Girardi’s gaff costs Yankees in Game 3 of ALCS

The Angels avoided falling in a three-game hole by beating the Yankees 5-4 in Game 3 of the ALCS on Monday night. Vladimir Guerrero hit a game-tying two-run home run in the sixth inning and Jeff Mathis hit a game-winning RBI double in the bottom of the 11th inning for the Halos.

Not to take anything away from the Angels because this was a huge win for them, but Joe Girardi screwed the pooch by taking reliever David Robertson out in the 11th after he retired the first two batters. Girardi replaced Robertson with Alfredo Aceves, who immediately gave up a single to Howie Kendrick and then the double to Mathis.

Hindsight is always 20/20, but Robertson’s location was fine and his curve was sharp, so why Girardi felt the need to take him out is perplexing. Granted, the same outcome could have happened if Girardi left Robertson in the game but it really seems like the New York skipper over managed the situation tonight.

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2009 Fantasy Baseball Preview: Second Basemen

Dustin Pedroia

All 2009 Fantasy Articles | 2009 Position Rankings

Second base is home to one of the biggest draft-day dilemmas: What to do with Chase Utley? I covered Utley’s situation in more detail here, but as you’ll see in the rankings below, I’m not concerned enough about his recovery from hip surgery to drop him from the top slot at second base. Reports out of spring training have all been positive and Utley maintains that he’ll be ready for Opening Day. As long as he doesn’t suffer a setback between now and my draft, that’s good enough for me.

Of course, my refusal to drop Utley’s ranking has as much to do with his talent as it does the general lack of depth at second base. Sure, there is some talent at the top of the list but once you get eight or 10 deep, things start looking rather bleak. Fortunately, there is a fair amount of upside to be harvested here, with several 28-and-under guys who could outperform expectations this season. You’ll have to pay a premium for some (like the reigning AL MVP) while others can be snagged in the mid- to late-rounds (like Arizona’s new potential leadoff man), but they all have the kind of upside that I look for on draft day. And while upside alone won’t win you a fantasy title, it’s a convenient tiebreaker that makes a guy like Brandon Phillips a little more attractive than the steadier but older Brian Roberts.

With that in mind, here is some of the young talent you’ll want to consider this season, and see below for my top-25 second basemen.


Read the rest after the jump...

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