Yes, I know we've not yet clinched we clinched today. Taking 2 of 3 in New England this weekend was not necessary to secure the AL East and 98th consecutive divisional title. It will also likely end the fantasy that Bosox have experienced over the last 300+ days. The sputtering Indians kept Bosox in the hunt for post season play. It's very likely that Boston will again knock on the door in Bx to decide who will win the AL Pennant.
The only change I'd make to the lineup would be to move Mussina down in the pitching rotation. I'm not sure how healthy he really is now. It also is a shame that Mendoza hasn't had the opportunity to pitch more. Not sure why Torre hasn't run him out there to get more innings. I suspect that he isn't quite healthy. Our PH capability isn't very much to write home about, much like our long relief. Unfortunately, we can't hand the ball to Aaron Small for long relief each day. Our starters will be expected to give 6-7 innings each game during the post season.
YanksBlog.com » The Chosen 25
After the Yanks win one game, I think we'll see Mendoza - in fact I think we'll see him pitch to help earn that first game in Boston. My guess is that if Torre selects him for the post season, that means they've seen him pitch simulation games and are saving him so they have less scouted pitching to throw at the opposition. It helps sneak in a lot of hitless innings when a team hasn't seen a pitcher's best stuff lately, on film or otherwise.
Game one - a vintage Moose performance. (As a pitcher in the MSBL of Detroit, *I* could learn a few things from how Moose used the breaking ball and cutters against the capable Halos hitting).
I read a few articles on Yankees' websites (yesnetwork, yankees.com). Author Steve Goldman wrote how surprising this season was, and how everything had to click perfectly for the Yankees to be here. I need to check the archives. I blindly called for the Yanks to win the division despite where they were at the time. I know it was a few months ago and AG can tell you that he didn't expect the Yankees to be here. No one really did, except the Yankees themselves. I think they found that desire within themselves. They rode the Yankee mystique without arrogance or a feeling that they deserved to be winners. They've always had that skills but this time they played with desire:
Jeter always plays this hard...
Williams played above his body's ability many times.
Sheffield quieted his yap and played ball.
Matsui is finally learning defense. He is comfortable facing Major League pitching and has hit like the Godzilla suit he was supposed to wear from Day 1.
Womack was put on the bench. He's hit big in big games, so he's there for a reason.
Lawton was put on the bench. Brought up for spot duty in which he performed at times.
Cano has played without fear. Sometimes without skill at 2nd base, but at least he's young.
Crosby has played with a true sense of what it means to be a Yankee. He plays above his skill level and earned his spot on the team.
A-Rod is a premier player. He's doing what he always does to help this team move forward. All he has to do is continue playing solid 3B and start hitting this postseason.
Leiter is a gem to have - an experienced pitcher who knows what post season drama is. Randy Johnson is the same way.
Moose needs to stay a healthy pitcher in order to keep our rotation from losing an important wheel. We'll see if Wang can pitch well in Game 2 vs. the Rally Monkey.
Aaron Small needs to pretend it's the regular season and keep pitching like his life depended on it. Same with Tom Gordon.
Rivera isn't going to surprise anybody. To get all the way to the top he's going to have to pitch better than all of the scouting reports, all of the film, and all of the other teams' desire to hit him. He has to instill fear of the Rivera of old, not give in and make hitters think he's the old Rivera.
Embree, Proctor, Sturtze, and ... I can't remember the other bullpen pitchers. These guys all need some postseason magic pixie dust in their draws or something. Embree had it once... shaving his goatee seemed to take his power like Sampson lost his with a haircut. He had a live fastball but all it takes is confidence and any hitter can nail your best fastball. When they do it will go FAR.
Who am I forgetting? Jason Giambi - keep hitting like you're on the juice. Who knows maybe he's on something that's given him enough of his edge back to hit well. Tino Martinez has been here before. It would be nice to see his bat come from nowhere and provide a spark when Giambi's DH'ing or sitting the pine. And Mark Bellhorn - I think he's just there to help scout the BoSox if they play for the ALCS. Should Cano lose his composure and start looking like a bush-leaguer, you have a proven veteran with a WS ring on your bench, ready to go into action.
This turned out to be a long post. I'll have to cut and paste some of this into YanksBlog.org and see what response I get...
ATB:
Your analysis is superb. Moose pitched his ass off last night. He showed no signs of fatigue. I suspect that Wang will be unflappable tonite. He looked very capable against the Bosox(who've got problems of their own). Hell if we can't have Clemmons, Pettitte, and Wells.. Why not Small, Chacon, and Wang?
I'm still worried about getting some pop off the bench. Who among the PH corps is capable of instilling fear by hitting the ball out of the park? Crosby maybe. Sierra seems to have lost any potential to be that big time run producer off the bench. Perhaps Bernie could be that guy?