Yankees Announce ALDS Roster & Rotation, No Real Surprises

A little behind on this as the update came down earlier this morning, but better late than never, right. I really wish I could post things right after they happen. Sucks to have real things to do. The Yankees really should rule all things in the universe.

No major shocks to me on the ALDS roster. A little surprised Javy Vazquez got left off and by little I mean very little. But really, what role would he fill. I'm also a little surprised Dustin Moseley made the roster over Ivan Nova but I can see that going either way. Not at all surprised and I'm rather thankful that Chad Gaudin isn't on the roster. I'd be happy if he didn't throw in another game this year. Sergio Mitre on the roster. Like Gaudin, I hope he doesn't pitch either. You could make a case for keeping Nova on the roster over Mitre and I'd think prefer that but whatever.

Offensively, no big shocks. I probably would have kept Eduardo Nunez over Greg Golson but again, I could go either way on that. Outside of that, I'm cool.

The only real area where I would consider making a change is with the rotation. And like with the roster, I can live with and understand behind doing it how they're doing it. The only thing I'd do differently, and I've mentioned this in my last few blogs, is I'd flip-flop Phil Hughes and Andy Pettitte. As I wrote the other day Phil's #s are much better on the road then they are at home. I think it's also better to pitch the 2 LHPs in back-to-back games in Yankee Stadium. But on the flip-side, we are talking about Andy Pettitte, one of the best postseason pitchers there is. I'd prefer Andy on the mound in a game 5 (if necessary) than Phil Hughes. I thought yesterday that the game 2 SP would be starting game 5 on short rest but I was wrong. I have a problem counting to 5 I guess. I'm also skeptical on Andy being 100%. All things considered I'd like to see Hughes in games 2 and 5 but again, no problem with the decision to go with Andy.

It also appears the Yankees are going with a 3-man rotation for the ALDS. I'm a big fan of that. The only SP that could possibly go on short rest is CC (games 1 and 4) and let's face it, if there is any guy that can go on short rest, it's CC Sabathia. That makes A.J. Burnett the odd man out. I think Yankee fans everywhere are rejoicing over that one. I only saw them using A.J. in game 4 if they had a 2 games to 1 lead. As I think more about it, what would be the point when CC is the horse that he is. I like A.J. being in the pen rather than being left off the roster altogether. He does have some value, albeit it's not a lot.

To sum up all that drivel, I have no major problems with how the Yankees are going after the Twins. I might have done a thing or two differently, but I can totally see why the roster and rotation are the way they are. To me, it's all good.

Less than 24 hours til first pitch. Excitement is building!

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yanks Fall Back To 2nd Place After Losing To Rays

Well that just sucked. I thought for sure as soon as Granderson went yard to put the Yankees up 3-2 that the game was in the bag. It was as if the Baseball Gods were smiling down upon them after allowing Jeter to reach base on a phantom HBP. Note to Red Sox fans: don't even try to talk trash about that. Victor Martinez did the same thing a few weeks back. It's part of the game. You do what you do to win. So shut up and don't even go there.

Anyway, I was so disappointed when Phil Hughes gave the lead right back on Johnson's 2-run HR. Sure Girardi have pulled him at the start if the inning? Maybe. I have no problem leaving PH in. I can see it both ways. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. Outside of the 2 mistakes Phil pitched a pretty good ballgame. Unfortunately it only takes one mistake to do a pitcher in and that's exactly what happened. Sorry Phil. No Hughes call tonight. We're still stuck on 16.

The Yankees offense came up short tonight. Only 2-9 with RISP. Not good. I think Girardi made a big mistake by pinch-hitting Marcus Thames for Lance Berkman. The smarter move in my opinion would have been to save Thames for Kearns or Curtis. Girardi messed that one up. Not a good couple of games for Girardi these last few days. He can't make the right decision to save his life. I think the same thing happened for a stretch last year. I don't think though it came at such a crucial point of the season. Hopefully his string of bad moves will change.

Still not in panic mode. Despite the slump the Yankees are playing pretty decent baseball. Six of their last seven games have been decided by 1 run and a lot could have gone either way. The lead in the wild card race is still a comfortable 6 games. A playoff berth is by no means a guarantee but there's no way this team continues to falter like they're currently doing. Their not exactly throwing out their A-team right now. Swisher, Pettitte, Gardner, and Teixeira are all hurt. A-Rod and Jeter are both less than 100%. You won't see guys like Mitre, Gaudin, and to a lesser extent Vazquez and Moseley put into close games in the postseason. The current make-up of this ball club is not what we'll see come October. The trick is weathering the storm and getting to October. Swisher and Gardner should be back Friday. Pettitte should be back soon. This team won't continue to lose. Knock on wood.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

A Couple Of Questions After A Yankees Loss

Great game between the Yankees and Rays tonight. Unfortunately for us it didn't go the Yankees way. Lots of people on the hook for this one. Girardi, Mitre, the Yankees offense. Pick one. The one person not on the hook is CC Sabathia. What a performance. He deserved better.

1) Where oh where has the Yankees offense gone? Oh where oh where can it be? It's been a terrible last 2 games for the offense. Granted, they faced David Price and Cliff Lee but still: 1 run on 6 hits in 2 games. They're better than that.

2)Not sure who made this call but why in the world did Brett Gardner attempt to steal 3rd when he was already in scoring position and needs a base hit to score either way? If Joe Girardi and crew made that call then somebody needs to get canned because that was one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. If Gardner did it on his own than he needs a serious time-out (sorry, got 3 kids). Gardner is one of the fastest runners in the league. He likely scores from 2nd on a base hit. Stupid move.

3)What is up with using Chad Gaudin in these close situations? I couldn't believe that Giradri went to him again in a tie game when he had several other (and better) RPs available. Props to Gaudin for getting out of it by the skin of his teeth.

4)Sergio Mitre. See question 3. What's up with not using other RPs? Albaladejo? Robertson? Joba? Hughes? Four fairly decent choices and Girardi opts for his 2 worst choices in Gaudin and Mitre. WTF?

Is it time to panic? Not yet, but it's getting close. They didn't exactly roll out their top flight SPs in the Texas series. No Pettitte. No Hughes. No CC. You think Dustin Moseley or Javy Vazquez will be making postseason starts? Nope. Same goes for the bullpen. They've been pretty damn good of late. No way Gaudin or Mitre pitches in this game if it were the playoffs. CC was off the freaking hook tonight. The offense failed him. But again, David Price, like CC and Cliff Lee, is no joke.

The Yankees have now lost 4 in a row and are 1-7 over their last 8. They're lucky they have such a big lead for the wild card. What I thought would be an impossible collapse is starting to happen. Lucky for them both the Red Sox and White Sox aren't hot right now. If the Red Sox hold on and win tonight they'll be 7 back in the loss column with 18 to play. It's still a pretty comfortable lead. But as we all know, you can't predict baseball. The magic # to clinch a playoff spot sits at 12. Until it gets to zero you never know what will happen. Right, Mets fans?

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

What In Mo's Name Just Happened?

As soon as the rain delay hit yesterday's game I knew I wasn't staying up for the end. No way with my kids waking up at 6am every day I could pull off back-to-back 1am endings. Before I finally packed it in I took one last glance at the score on my phone. Yanks were down 4-2. I checked who was pitching and was really surprised to see it was Chad Gaudin. The last pitcher that I expect to see, or want to see for that matter, pitching in the 5th inning of a close game is Chad Gaudin. You're just asking to lose. Lucky for me since I was dog-tired I didn't stew on it for long because I fell asleep within seconds of turning off the phone. I love it when that happens.

My wife woke up at some point during the night, 3am if I had to guess, to feed our littlest one. When she gets up it wakes me up, albeit for only a minute or so. I used that minute to, you guessed it, check the score. Texas 7 Yankees 6. Aw come on now. Losing pitcher = Mariano Rivera. Blown save = Mariano Rivera. Well that can't be right? Maybe I'm overtired and my eyes aren't working right. So I squinted and sure enough, the almighty Mo got sacked with the L. Ugh. It goes without saying, but I guess I'll say it anyway, I didn't sleep that well from that point forward. I would wake up occasionally thinking about the game.

So now I'm up for the day and I'm ignoring my 2 boys to check over the PBP and to blog. Yeah, I'm a good Dad, right? I did get them a babysittter. He goes by the name of Handy Manny. He's good with kids. Anyway, what makes this Yankees loss more unbelievable is the play-by-play. A leadoff walk to Vlad Guerrero. He swings at everything. How do you walk him? A single on a "soft fly ball." Mo's pitching so I'm assuming it was a "bloop," as John Sterling affectionately calls it. Game-tying double. Intentional walk to load the bases. Infield pop out. And then of all things, the game ends on a HBP. What in Mo's name happened to Mo last night? Has he ever been that erratic? Was it a byproduct of pitching 2 innings the night before? Since I didn't see it I'm not sure how it came off live. It doesn't sound all that great when you read a rundown of it. I can't imagine how it looked live.

Not the best way to start the day. I'll admit it. I'm becoming very concerned about the Yankees right now. Nothing major. I'm just starting to see big holes forming. Still time though for crews to fill them in before any real damage is done. On most days, I'd get into it a little more but the kids are starting to getting restless. Handy Manny is over and they're looking to eat breakfast. I suppose I should feed them. Sounds like something I should do.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yanks Blast The A's, Jays Blast The Rays, And The Red Sox, We'll They Just Suck

Like with last night's game, I'm jumping the gun and writing my post before the game ends. The Yankees are currently up 9-3 headed into the 8th. I'd say things are well in hand. I'm currently also folding laundry and blogging in between articles of clothing so I definitely won't finish this before the game ends.

Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuughes! 16 wins baby! I'd like to see him hit 20. Wouldn't that be something? I don't think it's in the cards though. I think he'll have the chance as if he stays on schedule he should get 6 more starts. But he's probably nearing a team-imposed innings limit so he might not have enough pitches left to make it happen. If he wants to better his chances he needs to pitch better than he did tonight and better than he has been. He's walking way too many guys. He issued 5 walks tonight and 5 in his last start, a span of 8.2 innings. He had 11 total walks in his 9 prior starts, a span of 52.2 innings. Somebody is having trouble finding the plate. If he could get back on track with his control he'll have a much better chance of winning more games. The later he pitches in games the better his chances of picking up the W. He'll figure it out.

Speaking of figuring things out it looks like Mark Teixeira is in the groove. He's 5-6 with 1 2B, 2 HR, 5 runs scored and 4 RBI since returning from his brief stint out of the lineup. Crazy that his average is up to .264. Speaking of not figuring things out, Derek Jeter had another oh-fer. Crazy that his batting average is barely above Teixeira's. Derek is scuffling. He's 1 for his last 25 and 2 for his last 30. His average has dropped 14 points over his last 8 games. DJ is having the worst offensive season of his career. As I wrote the other day I can't figure that one out. When you're that established in your career your skills don't regress that much from one year to the next so don't tell me it's because he's getting older. I'd love to hear some theories so lay them on me if you feel so inclined.

Nick Swisher belted his 25th HR which puts the Swish's Wishes fundraiser total up to $998. Next HR and we're over the $1000 mark. Thanks again to my fellow Yankees bloggers and fans for pledging along.

Props to Chad Gaudin for a solid outing out of the bullpen. Props to David Robertson for a quick 1-2-3 to close it out. Yankees win.

The Red Sox lost to the Orioles so the Yankees magic number to clinch a playoff spot just dropped by 2. It now sits at 23. Sorry Sox fans, you ain't catching us. Do the math. Let's say the Yankees nosedive and go 15-15 the rest of the way, the Red Sox have to go 23-7 just to tie. That ain't happening. Sorry but your faith won't be rewarded this year. The Rays game just ended and they lost as well. They got blown out by the Jays. Nice. Both teams the Yankees are in a playoff chase with lost. Great night for the Yanks.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Phil Hughes Vs. Joba Chamberlain: Round 4

Sorry I'm a few days late on this but better late than never. The battle for the 5th spot in the rotation continued on Monday when both Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain pitched. Hughes faced the Phillies while Joba pitched in an intra-squad game. I didn't get to see any of the action, so I'm going off the box scores and the observations of those in the know.

On the surface, Joba picked this round up. Hughes got sacked with the loss against the Phillies, allowing 4 earned runs in 4.1 IP. He gave up 3 HRs, one being a walkoff. Joba had a much better line, throwing 5 innings, allowing 2 earned runs on 6 hits. The best part of Joba's line was that 64% of his pitches went for strikes. That's a pretty good strike-to-ball ratio. He allowed only 1 walk so his control seemed to be there.

Now if you dig a little deeper into Hughes' outing, you'll find that it wasn't as bad as it reads in the box score. According to Chad Jennings at the Lohud Yankees blog, the wind was blowing out at the ballpark. Chad's thoughts were that 2 of the HRs, one of which was the game winner, were probably aided by the wind. Scratch those 2 hits from the box score and Phil's final line improves dramatically: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 6 K. Not too shabby. The K total on its own is pretty impressive. Phil's always had a pretty good K/9 #. Last year he whiffed 96 in 86 IP, which is more than 1 per inning. The swing-and-a-miss for strike 3 is going to get him out of some jams I'd imagine.

Chad's blog entry also features quotes from both Hughes and Girardi. Both were extremely pleased with Phil's outing. Girardi thought it was Hughes' best outing of the spring. Phil "felt really good with all of his pitches" and he also felt that his changeups were "the best changeups" he's ever thrown. Their thoughts on his outing certainly make it out to be a positive one. There's definitely more to the story that what was in the box score.

Joba's outing was another step in the right direction. After 2 awful outings, JC has kicked up his game and strung together 2 straight solid outings. From reading Chad's blow-by-blow of the game, I would definitely call it Joba's best outing of the spring. As I mentioned above, 64% of his pitches went for strikes. For me, anything above 60% is a solid strike-to-ball ratio. One of the things I look at in the spring from pitchers is their control. Joba's getting better with it. He's progressing which is what I want to see start over start.

Despite the thoughts by Phil and Girardi, I have to give round 4 to Joba. He's getting better with each outing and this one was his best so far. That's got to count for something. I now have Hughes with a slight edge on my scorecard. I though Phil clearly won rounds 1 and 2. I thought round 3 could have gone either way. I called it a draw. I could have given it to Joba based on his improvement. I could have given it to Hughes because at the time he had the better spring. If I add round 4 to the mix, I still give Hughes the slight overall edge. I do think Hughes is the better choice for the 5th spot. I think they should both start but if it has to come down to one over the other, I'm going with Phil. I've always maintained that in my estimation he's the better pitcher. I see no reason to change that opinion. I also think that if one has to be at the back end of the bullpen, Joba is better suited for that. He has more of the "closer mindset" and I think while both would do well in that role, Joba will do better.

The battle for the 5th spot in the rotation did pick up a casualty this week. The Yankees possibly released Chad Gaudin, who was "in the mix" for the 5th starter spot. If true, then there were 4. In addition to the previously discussed Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, there's Alfredo Aceves and Sergio Mitre. Aceves and Mitre have had decent springs but there's no way that either is seriously in the mix for the 5 spot. I'd be shocked if either were named the 5th starter. There are only 11 days left until the season starts so a decision on who the 5th man will be should be coming soon, possibly as early as tomorrow, or so some people think. I think the Yankees know who they're going with. I personally hope it's Phil Hughes.

Who do you think they'll go with?

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Phil Hughes Vs. Joba Chamberlain: Round 3

The Yankees Opening Day lineup appears to be set. The biggest question left to answer before ST ends is who will be the Yankees 5th starter. The top 2 contenders are Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain. Alfredo Aceves is the dark horse. Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre are the also-rans. The smart money is on either Hughes or Chamberlain. I've been breaking down the matchup after each of their first 2 ST outings. On my unoffical scorecard, I've got Hughes up 2-0 after the 1st 2 rounds. If you're interested in checking out the 2 round recaps, click here and here. Hughes' 3rd outing of the spring was on Tuesday. Joba's 3rd was yesterday. Before breaking it down, I must say that I didn't see either of their outings. ST and TV haven't been very kind to me. I'm going off of the box score, which I don't like to do, and other people's accounts of the games. Having said that let's take a look at round 3.

By all accounts, both Hughes and Joba had their best outings of the spring the 3rd time out. For Joba, that wasn't hard to do. He entered the game having been shelled twice. His first 2 starts were far from pretty. His 3rd go 'round sounded much better. JC allowed 1 earned run over 3 official innings (4 if you count the extra inning he threw). This was a huge step in the right direction considering he allowed 11 earned runs in his first 2 starts. When asked for his thoughts on Joba's outing, Joe Girardi said, "Outstanding. Worked quickly. Attacked the zone. He’s got to go out and throw more, and that’s what you want to see. Quality.” Joe later added, "I thought he worked quicker today. I thought his mechanics were sound today. And he attacked. He was ahead in the count most of the day. He had fastball command today." Or as Chad Jennings @ the Lohud Yankees Blog put it, he had "better pace, better mechanics, better command." Joba's outing was a step in the right direction.

Calling Hughes' 3rd outing his best is a little harder to call than Joba's but it sounds like to all observers it was his best outing. Phil pitched 4 scoreless innings, allowing only 3 hits and a walk. Chad Jennings noted in his blog, "What’s more important — and impressive — is that Hughes got those results while still working on his changeup. He threw a first-pitch changeup for probably the first time in his life, and he threw a 2-1 changeup with runners on base, inducing a groundball." Talk about an astute observation. Hughes added, "I threw some in counts where normally I would never, ever do it. And I got good results with it.” It is pretty impressive that PH did so well when working on his secondary pitches. If he can finely tune them, who knows what he;ll be capable of? Sky's the limit in my book.

I've maintained all along that I'm a Phil Hughes guy. If there's one open spot in the rotation and it's between Phil and Joba, put me on Team Hughes. I'd love to see both start, but if there can be only one, I hope it's Hughes. I think he better pitches and has more of a starter's mentality. Joba has good stuff also, but I think his mindset is more like that of a back-of-the-bullpen RP. But he definitely has the tools to do well as a starter. I just don't think he's there yet.

I'm going to call round 3 a draw but I could probably give the slight edge to Joba based on the improvement. But I could also give the slight edge to Hughes because he's been far-and-away the better of the two so far this spring. If anyone wants to share some insight that could possibly tip the scales in either direction, please do. As of now, my unofficial scorecard has Hughes up 2-0 with a split in the 3rd.

It was also mentioned over at the Lohud Yankees Blog that Girardi said each of guys up for the 5th spot (Hughes, Joba, Aceves, Mitre and Gaudin) will get at least at least one more outing before the Yankees start eliminating people from the competition. My money says that it'll be a 3-horse race after they all pitch, with Mitre and Gaudin getting dropped. I still think is's Phil's spot to lose. Joba has some work to do if he wants it. If Alfredo Aceves keeps pitching the way he has been, he could take the spot, and it would be deserved.

There's just less than 3 weeks until Opening Day which isn't a lot of time considering they each pitch every 5 days. They don't have much time to waste. Meanwhile, don't waste your time and enjoy of the best online poker room playing with Littlewoods Poker.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Phil Hughes Vs. Joba Chamberlain: Round 1

It's about 20 minutes until midnight and I'm finally getting a chance to watch today's Yankees/Rays game. I'm not really interested in the game itself. I'm more interested to see how Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain do in their first outings of the spring. Hughes and Joba are the front-runners for the 5th spot in the Yankees rotation. They're not the only contenders (Mitre, Aceves and Gaudin) but the popular opinion is that it's going to come down to one of the two.

I'm on Team Hughes myself. Phil is the better pitcher in my opinion. I think he's got a better repertoire of pitches. I think he's stronger mentally. And he's a pitcher, where Joba, in my opinion is more of a thrower. Joba is better suited for the bullpen, again, in my opinion. I think the Yankees will be better suited with Phil starting and I think when the dust settles it's going to be Phil at the back end of the rotation.

As I've written before, I don't put my stock into spring stats, especially those from the first game. Pitchers definitely don't pitch as they'd pitch in the regular season. Spring training for pitchers is more about working on pitchers and fine tuning one's mechanics. When it comes to pitchers in ST, I usually look at a few things, mainly focusing in their velocity and their control. The first outing is usually a little rough. I want to see guys build on each start and get a little better each time out. If they can do that, I consider it a successful spring.

For some reason my DVR started recording the game with 1 out and a full count in the top of the first. The first pitch I saw from Hughes is a 90 mph fastball that barely cleared the CF wall for a HR. The ball was by no means crushed. I think the wind definitely helped it travel. On a regular day it's a long fly out. I think Curtis Granderson should have made a play on it and probably would have if not for the wind. Outside of the HR, I think Phil looked pretty good. His fastball was hitting between 88-90, which isn't bad for a first start. He topped out at 91 on his final pitch of the 1st inning. He'll build on that. It looked like Phil was working on his changeup. They commented on the YES broadcast that the Yankees told Phil he needed to work on the pitch. His change looked alright. He threw 3 straight at one point. He opened that AB with back-to-back fastballs, both hitting 90 on the gun. He followed those 2 pitches with 3 straight change-ups, each hitting 82mph. He threw a few in the 2nd inning that were around 80. The 8-10 mph differential between the fastball and change-up will work. If anything, that differential should get a little bigger as Phil's arm strengthens and his fastball picks up a few mph. Expect to see a lot of changes from Phil this spring. Overall not a bad first outing for Phil. His final line: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, and 1 BB. 33 pitches, 18 for strikes. A few too many balls, but it's nothing to be concerned about.

Joba had a rough day. In a word, it was sloppy. His control was horrible. He was all over the place and missed most of his spots. He finished with 33 pitches, 14 for strikes. Yikes. Like Hughes, his fastball was consistently hitting between 88-90, topping out at 92. The difference is that Joba's pitches got hammered. He allowed 5 earned runs on 3 hits (back-to-back triples and a double) and 3 walks. To be fair to Joba, he was a few days removed from having some kind of flu/bug. He definitely wasn't at 100%. I'm not overly concerned by his poor debut. I will be concerned if his 2nd outing is equally as bad, or worse.

I stopped watching the replay after they pulled Joba with 1 out in the 4th. I'm very tired and my laptop is about to die. I definitely have to give Hughes round 1 on my unofficial scorecard. He definitely had the better outing of the two. But again, it's only their first start of the spring. This one doesn't carry as much weight as the next one, or the one after that, and so on. There's still time for Joba to recover and have a great spring. I think he'll improve, but I don't think he'll fare as well as Phil. I'm really interested to see how it all shakes out. Will it be a 2 horse race or will one of the 3 longshots finish the race as the upset winner. As long as it's not Sergio Mitre, I'll be happy.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Picking Up Where They Left Off, Yankees Win On A Walkoff

It's a little after 8:30pm and I'm finally getting the chance to watch today's spring training opener. I was able to hear two 1/2 innings of the game on the radio. Oddly enough, the 2 parts I heard were the two innings in which the Yankees scored their runs.

I'm not a huge Michael Kay fan but I'll admit that it was nice to hear him utter 2 certain phrases, "The YES Network presents New York Yankees baseball," and, "Lineups, first pitch, baseball, next on YES." And with that, the 2010 season is officially upon us. The march to #28 has begun.

Am I the only one who thinks Joe Girardi changing his uniform number to 28 is a little silly? Am I also the only one who has a little trouble taking him seriously when he gives an interview and you can see his braces? Look at me go. I haven't even seen the first pitch of the season yet and I've already cracked on Girardi. It should be a fun year. I do like Girardi for the most part. I do think he makes some stupid moves and when he does it's really aggravating because they're beyond dumb. But for the most part, I have his back. There's one thing I'm hoping to see from Girardi this year. I'm hoping he stops using his little book to aid him in making decisions. Go with your gut more Joe.

First pitch strike from Chad Gaudin. Nice start. The rest of the game, however, was pretty boring. I fast-forwarded through most of it. The pitchers pretty much dominated the hitters. The Pirates got a hit to leadoff the first and then were shut down for 6 full innings. Nice outings from Gaudin, Mitre, and Aceves. I don't put much stock in spring training stats, especially for pitchers, as they don't always pitch as they would in games. But it was definitely nice to see 6 innings of shutout ball from those 3. Jonathan Albaladejo on the other hand? Yikes. Not a good start for him. Have fun in Scranton.

Nice stroke by Nick Johnson on his RBI double in the 6th. I'm glad he didn't get hurt.

What? No pie? Either way, a walkoff is still a walkoff, with or without the pie. I'll take it.

And there we have it folks. The 1st game is in the books. Baseball is officially back. Next stop: Opening Day. A little less than 32 days to go. April 4th can't get here fast enough.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

1 Week And Counting

I can't believe that the start of Spring Training is a mere 7 days away. It seems like just yesterday I was watching the Yankees finish off the Phillies for the organization's 27th World Championship. Good times.

As a whole I thought the offseason was pretty boring. Maybe I was spoiled by the big signings (CC, A.J., and Tex) from last year. Outside of the Granderson deal, not much went down. Oh wait, forgot about bringing back Javier Vazquez. I'm more disappointed with what didn't happen (Damon, Matsui, and Wang) then what did happen. The offseason move that bothered me the most was the Nick Johnson signing. I still don't get why they went with Johnson when they could have kept Matsui around for pretty much the same amount of money. I have a feeling that is going to come back to haunt the Yankees.

The biggest question for me going into Spring Training is who will be the Yankees' 5th starter? I prefer the team to go with Phil Hughes. I think he is, and I think he'll always be, a more complete pitcher than Joba Chamberlain. Hughes is a pitcher. Chamberlain is more of a thrower. I don't like "throwers" as starters. Call it personal preference but I prefer them in the pen. I also think Joba's mentality is better suited at the back of the bullpen but that's just me. I'll be incredibly miffed if that 5th spot goes to Gaudin, or God forbid, Sergio Mitre. Ugh.

I'm hoping to do a lot more blogging as Spring Training gets rolling. I definitely didn't get to do as much blogging as I wanted to this offseason. It pretty much got away from me. I've been pretty slammed lately. The job is stressing me out. We're trying to buy/sell our house. I've got 2 kids 2 and under and another one on the way. Yes, ladies and gents, we're having another "Boogie Down Baby." ETA = mid-August. 3 kids 3 and under. What was I thinking?

T-minus 7 days until the march to 28 starts. Excitement is building.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Wrapping Up The Week That Was In The Yankees Universe

I think when I last left off the Yankees had just resigned Andy Pettitte. I can't believe that I haven't blogged since Wednesday. I think the horrible weather we had up here in Buffalo (24 inches of snow in about 36 hours--I spent 4 hours shoveling) and the weekend took me out of it. So please, allow me to catch up:

The rest of the Winter Meetings were pretty uneventful. The Yankees got to pick 1st in the Rule 5 draft (pick acquired from Washington in Bruney trade) and they selected Jamie Hoffman, an OF I've never heard of from the Dodgers. From what I've gathered, Hoffman is projected to someday be an everyday player but right now he's targeted for the bench. I wish I had more to say on him but something tells me he's not going to hang around the Yanks and I wouldn't be surprised if he's not with the team when they head north.

Chien-Ming Wang was officially non-tendered by the Yankees, while Melky Cabrera, Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre were issued contracts. I understand why the Yankees didn't offer CMW a deal. The uncertainty over the health of his arm coupled with the salary CMW would get didn't make it a smart business move. I'm a little disappointed that CMW, for the time being, is no longer a Yankee. I'm not a fan of just letting him go. CMW has pitched exceptionally well in the past and there's no reason to think he can't replicate that success if he's truly healthy. His poor performance can directly be tied to his injuries. I hope there is a way that the two sides can come together. You can never have enough pitching and I'd prefer CMW to Gaudin, Mitre or any Yankee farmhand. The Yanks always seem to find these horrifically bad reclamation projects (Sidney Ponson comes to mind) that just don't work out. So why not Wang? It's all about the benjamins. I totally get not paying him close to what he earned last year. I hope they get creative (incentive-laden contract) and figure out a way to bring him back as I think he'd do really well, if he's healthy. I'd really hate to see him go.

Am I missing something? Not much comes to mind to discuss other than the run-of-the-mill rumors that surround every free agent. That's for a different entry. Overall though last week was pretty good for the Yankees. I think they definitely came out of the Winter Meetings as the biggest winner. I don't think that can be disputed. If you'd like to try, let me know.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

To Wang Or Not To Wang

Joel Sherman, has an interesting blurb about Chien-Ming Wang in his Hardball blog today:

But I am getting a strong vibe from Yankee officials that the intention is to non-tender Wang and, perhaps, not even offer him a small base with incentives to return.

I am not sure how many of you guys out there like Joel Sherman. Personally, I'm not a fan. I take everything he says with a grain of salt. I think a lot of the time he "says" stuff just to say stuff. I'm not necessarily buying this but I don't doubt for a second that the Yankees have soured on Wang. But I can't see them not trying to bring him back. I think it's a huge leap to think the Yankees don't think he can get it done anymore. In 2.5 seasons, from 2006-2008, Wang was 46-15 with a 3.74 ERA. He had a horrible 2009 but how much of that can be attributed to the injuries to his foot and to his shoulder? I don't think 42 injury-riddled IP over 12 appearances is enough to go on.

The big question has to do with the health of Chien-Ming's wing. How healthy is it and will he be able to bounce back from the surgery? According to Sherman, Wang got a "very encouraging report" from Dr. James Andrews. The Yankees docs still need to give it a look. If they end up sharing the same opinion as Dr. Andrews, I'm not sure how they pass up on CMW.

You can never have enough starting pitching. I find it difficult to believe that they'd bail on CMW with the current makeup of the starting rotation. Let's face it, Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain can't be relied on to pitch well as a starter. Keeping Wang around can definitely make sure there are enough bullets in the chamber. Of course, it only makes sense at the right price.

The Yankees love the low-risk, high reward contracts. I can't see them offering deals to Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre and not to the Wanger. I'd be surprised if the Yankees don't try to offer him a deal, even if it's for a low guarantee with incentives. I don't know how they could pass on him at the right price.

I like CMW. I've been a big Wang supporter over the years. Personally, I hope the Yankees work something out with him. But I trust Brian Cashman. If he decides not to offer Wang a deal, I'm sure it would be for a pretty good reason. I don't know what that would be though. Every year the Yankees seem to pull these below average pitchers out of the woodwork to fill in for several starts. Sidney Ponson, Mitre, and Gaudin quickly come to mind. I'll take Wang over those guys any day.

I'm filing this blurb from Sherman in the trash. I'm predicting Wang will be back. Thoughts? Anyone?

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees/Phillies World Series Preview

It's about 10:15pm EST on Tuesday night. The first pitch of the 2009 World Series is a little more than 22 hours from now. I just got finished watching MLB Network's "Path To The Pennant - New York Yankees" special. If you missed it, it was basically a recap of the Yankees 2009 postseason so far. Right now I'm tuned in to MLB Tonight, the World Series preview edition. (Side note: I don't think I watched ESPN's Baseball Tonight once this year.) I'm sure all of you are pumped for tomorrow. I know I am. I can't wait to get this thing started. Happy reading. It's a long one.

Joe Girardi announced today that A.J. Burnett was going to start game 2 of the World Series. So we're looking at CC in game 1, Burnett in game 2, and Andy Pettitte in game 3. The unanswered question right now is are the Yankees going to go with a 3-man or 4-man rotation. Regardless of what they decide to do, I think CC is a guarantee to pitch games 1, 4 and 7. CC has shown before he can pitch well on 3 days rest. It's in the Yankees best interest to have him pitch as much as possible. If the series goes 7, he'll pitch 3 times. I think you can take that to the bank.

If I were running the show I'd go with the 3-man rotation. I'd also flip-flop Burnett and Pettitte. Here's my reasoning: For some reason A.J. Burnett pitches better at home and Andy Pettitte pitches better on the road. If the series goes beyond 5 games, they'd both end up pitching once at home and once on the road regardless of who started game 2. That would be a wash. I also think the Yankees would be better off if they started as many lefties as possible. 2 of the biggest offensive threats for Philly are Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard. Rollins hit .230 vs. lefties this year, with an OPS of .692. Howard hit .207 with an OPS of .653, a far drop from his 1.088 OPS versus righties. It would be huge to neutralize those 2 threats, especially Howard, for 5 games. Two of their other big boppers, Raul Ibanez and Chase Utley, are both lefties and despite their great numbers versus southpaws, I like the lefty-lefty matchup, especially when that LHP is CC Sabathia. CC owns lefties. Lefties hit .198 against CC all season and his WHIP was 0.95. LHPs also fare better in Yankee Stadium. We're also talking about the winningest postseason pitcher of all-time. Andy Pettitte has been there and done that in the postseason. I have more trust in him to pitch a great game than Burnett. I think throwing CC and Andy back-to-back is their best chance out going up 2-0 and taking a lot of momentum into Philadelphia for games 3-5.

The Yankees rotation is going to be a huge key to their success this week. With the exception of one start in the ALCS (A.J. in game 5 of the ALCS) the rotation has been pretty damn good. The trio has made 9 postseason starts, pitching 60 innings, allowing 17 earned runs on 48 hits and 16 walks. That works out to an ERA of 2.55. A.J. was the only one that got roughed up, giving up 9 earned runs in his 3 starts, with 6 of them coming in 1 game. Burnett is the wild-card for me, with "wild" being the keyword. A typical A.J. outing would be a lot of walks, a hit-batter (or two), maybe a wild pitch (or two), and very few hits and runs. A.J. allows a lot of baserunners and his low # of hits and high # of Ks often get him out of trouble, but there are times, like we saw in game 5, where it just doesn't work. Burnett's 2 starts could be what makes or breaks this series.

I don't know why I wrote all of that since Girardi has already made the decision to start A.J. in game 2. I'd go the other way, but what can you do? As for using a 3-man rotation? There are signs that it won't happen. Chad Gaudin threw a 70-80 pitch bullpen today so he could get stretched out a little bit. As I wrote above, I think it's all but a certainty that CC starts 3 times this series. Using Gaudin in game 4 would pretty much prevent that from happening as if CC starts game 5, he'll have 2 days off before game 7. Gaudin, if used as a 4th starter, would likely start game 5, meaning that Andy Pettitte would likely only make one start. If Pettitte starts game 3, he'd start game 6 on short rest. If the Yankees were going to do that, they might as well go with the 3-man rotation. The consensus out there seems to be that of the 3 Yankee starters, Pettitte is the only one who shouldn't start on short rest. By consensus, I mean Tom Verducci. I heard him on both the Michael Kay show this afternoon, and just now on MLB Tonight, mention that Pettitte's last start on short rest was 102 starts ago. That coupled with his age (37) is the only reason I can see them not wanting to use Andy on short rest. But it's the freaking World Series for crying out loud. He can do it one time. I'm sure if you ask Andy if he wants the ball, he'll take it, and he'll absolutely rock the house. I really hope they go with the 3-man rotation. Don't start Chad Gaudin.

The Yankee bullpen is also going to be a key component in this series. The only reliable once out in the pen right now is Mariano Rivera. Everyone else is shaky right now in my book. The 2 guys that need to step up and return to form are Joba and Phil Hughes. The formula for the most part is going to be the SP for as long as possible, then Joba, Phil, and Mo to close it out, with maybe a guy or two getting sprinkled in here and there to face a certain guy. Phil and Joba need to step it up. If those 2 can shut it down, the Yankees should have no problem winning this series.

The Phillies are starting Cliff Lee in game 1 and Pedro Martinez in game 2. I've heard a lot of people remark that they think the Phillies should start as many lefties as possible. As I wrote the other day, bring it on. I don't want to rehash everything I wrote the other day, so here's the short of it: the Yankees do very well against LHPs. I think it's a smart move by Charlie Manuel to throw Pedro in game 2. He's been there. He's done that. He's Pedro. But he's not the old Pedro. He could dominate or he could get shelled. The Yankees have done well against Pedro. Everyone remember "Who's Your Daddy?" You can sure as hell bet Yankee fans bust out that chant, possibly as early as the game 1 introductions. That would be funny. The Phillies pitching doesn't scare me. I would much prefer to go to battle with the Yankees rotation.

The Yankees offense of course need to score some runs. I'd like to say that it won't be a problem, but it very well could be. The Yankees squandered many an opportunity in the ALCS. They were 3-12 with RISP in game 1, 0-8 in game 2, 0-8 in game 3, 4-17 in game 4, 3-11 in game 5, and 2-8 in game 6. Tally that all up and they were 12-64 (.188) in the 6 games. That isn't going to cut it against the Phillies. They can't afford to get the first 2 hitters of an inning on only to strand them, something they did several times in the ALCS. Like with any team, they need those timely hits.

The offense needs to wake up. With the exception of A-Rod (.438 w/5 HR & 11 RBI), Jeter (.297 & 1.030 OPS) and Melky (.314), and to a lesser extent Jorge Posada (.258 &.368 OBP), everyone else is scuffling. They need the rest of the lineup to show up, especially Mark Teixeira (.205 & .581 OPS) and Johnny Damon (.238 & .273 OBP). Damon needs to improve that OBP to better set the table and Teixeira just needs to start hitting. The other sore spot is Nick "The Rally Killer' Swisher (.125 & .378 OPS). Swisher's bat is killing me. If you've read this blog long enough you know I'm not a big fan. I hope Girardi has a short leash on Swish if he continues to tank. I wouldn't mind seeing Brett Gardner get a start or two. But it likely won't happen. Why you ask? The answer is the subject of the next paragraph.

Joe Girardi better not screw this up. He's been making some questionable decisions this postseason. Many, myself included, feel some of his decisions cost the Yankees a game or two in the ALCS. I just hope Girardi doesn't mess this up. His managerial tendencies are starting to scare me. The Phillies definitely have the better manager.

The Yankees have caught a lot of breaks this postseason. Namely, bad calls by the umps (Phil Cuzzi), bad baserunning (Bobby Abreu, Nick Punto, Carlos Gomez), and poor defense (8 errors by Angels - the best defensive team in MLB). I don't see the Phillies making a lot of mistakes, if any. All things considered, the Yankees could very easily be at home right now, watching the Fall Classic on TV. Since I don't see the Phils making these mistakes, the Yanks need to play great baseball if they want to bring home their 27th world title.

This has the making to be one heck of a series. I think both teams are pretty evenly matched and I think every game is going to be a battle. I'm not going to make a prediction for fear of jinxing things, but I think you know where I stand. If the series is a classic like everyone seems to think it will be, I may get to catch part of it in person. I cashed in some credit card points to get tickets to game 7. If it goes that far, I'll definitely be in the house for that one. But as I wrote the other day, I'd be more than happy not to go (and get my points back) if it means the Yankees win it in 4, 5, or 6 games. I'm not rooting for a 7 game series. By all means Yanks, wrap it up in 4.

Wow, it took me almost an hour and 45 minutes to write this. I hope it didn't take you that long to read it, assuming of course that you did actually read it. First pitch is now about 20 hours away. I wish I could wake up and have it be 7:57pm. Speaking of waking up, the alarm clock is going off in about 6.5 hours, and that includes waking up probably around 4pm to feed the 6-month old. Why do I do this to myself? Oh yeah. I love the Yankees and I love baseball.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees/Angels Game Postponed, Game 6 Is Now A Must Win For The Yanks

Tonight's game 6 is postponed because of the weather. This makes winning tomorrow extremely important for the Yankees. They can not afford to play a game 7 on Monday. If the have to play a game 7 on Monday, the staring rotation for the World Series would be shot, assuming of course they win game 7.

Games 1 and 2 of the World Series are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. If CC Sabathia pitches in a game 7 on Monday, you can pretty much rule out him pitching until game 3. I know CC is good on short rest but 2 days off (Tuesday and Wednesday) is way too short. CC would end up pitching game 3 on Saturday on regular rest.

A game 7 would also mean that Andy Pettitte probably doesn't pitch game 2. If AP were to pitch in game 2 it would be on 3 days rest (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday). Andy pitching on short rest is not of the question, but it's far from ideal for the Yankees. If the Yankees decide not to use Andy until game 4, that pretty much means that Chad Gaudin or Joba would be starting game 2. Not ideal either. I'd take Pettitte on short rest as opposed to that option.

The rain out tonight turns tomorrow;s game 6 into a huge game for the Yankees. If they want to put their best foot forward for the World Series, they need to finish off the Angels tomorrow night. For my money it's imperative that they do. They really need to treat game 6 like it's game 7. Win at all costs.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yanks Release ALDS Roster

The Yankees have finalized their postseason roster and there are a few surprises, but nothing major. I blogged a few days ago with what I thought the roster would be. Here's that list:

• Hitters: Jorge Posada, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Melky Cabrera, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Brett Gardner, Eric Hinske, Jose Molina, Jerry Hairston, Jr., Francisco Cervelli and Freddy Guzman
• Pitchers: CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, A.J. Burnett, Alfredo Aceves, Phil Coke, Brian Bruney, David Robertson, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, and Mariano Rivera

Here's the actual roster, those that are bolded were on my roster above.

• Hitters: Jorge Posada, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Melky Cabrera, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Brett Gardner, Eric Hinske, Jose Molina, Jerry Hairston, Jr., and Francisco Cervelli
• Pitchers: CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, A.J. Burnett, Alfredo Aceves, Phil Coke, Damaso Marte, Chad Gaudin, David Robertson, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, and Mariano Rivera

I had Freddy Guzman and Brian Bruney on my roster. The Yankees went with Chad Gaudin and Damaso Marte. The Yankees obviously felt there would be an added benefit to bringing along 8 RPs instead of 7, which is the reason for Guzman's exclusion. I'm not sure I agree with that line of thinking but I have no problem with it. The Yankees will only play back-to-back games twice. There's a day off in between games 1 and 2, games 2 and 3, and games 4 and 5. There's plenty of time-off for the bullpen arms to recuperate. I'm not sure they need 8 RPs. I think Guzman could bring more to the table as a pinch runner off the bench. I can only assume that the Yanks felt there wouldn't be a need for that. I hope there isn't.

I can understand why they picked Marte and left Brian Bruney off the roster for this round. The Twins have a lot of lefties in their lineup and it makes a lot of sense to have a 2nd lefty in the bullpen. I get that. I don't get though why they're bringing Chad Gaudin along. If the Yankees advance past Minnesota they're likely going to need a 4th starter, with that starter being either Chad Gaudin or Joba Chamberlain. I thought they'd pick the one they wanted to start and send them to Tampa to get work in so their arm stayed strong. I thought the other would be in the bullpen for the duration of the playoffs. I'm not a fan of using them sporadically, if at all, and then having them start again. If CC, A.J., or Andy don't go deep into the game, Aceves or Joba can take the ball. With Gaudin on the roster they now have 3 long-men and I don't see why that's needed in a 5-game series played over 8 days. But what do I know? I can see Gaudin not seeing any action. If that's the case, and I think odds are good that it will be, than why not bring Guzman along as a threat off the bench? It makes me wonder what the Yankees' exact game plan is. I wonder why they feel the need to have both Gaudin and Joba on the roster.

First pitch is a little more than 7 hours from now. I'm pretty geeked up. I think it's very important that the Yankees win game 1. Besides being in the driver's seat, it'll take a lot of the wind out of the Twins' sails. CC is making his 1st postseason start in Pinstripes. He hasn't fared well in his past postseason outings. I'm expecting big things from the big man, starting with a shut down performance in game 1. The last thing I want to see is another postseason falter. I think we all don't want to see that. I'm hoping to get tickets to game 2. I have a ticket to game 5 but I really don't want that game to be played. I want them to win in 3 and not be in a position to play an elimination game.

October baseball. How can you not love it?

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yanks Drop 2nd Straight To Rays

The Yanks lost for the 2nd straight time to the Rays tonight. I don't really care. I can't put a lot of stock in these games. The only thing I've been keeping my eye on is how the pitchers are doing. CC pitched last night and we all know how he did. I'm sure it wasn't the type of start anybody wanted to see from CC in his final start. He pretty much had nothing all night. I hope it's not a sign of what's to come in the postseason. His start after all was in October and he hasn't exactly been a strong October pitcher. I think he'll be fine.

Andy Pettitte pitched an OK ballgame tonight. I don't think it was bad. I don't think it was good. I wish it were a little better, but like with CC, I'm not worried about it. He got better as the game went on. There's a positive

The bullpen was solid. Well, those that are likely to pitch in the postseason were solid. Phil Hughes was a little shaky but I don't see that carrying over. David Robertson is on the bubble and he was a little rough around the edges but it was only his 2nd appearance since September 5th. If Robertson does make the postseason roster, I don't think he'll be used all that much. Maybe in blowouts or in extra inning games. I don't really see him pitching otherwise. Gaudin, Aceves, Coke and Bruney all looked good to me. I'm not concerned there either.

So they lost 2. Big deal. They're actually winning while they're losing. The Tigers have squandered their lead and they're now headed into the final day tied with the Twins. That's great news for the Yankees. The Tigers are in a position where they're going to have to use Justin Verlander tomorrow. That pretty much knocks him out of game 1 of the ALDS. I can't see the Tigers bringing him back on 2 days rest. The best thing that could happen now is that the teams finish tied and then have to play a 1-game playoff on Tuesday. That's pretty much going to knock the Tigers 2 best pitchers out of game 1 and the Twins best pitcher out of games 1 and 2. The pitching matchups would heavily favor the Yankees. I'm definitely pulling for a playoff.

1 game to go and then it's playoff time. I don't care if they win or lose. I'm just hoping they leave Tampa Bay healthy. If they do that, I'll be a happy camper.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Breaking Down The Postseason

The ALDS kicks off a little less than a week from now. The big unanswered questions left are who will the Yankees play, which series will they take, and who will be on the playoff roster? Let me address those one-by-one:

1)Who will the Yankees play? The smart money is on Detroit as they're up 2 with 3 to play. I'd much rather see the Yankees play the Twins though, purely because in a short series, Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson and Rick Porcello could easily beat you. I think they match up better against the Twins pitchers. The Tigers offense however isn't on par with the Twins. The Tigers OPS is about 19 points lower than that of the Twins. The Yankee pitchers would obviously fare better against a weaker lineup. I guess it doesn't really matter which team the face. I think there are pluses and minuses for both and the Yanks match up well either way. But if pitching wins championships, I guess I'll skip Verlander thank you very much. What would be ideal would be if the AL Central came down to the final day. Justin Verlander's turn is Sunday I think. If they're tied or if it's a 1-game playoff, the Yanks would see him later in the series or possibly on short rest.

2)Which series will the Yankees take? Since the Yankees have the best record, they get the choice of which ALDS schedule they want. They can take ALDS series A, which has games on 10/7, 10/9, 10/11, 10/12, and 10/14 or ALDS series B which has games on 10/8, 10/9, 10/11, 10/12, and 10/14. It's thought to be advantageous to take ALDS series A because of the added off-day. I agree with that. If the Yankees choose ALDS series A, they will be able to go with a 3-man rotation and still have guys pitch on regular rest. CC pitches tonight and would pitch again on 10/7, which gives him 5 days rest. He could come back and pitch game 4 on 5 days rest. If the Yankees played in ALDS series B, CC would start game 1 on 6 days rest and would pitch game 4 on 4 days rest. Andy Pettitte is slated to pitch game 2. He would be lined up to pitch game 5 in ALDS series A and would only pitch game 5 in ALDS series B if Sabathia pitched game 4 on short rest. It's advantageous to the Yankees to keep guys on regular rest. But if there is anyone who can pitch on 4 days rest, it's CC Sabathia. I don't think there's any advantage in taking ALDS series B. Series A keeps the rotation at 3 (no Joba or Gaudin) and everyone pitches on regular rest. It also frees up a roster spot since only 3 SPs are needed. An extra hitter could be key. Series A also means A-Rod can get some extra rest.

3)Who will be on the playoff roster? As I mentioned above, if the Yankees take ALDS series A they'll only need 3 SPs. That would allow them to carry an extra hitter on the roster. I think there are several players who are a given so let's just get them out of the way:

• Hitters: Jorge Posada, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Melky Cabrera, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Brett Gardner, Eric Hinske, Jose Molina and Jerry Hairston, Jr.
• Pitchers: CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, A.J. Burnett, Alfredo Aceves, Phil Hughes, Mariano Rivera

Those 19 guys are definitely a given. The breakdown right there is 13 hitters and 6 pitchers. I think the team would be best off if they carried 10 pitchers. The choices are Joba Chamberlain, Chad Gaudin, Phil Coke, David Robertson, Brian Bruney, Damaso Marte. You have to have a lefty and Phil Coke gets the nod over Damaso Marte. I don't see them carrying both Chad Gaudin and Joba Chamberlain. I'm not sure that either would make the ALDS roster. Both are candidates to start in the ALCS. I think if you put one in the pen, you're committing him to the pen for the duration of the playoffs. If the Yankees want Joba to start, I think Gaudin doesn't make the playoff roster for any series. Personally, I'd prefer to see Guadin get a start in the ALCS and Joba to join the pen for the playoffs. Joba was electrifying as a RP. I think the Yankees would have a lights-out back of the bullpen with Joba, Hughes, and Mariano. I leave Gaudin off for the ALDS and throw Joba in the pen (for the entire playoffs). Bruney and Robertson get the final 2 spots. So spots 7-10 go to Bruney, Coke, Robertson and Chamberlain,

13 hitters and 10 pitchers leaves 2 open spots. The choices to round out the offense for my money are Francisco Cervelli, Ramiro Pena, and Freddy Guzman. It makes sense to carry a 3rd catcher. If the team faces a lefty, they could sit Matsui and DH Posada. The 3rd catcher would allow them to make a defensive substitution late if need be. For that reason, I'd put Cervelli on the roster. Which brings me to Ramiro Pena and Freddy Guzman for the last spot. Whoever gets this spot is going to see little playing time. In my opinion, this guy's role would probably be as a pinch-runner. Guzman is definitely quicker than Pena. I've got to go with Freddy.

Here is my roster for the ALDS:

• Hitters: Jorge Posada, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Melky Cabrera, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Brett Gardner, Eric Hinske, Jose Molina, Jerry Hairston, Jr., Francisco Cervelli and Freddy Guzman
• Pitchers: CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, A.J. Burnett, Alfredo Aceves, Phil Coke, Brian Bruney, David Robertson, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, and Mariano Rivera

When the ALCS rolls around, I add Gaudin to the roster and take Guzman or Cervelli off. I'm not sure which I prefer. Guzman would be nice to have as a pinch runner against the weak-armed Red Sox. Yeah, I think I keep Guzman either way.

There you have it. What do you think? What changes would you make? I think no matter how it gets sliced the team is going to have a great shot to win it all. I'm liking their chances.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yanks Finish Final Homestand With 4-3 Loss To Royals

Last night's loss to the Royals was not the perfect way to wrap up the last homestand of the regular season, but what can you do? It would have been rather fitting to win it on a walkoff. Maybe they would have had the regular lineup still been in place, but these games aren't about winning, it's about seeing what these youngsters can do. That's why if you're bothered by the loss, don't be. Not that anyone is bothered by it, but if you are, no reason to be. These final games don't really mean much, so you need to look at the big picture for every win/loss.

There is something I'm bothered by though and that's Joba Chamberlain. Just when you think he turned the corner, he craps the bed. He's been incredibly inconsistent and for my money, he's more often bad than good. That's my impression anyway. He had a few bad bounces go against him yesterday, but still allowing 7 hits and 4 walks on 91 pitches in only 3.2 innings is pretty bad no matter how you slice it. I really hope the Yankees decide to take the longer series in the ALDS so that they can avoid using Joba as a starter. If they take the short series, which I doubt they will, I hope they consider Chad Gaudin for the 4th spot. As I mentioned the other day, the Yanks are undefeated in games Gaudin has started. Besides that, he's hands down just a better pitcher right now. If Joba wants to play a role in the postseason, he needs to figure his act out. He's got the potential to be awesome. Part of me though is starting to think he's not cut out to be a starter. I still think he belongs in the rotation, but I'm starting to waver.

Not much else to say about the game. Today marks the final off day of the regular season and tomorrow they'll play the first of their final 3 games. The big thing I'm hoping to see this weekend is CC winning his 20th game and if Teixeira can finish as the leader in HRs and RBI. Outside of that, I'm not looking for much.

I may pop back on later today to post my thoughts about the potential postseason roster. I've been mulling that over but still have a few holes to fill in. So check back for that. Enjoy the off day.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees B/C-Team Whips The Royals 8-2

I caught about 3 innings of the game last night. The 2 hour rain delay put a hurting on my ability to watch it. So I don't have much to report on it. I'm very pleased with the result. Our B-team put a whomping on the Royals for win #101. Nice.

It was cool to see that Ramiro Pena hit his 1st big league HR. That ball's a keeper. I hope he got it back.

Big day for Cano with a grand salami. He's up to 84 RBI. There's probably not enough time left for him to reach 90.

Looks like Chad Gaudin had a pretty good outing. The Yanks are 6-0 when Gaudin starts. That'll keep you on the roster. As will the 3.54 ERA he's sporting. He very easily could take Joba's spot in the postseason rotation. That may not be a bad idea anyway. If Gaudin starts and falters, bring in Joba. If Gaudin does well, Joba can be used at the back end of the bullpen with Hughes and Mariano. I'm not saying I want Joba back in the bullpen. I'm saying that Gaudin might be a better option for the playoffs. It might not be a bad idea. Maybe then we'll see Joba pump out the 98-100mph heat that we haven't really seen this year. A lot could ride on their last starts.

The team goes for win #102 tonight. A.J. Burnett and the A-lineup versus Anthony Lerew. I'm not sure what to expect from Burnett. His father had triple-bypass surgery so his head might not be 100% with the team, which is understandable. Then again, situations like A.J.'s often come with something magical so his final home start might be something special. Have to tune in to find out.

Go Twins!

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yanks Beat Angels At Their Own Game

I just remembered that today's game is at 3:30. I'm psyched because I'll actually get to follow it. The 1st half on the radio, the 2nd half on TV. I think it would be a huge confidence booster if the Yanks can leave Anaheim with a win. They've struggled there mightily and taking a series there might be the spark that turns that tide. The Angels have been a thorn in the Yankees' side for a long time. It's time to flip the script. A win today is big. The Yanks could very well head back to Anaheim for the ALCS.

Since I didn't see any of last night's game I only have the box score to base any opinions on. I see they blew a 5-run lead and one it with a little small ball. Single, stolen base, sac bunt, sac fly, Mariano for 3. Yanks win. Take that Angels. You got beat at your own game.

Chad Gaudin's line doesn't look too bad. I wouldn't call it a great performance but it certainly wasn't bad. It looks like his pitch count got up there which is probably why he got yanked before the 5th. That and it looked like he was starting to struggle. I still like Gaudin as the team's 4th starter in the playoffs. I have absolutely no confidence in Joba right now. I prefer Aceves to both but i don't think they can stretch him out in time. I'd be fine with them using Ace as a precursor to Phil and Mariano. I don't think it would be a bad idea to use Gaudin as the 4th starter and bring in Joba if needed to pitch in the middle innings. If Joba wants that spot, he needs to earn it and he'll only do that if he pitches better. He's pitching his way right out of the rotation and right now, I say good riddance. He needs to earn his way back into my good graces. Good luck with that.

As expected, the team didn't celebrate after last night's playoff-clinching win. Kudos to them for that. That's a rookie move in my book. They're in the driver's seat for the division. Holding back the party for when that's clinched is a smart move. Hopefully, that happens at home this weekend against Boston. The magic # is 6. If everything goes to plan (Yanks win today and Sox lose today/tomorrow), it'll be 3 come Friday. I'll be happy if it's 4 or less. A magic # of 4 would mean that the Yanks would clinch the division if they take 2 of 3 at home versus Boston, which is a distinct possibility with CC and Pettitte getting 2 of the starts. The Yanks would really need to collapse to lose the division. They have 10 games left and are 5 up in the loss column. If they go .500 the rest of the way, the Sox would have to win out. Crazier things have happened, but this won't be one of them. One the division/HFA is wrapped up, the team should focus on getting ready for the postseason and their series with either the Twins or the Tigers. Give some guys some rest. Set up the rotation. The sooner that happens, the better.

It's the home stretch. Seems like just yesterday the season started, doesn't it? It's hard to believe October is almost here.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie