saturday is a bad night for tv. I think that they'd rather have the series start in the middle of the week so that if there's a game 7, that too, will be in the middle of the week.

The rain has stopped where I am in New York. It looks like they will play tonight. It's a good thing that the world series is not being played in Denver. They might have a bit of trouble playing in 24 inches of snow.

[Atomic girl]

The pitchers will bat in games 3, 4 and 5 in Philadelphia..Thanks !

I like the games starting on the weekend, but I guess someone decided it would be better to go midweek......on the weekends, it was easier to get together with people and even for the family to watch together without homework, etc getting in the way...

[redkryptoniteisthebest]

Great game tonight.

[melissan02]

Great game tonight.

:(Not for me!

[darkphoenix21]

Great game tonight.

Yes...Beautiifully Played:D:cool:

[Karafan1]

I figured the Phillies would win atleast 1 game, but not Game 1:eek:

[myankskent]

Lee was great tonight. The only way the Yanks were going to win is if Sabathia and the relievers went out there and all put up 0's. I expect better from the Yankees offense tomorrow night against Pedro. At the very least, they should be able to get his pitch count up and get into the bullpen early in the game. The question is...how will Burnett do? I really don't trust him.

A couple of things...it's becoming very clear that the Yankees bullpen is just as shaky as the Phillies pen. This is an area where, I think, the Yankees need to have the advantage and if they don't, that increases the Phillies chance of winning this series. You can pretty much bury Hughes in the back of the pen at this point because he's just not getting it done. The other thing....the offense. I'll throw tonight away because Lee was great, but if the Yankees don't get contributions from everyone in this lineup, they're dead. Cano and Swisher are killing the Yanks right now. Tex had terrible AB's as well. These are the guys who need to get their act together and start hitting the ball. It can't always be Jeter, A-Rod and Posada and Cabrera is not going to hit .400 in the world series like he did in the ALCS.

----- Added 1 Minutes later -----


I figured the Phillies would win atleast 1 game, but not Game 1:eek:

This was actually the game that they had the best chance to win. The chances go down with Pedro tomorrow, even with Burnett on the mound for the Yanks.

[theloisclone]

^^^ i hope you're right. Last Night was very painful to watch....at least we got 1 run in the end

[myankskent]

Good Yankees win tonight. It's funny because I thought that they would win, but they didn't win the way that I expected them to. I thought the Yanks would crush Pedro. They didn't. I thought Burnett would have some problems. He didn't.

Two more blown calls in this game, though. Damon hit a ball to Howard that was caught on a hop and the umpire called it a line out, which turned into a double play, end of inning in the 7th. If the right call is made, the Yanks have the bases loaded with 1 out. Then in the 8th, Utley was called out at first on a double play ball, when he was really safe. If the right call was made, the Phillies have first and third with two outs. Something needs to be done because we're continuing to see awful calls.

[Karafan1]

Nice rebound by the Yankees after that domination by Lee last night. I wasn't sure what to expect from Perdo tonight. Earlier today I told somebody he's unpredictable. Sometimes he can dominate and sometimes he can fall apart..I kinda felt like I was watching game 7 of the 2003 ALCS again with Pedro staying in the game a bit to long:lol: I saw both of the bad calls and I kinda have to give them a break on the ball that turned into a double play for the Phillies, because it did look like he caught it before it hit the ground. I figured they blew the call on Utley when I saw it live..I think it will take a horrible call that will cost somebody a World Series game, before something is done about it..

[theloisclone]

Yeah Yanks!!!

[myankskent]

Three more outs for the Yanks to win game 3. Come on Yankees fans, who's with me? Nobody? Ok, that's fine. Let's go Yanks!

[Karafan1]

Umm not me:lol:

[myankskent]

Umm not me:lol:

Come on Jim. Join me on this sacred day of Halloween, even though it's not Halloween anymore, at least for me.:lol:
I didn't want to see Rivera in this game, but a win is a win. Worst case scenario....game 6 at Yankee stadium.

[Karafan1]

It's still Halloween here..11:43pm..Rivera just closed it out..No surprise there:lol:

[myankskent]

It's still Halloween here..11:43pm..Rivera just closed it out..No surprise there:lol:


The Indians and Diamondbacks would disagree with you. Those were the two worst nights of my life as a Yankees fan.

[WickedJenn]

Three more outs for the Yanks to win game 3. Come on Yankees fans, who's with me? Nobody? Ok, that's fine. Let's go Yanks!

Sorry I wasn't here Matt! I was at a party but I did come home to see them win.

The Yankees bats woke up like sleeping monsters last night...three homeruns, Pettitte did it and yet another save for Mariano.

Game 4 here we come!

[theloisclone]

oh yeah!!! :D let's go yanks

[Karafan1]

Another blown call by the umpires..Big shock there!!

[myankskent]

One win away. What a game tonight. After Joba gave up the home run, I thought that this was going to be an impossible game to win but the Yanks surprised me again. It really seems like there's nothing this team can't do.

[Karafan1]

I think you'll win it all tomorrow night..I really don't see the Phillies coming back to win this thing especially with games 6 and 7 in Yankee Stadium..

[myankskent]

I can see the Phillies winning tomorrow, though, just like the Angels did in game 5 of the ALCS. They do have Lee pitching so it's possible that he can shut the Yanks down.

[WickedJenn]

One win away. What a game tonight. After Joba gave up the home run, I thought that this was going to be an impossible game to win but the Yanks surprised me again. It really seems like there's nothing this team can't do.

I couldn't believe it Matt, and Damon stealing 2nd AND 3rd!! NO one was even near third. Talk about a rally. A Rod came through when it was needed, so did Posada.

You can bet I played "New York, New York" tonight, and my sister and I danced around the house.

[Karafan1]

It will be interesting to see if he can shut down the Yankees again like he did in game 1..He has the home crowd behind him this time and I'm sure another blown call by the umpires to help him:lol:

[myankskent]

It will be interesting to see if he can shut down the Yankees again like he did in game 1..He has the home crowd behind him this time and I'm sure another blown call by the umpires to help him:lol:

Unless there are off-setting blown calls where they screw up a call for both teams. That seems to be the pattern in the postseason. I think that umpire talk is going to be a hot topic in the off season.

----- Added 2 Minutes later -----


I couldn't believe it Matt, and Damon stealing 2nd AND 3rd!! NO one was even near third. Talk about a rally. A Rod came through when it was needed, so did Posada.

You can bet I played "New York, New York" tonight, and my sister and I danced around the house.

Damon had a huge AB in this game. He's definitely making a strong case for the Yanks to sign him again next year. As for A-Rod, he's a lot like Peyton Manning. He struggled for so long in the postseason without winning a championship and now he is one win away from his first while doing a lot to help this team along the way.

[Karafan1]

Unless there are off-setting blown calls where they screw up a call for both teams. That seems to be the pattern in the postseason. I think that umpire talk is going to be a hot topic in the off season.


It will be a hot topic, but I guarentee nothing will be done about it:mad:

[WickedJenn]

I think Alex will be very emotional if the Yanks win the WS, he wants one so bad since he's never had a ring before.

I am honestly very iffy about well, tonight's game. Lee shut down the Yankees offense in game 1, and even though AJ did very well the other night, I am not sure if he will be able to keep the bats of Utley and even Werth quiet (with a short rest).

If the Yanks lose though, I have a feeling that if it is meant for them to win, it will happen in The Bronx.

I am not QUITE so concerned about tonight's game as I was with the last two.

[myankskent]

Burnett has good numbers on short rest but I agree, he's still a concern. All Utley seems to do is hit home runs against the Yanks. Thankfully, they were all solo shots. The way I see it, the pressure is off tomorrow for the Yanks. Whatever happens, happens. They did what they needed to do which was to make sure the series got back to New York and with the win tonight, they know that they have game 7 at home if necessary.

[xrayvision]

Burnett has good numbers on short rest but I agree, he's still a concern. All Utley seems to do is hit home runs against the Yanks. Thankfully, they were all solo shots. The way I see it, the pressure is off tomorrow for the Yanks. Whatever happens, happens. They did what they needed to do which was to make sure the series got back to New York and with the win tonight, they know that they have game 7 at home if necessary.

I was surprised by tonight's game. I thought winning Game 3 was a big thing & that Game 4 should have been automatic given Sabathia was pitching. But they did much better when Pettitte pitched than when Sabathia pitched. Given Sabathia's less than typical performance, I think they better finish it by Game 6 the latest. I think unless the pressure gets to Cliff Lee & the Philles that Philly will take Game 5.

The Yanks' pitching really has been the problem. I think they should keep Marte pitching longer given his success. Chamberlain is too inconsistent, but I'd rather have him out there than Hughes if given the choice.

I think the Yanks will be smart if they play Game 5 without any expectations of winning. I think by doing that, they can let off a lot of pressure and maybe even do something special & pull off a surprise. I just hope Melky is OK after what happened. He's had some good hits throughout the postseason & has greatly improved since last year, where I thought he'd be sent down to the minors for a long time. I also like Swisher's improved selectivity of pitches. Ever since he stopped swinging at anything, he's gotten more walks and had some big plays, like in Game 3.

Anyway, enjoy Game 5 Matt. Let's hope there's a parade. And if there is one, I hope it's on a Friday like the last several were. I've been wanting #27 for a while and am pretty sure this is our year. It's extra special if the new stadium is coronated with a championship, though I will always miss the old one.

[myankskent]

I think the Yanks will be smart if they play Game 5 without any expectations of winning. I think by doing that, they can let off a lot of pressure and maybe even do something special & pull off a surprise. I just hope Melky is OK after what happened. He's had some good hits throughout the postseason & has greatly improved since last year, where I thought he'd be sent down to the minors for a long time. I also like Swisher's improved selectivity of pitches. Ever since he stopped swinging at anything, he's gotten more walks and had some big plays, like in Game 3.


I don't think that Melky's injury is serious, but I have to assume that he will at least miss game 5. Game 6, if necessary, might be a different story. So when you look at it, you have Gardner, Molina and Burnett at the bottom of the lineup. Very weak bottom going up against a tough lefty. At least with Melky, he's a switch hitter who could always pop one out of the ballpark. Then there's Damon, who doesn't hit Lee that well. So he might be stopped at the plate tonight. Cano hasn't hit anybody in the postseason so I doubt he's going to have success with Lee. So it really comes down to Burnett. If he's sharp, the Yanks will have a chance but if he gives up a few runs, that might be enough for the Phillies tonight.



Anyway, enjoy Game 5 Matt. Let's hope there's a parade. And if there is one, I hope it's on a Friday like the last several were. I've been wanting #27 for a while and am pretty sure this is our year. It's extra special if the new stadium is coronated with a championship, though I will always miss the old one.

It's another parade that I will miss. Back in the late 90's, I was either in HS or up at college in Albany when those parades were going on. Now, I'm stuck working on Long Island and even if I took the day off, getting into Manhattan will be a nightmare for me. I actually went to the Thanksgiving day parade one year. That was the first and last time that I will do that because getting there and back was a disaster.

[melissan02]

My Yanks had better end this on Wednesday back home in the Bronx!!!:mad:
I'm just angry and disappointed that tonight was worse than I thought...in terms of pitching that is!:\
I'm not to sore that they didn't win being in Philly and all, as I'd rather have Yankee Stadium erupt w/ celebration when that 27th WS title is won,:D but still...just not a good game for them tonight to bring things back to Bronx.
I don't want a seven game series...it ends in six! It just has to!!!:mad::lol:

[myankskent]

This is another one of those games where I'm not upset that the Yanks lost, I'm upset at how they lost. Girardi made a really questionable decision going into today's game. He's got his team up 3-1 in the World Series and yet he still pitches Burnett on three days rest. To be honest, I don't mind that move but here's the problem, Pettitte hasn't pitched on three days rest in four years and is coming off a start where he said that he didn't have good stuff. So now we look forward to Pettitte on 3 days rest in game 6 and Sabathia on 3 days rest in game 7 with Burnett an option to pitch an inning in game 7 because that would be his throw day.

Now compare that scenario to Girardi deciding to pitch Gaudin today. The Yanks lose tonight and now they would have a fully rested Burnett for game 6 and a fully rested Pettitte for game 7 along with Sabathia on 3 days rest. This scenario is much better. So while I haven't had many problems with the way Girardi has managed in the World Series, this is one huge error that could cost the Yankees a championship if Pettitte and Sabathia struggle in games 6 and 7. I know the Phillies don't have great pitching options either for games 6 and 7 so that right there might end up covering up the problems the Yanks have, but they are still issues that could blow up on Girardi in a couple of days.

[Karafan1]

I really thought the Yankees were gonna comeback in the 9th when they got the first 2 guys on, but the double play killed that whole thing..When will the Yankees start walking Utley? Just how many homeruns does he have to hit before he gets the Albert Pujols treatment??

[myankskent]

The Yanks are probably still worried about Howard, who looks lost at the plate, but if he gets going, he is extremely dangerous. But I agree. Utley is the threat in that lineup and if you think that you can get Howard out, you can't let Utley beat you. He hit the 3 run shot in the first inning but you can't really walk him in that spot. There's nobody out and you can't load the bases for Howard. You need outs. The other home runs were solo shots, I believe.

[Karafan1]

I can see not walking him with 2 guys on, but they shoulda thought of it when he hit his 2nd homer tonight since nobody was on base...And I'm surprised at how bad Howard has been in this series..

[WickedJenn]

Ah and like I said...if the Yanks are going to win this series, it was always going to be in NYC and nowhere else.

[myankskent]

Well, here we go. World Series Game 6...Phillies vs. Yankees...Yankee Stadium. Will the Yankees win tonight? I'm going with yes, but only because of how well the Yanks play at home and the state of the Phillies bullpen. However, I don't expect Pettitte to pitch well tonight. I think the 3 days rest is going to hurt him a bit and the Yanks will need a lot of big outs from their bullpen with Rivera possibly pitching more than 2 innings. I really hope the Yanks can get to Pedro tonight because beating him in a WS clinching game would be pretty sweet. I wish I was going to the game tonight, but given how cold it is outside, I'll enjoy watching this game indoors. Let's go Yankees!

[Night_Hawk90]

this is series is becoming sort of reminscient to 2004 i know horrible memories, im not a fan of all this short rest that girardi is banking on petitte is the all-time winningest pitcher in the post season but he's 37 god knows how tired his arm could get. If they lose tonight im thinking it's over for the yanks. It worked earlier for sabathia but i dont think he can pull it out again. the question is if the yanks lose the series do you fire girardi or keep him?

[myankskent]

While I do agree that Girardi has put this team into a bad situation with the short rest, look at what the Phillies have. They have no closer. They have Pedro going in game 6 where he doesn't have as much rest as he has had in past games. They also have Cole Hamels in game 7, who has pitched terribly. So if this 3 days rest thing blows up on the Yanks, they might get bailed out because of the state of the Phillies pitching staff. Should Girardi be fired if the Yanks blow this lead? No. He still got this team to the world series so you can't fire him. That being said, if the Yanks do lose, this won't be forgotten as far as Girardi is concerned so if he messes up again in the future, that could get him into some deep trouble.

The other thing is that the Yanks did lose game 5 in Anaheim as well and came home for game 6 and won. The Yanks actually lost 2 out of 3 in Anaheim and won 2 out of 3 in Philadelphia so the Yanks have actually played better recently coming into game 6 of the world series compared to game 6 of the ALCS.

[Night_Hawk90]

Oh i realize the philles have as much problems as the yanks their key guy howard has been horrific just like teixera who is like 10/58 in playoffs this year. I like girardi dont get me wrong but as you said a lot of his decisions have been quite bizarre. if the series does go to 7 im thinking the phillies would bank on lee instead of hamels well i would.

[myankskent]

I don't think that the Phillies can bank on Lee in game 7 unless tomorrows game gets rained out. He would be pitching on two days rest after throwing 100+ pitches in game 5. He might be able to pitch a couple of innings, like Burnett, but he wouldn't be able to start. That's the negative to not pitching Lee in game 4 on 3 days rest like the Yankees did with Sabathia.

[Backward Galaxy]

Girardi has been a horrible manager throughout these playoffs. If they win the World Series, the credit goes to the players, and their ability to win DESPITE the manager.

[melissan02]

Ah and like I said...if the Yanks are going to win this series, it was always going to be in NYC and nowhere else.

Exactly!;) It has to be...and it will be! Though my fingers are crossed and I'm hoping here in the 4th inning...I feel optimistic!

[Karafan1]

I think you guys got it in the bag..7-1 in the 6th..

[Night_Hawk90]

matsui is on fire baby 6 rbi's coming up clutch when it matters setting a world series record.

[melissan02]

It.....is.....finished!!!!:D:D
The Dynasty is alive and well!!!:D:D The New York Yankees reign again!!!:D

[myankskent]

Champs again! I love this damn team.

[Karafan1]

Congrats Matt! I'm sure right now Jenn is playing that "Start spreading the news" song in her house as loud as she can!!

[redkryptoniteisthebest]

Congrats to all Yankees fans. :)

For me personally? Meh.

[WickedJenn]

STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAART spreading the newwwwwwwwwwwwwwws...

WORLD CHAMPIONS with #27!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And in my house we are trying to go to the parade, WOOOHOO!

[Karafan1]

Congrats to you too Jenn!! I hope you can make it to the parade!

[myankskent]

Thanks Jim.

Winning a championship is great, but seeing the core four (Jeter, Pettitte, Rivera and Posada) have a huge role in it again really brings a smile to my face. And of course, all of the doubt about A-Rod is gone now. He won a WS and he did a lot himself to make that happen. I'd even go so far as to say that without his clutch home runs in the postseason, I'm not even sure if the Yankees get to the world series this year.

[WickedJenn]

I am SO AWAKE I cannot go to sleep even though I am exhausted.

I freakin love the New York Yankees, and being a diehard Yankee fan.

[myankskent]

I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight either Jenn. I'm just glad that I am enjoying a championship rather than getting nervous about game 7. I keep thinking back at this year and it really is amazing how this team came together. They have great players, without a doubt, but the difference with this team is that they all worked together as a team. I don't think that the Yankees really had that after the championship years of the late 90's. The chemistry with this team was perfect.

[WickedJenn]

I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight either Jenn. I'm just glad that I am enjoying a championship rather than getting nervous about game 7. I keep thinking back at this year and it really is amazing how this team came together. They have great players, without a doubt, but the difference with this team is that they all worked together as a team. I don't think that the Yankees really had that after the championship years of the late 90's. The chemistry with this team was perfect.

QFT.

I was watching every player's face as they realized they won a World Series Championship...my sister and I actually got a little emotional. Seeing A Rod finally win a championship and the core four, like you said, win another surrounded by their teammates was legendary.

Nick Swisher's face as he ran to the infield, A Rod with his hands in the air, Jeter with his hands in the air, Joe Girardi even, who whooped as he took to the mic with the trophy in the Post-Game Show...

I LOVE how pretty much every one who came to the mic thanked the fans for their support...dayum right! We are the most awesome, best fans in the word. Who else cheers their pitchers when they are on the mound? Does roll call at every single game? Stands up after strike 2 pitch to lend support? Sorry but I have to brag there :p

Also, in regards to the "the Yankees buy their championships", yeah when you win that many championships you have money and you build a team that can win. The Phillies used their money to get Lee, Ibanez, etc. when THEY won the WS last year. You can't get good players without WINNING and MONEY, and therein, a championship.

Every team who wins a WS gets money to get better players and build a better team, and the Yankees are no different. Hell, they were winning championships starting back in the 1920s!

[myankskent]

Also, in regards to the "the Yankees buy their championships", yeah when you win that many championships you have money and you build a team that can win. The Phillies used their money to get Lee, Ibanez, etc. when THEY won the WS last year. You can't get good players without WINNING and MONEY, and therein, a championship.

Every team who wins a WS gets money to get better players and build a better team, and the Yankees are no different. Hell, they were winning championships starting back in the 1920s!

Yeah, for some reason, the Yankees buy championships, yet there are other teams in baseball with high payrolls who never win. There are teams with low payrolls, like the Marlins, who have won twice in the last 12 years. It's all about the types of players that you have. Everything needs to come together just right to create a championship team. If it only took money, then the Yankees would've won championships between 2001 and 2008.

[lana 9]

congrats to the new york yankees

[xrayvision]

Thanks Jim.

Winning a championship is great, but seeing the core four (Jeter, Pettitte, Rivera and Posada) have a huge role in it again really brings a smile to my face. And of course, all of the doubt about A-Rod is gone now. He won a WS and he did a lot himself to make that happen. I'd even go so far as to say that without his clutch home runs in the postseason, I'm not even sure if the Yankees get to the world series this year.

You could say that again. I've been watching these guys pull it off for years and even though they lost a lot of their former teammates along the way, the Core 4 were always reliable. Jeter defines the word clutch since he comes up with big plays almost anytime the team needs him to. Posada has had a great career with plenty of key home runs 7 RBI's and is another clutch player. Pettitte and victory have been very closely related for a long time and I hated seeing him leave for that time he went back to Texas since it didn't feel right without him. He pitched great in his final 3 starts of the year & I was happy to see him get another championship after all his hard work. Before the game, I thought Pettitte was the key since his performance tonight could have broken them if it was off. And nothing needs to be said about Mariano that his lights-out pitching doesn't say. I still remember his expression after he blew Game 7 in 2001, and winning it here was beyond sweet. The guy is amazing. I remember last year I thought he seemed to be slowing down, but this year he seemed even better than last. They used him quite a bit and he was the most reliable reliever in shutting down our opponents. Without him, there was no way we would have kept the lead in many games, like Game 4 or maybe even tonight's game.

I'm glad Matsui & A-Rod also got their first World Series championship. I have to frequently remind myself that players who were on the team for a while like Matsui and Giambi (who was off the team this year) didn't win a championship even though they made the playoffs almost every year while being on the team. I remember Matsui being in the 2003 World Series but not getting it. I'm so glad he had such a key role in what may be his last game as a Yankee & won the championship before he leaves (if that happens). I think A-Rod's comfortability will greatly improve now that he's won one and now that he was a key factor in the championship.

Anyway, the entire team did very well. Some players who were not that great in the post-season (like Cano) did very well during the season & helped get the Yankees to the post-season. Others were doing OK in the season, but really woke up to rack up the hits & runs (like Matsui & Damon). Others stepped up big when they were needed (like Melky after Gardner got injured).

This was the most interesting World Series to watch in a while. Both teams played well and both fought hard until the end. So congrats to both teams, and mostly congrats to the 27 time World champs & Girardi. Even though I didn't like his every move, I think he learned a great deal this year.

[skully]

Congrats to all Yankees fans. :D

[xrayvision]

Thanks skully.

[myankskent]

Hot Stove talk....

Where will Roy Halladay end up next year?

1) Stay with the Blue Jays
2) Phillies
3) Yankees
4) Mets
5) other

I hope the Yanks don't go after him. There's no reason for them to give up their big prospects for Halladay when they just won the WS this year. I think the Phillies might have a good shot to get him.

[Karafan1]

Waaayyy to early for this^^:lol:

[myankskent]

It's not that early. In another week, moves are going to start being made. The world series ended very late this year so things are going to start to happen faster in this off-season.

[Backward Galaxy]

Hot Stove talk....

Where will Roy Halladay end up next year?

1) Stay with the Blue Jays
2) Phillies
3) Yankees
4) Mets
5) other

I hope the Yanks don't go after him. There's no reason for them to give up their big prospects for Halladay when they just won the WS this year. I think the Phillies might have a good shot to get him.

Any time you have a chance at one of the best pitchers in the league, you try. He's 32. A five year contract wouldn't be out of the question and would basically guarantee the playoffs every year for the Yankees. I think they should at least be interested.

The Phillies need pitching, but they have Lee and Hamels. True, Hamels had a horrible year and possibly lost them the World Series. Yet, he won them a World Series the year before. He's an excellent pitcher, and very young, so the Phillies have no reason to believe they will be going into next season with anything but two aces on their staff... without Halladay.

Rumor has it that Boston is going after Lackey. You can probably expect them to snare either him or Halladay.

[myankskent]

Any time you have a chance at one of the best pitchers in the league, you try. He's 32. A five year contract wouldn't be out of the question and would basically guarantee the playoffs every year for the Yankees. I think they should at least be interested.

The Phillies need pitching, but they have Lee and Hamels. True, Hamels had a horrible year and possibly lost them the World Series. Yet, he won them a World Series the year before. He's an excellent pitcher, and very young, so the Phillies have no reason to believe they will be going into next season with anything but two aces on their staff... without Halladay.

Rumor has it that Boston is going after Lackey. You can probably expect them to snare either him or Halladay.

I'm fine with the Yanks trying to get Halladay. I just don't want them to give up Hughes, Joba, Austin Jackson and/or Montero to get him. I don't think that the Yankees desperately need him to make the playoffs every year. But if Toronto is desperate and they're willing to trade him to the Yankees for a song, I'd do it. I don't think that they would do that, though.

If Boston doesn't get Halladay, they will definitely go hard after Lackey. They know that they need to make some big moves this off-season now that the Yankees won this year. They kind of went the cheap route last off-season and it worked during the first part of the year, but it caught up to them in the second half. They will be spending money this time around.

[Karafan1]

Joe Maurer-AL MVP, Albert Pujols-NL MVP..Good choices!!!!!!

[myankskent]

So the Yanks trade for Granderson and sign Pettitte for another year. This should take the Yanks out of all of the talk for Halladay. Signing Damon now doesn't seem likely if he wants his 4 years. The Yanks won't give him that. They'll take their chances with Melky and Granderson in LF and CF.

[Night_Hawk90]

surprised nobody here is talking about the 3 way deal between the Mariners-Phillies-Blue Jays. The Mariners have a strong 1-2 combo with Hernandez and Lee, as well as the Philles got the best pitcher in the game. The Jays I can't really say not too familiar with the prospects they received. Also the Red Sox got a lot stronger with the addition of Lackey for 85 million.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4742072
edit: the deal is actually not finalized but it is close
----- Added 5 Minutes later -----


So the Yanks trade for Granderson and sign Pettitte for another year. This should take the Yanks out of all of the talk for Halladay. Signing Damon now doesn't seem likely if he wants his 4 years. The Yanks won't give him that. They'll take their chances with Melky and Granderson in LF and CF.

I really do not understand why the Yanks do not take time to develop their prospects instead of trading them away for people like Granderson who had 1 decent year. I though Austin Jackson was one of the best prospects in baseball?

[myankskent]

surprised nobody here is talking about the 3 way deal between the Mariners-Phillies-Blue Jays. The Mariners have a strong 1-2 combo with Hernandez and Lee, as well as the Philles got the best pitcher in the game. The Jays I can't really say not too familiar with the prospects they received. Also the Red Sox got a lot stronger with the addition of Lackey for 85 million.


I haven't been around because I was in D.C. Just got back today and I was shocked to hear these two deals happening the same day. Lackey surprises me because I really thought the Mets would take a run at him. Now with Halladay going to the Phillies, how exactly are the Mets going to improve next year? I think that the Phillies got better with Halladay, but Lee was pretty damn good last year. I almost look at this move as a positive for the Phillies because they kept Halladay away from the Mets, had they made the Blue Jays an offer in the future. The Red Sox definitely got better. As for the Blue Jays, who knows.



I really do not understand why the Yanks do not take time to develop their prospects instead of trading them away for people like Granderson who had 1 decent year. I though Austin Jackson was one of the best prospects in baseball?

He wasn't the best prospect in baseball. He was just one of the best in the Yankees system. To be honest, he really isn't showing much power at this stage so I don't know what kind of player Jackson is going to be. But the Yankees have been developing players of late. If you look at their current lineup, Jeter, Posada, Cabrera and Cano all came up through their system. Then you have Francisco Cervelli as the back-up catcher who also came from their system. I actually like what the Yankees have been doing. There are always going to be guys who never make it up to the big leagues and are going to be used as trade bait but IMO, the Yanks have done a nice job getting younger by giving guys in their system a chance.

[Night_Hawk90]

so according to recent reports kyle drabek had tommy john surgery in 2007, which just screams BJ Ryan fiasco all over again for the Jays. Than too top it off their going to pay 6 million dollar to the phillies for halladay unreal. Expect a 10,000 crowd home opener for the Jays in 2010 every franchise in my home city sucks.

edit: matsui to the angels for 1yr 6.5 million

[Night_Hawk90]

it seems baseball is a dead issue at this place but i will comment that Jason Bay pending a physical is now a new york met. The Bosox will indeed miss his bat, but his horrible defence will be on display for new yorkers. Could be a very interesting year for the sox who have some interest in the overrated beltre.

[The Dark Knight74]

Beltre's still in the league? Really?:p

IA, he is overrated. He had one good year when he was w/the Dodgers and that just so happened to be a contract year(coincidence, I'm sure). I was glad that the Dodgers didn't re-sign him and let him fade in to oblivion in Seattle. I'm not sure why the Red Sox would waste their time w/Beltre. I'm sure there somebody they could trade for or sign that would be better than Beltre.

[Night_Hawk90]

i think the sox are also looking into acquiring adrian gonzalez because lets be honest david ortiz's best days are behind him they need a big bat to replace jason bay's production. Now im not quite sure if the padres are going to give up gonzalez as he has i think 2 years left on his contract, plus i expect they're looking for a bunch of prospects in return. Though Gonzalez would definitely be a great bat for a team in need of one.

[Backward Galaxy]

Adrian Beltre is supposedly an excellent defensive player. He's a good fit for the pitching heavy Sox.

Bay to Mets for 4 years, around 16.5 million dollars per year. Leave it to the Mets to back themselves into a corner to the point that they had to overpay Jason Bay.

[chole_fan]

Anyone else stocked for Baseball season? I cannot wait to get it going! Hopefully this is the year the Braves put it all back together and get back to the top of the NL :D

[axisoftime]

its not easy thinkin about baseball in dec or jan-but now-spring trainning starts this week-after the cold and snow-its nice to hear baseball and spring r gettin close.

[chole_fan]

^^I know...the start of spring training has me excited! Baseball is always a sign that spring (and warm weather :D) are just around the corner.

I can't believe Johnny Damon still hasn't signed! He has several offers, including a rumored 2 year deal from the Tigers. What is he waiting for?? I don't think hes going to get anything better than he's already been offered.

[KoopaBowserSSBM]

I hope to see some spring training stuff in AZ in March. :)

[axisoftime]

that would be cool-ive never seen a spring trainning game-or a minor league game.
so the tigs got damon-not sure how much hes got left-not a good fielder-cant throw-but if he can still hit an run hell help.i thought austin jackson was yanks top prospect-reggie jackson called leyland after trade and said he was very good.it was tough losing granderson-good guy and good player.if the 2 rookies-austin and sizemore-play up to their potential-the tigs will have a pretty good team.they have solid pitching for sure

[KoopaBowserSSBM]

It looks pretty fun to hang around down there.

[Karafan1]

Does anybody watch the spring training games on tv? I just can't get into it, since the big names only play the 1st few innings, then the guys who will be in AAA all year take their places later in the game..

[KoopaBowserSSBM]

i can only watch if the brewers are on lol. pretty much as pointless as preseason football.

[WickedJenn]

And HELLO Yankees!! Way to start the season in Fenway especially. Loving Girardi's "28" jersey.

[myankskent]

Sloppy game tonight for the Yanks. Blown leads left and right, it's as if they know that it's April against the Red Sox again, just like last year.

[WickedJenn]

Sloppy game tonight for the Yanks. Blown leads left and right, it's as if they know that it's April against the Red Sox again, just like last year.

I am currently thinking the same thing, along with, WTH and :rolleyes: :(

[Karafan1]

They're just getting all the kinks out before the home opener..

[chole_fan]

GO BRAVES!!!! 16-5 over the Cubbies...great way to start the season. Just hope we didn't use up all our runs for the series in this one game :p

Heyward has Atlanta excited for baseball again!! I think that he, plus Cox's last season (so he says), might just equal magic for the Braves this year. :D

[WickedJenn]

Yankees are now 11-3, I love it.

[KoopaBowserSSBM]

Brewers crushed the Pirates 20-0 today :D

[Karafan1]

Just a usual game for the Pirates:lol:

[KoopaBowserSSBM]

36-1 over the 3 game series lol.

[Karafan1]

That's insane!!

[myankskent]

I guess we should get this thread going again. I haven't been around because I'm done watching Smallville. I finally called it quits in the middle of the season. Just don't have the patience for it anymore.

The Yanks are off to a nice start but they're having trouble scoring runs. Between the injuries and the fact that too many hitters in their lineup are slumping, it's bad news. Thankfully they have some good pitching because that's the only reason why they have been this good.

[Night_Hawk90]

good to see you back and yes smallville is pretty pathetic these days. for your yanks the hype surrounding hughes is starting to deliver this guy is pitching unreal. whats really surprised me though alex gonzalez of the jays guy is lighting it up though we know the jays will finish in 4th. also big up jason heyward of the braves

[myankskent]

Hughes is definitely amazing. I said all along that I wanted him in the rotation and Joba in the bullpen. Hughes is more of a pitcher than Joba is. He thinks out there rather than just throwing the ball 100 miles an hour. The Jays have been doing well. They have some good pitching. Their problem is that they can't beat anyone in the AL east. And Heyward? Awesome player but I don't understand why the Braves are this bad. There are so many guys in that lineup who aren't hitting, Melky Cabrera included, who I have always liked.

[Night_Hawk90]

there a lot of surprises this year washington is above .500 they just swept the miserable mets. strasburg will probably make his debut in june and from what i have been reading this guy is cruising is the minors, though you never know with these young phenoms ex (mark prior) and injury problems. i still think the yankees made a mistake trading austin jackson for granderson though you probably have more knowledge on that than i do.

[myankskent]

I think that Washington is a very improved team. They have a decent offense and some good, young pitching. Their bullpen sucks, but that's usually the last thing that you take care of when improving your team. I'm still not sold on Austin Jackson. Remember, pitchers around MLB don't know him yet. The real test for Jackson is going to be whether he can make the necessary adjustments as a hitter once these pitchers learn how to pitch to him. But the strikeouts are a major problem. You can't be a lead-off hitter and strike out that much while providing no power. Granderson is hurt right now but I always worried about his ability to hit lefties. He also seems to be a streaky hitter.

[Karafan1]

And Heyward? Awesome player but I don't understand why the Braves are this bad. There are so many guys in that lineup who aren't hitting, Melky Cabrera included, who I have always liked.

Not playing good on the road isn't helping either:\

[myankskent]

Not playing good on the road isn't helping either:\

Yeah, they need to just start hitting more consistently. They should be able to win a decent amount of games with their offense. It's not that bad.

[chole_fan]

The braves really are a mystery to me this year...it's like feast of famine with this offense. They either score 10 runs or they don't score any.

That said, things do seem to be looking up. Glaus is finally hitting, Heyward is continuing to do his thing, Prado is still hot and now that McCann is gonna wear the glasses again (at least at night) I am hoping his struggles will ease up. If we could just get McClouth and Chipper going, things could turn around quickly.

Nice sweep of Milwaukee though! Even with the bad start to the road trip, they actually ended it with a winning record (5-4) with that sweep. I hope that is a good omen for future road trips.

I hope it all comes together soon. Escobar is close to being back...maybe that will spark something.

I just really want to see them put it all together for Bobby for his final season.

Current score vs. D'Backs: ATL 4 ARI 5...but we have runners on 2nd and 3rd with only 1 out in the bottom of the ninth.

Hmm..they just intentionally walked Melky to load the bases and bring up Prado. Wonder what they thinking was there?

[Karafan1]

Whatever the thinking was, it didn't work!! Braves win 6-5!!!

[myankskent]

It's amazing how the Twins can't win a game at Yankee Stadium. I think under Gardenhire, they are 3-26 or something like that in Yankee Stadium and haven't won a game in New York since 2007. The Yanks need to sweep them tomorrow because then they have Boston, Tampa Bay and the Mets after that. Even though the Mets are struggling, subway series games are still difficult to win.

[Night_Hawk90]

wow first grandslam given up by mariano rivera since 2002 unreal. it didnt help that joba loaded the bases. nice sweep of the texans by the jays

[myankskent]

Wild game tonight for the Yanks. This would have been a tough loss for them after blowing that 6-1 lead but they scored 4 off Papelbon in the 9th.

Back to that Sunday loss to the Twins, I didn't agree with putting Rivera into that game in the 8th inning. This is not the playoffs and the Yanks already won the series against the Twins. I wanted to see Joba try to work out of that jam. Plus, Rivera hadn't really pitched a whole lot since his injury. Sometimes I really dislike how Girardi manages some of these games like it's the 7th game of the world series. If Joba blows the game in the 8th, then he blows the game. The sun will rise tomorrow.

[WickedJenn]

Whew, Joba blew a huge lead we had...ugh now Tex flys out.

:(

[KoopaBowserSSBM]

Brewers are doing really awesome! :lol:

[Night_Hawk90]

surprised nobody is talking about the major f**k up that is jim joyce costing gallaraga a perfect game ( 3rd one this season). unreal dude should be fired asap

[Karafan1]

I'm surprised he made it out of the stadium seeing as how it was the home team that got screwed!!

[Night_Hawk90]

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs311.ash1/27708_1508016463196_1317840021_1388211_2650522_n.j pg

gallaraga (?) is a stand up guy giving joyce a huge even though he got screwed huge it would have been the 3rd perfect game in 3 weeks. even if it somehow gets reversed it wont be the same, mlb is going to be hiring robots to replace the umps soon.

[KoopaBowserSSBM]

Griffey is now retired. No more Ken Griffey Jr's Winning Run/Slugfests... lol

[Night_Hawk90]

RIP George Steinbrenner

[myankskent]

Sad to see Steinbrenner go. Hopefully his sons will keep the team.

Garza had a no-hitter last night for the Rays. Five no-hitters now, should have been six if not for that awful call. This is definitely the year of the pitcher, that's for sure. Maybe these guys have stopped taking performance enhancing drugs because the HR's are way down this year.

I think that Boston is done this year, at least for the division. They have too many injuries and how about the Mets? I cannot believe how bad they are, especially with the kind of pitching that they have been getting lately. I'm sure that what will happen is that they will start to score a ton of runs and once that happens, their pitchers will start getting bombed.

[Karafan1]

Garza had a no-hitter last night for the Rays. Five no-hitters now, should have been six if not for that awful call. This is definitely the year of the pitcher, that's for sure. Maybe these guys have stopped taking performance enhancing drugs because the HR's are way down this year.


I finally got to see a no-hitter this year! I was out of town for the other 4(including the Gallarraga game) so I wasn't able to see them on MLB Extra Innings! ESPN got lucky last night since Det/Tampa was their monday night game..

[WickedJenn]

I'm liking this shutout the Yanks are giving the Indians right now...sweet. Still waiting on A-Rod's 600th, which I believe he will hit at home.

Is Victorino injured? I thought I heard something about that before.

I agree Matt, Boston's done, I don't think they'll be gaining momentum back with all they've had going on.

[Night_Hawk90]

ugh cant believe morrow lost his no-hit bid with 1 more out to go unreal. still awesome how he struck out 17 against one of the best teams in the league. love this jays team/

[myankskent]

Stick the Jays in another division and they would be right in the middle of the playoff race. Outside of the Padres, the Blue Jays have to be the most improved team this year in baseball. It's sick how awesome that AL East is. If Baltimore ever gets their act together, forget it.

[Karafan1]

The Braves are falling apart!!!!!:eek:

[Karafan1]

Yankees, Rays, Twins, Rangers, Phillies and Reds are already in the playoffs, still the NL West and NL Wild Card to be decided!!! And eventhough both the Yankees and Rays are in, they're still fighting for the division and best record in the AL! The Twins have pretty much quit playing recently, so I doubt they'll get the best record in the AL..

[lex fan 10]

Go giants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

----- Added 31 Minutes later -----

Want the giants to make the palyoff this year getting closer to the nl west champions.beat the padres.

[myankskent]

Yankees, Rays, Twins, Rangers, Phillies and Reds are already in the playoffs, still the NL West and NL Wild Card to be decided!!! And eventhough both the Yankees and Rays are in, they're still fighting for the division and best record in the AL! The Twins have pretty much quit playing recently, so I doubt they'll get the best record in the AL..

The problem is that the Yankees and Rays aren't really fighting for the division. It's more one team saying to the other, "you have it" and the other responding..."no, you take it." This wild card set up in baseball is an absolute joke. There's just no incentive for any potential wild card team to try and push to win the division. One extra home game does nothing and we've seen plenty of wild card teams in the past go deep into the playoffs and even win world championships. I think that a second wild card team should be added in each league and the two wild card winners from each league should have to face off in a one game playoff the Monday after the season ends. Then they go on to the playoffs as the wild card team without the home field advantage, just like we have now. No team is going to want to settle with the wild card knowing that they have a tense, one game playoff to win just to get into the postseason. If this was the setup this year, the Yankees and Rays would be fighting tooth and nail to try to win the division and they probably wouldn't be playing such lousy baseball at the end of the regular season.

[Karafan1]

Rays won the division and will get the Rangers..Those poor Twins will get the Yankees again..The way the Twins have been playing, it'll be 3 and out for them I bet..Reds get the Phillies and I hope my Braves can beat the Giants!!!

[Karafan1]

I HATE the Phillies, but I like no-hitters, so I was hoping Halliday would get it..The last out is always the hardest and that was no different in that game!

[xrayvision]

I HATE the Phillies, but I like no-hitters, so I was hoping Halliday would get it..The last out is always the hardest and that was no different in that game!

I hate them too since I'm a Mets fan #1. And I hate them so much that I was hoping it didn't happen.

I'm also a Yankees fan (when they don't play the Mets) and they got killed during the top of the 9th tonight. Damn!!! What a garbage job done by the bullpen, other than Kerry Wood.

[Karafan1]

Ugh, if the Rangers hadn't blown that big lead saturday, they'd be up 3-0 and could have finished off the Yankees tomorrow night!!!!

[WickedJenn]

*sigh*

Well that game sucked.

[xrayvision]

We have to come back strong tomorrow night. Unfortunately a 2nd meeting with Cliff Lee is very likely.

[Karafan1]

*sigh*

Well that game sucked.

No it didn't;):p

[WickedJenn]

We have to come back strong tomorrow night. Unfortunately a 2nd meeting with Cliff Lee is very likely.

And this time, we had no bullpen problems, at least, not until the end. The bats were silent. My sister said it right...when they hit, they all hit, when they don't, none of them do.

[Night_Hawk90]

as much as i enjoy cliff lee dominating the yankees, he will more than likely be in a pinstripes suit next year, since thats all the yankees do is buy the best players. heres hoping for texas vs san fran world series.

[Karafan1]

Nice to see the umpires won't review fan interference in Yankee Stadium:mad:

[Karafan1]

I was really hoping the guy who interfered with the foul ball in the 5th would become the new Steve Bartman, but unfortunatley Hamilton didn't make him famous since he didn't hit a 3 run homer:(

[Night_Hawk90]

terrible relief and starting pitching (burnett) causing the yanks to implode yet again. also that first home run should not have counted. loving this...also the big bats for the yanks have really sucked in this series

[WickedJenn]

AJ actually started off okay but then definitely lost his stuff by the 4th. I did not even think he'd start off that well at all though.

I hate fan interference either way, back off and let the guy catch the ball.

I had a feeling Texas was going to be a tough play...they're a good solid team. I don't see the Yankees winning the ALCS at this point.

I'm just VERY happy for last year, that's when they really needed it.

[xrayvision]

Damn. We're losing 7-3. And Teixeira leaving with that hamstring injury dug us into a deeper hole. Let's go Granderson, Jeter, A-Rod, Posada, Cano & the rest of the offense.

[WickedJenn]

Damn. We're losing 7-3. And Teixeira leaving with that hamstring injury dug us into a deeper hole. Let's go Granderson, Jeter, A-Rod, Posada, Cano & the rest of the offense.

I wish, but after this out just now, I def. don't think it's possible unless the their closer is BAD.

[xrayvision]

Ugh, another homer by Hamilton. The Yanks are unable to clear the bases by getting some good hits. Other than Cano, the rest of the team is sleeping. Swisher has been absolutely horrible.

Molina has our number too. Every time we played him through the years whether he was on the Angels or on the Rangers, he's able to beat us.

----- Added 1 Minutes later -----

Son of a...

What is it, 10-3 now (I'm listening on the radio since channel 5 isn't showing it like they did last year :mad:)?

[Karafan1]

10-3..Awesome!!

[xrayvision]

You're a good guy Jim. But I don't like your taste in baseball teams. :)

[WickedJenn]

Ugh, another homer by Hamilton. The Yanks are unable to clear the bases by getting some good hits. Other than Cano, the rest of the team is sleeping. Swisher has been absolutely horrible.

Molina has our number too. Every time we played him through the years whether he was on the Angels or on the Rangers, he's able to beat us.

----- Added 1 Minutes later -----

Son of a...

What is it, 10-3 now (I'm listening on the radio since channel 5 isn't showing it like they did last year :mad:)?

I am FEELING your pain in a major way.

This sucks :mad:

I know they've got 27 but it sucks just the same, what's happening now.

I can no longer call this lineup Murderer's Row II, at least, not this post-season.

[Karafan1]

You're a good guy Jim. But I don't like your taste in baseball teams. :)

My team(Braves)are already out of it so I know how you guys are feeling..But since the Yankees beat the Braves in the '96 and '99 World Series, I've always cheered for whoever plays the Yankees in the playoffs:lol:

[WickedJenn]

My team(Braves)are already out of it so I know how you guys are feeling..But since the Yankees beat the Braves in the '96 and '99 World Series, I've always cheered for whoever plays the Yankees in the playoffs:lol:

I'm just glad you're not cheering for the Phillies :p

[xrayvision]

I'm just glad you're not cheering for the Phillies :p

Do you like the Mets too Jenn?

----- Added 30 Seconds later -----


I am FEELING your pain in a major way.

This sucks :mad:

I know they've got 27 but it sucks just the same, what's happening now.

I can no longer call this lineup Murderer's Row II, at least, not this post-season.

It was feeling that way in September. I don't know what the hell happened.

[Karafan1]

I'm just glad you're not cheering for the Phillies :p

No way!! I still hold a grudge against them for the '93 NLCS:lol:

[xrayvision]

My team(Braves)are already out of it so I know how you guys are feeling..But since the Yankees beat the Braves in the '96 and '99 World Series, I've always cheered for whoever plays the Yankees in the playoffs:lol:

I used to hate the Braves back when the Mets had their rivalry with them in the late 90's (especially '99 & 2000). I still remember that great series the Mets & Braves had in '99. Especially that game that went into a ridiculous amount of extra innings. I was hoping for a Subway Series for the World Series that year, but it happened next year instead. The Mets were too banged up that year, especially Piazza. Ventura was great & so was Olerud, who they should have kept. I still remember all that stuff with Rocker.

But this year, I was hoping the Braves would beat San Francisco. But now, I want SF to beat the Phillies since I hate them the most, especially that bigmouth Rollins.

----- Added 41 Seconds later -----

Crap!! Texas up 3-1. Now it's almost impossible. We have to do almost what the Red Sox did to us (still cringing from the thought) back in 2004.

[WickedJenn]

Do you like the Mets too Jenn?

----- Added 30 Seconds later -----



It was feeling that way in September. I don't know what the hell happened.

I don't mind the Mets, but I am and always will be a hardcore Yankees fan.

I know! I am bummed out, I actually was at the second BooSox/Yankees game on Sept. 25th, my first Boston/NYY game at Yankee Stadium and they lost :\

[Karafan1]

That '99 NLCS was good..I was having a fit in game 6 when Piazza tied it, then that went to extra innings also!!!

3-1 leads are screwed up all the time guys, so it's not over yet..I can think of 5 examples right now..

[xrayvision]

That '99 NLCS was good..I was having a fit in game 6 when Piazza tied it, then that went to extra innings also!!!

3-1 leads are screwed up all the time guys, so it's not over yet..I can think of 5 examples right now..

I think the series will end 4-2.

[Karafan1]

I do think the Yankees will win tomorrow..

[WickedJenn]

At this point, I'm just going to stay mum about it, not even cautiously optimistic, heh.

[Karafan1]

Blue Jays and Cardinals in '85, Angels in '86, Cardinals in '96 and Cubs in '03 all blew 3-1 leads so it's possible..And I didn't have to look that up, I know so much useless baseball stuff it's amazing:lol:

[WickedJenn]

What about that Red Sox/Yankees ALCS in 2004?

[Karafan1]

That was an impossible, never gonna happen again, stars and planets aligned type of deal:rotfl:

[WickedJenn]

If you had seen the crap I got from my cousin in Massachusetts, whew...

That was when the whole "The Yankees are my daddy." comment from Manny went down, and that's what I kept getting texted to me from my cousin, who said "Who's your Daddy NOW?" :lol:

[Karafan1]

You shoulda blocked all texts from him:lol: Harsh, yes, but you're in the right to do that:lol:

----- Added 1 Minutes later -----

I do think the Cubs have to do some kind of impossible thing like that to break their curse though..

[WickedJenn]

Whenever all of us go visit our Massachusetts cousins and there's a game on, OH the battle, you should see it. Talking crap goes on the whoooole time. It's a blast though.

Ah the Cubs, now there is a team that should win something. I have a friend who's a Cubs fan, so he always roots for the underdog in place of them in the post-season haha.

[Karafan1]

My cousin and I are like that too with football especially the week his Patriots and my Steelers play eachother..

I've been a Cubs fan since '93..They need to win it all soon!!

[xrayvision]

If you had seen the crap I got from my cousin in Massachusetts, whew...

That was when the whole "The Yankees are my daddy." comment from Manny went down, and that's what I kept getting texted to me from my cousin, who said "Who's your Daddy NOW?" :lol:

Actually that was Pedro. If I remember correctly, that Yankees are my daddy happened in 2003 when the Yanks beat them in that awesome 2003 ALCS Game 7, which was probably the best baseball game I ever saw. I still remember that game, listening to it on the radio as my brother & I drove up to Vermont for our October Vermont-New Hampshire trip. Then we went to the 99 Restaurant in Rutland, VT where Greg the bartender was serving drinks. That was the first time I met him & he's from Long Island & was also a Yankees fan while everyone else was rooting for the Red Sox. He allowed us to stay more than an hour after they closed the doors since everyone's eyes were glued to the TV. Then he had to let us go & we listened to the rest of the game in the car on 880, which was coming out pretty good at that hour. I still remember Boone's winning homer that ended the game & sent the Yanks to the World Series, which they unfortunately lost to the Marlins.

But man, I hate Manny. That guy's poison to every team he goes to. I'm glad the Mets & Yanks never got him. Good luck to the White Sox with that dirtbag & his antics.

----- Added 2 Minutes later -----


Whenever all of us go visit our Massachusetts cousins and there's a game on, OH the battle, you should see it. Talking crap goes on the whoooole time. It's a blast though.

Ah the Cubs, now there is a team that should win something. I have a friend who's a Cubs fan, so he always roots for the underdog in place of them in the post-season haha.

That's one team I really feel bad for. If I go to Chicago, I'd like to go to 1 or 2 Cubs games, where I get tickets to one at those apartment rooftops where you could see right into Wrigley Field & the guys do some nice BBQ'ing on the roof. That seems like a nice experience.

[WickedJenn]

Ohhh it was Pedro. And wow I got the year wrong too, I definitely wanted to forget that time LOL.

[xrayvision]

That was an impossible, never gonna happen again, stars and planets aligned type of deal:rotfl:

You could say that again. Man, was I pissed after that happened. And the Yankees did it all to themselves. I'm sure if you'd replace the Yankees with the worst team in the major leagues that year that they wouldn't have blown 4 games in a row. I was at the same 99 Restaurant that year during Game 3 where the Yanks blew the Red Sox away...killed them. It seemed like all their offense was used up in that blowout. I remember A-Rod was caught cheating in that series in the 7th game. I forgot what he did, but I think it involved running the bases or trying to make a Boston player look like he got out when he didn't. That really pissed me off since Yankees players are supposed to have integrity & seeing that after how much money we paid for him & he did nothing in that series was infuriating. Thankfully he finally had a good postseason last year, but this year he's been silent again, at least in the ALCS.

[Karafan1]

A-Rod knocked the ball out of the pitchers glove when he was running to 1st..His lame "What did I do" look was pathetic:lol:

----- Added 2 Minutes later -----

So I'm guessing you guys didn't watch ESPN's 30 For 30 show about that 2004 series when it was on a few weeks ago??

[xrayvision]

Ohhh it was Pedro. And wow I got the year wrong too, I definitely wanted to forget that time LOL.

That 2003 ALCS Game 7 was also a big game for Giambi (I wonder if it was because of the roids, LOL---then again I'm sure Ortiz on Boston has roids pumping through his blood vessels). I think Clemens was the Yankees pitcher.

Anyway, this year I sense something happening like it did in 1995 when the Yanks played against Seattle, who had Tino Martinez but lost against them, but the following year in 1996 had Martinez on their own roster & beat Seattle on the way to winning the World Series. I think the same thing will happen this year with Cliff Lee. I think next year they will probably get Cliff Lee (hopefully Boston doesn't get him) & could beat Texas if they play them again.

Tino Martinez was a great Yankee though--one of my favorites. Brosius was another great one. Jim Leyritz was also good, but he really screwed up his life (and of course the life of that family) with that drunk driving death he caused. Paul O'Neill & Bernie Williams were also class acts. Strawberry & Gooden were great ones too, one of many who used to be Mets & later became Yankees players (like David Cone). I do like a lot of the current team, like Gardner, Jeter (showing his age as far as hitting), Teixeira, Posada (one of my all time Yankees favorites, but he hasn't been good this postseason), and Cano. I've been very iffy on Swisher, even last year. I think A-Rod should be playing a lot better than he is after how much they're paying him. Mariano has been pretty good but they haven't been able to use him because they haven't had a lead in the last 3 games. I just hope they're able to find a replacement for him because he won't be pitching like this for too many more years. I thought Joba would replace him, but he's not up to it.

----- Added 5 Minutes later -----


A-Rod knocked the ball out of the pitchers glove when he was running to 1st..His lame "What did I do" look was pathetic:lol:

That's what he did! That really bothered me. That was A-Rod's first season w/ the Yanks & he pulled off crap like that after we blew a 3-0 lead by losing 4 games in a row in what is still the worst collapse in sports. It's worse than the Mets' collapse a few seasons ago since the Yankees were 1 damn game away from going to the World Series & just let Boston take it & make history too by being the first to come back from a 0-3 deficit.


So I'm guessing you guys didn't watch ESPN's 30 For 30 show about that 2004 series when it was on a few weeks ago??

Well, I don't have cable, so I couldn't watch that.

[Karafan1]

Well, I don't have cable, so I couldn't watch that.

That's probably a good thing because it was all film from Red Sox players:lol:

[Karafan1]

Blue Jays and Cardinals in '85, Angels in '86, Cardinals in '96 and Cubs in '03 all blew 3-1 leads so it's possible..And I didn't have to look that up, I know so much useless baseball stuff it's amazing:lol:

I forgot the Indians in 2007:lol:

[Karafan1]

Rangers are throwing the ball all over the place now..3-0 Yankees..

[Karafan1]

6-1 in the 6th..See Jenn and xray, I told you guys they were gonna win today..You guys were panicing over nothing last night;)

[redkryptoniteisthebest]

What a season, Rangers! Doing great so far.

[xrayvision]

6-1 in the 6th..See Jenn and xray, I told you guys they were gonna win today..You guys were panicing over nothing last night;)

Still way too early. The relief pitching can still screw it up. Hopefully Wood will be OK, but I don't know if he will pitch up to Mariano (if the Yanks even have a lead by then). It's already 6-2. We need to hit some runs in this inning after getting guys on base.

----- Added 2 Minutes later -----

Swisher is now up. He should try to hit a sac fly to bring A-Rod home given how bad he is at hitting this postseason.

----- Added 5 Minutes later -----

Ahh damn, double play.

----- Added 35 Minutes later -----

Hit a damn home run Berkman!!

[xrayvision]

Yeah, Granderson!!!!

[WickedJenn]

Yeah, Granderson!!!!

I was up at the TV with my arms in the air jumping up and down :lol:

Well it's time for Texas again. Whew this is stressful.

Nice 7-2 win.

[Karafan1]

I think the Phillies are in trouble..

[xrayvision]

I think the Phillies are in trouble..

I agree.

[Karafan1]

Giants win 6-5...Unless Halladay pitches another no-hitter tomorrow, I think the Phillies are done..

[biggumt]

as a giants fan I am really scared about this series now that philly took game 5. winning 1 game in philly is going to be really hard..especially now that momentum has shifted. I honestly think we're going to lose the series now. tonight was a must win, IMO.

[Karafan1]

I think the Giants may be in trouble, but you never know!! They did win game 2 in Phi.

[Night_Hawk90]

I hope Texas can maintain this lead and beat that 200 million dollar payroll team. i have to say i have defended girardi a lot but that dude has no clue what he is doing out there (bringing in robertson who has been bloody awful). also the umps are terrible.

[Karafan1]

Rangers win 6-1!!!!!!!!:)

[redkryptoniteisthebest]

Totally, completely amazing.

Go Rangers!

[biggumt]

I hope Texas can maintain this lead and beat that 200 million dollar payroll team. i have to say i have defended girardi a lot but that dude has no clue what he is doing out there (bringing in robertson who has been bloody awful). also the umps are terrible.

haha. i went on the yankee board and they want joe torre back already. that's funny considering he bashed the organization in his book I believe.

[Karafan1]

So much for my theory of the Phillies coming back to win the NLCS:lol:

[biggumt]

So much for my theory of the Phillies coming back to win the NLCS:lol:


mine too. after the phillies went up 2-0 tonight...i was like here we go again..another post season collapse(like the one in 02' wasn't bad enough) but the giants stuck through it. the giants beat this phillies team and it wasn't a fluke, IMO. they beat them in everyway...better defense, offense(getting clutch hits), pitching, mental toughness. so suck it phoolie fans.:)

[Karafan1]

Giants up 2-0 in the World Series..What happened to the Rangers????:eek: And why are the Giants scoring more than 4 runs in a game now?:lol:

[darkphoenix21]

I've been watching the last few innings from the World Series...and all I got to say is, "Is this a joke?...SERIOUSLY?!?!?". The Giants are playing around with the Rangers. I don't see what the point of having the next two games...The Giants will just come up with 8 runs in an inning and/or completely slaughter them. That''s just ridiculous that the Giants have 2 outs and for whatever reason they are able to get 6-8 runs in one inning.

[KoopaBowserSSBM]

Game 3 Tonight!

Is this the same Rangers team that beat the Yankees? Or were the Yankees just that bad? :lol:

[Karafan1]

Rangers HAD to win tonights game and they did..They made it interesting though!!!

[KoopaBowserSSBM]

Giants will probably let Rangers tie it up so they can celebrate in SF instead of Texas lol.

[myankskent]

Game 3 Tonight!

Is this the same Rangers team that beat the Yankees? Or were the Yankees just that bad? :lol:

To be honest, I think the Yankees were really that bad. As you all know, I am a huge Yankees fan but the one thing that I will never do is avoid being critical of them when I feel I need to be. I don't care how many games the Yanks won, during the second half of the season, they were a .500 team and during the final month and a half, they were the worst team in baseball. They didn't pitch and they didn't get clutch hits and when you play that kind of ball for an extended period of time, it's likely that it will show up again in the postseason. What I think is that the Yankees got extremely lucky facing the Twins in the first round. The Twins simply melt whenever they are on the same field as the Yankees. That's just the way it is so that gave the Yanks an easy opponent in the first round. But I think the Rangers felt that they belonged on the same field as the Yanks this year. They played them tough at the end of the regular season and they wiped the floor with the Yanks in the postseason. That's the bottom line.

Next year, the Yanks are going to have some decisions to make because unfortunately, they are getting older again in some pretty key positions, catcher most importantly. It's time for Posada to become the backup catcher and DH and once he has retired, which might be after next season, Arod might have to become the everyday DH or at least share it with Jeter as they both get older. Also, I like Swisher and all but if I can put him in a deal, I'd trade him away and sign Werth. I think it's clear that Swisher is not a good postseason player and the Yanks could use a solid arm in right field. As for Burnett, I didn't like the move when the Yanks signed him and I don't like him now. He's a good guy, but I've had it with him. How you can lose 15 games on a team like the Yankees is beyond me. He's got great stuff, but he has absolutely no mental toughness. The Yanks got by with him last year because everyone else pitched great, but this year, the Yanks needed a guy like Burnett to step up and he had a dreadful year. That's my Yankees postmortem for all of you.

Don't give up on the Rangers yet. I admit that the Giants have a lot going for them right now but the Rangers are a dangerous team as well. I didn't think much of the Yanks down the stretch and in the Rangers series, but the Rangers are a damn good baseball team this year.

[Karafan1]

If they were that bad why couldn't the Twins beat them?? They had the lead in 2 of those games..

Giants up 3-1 now with Lee vs Tim L. tomorrow..Lee is the Rangers last hope!!!

[myankskent]

If they were that bad why couldn't the Twins beat them?? They had the lead in 2 of those games..

Giants up 3-1 now with Lee vs Tim L. tomorrow..Lee is the Rangers last hope!!!

I want the Rangers to go down tonight.

In regards to the Twins, it's like I said...the Twins melt each and every time they face the Yanks. Just look at all of the times they have lost to the Yanks in the playoffs in the 2000's. It's not like the Twins are a bad team. You figure that they would beat the Yanks one of those times. Eventually they will get over the hump, just like the Yanks did against the Angels last year, but that, IMO, is why the Yanks were able to beat them and even come from behind against them in those two games.

[Karafan1]

You got your wish..Giants win 3-1..

Maybe the Yankees are in the Twins heads! Hopefully next year the Twins will get somebody else in the ALDS and will actually advance to the ALCS for the 1st time since 2002..

[Backward Galaxy]

I want the Rangers to go down tonight.

In regards to the Twins, it's like I said...the Twins melt each and every time they face the Yanks. Just look at all of the times they have lost to the Yanks in the playoffs in the 2000's. It's not like the Twins are a bad team. You figure that they would beat the Yanks one of those times. Eventually they will get over the hump, just like the Yanks did against the Angels last year, but that, IMO, is why the Yanks were able to beat them and even come from behind against them in those two games.

The Twins lost because they were an already inferior team heading into a bad matchup without one of their best hitters (Morneau)... again. It also didn't help that Mauer's power numbers disappeared this season, and that he's a left-handed hitter against a Yankees staff that is predominantly left handed. Kubel and Thome, their big homerun threats, are also both left handed. Their infield consists of Orlando Hudson (.338 OBP/.372 SLG - compare that to Cano), Danny Valencia (.351 OBP/.448 SLG in 85 TOTAL career ABs - compare to Arod, who admittedly had a down year and wasn't great in the postseason), and JJ Hardy (.320 OBP/.394 SLG - which actually is comparable to Jerer's declining numbers). Their defense in the outfield also isn't very good.

The Twins are an inferior team, simple as that. That's why they lost. That's why they continue to lose.

[myankskent]

The Twins lost because they were an already inferior team heading into a bad matchup without one of their best hitters (Morneau)... again. It also didn't help that Mauer's power numbers disappeared this season, and that he's a left-handed hitter against a Yankees staff that is predominantly left handed. Kubel and Thome, their big homerun threats, are also both left handed. Their infield consists of Orlando Hudson (.338 OBP/.372 SLG - compare that to Cano), Danny Valencia (.351 OBP/.448 SLG in 85 TOTAL career ABs - compare to Arod, who admittedly had a down year and wasn't great in the postseason), and JJ Hardy (.320 OBP/.394 SLG - which actually is comparable to Jerer's declining numbers). Their defense in the outfield also isn't very good.

The Twins are an inferior team, simple as that. That's why they lost. That's why they continue to lose.

I agree, but as we've seen in baseball, inferior teams do win once in a while. Just look at the Giants taking down the Phillies without home field this year. I don't think that anyone expected that. The Twins have had 4 chances against the Yanks in the playoffs and they lost all of them. Meanwhile, I can list teams that have defeated the Yanks in the playoffs who were not as good as them. When the Yanks kept getting knocked out in the first round by teams like the Angels, Indians and Tigers, I do think the Yanks were the better team more often than not over the course of 162 but it didn't prove to be true in the playoffs.

[Backward Galaxy]

The Angels were better than the Yankees in every instance they defeated them in the playoffs. I honestly don't remember the Indians and Tigers teams that beat them, so I can't speak intelligently about those teams.

And while the Phillies may have been the superior team, I myself was not surprised that the Giants beat them. Great starting pitching is like a hot goaltender in hockey. Sometimes, that's all you need to win a series, and despite what the experts would have everyone believe, the Giants had better starting pitching than the Phillies.

Halladay and Lincecum are coin on coin.

I've personally always felt that Oswalt was overrated, while Sanchez is underrated because of his propensity for wildness. The guy is a K machine.

Cain is much better than Hamels, who hasn't been the same pitcher he was two years ago and LITERALLY gave up on his team in the postseason last year.

A rock > Blanton and Baumgarner > a rock

Again, I'm not debating with you on which team was better. You're absolutely right that the Phillies are the better team, and probably were the best team in all of baseball this year... but the Giants starting pitching is ridiculously good and it really didn't shock me at all that they won. And let's face it, even though Texas' hitters obliterated the Yankees' pitching, they NEVER would have been in the position to do so if it hadn't been for Cliff Lee, which is another example of why pitching is the most important thing to have in the playoffs.

[myankskent]

The Angels were better than the Yankees in every instance they defeated them in the playoffs. I honestly don't remember the Indians and Tigers teams that beat them, so I can't speak intelligently about those teams.


Those were the teams that weren't as good as the Yanks those years. The Angels were much better than the Yanks in 2002 but in 2005, I felt that they were pretty even. The Angels/Yankees rivalry wasn't just postseason related, though. The Yanks couldn't beat the Angels during the regular season either, even when the Yanks had the better team.



And while the Phillies may have been the superior team, I myself was not surprised that the Giants beat them. Great starting pitching is like a hot goaltender in hockey. Sometimes, that's all you need to win a series, and despite what the experts would have everyone believe, the Giants had better starting pitching than the Phillies.

Halladay and Lincecum are coin on coin.

I've personally always felt that Oswalt was overrated, while Sanchez is underrated because of his propensity for wildness. The guy is a K machine.

Cain is much better than Hamels, who hasn't been the same pitcher he was two years ago and LITERALLY gave up on his team in the postseason last year.

A rock > Blanton and Baumgarner > a rock

Again, I'm not debating with you on which team was better. You're absolutely right that the Phillies are the better team, and probably were the best team in all of baseball this year... but the Giants starting pitching is ridiculously good and it really didn't shock me at all that they won.


I don't know if I would say that I was shocked either, but let's face it...the entire Giants pitching staff and team wasn't tested in the postseason because they hadn't been there, unlike the Phillies who made the WS two years in a row. I thought the Phillies would have had more success and I certainly didn't expect the Giants offense would hit the way they did. The Giants just proved everyone wrong because they showed that they could step up in a big spot. That's not a given, even for players who have solid regular seasons. The Giants simply overachieved this postseason in all facets of their game.



And let's face it, even though Texas' hitters obliterated the Yankees' pitching, they NEVER would have been in the position to do so if it hadn't been for Cliff Lee, which is another example of why pitching is the most important thing to have in the playoffs.

To be honest, I don't think that Cliff Lee was a big factor in the series with the Yanks. He only pitched once. The Yanks lost that series because they couldn't hit Colby Lewis and Sabathia and Hughes were awful. It also didn't help that their bullpen allowed these games to blow up late, giving the Yanks no chance to come back on the Texas bullpen.

[Backward Galaxy]

I don't know if I would say that I was shocked either, but let's face it...the entire Giants pitching staff and team wasn't tested in the postseason because they hadn't been there, unlike the Phillies who made the WS two years in a row. I thought the Phillies would have had more success and I certainly didn't expect the Giants offense would hit the way they did. The Giants just proved everyone wrong because they showed that they could step up in a big spot. That's not a given, even for players who have solid regular seasons. The Giants simply overachieved this postseason in all facets of their game.


Just because the Giants' starters hadn't had their mettle tested, doesn't mean that they weren't up to the task, which they clearly proved. That was a ? mark going into the series, not a clear disadvantage. They proved that they were up to the challenge. Postseason experience is HIGHLY overrated as a contributing factor to strong postseason play.

The Giants' offense was a sheer fluke. They got hot at the right time.



To be honest, I don't think that Cliff Lee was a big factor in the series with the Yanks. He only pitched once. The Yanks lost that series because they couldn't hit Colby Lewis and Sabathia and Hughes were awful. It also didn't help that their bullpen allowed these games to blow up late, giving the Yanks no chance to come back on the Texas bullpen.Lee was a huge factor. Texas was able to play fast and loose with their games in hand because they knew that they had Lee in Game 7, and that no one had touched him in his first 3 outings. It affected momentum, confidence, and strategy in the series. They also knew that the Yankees had no shutdown starter that they could throw back, with the exception of Andy, who is old and was only going to pitch against Lee anyway.

What people don't realize is that Colby Lewis actually pitched about as well as Sabathia this season. Lewis' K% was higher, BB% was the same, FIP the same, WHIP the same...

And Hughes was AWFUL in the second half. Phil's start against Minnesota was basically his best start in 2 months.

[myankskent]

Just because the Giants' starters hadn't had their mettle tested, doesn't mean that they weren't up to the task, which they clearly proved. That was a ? mark going into the series, not a clear disadvantage. They proved that they were up to the challenge. Postseason experience is HIGHLY overrated as a contributing factor to strong postseason play.

The Giants' offense was a sheer fluke. They got hot at the right time.


I agree that the Giants' pitching was a question mark, not a disadvantage. I did think that the Giants' offense was a major disadvantage, especially when going up against an offense like the Phillies can throw out there. But to be perfectly honest, I never thought the Giants pitching was going to be that good. Their pitching performance in the postseason was one of the best all time, which is saying a lot.



Lee was a huge factor. Texas was able to play fast and loose with their games in hand because they knew that they had Lee in Game 7, and that no one had touched him in his first 3 outings. It affected momentum, confidence, and strategy in the series. They also knew that the Yankees had no shutdown starter that they could throw back, with the exception of Andy, who is old and was only going to pitch against Lee anyway.


I think the Yankees were expecting a lot more out of Sabathia in his second start, especially since he was going to be on normal rest. The Yanks did win that game, but Sabathia still wasn't able to quiet the Rangers' offense. Yes, Lee pitching game 7 was enormous for the Rangers, I'm not going to lie about that. However, I still think the series was won because of Colby Lewis. Game 2 was the real game changer for the Rangers, IMO, because they were coming off a huge loss in game 1 where many felt that the Rangers wouldn't be able to overcome it. Had the Yankees made it to a game 7 and lost to Lee, then I would say that Lee was more of a reason why the Yanks didn't win.



What people don't realize is that Colby Lewis actually pitched about as well as Sabathia this season. Lewis' K% was higher, BB% was the same, FIP the same, WHIP the same...


Yeah, but look at the division the Rangers are in. They're not going up against high powered offenses. While Sabathia was facing the Red Sox, Rays and Blue Jays(all great offensive teams), Lewis was facing the Angels, Mariners and Athletics(all average to well below average offensive teams). This is where regular season numbers don't really tell the whole story. The bottom line, for me, is that Colby Lewis is not CC Sabathia. He shouldn't be shutting down a team like the Yankees twice in a postseason series.



And Hughes was AWFUL in the second half. Phil's start against Minnesota was basically his best start in 2 months.

Well, that's my main problem with this stupid innings limit the Yanks put on him. Once they started having Hughes skip starts in the second half, he just wasn't the same pitcher after that. I still look at a guy like Joba and feel the Yankees ruined him with going back and forth between him being a starter and reliever with all of the innings limit BS thrown in there, although a part of me is starting to wonder if Joba really is that good. He kind of looks like a guy who doesn't really know how to pitch and is more of a thrower. When his stuff isn't good enough, he's going to get hammered.

[KoopaBowserSSBM]

Go Brewers!

[lana 9]

go cubs

[KoopaBowserSSBM]

Is it Opening Day yet?

[Karafan1]

It's closer than Wrestlemania is:lol:

[Karafan1]

Opening Day Part 2 today!!!

[KoopaBowserSSBM]

I may have to attend a World Series game if the Brewers actually make it that far :lol:

[Karafan1]

So you didn't go when they were there in '82??:lol:

[KoopaBowserSSBM]

I wasnt around then :lol:

Brewers pitcher just hit a homerun off the Astros :D :lol:

[Karafan1]

When did they start the DH stuff in the National League park??? Good to see the NL win 2 in a row! Hopefully they'll put together a long run like the AL did!!

[KoopaBowserSSBM]

idk I was like wth when I saw that. I guess it preserved pitchers and the bench... I dont think they ever mentioned the reasoning for that either...

[Karafan1]

idk I was like wth when I saw that. I guess it preserved pitchers and the bench... I dont think they ever mentioned the reasoning for that either...

At first I thought it was a screw up by the Fox graphics crew during player introductions:lol:

[myankskent]

FOX did screw up the introductions. Joe Buck was introducing Felix Hernandez when he should have been introducing Miguel Cabrera. It's a good idea having the DH this way you can add more hitters to the roster. I would love for the DH to be in the NL. I can't stand watching pitchers hit. Maybe it's just me, but I want to see the best hitters out there when I watch a game and if guys like Carlos Zambrano really want to hit because they are good hitters, they can DH when they pitch or DH everyday.

[KoopaBowserSSBM]

It was funny when Timberlake was telling Joe Buck he was doing an awesome job... :lol:

[Karafan1]

Cubs back to normal.. Up 2-0 in the 9th and blow it big time:lol: Final score 6-3:lol:

[myankskent]

What's wrong with Buck's voice this year? He sounds different...like his voice is deeper. The Cubs stink. It's hard to believe that a team with that kind of payroll can be that bad.

[Karafan1]

I thought maybe Buck had a cold or something.. Tuesday was the first time I've heard him since the Super Bowl..

[KoopaBowserSSBM]

Yeah Tuesday was first time I heard him since that Super Bowl too, luckily I only had to hear him announce the winners. :lol: :D

[myankskent]

Unfortunately, I have the honor of listening to him fairly regularly because he does Yankees games most of the time. I actually searched around and found out that he has a virus on his left vocal chord that has been giving him problems. It hasn't gotten any better in the last few months. FOX should have just shut him down for the year until football started up again. A lot of people are complaining that he is tough to listen to.

[lex fan 10]

Go giants!

[Karafan1]

Cowboys beat the Vikings 20-6 tonight.. Oh wait, that was Rangers vs Twins:rotfl:

[Karafan1]

Another temper tantrum by Carlos Zambrano tonight.. He gave up up 5 homeruns to my Braves! After giving up back to back homeruns, he threw inside to Chipper Jones(who hit a homer eariler) and was ejected. He then cleaned out his locker and left Turner Field and claims he's retiring now....Whatever, he has anger management issues and should just leave the game for awhile..