If anything these past few days have reaffirmed what I wrote a few days ago–If someone is going to beat the Yankees, it’s going to be the Phillies. The Yankees handedly won game 1, but games 2 and 3 were extra-inning affairs that could have gone both ways, and that’s exactly what the Angels need. Think about if the Angels hadn’t made a few clueless errors in this series. They could easily be up 2-1 right now. Unfortunately, despite their win it seems to me it will probably be too little, too late. Facing C.C. Sabathia is not the sort of pitcher they want to face. You never know, but I think they said it right on Baseball Tonight recently (it was either Fernando Vina or Buster Olney) who said the Angels just seem a little bit intimitaded of the Yankees. A little scared. They need to play the same way they did during the season to continue their success now.

But I’ll tell you who won’t be scared of the Yankees: The Phillies. The Phils have been there before, last year in fact, but they still won’t be favorites in a Phillies-Yankees World Series. They have the Lee and Hamels and Martinez (and Happ too), and they have the lineup to match it. But they also have grit, and they showed that tonight. Any team that’s going to win a World Series needs a bit of that magic and fire, and no doubt the Phillies have got it. So while I wouldn’t favor the Phils heading into the Bronx, I certainly wouldn’t count on them backing down.

Here’s what I don’t want to happen: A Yankees/Dodgers World Series. Sure the Joe Torre storyline would be nice for the media, but I just don’t see it panning out into a good series, which is all I can hope for now that my team has been eliminated (well, that and the Yankees not losing, so this would really be a double whammy).

The Yankees have an unbelievable lineup. It’s an All-Star team, it really is. And they’ve been that way pretty much this entire decade, but this year they have the pitching to back it up, and not just in the rotation. So while teams with a good offense might be able to pick up a few runs here and there, they can’t count on the run support they relied on throughout the regular season. So the pressure switches to the pitcher. In order to beat the Yankees (well, beat them four times at least) you have to be able to shutdown that offense, and while there are no pitchers in the postseason (or the world) that can definitively do that, so you have to rely on guys that have shutdown potential and that’s really all you can ask for. And for me, the Dodgers really only have one player that fits the bill: Clayton Kershaw. He struggled last night, but we all have seen his stuff when he is on and it could be enough to stifle the Yankees. The problem for the Dodgers is, he probably is their only pitcher who can do that to the Yankees for a good six or seven innings. Sure, Randy Wolf has been good, but his start in the NLDS wasn’t encouraging, and his .256 BABIP in the regular season, compared to his .290 career average, suggests his 3.23 ERA might have been a bit flukey (I’m not a huge fan of determining “luck” based on BABIP, as I’ve written before, but it’s still a factor).

The Phillies are a different story. We all know Cliff Lee has experience being just downright filthy in both the American and National league, so we’ll count him in. Similarly, Cole Hamels in the 2008 playoffs has proven himself, so while I wouldn’t necessarily mark him down as the best starter in the playoffs, he could be unbelievable. And let’s not forget Pedro Martinez. He is one of the absolute best pitchers in our generation, and he has had success pitching without his old velocity.

I know, I know, the Yankees haven’t even played a game against the Angels. And the Angels are good, no question. Jered Weaver and John Lackey fit the type I’m talking about. But for whatever reason, I’ve got more faith in the Phillies, though in truth I couldn’t tell you why. Despite all of this, I think the Yankees have the odds stacked in their favor, and that’s all you can hope for at this point.

NLCS: Phillies in 6

ALCS: Yankees in 6

World Series: Yankees in 6

The Yankees announced today that they plan on going with a three-man rotation for the ALCS, hoping to avoid starting Joba Chamberlain and Chad Gaudin. They can pull off the rotation with exactly one start coming from a pitcher on short-rest—Game 4 with Sabathia pitching. The reason they can do this is the inexplicable day off that happens after game 4, meaning that Burnett will go on full rest in game 5, and with the travel day after that Pettitte can pitch game 6 on full rest and Sabathia again on full rest for game 7. I’m not hating on the Yankees here—it’s exactly what I would do if I was them, but it isn’t what should be happening.

The regular season, something that I like to emphasize as much as possible, is played with a five-man rotation. Understandably due to the short and irregular nature of the playoffs, you only need four starting pitchers. But with the added day off you really only need three. And that shouldn’t be the case. The playoffs should test a team’s pitching depth, not just their ace. If that extra day off was taken away, everyone’s second start (and third for Sabathia) would be on short rest, which would be perfectly acceptable, though a much harder decision for a manager to make than the one Girardi has to make now.

It simply would not do Jeter’s entire career enough justice to just say that he is one of the classiest athletes in all of sports. There is absolutely nothing to genuinely dislike about this guy (Editors note: except his wrongfully awarded gold gloves). Jeter has never created any major controversy on or off the field, and he is a guy everyone can count on to come to the ballpark everyday and play his heart out for nine innings. It is basically impossible to argue that Jeter does not belong on the list of great players from the “Steroid Era”, especially since there has never been any reason to suspect that what he has achieved during his illustrious career is illegitimate. Whenever Jeter does decide to hang up the pinstripes, he will surely not have to wait any longer than five years to receive his invitation to Cooperstown.

Like Wojciechowski, if I were to ever hear a breaking news story on ESPN that has the words “performance-enhancing supplements” and “Derek Jeter” uttered in the same phrase, I too would give up on baseball forever. If there is one player I could never suspect of using PEDs it would have to be Jeter.  The realization that all of my fond memories watching number 2 as a young diehard Yankees fan at the old Yankee Stadium on those blistering hot Saturday afternoon summer games are, in fact, just another deceiving product from this tainted period in baseball would simply be too much to handle, even for someone who loves baseball as much as I do.  All of those great plays that personify why I have such high regards for Jeter—the incredible flip play to nail Jeremy Giambi at home plate in Game 3 of the 2001 ALDS, the walk-off home run in Game 4 of the 2001 World Series that earned him the nickname “Mr. November”, and the incredible catch and subsequent dive into the stands against the Red Sox during the 12th inning of an extra-innings thriller on July 1, 2004 (I remember the date exactly since I sat about 20 rows away from where the play was made)—would merely become tarnished moments of greatness in an era where everything must be looked upon with skepticism. There would be no words to describe how devastating the day Jeter falls would be for all of baseball.

Although Wojciechowski did not go as into great of detail as he did with Jeter in his reasoning, he also mentioned Albert Pujols, Ken Griffey Jr., Chipper Jones, Mariano Rivera, Joe Mauer, Jim Thome, Tim Lincecum, Trevor Hoffman, and David Wright as players whose steroid admissions would also compromise his faith in baseball. I certainly agree that a large majority of baseball fans would probably hate to hear these names fall under the PED clout. However, I feel that there are a few players Wojciechowski did not mention that would also fall under the same category. Here are some other active players I hope will never become marred by PEDs and why I do not ever want to see them fall from grace:

Mark Buehrle: He barely throws 88 mph and pitches to contact, but still manages to baffle and frustrate hitters.  Even more impressively, he has two career no-hitters under his belt, including the 18th perfect game in major league history, this season. There is probably not an easier player to root for in baseball.

Evan Longoria: There might not be a player with a brighter future.

Grady Sizemore: Someone who just plays the game right. He comes to the ballpark everyday ready to help his team win and does nothing but make big plays. If he played in New York or Boston, he would be a household name to even the most casual fan.

Ichiro Suzuki: I dread the day I hear that the best all-around athlete in baseball is nothing but a fake, and that his supreme athleticism is the product of a chemistry lab.

Chase Utley: see Sizemore comments.

Shane Victorino: An absolute gamer who hustles on every offensive and defensive play and would run through a wall for the Phillies if it meant making a run-saving grab—an absolute joy to watch.

These are names that baseball should look to as the symbols of what has been right about the game when there has been much wrong with it at the moment.  The players who Wojciechowski and I have mentioned who still have many years of baseball ahead of them will eventually become a major part of what will hopefully be the post-steroid era by sometime in the beginning of the next decade.  So far none of the revelations of steroid use that we have heard about over the past year or so have not been a tremendous surprise to the media or the fans because I suppose there was always reason to believe that the numbers of those who have been caught so far were not completely legitimate. However, if Jeter and the group of players referenced in this post were to ever end up on the same list as Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, Palmeiro, and McGwire, there would then have to be legitimate concern about whether baseball could ever recover from such a black eye.

The Mariners seem to finally have decided that they will be sellers. While Erik Bedard’s status is in limbo due to his injury, I think the first move you’ll see will be for Jarrod Washburn, and I’ll bet the Yankees will snag him. The Yanks haven’t found the starter they’ve wanted yet, with Bronson Arroyo seeming to carry too much of a price tag, and when they previously asked about Washburn the M’s were unwilling to deal. Look for the Yankees to move quickly and get Washburn over the Brewers, who will likely be his other suitor.

Jason Stark twits that the Pirates are putting aside contract negotiations and willing to deal Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson. On SportsCenter today Stark said the Red Sox basically had a deal completed for Wilson earlier in the year but elected to hold off. Now that Jed Lowrie is back and having offensive woes, the Red Sox will probably try and revive the old deal for Wilson to get him as now a defensive and offensive upgrade on Lowrie. Who knows what this means for Lowrie and Nick Green. If so, this may get Bucs fans going again about being a Red Sox farm team, and rightly so.

On other Red Sox news, it appears the team is still considering Victor Martinez as an option, although they may not have offered Clay Buchholz as previously thought. The Rays too like Martinez, but are more focused on obtaining Cliff Lee in a deal that might involve the Mariners somehow. As eyes shift to Lee from Halladay, the Indians have said the asking price is high, probably costing almost as much as Halladay. Back quickly to the Rays, they are considering sending Scott Kazmir to the Angels or possibly the Mets (would be awfully ironic) or Tigers but I think its less likely considering they are trying to win now.

Finally over to Roy Halladay. The number of teams interested have dwindled, and the Phillies and Blue Jays have reached an apparent stall in negotiations over Kyle Drabek. According to one source, there are three teams still interested: Phillies, Rangers and Red Sox. The Rangers want Halladay, the question is can they do it financially. The Red Sox can do it, (via some combo of Buchholz, Bard, Bowden, Masterson) the question is whether they want to.

Therefore, it’s always best to start at the top, and that, of course, means Roy Halladay. J.P. Ricciardi said today that the likelihood of a deal has moved to “very slim.” Still interested teams are the Phillies, Rangers, Angels, Yankees, Red Sox. The holdup has been that the team most capable and needing of a deal, the Phillies, rejected the Blue Jays original offer which included Kyle Drabek and J.A. Happ, and then had their counter-offer (Happ plus four prospects not named Drabek) rejected as well, putting the parties at odds. The Rangers are still interested but have financial issues to worry about if they are going to get Halladay. If the Yankees want to make a deal they can try the route of taking on bad contracts (Vernon Wells) and Halladay instead of giving up top prospects, because they don’t have any really. They have said they will part with Joba Chamberlain, but not Chamberlain and Phil Hughes. If I’m the Jays, I forget about the division rivalry and send him to the Yanks, and then ship off Rolen, Scutaro and Rios if you can.

If Halladay is out of the picture, the focus turns to other pitchers on the market. The next-best being Cliff Lee. The Red Sox and Yankees don’t really need to overpay for Lee, but the Phillies and Rangers have said they are interested if they can’t get Halladay, and the Dodgers are increasingly interested since they feel like a Halladay deal isn’t going to happen. Interestingly, the Rays seem to be the biggest players for Lee, which is somewhat surprising considering how money-concious they are. It would put them in a better place to fight off either the Red Sox or Yankees for a playoff spot. Apparently, if a Rays deal for Lee is pulled off, it would be a three-way deal involving the Mariners.

The Mariners have their own players they may be selling in Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn. Bedard has drawn interest from the Phillies, probably more so than their interest in Lee. Obviously the cost for him has gone down. Bedard is an effective when he wants to be (it’s a contract year, so let’s say that’s a yes) and when he’s healthy. He conveniently enough just landed himself on the DL, bringing his value down. But if the M’s are still willing to deal him, he might be a lower-cost alternative that could pay off. Washburn has had a good season and the Brewers may be after him, as are the Yankees. I could see the Rangers and Rays going for him as well if they can’t land a bigger fish.

The Red Sox had two deals rejected for Victor Martinez. First was basically a straight-up deal for Clay Buchholz and the second was for Justin Masterson and Michael Bowden. I really don’t understand this. It doesn’t really seem like a great idea to give up such good prospects for a guy like Martinez who is iffy health-wise, but even if you’re going to, the Adam LaRoche deal makes no sense then. Furthermore, why would the Indians ever say no to either of these deals? They’re getting great prospects, with Buchholz being the Red Sox top prospect (considering Lars Anderson’s recent struggles). The Red Sox, among other teams, have also indicated an interest in Padres first basemen Adrian Gonzalez but it doesn’t look promising. Again, why get LaRoche if you want a bigger first basemen bat?

Lastly, the Twins are almost definitely going to make a deal for a new shortstop, as Nick Punto isn’t going to cut it. A’s shortstop Orlando Cabrera and Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson seem to be the top candidates. Either one would make sense. Marco Scutaro of the Blue Jays is also an option.

Mariano is the second pitcher of all-time to reach 500 saves, but to me at least, he should already be enshrined with the title of “Greatest Relief Pitcher of All-Time.” Just to be clear on Mariano’s numbers, lifetime he is 69-51, has 500 saves, a 2.30 career ERA, pitched 1054.1 innings and struck out just under 1000 batters. Let’s take a look at the competition. The obvious first place to look is at the other man who has 500 saves, 571 to be exact, Trevor Hoffman. While I think you can make a good case for Hoffman, because he has two years on Mariano and thus 71 more saves. And while his ERA is an incredible 2.76, it’s nothing compared to Mo’s.

Taking a look at the other relievers in the Hall, I think the best case to rival Mariano can be made for Dennis Eckersley or Rollie Fingers. Eck for me doesn’t count because he gets a lot of his credit from his time as a starting pitcher, so its sort of like an unfair advantage/different category, so I exclude him. Fingers I think you can make a case because while he didn’t have the save totals (341) he threw 1700 innings while maintaining a 2.90 ERA, which is impressive. I still say he falls just short though.

If Billy Wagner keeps going, he might have a chance, I suppose. He won’t though.

Maybe it’s because I am a Red Sox fan and therefore have had to face Mariano too many times when I wish we wouldn’t have to, but he’s always been the ultimate closer to me. So maybe I’m embellishing him a bit much, but I think you will be hard pressed to find evidence that says Mariano isn’t the best reliever of all-time. If you do think there was someone else, by all means share.

“People say we have Mariano’s number. Nobody has Mariano’s number.” –Jason Varitek

But let us remind ourselves of one fact. A-Rod has played in just 43 games this season. 43. In the grand scheme of things, that’s nothing, and I would expect someone like Olney to realize that. Usually baseball statisticians are looking at year’s worth of evidence and trends, and frequently scoff those that read to much into small sample sizes like this one. Drugs, or no drugs, let’s be reminded of the fact that A-Rod is one of three baseball players who you could say are the best in the game right now (Pujols, Santana), and it takes a lot more than a slump to take him off that list.

A little farther down in the column, Olney discusses how David Ortiz and A-Rod are going in “different directions” now that Papi started hitting the ball again. Just three weeks ago, wasn’t everyone saying the same thing about Ortiz? We heard it constantly, he’s done, he’s finished. I even wrote about it. But now all everyone can think about is how he yet again is the Red Sox’ savior, and he had a longer slump than A-Rod’s had.

Furthermore, if all A-Rod’s success came from PEDs, wouldn’t he have struggled a long time ago. I know some don’t believe that he stopped taking steroids until recently, but assume he was telling the truth for a second, and realize that he hit .302 with 35 HRs last year, and .314 with 54 the year before that.

I’ve never like A-Rod and I never will. But I also realize that he is one of the most amazing players to play the game, and it’s going to take a lot more than 43 lousy games to convince me that he isn’t going to produce ever again. A-Rod will be back, trust me.

There would be no reason for Nunez to be removed from the game. This was a mental error on the part of Fredi Gonzalez, but nothing that requires the entire move to be appealed. Say, Hermida had come in at the beginning of the inning, and everything else had remained the same, that would have sufficiently satiated Girardi’s desire for fair play, I assume. So then why is it that after one meaningless pitch (it was a strike looking to Jeter), is Girardi hellbent on protesting this to league offices? I feel as though Girardi is working the league in such a way that when he really needs a call, he can reference events like the one that transpired on Sunday as an example of when he didn’t get his way.

Let me mention, further, that at this point in the game, the Yankees were down 6-3, so they got a further two runs after the incident. If there had been a situation where Coghlan had made a miraculous catch on that 0-0 pitch, I would have understood Girardi’s position, but right now he is coming off as petulant and wasteful. Joe, how about you take a look at why your team is 4-6 in its last ten, and all of a sudden 4 games back of the streaking Red Sox. This as opposed to making jokes like “But I’d like to keep the two runs I got in the ninth,”. Haha Joe, haha…

Friday, a day after the sweep, Yankees Manager Joe Girardi apparently requested that Brad Penny be suspended for an intentional ball thrown at Alex Rodriguez. Despite the fact that there were no more hit batters for the rest of the game, Girardi felt that they the pitch by Penny was intentional and was worthy of a suspension. Be sure to take note of the fact that the Yankees have hit nine Red Sox batters this season, as opposed to the Sox hitting only three Yankees.

Girardi should have really learned his lesson by now. The 2009 Baseball Prospectus said of Girardi last season, “Good at organizing a bullpen, bad at dealing with the press.” Clearly, he is continuing that trend. How bad does it look that after being completely embarassed by your hated rival, that you call up the Commissioner and whine about how their big, bad pitcher took a shot at your prized A-Rod? To be honest, it has to be demoralizing to the players. They want to just forget about the series and move on, and not deal with the press constantly bringing up the Red Sox. On top of this, I don’t know why Girardi was calling up complaining regardless of the opponent or outcome of the series, that sort of thing is up the commissioner’s office.

On the flip side, John Henry, Principal Owner of the Boston Red Sox, updated his twitter using the phrase, “the MT [Mark Teixeira] Curse?” Firstly, Henry, why you are using Twitter I have no idea. But secondly, this just reflects badly on the team. Probably not as bad as what Girardi did, but it looks like you’re still sour for missing on the Teixeira sweepstakes. Just let the Sox’ performance speak for itself. Teixeira, for his part, said, “There is no reason for me to get into any war of words with some 70-something-year-old man. It doesn’t make sense.” While that really is an insult, particularly since Henry is only 59, credit Teixeira for not responding with something that will cause the boys on PTI to be talking for days. Odd that it’s the players that are now the responsible ones.