Tag: Alex Rodriguez (Page 4 of 13)

      Cheer up Yankee-haters and keep this in mind…

      November 5, 2009 /

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      First and foremost, let me state for the record that I am neither a Phillies nor a Yankees fan. My team (the Giants) watched the World Series the same way I did – from my couch with one eye on the tube and the other on my laptop trying to improve my fantasy football roster. (What, you don’t think Pablo Sandoval cares about his fantasy team, too?)

      After the Yankees won last night, I did an all-Bronx Bombers post and barely mentioned the Phillies. I talked about how New York found the pitching it needed to get over the hump and how homegrown players like Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada once again stepped up in the clutch. If you’re a Yankee fan, do yourself a favor and stop reading this post immediately and skip right to the one I wrote last night.

      If you’re a Phillies fan or a Yankee-hater: Enjoy.

      Sure, the Yankees might have bought their 27th championship this year, but let’s take a moment to rain on their parade by keeping all this in mind:

      – After stealing all the momentum in the 2001 World Series by winning three straight games against the Diamondbacks to take a 3-2 series lead, they embarrassed themselves in Game 6 by losing 15-2 and then allowed guys like Mark Grace, Tony Womack and Luis Gonzalez to beat them in Game 7…with their ace closer Mariano Rivera on the mound no less.

      – They had the best record in baseball in 2002, yet lost to the Rally Monkey in the postseason. The Rally Monkey! (That said, let me take a moment to say “F” that stupid Ebola-infested Rally Monkey on behalf of my Giants.)

      – In 2003, they again had one of the best records in baseball (the Braves had an identical 103-61 record), yet lost to the NL Wild Card-winning Marlins in the Fall Classic.

      – In 2004…well, we all know what happened in 2004. It’s the reason why we have “Red Sox Nation” and why the term “epic fail” is used today.

      – Despite their massive payroll, the Yankee$ choked in the Division Series not once, but three times in a row from 2005 to 2007. They also completely missed the playoffs in 2008 with the highest payroll in baseball. How does that happen?

      On top of this, let’s not forget that the Yankees outbid themselves to acquire A-Rod and had four players that tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs: Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Jason Giambi and Rodriguez.

      So ask yourself this, would you trade in nine years of embarrassment for one championship?

      MLB

      Yankees win 2009 World Series

      November 5, 2009 /

      What a difference a year makes.

      This time last year, the New York Yankees were at home on their couches watching as their 2009 World Series counterparts, the Philadelphia Phillies, defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to become world champions.

      One of the big reasons the Bronx Bombers were at home during the Fall Classic and not participating in it was because their pitching wasn’t good enough. That’s why GM Brian Cashman opened George Steinbrenner’s fat checkbook to sign starting pitchers CC Sabathia (7-years, $161 million) and A.J. Burnett (five-year, $82.5 million). And just to make sure he had enough offense, Cashman also inked the top bat on the free agent market, Mark Teixeira, to an eight-year, $180 million deal.

      The end result is that the Yankees got what they paid for.

      With their 7-3 victory over the Phillies in Game 6 of the World Series, the Bombers won their 27th championship in club history. Hideki Matsui (who was later named Series MVP) went 3-for-4 with six RBI and a run scored, while Derek Jeter finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Long-time veteran Andy Pettitte earned the victory, yielding three runs on four hits over 5.2 innings of work.

      The Yankees are clearly at an advantage because they’re willing to spend. But at least they spend their money the right way unlike clubs like the Mets, who spend widely only to miss the postseason every year. The Yankees want to win and they knew last year that they’re pitching wasn’t good enough to match their offensive firepower. So yes, they spent and spent big. But they spent to win and they accomplished their one and only goal: To win a World Series.

      Continue reading »

      MLB

      Can Cliff Lee save the Phillies’ season?

      November 2, 2009 /

      The Phillies acquired Cliff Lee at the trade deadline this season to help bolster their starting pitching and help get the back to the World Series. But now that they’re back in the Fall Classic, the Phillies need one more thing from Lee: To save their season.

      Lee will pitch Game 5 against the Yankees tonight in a do-or-die game for the Phillies, who trail 3-1 in the best of seven series. So far, Lee is 3-0 in the postseason and has only allowed two earned runs on 20 hits over 33.1 innings of work. He has also fanned 30 batters, has only walked three and has a sparklingly 0.54 ERA.

      But even though he has been masterful so far, the problem is that this is the second time the Yankees will be facing Lee this week. Even though they lost, the Rockies fared a tad better against Lee in Game 4 of the NLDS than they did in Game 1. And Colorado doesn’t have near the offensive firepower as New York does.

      If the Yankees are going to be crowned world champions tonight, the top of their order must come through, unlike in Game 1 of this series. Outside of Derek Jeter, who had three hits and scored a run, Johnny Damon, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez combined to go 1-for-12 against Lee in their first outing. While A-Rod has been on fire since then, he looked lost in all four of his at bats against Lee in New York while striking out three times.

      Time will tell if Lee can continue his dominance in the postseason, or if A.J. Burnett and the Yankees will put the final touches on their championship run.

      MLB

      Yankees take 2-1 series lead with Game 3 win

      November 1, 2009 /

      Apparently all Nick Swisher needed was a fire lit under his ass.

      Swisher, benched in Game 2, homered and doubled in the Yankees’ 8-5 win over the Phillies in Game 3 of the World Series on Saturday night. With the victory, New York takes a 2-1 lead in the best of seven series.

      Alex Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui also went deep for the Bronx Bombers. A-Rod’s shot was memorable because it was the first call overturned by replay in the history of the World Series. He finished 1 for 2 on the night with two RBI and a walk, while Swisher went 2-for-4 with two runs and a RBI.

      The Phillies got two home runs from Jayson Werth and one from Carlos Ruiz to take a 3-0 lead in the second inning. But the Yankees answered with two runs in the fourth, three in the fifth and one in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings on their way to victory. Philadelphia starter Cole Hamels was touched up for five runs on five hits in just 4.1 innings of work. He struck out three and walked two.

      With this win, the Yankees have the Phillies right where they want them because CC Sabathia opposes Joe Blanton tomorrow night. But a win is vital for the Bombers because if they lose, not only will Philly even the series but it’ll also have the momentum with Cliff Lee (who beat the Yankees in Game 1) starting Game 5.

      Tomorrow is critical for Joe Girardi, who decided to start Sabathia on only three days rest. If the Yankees can’t take a 3-1 series lead, then Girardi’s gamble could wind up costing his club.

      MLB

      Blanton to start Game 4 for Phillies – not Lee

      October 30, 2009 /

      Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has decided to start Joe Blanton in Game 4 of the World Series instead of ace Cliff Lee on short rest.

      What this means is that Lee won’t be available for a possible Game 7 because he’ll pitch Game 5 now. Considering Lee has never started on short rest in his career, Manuel may have had little choice but to pitch Blanton in Game 4.

      Blanton started Game 4 against the Tampa Bay Rays in last year’s World Series and combined with four relievers on a five-hitter in a 10-2 Philadelphia win. So he has World Series experience and shouldn’t be fazed by the pressure, although he did allow four runs in six innings against the Dodgers in his only postseason start this season.

      It’ll be interesting to see how New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi counters the move. There was talk that CC Sabathia would start Game 4, but Girardi may decide to save his ace to face Lee again in Game 5. Considering several Yankees (including Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez) have had success off Blanton in the past, Girardi might want to save Sabathia in order to go toe to toe with Lee.

      The chess game begins…

      MLB

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