Uh-oh

I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure this is how zombies start. According to the Washington Post, an FDA scientist has found a way to fight harmful bacteria like Salmonella, with good bacteria that would never in any way harm or turn their human carriers into flesh eating night crawlers. That this news breaks on Halloween makes it a bit ominous. And the fact that it's a slow baseball news-day after the off-day means I have nothing else to post about.

Burnett Sells Soul to Cliff Lee

The Good

Was anyone not impressed by what Burnett did yesterday? He was on, throwing fastballs and curves for strikes, striking out 9 through 7 innings and only allowing a run. This was the Burnett we paid over $80 million for, and he pitched like he was worth every penny. With all the control problems he's had, he managed to step up and pitch the biggest game of the year, a game that many saw as a must win for the Yankees.

The offense wasn't great yesterday, but the way Burnett pitched it didn't matter. The Yankees scored 3 runs, two off solo-shots from Teixeira and Matsui. Posada drove in another run with a pinch hit single. Posada off the bench has been phenomenal this year.

The game would not have been what it was without Mariano Rivera. He stepped in and threw 2 shutout innings. When our starting pitcher can hand the ball to Mariano, we're going to win more often than not.


The Bad

You want to know what's bad? Girardi needing to go to Mariano in the 8th because we don't have a single reliever worth pitching there.

The Ugly

A-Rod's really struggled these first two games. He went 0-4 with 3 strikeouts for the second night in a row. There was a ball hit to him in the 2nd that he looked like he should have got, and it drove in a run, so I was concerned that he would carry it with him into his at bats like he used to. That inning he struck out, but he put up a good at bat. He saw 9 pitches, 6 of which he fouled off before he was fooled on a changeup. It didn't look like he was pressing then, but 6 strikeouts over two games looks a lot like the A-Rod of old, rather than the A-Rod of this year.

I'm really hoping that A-Rod tee's off in Philadelphia. I really want him to end all the nonsense about him not being clutch. He's done great throughout the ALDS, and ALCS but the staunchest of A-Rod haters can still look to the World Series for ammunition. I want A-Rod to end that.

World Series MVP Game 2

First vote goes to Burnett easily. He gave us exactly what we needed last night.

My second vote is a little bit tougher seeing as I look what both Matsui and Teixeira did in this game. That being said I have to give it to Matsui, who went 2-3 with the go ahead homerun.

My third vote goes to Mariano, because after the debacle we saw yesterday with the bullpen, you have to appreciate what he did.

With our patented RJG scoring system, a first place vote gets a player 3 pts, a second place vote will get 2 pts and a 3rd place vote gets 1 pt. Here is the World Series MVP breakdown:

CC Sabathia = 3pts
AJ Burnett = 3pts
Hideki Matsui = 2pts
Derek Jeter = 2pts
Mariano Rivera = 1pt

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The RJG will continue to donate to Johnny Damon's homerun club throughout the post season. We believe that our $1.00 donations build just enough good will to push the Yankees into their next World Series title. We expect a ring Bronny Cash.

Yankees hit two homeruns last night, Matsui and Teixeira being the bash brothers from different mothers, and continents, and cultures.

Post Season Homeruns:

Derek Jeter 3hr = $3.00
Hideki Matsui 2hr = $2.00
Alex Rodriguez 5hr = $5.00
Mark Teixeira 2hr = $2.00
Jorge Posada 2hr = $2.00
Johnny Damon 2hr = $2.00
Total = $16.00

Regular Season Total = $244.00

RJG Donation Total = $260.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page. Live it. Love it. RJG.

Not Everybody Happy After Burnett's Performance

During A.J. Burnett's post-game press conference, the man with electric stuff stated that this game had been "the funnest day I’ve ever had on a baseball field." One can understand the sentiment. A.J. went seven spectacular innings, giving up only one run, on the biggest stage in all of sports (that's right Super Bowl, I said it). But not everyone cared for Burnett's stated sentiment.

"How could he say that was the most fun he's ever had on a baseball field?" asked childhood friend Billy Jarett. "One time, when we were kids, we were playing baseball and A.J. just had this huge smile on his face. There's no way that wasn't the most fun day ever. He didn't smile like that yesterday!"

Timmy Allen, another childhood friend, agreed. "I remember one time, A.J. scored one of those little league home runs where everyone kept overthrowing the base, he was so happy. After that game, he said it was the most fun he'd ever had. Those words are empty to me now. They mean nothing. Nothing!"

When asked whether the importance of the game, combined with his performance, may have reasonably made A.J. feel as though game 2 had surpassed those childhood memories in fun, childhood friend Johnny Anderson became introspective, "Go f--k yourself."

It seems that you can't please everybody. And while Yankees fans everywhere are celebrating a virtuoso performance in a very important game, there are at least a few people who will have to be forgiven if they don't feel like celebrating.

"I lent that guy my glove once just so he could have fun," lamented Sammy Pitterly. "What an a--hole!"

Hudson Brazenly Attempts to Upstage World Series

Today, "a person familiar with negotiations" (e.g. Scott Boras, for who, after all is more familiar with negotiations than Scott Boras?) announced that Tim Hudson is expected to sign a three year contract extension with the Atlanta Braves.

The news sent shockwaves through Major League Baseball, where almost every player and team executive had spent many a sleepless night wondering, nay, worrying about what would come of Tim Hudson's status with the Braves this winter. All over baseball you could hear people saying, "who is Tim Hudson?" and "I didn't realize Atlanta still had a team."

The timing of this "leak" is quite suspect, clearly an attempt to upstage the World Series, which has quickly become a footnote in 24 hour sports coverage. Take this breakdown of a recent Sportscenter episode for example:

Mins 0:00-29:30 - Coverage of the Tim Hudson contract extension, its ramifications for the Braves and sports finances in general.

Mins 29:30-29:40 - Recap of World Series game 1.

Mins 29:40-30:00 - Announcement that never again would ESPN let something as mundane and unimportant as the World Series interrupt coverage of the Tim Hudson contract extension.

Clearly Tim Hudson is out to steal the moment, and for the time being, he has succeeded. Will the public be able to recover in time to pay attention to the rest of this World Series? Only time will tell. One thing is sure, however, this reporter will not be sleeping tonight.

Cliff Lee Sells Soul to Cy Young

The Good

Jeter showed up with a 3-4 game, and Sabathia honestly pitched well, going 7 innings and allowing 2 runs, but when you can't score more than 1 run in a world series game, you're probably not going to fare well.

The Bad

The bullpen. They had a complete collapse last night. I haven't seen so many consecutive releivers not be able to find the strike zone since, well, our 2008 bullpen, but nonetheless it was a surprise. Hughes is completely unreliable, and has been all post season. Bruney was a disaster in his first appearance, but that was almost to be expected.

The Ugly

Cliff Lee was absolutely magnificent, but that the offense could not score a single run until an error allowed them to do so is pretty disheartening. The Yankees combined for 6 hits, only one for extra bases. Take away Jeter, and you have 3 hits, none for extra bases. As my brother mentioned previously, its essential to win game 2. Without it, we're going to have a nice hole to climb out of.

World Series MVP Game 1

My first vote goes to CC Sabathia who continued pitching well in the post season despite ultimately getting the loss.

My second vote goes to Derek Jeter for being the only offensive player to show up last night.

No last place vote, since no one deserves it. Everyone else sucked.

With our patented RJG scoring system, a first place vote gets a player 3 pts, a second place vote will get 2 pts and a 3rd place vote gets 1 pt. Here is the World Series MVP breakdown:

CC Sabathia = 3pts
Derek Jeter = 2pts

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The RJG will continue to donate to Johnny Damon's homerun club throughout the post season. We believe that our $1.00 donations build just enough good will to push the Yankees into their next World Series title. We expect a ring Bronny Cash.

No homeruns last night. Well at least not for the Yankees.

Post Season Homeruns:

Derek Jeter 3hr = $3.00
Hideki Matsui 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 5hr = $5.00
Mark Teixeira 1hr = $1.00
Jorge Posada 2hr = $2.00
Johnny Damon 2hr = $2.00
Total = $14.00

Regular Season Total = $244.00

RJG Donation Total = $258.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page. Live it. Love it. RJG.

That Was Ugly

So we dropped game 1 in a less than encouraging manner, but hey, ce la vie. Tonight we have Burnett v. Pedro and a chance to even the series. The key though, is to not have to play from behind the entire time, just ask the Angels. Once we tie the series, we need to take Game 3, then we're in the driver's seat. Here's to game twos.

Hinske and Bruney Added

Guzman and Cervelli dropped as reported by the Lohud blog.

This is good news seeing as Bruney really did pitch well over the last few weeks of the season, and should have been given a spot early on. I wonder however how well he'll do after not playing for three weeks. I know they throw bullpen sessions and all that, but still.

Hinske should never have been dropped since he gives the Yankees that rare power off the bench we always seem to want, but never seem to have (See Wilson Betemit). We already had a pinch runner in Gardner, so having two was sort of unnecessary. Not to mention that there were games in the Angels series where a big hit would have done us better than a stolen base. Its all shaping up for tonight.

Game 1 Tonight

And its bound to be a good one. CC Sabathia vs. Cliff Lee in the battle of the Cy Young former-Cleveland lefties. The great thing about this series is how well we're matched up pitching wise. Lee and Sabathia are two legitimate aces. Hamels and Burnett are two strong pitchers but wildly inconsistant. Pedro and Pettitte, are two seasoned veterans with good post season experience. Then the offenses are pretty well aligned too. We have some bashers in A-Rod and Teixeira, they have some bashers in Howard and Utley. We have strong supplementary players in Matsui and Posada, and they have strong supplementary players in Werth and Ibanez. Our teams run deep with power, with a touch of speed. This series is going to be well played, and I wouldn't take anything for granted. Both teams are capable of coming from behind, and both teams are capable of shutting teams down. The Yankees bullpen is stronger, but if Brad Lidge has his game together as he has in the postseason, that edge becomes a little less sharp. Here's to what should be an excellent series.

Who Should Mets Fans Root For?

The question of who Mets fans should root for was recently posed to us and I thought it merited attention. What I've primarily heard so far is that Mets fans will be rooting for the Phils, since they hate the Yankees so much. But I think we have to weigh the options a bit more carefully.

Mets fans are really between a rock and hard place, forced to choose between two teams who are far superior to theirs, and have made a habit of embarrassing them. On the one hand, you have the Phillies. They currently dominate the NL East, forcing Mets fans to have little else to look forward to other than in what creative new way the Mets will piss away their season in the face of a Phillies onslaught.

On the other hand, you have the Yankees, who have the audacity to play in the same city as the Mets, and the sheer balls to have been the most storied sports franchise in America long before someone came up with the idea of giving New York the Mets as consolation for the Dodgers and Giants leaving the city. It was kind of like when you wanted a computer for Christmas, but got a calculator instead. They're similar, but not quite. You still have to pretend you like, even love, the calculator, because the economy sucks and someone at least thought to get you something, but you're still a little empty inside. Such was the adoption of the Mets by NL fans in New York, and they have since tried to fill that emptiness with contempt for the Yankees.

Those aren't two great options to have to choose between if you're a Mets fan looking for someone to root for in this World Series. Both teams involved pretty much assure your team won't ever matter to anyone, no matter how blue and orange your logo is. I know that's hard to hear, but it has to be said.

But let's leave the logos out of this. This is about who to root for. Your division rival, whose star pitcher (until they traded for Cliff Lee) called you 'chokers'; or your crosstown rival, whom you hate but deep down secretly admire, because, after all, how could you not? They're the f----g Yankees!

The Phillies ultimately have a more direct role in the successes of the Mets. You play them 18 times a year, and you compete against them for a playoff spot. Perhaps this regular competition has left you with some amount of respect for the Phillies. And hey, at the end of the day, you live in New York, even if it's Queens, and they live in Philly. You may feel that letting them be successful is the least fate can do for them.

The Yankees play no real role in determining your success. But you don't compete with the Yankees on the baseball field, you compete with them for national, hell even local, love and attention. You're Leonardo's little brother. He just painted the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, and you're one hell of a tracer. Man you hate that guy. But you're still family. You live in the same house, and at the end of the day, what's good for the Yankees is good for New York. But you don't care about that do you? You're too bitter.

So what should a Met fan do this World Series? Move to Jersey, and root for the Phillies.

It's Been A While

With the Yankees in the World Series, it was time to call everyone's favorite GM and RJG fanboy, Brian Cashman, via satellite video phone. Below is the transcript of our conversation:

BC: Hello?

RJG: Live from Folsom Prison, it's Bronny Cash!

BC: Oh great, it's you . . .

RJG: I've missed you Bronny, let's not fight anymore.

BC: I didn't realize we had a fight.

RJG: Yeah, you're probably right. So, I guess congratulations are in order. You went from being voted the worst GM in baseball to being the GM whose team is in the World Series. Do you feel like you've been vindicated?

BC: When was I voted 'worst GM in baseball'?

RJG: Oh, well, after you guys lost a game last April, we got drunk in the office and took a poll. You definitely didn't fare well. Though by 'we' I largely mean 'I'.

BC: I see. Well, that seems like a bit of an overreaction.

RJG: Well, I see success has certainly gone to your head. Why can't you just be gracious about it?

BC: Is there something you wanted?

RJG: Yeah, I wanted to find out why you've been laying so low lately. I don't think I read a single Brian Cashman quote in all the articles about the Yankees winning the ALCS. I got Hal Steinbrenner quotes, but no Cash. What gives?

BC: Yeah I thought that was weird too. I've been in the clubhouse after every playoff game, and I've yet to be approached by a single reporter. It's like I'm invisible or something. I guess . . .

RJG: You've been wearing your ninja costume haven't you?

BC: Yeah that's probably it.

RJG: Well can you stop? I'd like to hear a little bit more from the guy who built the team that has dominated Major League Baseball since the All-Star break.

BC: But it's so comfortable.

RJG: It's not all about you, Bronny.

[Click]

There you have it. The lack of Brian Cashman visibility is largely due to a wardrobe malfunction.

World Series Here We Come

The Good


Andy Pettitte gave us exactly what we needed out of him, a high quality start, and a chance to get the offense rolling, which it did. Johnny Damon appears to be over his post season batting slump.

The Bad

Mo gave up a run. Tragic.

The Ugly

We're on to face the Phillies. For those traveling down to Philadelphia for these games, just know that Phillies fans are just as fanatical as Boston fans and are prone to the same lapses in judgement as Boston fans. It should be a great series though, with two very good offenses.

ALCS MVP Game 6

First vote goes to Andy Pettitte, 6.1 innings of one run ball was exactly what we needed last night, and Andy was the stopper we have come to expect.

An easy second place vote goes to Johnny Damon, who went 2-4 with 2 RBI's to give the Yankees the lead early in the game.

Lastly, a third place vote goest to Mariano Rivera, who despite giving up a run, pitched two innings and closed the series out for the Yankees.

With our patented RJG scoring system, a first place vote gets a player 3 pts, a second place vote will get 2 pts and a 3rd place vote gets 1 pt. Here is the ALCS MVP breakdown:

CC Sabathia = 6pts
Mariano Rivera = 6pts
Andy Pettitte = 3pts
Mark Teixeira = 3pts
Phil Hughes = 3pts
Alex Rodriguez = 3pts
Johnny Damon = 2pts
Robinson Cano = 2pts
Melky Cabrera = 2 pts
Chone Figgins/Erick Aybar = 2pts
AJ Burnett = 1pt
Hideki Matsui = 1pt
Dave Robertson = 1pt
Damaso Marte = 1pt

CC Sabathia ended up winning the ALCS MVP honors, though you could make a case for Mariano. I feel fine that Sabathia won it given that he pitched two exceptional games, and without his two strong starts I really don't see us being where we are.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The RJG will continue to donate to Johnny Damon's homerun club throughout the post season. We believe that our $1.00 donations build just enough good will to push the Yankees into their next World Series title. We expect a ring Bronny Cash.

No homeruns last night for the Bronx Bombers. That's two straight games without the long ball, yet they scored 11 runs between the two. This team is getting it done in more ways than one.

Post Season Homeruns:

Derek Jeter 3hr = $3.00
Hideki Matsui 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 5hr = $5.00
Mark Teixeira 1hr = $1.00
Jorge Posada 2hr = $2.00
Johnny Damon 2hr = $2.00
Total = $14.00

Regular Season Total = $244.00

RJG Donation Total = $258.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page. Live it. Love it. RJG.

World Series Bound!

Pettitte did exactly what I said he would do, pitch us into the World Series. He was a stopper, and gave us 6.1 innings of one-run ball. After Joba closed out the seventh, it was Mo time. And with blazing spitball after blazing spitball, the Angels were done and the Yankees were celebrating.

We now prepare for Philadelphia. The Phillies are a very scrappy team with an opposing offense and two very good starters in Hamels and Lee. That being said, I think the Angels are the toughest team we could have faced in these playoffs and we solved them with flying colors. We were never down in this series and we never lost momentum. Now we face the Philadelphia Fillies (see what I did there? I compared them to a horse, but a girl horse, which is sexist, but still, quite clever), and we're four wins away from a World Series.

Three words: Home, Field, Advantage. The Yankees have yet to lose at home this postseason, and the New Yankee Stadium is proving to be every bit the advantage that the old one was. Here's to a great next round.

Go Yankees!

Let's Try This Again Shall We?

Interesting article in the Times today about how unwelcome all these off days have been for the teams involved in the ALCS. Scioscia is less than pleased about the random off-day in the middle of the Angels' home stand, and all around people agree that this series has taken way too long. The reason we are guaranteed baseball in November this year, states the article, is that MLB decided Saturday, the day the World Series traditionally starts, was the reason for the rating slumps of recent years and that moving the start of the WS to Wednesday would fix that.

Let me get this straight. Saturday, a night when pretty much everyone who cares to watch is free, is worse for ratings than Wednesday, a night everyone has to get to bed so they can get up for work the next morning? Is the unemployment rate really that bad now?

The reason no one has watched the WS in the last few years is because nobody outside of Dick Vitale and citizens of Philadelphia cares who wins between the Rays and the Phillies. No one cares if Boston beats St. Louis (sorry Boston, despite your deepest wish, you're not America's team in any sense of the word, you're New Hampshire's, Massachusetts', and Rhode Island's team). Nobody cares if the White Sox beat the Astros. That's not to say none of these series have had compelling baseball, it's just to say that none of these teams really capture the national attention (which spans about three seconds now-a-days).

Not to mention, Baseball fandom is still fairly regional. What do I mean? People root for their team more than they do the sport. If they're not in it, they don't watch. Which is why scheduling random off-days during the LCS so that each network can have exclusive baseball nights is stupid. American League fans, by and large, don't watch the NLCS. They don't care. They'll check the score the next day just to find out who is advancing and who the AL champ will have to play in the WS.

So, in conclusion, MLB has no idea what it's doing and I'm essentially pissed at them for last night's act of God.

Well That Didn't Go As Planned

The Good

The offense was more balanced with several different players getting hits and driving in runs including Mark Teixeira who went 2-5 with 3 RBI. Cano hit a triple.

Marte-Chamberlain-Rivera combined for 1.2 innings of scoreless ball.

The Bad

Hughes gave up the go ahead hit in the 7th with two outs. None of our relievers (except for Rivera) were lights out. You wish to see more out of the bullpen in a game like this.

The Ugly

AJ Burnett lasted 6 innings, which is decent, but he gave up 6 runs, which is not. He had 4 runs score in the first before he could even record an out. This game is on him. Now we take it back to New York with Pettitte on the mound. I like our chances, but the Angels are strong and I don't take victory for granted.

ALCS MVP Game 5

A first place vote goes to Marky T, who had his best offensive game of the post season going 2-5 with 3 RBI's.

My second place vote goes to Cano, who actually hit with runners in scoring position when he knocked a 2-run double in the 7th.

Third place vote goes to Marte, only because he shouldn't be on the roster, and he made it into a game and recorded two outs.

I'm starting to find that its difficult to vote for MVP's in games that we lose.

With our patented RJG scoring system, a first place vote gets a player 3 pts, a second place vote will get 2 pts and a 3rd place vote gets 1 pt. Here is the ALCS MVP breakdown:

CC Sabathia = 6pts
Mariano Rivera = 5pts
Mark Teixeira = 3pts
Phil Hughes = 3pts
Alex Rodriguez = 3pts
Robinson Cano = 2pts
Melky Cabrera = 2 pts
Chone Figgins/Erick Aybar = 2pts
AJ Burnett = 1pt
Hideki Matsui = 1pt
Dave Robertson = 1pt
Damaso Marte = 1pt

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The RJG will continue to donate to Johnny Damon's homerun club throughout the post season. We believe that our $1.00 donations build just enough good will to push the Yankees into their next World Series title. We expect a ring Bronny Cash.

No homeruns last night for the Bronx Bombers.

Post Season Homeruns:

Derek Jeter 3hr = $3.00
Hideki Matsui 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 5hr = $5.00
Mark Teixeira 1hr = $1.00
Jorge Posada 2hr = $2.00
Johnny Damon 2hr = $2.00
Total = $14.00

Regular Season Total = $244.00

RJG Donation Total = $258.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page. Live it. Love it. RJG.

Great, Another Off Day

At least this one's for travel. Bastards. So we didn't get it done yesterday. S--t happens. It's not 2004. One word: Stopper. That's what Pettitte's been his whole career for us and that's what he'll be tomorrow. Not to mention we're home, and I rather win in the Bronx anyway. The Angels are a good team, and beating them twice at home would've been nice, but was always unlikely. They're tough and have a great manager. They made the Red Sox look every bit the wild card in the first round. They sent Papelbon home crying after he had two outs in the ninth. I will say it here first, the Angels are the toughest team we'll play in the postseason. Sorry, they're tougher than the Phillies. Beating them is nothing more than preparation for the next round, so they might as well be tough. Here's to Saturday.

Yes!

Fox has announced that Ozzie Guillen will be joining their crew for the World Series. This is the best news ever. I can see it now, "The Phillies sucked, they f----g sucked. And A-Rod? He hit the f----g s--t out of that ball. You f----g kidding me?" No Ozzie, we're not kidding you, but thank you for agreeing to be an announcer for the World Series.

Play Already

Is anyone else tired of all these off days? I can only imagine the next round of negotiations for scheduling the play-offs:

MLB Exec: We know you're concerned about your prime time line-up so we're willing to consider a game every other day.

Fox Exec: That won't work for us, we need prime slots for our quality programming, like Degenerate Wife Beater Island. How about one game a week?

MLB Exec: Well, I guess you have us over the barrel. It's not like we have our own network nobody gets. We agree.


Even if we win tonight, which we will, we don't start the World Series for another six days. Hell, why not wait until after sweeps? #$%*& that! Let them play already. It's completely ridiculous. Next year CC Sabathia will probably be able to pitch every game of the playoffs on full rest the way things are going. Since it's such a nuisance to the networks' scheduling, why don't we just switch to a football style playoff, where single games determine who moves on to the next round? Sack up MLB, this is a joke.

Mariano Rivera Saga

When I first heard about the Mariano Rivera "spitball" video I thought I was going to see something pretty condeming. The way it was explained to me was that Mariano was caught on video first looking around to see if umpires were watching him, and then once he feels comfortable that no one is looking, he spits on some sand paper, then takes the sand paper and rubs down the ball, then he takes a vial that clearly reads "HGH" on it, and injects himself, pops a couple amphetamine pills, then he pulls out a cellphone and calls a bookie to place a bet on the game, and then finally he throws a pitch. Then, when I saw the video, I was extremely dissapointed. It was the dumbest thing I had ever seen, minus Carl Pavano's Yankee contract. The claim was baseless, and MLB agrees. Rivera pretty much laughed it off. That's because the whole thing is laughable. This is just another reason why you should never believe the hype.

Yankees Just Don't Care About Feelings

The Good

I certainly did not expect CC to come in on 3 days rest and put up the same 8 inning/1 run line he did last Friday, but that's exactly what happened.

The offense really came alive, and A-Rod kept up his onslaught. He went 3-5 with a homerun, but the big hit of the game (and there were many) has to be Melky Cabrera's 2-run single in the 4th to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead. Melky finished the game with a 3-4 line and 4 RBI's.

Gaudin finally got in a game, and pitched a perfect inning. Not bad for someone who hasn't thrown in a live game since October 3.

The Bad

The offense really picked it up last night, but we still have some players slumping in the playoffs. Teixeira (.111 batting average), Cano (.235 batting average), and Swisher (.167 batting average) are among the culprits.

The Ugly

Brett Gardner gets caught stealing and Posada doesn't?

ALCS MVP Game 4

A first place vote goes to CC Sabathia, for giving us yet another outstanding performance, only this time on short rest, which makes it even more impressive.

My second place vote goes to one Melky Cabrera, who really picked it up last night. Though the score ended up being ridiculously lopsided, Melky gave us a big hit while it was still a very low scoring game.

Third place goes to the ever dominating Alex Rodriguez, who has done nothing but drive in runs all post season. Last night he drove in 2 more to add to his total, and scored 3.

With our patented RJG scoring system, a first place vote gets a player 3 pts, a second place vote will get 2 pts and a 3rd place vote gets 1 pt. Here is the ALCS MVP breakdown:

CC Sabathia = 6pts
Mariano Rivera = 5pts
Phil Hughes = 3pts
Alex Rodriguez = 3pts
Melky Cabrera = 2 pts
Chone Figgins/Erick Aybar = 2pts
AJ Burnett = 1pt
Hideki Matsui = 1pt
Dave Robertson = 1pt

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The RJG will continue to donate to Johnny Damon's homerun club throughout the post season. We believe that our $1.00 donations build just enough good will to push the Yankees into their next World Series title. We expect a ring Bronny Cash.

Post Season Homeruns:

Derek Jeter 3hr = $3.00
Hideki Matsui 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 5hr = $5.00
Mark Teixeira 1hr = $1.00
Jorge Posada 2hr = $2.00
Johnny Damon 2hr = $2.00
Total = $14.00

Regular Season Total = $244.00

RJG Donation Total = $258.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page. Live it. Love it. RJG.

Should We Still Have Confidence in Joba?

At this point, the sight of Joba running to the mound from the bullpen should elicit one response from any Yankees fan and one response only: "Ah, [insert favorite expletive]."

We never really saw Joba carry any of his Joba-the-reliever mojo to his role as a starter. We are beginning to see, however, that he's carried plenty of his I'm-not-much-of-a-starter into his new role as seventh inning guy. I can't really wrap my head around it, but this is not the same Joba who was lights out in the eight inning two years ago. This is Joba melting down because of midges, only without the midges.

What gives? Am I overreacting? Or is it time to leave our confidence in this kid at the door (at least until after we win our 27th championship)?

We Lost....For the Last Time

The Good

4 homeruns by the Yankees.

The Bad

We couldn't hit any homeruns with runners standing on a base, and couldn't hit period with runners in scoring position. Its amazing that it went to the 11th.

The Ugly

As was mentioned in the post below, Girardi overmanaged and we lost the game with Alfredo Aceves on the mound. Meanwhile, Chad Gaudin hasn't pitched all post season. His last outing was a regular season releif appearance on October 3rd against the Rays. Its October 20th. 17 days of inactivity. I can't imagine how he'll do when they finally put him in.

ALCS MVP Game 3

My first place vote will go to Phil Hughes. A solid young man who gave the Yankees 1.2 scoreless innings of relief when we needed them.

My second place vote goes to Mariano Rivera, for doing the same as Phil Hughes, only for two outs less than Hughes.

My last place vote goes to Robertson, who should have been left in the game, but wasn't.

You may have noticed that I picked all relievers, and the reason for that is that despite the offensive flex, the offense really didn't capitolize on the opportunities they had, which is very un-MVP like. Pettitte could get a vote, but Guerrero getting that hit in that situation bumps him out of MVP standing. Meanwhile, all these relievers gave us strong efforts in a tied game.

With our patented RJG scoring system, a first place vote gets a player 3 pts, a second place vote will get 2 pts and a 3rd place vote gets 1 pt. Here is the ALCS MVP breakdown:

Mariano Rivera = 5pts
CC Sabathia = 3pts
Phil Hughes = 3pts
Alex Rodriguez = 2pts
Chone Figgins/Erick Aybar = 2pts
AJ Burnett = 1pt
Hideki Matsui = 1pt
Dave Robertson = 1pt

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The RJG will continue to donate to Johnny Damon's homerun club throughout the post season. We believe that our $1.00 donations build just enough good will to push the Yankees into their next World Series title. We expect a ring Bronny Cash.

Post Season Homeruns:

Derek Jeter 3hr = $3.00
Hideki Matsui 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 4hr = $4.00
Mark Teixeira 1hr = $1.00
Jorge Posada 2hr = $2.00
Johnny Damon 1hr = $1.00
Total = $12.00

Regular Season Total = $244.00

RJG Donation Total = $256.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page. Live it. Love it. RJG.

Girardi Loves to Manage. What Can You Do?

Girardi overmanaged last night. No question. Taking out Robertson, who has been lights out, for Aceves, who was lights out three months ago, was a bad move. That's not to say the Yanks win otherwise, but they probably don't lose in the 11th. The way the Yanks were swinging the bats, they were hardly guaranteed a victory. You can't rely on solo home runs, even when you hit them as regularly as the Yankees.

But still, overmanaging doesn't help. After the Angels scored their fifth run, Girardi headed to the clubhouse to answer questions from the media, regularly correcting the reporters on issues of grammar and syntax. He then went back out on the field to make sure the grounds crew was doing everything just right, even suggesting a different rake be used to tend the mound. Not content to stop there, Girardi then went to the now empty clubhouse and explained to the cleaning staff the best way to sweep and mop.

At the end of the day, Girardi likes to manage. Sometimes it costs us, but more often than not we walk off the field winners. At the end of this series we will probably walk off the field winners, and Girardi will have played some role in that. As long as he doesn't screw up too bad tonight, he should get a pass. But to reiterate, it was clearly his fault.

Two Up, Two Down

The Good

I knew this series with the Angels would be tough, but these two games have exceeded my expectations. Game 1, you have to be impressed with Sabathia's pitching performance: 8 innings and 1 run for the win. He handed the ball to Mariano Rivera, who did what he does best. At this point, all my concerns about whether or not Sabathia could perform under the pressure's of October baseball have subsided.

In game two, the most incredible thing I saw was the bullpen. Coke-Chamberlain-Hughes-Rivera-Aceves-Marte-Robertson combined for 6.2 innings of one run baseball. Not without their troubles of course since they put 10 runners on, and escaped several jams. The defense didn't help much with both Jeter and Cano botching plays to give the Angels a chance to score, but they never did. Burnett was a little shaky in the 5th inning of his start, but finished his night with 6.1 innings and 2 runs.

The Bad

Lots of sloppy baseball, including two errors on Cano and an error for Jeter. Anyone of those could have led to the Angels winning the game, but ironically, it was an error by the Angels that allowed us to win. So cheers!

The Ugly

13 innings and a 1 am finish. They got me nervous when they showed the bullpen and Chad Gaudin was the only one sitting there.

ALCS MVP Game 1

Easily, the first place vote goes to Sabathia, who gave us 8 innings of 1 run ball for the win. Not much disputing that one.

My second vote is split between Chone Figgins and Erick Aybar who allowed a first inning pop fly to drop between them, which allowed Damon to score the second run of the inning and give the Yankees a 2-1 lead. A lead they would never return.

My third place vote goes to Matsui who was credited with 2 RBI's, and went 2-3. 1 of his RBI's I credit to Figgins and Aybar.

ALCS MVP Game 2

This one was tougher to think about, but I decided that the first vote has to go to Mariano Rivera. 2.1 innings of shutout baseball really bolstered the bullpens efforts. I'm not so sure the game would have ended the way it did if Marte or Coke or Aceves even had to fill up some of those outs that Rivera got. Basically, without his performance, I don't think we win this game.

A-Rod gets my second place vote. Even though his 1-6 line on the game looks very unimpressive, his one hit came when it mattered. An 11th inning homerun after the Angels had just taken the lead and had their closer Brian Fuentes up to bat. I'm sure the Angels and Fuentes are kicking themselves for pitching to him with Guzman and Gardner (both of whom had been put in as pinch runners) were batting behind him.

My third place vote goes to AJ Burnett, who gave us a strong pitching performance and has not shown as much of the wildness that characterized so many of his mid season starts. 6.1 innings of 2 run ball allowed the Yankees to stay in this game, and he was taken out after an error by Cano led to the Angels getting a runner on.

With our patented RJG scoring system, a first place vote gets a player 3 pts, a second place vote will get 2 pts and a 3rd place vote gets 1 pt. Here is the ALCS MVP breakdown:

CC Sabathia 3pts
Mariano Rivera = 3pts
Alex Rodriguez = 2pts
Chone Figgins/Erick Aybar = 2pts
AJ Burnett = 1pt
Hideki Matsui = 1pt

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The RJG will continue to donate to Johnny Damon's homerun club throughout the post season. We believe that our $1.00 donations build just enough good will to push the Yankees into their next World Series title. We expect a ring Bronny Cash.

Post Season Homeruns:

Derek Jeter 2hr = $2.00
Hideki Matsui 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 3hr = $3.00
Mark Teixeira 1hr = $1.00
Jorge Posada 1hr = $1.00
Total = $8.00

Regular Season Total = $244.00

RJG Donation Total = $252.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page. Live it. Love it. RJG.

Dodgers Lose, Yankees Will be Playing Phillies

How can I make such a claim after one game? I had a prophetic vision that whoever won the first game would win that series, and my prophetic visions have about a 33% success rate, which in baseball is hall of fame worthy. So expect the Phillies.

In other news, John Lackey refuses to be intimidated by us. Lackey had some interesting quotes about it:

"The Yankees are a great team, but I just don't scare so easy. I grew up in a house built on top of a colonial era graveyard, which had been built on top of an ancient Indian burial ground, which had been built on top of an ancient dinosaur burial ground. I would have ghost natives and ghost colonials riding on ghost raptors through my bedroom all night. I don't scare. I mean the Yankees have tried. They put horse heads in my bed, live snakes in my mattresses, they once left that movie 'Saw' on in my living room, they even ate all my Honey Nut Cheerio's, and left menacing messages on my answering machine telling me to watch my back. It just reminds me of my childhood is all. I'm not intimidated. I have a healthy appreciation for Jeter's gangster, but that's it."

Given this revelation, it should be a pretty good match up tonight.

Guzman Replaces Hinske

Joe Girardi announced today that bench player Eric Hinske has been taken off the ALCS roster in favor of Freddy Guzman. Hinske, upon hearing the news, did not take it well. "'You have made a powerful enemy,' that's what he said to me," explained Girardi. "Then, as he walked out of my office, he knocked over a cup full of pens and pencils."

Hinske could not be reached for comment. An attempt to contact him by phone was unsuccessful, but he had changed his voicemail message to the following:

Hey, you've reached Eric, leave a message at the beep . . . Unless you're calling from the Yankees. Unless you're ready to apologize, go #*&^% yourself.

Also of note is that Damaso Marte is still on the Yankees ALCS roster. "We just wanted to make sure we had someone to load the bases in key situations, and also, with two lefties in the 'pen I have much more of an opportunity to overmanage the game," said Girardi.

Its Friggin' Cold

This year, the playoffs and world series schedules stretch right into the beginning of November. Now if the Dodgers and Anaheim were playing in the world series, it wouldn't be that big of an issue, but I'm banking that the Yankees will be there, and the truth is, its friggin' cold in New York in November. In the meantime, we're waiting 5 days for the next series to start. If I were a baseball player I would not be all too happy, but the television networks need their air times, and they're paying big money I'm sure. So my solution? RJG should become an accredited television network giant. Much like Viacom, only much larger, and far more ruthless. The Angels and Yankees would have started playing on Wednesday under our regime. Today at the latest. But alas, were not a network giant just yet.

Much attention has been given to the Angels running game and how the Yankees will stop it. However, very little attention has been given to the one natural element that will slow down the running game: the friggin' cold. These Angels players are used to running in nice tropical weather. My guess is, at least one Angels player is going to pull a quad or hamstring trying to take a base. Probably Chone Figgins.

I also expect Angels pitchers to be less effective in the cold. Its harder to pitch when you can't feel your finger tips, and even harder after you lose your fingers to the friggin' cold.

So in conclusion, its friggin' cold, and its going to be cold throughout the weekend. If you're going to the game, bundle up, cheer hard to keep warm, stay close to loved ones, and buy plenty of hot cocoa. The RJG always looks out for your best interest.

Mo Money, Mo Problems?

The height of irresponsible Yankee spending was 2008, when according to USA Today, they spent $209 million on a team that did not make it to the post season. This season, the New York Yankees have begun trimming corporate excess, and have cut their payroll to an anemic $201.4 million. What has that gotten them? A sweep of the ALDS and a chance to take on the Angels in the ALCS.

So what are the lessons we've learned from our time of corporate irresponsibility?

-Back loaded contracts are a terrible idea.
-All Star's at each position only works if you don't sign malcontented, arrogant, selfish players.
-A good glove at first base should never be traded for a big bat at the plate.
-Grow your own bullpen. Free agent relievers are not worth the cost (Hawkins, Marte, Farnsworth, etc.).
-Don't give free agents contracts based on what they did for another team, give them contracts based on what they can do for your team.
-Don't sign Carl Pavano.
-A strong farm system is better protection against injury than any trade market can be.
-Holding onto your prospects can sometimes pay dividends: Robinson Cano, Phil Hughes, Melky Cabrera/Brett Gardner.
-Sometimes trades can get you more than signing the best free agent available for the position in question (See Wilson Betemit for Nick Swisher).
-Chemistry's important.
-Don't rely on 3 rookies to anchor your rotation.

What are some other lessons we learned from our inefficient era?

29 Security Holes? WTF?

Ever since hiring Bucky as our security guard, RJG headquarters has seen a marked reduction in the number of monthly ninja attacks (ninjas are afraid of bears? Who knew?). These attacks, all of which up to now have been unsuccessful, are largely at the impetus of various levels of Red Sox management.

With Bucky firmly in place, the ninjas have tried new and innovative ways of attacking us, including hacking our military grade computer systems. This article in the Washington Post has alerted us to the fact that Adobe has release an update to its ubiquitous Reader program plugging 29 security flaws. Twenty-nine? Really? Why don't you just call it Adobe Please Hack My $#!%? No worries. We've installed the update and are now safer from ninjas. We suggest following the link in the article to Adobe's update page if you are viewing this blog from a computer and doing the same.

Red Sox Fans Overreacting? No Way.

Since Red Sox fans have had a couple days to process what happened over the weekend, they are just now able to come together and express their logical concerns of the team. At least that's what you'd think. The majority of Red Sox fans I've talked to think the Sox need to trade Papelbon, and get rid of Francona. The more grounded of the fans realize that the Angels were just a better team, but some don't see it. In fact, I know Red Sox fans who were predicting a sweep of the Angels, while predicting that the Yankees would need 5 games to beat Minnesota. I just didn't see it working out that way. While I hoped that the Red Sox would beat the Angels so we could see them in the ALCS, I'm not too surprised they lost. I had predicted the Red Sox in 5, but I wasn't surprised to see the Angels win. Either way, the main thing I want to point out is that Papelbon, as much as I don't like him, is an elite closer with elite closer talent. He got beat by Vlad Guerrero and an Angels team that has elite hitters. His final line in what has been termed a dissapointing year was 38 saves in 41 opportunites with a 1.85 ERA, and 76 strikeouts in 68 innings. So sure, get rid of the guy. I think Red Sox fans have forgotten their closer-less years when Keith Faulke was injured, and Schilling and Pineiro were slotted as their closers. Papelbon saved them from that mess. But by all means, trade away your closer. Throw in Francona while you're at it. Its not like he gave you the first two World Series championships since Babe Ruth was smoking cigars in the Fenway dugout or anything.

Answering the Remaining Questions

Yesterday, Chad Jennings, who replaced Peter Abraham as the Yankees beat writer at the Journal News, posted a list of questions that the Yankees need to answer before the series with the Angels. We at the RJG have answered those questions. Here they are:

1. Should the Yankees change their roster?

Yes, as Chad suggests, Damaso Marte should be dropped. I would think that Brian Bruney would be the best addition they can make. He did better in the last few appearances of the season, and he'll certainly be in greater demand than Marte. Besides, will Marte really pitch any better than Bruney? Doubtful. The other option is pinch runner Freddy Guzman, but I think the extra arm could be more valuable.

2. How many starting pitchers do they need?

According to Chad, with the way the series plays, the Yankees could once again rely on a 3 man rotation with Sabathia pitching on short rest once. As Chad mentions, its something he's done in the past succesfully. Though the Yankees can skate by with a 3 man rotation, I suggest sticking with 4. The main reason being that we may need that 4th starter in the World Series, and they would be extremely rusty having not pitched since the end of September. The only reason I would not choose a 4 man rotation is if we're down in the series, or facing elimination.

3. If there is a fourth starter, who should it be?

Chad Gaudin.

4. Will Jose Molina once again catch A.J. Burnett?

Eh, why not? These games against the Angels are going to be a lot more about pitching than offense. Besides, having a bat like Posada's on the bench leaves Girardi with some major options late in the game. Its not ideal, but we should give Burnett every chance to succeed and even though he says he doesn't care who catches him the numbers simply don't lie, and since I don't really care to look the numbers up to back my statement, I will fabricate them:

AJ Burnett with Molina Catching - 2.06 ERA, 18 wins, 204 strikeouts, 4 walks.

AJ Burnett with Posada Catching - 8.96 ERA, 18 losses, 15 strikeouts, 2 trillion walks.

Now for the Five Day Delay

The Good

Very impressive pitching performance out of Andy Pettitte, who has continued his post season show of dominance with 6.1 innings of 1 run ball and 7 strikeouts.

The biggest offensive player of the game has to be Jorge Posada who hit a homerun to give the Yankees the lead in the 7th inning and then drove in another run with the bases loaded in the 9th. A-Rod also hit a homerun to tie the game in the 7th. Was there any doubt he would hit one?

The Bad

Phil Hughes is scaring me a little bit. Also, Damon needs to step it up next round. He went 0-4 with 4 strikeouts and has a .083 average through the first 3 games of the postseason.

The Ugly

First, Carl Pavano dominated the Yankees through 7 innings. He threw 7 innings of 2 run ball, with 9 strikeouts. How did that happen? Pettitte still got the win, but I'm surprised Pavano did so well.

Second, what was Girardi thinking pulling Andy Pettitte in the 7th inning? Was Pettitte really incapable of pitching to Delmon Young? He had thrown 81 pitches at that point.

Lastly, now that we've swept the Twins, we have the distinct pleasure of waiting 5 days before we can see another game. Yes, we start playing the Angels this Friday. So its going to be an interesting few days on the blog, since there will be nothing to write about. However, we at the RJG are masters at turning no news into big news. Stay tuned. We'll find ways for you to pass your time well enough.

ALDS MVP

My first vote for last nights game will go to Andy Pettitte. Without his pitching performance, you really have nothing.

The second vote goes to Posada who hit the go ahead homerun, and drove in a second run to put it further out of reach in the 9th.

And my third place vote goes to A-Rod, who has been outstanding this series, hit the game tieing homerun back in the 7th.

With our patented RJG scoring system, a first place vote gets a player 3 pts, a second place vote will get 2 pts and a 3rd place vote gets 1 pt. Here is the ALDS MVP breakdown:

Alex Rodriguez 5 pts.
Derek Jeter 3 pts.
Andy Pettitte 3pts.
Jorge Posada 2 pts.
CC Sabathia 2 pts.
AJ Burnett 2pts.
Mark Teixeira 1 pt.

As expected, A-Rod is crowned as the RJG ALDS MVP. He's batting .455 through these first 3 games and has two homeruns with 6 RBI's. We hope he keeps this up.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

We will continue our Joe Dimaggio-like streak of charitable giving through the post season. We believe that our $1.00 donations builds just enough good will to push the Yankees into their next World Series title. A-Rod and Posada gave all the run support the Yankees would need with their back-to-back homeruns in the 7th last night.

Post Season Homeruns:

Derek Jeter 1hr = $1.00
Hideki Matsui 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 2hr = $1.00
Mark Teixeira 1hr = $1.00
Jorge Posada 1hr = $1.00
Total = $6.00

Regular Season Total = $244.00

RJG Donation Total = $250.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page. Live it. Love it. RJG.

Posada

Thought I'd share a couple of Posada related columns with you this morning. Sam Borden wrote a really good piece for the LoHud Journal. Filip Bondy had this piece in the daily news. And this column is a personal favorite of mine. It's older, and I believe it's a Lupica piece, but it's good stuff.

Here's a Conundrum

The ALCS will start on Friday, five days from now. The Angels, who today finished off a sweep of the Red Sox, will be well rested. If the Yanks don't clinch today, they will be less rested. But do we want that many days off? Or does that just kill the momentum? I'm not sure if that much rest really gives you an edge in the playoffs. What do you guys think?

Yankees Take Game 2 in Extra's

The Good

Alex Rodriguez twice came up in a big spot and twice delivered with an RBI single in the and a two-run homerun to tie the game in the . Burnett did a great job keeping the Yankees in the game pitching 6 innings with but one wee little run. Too bad he didn't get the win.

Teixeira won the game with a walk off homerun in the eleventh. He certainly heard that we at the RJG were ranking players for the MVP of each series and effectively stepped his game up.

The Bad

Blanked by Minnesota for 5 innings? Seriously?!

The Ugly

Phil Hughes was credited with 2 earned runs, while recording two outs. Hopefully he's gotten it out of his system and he's ready to perform at his super human level.

ALDS MVP

The First place vote for Friday's game is undoubtedly A-Rod's. He matched the Twins each time he drove in a run, and effectively tied the game to allow Tex to win it later on. A-Rod has evolved from the A-Rod strand that looked fearsome but never delivered on its potential into the A1N1. Watch out for him.

I had trouble deciding who to give the second place vote to, but I've decided that it has to go to Burnett. He gave us 6 innings of 1 run ball, and kept us in the game despite our lack of offense. Without Burnett's pitching performance, Tex would have never had the chance to hit it out of the park in the 11th.

And lastly, Teixeira deserves his consideration seeing as he hit the walkoff homerun to win us the game.

So now I must explain the RJG scoring system when it comes to series MVP voting. A first place vote gains you 3 pts, a second place vote gets you 2, and a 3rd place vote gets you 1. Its a simple yet effective way to keep track of our MVP candidates. So here they are:

Alex Rodriguez 4 pts.
Derek Jeter 3 pts.
CC Sabathia 2 pts.
AJ Burnett 2pts.
Mark Teixeira 1 pt.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

We will continue our Joe Dimaggio-like streak of charitable giving through the post season. We believe that our $1.00 donations builds just enough good will to push the Yankees into their next World Series title. On Friday, sir Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira gave the children extra homeruns to smile about.

Post Season Homeruns:

Derek Jeter 1hr = $1.00
Hideki Matsui 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 1hr = $1.00
Mark Teixeira 1hr = $1.00
Total = $4.00

Regular Season Total = $244.00

RJG Donation Total = $248.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page. Live it. Love it. RJG.

Breaking News: Twins Forfeit

A press conference has been announced for 1pm in Minnesota, where Twins insiders are saying Manager Ron Gardenhire will announce that, recognizing the obvious superiority of the New York Yankees, the Twins will forfeit tonight's game, leaving the series to the Yankees.

"There's no reason to put the guys through another pointless exercise in futility. We can't beat these guys," said one Twins executive on condition of anonymity.

The Twins best chance to win a game against the Yankees came in game two of the ALDS in the ninth inning. But Joe Nathan, remembering that he was a Twin, gave up a game tying home run to Alex Rodriguez. Then, in the eleventh, Teixeira hit a ball that he thought was a double. "It had a lot of top spin. It was spinning on top, so I thought it was a double." But third base umpire Phil Cuzzi, saw it differently.

"It definitely went over the fence, at least the second deck. Besides it was damn near 4am in the UK and we needed to wrap this game up," Cuzzi explained.

With everything seemingly going against them, the Twins have decided that taking the coward's way out is all they can do. "[Carlos] Gomez hasn't stopped crying since the end of game two. 'Why can't I run the bases like Jeter,' he keeps saying. This is for the mental good of the team," explained another anonymous Twins executive.

The Yankees now await the inevitable defeat of the Red Sox by the Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles California, USA, Earth, Milky Way.

Interesting Game Three Twist

The fact that we have a chance to sweep the ALDS against no other than Carl Pavano may add an interesting tinge of "oh yeah, we gotta do this," for many a fan. We all know Pavano's history with the Yankees. Back in the winter of 2004, he signed a $40M contract worth $40M. Then he took all that money, created credit-default swaps, invested heavily in those derivatives, thereby convincing others to do the same, and then drove the global economy into the crapper. He then tried to bury a Red Sox jersey in the new Yankee Stadium during construction. I'm pretty sure it was him who prescribed Michael Jackson all those pain killers (he would have a healthy supply after all, considering his frequent injuries), but I can't prove it yet. Now the Yanks have a chance to get back at him, which was Joe Girardi's main goal when he agreed to take the Yankees managerial position. It should be an interesting game 3.

What A Game!

But I can't help but notice that it took eleven innings. WTF? It was damn near four in the morning out here by the time the game ended. Cut that $#!% out, seriously.

Big home runs by A-Rod and Teixeira, but A-Rod is really the story of this game, as he was the only player with any RBI through ten frames. Offensively, we rode A-Rod last night. So far, A-Rod would have to be the MVP of the ALDS, but I don't even think that award exists. If we don't win it all, no one will care anyway.

It smells like a parade through the Canyon of Heroes though.

Pregame Preview

Spoiler alert. The RJG already knows what's going to happen in tonights game. If you don't want to know how it goes, do not read the following highlights:

-Burnett sucks, but is relieved by a revitalized Chien Ming Wang, who throws a perfect 6 innings with a knuckleball he's been working on while on the DL. Wang gets the win.
-A-Rod hits two homeruns, but is thrown out of the game for trying to high five Nick Blackburn after the second one.
-Jeter gets a couple hits in, but not base hits as you would expect, but facial hits on Joe Mauer during the fray that results from the previous occurence.
-Mariano Rivera pitches a perfect 9th, but is too perfect. Just 3 pitches to finish the inning. Gardenhire kicks over the water cooler and yells at Joe Nathan saying "Why can't you do that?!!". Nathan is shown in the dugout with a lone tear trickling down his cheek.
-Joba Chamberlain does 104 mph! Only it was in his car on the way to the game. He's held in jail for the day and does not pitch.
-Joe Girardi attacks a reporter and 2 witnesses on his way to the stadium after a photographer snaps a shot of him eating a donut. With cream filling. "I want to apologize to the people I attacked." Reads his statement. "But they deserved it, and I'm not sorry at all. (Bleep) them!" Howard Rubenstein's edits the second line of the statement to say "They did not deserve it, and I'm sorry. Bless them!". That Howard is magic.
-The Yankees win.

So there you have tonights game in a nut shell. Go Yankees!

Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation

DAMON RUNYON 5K RUN/WALK AT YANKEE STADIUM
TO BENEFIT CANCER RESEARCH

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation today announced that it will host The Runyon 5K, a run/walk and kids fun run at Yankee Stadium to support cancer research on Sunday, November 15th 2009. Proceeds from the event, the first of its kind to be held inside the new stadium, will support brilliant young scientists carrying out innovative research for all types of cancer.

“This is a chance for New Yorkers and Yankees fans to follow in the footsteps of Yankees greats, for kids to run where their heroes run, and for every participant to make a real impact on cancer. From families to corporate teams, from fans to cancer survivors, all can enjoy this unique event at this incredible structure, which represents so much to so many,” said Lorraine W. Egan, executive director of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.

100% of all funds that a participant raises will directly support cancer research. The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has a long history with the Yankees: Joe DiMaggio was on its Board, and Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle were supporters. Damon Runyon himself was a New York writer who began his career as a baseball journalist and revolutionized how the game was covered.

Event Details

The Runyon 5K is a unique run/walk charity event that uses the stadium as its course. The event will take place from 9:30am to 4:00pm inside Yankee Stadium in New York on November 15th, 2009.

Participants will run or walk the stadium’s concourses and ramps, climb stairs between levels, and finish with a lap around the warning track that encircles the playing field. In addition, there will be a fun run for kids around the warning track.

Local scientists funded by the Foundation will be on hand to answer questions about their cancer research and the work of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.

More detail can be found at www.damonrunyon.org/yankeestadium

Participants

The event is open to both individuals and teams, with corporate teams encouraged to compete.

The event organizers send a special invitation to cancer survivors and those running in memory of lost loved ones or in honor of those affected by cancer.

Families and supporters are welcome. Non participants will have the opportunity to view the event from the bleachers in the stands.
All participants are encouraged to raise funds for the event, and everyone will have access to their own fundraising page on The Runyon 5K website.

How to Register

Registration will begin online on September 15. For more information and to sign up for the event, visit www.damonrunyon.org/yankeestadium. The registration fee is $35 for students and children and $50 for adults. Entry is limited to the first 2,500 registrants.

Sponsors

In addition to the New York Yankees’ support, other event sponsors include 24 Hour Fitness, SIRIUS XM Radio, New York Post and WNBC4 New York.


ABOUT THE FOUNDATION:
The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation identifies the most brilliant and promising scientists and provides them with funding to pursue innovative cancer research. The Foundation’s focus is on emerging leaders who have great potential to achieve breakthroughs in how we diagnose, treat and prevent cancer. The Foundation was created in 1946 in memory of Damon Runyon, a New York writer who began his career as a baseball journalist and revolutionized how the game was covered. Of the more than 3,200 scientists funded since, 11 are Nobel Laureates and many lead cancer centers nationwide. Today more than 260 scientists funded by Damon Runyon – including 14 current awardees – are working at labs and major research centers throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Forgot to mention this...

A few weeks ago Shelley Duncan had his suspension dropped by Major League Baseball for his roll in a bench-clearing brawl. When this news broke, Joe Maddon released the following statement through his spokesperson, Howard Rubenstein:

I am deeply distressed by the actions of Major League Baseball with respect to Shelley Duncan's voided suspension. I did not think that Major League Baseball would stoop so low as to negotiate with terrorists, but by vindicating this criminal, this thug, of his heinous crime Major League Baseball has once again shown that they care more about television ratings then the health of much smaller players. We will never pitch to Mark Teixeira again.

There you have it folks. Maddon is still bitter about the Spring Training 2008 incident involving Duncan and Rays' second baseman Akinori Iwamura. And we all thought they were upset about Pena.

RJG Reviews New York Key Chains

What do you do when you get all pumped up for the post season, watch your team win the first game, and then have an off day? We at the RJG like to turn to our extensive list of hobbies. But once a city bylaw banned jack-o-lantern baseball after the raging fires of 2002, we have had a difficult time finding a new fall related hobby. This was of course until we found key chain connoisseuring. Though not specific to the fall, we usually take up this hobby in the fall since our summer hobbies of watching baseball, and winter hobbies of following the free agent market have too long a seasons to find time for it otherwise.

Since we began our key chain connoisseuring we have both condemned and praised many key chains, and our reviews have either sunk or raised the companies we reviewed. That takes us to today. When Wholesale Keychains sent us their request to review their keychains we were excited for the opportunity. We also were able to put our other fall hobby into practice, amateur photography:

The set of New York key chains they sent us looked quite impressive, but looks can always be deceiving. So we at the RJG devised our 100-point inspection system for key chains. Here are just some of the tests we run:

The Washing Machine Test: Undoubtably, your keys and all connecting key chains will end up in the wash. How resilient are the key chains?

The Beer Opening Test: Some key chains have bottle openers. Do they work?

The Theif Prevention Test: Will your key chain deter theivery?

The Gangster Test: Would Derek Jeter use that key chain?

The Falling Down Vents Test: As the sole holder of your keys your key chains should protect against falling down vents, and crevices. Does yours?


The conclusion we came to is that these are very good key chains. They hold your keys, as advertised, and have New York team logos on them. What else do you need? Plus, as an added incentive for Yankee fans, the New York Yankees key chain naturaly displays alpha tendencies over other key chains:


Though we're not getting a cut of their profits...yet...we recommend Wholesale Keychains. Whether you're looking for MLB keychains, pepper spray keychains (high score on the theft detering test), and pretty much any keychain you could look for, try them out.

Exciting, Exciting, Exciting

For the post season, I think I want to switch up the approach on how we review games just a tad. We will do this by adding a new category to our Good, Bad, and Ugly sections called Series MVP. We will make a ranking of the top performing players after each game, and keep track of who we think should be the MVP for each series. Of course this won't be of much consequence for the short ALDS, but should be fun in the ALCS and World Series.

Also, although Johnny Damon's homerun club ended when the season closed, we at the RJG believe that sharing means caring. Its third in the depth chart of our company mottos behind "C's Get Degrees", and "Commiting a Felony and Being Convicted of a Felony are Two Different Things". Those three basically guide our company stock. Anyways, to make a long story short, we're going to continue to donate $1 for each Yankee homerun hit throughout the post season. Feel free to do the same, I'm sure they can use it!

And without further ado...

The Good

Though Sabathia looked shaky early on, he straightened himself out and finished with 6.2 innings of 2 run ball. That was his best post season start since, well, ever.

The captain continued to show that he was genetically constructed specifically for the post season. He went 2-2 with a 2-run homerun that tied the game early on, and 2 walks. He also scored 3 of the Yankees 7 runs.

A-Rod picked up where he left off in his 2004 slamming of the Twins going 2-4 with 2 RBI's of his own. I think this is a different strand of A-Rod than ever before.

Matsui hit two weak grounders, and the Twins were all like "This guy hits like an old lady!" and Mauer was like "I'm going to horse kick this guy!", and right then he stood up and hit a monster 2-run blast. Kudos to the 35 year old man, with 84 year old knees.

The bullpen was pretty much what we've grown to expect of it. Hughes recorded 2 outs to end the 7th, and begin the 8th, both by strikeout. Then, for reasons outside of the realm of sobriety, Girardi had Coke record one out, and Chamberlain record another. Then Mariano came to finish it off in the 9th. My guess is that since the Yankees have been sitting idle for a couple days, Girardi wanted to get as many relievers to shake off the rust, so with the off day tomorrow, they don't go into Fridays game with a bunch of guys who haven't thrown a ball. Then again, I just ate 18 wings and don't feel really good, so take it for what its worth.

The Bad

A hit and a walk off Mo! There will be trouble to pay! Also, Marky T needs to step his game up!

The Ugly

It looked like Posada and Sabathia had some trouble early on in the game communicating, and one passed ball led to a run scoring. That won't fly against better teams in the ALCS and World Series. I suggest either walkie talkies or a complex series of eye blinks.

ALDS MVP

The number one vote has to go to Jeter. He had an amazing game as stated above, and was the spark that got the offense going. In one swing, he eliminated the entire Minnesota lead.

The runner up is CC Sabathia who had his post season jitters under control, and pitched the best post season start of his career. Did I mention he struck out 8?

A strong third place vote goes to Alex Rodriguez who showed that he can hit in the post season, just not when everyone's booing him.

For those keeping track in their RJG Scoring Manual:

1. Derek Jeter
2. CC Sabathia
3. Alex Rodriguez

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

We will continue our Joe Dimaggio-like streak of charitable giving through the post season. We believe that our $1.00 donations builds just enough good will to push the Yankees into their next World Series title. Tonight, much love to Derek Jeter and Hideki Matsui for the extra $2.00 they will have made us donate to children's health.

Post Season Homeruns:

Derek Jeter 1hr = $1.00
Hideki Matsui 1hr = $1.00
Total = $2.00

Regular Season Total = $244.00

RJG Donation Total = $246.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page. Live it. Love it. RJG.

Not to Sound Cocky but...

That was an amazing win last night by the Twins, and an exciting game all around. The Twins will be coming into tonights series with a good amount of momentum going their way. That being said, I just don't think they have what it takes to beat us. Now, I'm not writing them off or saying that the Yankees can take it easy. Not at all. They're a contending team and the Yankees need to face them appropriately. But the Yankees have the better team, and I really don't see the Twins taking this series. They could always surprise us, but I guess we'll see tonight.

October baseball is the most amazing baseball you can ever watch. I'm already feeling excited about tonights game. Waiting for 6pm is going to be torture. I'm sure a lot of you out there are feeling the same way. So to help pass the time, ponder this question:

Which Yankee player impressed you the most this season, and why?

Its a tough question seeing as so many players did so many things well this year, but I'll have to respect the gangster and vote for Jeter. He showed us a lot with his defense, and his offense improved from last season. Not only that, but he swithced from the two-spot to lead off, something he didn't enjoy much back in 2005, and did it flawlessly. A .334 average, .406 OBP, 212 hits, and 30 stolen bases out of your lead off guy is pretty impressive. Plus, his leadership score of 97% is highest in the majors. An impressive clip!

So who impressed you the most?

Wow

12 innings, six runs, and one old lady kicked by Joe Mauer. Now that the Twins have old lady kicked their way into the postseason, they have to fly their arses all the way to the South South Bronx in order to face the most menacing group of Bombers in nine years. I don't envy them. Besides, New York old ladies don't mess around, so I don't expect Mauer to be a major factor. Here's to game one on game day because I can't order the game on mlb.com as a non US resident (bastards!).

I Haven't Been This Excited for a Non-Yankee Game in a While

For some reason I do not understand, I am actually excited for tonights game between the Tigers and Twins. The debate has been on going about whether its better for the Yankees to face the Twins or Tigers, and frankly, I don't really care who we face. Both teams have their strong points, but I'm not too concerned about either one. I guess what has me excited is the underdog story of the Twins. They were largely ruled out all month, until the last week and a half or so when people realized they could still catch the Tigers. Then the news about Miguel Cabrera partying with White Sox players and then coming home drunk and fist fighting his wife (it appears she won) has me leaning towards the Twins even more. How are you out partying until 6am when your team is fighting for the postseason? They lost that game, and Cabrera went 0-4. Either way, the Yankees start play tomorrow, and this game should be a good hold over for anyone fiending for some baseball.

Roberto's Back, Yankees Win

The Good

After a hellish month of finding out news and sports information from an iPhone (I know these things are supposed to be great, but I'd like to punch Steve Jobs in the face), I am finally back online here in Merry Ol' England. Additionally, in a game whose box score indicates that all 40 players on the expanded roster were featured, the Yankees won yesterday, ending the season on a positive note, and with a major league leading 103 wins; the most by any Yankees team since the last time they won 103 games or more. A-Rod had two homeruns, one of them a grand-slam, and an AL record 7 RBI in one inning. Burnett threw a strong five innings. Things are looking good.

The Bad

The AL central's top two teams are apparently managed by Al Franken and Norm Coleman. Not surprisingly the race is yet to be decided, with each side vowing to take their appeals all the way to Robert Mitchell himself if need be.

The Ugly

The Rays refused to pitch to Teixeira, preserving the injured Carlos Pena's tie for the home run lead in the AL. After the game, Teixeira called the Rays cowards. The Rays looked deep into themselves and realized, yes, they are cowards.

The Record Breaking Homer Count

With A-Rod's two home runs, the Yankees managed to hit 244 on the season, breaking a franchise record set in 1916 when Babe Ruth and Roger Maris slugged it out in an epic home run race that help defeat Kaiser Wilhem in WWI.

Jorge Posada 22hr = $22.00
Hideki Matsui 28hr = $28.00
Derek Jeter 18hr = $18.00
Mark Teixeira 39hr = $39.00
Nick Swisher 29hr = $29.00
Robinson Cano 25hr = $25.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 13hr = $13.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 30hr = $30.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Ramiro Pena 1hr = $1.00
Juan Miranda 1hr = $1.00
Total = $244.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

That's A Little Concerning

The Good

Miranda hit his first big league homerun! Also Bruney and Coke looked good combining for 2 innings of scoreless baseball with 3 strikeouts.

The Bad

By and large, the Yankees were handcuffed by David Price who went 7 strong allowing just one run.

The Ugly

CC Sabathia had his 20th win on the line last night, and he pretty much gave it away in the first inning. He lasted a total of 2.2 innings allowing 9 runs, 5 earned. One of the big concerns about Sabathia is whether or not he's a big game pitcher. His post season starts have been very lackluster, yet he himself is a phenomenal pitcher. Pitching so horribly on the eve of his 20th win makes me a little concerned about how he'll do throughout the post season. Hopefully, he'll step right into the ALDS and be lights out.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. Juan Miranda hit his first big league homerun last night.

Jorge Posada 22hr = $22.00
Hideki Matsui 28hr = $28.00
Derek Jeter 18hr = $18.00
Mark Teixeira 39hr = $39.00
Nick Swisher 29hr = $29.00
Robinson Cano 25hr = $25.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 13hr = $13.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 28hr = $28.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Ramiro Pena 1hr = $1.00
Juan Miranda 1hr = $1.00
Total = $242.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.

Joba's Pitching Problems Solved

Seeing Joba Chamberlain pitch this season has been an adventure, and not in the good "Indiana Jones" style of adventure, but more like the Brendan Fraser "Journey to the Center of the Earth" kind of adventure. In fact, in comparison to his 2008 season, his performance this season has been abysmal, a step back, a falling off the proverbial wagon. So what happened? The Respect Jeter's Gangster investigative reporting team set off to find answers.

"The truth is, its hard to pitch at the major league level." Explained a somber Joba Chamberlain, in an exclusive interview with the RJG. "Pitchers are always looking for ways to find an edge. Switch up. If not, the league catches up to you, and you get knocked around. I turned to the one and only edge not banned by baseball, and endorsed by every baseball star throughout history. I turned to the bottle."

Drinking has been as much apart of baseball as homeruns, and many greats from Babe Ruth to Mickey Mantle and on have been known for their heroic exploits coupled with alcohol. Joba explained his approach.

"Before starts, every pitcher has a routine. Before a start, I would buy some beers and drink 2 or 3 cold ones, before I pitched."

Did he feel a little tipsy while pitching?

"I honestly can't remember. I blacked out."

After 3 beers?

"They were 40's"

Oh dear.

Apparently, the consumption of alcohol had been inhibiting Joba's ability to pitch, causing high walk totals, and an inability to pitch out of the first inning.

"It was a rookie mistake." Explained former major league pitcher David Wells. "You're not supposed to pitch drunk, you're supposed to pitch hung over. You do the drinking the night before."

Will the latest peice of advice put Joba over the top for the post season?

"It also depends on what you drink. Beers give you better control, whiskeys will give you power, scotch will give you smarts, rum will give breaking balls more break, so it really depends. You should have seen the night I had before my perfect game." Said Wells.

Hopefully Joba takes note.

Joba Settles Debate: The Bullpen It Is...for the Playoffs Anyways

The Good

It was good to see strong relief pitching albiet against an offensively challenged team. Aceves gave us 2 scoreless innings striking out 3, with Albaladejo, Mitre, Hughes, and Mariano combining for 3 innings of scoreless baseball. The captain hit a leadoff homerun, and Swisher hit one of his own to tie the game in the 5th.

The Bad

Marte, who makes $3.75 million this season as part of a 3 year deal, came into the game, recorded an out and gave up the go ahead run. Now I know the Yankees didn't play the prettiest of baseball yesterday, and the game really did not matter, but c'mon. Can you get us out of an inning Marte?

The Ugly

Last week we had a post about who could potentially be our 4th starter in the playoffs. The options were not very compelling. Then Joba came up against the Red Sox and pitched a strong game, going 6 innings and allowing 3 runs against a contender. Now, he comes up against the Kansas City Royals, and can't get out of the 4th inning. Joba is far too inconsistant to have in the post season rotation at this point. I don't think Gaudin is a better pitcher than Joba, but he knows how to use what he has better than Joba, and he's thrown a few qaulity for the Yankees. Its Girardi's choice, but I'd be very concerned seeing Joba come up in a game 4 of the ALCS.

Respect Jeter's Gangster is for the Children

The "Respect Jeter's Gangster" blog joined Johnny Damon's home run club, which raises money for the Children's Health Fund. We are pledged to donate $1.00 for every homerun the Yankees hit this season. Jeter and Swisher gave the children all the hope they needed with homeruns in yesterday's game. Though these games mean nothing in the standings, they mean the world to charity. Keep swinging for the fences boys.

Jorge Posada 22hr = $22.00
Hideki Matsui 28hr = $28.00
Derek Jeter 18hr = $18.00
Mark Teixeira 39hr = $39.00
Nick Swisher 29hr = $29.00
Robinson Cano 25hr = $25.00
Johnny Damon 24hr = $24.00
Melky Cabrera 13hr = $13.00
Jose Molina 1hr = $1.00
Alex Rodriguez 28hr = $28.00
Brett Gardner 3hr = $3.00
Francisco Cervelli 1hr = $1.00
Eric Hinske 7hr = $7.00
Jerry Hairston Jr. 2hr = $2.00
Ramiro Pena 1hr = $1.00
Total = $241.00

If you are interested in Johnny Damon's Homerun Club or the Children's Health Fund you can find links to both at the top right hand corner of our page.