Yankees Move On

The confetti is gone from the Canyon of Heroes. The '09 New York Yankees are finished, their beaming fans simmer on success until spring. The hot stove will keep us warm through winter. Baseball's rumor mill never sleeps. Let's hit the links:

• Silly question.
• Contreras revisited?
• Gone but not forgotten.
• Hot air on the horizon.

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Winning Eases Yankees Pain

Waves of accolades wash over the World Champion New York Yankees. A winning induced fervor brings the Canyon of Heroes alive. The Big Apple embraces a fresh chapter in pinstriped lore. The page turns on bad news. Thorny issues fade. Let the good times roll.

It wasn't long ago that an opulent new stadium opened with five-star ambiance and vast stretches of empty seats. The tax payers dug deep, corporate welfare happened while the great recession roared. Outrageous ticket prices spurned loyal patrons. Greed permeated the Bronx air. Fair and ethical weren't in the mix.

The biggest star money could buy, Alex Rodriguez, confessed to cheating then ended up in a hospital bed while his surgically repaired hip healed. Mediocrity took the field, Wang wobbled, Joba transitioned, Girardi's neck was in a noose. Bleak was on deck.

Adversity didn't kill the '09 Yankees, it made them stronger. A team struggled, survived and thrived. Camaraderie counted. The MVP returned with a bash. Relentless winning resulted. The rest is history. A chapter of bad news is closed. Let the good time roll.

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Yankees Earn Championship

Mission accomplished. Girardi needs a new jersey. 28 is next. The World Champion New York Yankees recapture the crown. Vintage performances by long-in-the-tooth winners kicked in destiny's door.

Hideki Matsui whacked Pedro and company for six RBI. Andy Pettitte somehow survived the hyped ravages of three days rest to notch another clincher. The Great Rivera shatters the bat of Father time, again. The Phillies fall to the best team in the sport. I took in the Series spectacle behind enemy lines. Being surrounded by red wearing, ear drum shattering Phiilies phanatics amped up the ambiance. The opportunity to mingle led to the following exchange: "You guys should win it every year with that payroll." "I wish it was that easy, there is a lot more involved than money." "Huh?" "If NY loses the World Series it is a Big Apple catastrophe. If the Phils lose, it is one of the finest sport's years in the city's history." Expectations are not created equal.

The home town news supported the phanatics misconception: "As such, you play a season without real joy at accomplishment. Rather, you plod through, meeting expectations painted with a bottomless check book."--(Marcus Hayes/Philadelphia Daily News) Mr. Hayes, clearly didn't witness the Yanks play this season. For the first time in years, joy was in the house. Walk off wins ruled, boisterous pie-wearing celebrations followed. Camaraderie counted.

The deepest pockets don't mean much if if ownership isn't committed to winning. The next generation of Steinbrenner learned a few things from dear old dad. Caution based austerity isn't in the mix. The dark Pavano, Giambi, Igawa chapter is finally closed because the Brothers Steinbrenner swung for the fences. A new group of high-profile mercenaries were added to the venerable remnants of the Gene Michael/Joe Torre dynasty. Deluded expectations mushroomed. A clear message was sent: Girardi wins or he is gone. The new Joe delivered. Adversity was countered with preparation. Decisive, nonconformist, decision making plugged perpetual holes. Critics cringed. A championship caliber team was built from the dugout. Girardi needs a new jersey.

New York's Timeless Baseball Reporting

Someone said, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." I'm reading Mike Vaccaro's excellent book, The First Fall Classic, which describes the events surrounding the 1912 World Series between the New York Giants and the Boston Red Sox. Vaccaro writes: "This was the peak of New York's grand newspaper wars... and there was no surer way to separate a citizen from his two pennies than to satisfy his baseball jones with huge scare headlines chronicling the collapse of the local nine."

That was then, this is now. Newsday reports:"Short rest could bite Yankees...Girardi's decision to use starters on short rest could have drastic consequences."--(Davidoff) The sky is falling, read all about it.

Safe to say good news doesn't sell. In April when Wang and Nady went down and A-Rod was in a hospital bed in Colorado, did it seem possible that the Yanks would be in the World Series? Was it likely that they would be up 3-2 over the defending World Champs or have a 10-4 postseason record? Who managed to get them there? Does Girardi's record mean anything? A measly 103 regular season wins highlighted by consistent comebacks. Decision making? Who moved Jeter into the leadoff slot? Who built a bullpen bridge with a failed phenom and a Mexican League veteran? Who rested the pitchers down the stretch so the big three could fill the void of a vacant fourth starter slot. Who built a cohesive team out of a cast of characters? The manager's job is to put his team in a position to succeed. Two home games, one win snatches #27. The facts speak, don't listen to the noise.

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Phillies Fight Back

Destiny was derailed Monday night in the City of Brotherly Love. New York's quest for their 27TH championship was thwarted courtesy of Cliff Lee, Chase Utley and A.J. Burnett. Lee was good but not great this time around. The Yanks had a chance until enigmatic A.J. took the hill. Burnett's razor sharp command from game two was history. Futility was in the mix.

Burnett signed with New York for a cool $82 million and the opportunity to pitch in big games. Game two's dominant performance flashed what is possible, given his elite talent. Game five's deer in the headlights demeanor provided a confidence crashing dose of reality. A.J. got whacked for six runs in two plus cringe worthy innings. Burnett's roller coaster career takes another sharp turn.

Philadelphia's hope kindling hero, Chase Utley continues to hammer homers. Two more long balls carried Philly's vaunted offense again. Eight runs were barely enough for the home team to survive, courtesy of their wobbly pen. Philadelphia is somehow alive.

The Jersey Turnpike series heads home to the Bronx. Destiny is on deck. Lee and Burnett will be on the bench. Advantage is in the house.

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Destiny On Deck for Yanks

Destiny is knocking on the door of the '09 New York Yankees. A dramatic ninth inning rally with two out, no one on, resulted in a 7-4 confidence buttressing win. A 3-1 series lead has the Bronx Bombers on the brink. #27 is on deck.

The list of prime-time players grows. CC should stand for consistently consistent. The big man brings it every time. A-Rod's redemption tour brings the MVP to the postseason. The Great Rivera shatters the bat of Father time. A special season shines.

Girardi rebuffs relentless critics by convention defying, flaw fixing maneuvers. Don't have a fourth starter? Three will work. Stuck in a perpetual bullpen quagmire? Match up mania will get the ball to MO. The new Joe's playoff scorecard reads: 10 wins 3 losses. Destiny is on deck.

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Yankees Blast Phillies

The New York Yankees used a customary power surge to silence the Philly phanatics in their home town band box Saturday night. The Bronx Bombers snatched back home field advantage from the formerly cocky Phils. Momentum switched sides.

New York received clutch contributions from unlikely sources. Nick Swisher snapped his postseason skid with a homer and double. The raw power of Andy Pettitte produced an RBI single, shock and awe don't do it justice. Damon doubled. A-Rod's camera slamming blast dug the Yanks out of a 3-0 hole. The bullpen provided confidence enhancing relief. Joba and Marte (seriously) delivered. Hughes hiccuped again in the ninth but the ultimate security blanket, The Great Rivera, did what he does--game over.

A raucous, belligerent Philly throng gets a dose of rain and reality. Suggestions of home field dominance are all wet. Sabathia vs. Blanton on deck, over-the-top, misguided, City of Brotherly Love cockiness has left the building.

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