The Yankees going forward, and Cito Gaston

As I walked today through Toronto - a very good walking city, as people might say - I contemplated what the Yankees' "Hangover" lineup might look like tonight:

1. Eduardo Nunez, SS; 2. Colin Curtis, RF; 3. Austin Kearns, LF; 4. Marcus Thames, DH; 5. Juan Miranda, 1B; 6. Greg Golson, CF; 7. Kevin Russo, 2B; 8. Ramiro Pena 3B; 9. Chad Moeller C

But nope: The only right calls are Kearns in leftfield and Golson in centerfield and Thames at DH, going against Toronto lefty starter Brett Cecil. The Yankees are indeed making a legitimate run at first place. As Girardi said, they'll have Monday and Tuesday to rest before the playoffs.

I think it's the right call. Obviously, if someone like Mark Teixeira or Alex Rodriguez looks like he's hurting, then Joe Girardi will rest him. And Girardi will continue to be judicious with his bullpen usage. No point in hurting someone now.

I knew the Yankees were still taking the regular season seriously when I saw Nick Swisher looking at video of Cecil.

Meanwhile, Girardi announced that Andy Pettitte will start Friday night, A.J. Burnett Saturday and TBA on Sunday. That puts Pettitte in line for a Game 2 start on Thursday, Oct. 7. I think that will definitely be the case if the Yankees play Minnesota, since the Twins are predominantly left-handed (Joe Mauer, Denard Span, Jason Kubel, Jim Thome and the switch-hitting Orlando Hudson)

If it's Texas, then Girardi will have to think harder about it. The Rangers lean to the right (I'm talking about their lineup - featuring Michael Young, Ian Kinsler, Vladimir Guerrero and Nelson Cruz - not their home state), and righties have a .764 OPS (.338 OBP, .426 SLG) against Pettitte, compared to lefties' .484 (.224 OBP, .260 SLG).

Phil Hughes' splits are .678 (.294 OBP, .384 SLG) against righties and .730 (.312 OBP, .419 SLG) against lefties.

I'd go with Pettitte in Game 2 either way. That way, you can start him in Game 5 either way, on his four days' standard rest. And Hughes is more likely to offer something in a Game 5 on two days' rest (coming off Game 3) then Pettitte in the identical scenario.

The Yankees will keep a particular eye on Golson tonight, Girardi indicated; he'd make a fine defensive replacement, and there would seem to be room for him on the roster. And of course, the Yankees will watch Javier Vazquez's start tonight with an eye on adding him to the bullpen. To me, they should at least stay open-minded on having Vazquez start in the ALCS and the World Series, if Burnett is awful once again Saturday in Boston.

--This Yankees-Blue Jays game is starting at 7:30 tonight, rather than 7:00, so that the Jays can honor Cito Gaston in a pre-game ceremony, as this will be Gaston's final home game as manager.

I'm glad I'll be here to witness this, because I'll always view Gaston's career as one of the more curious in recent baseball history.

He had that great run managing the Jays from 1989 to 1997...and then vanished. Or at least, it seemed that way. He served as Toronto's hitting coach in 2000 and 2001, but otherwise, he just sort of hung out under the Blue Jays' employ - spring-training coach, advisor, that kind of stuff. From what I know, he wasn't a Billy Martin-esque, scheming-behind-the-scenes-to-get-another-chance-at-managing guy.

He just was around, and despite that great run, he never received an offer to manage anywhere else. Maybe he interviewed horribly. Maybe word spread that he was more of an observer than a participant in those playoffs and World Series.

And then, shockingly, he received a second chance to manage the Blue Jays during the 2008 season. When last year turned sour, he agreed to step down after '10, and here we are.

There are some good takes on Gaston both on this blog, Drunk Jays Fans (warning: there's some profanity in here), and then on the links within this post. 

The truth on what really happened usually lies somewhere in between the disparate opinions expressed. In this instance, I think it's awesome that Gaston has two World Series rings as a manager - he was the first African-American manage to win the whole thing - and that this city loves him.

--The Rays gave away all 20,000 of their free tickets for tonight. Another deft move for this extremely well-run team.

--Have a great night.