My Yankee playoff roster, Sorry Kearns

Joe Girardi & Company spent most of yesterday scratching their heads trying to figure out who should fill those few available spots on the postseason roster of the New York Yankees. It's a lot less of a stressful endeavor for me so here are my thoughts:

Infield: The positions are set with Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez so the real question is who is going to be their backup. I vote for Ramiro Pena, who has been on the big-league roster all season, has proven to be a good defensive fill-in at shortstop, second and third base and has managed to get a couple of clutch hits while giving guys days off. He probably won't play at all, but he's a nice guy to have on the bench. I would also put another speedy/defensive kid on the bench such as Eduardo Nunez because Girardi probably will have to pinch run for his older guys late in games.

Outfield: With Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher set to start, the Yankees must figure out who will take Swisher's place in the lineup if his knee starts to act up. Greg Golson is likely to make the list for his speed and his unbelievable throwing arm. But I'm at a loss trying to figure out why Austin Kearns should make the postseason roster. Maybe Girardi would rather have a more veteran guy ready to play if Swisher can’t go, but Kearns hasn't made contact at the plate in more than a month and he’s not a very good defender.

Catcher: This one is easy although neither Jorge Posada nor Francisco Cervelli is defending particularly well these days.

Designated hitter: The combo of Lance Berkman and Marcus Thames will swing good bats for the Yankees in the playoffs, plus they can be put in the field in a pinch.

Starting pitching: With their three-man rotation of CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes, the question here is who the emergency starter is if something happens to one of these guys. Most likely it will be AJ Burnett, even though he has done nothing recently to inspire confidence. Putting Burnett on the postseason roster has more to do with his long contract than any faith his bosses or his teammates have in him because they probably have none at this point.

Relievers: Mariano Rivera, Kerry Wood, David Robertson, Joba Chamberlain and Boone Logan are the sure bets. I like having the second lefty so I would add Royce Ring into the mix, even with his youth. I would go with Dustin Moseley for the final spot, but if we actually see either of them in a game, that could mean the Yankees are in big trouble (or hopefully blowing out the Twins).

Thanks to jcasabona and UCinternational via Wikipedia for the photo.

Do not underestimate Minnesota Twins

Given the way the New York Yankees stumbled to the regular season finish line, they may be happy to be facing the Minnesota Twins in the first round, a team they have owned for years and swept out of the playoffs in 2009. But no one should underestimate the Twins.

Essentially, the Yankees traded home-field advantage in the playoffs for avoiding facing Cliff Lee twice in a five-game series. Some pundits and fans might believe that’s actually a good thing, facing the Twins in the American League division series instead of the Texas Rangers. But anyone expecting the Twins to be patsies for the Yankees is mistaken.

The Twinkies survived injuries that would have killed other teams (see Boston Red Sox, New York Mets), namely losing their closer Joe Nathan before the season even started. Do you think the Yankees could survive losing Mariano Rivera, even with his rough outings of late? Not a chance. And the Twins have been without Justin Morneau the entire second half. That would be like the Yankees losing their MVP candidate Robinson Cano and the Bronx Bombers have had enough trouble living up to their nickname recently.

I know we Yankee fans don't think much of Carl Pavano but he has pitched very well since leaving the Yankees and has miraculously stayed healthy. With him and Francisco Liriano at the top of the rotation, the Twins won't be pushovers. But I think CC Sabathia and a healthy Andy Pettitte are much better than both of them so it’s entirely possible that this series could be over very quickly.

That's not to say I feel overconfident about the Yankees chances. I think they are the better team, but I wouldn’t count the Twins out. I hope the Yankees and their fans don't either.

Thanks to Chamber of Fear and UCinternational via Wikipedia for the photo.

Bronx Bombers must turn it back on

Can the New York Yankees flip a switch and make all their bad play over the last month of the regular season disappear? We'll know soon enough.

It was disappointing watching the Yankees limp their way to the finish line, especially against the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees had firm control of their own destiny and could have finished at the top of the American League East division by taking the series this weekend. Instead, they have to settle for the wild card after losing the last two games of the season in a very ugly fashion.

But the real question is whether the Yankees will automatically start playing better on Wednesday. Granted, their chances of playing winning baseball vastly improve when they don't have to turn to AJ Burnett, Ivan Nova and Dustin Moseley to pitch important games. In the next couple of days, we'll likely hear Joe Girardi announce that he's going with a starting rotation of CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes (probably in that order as Girardi will go with experience over youth in a potential Game 5).

Sabathia has carried the Yankees on his bank over the last two months, Pettitte has a sparkling postseason pedigree and Hughes had a far better year than anyone could have imagined, going from winning the fifth starter job in spring training to being the #3 starter. A rotation like that could ease the pressure on the offense and allow the hitters to get into a productive rhythm.

But the Bronx Bombers are going to have to turn it back on or they will be going home sooner than they'd like.

Yankees lose control of destiny with ugly loss

Even though the New York Yankees gave AJ Burnett four runs early, it wasn't enough to get a win and keep the Yankees firmly in control of their destiny.

Burnett's numbers were fine last night, but he made the kind of boneheaded play that will definitely keep him out of the postseason rotation for the division series and perhaps off the postseason roster. He let a run score because he was incredulous about a safe call at first base, reminiscent of the infamous David Cone play in Atlanta when the then-Mets pitcher allowed two runs to score because he was arguing a call. It's this loss of composure that makes Burnett untrustworthy for a team that will have a tough time in the playoffs regardless of its opponent.

But the erratic righty wasn't alone in blowing the nightcap, with errors by Lance Berkman and Francisco Cervelli contributing to the Red Sox scoring. Plus, the Yankees offense was terrible with runners on base in both games of the doubleheader, not exactly inspiring for postseason play. You knew the Yankees were in deep trouble when Ivan Nova kept coming out to start innings, even though he was struggling badly. But I can't blame Joe Girardi for that one because he used all his best guys to make sure the Yankees won the first game after Andy Pettitte lasted only four innings.

So the Yankees hopes for an American League East title rest on Dustin Moseley's shoulders and the Kansas City Royals gearing up for one more game as a spoiler against the Tampa Bay Rays. Can't say I like the Yankees chances today, but stranger things have happened in baseball.

Jeter deal won't be major dilemma for Yanks

I can't help but laugh at these stories about the supposed hand wringing the New York Yankees will do this offseason over Derek Jeter's next contract. The Yankees and their captain will reach a deal within a month of the last game of the World Series. Why? Because they can't live without each other.

Sure, the Yankees may be contemplating how much to offer Jeter after his subpar season, but there's no way they are going to make him a low-ball offer. Not after all he has meant to this franchise and with him less than 100 hits away from the magic 3,000 hit mark. Ultimately, Jeter is going to get what he asks for, as long as want he asks for is within reason. No one doubts that Jeter deserves at least $20 million annually for three or four years. And knowing Jeter, he will be so motivated to prove that he is worthy of such a contract that the Yankees should expect a major bounce-back season from him in 2011.

This isn't a Hideki Matsui/Johnny Damon situation. As much as Yankee fans loved those guys, they were ultimately replaceable. But we are extremely protective of Jeter because we've seen him grow up right before our eyes, because he has come up in the big spot more often than not, because he has never embarrassed us or left us subject to ridicule the way other baseball players have.

Not only can the Yankees not afford to insult Jeter with a low-ball offer, they really can't even replace him. Tell me who steps into his iconic shoes if Jeter isn't the Yankee shortstop next year. I wouldn’t want to be that guy, whoever he is. Even an aging Jeter who is a fraction of his All-Star/MVP candidate self is better than any of the shortstops in the Yankees system and the vast majority of guys on the 29 other baseball teams.

Reaching a new deal with their iconic shortstop won't be the major dilemma that everyone is portraying it to be. The Yankees and Jeter need each other and they both know it. Yankee fans should expect an early Christmas present announcing the deal that ensures the Yankee Captain ends his career in pinstripes.

AJ Burnett fighting for postseason start

AJ Burnett is fighting for his postseason life as a starting pitcher tonight.

It's impossible to overstate the importance of tonight's game for AJ. Burnett must pitch well if he has any hopes of starting a game in the playoffs. The New York Yankees will put him on the postseason roster regardless of how he does because they know how important Burnett is for their long-term future, given that he's only just completing the second year of his five-year deal. Not putting him on the team would be a major blow to his psyche. But if he wants to start a game, he's going to have to show the Yankees that he can still step up when the stakes are high.

The Yankees will be watching Andy Pettitte too, but mostly for health and command. He's going to start one and possibly two games in the first round of the playoffs. If Pettitte proves he is all set to go, that makes Burnett's start even more critical for the erratic righty. A healthy Andy would allow the Yankees to go with a three-man rotation of CC Sabathia, Pettitte and Phil Hughes in the American League Division Series, giving the Bombers the option of skipping Burnett.

Joe Girardi hasn't given a signal of which way he is leaning, but it's not difficult to imagine that if he doesn't get at least six innings and only three or four runs from Burnett, that we won't see AJ starting a game in the ALDS. Mike Francesa asked Girardi if it was important that Burnett pitch well tonight.

"It's important for all of us involved," Girardi replied.

That may be the understatement of the year.

Yankees in control of their own destiny

The Kansas City Royals are doing the New York Yankees a huge favor by playing the role of spoiler to perfection. But the Yankees need to take advantage.

The Royals got a complete game shutout from Bruce Chen to hand the Tampa Bay Rays another loss, putting the Yankees back in first place by a half game. The Bronx Bombers are now firmly in control of their own destiny. If they can beat the Boston Red Sox three games in a row, they will clinch the American League East division.

It won't be an easy task. Doubleheaders are difficult under the best of circumstances, but this one will be a major challenge because the Yankees are scheduled to start AJ Burnett in the second game. Also, I can't imagine that Joe Girardi is going to start his main guys in both games so look for Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and maybe one or two others to get that second game off.

Jeter noted earlier in the week that the Yankees needed help to win the division. They've gotten it from the Royals. But they can't count on Kansas City winning another game or two. The Yanks must now do the heavy lifting by winning what will be three tough games in Boston.

All a team heading toward the playoffs can ask for is to have control of its own destiny. The Yankees have that now. They need to win.