Archive for October, 2009
Let’s Get It Started: Yankees-Twins ALDS Preview »
This is why they play the games. Even though this philosophy is overplayed and overhyped in just about every sport, every year, the Yankees versus the Twins is the ultimate David versus Goliath contest. The Bronx Bombers are 7-0 against the Twins this season, and since Rod Gardenhire took over as Twins skipper in 2002, the Yankees are 23-3 [...]
With Joba in the ALDS Bullpen, Your New York Yankee »
...Chad Gaudin. The Yankees broke from their season long stand of having Joba Chamberlain pitch strictly as a starter, and, in the last game of the season, threw him for one inning out of the bullpen. Joba threw strikes, his velocity was in the mid-to-high 90s, and he punctuated a seven-pitch inning with a strikeout of Fernando Perez. Perez [...]
Primetime For Future Yankees Old-Timers »
Derek Jeter batted .334 this season. He had 212 hits, 18 homers, 30 steals, and 107 runs scored. He also played Gold Glove-caliber defense at shortstop, the game's most demanding position. Think about that for a second. Of all the subplots of a superb 2009 regular season for the Yankees, this is by far the most welcomed and unlikely [...]
Q&A With “First Fall Classic” Author Mike »
Mike Vaccaro has been the lead sports columnist for the New York Post since 2002. A New York native, Vaccaro has also covered the local sports scene for the Newark Star-Ledger, as well as working for papers in Kansas City and Arkansas. He’s just written a book entitled The First Fall Classic: The Red Sox, the Giants, and the Cast of Players, [...]
New York Yankees: No Excuses As ALDS Dawns »
We can get all worked up into a lather about how the ALDS is a crapshoot, but at the end of the day, sanity must prevail here. The Yankees have no business losing this series, regardless of opponent. New York has certainly struggled in this setting in recent years, having been bounced rudely from the first-round in '05, '06, and '07. But all the [...]
Yankees Get Bats Rolling Before ALDS; Await Opponent »
The New York Yankees pounded out 12 hits and exploded for 10 runs in the sixth inning of a 10-2 victory in the 2009 regular season finale at Tampa Bay on Sunday. All-Star third baseman Alex Rodriguez homered twice in the Bomber's breakout inning. His three-run blast and grand slam gave him an American League record seven RBI in one [...]
2009 MLB Playoff Preview By WhatIfSports.com »
With our computer on a roll after correctly picking North Carolina to win it all before the 2009 NCAA tournament, the 2009 Stanley Cup champion, the Lakers over the Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals, and the Pittsburgh Steelers to win Super Bowl XLIII (by four points), we at WhatIfSports.com focus on baseball. Just as we did with those previews, we [...]
Yanks Projected ALDS Roster »
Yanks Projected ALDS RosterOct. 5, 2009While the Yankees will likely procrastinate and avoid making a formal announcement until the last minute, everyone is aware they will opt for the division series format with more days off. This will allow them to use their top three starters and send everyone else to the pen against either the Twins or [...]
The Road To 11: Will 2009 Be The Year For the Yankees? »
The Yankees won 103 games in the 2009 regular season and are back in the playoffs after an absence from postseason baseball in 2008. The last time the Yankees were the number one seed in 2006, they were ousted by the Detroit Tigers in four games in the American League Division Series. The last time the Yankees were in the World Series was in [...]
Game 163 and The MLB Playoff Preview »
In a season where pennant races were few and far between, the Twins did catch the Tigers to create a one-game playoff for the American League Central Division Title. The winner gets to go to New York to face the best team in baseball. The New York Yankee infield of Mark Texeria, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, and Alex Rodriguez might be the best [...]