Saturday reading: Hideki Matsui, and more parade stories

Saturday November 7, 2009 7:52 AM By Ken Davidoff

While we have plenty of parade coverage, I based myself at Yankee Stadium yesterday and spoke with Hideki Matsui afterwards. As I think I've made pretty clear, while the Yankees would miss Matsui both professionally and personally, they need to get younger and create more flexibility for the old players they still have.

Jorge Posada seemed to get worse defensively as the year progressed, didn't he? And yet he can still hit so well. Which is why it's essential to get him more time as the starting DH.

Which brings to mind: Next offseason will be a huge test for the Yankees' "new" way of thinking. They have expended the time and resources to build up one of the game's best supplies of young catchers: Francisco Cervelli, Jesus Montero and Austin Romine. Cervelli is ready to step in next year to back up Posada. The other two need more time in the minor leagues.

But when Joe Mauer becomes a free agent next year, will the Yankees make a run for him? Or will they actually let an organic transition take place, and have Montero and/or Romine learn from Posada during Posada's final season of 2011?

Mauer will be a 27-year-old free agent; pretty, pretty good. But catchers, in general, age quickly and are not great investments.

This could all be moot, as I do think there's a legitimate chance that Mauer re-signs with the Twins before ever hitting the open market.

--Meant to mention yesterday that the Phillies exercised their 2010 option on Cliff Lee, the biggest no-brainer of the offseason.

All right, I'm going to try very hard to take the day off. Have a great day.

--Self-promotion update: I'll be on 1050 ESPN Radio at 11:20 this morning with Seth Everett.

The parade, Hideki Matsui, Chien-Ming Wang and the Twins-Brewers trade

Friday November 6, 2009 5:23 PM By Ken Davidoff

I watched the parade and the City Hall ceremony from the distant comfort of Yankee Stadium. What did people think? I thought the parade was fine, but the ceremony was lame. Only three speakers (Hal Steinbrenner, Joe Girardi and Derek Jeter)? Back in 1996 and 1998-2000 celebrations, they invited many players to come up and speak, leading to some great moments.

Remember when Bernie Williams was about to be a free agent in 1998, and he pointed to George Steinbrenner and said, "You'll have to talk to this guy"?

Remember when Darryl Strawberry, having been through cancer and a drug suspension, broke down crying in 1999, and Joe Torre stepped to the stage to comfort his player?

Those were awesome. This? Eh.

--Hideki Matsui came back to the Stadium afterwards and expressed great happiness about the ending of his season while not getting specific at all about his future. Don't tell my competition, but I'm going to write a column on Matsui for tomorrow.

--Chien-Ming Wang spoke to us while holding his baby son. He said he's going to see Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala. on Monday for a follow-up appointment to his right shoulder surgery. He said he could be pitching in rehabilitation games in April or May. That seems optimistic.

In any case, the only way Wang will be back with the Yankees is on a reduced salary from this past year's $5 million.

--Interesting trade between the Brewers and the Twins. Minnesota, in dealing Carlos Gomez for J.J. Hardy, clearly gets the player with the greater upside. But the Brewers have young stud Alcides Escobar ready to step in at shortstop, and Miwaukee might have enough offense in its other spots to withstand Gomez's poor production while benefiting from his defense.

--The Diamondbacks exercised the $8.5 million team option on former Cy Young Award winner Brandon Webb, a sensible move given the high price (still) of quality starting pitching out there.

UPDATE, 7:49 p.m.: Scott Boras told Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times that Manny Ramirez will return to the Dodgers for 2010. Boras can read the market well enough that Manny, who played poorly this past season upon his return from the drug suspension, couldn't get $20 million out there. So he'll use the platform year with the Dodgers to build another campaign for another big contract. That's the situation in which you want Manny.

Thanks to MLBTradeRumors.com for the Manny knowledge.

Comment Winter Olympics

Friday November 6, 2009 1:16 AM By Ken Davidoff

Yes, it's that time of year again: The time for me to rest my funny bone (or lack thereof) and hand Friday mornings over to you, the commenters.

Remember, three medals per week, and no one can win more than one per week. Last year, as you probably figured out if you were around, the judges decided to spread the wealth, and not give more than one gold to any one person.

At the moment, though, we're a little like the 1980 or 1984 Summer Olympics - plenty of medals for everyone! For those of you still out there, we're always looking for additional insight and/or wit - both to elevate the level of discussion, and to make these Olympics more competitive.

For now, though, let's give out the first medals of the '09-'10 season. Remember, when deemed necessary, I will edit for spelling and punctuation:

The bronze goes to Richie G., for making fun of his own high standards for players:

How does Mo walk someone up by four in the 9th??? I'd bench him to teach him a lesson.

The silver goes to Islander505, for his reaction to news of a potential Derek Jeter Bridge:

Play your cards right, Ken, and you can be the first to spray-paint graffiti on it. "This bridge is statistically unsound"....or, my favorite ..."Jeter's contract costs more than this bridge."

And the gold goes to NaOH, for his very interesting observations on how baseball broadcasting has evolved:

...another thing I've noticed about past announcers is that they weren't as obsessive about discussing the significance of plays. Sure, they'd say something like "That's a big hit by Smith," but they didn't go on about things like momentum, whether the pitcher could recover, etc. On top of that, the announcers were much less in to trying to create drama.

A perfect example is Game 5 of the '76 ALCS (your Chambliss game). Herzog yanked his starter in the first inning, and while he hadn't recorded an out, the score was tied at 2. The announcers were pretty calm, just saying Whitey didn't want to take any chances and noting the widely held belief that the starter (Dennis Leonard) was prone to troubles controlling his emotions.

I can imagine how game announcers and other media would cover such personalities and events if they occurred today. The general talk would be of second-guessing the move, the choice of the starter in the first place, the emotional character of the starter, etc.

Thanks to this week's participants, and congratulations to the winners.

--Here's all of Newsday's coverage of the Yankees. I wrote my column about Alex Rodriguez's amazing journey. Here's a look ahead at the Yankees' winter. Remember, however (excuse alert), these offseason plans are not static. They evolve with each industry move. The Yankees began last winter with little intention of signing Mark Teixeira, and then they went ahead and signed him, anyway.

--I'm going to Yankee Stadium, rather than downtown Manhattan, today. I'll speak with the players who come back to the Stadium after the parade. I will check in from there.

Bobby Abreu re-signs with the Angels, and the Red Sox acquire Jeremy Hermida

Thursday November 5, 2009 5:42 PM By Ken Davidoff

Well, it certainly didn't take long for the Hot Stove League to warm up.

Bobby Abreu, avoiding the nightmare he experienced last year, re-signed with the Angels. It's a good deal for both sides, two years for $19 million with a vesting option for a third year. Abreau gets a raise from the relatively meager one-year, $5-million deal he signed with the Angels before the '09 season, and the Angels get one of the game's most consistent players at a reasonable price.

--The Red Sox acquired outfielder Jeremy Hermida from the Marlins for a couple of minor-league pitchers, in what was essentially a salary dump. The Marlins can't go to arbitration with Hermida, not when he's coming off two straight down years. The Red Sox can afford to take that risk, and Hermida can serve as a hedge - part of a leftfield plan, if Jason Bay winds up going elsewhere.

Back at the All-Star break, the Red Sox were optimistic that they could get something done with Bay. At this point, though, I'd bet on him winding up elsewhere.

(Although I reserve the right to change my mind until my annual free-agent prediction chart on Nov. 20th.)

Speaking of free agency, 79 players filed today, including John Lackey, Orlando Hudson and Matt Holliday. No Yankees or Phillies filed; it's considered poor form to do so the day after the World Series ends (which is always the first day you can file). Two Mets did - Carlos Delgado and Brian Schneider.

UPDATE, 8:32 p.m.: Self-promotion alert: I'll be on WFAN tonight at 10:45, with Adam the Bull.

World Series Game 6 in review

Thursday November 5, 2009 9:54 AM By Ken Davidoff

Apologies for the tardiness this morning. Man alive, was I tired. I'm not as young as I was nine years ago, you know.

Congratulations to the Yankees. 2009 proved to be a sublime season, one in which an exceptionally talented group of players came together and brilliantly executed the vision of general manager Brian Cashman and managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner - while manager Joe Girardi learned from his first-year mistakes and displayed a boldness that paid off (I'm talking more about long-term, regular-season decisions than some of the postseason moves).

It was a crazy scene after the game last night, with your usual small percentage of dopey players (cough!) or even coaches (cough!) spraying champagne on the greater crowds. But I took more enjoyment in the quieter scenes.

In Derek Jeter noticing Andy Pettitte's parents _ Pettitte's dad Tom used to be around the ballpark more, but he has been in hiding _ and giving them big hugs. In Hank Steinbrenner, of all people(!), standing calmly in a corner and clearly living through his dad.

In longtime staff members, who work very hard and don't get paid anything like ballplayers, exchanging embraces. Some of those folks will get a share or at least part of one, and that will significantly help their lives.

Many of these folks "suffered" through the eight-year drought, and as I wrote in my column, I really hope we can learn from that period. Those clubs didn't suffer from any kind of moral failing. They just weren't quite as good, particularly on the pitching front, and they ran into some bad breaks, whereas the 1996 and 1998-2000 Yankees benefited from some well-documented good luck.

Alex Rodriguez will be vindicated now, and to reiterate a point I made earlier this postseason, I hope the story of Mark Teixeira sheds some light on the wrongheaded way we evaluate players. Yes, Teixeira had a lousy postseason, although, even within that lousiness, he had a few huge hits - not to mention his excellent defense. But enough of Teixeira's teammates covered for him, just as he covered for them in the regular season, and now Teixeira won't be haunted by some ridiculous, "He's not a winner!!!" blather.

Last night on Twitter, a discussion began about whether Hideki Matsui's MVP performance would prompt the Yankees to bring him back for next year. I tweeted, "Remember, #Yankees brought back 1998 WS MVP Brosius, and would've been better off letting him go and playing youngster Mike Lowell." 

OMG, you would've thought I desecrated something holy. Yankees fans insisted that the titles of 1999 and 2000, and near-miss of 2001, meant that Brosius was better than Lowell, the Yankees' own prospect whom they traded to Florida for three young pitchers who didn't pan out.

You can't use team results to back up your analysis of individual players. You just can't. It's not intellectually defensible.

Anyway, what else about last night?

--What in the world was Charlie Manuel thinking, leaving Pedro Martinez in the game against Matsui in the third inning, with J.A. Happ all warmed up? It was clear that Pedro was naked out there.

Here's what Manuel said: "When he got there, Pedro, he knows how to pitch. He's got experience, he knows how to pitch and everything, and you know, I had to let him face that guy. Also when we were down, if Matsui got a hit, of course, but we can go down 4-1 and we can definitely rebound there. But I had to let him -- it wasn't time for me to take him out."

Yeesh. Of course, back when Grady Little infamously showed too much faith in Pedro, Little didn't even have a contract for the next season. Manuel is signed through 2011, and he also has a World Series ring with the Phillies. I think he can overcome this.

--Pettitte definitely showed the strains of pitching on three days' rest, but he gave the Yankees enough - especially when he looked so much better than Martinez on five days' rest. I'd be stunned if Pettitte wasn't a Yankee in 2010. Given the money the Yankees will save on leftfield/DH - I doubt they'll spend half, next year, of the $26 million they expended this year on Matsui and Johnny Damon - they should have some leeway to give Pettitte more guaranteed money and avoid last winter's headaches.

--Matsui. During the live chat the other day, Richie G. (Lynbrook, not the other Richie G., whom I don't know) asked me whether I'd be happy for any of the players if the Yankees won. Well, I'll confess: As Matsui stood on the podium on the field last night, accepting his World Series MVP trophy, I was happy for him.

He has conducted himself with dignity, kindness and consideration every day of each of his seven years as a Yankee. He came to the Yankees because they were the Major League Baseball equivalent of the Yomiuri Giants, his team in Japan, and it took him this long to get his ring. For him to stand up there with his long-time interpreter Roger Kahlon, and thank the fans for their support, I thought that was pretty neat.

But no, I don't think he'll be back. Damon? Let's let that one sit out there a little longer. I'll get a better feel next week, at the general managers' meetings.

--Mariano Rivera, on the field afterwards, told Fox's Chris Rose that he wants to pitch for five more years. Who are we to doubt him?

--Here's the rest of Newsday's coverage.

--Open free agency will start on Friday, Nov. 20th. Today, players can start filing.

--Dennis won the preseason predictions contest. I'll post the final standings shortly.

--All right, got work to do for our commemorative sections and all that. So I may post again today, but then again, I might not. Thanks to all of you who have stuck around for the completion of the Yankees' championship run. And as you know, things will remain interesting here now that the Hot Stove League is on its way.
 

The Phillies' future, and the Yankees' lineup

Wednesday November 4, 2009 4:43 PM By Ken Davidoff

For the final Midweek Insider of the 2009 season, I wrote about how the Phillies are in excellent shape for 2010. While the Mets, Braves, Cubs, Cardinals and Dodgers all figure to be very busy this upcoming Hot Stove League, the Phillies really don't have to do much, besides find some reasonably priced re-enforcements for their starting rotation and their bullpen.

--Joe Girardi didn't do anything crazy tonight, in World Series Game 6. No Jerry Hairston Jr. and no Eric Hinske. Nick Swisher is starting in rightfield, and Brett Gardner is in centerfield. Smart.

--The Braves re-upped with Tim Hudson for three years, an interesting deal, since Hudson made only a handful of starts in 2009 after returning from Tommy John surgery. The Braves very much want to trade Derek Lowe for offensive help, but that won't be easy. Javier Vazquez will have greater value on the trade market.

I'll post more updates here as the news necessitates it. Enjoy tonight's big game.

The Turnpike Series, exit by exit

Wednesday November 4, 2009 12:32 AM By Ken Davidoff

I've wanted to do this a few times, but didn't have a chance. Now that the Series has extended to six games, however, and now that I've done the New Jersey Turnpike drive both ways - and besides, how much more can we break down the Series, at this point? - let's give it a shot.

As a shout-out to Optimum Online's many, important New Jersey subscribers - hey, who says I'm not a company man? -and also as a characteristically egocentric tribute to my personal roots, let's drive the route from Yankee Stadium to Citizens Bank Park and decide which person from this World Series best "represents" each exit.

OK, so after crossing the George Washington Bridge, we first hit: 

Exit 16W - Route 3 West/Meadowlands Sports Complex.The place to be for the Giants, Jets, Nets (for now) and horse racing - the latter of which tempts me to go cheap and award this to Alex Rodriguez. But nah, let's instead honor New Jerseyan Bruce Springsteen, who recently played an outstanding string of "farewell" concerts to the old Giants Stadium. There's room enough in the tri-state area for two men to be known as "The Boss": Bruce, and George Steinbrenner, who ran the Nets for a short while, owns horses and, at heart, considers himself a football coach.

Exit 17 - Route 3/Route 495 - Lincoln Tunnel, Secaucus.If you accidentally departed New York, you might take this to get back into Manhattan. Or, more likely, you could take Route 3 East to see the NBA Entertainment offices, which is where they hold the NBA draft lottery every year.

And who's a bigger NBA fan, between these two teams, than CC Sabathia? He actually roots for his hometown Warriors. During his first Yankees spring training, he helped create team bonding by inviting myriad teammates to Magic games in Orlando, an hour-plus drive from Tampa.

Exit 15X - Secaucus Junction. It's just a train station. But the teams travelling by train in this series makes me think of old-time baseball, and the person in this series who most reminds me of old-time baseball is Charlie Manuel, who thrives largely because of his personal relationships with players and, during his news conferences, speaks from the heart instead of utilizing some modern-day filter.

Exit 15W - I-280. Newark, Kearny, the Oranges. Outstanding soccer goalkeeper Tony Meola is from Kearny. And who in this series looks like a soccer goalie more than Mark Teixeira, when he plays defense? Of course, some would contend that Teixeira has been hitting like a goalie lately, too.

Exit15E - US 1-9 Truck Route, Newark, Jersey City. Even in his slimmed-down state, who represents a truck better than Ryan Howard? He's powerful, intimidating and, well, susceptible to breaking stuff, as I imagine would be the case for a baseball-playing truck.

Exit 14 - I-78, US 1-9, US 22, Newark Airport. Just as a plane has never taken off earlier than scheduled at Newark Airport, so has Cliff Lee never taken the mound earlier than schedule.

Newark Bay Extension - Exits 14A (Route 440 - Bayonne), 14B (Jersey City, Liberty State Park, Garfield Avenue, LSP Park and Ride) and 14C (Holland Tunnel, Columbus Drive, Downtown Jersey City, Journal Square). The best part about this spur is that you drive with the Statue of Liberty in full view on your right-hand side. It's quite a sight to behold. And who's a greater sight to behold right now in this World Series than Chase Utley? 

Exit 13A - Route 81, Elizabeth, Newark Airport, Elizabeth Seaport. There's an IKEA store off this exit where Mrs. Insider went to furnish our first apartment together. And who has furnished these two teams? Why, Brian Cashman and Ruben Amaro, Jr., of course. Cashman, in his 12th year on the job, is responsible for everyone on the Yankees' roster. Amaro, in his first year on the job, has brought aboard Lee, Raul Ibanez, Pedro Martinez, Chan Ho Parkf and Ben Francisco, among others, and as the assistant GM from 1999 through 2008, he has played a role in acquiring everyone besides 1996 draftee Jimmy Rollins.

Exit 12 - CR 602, Carteret, Rahway. This is a blue-collar area of Middlesex County, so let's give this exit to Mariano Rivera, who approaches his job with such a low-key, "This is my job" approach. Look for the Yankees to lean on him heavily tonight, if they can bring a lead into the eighth inning.

Exit 11 - US-9, Garden State Parkway, Woodbridge, Shore Points. Who would best blend in on the Jersey Shore? Probably Johnny Damon. He'd buy funnel cake for everyone, knock over the milk bottles at the corrupt boardwalk game (no jokes about his throwing arm, please) and go surfing. And, most important, he has the big hair to seem like part of the crowd.

Exit 10 - I-287,  Route 440 , CR 514, Perth Amboy, Metuchen, Edison, Outerbridge Crossing. Edison is my hometown, and it's of course named after the great Thomas Edison, who said that genius is "one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration." With that in mind, let's reward Derek Jeter, who, whether by genius, pure luck or something in between, always seems to be in the right place at the right time. And who works very hard at his craft, particularly his improving defense this season.

Exit 9 - Route 18, US-1, CR-527, New Brunswick, East Brunswick, South River. This is the exit you take for Rutgers University, the state school with the perennially disappointing football and men's basketball programs. You know what Rutgers needs? An infusion of bravado. So we're not giving Jimmy Rollins this exit as much as we are asking him to accept it, pretty please. If he could help the Phillies get over their inferiority complex, then he can do the same with the Scarlet Knights.

(Yes, I know the football team has been better in recent years. But I don't think Greg Schiano would turn down our offer to have Rollins stop by.)

Exit 8A - Route 32, CR-535, CR-612, Jamesburg, South Brunswick, Cranbury, Princeton. This area is best known for its plethora of senior living communities. Who better than self-proclaimed "old goat" Pedro Martinez to represent this exit?

Exit 8 - Route 33 to Route 133, Hightstown, Freehold, East Windsor. It's at about this point in the drive when I usually start thinking, "I can't wait for it to end." So this exit is yours, Cole Hamels. Of course, I think the outrage over Hamels' words was overblown. Here's Tyler Kepner's intelligent take on what Hamels said.

Exit 7A - Trenton, Shore Points, Six Flags Great Adventure. This season, who has been more of a Great Adventure than Brad Lidge?

Exit 7 - US 206, Bordentown, Trenton, Fort Dix, Hammonton. As much as Johnny Damon's hairdo screams, "Relax!" so Joe Girardi's buzz cut asserts, "Stand straight!" Fort Dix would welcome Girardi, no matter what the military's stance is on the three-man rotation.

Exit 6 Extension - Exits 6A (US 130 – Burlington, Bordentown, Florence) and 6 (I-276 / US 130 – Florence, Pennsylvania Turnpike). I've done my share of driving the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and it can feel interminably long - mostly because Pennsylvania is such a big state. The other day, trying to explain Larry Bowa's comments to Shane Victorino - that it was actually sort of a compliment to wonder whether the Phillies stole signs - felt interminably long. The Flyin Hawaiin gets the whole extension for himself.

Exit 5 - CR 541, Burlington, Mount Holly, Willingboro. This quiet stretch of the turnpike should go to Andy Pettitte, who has (mostly) quietly done his job effectively for a long time now. My sense is that, if this exit moved temporarily to Houston, or was caught using HGH, we'd forgive it, too.

Exit 4 - Route 73, Camden, Philadelphia, Berlin. Ricardo Rincon would be a natural for this one, but since he's not on either team, how about A.J. Burnett? After all, this is the exit you take for the Benjamin Franlkin Bridge. From what we know about Mr. Franklin, he was enormously talented, like Burnett, and also had a playful, erratic side that would seem to enjoy a good pie in the face.

I'm not sure who would be the Colonial era equivalent of Jose Molina, but we'll cross that bridge another time.

Exit 3 - Route 168 to Atlantic City Expressway, Camden, Philadelphia, Woodbury. Yes, we'll save the biggest name for last. - this is where you get off to go to the Walt Whitman Bridge, which takes you right to Citizens Bank Park. In Atlantic City, Alex Rodriguez could play poker legally and hang out with his fellow celebrities who happen to be performing in town. It's as close to Hollywood and/or Las Vegas as you'll get on this drive.

--Here's the rest of Newsday's coverage of the World Series. I wrote my column about the great drama of the Yankees having to go through Pedro tonight. Seeing Pedro pitch and perform, it's like his four years with the Mets never happened. I still think of him as a Red Sox. Which, of course, doesn't say much for his time with the Mets.

--Check back later for a Midweek Insider, and then, of course, I'll be at the game. And thanks to this site for the help with the exits.

Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Akinori Iwamura and the Jeter Bridge

Tuesday November 3, 2009 4:24 PM By Ken Davidoff

It's a pleasant, autumn day here at the Stadium, and the Yankees are holding what appears to be a relaxed workout. The Phillies are taking the day off; only manager Charlie Manuel and Game 6 starter Pedro Martinez will stop by here, as far as I know, to speak with the media.

--No shocker: Joe Girardi said Pettitte would start Game 6. An easy call, and one that could easily blow up in the Yankees' face.

--Girardi said that Mariano Rivera would be available to throw multiple innings tomorrow night. Since his marathon, 39-pitch outing in Game 2, Rivera had the travel day Friday; threw five pitches in Game 3 Saturday (actually early Sunday morning); threw eight pitches in Game 4 Sunday; and didn't pitch last night. That's 13 pitches in a four-day span, a relative vacation for Rivera.

--Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reports that the Rays are working on a trade of Akinori Iwamura to the Pirates. This could be win-win. The Rays don't need Iwamura, since they have Ben Zobrist to play second base. And the Pirates would get a good player and also send a message to their fans that they're willing to spend some bucks. $4.85 million for one year of Iwamura makes more sense than two years and $12 million for Freddy Sanchez.

--They're talking about building the Derek Jeter Bridge, and my only question is, when the briddge gets old and turns a little rusty, will it be defensive about its need for repairs?

Thanks to YanksBlog.com for the link, via Twitter.

World Series Game 5 in review

Tuesday November 3, 2009 9:20 AM By Ken Davidoff

There's no doubt whom the real winner was in last night's game: Major League Baseball. Now we'll get a Game 6 that should generate enormous ratings, and if we have a Game 7, all the more so.

The comparisons between the World Series and the Super Bowl, vis-a-vis TV audiences, always annoy me, because it's apples and oranges. When you turn on the Super Bowl, you know that, by the end of the night, you'll see a coronation. It doesn't work that way in baseball (or hockey or basketball either, of course) unless it's a Game 7.

Anywho, that's enough intruding on Neil Best's territory for one morning. Let's get to the baseball:

--For my column, I wrote about the potential snowball effect that A.J. Burnett's short start could have on the Yankees. The Yankees' bullpen worked six innings last night. Today's off day will help the four relievers who worked, obviously, but with Andy Pettitte starting on short rest tomorrow night, the concern lingers that it could be another long night for the bullpen.

If that occurred and the Yankees lose, you'd be turning to CC Sabathia, on his second straight start on three days' rest. Which is still probably more appetizing than the Phillies starting a mentally wiped out Cole Hamels, but anything can happen in one game.

Because Burnett can be so inconsistent in general, it's difficult to know whether last night's poor start resulted from his short rest, or just from the fact that he's A.J. Burnett. . But it's irrelevant. The answer to the question won't impact where the Yankees are now.

I can't blame Joe Girardi too much for hatching this "short rest" plan. The Yankees' season just kind of turned this way - from seeing Chien-Ming Wang go down with a serious injury, to having Ian Kennedy miss most of the year with an aneurysm, to converting Alfredo Aceves and Phil Hughes into relievers, to committing to Joba Chamberlain as a full-time, postseason reliever because he didn't inspire enough confidence as a starter.

The one move I might have tried is using Chad Gaudin to start ALCS Game 4 against the Angels. That would've put Gaudin in a mangeable situation - with the Yankees up, two games to one, and with the Angels fielding a mostly right-handed lineup. But to throw in Guadin now, after essentially a month off, against a team with so many lefty hitters? Bad idea.

Anyway, NoMaas and Drunk Jays Fans both offered amusing takes on Burnett.

--It's hard to really encapsulate Mark Teixeira's postseason. He certainly has contributed a few big hits, and his defense has been outstanding. Nevertheless, his offensive numbers are bad, and with today's off day, he's sure to be target number one of the fans after striking out to end the game last night.

--I think we saw last night why Joe Girardi hasn't used Phil Coke more. Or, did we see that Coke is really out of it after being relegated to irrelevance? Either way, he'll be used again only in case of emergency. Looking forward, he's hardly an integral part of this Yankees team, not with Damaso Marte now pitching up to his contract and Michael Dunn displaying his potential in the Arizona Fall League (if also struggling with his control).

--All of this written, the reason that MLB served as the true winner last night, and not the Phillies, is because the Phillies' bullpen is a mess. You could feel the angst in the Citizens Bank Park stands as Ryan Madson struggled to end the game. I guess Brad Lidge was never "all the way back," or whatever, if Charlie Manuel bailed on him after one bad outing.

Even if Pedro Martinez pitches well tomorrow night, he certainly can't go nine innings. It's not clear where the Phillies would turn if they actually take a lead into the ninth. It could be a matchup situation.

--But on the bright side for the Phillies, what a pleasure it is to watch Chase Utley play. Good Lord, is he good. It is probably not right that Utley's infield teammates Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins both have National League Most Valuable Player trophies and Utley doesn't.

--I'll check in with you later from the Stadium