Yankee Talk: Phil Serves Notice

Hughes provides major boost for Yanks


DETROIT - Who says the Yankees do not have young players who have some talent?

I’m sorry to interrupt another edition of Red Sox ball washing to bring to you a little bit of balance into this argument.

Over the last week, as the team was licking their wounds after being embarrassed by Boston at Fenway Park, a lot was made (and I even made the claim) that the Red Sox far exceeded the output of the youth in comparison to the Yankees.

Now, while this is still true, all it has taken is a matter of a few games to slowly move the teeter-totter in a more balanced direction with still a long way to go.

It is in one of their early dark moments of the season when they needed some help, and they were able to get it from an unexpected source that made his return trying to amends for a fallen past.

Enter: Phil Hughes

In Detroit, with the team having lost four games in a row and with the appearance that things may be spiraling a bit out of control, the Yankees were forced to call up Phil Hughes to the big club to replace Chien-Ming Wang whose ineffectiveness landed him in the disabled list.

The excuses…err, injury they are saying is his hip, but that was merely an excuse to take him out of the rotation before he was promptly lit up again.

Hughes last season was given a spot in the starting rotation automatically without having to earn it. The thinking was that he had shown enough in his short time during the 2007 season (despite missing three months with a hamstring injury he suffered in Texas while throwing a no-hitter). His great performance in Game 3 of the AL Division against the Cleveland Indians after Roger Clemens came up limp and had to depart in the third inning endeared to the brass he could start from Day 1 and be a consistent starter going into the 2008 season.

The Yankees thought so much of his that when the team was trying to acquiring then Minnesota Twins starter Johan Santana, they would not include Hughes in the deal. This seemed like crazy at the time. Why not trade for the best pitcher in baseball even it meant giving up your number one prized prospect? However, Brian Cashman saw fit (either by arrogance or stubbornness) not to trade the right-hander.

When Hughes flopped last year by pitching terribly, not winning a game and missing nearly four months with a fractured rib. And knowing that they couldn’t trust him going forward until shown otherwise, the team went ahead and paid out $243 million combined for AJ Burnett and CC Sabathia to ensure no such problems.

How bad did the decision look? Look at this way, Santana had never made a trip to the disabled list in his career while Hughes had already visited it twice and spent multiple months on it, while Santana was traded to the rival Mets, and continued his domination under their noses.

The (ugly) results:

Hughes: Eight starts, 0-4, 6.62 ERA, 34 innings

Santana: 34 starts, 16-7, 2.53 ERA, 234 innings

Hughes now had to work his way back.

The team publicly said they had faith, but privately they weren’t stupid. Hughes needed to prove he could pitch effectively at the major league level and couldn’t take the same risk twice. He pitched well in spring training and did a great job at Scranton Wilkes-Barre during the month of April. The plan would have been to allow him to build up arm strength and refine his pitches.

This was right up until the Yankees had some issues of their own. Wang was going to leave for a while to “figure things out”, the team had lost four games in row and the Red Sox appeared set to run away and hide if they didn’t get a win on Tuesday night.

No pressure, right?

Taking the ball under pressure in this fishbowl, Hughes set out to write a new script to his inconsistent career marked by speed bumps and slick tires.

His physical frame looked bigger than the last we saw him. It was apparent that he made a commitment to becoming stronger and conditioned better in order to prevent future injuries.

From the start, he came out crisp. He was always known for his control despite not having it last year (3.97 walks per nine innings) and pounded the zone with strikes. His velocity was good. Last year he was coming in between 88 and 91 MPH, instead he was throwing 92-93 consistently. He was also working in a new cutter that learned as he was making his recovery last season, and was inducing easy groundballs from left-handed hitters.

When the heat and the cutter wasn’t enough to freeze hitters, in came his filthy hook that made them look silly.

He struck out four over the first three innings and in a situation that was not to have much pressure; Hughes was now forced to match zeroes with Tigers starter Edwin Jackson who had his best stuff going that night as well.

You waited for that inning when he would lose control and fall apart. It was bound to happen at some point you figured.

Nope.

Hughes, nicknamed by me last year “The Franchise”, pitched like every bit of one. The Yankees would score eight runs in the seventh inning after Jackson left the game, salting away Hughes first win since September 2007. His final line of six innings, two hits, no runs and six strikeouts (only two walks) was more than enough to give him the rest of the evening to soak in the glory of his triumphant return.

While he may have been gone, his performance on Tuesday alerted the Yankees he is not to be forgotten. He will have several more starts as Wang gets healthy, but if he continues to pitch well, it will put the Yankees to make some difficult decisions.

I am sure all parties involved will not mind.

Yankee Talk: Rivalry Edition – Beaten on and beaten off

Rivalry’s first installment shows Sox’s edge over Yanks


BOSTON – Ugly.

That was all you could say about the games of death that took place at the old ball yard in The Hub.

Perhaps the only thing positive you could have take out of it was that the Yankees scored 11 runs on Saturday.

The only problem is that they gave up 16.

Up, down and all around, the Red Sox showed that they were a better team than the constructed version of the Yankees that at least as of this moment is undergoing its own identity crisis.

In simpler terms, it was an ass kicking.

All you needed you know how bad it was came in the fifth inning after Jacoby Ellsbury stole home when Andy Pettitte appeared to have a lapse in concentration. He would add insult to the Yankees by taking a curtain call from the crowd in the middle of Pettitte’s bases loaded at bat to J.D Drew.

It was a complete sign of disrespect, but it proved to be a symbolic of what the series and two organizations represent.

While they may respect the Yankees, no longer is there is any fear or belief they will lose to them. They stare and hit back harder, do things smarter and overall have been a much better and more efficient run team than the team that plays in the Bronx.

The Red Sox showed that they could win any which way.

Comeback against Mariano Rivera trailing by two runs in the 9th?

Okay.

Comeback from 6-0 down against the Yankees hired gun (AJ Burnett) and then comeback again late to win a slugfest?

Okay.

Shutdown the Yankees with a pitcher spot starting, sitting most of our main relievers and using minor league call-ups?

Okay.

Take your pick and choose whatever game you want and Boston did not mind. At the same time, you began to see distinct differences between the team that plays on Yawkey Way and the team that plays on 161st and River Avenue.

Of course, when you are using considerably more resources then that of your opponent the results should not look like what is playing out on the field. For the most part, the Yankees for what they are spending are not getting their money’s worth even without Alex Rodriguez currently in the lineup or the field.

The Red Sox, who spend a lot of money themselves, seem to have it allocated in such a way that allows them to be younger, stronger and more flexible in positions as opposed to old, slow, slowly eroding and inflexible.

Most of it comes from the fact that their young players, drafted and developed have made a far greater impact than the Yankees have. When you look out and see Ellsbury staffing center, Pedroia at second base, and Kevin Youkilis at first, a core has been able to move away from the old days of the “Manny Being Manny” sideshow. Despite his greatness as an offensive player, his absence (while making them a little vanilla in terms of drama and intrigue) has been able to change the look of the team while still being productive.

Then you look at their pitching staff with Jon Lester and other mates Manny Delcarmen, Michael Bowden, Jon Papelbon and others in the minors that are soon to follow. What you then realize is that for the amount of production they are getting from these players, they are not paying the market rate these players would get as potential free agents.

Consider this, for a good as Mark Teixeira is as a player, Youkilis is a better value for his salary than Teixeira will ever be at his.

Because the Yankees have not been able to develop these type of position players and pitchers, they are then forced to spend gobbles of money to import players from other teams. It is all a risk in the hope that they can replicate their production in pinstripes despite the fact that their best statistical output happens in the years prior to the age range of 28 to 30.

Unfortunately, for the team with the interlocking NY, there have been far more misses than hits and that is not good at the prices they are paying.

The Red Sox are not reliant on one specific player to be their main cog. Meanwhile, the Yankees are counting the days until Rodriguez returns, apparently because they feel as if the world is going to end without his bat in the lineup.

If you have enough very good players, then you do not have this problem. On paper, you would think the offense is good enough to get by with the talent that is out there.

Unfortunately, the games are not played on paper.

Ask yourself this question, in which of the following areas do the Yankees have a no doubt edge over the Red Sox:

Offense – Defense – Starting Pitching – Bullpen – Manager – Minor League System - Front Office

Think about that question and then attempt to answer it. You will find that it is not as easy as you may think. Even at optimal best, any advantage the Yankees may have over the Red Sox is minimal at best. For all the stars the team has, they are no more efficient at scoring runs than Boston. Even with their bully nature of scoring runs, their strange inability to situational hit and convert in red zone opportunities (also known as hitting with runners in scoring position) close the advantage they would otherwise have.

Boston’s defense is so much better than the Yankees and it is not even close. The rotation slightly favors New York, but this assumes CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett pitch to their potential considering their adjustment to the Bronx (in Sabathia’s case, the AL East) and Joba Chamberlain continues his development into an effective starter. No Red Sox pitcher (unless you are believing Brad Penny is going to pitch more than 150 innings) needs to adjust and though they may suffer a drop off from Jon Lester (due to innings pitched last year), that can be picked up with a bounce back/healthy year from Josh Beckett.

The Yankees can only dream of having the Red Sox bullpen as long as they chose not to have Chamberlain down there to lock up the eighth inning. Since they will not, and with Brian Bruney’s injury, there is a severe problem down there, where no other pitcher has been reasonably effective for any consistent period. Meanwhile, Boston comes at least five men deep and more in reserve when needed.

Francona gets the edge over Girardi. The front office is advantage Boston and the minor league system is currently not competitive.

We have a long way to go before the season is over. No matter what happens though, structurally Boston is geared up for the short term and the long term.

The Yankees are just trying to get, well, somewhere.

We think.

Yankee Talk: Rivalry Edition – Sweep and Weep

Red Sox broom lifeless Yanks out of Hub

BOSTON – In many ways, it was as if the Yankees never had a chance before the game started.

The pitching matchup on paper favored the Bombers, but the games are not played that way.

It was difficult to tell if it was Justin Masterson just pitching well, or if the Yankees had simply mailed it in for the night and had already planned their continued road trip to Detroit.

Perhaps they could have trotted out old arms like John Burkett or Pete Schourek. It likely would not have mattered on this night.

Whatever it was, the pride and bravado the team had brought to Boston this weekend was weakened by the loss on Friday. On Saturday, it was essentially destroyed. The performance Sunday night reeked of lifelessness as the Red Sox swept the Yanks (9-9) right out of Fenway Park in a 4-1 defeat that actually did not last four hours. It was 3:09 instead.

Rather, they showed up facing the young hurler and simply hit themselves into the ground. Literally.

It was a night where youth was served and a weekend that highlighted major differences that the Red Sox currently possess over their blood rivals seen in front of a national audience and 38.154 cheering the Old Towne Team.

Taking advantage of a severely stiff wind that was blowing in compared to the last two days, Masterson was able to deal 5 and 1/3 strong innings, yielding only one run and six hits with his powerful sinker and received a great standing ovation when Red Sox manager Terry Francona came to the mound. He would be removed from the game after 99 pitches and runners on first and second.

Because of the heavy workload on the bullpen on both Friday and Saturday, Francona elected to sit down all of his best relievers in this sweep clinching game. Masterson gave way to recent call up Hunter Jones, a left-hander who was able to get Hideki Matsui to fly out to left and then strike out Melky Cabrera to end the sixth inning threat.

In the seventh, Boston brought on highly touted prospect Michael Bowden (called up before the game and will be sent back to Triple-A on Monday), who slammed the door on the Yankees for the next two innings, striking out two in his first appearance of the season. He was overpowering that several Bomber hitters stepped to the plate left looking as if they did not have much of a chance.

This was the Red Sox “B” team and pitching staff that was being forced to carry through this game and the offense was never able to mount a consistent threat or a get a big hit. After going 7 for 36 in the first two games, the Yankees managed another 0 for 6 stinker to finish hitting .166 for the series.

However, the most egregious play of the night came where the game momentum in the fifth inning turned in favor of the Red Sox.

Boston had already scored a run to take a 2-1 lead when Pettitte gave up a run scoring double to David Ortiz aided by walks to Jason Varitek and Jacoby Ellsbury. They would elect to intentionally load the bases by walking Kevin Youkilis and bring up J.D Drew. Ellsbury was leading off third base and not held on by Angel Berroa who was playing in an exaggerated shift. Without the threat of a pick off, Ellsbury took a lead near halfway between third and home.

Pettitte, apparently not paying attention to this fact began his bases loaded offering to Mike Lowell from the stretch as Ellsbury raced for the plate. His pitch did not reach the glove of Jorge Posada in time as he stole home to give Boston a 3-1 lead.

Clearly flustered, Pettitte gave up a ground-rule double to J.D Drew to increase the lead to 4-1 as Red Sox Nation roared their approval.

At that point, you could effectively say the game was over.

Pettitte stayed out as long as he could to help the bullpen throwing 117 pitches in six innings, giving up six hits, four runs (three earned), while walking four and striking out six.

The Yankees lone run came on a sacrifice fly by Brett Gardner in the third inning, scoring Hideki Matsui from third base. It was the third consecutive game in which they had opened up the game with a lead only to see it wiped away by a Boston comeback. Mark Teixeira hit a deep drive to right that would be held up by the wind at the warning track to end the inning.

The fifth inning was Pettitte's (2-1) only real hiccup giving up those three runs. He had given up his other run in the third when two errors by substitute third baseman Angel Berroa allowed Nick Green to reach and later advance to third on his throwing error allowing then Ellsbury to reach third base after he had reached on a fielder’s choice to get on. David Ortiz drove home Ellsbury from third to tie the game.

The game saw the major league debut of new Yankee Mark Melancon, called up from Scranton on Saturday. His two innings and 22 pitches were impressive, striking out one and working out of a bases loaded, no out jam in the bottom of the eighth.

Takashi Saito subbed as the Red Sox closer and only yielded a single to Melky Cabrera with two out before getting Johnny Damon (who did not start) to fly out to end the game.

Boston has won 10 games in a row after starting out 2-6. The Yankees are now back to .500 as they fly to Detroit for a three game series against the Tigers.

Yankee Talk: Rivalry Edition – No Manny is No Problem for Sawx

Boston still potent without Ramirez

BOSTON – Maybe the Yankees still think and feel Manny Ramirez is still playing for the Red Sox.

There was a time not so long ago when Ramirez was the one player the Yankees pitching staff never seemed to get out. It was as if he was playing softball every time a pitch came to the plate. With him and David Ortiz in the middle of the lineup, they created endless fits. Sometimes it appeared as if they were up every single inning.

Last July though when Ramirez was traded by Boston to Los Angeles, it was supposed to lessen the quality of a lineup that had been one of baseball’s most potent over the last five seasons.

Replacing the bat of Ramirez and playing left field was Jason Bay, who they acquired in the three-team trade. It was supposed to be a dramatic drop. Ortiz was on the decline due to age and injury and it appeared that the Boston was not going to be the same team offensively.
Unfortunately, it has not been the case.

Even with the ascension/transition from Ortiz and Ramirez to Dustin Pedroia (last year’s MVP) and Kevin Youkilis (third in MVP voting), the offense of the Red Sox is still patient, efficient, and has not lost its ability to score runs. Considering the 16 they put up against AJ Burnett and the collection of bullpen people the Yankees chose to throw out there Saturday at Fenway Park, many Boston fans are saying “Manny Who?”

They may have not have the OPS hounds from one through nine anymore, but their success is no longer reliant on two guys. Instead, the composition of their lineup that still poses a threat. All are capable of getting a big hit at any given moment.

With Jacoby Ellsbury leading off and showing a far greater improvement from the down season he had a year ago, he appears to be built in the same pest mode that Johnny Damon was when he was a young player with the Kansas City Royals. The combination of speed and sneaky power makes him a threat to get an extra base hit or as he did on Saturday, show power and take one deep.

Pedroia and Youkilis are the faces of the offense now. They grind out every at bat always seem to get two hits a game. Pedroia has been the moniker of “little runt” by me because he is just annoying. Of course, this is given with the highest level of respect because he is a very good player. For as hard as he swings, it is incredible that he does not strike out very much and always seems to make contact.

Ortiz complained about not having the protection of having Ramirez behind him, but Youkilis has been one of baseball’s best hitters over the last two years. If you have a gameplan to get this guy out, please alert the rest of the league. No one has been able to do it effectively. Going into Saturday, Mr. Goatee was hitting a cool .444 over his first 63 at bats. Every plate appearance seems to go a 3-2 count and he sprays the ball all over the plate.

What is scary is that he may be getting better.

Bay has done a good job of filling the hole left by Ramirez. No one expected him to hit in the same fashion because no one can outside of a few premium players. The change of scenery from Pittsburgh to Boston has only seemed to help him, as he has been able to come through in numerous clutch situations.

In Game 1 of the Division Series last year against the Los Angeles Angels, his two-run blast paved the way to a victory. He had a number of big hits in the AL Championship Series against Tampa Bay. Perhaps teams’ lack of fear of him allows Bay to receive better pitches to hit. On Friday night, he deposited Mariano Rivera’s inside cutter over the Green Monster in left center to tie the game at four when it appeared the Yankees had a sure victory.

JD Drew will always give you a professional at bat as long as he can find his way on the field. The problem is that he so injury prone that he can never be counted on for a full season. Mike Lowell injured his hip late last year and was rendered ineffective for the playoffs. But in 2007 and as he is showing right now, when he is healthy and in the lineup, he is a tremendous asset to the Red Sox.

His pull dead pull swing is perfect for Fenway Park as he is able to yank homeruns in that direction. Yesterday, trailing 10-9 the Yankees elected to pitch to him and pulled a three-run homer into the Monster Seats to give Boston the lead.

Theo Epstein was going to replace him with Mark Teixeira during the winter and was very close to signing him (or so he thought) before he spurned them to sign with the Yankees. The move would have shifted Youkilis to third base and with Lowell unable to have a position to play, would have found another home.

It was thought that Jason Varitek was completely finished as a hitter. Somehow, he was found some stroke in his bat and has hit four homeruns to start the season including a grand slam of Burnett on Saturday in their 16-11 victory.

Though he hit .216 last year, you never know when he is going to come up with that big hit. Last year, despite not hitting a lick, I had the belief as the Red Sox were attempting to rally from a 3-1 series deficit to the Rays that he would invariably come up with a big hit at some point to help the offense. In Game 6, he did just that, hitting a two-run homer that was the catalyst in a win to force Game 7 the next night despite going on to lose the series.

It is a balanced club from top to bottom. Add in their pitching staff and bullpen and there is a reason why many prognosticators are picking them to make another return trip to the World Series.

Sorry Manny, but the Red Sox are still just as good even without you.

Much to the chagrin of the Yankees.

Yankee Talk: Rivalry Edition – Down for the count

Red Sox batter Burnett, bullpen to win first two over Yanks

BOSTON – The Rivalry produces so many twists and turns that you never know what to expect at any moment.

Perhaps the only certainty is that the games will usually last somewhere in the neighborhood of four hours.

For the Yankees (9-8) on Saturday they wish the game could have been shorter that way would not have to use as many pitchers.

It looked good for the first three innings, but then inexplicably took a dramatic turn for the worse as the Red Sox (11-6) erased a 6-0 deficit to win a 16-11 decision in a game that did not figure to end until sometime next Thursday. The nine-inning marathon lasted an unmanageable 4 hours 24 minutes.

The first three and a half innings saw a completely different ballgame as the Yankees raced out to a 6-0 lead, hammering Josh Beckett.

Singles by Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada plated the first two runs of the game in the first. In the second, Robinson Cano crushed a pitch that hit high off of Pesky’s Pole in right for a two-run homer and in the to extend the lead and then double home two more runs in the fourth to put the Yankees seemingly in control with AJ Burnett on the mound.

Burnett was cruising through the first three frames with ease. However, things suddenly went wrong.

Terribly wrong.

After a leadoff walk to Dustin Pedroia and a one out single by Kevin Youkilis, Burnett was up 1-2 in the count on J.D Drew, threw three successive breaking balls, and walked him to load the bases. Jason Bay would single home Boston’s first run, and after striking out Mike Lowell for the second out, Jason Varitek deposited Burnett’s first pitch for a grand slam to right to trim the lead to 6-5.

From that point, the game entered the “Twilight Zone”. Jacoby Ellsbury homered to lead off the bottom of the fifth to tie the game and Bay would give the Red Sox the lead with a two-run double off the Green Monster to make it 8-6.

For Burnett, his first introduction to The Rivalry went from splendid to stupor. He dominated the first three innings with ease, but then found himself battered around by Boston hitters. In five innings, he would allow eight runs, eight hits and three walks (he struck out three) in 91 pitches before giving way to the bullpen.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona elected to keep Beckett in the game to start the sixth and the move would fail. He walked Derek Jeter to start the inning and Johnny Damon homered into the Boston bullpen to tie it at eight and chase Beckett from the game. He threw 116 pitches in five innings (37 in the first inning), giving up ten hits and eight runs.

Boston regained the lead in the bottom half when David Ortiz’z sacrifice fly gave them a 9-8 lead. However, in this rivalry, there is always a surprise around the corner. With two out, Damon’s hard hit ball went through the legs of Pedroia into right center that score both Angel Berroa and Brett Gardner to give the Yankees a 10-9 lead. But the Red Sox would counter again when Mike Lowell hammered a three-run bomb into the Monster Seats to put the Red Sox back on top 12-10.

Robinson Cano brought the Yankees a run closer in the eighth hitting his second homerun of the game (fifth of the season) making it 12-11. They had a chance to take the lead with runners on second and third with only one out against reliever Ramon Ramirez.

With Melky Cabrera at the plate, his chopper of the end of the bat came right back to Ramirez, who had Posada caught in a run down in between home plate and third base for the second out. Brett Gardner would ground out to Pedroia to end the threat. It followed a disturbing pattern of not being able to get “the big hit”. After going 4 for 19 last night in their 5-4 loss, the New York offense hit a horrendous 3 for 17 and has hit only .194 with runners in scoring position in the series.

Boston put the game out of the reach in the last half of the eighth. After Ellsbury reached on Jorge Posada’s catcher interference, he was called safe on a steal attempt despite numerous replays showing that he was tagged out on the legs by Cano. This non-call would lead to a run when Pedroia would single him home on a base hit to center. Lowell would extend the lead and conclude the scoring when his bases loaded double went off the glove at ball and trickled away, scoring all three runners for a 16-11 lead.

Six relievers followed after Burnett departed after five innings. In three innings and 79 pitches, the pen allowed eight runs (seven earned) and six hits. This group has been severely overworked in this early part of the season.

Boston will seek the sweep of the series tomorrow night in an ESPN national telecast. Andy Pettitte takes the ball for the Bombers and young Justin Masterson makes the start for the Red Sox.

Game time is 8:05 ET.

Yankee Talk: Rivalry Edition – Hating that Dirty Water

Even in April, losing to Boston never feels good


BOSTON – I try to talk myself into not taking any game in April seriously.

This strategy of mind games has succeeded for the most part and I usually just throw out the results of said game and look ahead to the next day.

When it comes to the games against the Red Sox though, all logic goes out of the window.

This is what “The Rivalry” does. I thought that it had cooled off (and it has) and it would not be the same with some of the old faces that are no longer there.

Silly me.

The intensity is still there. I despise the Red Sox as I always have and though it may not be on the 2003-2004 level (nothing will ever top that) these games still consume me. Winning always brings a good feeling and losing the way it played out last night still stinks.

When Jason Bay’s home run cleared the top of the left centerfield wall off Mariano Rivera, all I could do is look on in stunned disbelief. How could this happen? The Yankees were one out away from winning the first of these 19 death matches with their rivals from 203.4 miles away, and suddenly it was gone.

At that point, I knew the team was playing on borrowed time and it was not going to be long before they put us out of our misery and sent all the fans home.

The characters make it all go in this drama. I probably could have accepted a walk-off homerun by anyone not named Youkilis, Pedroia or Ortiz. Seeing Youkilis up there doing his little shimmy as if he is Jack Parkman in Major League II and then hitting the game winner just makes you ill.

Watching Jon Papelbon do his ridiculous “stare in” before every pitch as if he is really scaring someone in the batters box and then seeing his excessively celebratory jig as just a as annoying. Seeing him get the last laugh by striking out Mark Teixeira left you feeling a little sick.

I remember back in 2002 when I was in Fenway and Rivera came into the game to protect a two-run lead and Shea Hillenbrand took him deep for the three run homer and an eventual Red Sox win. I was stunned. Going out in The Hub that night is never the easiest thing in the world when you are sporting your Yankees cap in front of Red Sox Nation.

And after a loss like that? Even worse.

Two years ago, I saw Rivera again blow a save when he was called on to protect a 3-run lead in the bottom of the eighth. Being there to see this up close is always worse, but watching what I saw last night gave me instant flashbacks.

“The Rivalry” does this to you. Luckily, in baseball you can just forget about it and come back strong tomorrow. If this were football, you would have to carry this for an entire week.

For that, I am thankful this is not football.

But when I think about it, this is why it is so much fun. It really is the greatest rivalry in sports. You can’t get this anywhere else. Try as hard as you can to recreate it and you will fail. It is impossible.

Whether they are playing in April, the middle of July or even in September, and the games are played and it feels like October. Even I wonder how this can be and I can see why the players and managers quietly show their displeasure with all of this. It is like one big death grip and neither team is able to breathe after one of these games with criticism and questioning flying from all over the media and people like myself.

I complain about Joba Chamberlain unable to throw enough strikes last night to stay in the ballgame longer than 5 1/3 innings. Perhaps I can get angry about the team leaving 15 men on base on going only 4 for 19 with runners in scoring position. Maybe I can even get on why Damaso Marte’s presence exists on my television screen.

Normally I would just dismiss this stuff when the Yankees are playing the Indians, Athletics or Orioles. However, when it comes against the Red Sox, my antenna goes way up.

Tomorrow is a new day and another plot will be written.

Just another day in “The Rivalry”.

Yankee Talk: Rivalry Edition – Down by the Bay

Bay homers against Mo in ninth, Youk walk off in 11th beats Yanks


BOSTON – In Fenway Park, anything is possible.

No lead is ever safe and you can never have enough runs. But when you have Mariano Rivera on the mound needing to get the final three outs, there is no one else you would rather give the ball to.

Sometimes though, Mo proves to be human.

Needing to get one more out to hold down a potential 4-2 Yankees victory, Rivera’s 1-0 pitch to Jason Bay sailed to deep left center and as much as he tried to will the ball to stay in, it cleared the high wall of the Green Monster to tie the game at four and send it in to extra innings.

Kevin Youkilis would send the Red Sox fans home happy with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th for a 5-4 victory in a game where “The Rivalry” lived up to everything you could have asked for in the first of its 19 installments.

For Rivera, it was the 11th in his career that he had blown a save to Boston. It is an incredible number when you consider that he has blown 60 total in all of his years as a closer. The Red Sox hit him better than other team has and though he has closed them out the last 13 times, he was unable to do it for the 14th.

Starter Joba Chamberlain battled control issues for most of his 5 1/3 innings, but was able to induce four double play outs from Red Sox hitters. He threw 91 pitches, but only 49 strikes and walked four batters while striking out only two.

The first run of the game came on a wild pitch from Chamberlain as his slider bounced past catcher Jose Molina and went to the backstop as Jacoby Ellsbury was attempting to steal third base. With presence of mind, Ellsbury raced to the plate as Joba was slow to cover home. Molina’s throw home was too late to beat speedster.

Answering back in the fourth, Cody Ransom’s liner stayed fair inside the third base line for a run scoring double to tie the game. An RBI groundout by Jeter scored Molina to give the Yankees the lead.

Chamberlain would give the lead back in the bottom of the sixth when after Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek reached on a double and single, shortstop and former Yankee Nick Green tied the game with single to score Lowell.

The Yankees would take the lead again in the seventh when Mark Teixeira introduced himself to “The Rivalry” by looping a shallow fly into centerfield scoring Jeter. Robinson Cano followed with a sac fly to extend the lead to 4-2.

In the ninth, there was a golden opportunity to break the game open. The Yankees had the bases loaded and no one out against lefty reliever Javier Lopez. However, with the infield playing in, Cano’s hard hit grounder turned into a 4-2-3 double play and Melky Cabrera’s pop out ended the threat. On the night, the team left 15 men on base.

That set the stage for a Red Sox comeback against Rivera in the bottom of the inning.

Jon Papelbon entered the game in the tenth and immediately gave up a leadoff single to Molina. After successive outs by Ramiro Pena (sacrifice) and Jeter (groundout), it set up a battle between the Boston closer and Teixeira after Johnny Damon walked.

With the crowd rising in anticipation, the count ran to 3-2. Papelbon unleashed a high fastball shoulder high that Teixeira swung through to end the inning.

Damaso Marte relieved Rivera and pitched a scoreless tenth. He would not be as lucky in the eleventh after striking out David Ortiz (who struck out four times). His 2-2 pitch to Youkilis landed in the Monster Seats and the Red Sox came away with a win.

The tough loss though will have to be forgotten about quickly. A mid-afternoon start tomorrow at Fenway features Josh Beckett for Boston and AJ Burnett, who will be making his first foray into “The Rivalry” for the Yankees.

Game time is at 4:10 ET.

Yankee Talk: Rivalry Edition - “The Rivalry” is back on

Yanks-Sox reunion officially starts season


BOSTON – Sure Opening Day was several weeks in Baltimore, but that is only because the schedule dictated that.

The games against the Orioles, Royals, Indians and Athletics have been the baseball equivalent of the college football team using its first few games as extended scrimmages.

Now the real season begins, albeit for three games.

It is still the greatest rivalry in all of sports. Nothing else comes close. So once again we bring to you another installment Yankees-Red Sox. All you have to do is refer to as simply ‘The Rivalry” among my own baseball fraternity members.

Quite simply, the rest of the league is put on hold for the next three days. The schedule reads that there is other action going on, but unfortunately Cubs-Cardinals and Nationals-Mets just does not cut it. You may as well look at the rest of baseball as nothing more than Triple-A action.

Here is where baseball is fun and at its most exciting. Each game, inning, situation and at bat scrutinized to the ultimate degree. If you’re a Red Sox or a Yankees fan, the panic button and the angry meter is always on edge.

In “The Rivalry”, anything goes. From Kevin Youkilis and Joba Chamberlain seemingly ready for World War III to explode with the next supposed brush back pitch, to the ongoing subplot of A-Rod and the entire Red Sox team. Even something as small Jon Papelbon against the Yankees fans after what he said during the All Star break last year.

It’s always something.

The battle wages on.

Part of the drama of these games has deteriorated because of the over-hype that surrounds it. We make a game in late April out to be a postseason game, where losing is unacceptable and the 24 hours before the next game are met with anticipation that rarely is topped in any sport.

Think of Michigan-Ohio State, Duke-North Carolina, Colts-Patriots, Lakers-Celtics and Cubs-Cardinals, pack them all into one bag and turn up the voltage an extra 500 percent and you have this.

From Yankee Stadium to Fenway Park, it is always a hostile environment for the visitor. The chanting and language is always a little more creative when these two teams lock up.

However, it is about more than that. The emotion is one of the big factors, but it is the great competition that each team brings to the game. Sure, they do provide the occasional clunker and sometimes tediously unwatchable four hour game, but more times than not, these games come down to whichever team gets that big base hit late in the game and occasional ninth inning drama.

Even in a down year for “The Rivalry” last year, it still had its moments. From Mariano Rivera battling threw 30 pitches and bases loaded no out jam in July, to the very next night when Manny Ramirez takes three straight pitches from Mo and Brett Gardner getting the game winning walk-off hit to win the game.

They wage a yearly arms race for the games best talent both inside and outside of the country. Each team tries to find ways to increase revenue in order to either close the gap (Boston) or increase it (New York).

It never ends.

No one is immune to an ass whipping and being humbled. From Papelbon to Rivera to Beckett to Pettitte to Ortiz to Jeter. All of them have experienced success and failure in this struggle.

The numbers bear it out. Since the start of the 2002 season, these two rivals have met 145 times. Official tally reads Yankees 75, Red Sox 70. It is that close and neither team give an inch to the other.

The faces may change (and they have). The dynamics may have changed (they have).

But in the end, “The Rivalry” never seems to change.

Gone are some of the people that gave this rivalry its character - Manny Ramirez and Curt Schilling are no longer around to be lightning bolts for Boston. Jason Giambi and Mike Mussina have bid adieu. And for the time being (until he returns from injury), Alex Rodriguez is away, taking all of his drama with him.

Now we are introduced to the likes of CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Mark Teixeira and Jason Bay (despite playing in several meaningless Rivalry games last year) get to experience the craziness on a full 18 game basis. No one is going to hear it more from the Red Sox fans on Friday night than Teixeira will.

If he thought Baltimore was rough on Opening Day, he hasn’t seen anything yet.

He was supposed to have signed with the Red Sox as a free agent in the winter and all indications were that he would sign with the Old Towne team. Suddenly, in a twisted set of events, Teixeira signed his eight year, $180 million contract with the Yankees, instantly making him Public Enemy #1 in the eyes of Red Sox Nation.

By the way, I agree with Hank Steinbrenner on this…Red Sox Nation? What a bunch of [crap] that is.

When he steps to the box as Carl Beane introduces him, the booing will be venomous. For some reason, the vitriol there is more intense than it is anywhere else. Who knows, the fans may have already bought enough old versions of the Monopoly game so they can throw fake money at him.

That is just the way “The Rivalry” is.

It is always about one-upping the other. Already David Ortiz has thrown out the first salvo by suggesting that Chamberlain “play the game right” and not throw too far inside to Red Sox hitters. This of course stems from the battle that both the pitcher and Youkilis have had where four pitches have thrown either over his head, near his head, or behind him.

Funny to hear Ortiz suggest such a thing when his own pitchers have been using Yankee hitters as target practice over the years and his own teammate Josh Beckett nearly uncorked a pitch (unintentional or not) near former Yankee Bobby Abreu’s head.

You think he would know this already.

However, it’s “The Rivalry”. All logic is thrown out.

I wouldn’t want it any other way.

See you Friday night at Fenway.

Yankee Talk: Rivalry Edition - Expanded Coverage

It all begins...again

The first installment of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry gets started on Friday and here at The World of Carl, I will bring you expanded coverage as always as they get it on from Fenway Park in Boston.

I will be stepping up my analysis of the series with a few special editions of Yankee Talk. I’ll include a game recap and a few features after each game.

Let's resume the battle.

Yankee Talk: An Interesting Beginning

Random Thoughts from the early part of the season

During the season, different thoughts race through Carl’s head and he stores them away, never really knowing when he may use them. Two weeks, has been just enough time to make a few value judgments about some players and ponder a few things here at the start of the season.

Away we go!

Nick Swisher is making an early case for my "New Favorite Player Award" moniker.

What is not to like about this guy? He's crazy, and in actuality should score him some bonus points on the scale. He brings energy to the clubhouse and here is some breaking news...he can hit!

Four homeruns and 12 RBI's this early will ingratiate you faster than anything. It appears that he read the manual that the other big players seem to ignore upon coming here.

AJ Burnett is quickly becoming "My Guy". This man is nails. I am now excited each time his turn comes up in the rotation.

Of course, a 2-0 record and great ERA will also gain favor with me, but his performances in Baltimore and Tampa to stop two game losing streaks was money.

On a Tuesday night in Tampa has un-hittable for nearly eight innings. When he was on the ropes in the seventh after the no-hit the Rays for the first six, he could have wilted under the emotion. Instead, he kept his cool, got out of the inning and after the Yankees took the lead in to top of the eighth, set their lineup down 1-2-3 in the bottom half.

Impressive.

Derek Jeter never amazes me. He is unbelievable. Even at his age, he still has his power swing to right and right-center field.

That flair for dramatic is still there with him. On Tuesday, he sealed the win over the Rays with a three-run homer. On Friday afternoon, he hits the go-ahead blast with two out in the bottom of the eighth to give the Yanks an eventual comeback win.

Jeterrific!

Patience us a virtue and Robinson Cano is showing a lot and it has impact on his play has produced immense dividends.

Consider that last season; it took Cano 84 plate appearances to draw his first walk. In 2007, it took 123. This season, he drew four walks in 17 at bats.

So much for me saying that he was "allergic to walking". If he keeps this up, I'll have to come up with another phrase.

It was interesting to see the difference in the crowds between the official home opener and the second game.

All of those seats in the premium areas that were filled up the first day were only about 70 percent full the next. Hey, you figure that if you were spending $2,625 for a ticket that you would find a way to get out of work to make it for the 1:05 start.

A shrimp cocktail cost $16.75 at the Stadium.

They even sell T-Bone steaks! How am I going to enjoy a game and take down one of those? Looking at the menu, it’s going to run me $54.75 for that bad boy. Do I get fries and soda with that?

I’m already planning for my first trip there in terms of food:

Nathan’s Hot Dog ($6.75), Garlic Fries (price not known), Kansas City Ribs ($10.75), Shrimp cocktail ($16.75).

That’s damn near $40 on food before I purchase the $10 beer. Looks like I’ll be making that trip to the bodega before the game.

But look on the Brightside, beer is now officially sold in the bleachers.

Whew!

Think about this for a second: Let’s say you wanted to purchase season tickets (and there are plenty of good seats available if you go to Yankees.com) and had a few dollars to spend (in this economy, pat yourself on the back), here is what you would be on the hook for.

Those Legends seats that you see empty in blocks when you’re watching the game on YES can be had for this total when you break it down:

2 tickets multiplied by $2,625 = $5,250

$5,250 multiplied by 81 games = $425,250

Anyone have an extra 400 grand lying under the mattress?

I don’t.

So for the time being, I am going to be relegated to the bleachers, grandstand and when it is available and I can schedule it, a field box ticket. I’ll take a pass on the $350, $596, $900 and above tickets.

Besides, what am I getting for all that money? When you get your ass kicked 22-4 like they did against the Indians, it sure doesn’t seem like money well spent. Also, when it rains, you get no protection in those good seats.

I had better be getting free food and alcohol along a plasma TV, protection from the rain and a portable toilet. Only then would I feel somewhat comfortable.

Even then, I would still have to think about it.

As I wrote earlier (insert link here), I keep thinking about David Cone in 2000 when I watch Chien-Ming Wang mysterious struggle this season. It was as if he showed up one day and it was all gone. If Wang claims he is not hurt, than something is definitely up. Losing nearly five miles of one’s pitches do not happen just overnight in the middle of a person’s prime.

If he was on the downside of 30, then this would be a problem. Thank goodness, they are not pitching him at Fenway Park when they play the Red Sox.

That is NOT the place for “on the job” training and building back one’s confidence.

Welcome back Jorge Posada! Though you are not catching everyday against certain team (see: Tampa), having you back has been enjoyable. Also, you brought your hitting stroke as well.

Speaking of that stroke…thank goodness for the next short right field wall that puts the fans on top of the field instead of next to a fence and security guard. The ball hit by Posada against the Indians was going to go out even when the right fielder leaped to try to take away his potential homerun.

Now, I didn’t need to have what amounted to “AA” intervention with the umpires when it came to reviewing it. Eight minutes? Did we really need that long? If it is going to take that elongated amount of time, then cancel it now. The NFL takes two minutes and if they cannot make a decision, the call stands.

Simple, isn’t it?

Glad that Cody Ransom finally got a few hits under his belt. I didn’t know how he was going to manage hitting .150 for any prolonged period.

There is a such thing as being able to save runs with defense. You don’t believe me? Watch Mark Teixeira play first base and you cannot help but be amazed at his glove work. He made a play on Sunday against Cleveland when he snared a hard hit ball ticketed for right field and turned it into an easy out.

Jason Giambi can only dream of making that play.

I’m happy that Xavier Nady will be missing the season with the ligament tear in his elbow. I had already planned my trip when I see the Yankees play where I was going to hold up a sign in right field titled ‘X-MEN”.

If he really started hitting, this could be the team’s new marketing ploy that they could use to top the mustache thing they did last year for Giambi.

Sorry Hideki Matsui, your time is up as a Yankee. At the end of this season, turn in your uniform and hit the road.

Damaso Marte is making his case for my annual ‘I’m going to pick on THIS player” club. Previous members of this exclusive fraternity include Rondell White, Jeff Weaver, Felix Heredia, Tony Womack, Josh Phelps, and Carl Pavano.

I will still hold true that the Yankees will be 10 games over .500 by the time Alex Rodriguez returns to the team.

Hey, at least we will have a new book to discuss about him by then.

Yankee Talk: Wang’s All Wrong

Starterts struggles are a mystery


NEW YORK – When you only know success, it is very hard to deal with failure.

When your failure becomes more than a one-time occurrence, you begin to think it is just a small slump.

However, in the case of Chien-Ming Wang, this is more than just a slump; it is the equivalent of a full-blown explosion.

What happened?

After suffering a Lisfranc injury to his right foot rounding third base in a game in Houston, Wang rehabilitated and made what appeared to be good recovery.

In spring training, no indicators of lingering effects existed that would lead the Yankees to believe that he would be a problem this season.

After he was pulled after 3 and 2-3 innings in Baltimore, all it looked to be was one bad start. When it was followed up by an even worse performance in Tampa against the Rays, eye brows began to raise just slightly as to what could be going wrong with the team’s former two-time 19 game winner.

Then came Saturday afternoon against the Cleveland Indians.

He looked in normal form after one inning and when the offense gave him a 2-0 lead, it looked as if the team was going to get the quality start that they have used to out of their horse. And why not? Wang’s trademark sinker was diving down and he even picked a rare strikeout.

Suddenly, it all fell apart.

In a stunning turn of events, the same script of the first two starts reared itself again. The Indians hit him around as if he were batting practice. Wang only recorded one out in the inning, but not before he was tattooed for eight hits, eight runs and the crowd was growing restless and eventually hostile. Joe Girardi, who was already covering his eyes and watching in stunned disbelief had no choice now but to come to the mound slowly and yank him from the game to a chorus of boos that Wang has rarely heard in this nearly five years of tenure in pinstripes. His ERA now ballooned to an astronomical 34.50.

Now, such an ERA can be had in minimal innings pitched early in a season. However, with Wang there is one small problem:

This is over a course of three starts.

The numbers tell tale a tale uglier than a Harry Potter novel:

Three starts and three losses

Six innings pitched.

23 runs.

23 hits.

WHIP: 4.83

Scary numbers, no question. The problem is to this point, neither the Yankees are Wang know what is wrong. The right-hander has claimed to be injured despite the fact that he has not been able to run and his velocity, normally in the 93 to 96 MPH range has dropped into the 90 to 91 meter and with the trademark sinker hanging in the strike zone, it has become extended batting practice for hitters.

The body language when the camera is panned on him shows a man in disbelief, bewilderment and one of shaken confidence. It is obvious that some help is needed to build back up the pitcher who the teams had penciled in as its number two starter between CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett.

So what can the Yankees do?

A quick look at the schedule shows that his next start was to be Friday night against the Red Sox in Fenway Park. Talk about having a death wish. There was no way in the world they could pitch him in a place that has been his kryptonite throughout his career. Pitching him in that environment against a team that hits him better than almost anyone else (despite his occasional good performances, including a complete game last year) and risk further psychological damage, including possible ruin if he were to get pounded by Boston.

Using intelligence, the Yankees organization took full advantage of the Monday rainout against the Oakland Athletics to remove Wang from his start on Friday night while they try to figure out what is wrong. Could it be his delivery has changed? Are his mechanics out of whack? Let’s just say that pitching coach Dave Eiland is going to earn his money trying to decipher what is wrong.

It is quite possible that Wang is suffering a case of “David Cone Syndrome”. The theory behind it is that after Cone enjoyed one of his better seasons in 1999, including a dominant performance in Game 2 of the World Series that season, the pitcher came back the next season and mysteriously forgot how to pitch.

He was not injured, but his velocity had dipped. In 2000, he was awful, going 4-14 with a 6.91 ERA and was officially removed from the rotation in late July when it officially became something that the team could not control. This led to a trade for then Cincinnati Reds pitcher Denny Neagle, who pitched no better than Cone became another victim to the pressure of New York.

This is going to be a project to get Wang righted again. It will not take one week, but perhaps a month to fix all of his problems. For solace, remember last season when it appeared that Mike Mussina was finished as a pitcher. By the end of that year, Moose went on to win 20 games and be the teams MVP.

It's not as if he suddenly forgot how to pitch.

Right now for Wang, it is all wrong. The Yankees will not make the playoffs this season if they do not get this situation right.

Yankee Talk: Not So Grand Opening

New Stadium opens, Indians capitalize on chances to rout Yanks late


NEW YORK - The grand palace was now officially open for business.

All of the anticipation that led to this day was matched by the pregame ceremonies held prior to the first pitch. It was so much you would have thought the Yankees were hosting the Academy Awards instead of opening the new Yankee Stadium.

It is too bad the game could not live up to those same standards.

The game was one large death grip for six innings as neither team able to take advantage of the opportunities given by the other. When Damaso Marte grooved a pitch hit by Indians centerfielder Grady Sizemore for a grand slam, it was time to shut down business for the first day and come back tomorrow.

The blast gave the Indians (3-7) a 10-1 lead they would eventually win 10-2 over the Bombers (5-5), as the at the start sold out, electric crowd, became a restless, weary bunch that turned down the steakhouse and Hard Rock Cafe for the number four train and their cars.

CC Sabathia started most of this with his grinding 5 2/3-inning performance. Again not having complete control, he battled his way to 122 pitches in his outing, squandering four hits and five walks. He did get the big outs when he needed them and his only blemish came in the fourth inning after third baseman Cody Ransom made an incredible throw from the ground to nail Johnny Peralta at home plate on a ball hit on the ground by Ben Francisco. Catcher Kelly Shoppach doubled into left-center to score Francisco from first base to give the Indians the first lead of the game.

Jorge Posada struck in the bottom half of the fifth inning with a home run out to Monument Park in deep center to tie the game. However, Sabathia though was still not able to find his groove as his pitch count reached the triple digits.

With two outs in the top of the sixth, Manager Joe Girardi pulled the big lefthander after striking out Shoppach in favor of Edwar Ramirez, who allowed utility man Tony Graffanino to reach on Ransom’s error and followed by a base hit to shallow center to Trevor Crowe. Phil Coke came on and proceeded to put out the bases loaded fire by getting Grady Sizemore to fly out to end the inning and preserving the tie.

The offense unfortunately was never able to take advantage of the chances given to them by Cleveland starter Cliff Lee. In six innings, the Yankees ran his pitch count up to 115 and had numerous chances with runners in scoring position, but were unable to come up with the big hit. This was very different from the success they had the previous two nights against Tampa Bay.

The wheels would eventually break down in the seventh inning. Jose Veras entered the game and promptly walked Mark DeRosa and gave up a double to right off the bat of Victor Martinez. On a 3-2 pitch, Peralta was able to get just enough of the bat on the ball to poke it into right field just barely fair to plate both runners and make it a 3-1 game.

Damaso Marte followed and he wasn’t any better than Veras. His 0-1 pitch hit Shin-Soo Choo to put runners on first and second. When Francisco’s slow roller came back to Marte, his attempt at getting Peralta at third failed, allowing the bases to be loaded. Shoppach followed with a single and after getting Graffanino to pop out, he walked Crowe to force in a run.

The big blow came when Sizemore deposited Marte’s bad slider into the right field seats for a grand slam to make it 9-1. Victor Martinez got in a fun, hammering a pitch into left field to continue the rout as boos cascaded down from the paying customers at the new Stadium.

New York’s bullpen in the inning combined to face 12 hitters, yielding nine runs, five hits and two walks in 33 pitches.

Ugly.

Too bad Nick Swisher (1 for 4) was not available again to pitch.

Surely, better days will be ahead at the new Stadium on 161 Street and River Avenue. However, for openers it was one the team would rather forget.

Yankee Talk: AJ is A-OK

Burnett’s dominance sends Rays message


ST PETERSBURG – There is a term that I learned in baseball that is called a “no chance at bat”.

This is when a hitter steps to the plate when a pitcher has his best stuff on that night and he is better served making other plans for the night.

Last night, the Tampa Bay Rays should have just taken the evening off. No one would have blamed them.

AJ Burnett took the mound for the Yankees on Tuesday night needed to help the team erase the stench of a 15-5 pounding the night before. He wasn’t necessarily brought to the team as a “stopper” of sorts, it just so happened that way.

Over the course of eight innings, he fired darts that Rays hitters either stared at or swung and missed. When they were looking for the express, he would then tantalize them with a set of off-speed pitches, his power slider and a curve he could throw at two different speeds whether it was with power, or bouncing it into the ground. One by one, each hitter came up and several pitches later, they made right back to the dugout.

No chance.

He is such an interesting pitcher to watch. When you see him it appears as if he not even throwing 100 percent. It is an effortless motion that sneaks up on you up until you are frozen, unable to pull the trigger on his 95 MPH heat.

If you want to gear up for that, he will drop in his 12 to 6 curve or bounce a hard slider at the plate to make you look foolish. There is never such a thing as a “comfortable” at bat against him.

In the fourth inning, Rays starter Matt Garza buzzed Nick Swisher with a pitch perhaps a motivation for his stint as a reliever in the eighth inning the night before. This was not going to stand with Burnett on the other side. When Evan Longoria stepped into the box, Burnett responded with a brush back pitch of his own sending Longoria into a one-on-one meeting with the dirt.

Not wanting anymore of this battle, the star third baseman looked at called strike three without even attempting to make contact and returned right to the dugout.

No chance.

Suddenly you realized that he pitching a no-hitter after six innings and you couldn't help but notice his dominance now. He was everything the Yankees were hoping for when they signed him as a free agent. This was the same pitcher the Yankee hitter had seen and couldn’t handle. Now he was on their side.

Things got a touch hairy in the seventh inning when three successive singles and a sacrifice fly eliminated the no-hitter, shutout and the team’s 2-0 lead. In the past, this situation would have rattled his confidence. Instead, a bolder, mature and more assertive pitcher stepped forward. He escaped further trouble and kept the game tied going into the eighth where the Yankees would regain the lead.

Joe Girardi could have simply ended Burnett’s night after the last inning, but showed confidence in him to go back out there and get three more outs. He would do just that with no drama. The Rays went down 1-2-3 as they had done all night with the exception of the previous inning.

No chance.

It was a job well done. The final line of eight innings, three hits, two runs, one walk and nine strikeouts was the stuff of spectacular. He also sent a message to the American League Champions that they will not be intimidated and that retribution will be had if one of their own find themselves on the ground.

(Message to Josh Beckett: Don’t even think about it.)

His stuff has never been question, it has always been a matter of whether or not he could stay completely healthy for a full season and make 30 to 34 starts.

If he can, he gives the Yankees an incredible one-two of him and Sabathia. Add Chamberlain to that mix if he gets going and you have three pitchers in your rotation that on any given night can take the ball and dominate a lineup. It is an incredible advantage to have over an opponent.

The organization has invested $82.5 million that Burnett’s powerful right arm can be the intimidator he was on Tuesday night for the rest of this season. If he can, it will simply add to the teams potent rotation.

So far, so good.

MLB Talk: Cubs still trying to break playoff door down

’09 year just an exhibition for October


CHICAGO – The call them the “Lovable Losers”, but that moniker is about as old as Wrigley Field itself.

Their postseason donut stands out prominently and is impossible to ignore.

After being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Division Series last year, it sealed 100 consecutive seasons without winning a World Series.

Despite going wire-to-wire and winning nearly 100 games in 2008, it has gotten to the point for the 2009 Chicago Cubs where now the regular season has become meaningless. All 162 games take on an entirely different meaning, only serving as a warm-up for their eventual final exam to be administered in October when the playoffs begin.

Games in April against the Colorado Rockies do not matter.

The Cross-town Series with their rival White Sox? Nothing more than fun for the fans.

A July series with the St. Louis Cardinals? Nothing much to be gained there.

Playing the New York Mets in September? Just going through the motions.

It is very difficult to go through a season like that. When you are far superior to any other team in your division, you find no worthy opponents. The only games of consequence you can get up for are when the Mets, Dodgers and World Champion Phillies are on the schedule. After that, with the offense and pitching that the Cubs have, they have no equal. The 19 games each against the Astros, Pirates may as count as games against AAAA squads with the Reds, Cardinals and Brewers providing just marginally better competition that may give them an occasional sweat.

But when you are zero for your last nine in the postseason, including being swept out the last two years that is only thing people will talk about. It signifies failure of the highest order. For a team that six seasons ago was one way from going to the World Series with three chances to win and two of those games at home against the Florida Marlins and blowing their chance, it has been a long road back to that point.

In 2007, they were an average team that was blitzed by a stronger, savvy and more athletic Arizona Diamondbacks team.

Last year was to be their year. With the best offense and strongest pitching rotation in the National League, it appeared as if they would finally get to the Series for the first time in 63 years. The problem is that they ran into a team that had the strong right handed pitching that neutralized their lineup and someone by the name of Manny (yea, that guy) that took advantage of their main flaws and the Dodgers sent them to early vacation.

Did the Cubs choke? No.

Anyone dumb enough to simply conclude this about that team obviously hasn’t watched baseball for any length of time. Chicago’s lineup feasted on terrible National League pitching for most of the season, but was always susceptible to being shut down by any strong right handed pitcher who would throw strikes against the Cubs newly formed “Moneyball” style lineup that was intent on drawing walks (they led the league in that category in 2008). Once strikes were being thrown, they were forced to swing and this played right into the hands of Derek Lowe, the hard throwing Chad Billingsley and Hiroki Kuroda.

Ryan Dempster over-performed last year and at some point was due for a market correction. By coincidence, that happened in Game 1 last year when he couldn’t find the strike zone. By the time he did Dodgers first baseman James Loney sent his pitch over the left center field wall for a grand slam that set the tone for the series and allowed doubt to creep into the players and fans minds inside the ballpark.

Pressure mounted and eventually they self-destructed the next night in Game 2 making four errors in an eventual 10-3 defeat. They was really no need to fly to Los Angeles to play the next game, they series was already over. True to form, they played like zombies and their best hit of the series came when a player busted a pipe in the dugout with a bat and caused a flood.

So now their fans were left with that memory as look ahead to this season. The silly catch phrases of “Reverse the Curse”, “It’s Gonna Happen” and the signing of “Go Cubs Go” after games are nice marketing ploys to boost morale, but that has never won ballgames.

However, they can take solace in this:

By the random nature of how baseball is, it is inevitable that the more times the Cubs make the (as Bill Parcells likes to say) tournament, eventually the ball will bounce your way. Even the greatest of teams needed a bounce here or there to help propel them to a championship or it sometimes goes the other way and you end up losing.

I submit to you three examples (in no particular order):

1. In Game 4 of the 1988 World Series, Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda elected to start a little known outfielder named Mike Davis who hit less than .200 on the season. With him a several other below average players in the lineup, Bob Costas referred to it as “The worst lineup in the history of the World Series.” David would make Costas eat his words and put a smile on Lasorda’s face by drilling a go-ahead three-run homer that eventually led to a Dodgers win and a 3-1 lead in a series they would clinch the next night.

2. In Game 1 of the 1998 World Series, a close 2-2 pitch from San Diego Padres lefty Mark Langston was called a ball to run the count full. On the very next pitch, Yankees first baseman Tino Martinez connected with for grand slam that essentially ended the series before it ever started.

3. Boston Red Sox pinch runner Dave Roberts takes off for second in the bottom of the ninth in Game 4 of the 2004 AL Championship Series against the Yankees. Had catcher Jorge Posada’s throw been to the right of the second base bag instead of the left, Roberts is out. Instead, he is called safe and eventually scores on a single by Bill Mueller against Mariano Rivera to tie the score. Boston would go on to win that game, the pennant and eventually their first World Series since 1918.

In the end, it all evens out. It may not even happen this year for the team that plays on the North Side, but their day is coming as long as they keep on knocking.

The door will answer soon.