Smell Ya Later Boston, See Ya Next Year

Just got done watching the Red Sox get swept out of the ALDS by the Angels. It's always a good time watching Boston lose. This was better because it happened in Fenway, Papelbon blew a 2-run lead and got booed off the mound, and the faces on the members of RSN went from pure joy to utter disbelief in a matter of seconds. Thanks for coming Boston but it's time for you to go. Go cry in that dirty water you guys all love so much.

Special thanks to Red Sox owner John Henry. Back on June 11th, after the Red Sox won their 8th straight game versus the Yankees, he tweeted the following: "the MT curse?" MT = Mark Teixeira. Thanks for that Mr. Henry. The Red Sox went 1-9 against the Yankees since that tweet and the Sox are now cleaning out their lockers and making tee times. The JH curse, maybe? I'd say so. So again, thanks John. We appreciate it.

Na na na na. Na na na na. Hey hey hey. Goodbye.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yanks Walkoff To A 2-0 Series Lead On Teixieira's 11th Inning HR

What. A. Game. That was freaking amazing. I don't care what anybody thinks. Nothing compares to postseason baseball. Nothing. Tonight's game was a nail-biter. I was literally on the edge of my seat for the last few innings. My heart is still racing. Wow. I'm still in disbelief. The Twins have the bases loaded with no outs and don't score. Mark Teixeira then delivers a Yankee Stadium special and gets a pie in the face for his troubles. You gotta love it. The Twins must really hate playing the Yankees. 4 losses on 4 walkoffs. Unreal.

God, where to start? I don't even know. There's so much to discuss. I guess will start with the night's hero, Mark Teixeira. Talk about coming through in the clutch. Mark's ALDS was not exactly off to the best of starts. Then he singles to set-up A-Rod's game-tying jack in the 9th and that apparently opened the flood gates. Next AB, game over. Those were 2 clutch ABs. He also came through huge with the leather. Woo. Welcome to the party Teix.

Teixeira's heroics wouldn't have been possible if not for A-Rod. Alex is having a monster series. A-Rod is 4-8 with 5 ribbies in the 1st 2 games. I think it's safe to say that his postseason slump is over. He came through in the biggest of spots there in the 9th. Wow. Unbelievable. As I wrote the other day, I think Alex is going to have a huge postseason. Did I write that? I think I did. Let me check. Yup, I did. And I'll restate the reason again. I think Alex is feeling no pressure. Not sure if you caught his postgame interview he did with Michael Kay, but Alex in a roundabout way alluded to that. As he said, the Yankees have a great cast this year. A-Rod no longer has to be "the man." I think that's huge for him. Expect a lot more from A-Rod this October.

I still have no idea how the Yankees escaped the 11th inning without giving up a run. That was some magic right there. Marte started the inning and stunk up the joint. David Robertson came in and somehow wiggled out of the jam. I thought the only way D-Rob was getting them out of that inning was if he picked up a K. He's been so good at doing that this season. No Ks but there was some clutch heads up defense. Thank God for Mark Teixeira. I'll be shocked if he doesn't win the Gold Glove this year.

Damaso Marte. Why is he on the roster? Oh yeah. It's to get out the lefties. FAIL.

Brett Gardner. He has to be smarter than that. It made absolutely no sense for him to take off on Damon's liner. If the ball made it through, he could have trotted home. How does he not make sure that the ball hits the ground? I just don't get it. That could have ended up costing the Yanks the game. Epic fail.

A.J. Burnett pitched a pretty good game. He allowed way too many walks though. A.J. issued 5 free passes. He also hit 2 hitters. He's got to have better control. That could have gotten real ugly, real fast. Teams usually score more than 1 run when they have 10 guys reach base. But as I've said before, the good pitchers always seem to find a way to wiggle their way out of trouble. A.J. was pretty good at that tonight. He has dominant stuff. He just needs to keep it over the plate. Overall, a really solid postseason debut for Burnett.

Walks almost killed the Yankees tonight. Two of the three Twins runs were scored by guys who walked. The 2 runs the Twins scored in the 8th started with a 2-out walk. Phil Hughes had a rough go of things tonight. I think he'll be fine though.

Finally, some thank yous.

1. Thanks Joe Nathan for again imploding against the Yankees in the postseason. The Yankees own you. They own you all around. In his career, Nathan's is 0-4 with a 4.64 ERA and 3 blown saves against the Yankees.
2. Thanks to the LF umpire Phil Cuzzi for blowing that call in the 11th. Mauer's hit was about 2 feet fair. I'm not sure how he missed that since he was right on top of it. That was a game-changer.
3. Thanks to my wife for being a trooper. She was standing on our stairs when A-Rod went deep. So I made her watch the rest of the game from that vantage point. Talk about uncomfortable. But hey, you don't want to mess with the mojo.

The Yanks are now off to Minnesota with a commanding 2 game lead. Any momentum the Twins had is gone baby gone. Phew. I was a little worried before game 1 because of how hot the Twins were. Teams that hot are scary. I guess I had nothing to worry about. Game 3 should be very interesting. The Yanks are scheduled to face.....wait for it.....wait for it.....Carl Pavano. Oh man this should be fun. I don't see how the Yankees would let Carl Pavano beat them. That would be a tough pill to swallow, wouldn't it? I don't see it happening and quite frankly I'll be shocked if it does.

2 down, 10 to go.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Memo To Red Sox Fans:Shut Up Already

I've been listening to sports talk radio all morning and I have a message for you whiny Red Sox fans that keep calling in: Shut up about the bad calls by the umpires!!

Any baseball fan worth their weight in salt knows that bad calls are a part of the game. What goes against you one day is going to go in your favor the next. These things balance out. Every team, from the best to the worst, has calls go their way when they shouldn't. Hello Sox fans! How many times did Brian Fuentes strike out Nick Green for what should have been the final out of an Angels victory against you guys? Not once but twice. Oh wait, actually, it wasn't any because the umps blew 2 calls and the Sox came back to win the game. I guess the universe is now back in balance.

It definitely sucks that it happened in the playoffs. That's not when you want these calls to go against you, or when you expect them to. If anyone thinks those blown calls are the reason that the Red Sox lost, they're highly delusional and need help. It sounds like there are a lot of you out there from listening to some of these calls. The reason the Sox lost is because John Lackey dominated your lineup, allowing 4 hits and a walk. The reason the Sox lost is because Torii Hunter took Lester deep. The umpires aren't the reason you guys lost. Quit your moaning.

And another thing silly Sox fans. Some of you are making the argument that had these calls been made correctly than maybe the game goes differently. So we're resorting to the "what if" game now? I love living in fantasy land. Try this on for size: If nick Green gets punched out as he should have, maybe your season goes differently and you guys don't make the playoffs. Hey, it could happen. There's no way of knowing. These weak arguments you guys are bringing to justify your team's loss are beyond ridiculous.

And if case you're wondering, you can sure bet if this happened to the Yankees I'd be pissed about it, but it is what it is. And what it is, is the game of baseball. What bounces your way one day, bounces the other way the next. That's the way it goes. That's baseball. The good teams rise to overcome it.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

CC, Jeter & A-Rod Lead Yanks To 7-2 Win In Game 1

Awww yeah. The postseason is here and the Yanks got off to a great start. I blogged earlier that I thought it was very important that the Yankees win game 1. Whatever momentum the Twins had coming into this game is gone. I think if the Twins had won, they'd have taken the series. They had enough momentum to begin with. Winning game 1 after winning last night would have put their momentum off the charts. The Yankee win today was huge.

CC was great tonight. It was nice to see him bounce back from his awful final regular start. If anyone was worried about the big guy, put those worries behind you. He had a few rough spots but nothing too major. When he needed the out, he got the out. That's what great pitchers do. I think the best part about his outing is that he didn't walk anybody. It could have been a lot worse had he issued any free passes. 8 Ks, no walks. I can dig it. Overall, a very good outing for CC. Way to go big man.

Memo to Jorge Posada: if you're so intent on catching every game, why don't you play like it. What's up with the passed balls and the lollygagging after them? Mauer doesn't score that second run if Posada hussles after that ball. It's the freaking playoffs for crying out loud. Get off you ass and get after that ball. Better yet, don't the ball get by you. You're making it very easy for people to jump all over you.

How nice was it to see A-Rod deliver twice with RISP? If you're answer wasn't pretty nice then get out of here. Just leave right now. OK. You can stay. Hopefully those two hits are an indication of what's to come. I think Alex is going to have a monster postseason, mainly because I don't think he's feeling any pressure. Alex has flown under the radar for most of the year. I think his head is in the right place. I think big things are coming. It all started with that 2 HR/7 RBI inning in the final game. I think he's locked in.

Derek Jeter. Do I need to say anything more than that? Saying just his name pretty much gets the point across. He's the man. No doubt about it.

Big bomb from Matsui. His 2-run slam-a-lama-ding-dong put the lead at 4 and pretty much ended the Twins chances for a comeback. It was the deathblow.

Great night by the bullpen. You can feel pretty confident that the game is over when Phil Hughes enters the game. Going back to July, which is when I think Phil took over as the setup guy, the Yankees went 30-3 in his 33 appearances. I didn't count his last 3 because he pitched more to pitch then to hold a lead. 1 of those 3 losses was a blown save by Mariano (Ichiro walkoff). There was one stretch where the Yankees won 18 in a row. Had Mo not blown that save in Seattle it would have been 22 straight, which were the last 22 appearances he made, again not counting the final 3. My buddy Scott sent me a tweet during the game that said "Hughes:Mo = Mo:Wetteland." Personally, I think Hughes:Mo > Mo:Wetteland. For my money Hughes and Rivera are the best back-of-the-bullpen tandem in the game right now. If you disagree, I'd like to know.

Off day tomorrow and then they're back at it on Friday. There's a very slim chance that I'll be there. Very slim. I hope to know for sure tomorrow. I'm really hoping to get down there for one of these playoff games. I have a ticket to game 5 and I really hope that I don't have to use it. No elimination games. If that falls through I'm going to try (knock on wood) to get to game 2 of the ALCS. Odds of that are a little better but still a longshot.

A.J. Burnett gets the ball in game 2. I originally wanted Pettitte to get the ball but I've since changed my mind. A.J. has pitched better at home. Pettitte has pitched better on the road. If you check the stats you'll see what I mean. But since I know you guys are lazy and don't want to look it up, I'll hook you up:

• Burnett @ home: 16 starts, 3.51 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, .229 BAA
• Burnett on road: 17 starts, 4.59 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, .264 BAA
• Pettitte @ home: 16 starts, 4.59 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, .285 BAA
• Pettitte on road: 16 starts, 3.71 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, .230 BAA

See what I mean? I think it's definitely the right call. Pitching Burnett in game 2 also means that the Yankees will split up the lefties. Sure, CC and Andy could pitch back-to-back in games 3 and 4, but the Yankees would have pitched them back-to-back in games 1 and 2 and games 4 and 5. Sliding A.J. in the middle ensures variety. It'll keep the Twins hitters a little off guard. The Twins also fare better against lefties (.285/.344/.441) than against righties (.269/.345/.423). A.J. in game 2 was the right call.

1 down, 10 to go.

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

Bring On The Twins

Wow. The game between the Tigers and Twins was epic. It was an instant classic. It was arguably the game of the year. It was a knocked-down, dragged-out fight that lasted almost 5 hours and went into extra innings. It was exactly what I wanted to see. I'm not sure I wanted to see the Twins win, but I'm cool with it. The Tigers have a much better pitching staff but the Twins have some crazy momentum and that can be a scary thing. I'd almost prefer to see them take on Verlander and the Tigers than face the Twins. The Yanks have beaten teams with tough pitchers before, namely Johan Santana and the Twins. The pitchers don't scare me as much as the momentum does. Am I the only one who's a little scared of the Twins? And when I say "little" I mean little. I think the Yanks will take care of business regardless of who they're playing and how hot they are. Bring it on.

The game itself couldn't have gone any better. It lasted 12 innings. The Twins used 8 pitchers, including Joe Nathan for 5 outs. They're definitely going to be a little tired come 6pm tomorrow. I don't think they'll get to their hotel rooms until sometime tomorrow AM. I'm thinking maybe around 5am. Now factor in the time zone change. Yeah, they'll be a little tired. Advantage Yankees.

I just got a text alert that the Twins starter tomorrow is Brian Duensing. OK, I'll admit it. I've never heard the name Brian Duensing. I pulled up his stats and he's a rookie LHP with 84 innings under his belt and tomorrow will be his 10th career start. His numbers are decent, 3.64 ERA with a 1.37 WHIP. I don't think he'll be much of a match for the Yankees though. They've done much better against pitchers they've never faced before. I do hope that they put together a game plan. I think they'd be smart to run his pitch count up and get him out of the game as early as possible and make the Twins use their relievers. That would be my plan of attack.

The Yankees still haven't released their ALDS roster though they did make it known that Brian Bruney won't be on it. I'm a little surprised by that. I'll discuss that more tomorrow once the official roster is made public. Right now I'm off to bed. I need to get my rest. If tonight's game is any indication of what's to come, we're in for a bumpy ride. Nothing beats October baseball. Nothing. I love this game.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

And Now The Real Fun Begins

The Yanks finished off the regular season on a high note. Their victory over the Rays was a nice way to end things. The Yanks finished with an MLB best 103 wins. 103-59. That's pretty impressive. Now it's time to make sure that those 103 wins aren't for nothing. It only means something if they bring home the franchise's 27th world title. Anything less than that and the season is a failure.

Burnett looked good in his final start. It's good to see that he's put together a nice string of ballgames. Hopefully his head is in the right place.

How awesome is A-Rod? His 2 HR/7 RBI in one inning was incredible. I'm still flabbergasted that he finished with 30 HRs and 100 RBI. I thought for sure there was no way he'd hit those marks. But he's A-Rod. I should have known better. Now he just needs to deliver in October.

Congrats to Mark Teixeira on finishing tied for the lead league in HRs and for finishing 1st in RBI. Mark had a great debut season with the Yanks. He should fare very well in the MVP voting. Again though, it's all for nothing if he falls flat in the postseason.

The absolute best case scenario happened for the Yanks as the Twins and Tigers have to play a 1-game playoff tomorrow. I'm not sure who I am rooting for to win now. I was originally pulling for the Look-alikes, but they're probably the hottest team in baseball right now. I think the Yanks match up better with the Twins but they're hot and that's a little scary. Now that Verlander isn't pitching game 1, I really think the pitching macthups favor the Yanks, but it'll probably favor them in either series. I don't know. I guess it doesn't really matter to me. I like the Twins better so I guess I'll pull for them. I have a ticket to game 5 of the ALDS but I really hope they don't play that game. I'm all about the Yanks clinching early. I had a ticket to game 7 of the 2004 ALCS. When they were up 3-0, the last thing I wanted was to go to that game. I'm definitely OK with not going. Wrap it up in 3 Yanks.

The real fun starts Wednesday. I love this time of year. Don't you?

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