27 Outs Away From 27

The NY Yankees are 27 outs and Cliff Lee away from winning their 27th World Series. If the Yankees do win this title, the two plays that will forever be linked to this championship both involved Johnny Damon.

Game tied 4-4 in the top of the ninth, two outs and Brad Lidge on the mound. Johnny Damon had one of his biggest at bats of his career. (Funny how is other biggest AB was his grand slam in Game 7 for the Boston Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS.) Damon fought long and hard before finally driving a 3-2 pitch for a single. On the next pitch, Damon made one of the greatest plays of this World Series. Damon stole second base and then made the biggest heads up play in the history of the World Series. With no one covering third, Damon continued running and swiped third base.

This totally rattled Lidge, as he plunked Mark Teixeira to put runners on the corners for Alex Rodriquez.

A-Rod stepped up in the clutch on the biggest stage of the game. 2 weeks ago, that last sentence seem preposterous. A-Rod delivered with what he said was the biggest hit of his career. His go ahead RBI double put the Yankees on top on gave game's greatest closer the chance to put the Yankees up 3-1 in the series.

A-Rod only has 2 hits in the World Series, but his two hits maybe the two biggest hits of the series. His 2 run shot in Game 3 sparked the Yankees' bats as they ran away with Game 3. And last night's 2 out double was pure epic.

After A-Rod's homerun in Game 4, he was hit by a pitch twice. And then in his first at bat last night, Joe Blanton beamed A-Rod. That's dirty play by Charlie Manuel. If you're scared to pitch to A-Rod, intentionally walk him. You don't need to start anything but hitting him. And last night's play, the umpire warned both dugouts which basically meant that if C.C. Sabathia went a little too inside, he'd be thrown out. This is what the Phillies have resorted to.

The Phillies are a great team. They're defending champions. But the Yankees are the team coming up with the big plays in the clutch.

Joba Chamberlain came in the 8th inning and was looking like the Joba we all knew. He struck out the first 2 batters and got ahead of Pedro Feliz 1-2. But Feliz got a hold of a Joba fastball and sent it into the leftfield seats. Game tied 4-4. Joba went on to strike out the side, but it looked like his one mistake could have potentially lost the series.

Mariano Rivera has carried this team on his back. Last night was his 11th appearance in 13 of the Yankees' postseason games. In 14 1/3 innings, Rivera has 13 K's and a 0.63 ERA. Last night's 8 pitch save was his 39th career postseason save. He faced 3 batters last night, and not one ball left the infield. Mark Teixeira was responsible for all three put outs. In the last 2 games, Rivera has recorded 5 outs on 13 pitches. Can you say World Series MVP?

If the Yankees have the lead in the 7th inning tonight, does Girardi go to Rivera for a 9 out save?

The Yankees have a 3-1 series lead while Teixeira/A-Rod/Robinson Cano have a total of 5 hits! Hell, Andy Pettitte has as many hits in the series as Teixeira. But no matter how much Teixeira has struggled at the plate, his defense at first base has made up for his poor hitting.

What's been killing the Phillies? Ryan Howard is 3-17 in the series with 10 K's!

Is 40 The New 27 For The Yankees?

In the end, it was Mariano Rivera on the mound as his teammates rushed after him to celebrate the Yankees' 2009 Pennant. Rivera pitching to Posada in the ninth inning of a series clincher. How fitting. The scene was reminiscent of the glory days. A decade ago when it seem legit that Derek Jeter may someday have 10 rings.

And there was Rivera, Posada, Jeter and Andy Pettitte, the "Core 4." Flashbacks of the late '90s, when they were all much younger. Wow! Has it been that long? Was I really 24 years old the last time the Yankees won a World Series. At the time, a Yankees Championship was taken for granted. It was another page in the calender. When Halloween rolled around, the Yankees had just finished another parade down 5th Avenue.

But nearly 10 years later, the Core 4 are still performing like champions. And last night, they got one final step closer.

The ALCS against the Angles, the Yankees got the monkey off their back, in so many ways. The Angels had owned the Yankees since 2002, both in the regular season and again in the postseason. The Yankees haven't been to the World Series since 2003.

The Yankees defeated the Angels 4-2 in a drama filled series with Games 2 and 3 going extra innings. But what will be remembered most, was how Joe Girardi managed games. But now it's all said and done, and Girardi in his first postseason as a manager, is 7-2. Not too shabby considering the Yankees swept the hottest team in baseball going into the playoffs, the Twins, and needed only 6 games to finish off one of the best teams in baseball, the Angels.

It's the postseason, it's New York, every move is greatly dissected by people who hadn't played the game for at least 20 years, or probably never of played the game at all. Girardi never panic button. He managed every game of the series like he did every game of the year. He managed the way that won his team 103 games.

Nobody criticized Girardi until after the fact. The middle relief, which was a huge part of the team's success, failed a couple of times against the Angels. You're in a championship series. You're playing a great team, you can't win em all. After Game 3, Girardi said if a manager never made a mistake, his team would win a 162 games.

Everytime Girardi went to the bullpen, he was criticized. He was criticized when he didn't go to the bullpen. It's the Playoffs, what manager doesn't dig deep into his bullpen for the best possible matchup?

He was first questioned in last night's game during the bottome of the 4th. And yet this was the inning the Yankees came to life and scored 3 runs to take over the game. With runners on first and second, no one out and the 9 hole hitter at the plate. Conventional wisdom calls for a bunt in this situation. That's exactly what Girardi did with Melky Cabrera, and it worked perfectly. The Yankees had the tying and go ahead runs in scoring position with one out and the leadoff hitter coming to the plate.

Yes, Melky was batting over .400 for the series, but if anything, that just meant he wasn't due for a hit. No one would have been surprised to seem him hit into a double play in and kill the inning. Girardi did what every other professional manager would have done. And it paid off.

By the time the 8th inning came around, the NY media were praising Girardi. He went with his best weapon, Rivera, to seal the deal, and that paid off. The bottom of the 8th, he called two sacrifice bunts on consecutive batters. How did that turn out? Pure genius, huh.

And don't forget it was Girardi's call to go with a 3 man rotation. Does anyone praise that move? No.

And Joe Torre will be watching from home.

So now it's on! The 2 best teams in baseball will play for all the marbles. The way it should be.

It's cheesecake vs. cheese steak. Broadway vs. Broad Street. C.C. Sabathia vs. Cliff Lee, that's gotta hurt Cleveland.

Some notes for the World Series.

Derek Jeter has played in 132 postseason games, the entire Phillies franchised has played a total of 83 postseason games.

The Yankees led the league with 244 homeruns. The Phillies were tied for second with 224 homeruns. So expect the long ball.

The Yankees batted .283 for the season, the Phillies .258.

I'm taking the Yankees in 6.

Girardi Criticized, Angels Cut Series 2-1

Joe Girardi faced the biggest game of his young managerial career, and everyone claims he failed miserably. Girardi had a lot of questionable moves, but this was just his 6th career game as a manager in the postseason, people are suppose to make some mistakes. And in the playoffs, every move is under a microscope.

After Anaheim's 5-4 Game 3 win, no one remembers that Girardi had been a perfect 5-0 in his first post season stint as manager of the NY Yankees. No one remembers how he was 2-0 in extra inning games in these playoffs.

Girardi's biggest blunder was when Brett Gardner was caught stealing with no one out in the top of the 8th. Gardner was put in the game as a pitch runner for Hideki Matsui. Everyone knew there was a high probability that Gardner would attempt to steal second. Girardi sent Gardner on a 0-1 pitch. Mike Sciosia called a pitch out. Gardner was easily thrown out. Score a huge one for the veteran manager.

Then Jorge Posada hit a shot over the centerfield wall. Game tied 4-4, when it could have very easily been Yankees up 5-4.

As for Girardi's micro managing in extra innings? Doesn't every manager do this in extra innings with the season on the line? Jeff Mathis batted .211 for the season. The Angels batted .285 as a team for the season! This should have been the easiest out in the lineup. That's playoff baseball in a nutshell for you. It doesn't matter what kind of regular season you had, anyone can be a hero or a goat come postseason.

Another thing, this game should never had went extra innings, just like Game 2. The Yankees were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position in both Game 2 and 3! You just went 0-16 with RISP in two straight playoff games! But then you look and the Yankees went 1-1 in those two games. I think if anything, the Angels are under more pressure because it should be them up 2-1.

As for Joba Chamberlain...I don't know where to begin. But it's obvious the Yankees didn't handle the kid correctly. I always thought he was best off in the bullpen. The guy could pitch 1 to 3 innings in relief. And he would be the closer in waiting for when Rivera was done.

Now, you try to make him a starter, he gets injured and has to visit Dr. James Andrews. Then you set up these "Joba Rules" and that just hasn't worked out. I heard someone actually criticize Girardi for bringing Joba into the an inning with one out and saying Joba's more comfortable beginning an inning. How do you buy that? I'm sure a pitcher is more comfortable having to get only 2 outs instead of 3.


Another thing I heard was that people wanted Mike Scioscia to take Vladimir Guerrero out of the cleanup spot or out of the lineup completely. WTF?! Honestly?! All Vlad has done was give the Angels two of their biggest hits in the post season. In the improbable come from behind Game 3 win in Boston, it was Guerrero who came up with the 2 out game winning hit of Jonathan Papelbon to clinch the AlDS. And then down 3-1 in the bottom of the 6th last night, it was Vlad who saved the season for his team with the two run shot to tie the game off of Andy Pettitte. Yeah, he might actually be slower than Matsui, but the guy has always been a gamer.

One other thought...You know I had to mention Mariano Rivera's performance last night. With the game on the line, Rivera got out of a jam with runners on the corners and no one out! Wow! Building on his legacy, Rivera's postseason ERA is now 0.72!

It would have been nice to go up 3-0 and pretty much march to the World Series, but the Yankees basically need to split the next 2 in Anaheim. They have their ace available for two games. They have possibly two home games left. And both A.J. Burnett and Pettitte pitched solid against the Angels. The Yankees are still in control of this series, but now Game 4 is that much more bigger.

Your 2009 Cy Young Winner

Funny how ESPN and Sportscenter had rarely mentioned Zack Greinke or the Kansas City Royals. But when Greinke shuts down the Red Sox, Sportscenter devotes 20 minutes to Greinke. And now today, everyone is talking about Greinke and giving him the Cy Young.

Greinke shuts out the Red Sox for 6 innings, in September, and now everyone outside the Midwest is bowing down. Hello! The guy has been doing this all year. You have to give Sports Illustrated props. They put Greinke on the cover back in May. Or maybe vice versa. Greinke did not succumb to the SI cover curse.

Well, he did start the year 8-1. He's currently 15-8. So he's 7-7 since. But his ERA is 2.08! In the American League! If he pitched in the NL, it would probably be just over 1.

At the start of September, I would have given the Cy Young to Mariano Rivera. Yeah, he is one of my favorite baseball players of all time, but at age 39, he has been having one of his best years ever. Mariano's Cy Young bid ended last Friday with Ichiro's walkoff homerun. Rivera had converted 36 straight save opportunities.

But Greinke's numbers don't lie. His 2.08 ERA is best in MLB. The next in the AL is Felix Hernandez with a 2.45 ERA. Greinke is second in the AL with 229 strikeouts. In fact, he has 229 strikeouts to 47 walks!

He is second in MLB with 6 complete games. Roy Halladay leads the Majors with 7.

Greinke's last 4 starts-against the Angels, Indians, Tigers and Red Sox, 3 of them playoff teams-he has pitched 26 innings, giving up 1 ER and 27 K's.

If Greinke pitched for the Yankees, Red Sox or Angels, he would have at least 25 wins. Something tells me he'll pitching for one of these teams in the near future.

Sandman Reaches Milestone-500 Saves

Not even close.

He's one of my favorite baseball players of all time. He's been a fixture for the NY Yankees for as long as Derek Jeter. He's been the most dominant and reliable closer for the last 13 years, and at the same time, one of the more humble players ever.

On the night when Mariano Rivera got his first ever RBI, the Sandman became the second player ever to reach 500 career saves. And by the way, MO really has a nice swing.

The all time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman with 571, is still a good two seasons ahead of Rivera, but we can hardly compare the two. Hoffman pitched most of his career in the NL West. Rivera will pitch his entire career in the AL East. Rivera has kept his composure and dominance throughout his entire career while playing on the sports' biggest stage.

Of course what puts "The Great Mariano" ahead of everyone else is his career post season performance. To go along with his 4 championship rings, Rivera holds the record for most post season saves with 34. Coming in second, Dennis Eckersley with 15. His 9 World Series saves are also a record.

In his post season career, Rivera is 8-1 with a 0.77 ERA to go along with his before mentioned record of 34 saves.

In an injury bug era, we rarely encounter a player who reaches double digits in years played at the same time never showing signs of fatigue or diminishing skill. This is the same era where the closer's role was changed to pitching only the ninth. Rivera's 500th save last night was his 110th save of more than 3 outs.

Rivera has shown great durability in his 15th season while showing tremendous consistency. Since being named the Yankees' closer in 1997, Mariano has recorded at least 28 saves in each season. And yet he's done this entirely with one single pitch, the cutter, which starts out on one side of the plate and cuts across it at the last second. A total thing of beauty.

So it came as no surprise last night when manager Joe Girardi called to Rivera with 2 outs and 2 on in the 8th inning with the Yankees clinging to a one run lead. It was Joe Girardi who was behind the plate for the Yankees when Mariano recorded his first save ever on May 17, 1996.

When asked if Rivera was the greatest he has ever played with, Derek Jeter replied,

“Yes, No question,” he said without a moment of hesitation. “There has never been anybody more consistent. Mo is great in the regular season, the postseason, even spring training.”

Rivera has been a fixture for the Yankees and their fans for 15 years now. And for those 15 years, when the Yankees have the lead late in a game, MO is all everyone needs to know. I can't imagine the Yankees without him.

OK, so more recently, Rivera might be more remembered for his blown save in the 2001 World Series. Or the blown save in Game 4 at Fenway in the 2004 ALCS. But really, those are two small blemishes on a Hall of Fame career. Remember, the Yankees would not have won 4 World Series's and would not be in position to win ever year without "The Great Mariano."

The clock is ticking. He probably has at least two magical seasons left, seeing Mariano pitch in person is a sight every sports fan should experience. Try to see him at Yankee Stadium because when he comes out to "Enter Sandman," the moment is almost as breath taking as seeing Rivera pitch.

Is Mariano Rivera the best closer ever? Not even close.

Congratulations Mariano Rivera! You are one of the best players of all time.

For more on Mariano's milestone achievement check out Peter Abraham's post.

After Rivera's 500th save, ESPN had a Sunday Night Conversation with MO and Tim Kurkjian did a really nice piece of Mariano's career thus far.

Game Over

"Babe Ruth opened it...Mariano closed it."

I couldn't think of a better way to phrase it.

Sunday night was probably the most emotional night for me when it comes to sports. Watching the final game at Yankee Stadium brought chills and tears.

I still can't believe they played a final game at the Cathedral of all sports.

It was bittersweet with the final game being played in the regular season. No October baseball for the finale.



After 13 consecutive postseason trips, Yankees have failed to make the playoffs. Many storied franchises, like the Cincinnati Reds, haven't made the playoffs 13 times in their entire history. The last time the Yankees were not in the postseason, Sammy Sosa had 69 career homeruns.

Living in NYC, I was so fortunate to have been able to spend a good portion of my time at Yankee Stadium. It was my second home in New York. It will always have a huge place in my heart. I don't even know if I'll be able to watch the Yankees' home opener next year.

For 85 years sports history was made inside Yankee Stadium-some of the biggest moments in all of sports. The greatest athletes have played in Yankee Stadium. And most of all, the best fans in all of sports have embraced the Yankee tradition.

The Yankees sold out! There was no structural damage to Yankee Stadium. The organization sold out to greed. They wanted more money, as if they already didn't have enough. Next year, the Yankees will move across the street into the house that greed built. It will be a place for the wealthy, the type of people who don't even care to sit down and watch a nine inning game. The new stadium will be somewhat of an amusement park.

That's a huge slap in the face to the greatest sports franchise ever.

Derek Jeter's post game speech was a class act. Did you expect anything less from Mister Class Act himself? He thanked the fans most of all, calling them the greatest in all of sports. He was dead on. He told them to bring the memories from the old stadium across the street to the new one.

The only problem, I bet most of these loyal fans will not be able to afford to attend the amount of games they're accustomed to.

As for Jeter? He is one of the best all around baseball players in this era. The last couple of years many consider him over rated. For anyone to call Jeter over rated is pure jealousy. The guy has batted over .400 this September. He will probably bat at least .300 for the tenth time in his career.

Not many have shined brighter on the biggest stage than Jeter. Don't hate on him. People love to hate Jeter because he's everything any man wished he could be. He's a winner. He's good looking. He's dated countless celebrity babes. He's never cast a negative shadow.

It was great to see all the old time Yankees in attendance during the pregame ceremony. To hear Bob Sheppard's voice over the PA, the abundance of camera flashes that came with every pitch, seeing the entire stadium filled to capacity nearly an hour after the final out.

Yankee Stadium was more than something special. It was a landmark, it was a home, it was and is now history. Tearing down Yankee Stadium is absurd. It's like tearing down the Brooklyn Bridge or Statue of Liberty.


And it was epic to see Mariano Rivera walk out of the bullpen one last time. That may be the single lasting memory I will always keep close to my heart. That walk is impossible to be duplicated. Rivera walking in from the bullpen just will not seem right in the new stadium.

No one can take the memories and history away. However, history does not move across the street. History will remain in the same spot that will someday become an everyday city park.

So after 85 years, the greatest show on Broadway closed the curtain for good.

Final Homerun: Jose Molina
Final RBI: Robinson Cano
Final Hit: Jason Giambi
Final Winning Pitcher: Andy Pettitte
Final Out: Brian Roberts
Last Pitcher on the mound: Mariano Rivera

Hey Papelbon...You're A Douche!

I never really cared for Jon Papelbon, but now, he's Public Enemy No. 1.

For the record, here are Papelbone's exact words from Monday's All Star Media Day:

"If I was managing the team, I would close," Papelbon said. "I'm not managing the team, so it don't matter."

"We've both earned that right; us, by winning the World Series and having the opportunity of having our manager there and our team being represented, and Mariano by what he's done for this role, we're in Yankee Stadium and blah, blah, blah," Papelbon said. "It's not that easy. Everybody thinks it's a cut and dry answer, but it's not."

Blah, blah, blah...Sounds really freakin arrogant!

What the hell was the guy thinking!

And then to hop in the back of a pickup with his pregnant wife and cruise up sixth avenue in NYC! What the hell do you think was going to happen during the parade?

What do you think the response will be everytime you pitch in NYC the rest of your career?

Do you think you and your family will ever be able to walk the streets of NYC ever again?

Not only is he arrogant, he's an idiot!

That's similar to Kobe Bryant in the NBA All Star Game telling Karl Malone not to help him out with a pick on Michael Jordan because Kobe wanted the spotlight guarding MJ.

That would be like Mike Vanderjagt saying he should attempt the winning field goal over Adam Vinatieri.

Or if some third year player said he should take the winning shot in a playoff game over Robert Horry in his prime.

Towards the end of the 50 minute interview, the stupidity of his statement finally burned through his thick, stubborn head.

Papelbon grabbed the Boston reporter's tape recorder, held it to his mouth and said, "This is Jonathan Papelbon, closer of the Boston Red Sox. Mariano Rivera will be closing the 2008 All-Star Game in Yankee Stadium. I'm making a statement right now, saying I don't want it, I want him to have it. I said all that earlier, but that's the way I feel about it."

Just a little too late. Sorry buddy. You can't get away with those previous comments and think everything's all fine and dandy.

While your at it douche bag, why don't you say Giuliani didn't do such a great job, Willis Reed was faking, and every borough outside of Manhattan sucks.

As I fondly remember the 1999 All Star Game at Fenway Park, Boston fans chanted "Yankees suck!" everytime Derek Jeter was at bat.

All this coming about a week after a man was attacked by Red Sox fans with a baseball bat, while stuck in traffic with his family because his car had New York state license plates.

And later come to find out the victim really isn't a baseball fan.

New York Daily News: Jonathan Papelbon says he should close All Star Game instead of Mo.

A Bronx Tale

What a night!

Just when you thought nothing could live up to Josh Hamilton's Ruthesque performance from Monday, the 2008 All Star Game became an instant classic.

Overall, NYC and Yankee Stadium represented the Mid Summer Classic just like that, a Classic. Hamilton stole the show in Monday's Home Run Derby with an epic performance for the ages. The red carpet parade up Sixth Avenue was freakin sweet. Hall of Famers galore. And of course a game for the ages in The House That Ruth Built.



Probably the only thing missing was the absence of longtime Yankee Stadium PA announcer Bob Shepherd, a Stadium staple.

Tuesday also failed to bring an emotional pregame ceremony similar to the 99 game at Fenway when Ted Williams rode around the field in a golf cart. George Steinbrenner doesn't have that kind of cred.

I thought for sure the starting lineups would trot out one by one from Monument Park.
I already had chills and my eyes were starting to water. So of course I was greatly disappointed when the starters did the regular walk out from the dugout. And why was there a lady standing at the top of the dugout cuing each starter? I'm sure they could hear their names being called and knew what to do.




I later heard a rumor that MLB canceled the Monument Park walk because of Shepherd's absence.

But still, no Tino, no Paul O'neil, no Jim Leyritz, no Bernie, no Cone or Wells? Not even Scott Brosius or Aaron Boone.

I will give Terry Francona major props. Pulling A-Rod and Jeter in the middle of an inning so they could receive standing ovations. Classy. Francona even batted Jeter second in the order over his own player Dustin Pedroia. And of course, giving Rivera the call with one out in the ninth. Maybe the only thing I would hold against Francona, not selecting Mike Mussina.

As for the game itself, it looked as if the game would end in two hours and really lacked any excitement. Then J.D. tied the game with a line drive two out homer to left. Jonathan (prick) Papelbon's appearance in the 8th, the crowd booing, chanting for Rivera and "overrated."



Mariano Rivera's highly anticipated appearance in the ninth was awesome! Even before, seeing Joe Girardi in the bullpen catching Rivera's warmup pitches. When Rivera made his patented walk in from the bullpen with "Enter Sandman" blaring through the stadium speakers, FOX cut to a commercial half way through. What the hell are you thinking!

Yeah the game was way to long, but for anybody who stayed up to the end, it was worth it. Great pitching, great defense, and an unfortunate night for the Marlins' Dan Uggla.

Uggla set an All Star record with 3 errors, 3 strikeouts, an 0-4 night and grounded into a double play. Ouch!

How about all the plays at the plate! Wow! Dodgers' catcher Russell Martin really made a name for himself, and I'm sure he'll now be considered as the best defensive player in the game. Martin even threw out Ian Kinsler trying to steal second. Kinsler had been caught stealing only once all year! Kinsler has 23 stolen bases up to the break.

Another guy making a name for himself, Rockies' pitcher Aaron Cook. All Cook did was get out of a no out bases loaded jam in the tenth inning. Cook went on to pitch three scoreless innings.

The biggest, and maybe the best defensive play of the night, happened in that tenth inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Justin Morneau hit a slow roller to short. Miguel Tejada made an incredible play and throw to first to get Morneau by a half a foot and keep the NL's hopes alive.





How about Michael Young driving in the winning run in the All Star Game for the second time in the last 3 years!

When all said and done, the American League was victorious again, unbeaten in the last 12 All Star Games,with a 4-3, 15 inning marathon victory. The one negative, Boston's J.D. Drew winning the MVP at Yankee Stadium. It was pretty funny seeing the fans' reaction win Drew hit the tying homerun in the seventh inning. They weren't sure whether to cheer or boo.

To be honest with you, I didn't want the game to end. It was so much fun to watch. I guess it would have been better if the starters were all still in the game and not the reserves stealing the show and playing the majority of the game.

During one of the aerial shots of both Stadiums, Joe Buck informed the viewing audience, "There's the new Yankee Stadium, just a short train ride away from the current stadium." What? A short train ride? How bout a short walk. I'm guessing Buck has never rode the Subway.



More 2008 All Star Game highlights.

NY Yankees 41 Games In

Last night, the Yankees wasted a decent outing by Chien Ming Wang (7 innings, 1 earned run) in his attempt to go 7-1. The Yanks lost in 11 innings 2-1 to the first place Tampa Rays.

Mariano Rivera took the loss while giving up his first run all year!

After Joe Girardi's 35 minute pregame (lets hope Hank Steinbrenner wasn't in attendance) meeting with the ball club, the Yankees got a little payback reversing the role and winning 2-1 tonight. Robinson Cano went 4-4 and is now above the Mendoza line.

Coming into the season, the question surrounding the Yankees was their pitching. So far Wang has been Cy Young worthy, Andy Pettitte has been up and down, Mike Mussina is rebounding nicely from his horrific 2007 and is now 6-3 with his ERA at 3.99.



Phil Hughes is out until at least the All Star break. Ian Kennedy isn't quite there yet. Darrell Rasner has come up with a big shot in the arm going 2-0, ERA 3.00 with wins over Seattle and Detroit.

All that being said, the Yankees are still lurking around, 20-21, 3 1/2 games out.

Their record last year at this time was 17-19, 8 games out.

Lets not forget last year June 4: the Yankees were 24-31 and 12 1/2 games out!

And of course Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada have been on the DL.
These two accounted for 74 homeruns last year, 54 and 20 respectively. That's a lot of pop out of your lineup.

You kind of start to see why A-Rod's a MVP.

Joba's been human with two losses and has also been under a lot of criticism lately. And now Goose Gossage! Who cares Goose! As long as Joba's still striking out opposing hitters. And maybe Goose is just jealous.



The Yankees bullpen has actually been the brightest spot this season.



Even the erratic Kyle Farnsworth's ERA is 2.84.
Joba's ERA-2.60
And Rivera, after giving up his first run all season-ERA 0.53.

Lets not get too excited kids. There's 121 games left!