Random Yankees thoughts: spring training edition

There can be only one Evil Empire.

I know the nickname was meant to insult the New York Yankees, but I have always loved it and many Yankee fans and the organization itself have embraced it. Now, even the law recognizes that the Yankees are in fact the Evil Empire and are entitled to legal protection for the nickname. I guess we should thank Boston Red Sox President Larry Lucchino for pinning the moniker on the Yankees (and for the profits that came with it).

·         I love Lady Gaga’s music although I’m not always crazy about her antics. Still, I was looking forward to going to her concert at the Barclays Center (my first time checking out the new arena) with my sister. Unfortunately, Gaga’s hip injury and subsequent surgery put the kibosh on those plans. Never to fear because Alex Rodriguez is on the case. The Yankees third baseman reportedly spoke to Gaga (an archenemy of ARod’s supposed one-time paramour Madonna) to reassure her about the procedure. I’m hoping Gaga makes a quick recovery and can resume her tour in 2013. But the best things come to those who wait. I attended a U2 concert almost exactly a year after it was first scheduled due to Bono’s back injury and it was definitely worth the wait.  

·         So a Core Four reunion is not in the cards. Jorge Posada has vowed that he will not pull an Andy Pettitte and un-retire after a year away from baseball. Not even the pull of another spring training with his best pal Derek Jeter could lure him away from the happy home life he is enjoying. If Posada was still capable of playing at his level, he would have a real shot at his old job with the Yankees, who will likely be desperate for offense and don’t really have a #1 catcher now that Russell Martin has joined AJ Burnett in Pittsburgh.   

 ·         I’m generally in favor of the planned switch of outfield positions for Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner as Gardy has more speed and is clearly the better fielder. I do worry that Granderson, in having to learn how to play a notoriously difficult left field at Yankee Stadium, will let any defensive challenges affect him at the plate, where he will be counted on to produce for the often offensively challenged Yankees. However, Mike Cameron raised a potential safety issue in making the switch, with Granderson having to relinquish his take-charge mentality in the outfield to avoid a collision similar to the one Cameron experienced with New York Mets teammate Carlos Beltran. I distinctly remember that terrifying accident and pray nothing even remotely close to it happens to Granderson and Gardner.  

Yankees will survive tough break for Gardner

Brett Gardner is probably crushed by the news that he will have to undergo surgery that will likely end his 2012 season before it really got started. But the New York Yankees will survive without him.

That’s not to say Gardner won’t be missed. As Yankees manager Joe Girardi has often stated, the Yankees are a completely different team without Gardner. He is the one player who can consistently create runs just by using his legs. No other member of the Yankees has that ability, including Derek Jeter, who is running very well for a baseball player of his age, but is not a stolen base threat anymore.

Ironically, Alex Rodriguez has 10 stolen bases, the most on the Yankees, leading the team in one category he really shouldn’t be leading. He gets paid the big bucks to hit monster home runs and drive in runners on base, not that he is doing a particularly good job of that these days.  

The Yankees are merely a team of sluggers without Gardner, which has worked pretty well for them and should continue to work as they cement their lead in the American League East division over the second half of the season. Part of the reason for the Yankees success in surviving Gardner’s injury so far is that they are getting significant contributions from Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones, who have hit a combined 24 home runs and knocked in 66 ribbies.

Girardi will have to be careful about getting both veterans enough rest over the last three months of the regular season to keep them fresh for October. But in that regard, I have nothing but confidence in Girardi because he has done a fantastic job of not burning out his bullpen guys and giving his older fielders days off when needed.

As disappointed as Gardner and the Yankees are about the injury, the Bronx Bombers will continue to bash their way into October. And once they get there, I believe their good starting pitching and superior bullpen will lead the way to another title. 

Yankees leave Red Sox in the dust

The New York Yankees could not feel better about themselves heading into the All-Star break, with a commanding lead in the American League East standings after another Boston beat-down.

Granted, the Yankees’ play was pretty sloppy at times this weekend, with Hiroki Kuroda giving up the 5-run lead his offense staked him to on Friday night and Phil Hughes unable to pitch out of the mess his defense put him in during Saturday’s double-header nightcap. But they took three out of four games against the Boston Red Sox after getting strong performances by Freddy Garcia and Ivan Nova and a resurgent Mark Teixeira, who wisely decided not to further escalate his feud with a nut like Vicente Padilla.

More surprisingly, they got a turn-back-the-clock performance by Andruw Jones, who has been terrific subbing for the injured Brett Gardner all year, but really stepped up his game against the Red Sox this weekend. He hit four Monster home runs, constantly breaking the hearts of Saux fans anytime they thought their team might finally have a leg up on the hated Yankees. But even more impressive to me was his outstanding defense, including slamming against the Green Monster to make a terrific, rally-killing catch, which immediately conjured up images of a young Jones patrolling centerfield for the Atlanta Braves.

So despite all their injuries and lackluster play during the first six weeks of the season, the Yankees find themselves comfortably in first place with a 7-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles, nearly 10 games up over the Saux (which, let’s face it, is the only team that all Yankee fans truly care about regardless of their problems) and the best record in baseball.  

I hope Joe Girardi and his squad enjoy their All-Star break vacation. After their first-half performance, they’ve definitely earned it. 

Mediocre Yankees a cause for concern

I’m not in full-blown panic mode yet, but I’m really starting to worry about the New York Yankees, who have been a mediocre team so far in 2012 rather than the juggernaut they are supposed to be.

It is too late in the baseball season for the Yankees to be a barely-above .500 team. The Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, the traditional powerhouses of the American League East, continue to languish at the bottom of the standings behind the more youthful Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays. The only thing the Yankees have going for them right now is that they are only 5.5 games out of first place, despite their inconsistent start, in late May. There is still plenty of time for them to right the ship.

But if it wasn’t for a vintage performance by Andy Pettitte, the Yankees would have gotten swept this weekend by the Cincinnati Reds. The Yankees have been getting beat by a lot of teams that they should be pounding on. Most recently, the Yankees have been hurt by a lack of clutch hitting, but poor starting pitching was the main cause of their woes up until a few weeks ago. The Yankees have also been victimized by some unfortunate injuries, not just to Mariano Rivera, but to his replacement David Robertson and Brett Gardner, whose speed is sorely missed on a team struggling mightily to score runs.

I’m starting to wonder not when but if the Yankees will pull it together. I’m not completely panicking just yet, but check in with me in a couple of weeks. 

Girardi steps to the plate for his hitters

Joe Girardi stepped up to the plate to defend his hitters by arguing that their lack of production in the American League Division Series had a lot to do with bad luck. Apparently, he didn’t see what the rest of us saw.

If he had, he would have noticed that Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher failed in key situations in the playoffs for the third consecutive year, which is enough of a sample to indicate that they are simply not clutch postseason players. Girardi would have noticed that Alex Rodriguez, aside from his performance in 2009 (which he definitely deserves a lot of credit for), has reverted to bad form in the playoffs. He would have noticed that his #9 hitter Brett Gardner had as many runs batted in (5) as his 3-4-5 hitters.

“I guess I could have put Gardy fourth,” Girardi said sarcastically when questioned about why he kept running out the exact same lineup in the ALDS.

No, Joe. No one is suggesting that you bat Gardner in the cleanup spot for the New York Yankees. What people are suggesting is that the lineup needs to be shaken up, that ARod, Tex and Swish can’t be allowed to continue coming up short in the playoffs in key situations. The biggest shake-up would be for the Yankees to let Swisher walk away and give right field to one of their young hitting studs, likely Eduardo Nunez, or go shopping for a relatively inexpensive, but clutch veteran.

Moving Robinson Cano into the third spot in the lineup for the playoffs was a good start, a move that Girardi was obviously not afraid to make and should stick to, unless he decides to bat Cano cleanup. But Girardi is going to have to seriously rethink his lineup. Should ARod continue batting fourth? Not if he can’t protect Cano. Who replaces Jorge Posada at designated hitter and where should that person bat? If it’s Jesus Montero, do you put more pressure on the kid by batting him in the middle of the lineup or do you protect him by slotting him seventh, where Posada batted most of the year?

These are legitimate questions and Girardi has to seriously consider them all. Unfortunately for the Yankees, he has plenty of time to think these days.

Who's at fault for Yankees quick playoff exit?

When a good baseball team loses in the playoffs, the natural question is “whose fault was it”? With the New York Yankees, there are a lot of culprits.

We definitely know who is not at fault. Jorge Posada, in what could have been his last games as a Yankee, did everything he could to try to help his team ascend to the next round of the playoffs. Brett Gardner, the #9 hitter, had several clutch hits and made the Detroit Tigers pitchers nervous every time he was on base. And as shocking as this would have seemed going into the American League Division Series, AJ Burnett came through with the best starting pitching performance.

So who takes the blame? I’d start with CC Sabathia. The Yankees ace looked like a contender for a Cy Young award against any team not named the Boston Red Sox this year. And in Game 1 of the American League Division Series, he started off by giving up a home run in the first inning. He had a very rocky start in Game 3 (messed-up routine, tight strike zone, way too many excuses) against Tigers ace Justin Verlander. And when he had a chance to redeem himself last night, he gave up what proved to be the winning run.

But the middle of the vaunted Yankees lineup deserves a large share of the blame. Alex Rodriguez will get most of the attention, which he deserves for his 2 for 18 performance and strikeouts in key situations last night. But Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher both had bad playoff series for the third consecutive year. (For the ultra-popular Swisher, his futility at the plate again might have finally been enough for the Yankees to show him the door). These are the guys the Yankees should be relying on to drive in runs, not Brett Gardner.

I can’t decide right now who deserves the lion’s share of the blame for the Yankees too-quick exit from the playoffs. Maybe in a couple of days, I will get past the disappointment and see things more clearly. For now, I have to make other plans for Saturday night.

Bronx Bummer for Yankees in Boston

It's amazing how a weekend that started off so promising for the New York Yankees could turn into such a disaster. Perhaps disaster is too strong a word, but it accurately reflects my thoughts after waking up to find the Yankees in second place after a devastating loss to the Boston Red Sox last night.

Sunday's prime-time loss was much worse than Saturday's game. The Red Sox battered Yankees ace CC Sabathia, but mercifully the game was decided pretty quickly. Last night's loss was much more painful because the Yankees managed to hang in there long enough to get Yankee killer Josh Beckett out of the way before scoring what should have been the winning run on Brett Gardner's home run.

With Mariano Rivera on the mound, that should have been enough. Instead, Rivera gave up the tying run and I could not shake that feeling of impending doom. Yes, Phil Hughes gave up the winning run in the 10th inning, but this loss was all on Rivera's great shoulders and he took full responsibility for it. As great as Rivera is, he has been the pitcher most responsible for some of the most crushing losses against the Red Sox. Let's not even talk about the 2004 American League Championship Series because it still hurts. But if Mo cannot stop the Red Sox in 2011, the Yankees are done.

This was not at all what I was hoping for when I posted on Friday that it was time for the Yankees to show the Red Sox who's boss. The Yankees needed to prove something to the world and to themselves and they failed miserably with their big guns faltering in the spotlight. Sure, the Yankees are only a game behind in the standings, but it was a missed opportunity and lost weekend in Boston that does not bode well at all for October.

Glow of 3,000 hits fades quickly for Jeter

Well that didn't last long.

The glow from Derek Jeter’s 3,000th hit lasted a mere 48 hours and has now been thoroughly replaced by negativity. It started with the widespread criticism of the New York Yankees shortstop all around baseball about his absence at the All-Star game. Now, amid intense speculation, Joe Girardi has bumped Jeter out of the leadoff spot in favor of Brett Gardner, a move that will thrill the talk-radio junkies.

Girardi was going to have to make the move sooner or later. Jeter was hitting in futility too often to stay at the top of the lineup. And with Alex Rodriguez on the shelf, the Yankees need all the offense they can get. But the real problem for Girardi happens when ARod returns from the disabled list and reclaims the clean-up spot. If Gardner stays in the leadoff spot and the two, three and five spots belong to Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano, where does Girardi pencil in Jeter? Can you imagine Jeter being dropped to sixth, or worse, in the bottom third of the lineup? That would be a major controversy that would make the All-Star smack-down look like a walk in the park.

The sooner Jeter is permanently dropped in the lineup, the sooner the talk will turn to how long he should be the Yankees every day shortstop, talk that will burn up the phone lines once Jose Reyes hits free agency. Jeter bristles at criticism, but he better prepare himself because he will hear a lot of it for the rest of his career.

The talk about Jeter isn’t all bad, as seen in this column outlining why Jeter could get 100% of the Hall of Fame vote when he becomes eligible. I doubt that would happen because there are way too many Jeter critics who think he is overrated because he plays in New York. But it’s a nice sentiment amid a flood of negativity about the Yankees Captain.

Disappointing end to Subway Series for Yankees

I don't expect the New York Yankees to win every baseball game they play, but the way they lost the last game of this year's Subway Series was truly disappointing.

Just one strike away from a sweep of the Mets, who looked like they had been gutted by the loss of Jose Reyes and two defeats at the hands of their cross-town rivals, the Yankees couldn’t close the deal, not even with the great Mariano Rivera on the mound. Mo simply didn’t have it yesterday and the Yankees lost the game, which proves how dependent the Yankees are on their 41-year-old, irreplaceable closer.

But all those supposed Yankee fans who want to give Derek Jeter’s job away should pay careful attention to what happened yesterday. Ramiro Pena, subbing for the slightly injured Eduardo Nunez, who was subbing for the seriously injured Jeter, made two crucial errors late in the game. Brett Gardner and Russell Martin saved him from paying for the first error, but could do nothing about the second error, which gave Jason Bay the opportunity to go from Met goat to hero.

For Pena, whose defense is supposed to be his forte, it was his second terrible defensive game. And Nunez, who swung an ultra-hot bat against the Mets, hasn’t been any better defensively. He would have more than a dozen errors already if it wasn’t for the sleek glove work of one Mark Teixeira. Jeter may not be the Derek Jeter who clutch hit and fielded his way into the hearts of Yankees fans, but there is no question that these are plays he makes with no problems, no matter how much the sabermatricians insist that he is a bad shortstop.

But no worries. Jeter will come back tonight to reclaim his rightful place at shortstop and with Phil Hughes set to return to the big-league mound on Wednesday all will be right in Yankees world again. As long as they can get that bitter taste of yesterday’s loss out of their mouths.

Cowardly HBP pulls Yankees closer together

The New York Yankees have been playing really well as a team so far in 2011, but after the year is over, we may look back on the ninth inning on April 23 as the moment when they really came together as a team.

Russell Martin has played beautifully and quickly become popular both in the Yankees clubhouse and with the tough New York fans. So the Yankees were livid after he got plunked by a pitch that was way too close to his head and neck, just because he had the gall to hit two home runs against the Baltimore Orioles. Rather than starting a benches-clearing brawl, Martin calmly walked to first. But his light-hitting teammate Brett Gardner got the best revenge for the cowardly hit by pitch when he slammed a home run off the offending pitcher Josh Rupe, much to the jubilant reaction of his manager Joe Girardi.

The Orioles hitters were fortunate CC Sabathia was already out of the game or one of them would have definitely gotten drilled. CC has made it clear that he will not tolerate his hitters being thrown at and has retaliated on more than one occasion, notably against the Boston Red Sox.

I loved the reaction from the Yankees bench. Mark Teixeira has been thrown at several times after hitting home runs so his anger toward Rupe was to be expected. But the fierceness of AJ Burnett’s reaction was both surprising and telling. Coming from a pitcher who might be inclined to give a fellow hurler the benefit of the doubt, it proved to me that the pitch was intentional. If Martin had charged the mound, his teammates would have been seconds behind him to get his back. He wisely chose not to risk a suspension or an unfortunate injury to himself or one of his teammates, but the Yankees didn’t need to get into a fistfight to prove they had his back.

What matters the most is that it was the first moment the 2011 Yankees were truly tested as a team and they passed with flying colors. Oftentimes after a baseball season is over, fans will reflect on the team’s performance and character. We may look back on that night in Baltimore as the time the 2011 Yankees truly jelled as a team.

Yankees chugging along despite problems

The New York Yankees are leading the much vaunted, but so far pretty weak American League East, chugging along nicely despite all their problems. How long will it last?

It’s still early in the season, but right now the Yankees are the only team in baseball’s toughest division with a winning record. Perhaps that has to do with the fact that AL East teams are playing and beating up on each other so much early in the season. But these teams definitely have some problems. The pitching of the Boston Red Sox has been atrocious and newcomer Carl Crawford still hasn’t found his stroke although I still feel that the Saux could turn things around pretty quickly. But all the defections have hit the Tampa Bay Rays harder than everyone thought and that young stud rotation hasn’t yet made up the difference.

Not to say the Yankees don’t have problems. Quite the opposite. They’ve managed to claw their way to the top of the division despite having to put young Phil Hughes, who was supposed to be a reliable member of the rotation, on the disabled list, leaving them with a rotation in which has-beens such as Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon will play prominent roles for the foreseeable future. They’ve won games despite the fact that neither Derek Jeter nor Brett Gardner has hit enough to claim the leadoff spot, with Gardner being pushed back to the bottom of the lineup. And the injuries are piling up, whether it be Pedro Feliciano’s arm (which will keep him out for six weeks, if not the entire year) and Alex Rodriguez’s hip (which hopefully won’t sideline him beyond a few days).

Can the Yankees continue to stay on top despite all these problems? There is enough talent on the team to like their chances. They have their horse in CC Sabathia, who unlike many of his counterparts manages to keep his team in games even when he doesn’t have his good stuff. And Mariano Rivera continues to prove that there is a fountain of youth (or that he isn’t really human) by converting seven saves in seven chances without breaking a sweat. Of course, I’m partial but I think the fact that the Yankees are doing so well despite all their issues and injuries bodes well for them for the rest of the baseball season.

The New York Yankees are old. Who cares?

Cliff Lee is right. The New York Yankees are old. But who cares? They're not ancient and can still be very good.

It's not like the Yankees team is stacked with just old guys. At the top of the lineup, the Yankees will have the veteran Derek Jeter and a young speedster in Brett Gardner. Mariano Rivera is still the king of the hill, even at age 41, while his new set-up guy Rafael Soriano is a decade younger. Jorge Posada, who will turn 40 this summer, has been replaced at catcher by 28-year-old Russell Martin. And so on and so forth.

Can the Yankees’ “old guys” still perform? Mo is not a question mark, even at his advanced baseball age, as people continue to marvel at his superior conditioning and command. Jeter is dealing with some age questions only because he had a bad year (by his standards) in 2010 and plays a demanding position, but I expect his new swing will help him bounce back. The real question with Posada is if can adjust to being a full-time designated hitter, a move that should help him continue to be a productive hitter if he can manage the tedium associated with not playing on the field.

I don’t think the Yankees’ biggest question is age. It is really all about their rotation: trying to settle on who will start games after CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes and AJ Burnett and whether those new guys have what it takes to beat the Boston Red Sox and rest of the American League East. Hey, not all teams can be the Philadelphia Phillies with their Fantastic Four rotation (although they have some age on their team too) and Lee knows that. I wonder why he even felt the need to raise the age issue. Maybe his little dig will serve as motivation when the Yankees and Phillies meet again in the World Series.

Thanks to artolog and Fui in terra aliena via Wikipedia for the photo.

Will Yankees ever stop disrespecting Jeter?

Will the New York Yankees please stop disrespecting Derek Jeter, especially if they are too gutless to attach their names to their quotes?

An unnamed source, obviously within the Yankees organization, felt the need to publicly intimate that the Opening Day lineup for the Bronx Bombers will feature Brett Gardner displacing the captain in the top spot because it would be better for the team.

The quote was rather tame compared to the anonymous comments about Jeter made during the offseason and the mansion comments directed at Jeter by Hank Steinbrenner, which he quickly tried to backpedal from. But it begs the question: why do people within the Yankees organization, including those at the top, feel the need to turn any little issue related to Jeter into a headline in the newspapers, especially knowing how the man hates anything remotely resembling a public spectacle? Maybe that’s the answer. Perhaps the Steinbrenners are still so annoyed at the deal they had to give Jeter that they are taking shots at him just to embarrass him or piss him off.

For the record, I have no problem with people in the organization thinking that Jeter should shift to the #2 spot in favor of the speedy, young Gardner. There’s definitely a baseball case to be made for such a change. But I have a major problem with them trying to make the case in the media. Instead of whispering in a reporter’s ear, these officials should be discussing a lineup change with manager Joe Girardi behind closed doors.

I haven’t seen anything in the way of a response from Jeter, but I would imagine that he’s getting sick and tired of this whispering campaign (read this hilarious, expletive-laden column from the brilliant satirists at the Onion for the rant we all wish we could see Jeter have). But he’s likely to laugh it off publicly, even if he is privately wondering why the Yankees feel the need to constantly disrespect him.

Random Yankee thoughts: spring training start

Brian Cashman owes CC Sabathia a huge apology, both for doubting the big man’s major weight loss and for sharing those doubts with the media. Sure, it wasn’t the 30 pounds that CC thought, but it was close enough. BTW, CC’s admission that he lost those 25 pounds partly by swearing off his Cap'n Crunch habit made me crave the cereal of my youth. But I haven’t gone out and bought a box since it’s not exactly Weight Watchers friendly. I don’t even want to calculate how many points a bowl of that cereal would be under the new WW system.

• Is anyone else concerned that AJ Burnett is referring to himself in the third person? I’m glad to see that Burnett is aware of his importance to the New York Yankees and is working on his mechanics. But what’s with the “they really could’ve used AJ” and the “ain’t nobody’s fault but AJ’s” quotes? It doesn’t seem like an ego thing as it is with most athletes, but it’s still weird.

• Can Joba Chamberlain rise to Cashman’s challenge? The general manager made it clear that Joba has to earn a spot in the Yankees bullpen or face the prospect of being sent back to the minor leagues since he has options. Perhaps it’s just something Cashman said to motivate Joba because some in the Yankees organization feel that he needs to be challenged. I just hope it doesn’t have the adverse effect of putting more pressure on him and messing with his head.

• Manager Joe Girardi tried to put a potential controversy to bed when he stated that Derek Jeter would bat leadoff for the Yankees. There have been intimations in the media and blogosphere about putting Brett Gardner in the leadoff spot, mostly due to his youth and speed and Jeter’s off year. But Jeter’s numbers were still better than most leadoff guys. I can’t blame Girardi for not wanting this to become an issue. He already has enough on his plate.

• An Andy Pettitte return this year seems like wishful thinking on Jorge Posada’s part, just like he probably secretly wishes to be the #1 catcher again rather than the third option behind the plate. I don’t doubt that Pettitte could get the itch to play baseball again, but he made it pretty clear that he will not pitch in 2011. Maybe a year off will be just the thing he needs to get the baseball juices flowing again. Diamonds are forever, but retirement doesn’t have to be.

Yankees have no place for Johnny Damon

As popular as Johnny Damon was in the Bronx, the chances of him returning to the New York Yankees are remote.

Damon proved to be a clutch player in pinstripes and was a big reason why the Yankees beat the Phillies in that World Series last year. But the problem is that Damon is a year older now, meaning his range in the field is probably worse than it was during his last few years with the Yankees. Besides, the Yankee outfield is settled with Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher so Damon would be strictly a backup limited to one start a week, barring an injury. With Jorge Posada now firmly ensconced in the designated hitter spot, there's simply no place for Damon to get at-bats.

But I can see why there would be some interest in bringing Damon back. During the Yankees' loss to the Texas Rangers in the American League Championship Series, they needed someone to step up, have good at-bats and wear the Rangers pitchers down. Damon would have been the perfect guy for that job and perhaps that could have woken up the sleeping offense. We'll never know for sure, but maybe that ALCS turns out a bit differently if Damon was still wearing pinstripes.

Damon didn't have a great year for Detroit, but I can see him getting a job with more regular playing time than the Yankees can offer. If he's willing to sign a reasonable contract (no sure thing with Scott Boras as an agent), he would be a great fit for a team on the periphery with young players he can mentor. I hope he does find the right place for him, but it probably won't be with the Yankees.

Thanks to KenN and Mattingly23 via Wikipedia for the photo.

Yankees don't need Crawford or Werth

The New York Yankees need pitching, not hitting, despite the disappearance of their offense in the playoffs. That's why I believe the stories about their lack of interest in Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth.

Sure, the Yankees could be spinning the story to drive down the price for either or both of these guys. But in making their offseason plans this week, I totally buy that the discussion centered on how much money they can throw at Cliff Lee and a backup plan to trade for a good starting pitcher if Lee spurns them. The Yankees need another arm to go with CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes, especially if Andy Pettitte finally decides to go home for good. Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi believe AJ Burnett can rebound in 2011 and the next guy they hire to be their pitching coach will have the sole mission of fixing Burnett, but they can’t pin their hopes on being able to straighten him out.

When the Yankees look at their team, I don't think they see their outfield as a liability. Late in the baseball season, Curtis Granderson started to show the promise that led Brian Cashman to go after him and say goodbye to fan favorite Johnny Damon. Brett Gardner scored nearly 100 runs, mostly out of the 9th spot in the lineup, while bringing an element of speed that the team has been missing for a long time. And despite his second consecutive rough postseason, Nick Swisher had an All-Star year in hitting 29 homers and knocking in 89 runs.

This being the Yankees, I wouldn't rule them out of landing Crawford and/or Werth, especially if the market for free agents collapses again. But there won’t be intense pressure to sign either one like there was two winters ago to sign Sabathia. If Cashman hadn't gotten his man that time, his master plan for revamping the Yankees would have blown up in his face. But he got Sabathia and another World Series ring.

If Cashman can focus all his energy on Lee, he could add more jewelry to his collection. He doesn't need another bat for that, even if has the name Crawford or Werth on it.

Thanks to Keith Allison and phillymads63 via Wikipedia for the photos.

Yankees comeback KOs Rangers

The New York Yankees dealt a crushing blow to the Texas Rangers, pummeling their bullpen en route to a miracle comeback that put the Bronx Bombers up 1-0 in the American League Championship Series.

The Yankees looked lifeless during the first seven innings, the only bright spot being Robinson Cano's foul-pole hugger blast to put the team on the scoreboard. But the Yankees survived a bad outing by their ace CC Sabathia in a comeback instigated by the pure hustle of the feisty Brett Gardner and helped by the wildness of the Ranger relievers. I bet that's not what Nolan Ryan, new owner of the Rangers, had in mind after their thrilling defeat against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The importance of Game 1 can not be overstated for the Yankees. They needed to win a game started by their big guy because the back of their rotation (AJ Burnett) can't be trusted. Now with the momentum from a thrilling comeback, they give the ball next to Phil Hughes, whose poise belied his age in Game 3 of the division series against the Minnesota Twins.

If the Yankees can win behind young Mr. Hughes, you have to love their chances with Mr. Postseason himself Andy Pettitte on the mound, even facing Cliff Lee. For the Yankees, that would be the best scenario in their quest for another world championship title.

Playoffs or bust for Hughes, Yankees

Phil Hughes put the New York Yankees within striking distance of another berth in the playoffs.

He wasn't crisp by any stretch of the imagination. I actually thought Hughes was sharper in last week's loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. But he battled for a solid 6 1/3rd innings against the team’s division rivals. Unlike Javier Vazquez or AJ Burnett, the youngster has figured out how to win baseball games when he doesn't have his best stuff. It bodes well as the Yankees head toward October, with Hughes solidifying a spot in the postseason rotation.

The Yankees looked terrible losing five of six games to the Texas Rangers, a potential playoff opponent, and the pesky Rays, who have been breathing down the Yankees necks. But they have turned things completely around with Derek Jeter looking more like himself at the plate and Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner fighting their way back into the lineup after injury layoffs. The most important return, of course, was Andy Pettitte, looking like he didn't miss a beat despite his two-month stint on the disabled list and boosting his team’s October hopes.

For Hughes and the Yankees, it's playoffs or bust. The magic number is down to three.

Tight series promises more fun in October

After an exciting three days of baseball, I can't wait for the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays to meet again next week. But I really want to see these two teams go mano a mano for the American League Championship in October.

The most fun matchup in the ALCS would be the big bad Yankees going up against Joe Maddon's young guns. Sure both the Yankees and Rays will have to get past the Minnesota Twins and the Texas Rangers, which won't be an easy task. But if they can do it, we'll have ourselves a masterpiece of a bout for the league title.

Think about it. Whichever team finishes second in the American League East probably still makes the playoffs, but will have to hear all about how they couldn't finish off their rivals when they had the chance in September. Despite the Yankees recent stumbles, the Bombers and the Rays are still the two best teams in baseball. One of them isn't making it to the World Series and the battle to see who makes it and who goes home will be a thriller.

Even though the Yankees lost two out of three, I like their chances, especially if Andy Pettitte comes back strong. They likely will have their full lineup back, which is critical because not having Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner playing full time really hurt them in Tampa (Austin Kearns isn't getting any more important at-bats once Swish comes back healthy). They could have those guys back next week, which will make the four-game series even more fun than this week’s matchup. But it's October baseball I’m really looking forward to.

Yankees on wrong side of brilliant ballgame

The only thing that went wrong for the New York Yankees in what might have been the best baseball game of the year is that they lost it.

Aside from the defeat, which put the Bronx Bombers half a game behind the Tampa Bay Rays, last night's game was everything I hoped for. It was a fantastic pitchers’ duel between two brilliant pitchers in CC Sabathia and David Price. Both lefties were dominant, keeping good hitters off balance all night long. I thought that the game might get out of hand when the bullpens came into play, but the pitchers on both sides continued to dominate, holding each other scoreless for another two and half innings after the starters left the game.

Of course, the Yankees didn't help themselves with their base running. I truly hope Jorge Posada just missed a sign and hasn't started to think he's Carl Crawford and tried to steal that base outright. But I was more disturbed by Brett Gardner's attempted steal of third with two outs in the 10th inning, a bad baseball play on all fronts. Joe Girardi seemed to make that point to the youngster during the game, but curtly refused to discuss what he said to Gardner with reporters. Gardner was genuinely apologetic to his teammates, specifically Austin Kearns, who was left holding a bat in his hands.

The Yankees are going to have to figure out a way to manage their disappointment and fight back for the division lead. But there's no question they will have a tough go at it for the rest of the series, especially having to face Matt Garza tonight with rookie Ivan Nova on the mound. Last night's game was the one they needed to have to give them the best shot at taking the series. CC did his part, but the offense couldn't deliver.