WHY IF THE ALDS ROSTER WAS A TEST...

I'd get 2 wrong. So I’m not a total screw up, am I? The Yankees ALDS roster was revealed earlier today and if you read WHY I KNOW THE YANKEES 2011 ALDS ROSTER, you know that I chose a few players that others disagreed with. That’s why this is a blog, so I can give my opinion and you can give yours.Chris Dickerson was a name I mentioned for bench help. He has an OK bat but more importantly, he has wheels and can play the outfield. To me, he was a perfect choice for the ALDS bench. I was right. He’s joining the Yankees on this trip.

You’re Welcome.

Look, let’s be honest, I had a tough time thinking about having Dickerson or Andruw Jones on my roster. In the end, Jones didn’t make the cut. The reason was because I wanted an extra lefty pitcher and I picked Raul Valdes. Because of that, I lost a bench spot. Now, it turns out the Yankees are sticking with 1 lefty, Boone Logan in the pen for this Series. In turn, they picked Andruw Jones to join the rest of the bench. Good choice.

I also made a bold statement and went against the grain on 1 more pick. Because I believed Hector Noesi earned a spot on the ALDS roster, I picked him over an often injured and non-battle tested Phil Hughes. To me, it was obvious. Noesi was pitching all season and really handled himself. Hughes, on the other hand was hammered with injury and didn’t really do anything this season. I was clearly overruled. The Yankees picked Hughes over Noesi. I’m fine with that, I just thought my reasoning made sense.

Every other roster spot was correct. It just made me smile, that’s all. Am I still just a blogger who gets it wrong more than I get it right? Yes, I don’t take myself too seriously, I just thought it was cool. That’s it.

Whatever the roster, one things for sure, it’s ALDS time… Sabathia vs. Verlander. LET’S GO YANKEES!

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WHY I'M NOT UPSET WITH THIS YANKEES LOSS

(Photo: Getty)
Yankee fans, let's admit, this game for the Yankees meant absolutely nothing to us. The Yanks have already clinched the American League East and home field advantage in both rounds of the American League playoffs. So with that in mind, it was OK that the Yankees lost this game to the Tampa Bay Rays. There's very few of these games a year, if any at all, that mean absolutely nothing whether it's a win or loss. So let's recap...Hector Noesi squared off against James Shields for the Rays in this one. Noesi was on a pitch count as he was starting just his second game of the season. He went 2 innings while allowing five hits and three runs on 59 pitches. He allowed all three of his runs in the third inning, so it seemed like he ran out of gas. We very well may have seen Noesi for the final time this season as he finishes the year with a 2-2 record with a 4.47 ERA in 30 games while pitching in quite a variety of roles. It's his rookie season, and we give him kudos for pitching in a number of important games for the Yanks this season. Phil Hughes also made an appearance in relief. He went an 1.2 while allowing two walks on a hit and a strikeout. Andrew Brackman made his second career appearance as he recorded the final two outs in the 8th.

This was a huge game for the Rays. Pretty much a must win for them since they were one game back of the Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card race entering play on Monday. He went 8.2 innings for them while allowing six hits on two walks and three K's. Former Yankee Kyle Farnsworth finished off his former team by recording the final out in the 9th.The offense for the Yankees pretty much came from one source, and that was Robinson Cano. Cano went 2 for 4 with a solo homer and and RBI single in the first and third innings, respectively. The rest of the team combined to go 4 for 27 (.148 AVG), which includes Jorge Posada's 0 for 4 in what may have been his last start at first base this season. Although he went 0-for he made a couple of nice plays at first.

Final Score: Rays 5 - Yankees 2
I'm not upset with this loss whatsoever. The Red Sox lost, again, so they're now 6-19 during the month of September, which means the Rays and Red Sox are tied in the Wild Card race with identical 89-71 records. Boston's collapse has been very fun to watch all month long and it'd be awesome if they can complete it. Bartolo Colon (8-9, 4.02 ERA) goes for the Yanks against Jeremy Hellickson (13-10, 2.90 ERA) for the Rays on Tuesday.




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




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WHY BYB YANKEE NEWS IS GOOD FOR YOU

A few notes about some of the Yankees that are such brief updates, I wanted to just let you know about them and didn’t want to waste your time with an entire post. I added alittle of my opinion as well... so sue me. Check it out:

Joba Chamberlain: Joba sent about a tweet earlier today to let all of Yankeeland know that he started catch today. It is important for 1 important reason, Joba Chamberlain is on schedule. That’s good, especially after Tommy John Surgery, it takes several weeks to get back on track. Joba's up to his 14th week. I know, everyone’s forgotten about good ol’ Joba. With the bullpen we have right now, who needs him, right? I like the kid and I'm looking forward to him returning. No doubt if Joba Chamberlain was healthy he’d be contributing in that amazing pen too. It just so happens he got hurt... that’s life and that’s baseball. By the way, speaking of our awesome pen, be sure to read WHY THE YANKEES PEN IS THE BEST IN BASEBALL.

Francisco Cervelli: Cervelli has been battling concussion symptoms for a few weeks now and it was revealed today by Joe Girardi that Cervelli will not be on the postseason roster. Read HERE. This is Cervelli’s 3^rd concussion. Well, look, my only point is, do we really need Cervelli anyway at this point? We have Russell Martin as our primary catcher and kids like Austin Romine and Jesus Montero anyway. Plus, Jorge Posada is on the bench and I’m sure ready to pounce if needed. The other underlying question are of those three guys, which of them will make the postseason roster to back up Martin. With Cervelli now on the shelf and normally the backup catcher, the Yankees will clearly need to bring 1 backup and 1 bench guy, I would guess. I suspect if the Yankees had to choose, they would pick Jorge Posada for bench help as well as for veteran experience. I suspect they’d bring Jesus Montero because of his power bat as well as his back up catching abilities. Who knows, maybe they can bring Romine too. I'd love to see Romine and Montero both on the postseason rosters.

Phil Hughes: Phil was supposed to pitch today but due to back spasms, they scratched him at the last minute for Hector Noesi. What a year for Hughes, he’s had plenty of problems this year. It seems the back spasms have been bothering him for about a week and started when the team was in Toronto. This is the first time in Hughes career that he’s experienced back issues. Read HERE.

When more Yankees notes come about, I’ll be sure to bring them to you here at Bleeding Yankee Blue. Promise.

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YANKEES CLINCH! DIVISION TITLE NEXT!

Today was pretty exciting. The game itself was slow going because James Shields was very very good today. In fact, he was dynamite. Finally, after the 7^th inning, things changed. The Yankees had 1 run until Eduardo Nunez cranked out a homer to tie it up.

Then , in the bottom of the ninth, Robinson Cano knocked a 2 run double to bring the Yankees ahead 4-2. But let me back up. If Brett Gardner didn’t slash that opposite field single to start off that inning and Derek Jeter didn’t work a walk, Robinson Cano's hit means nothing. That’s team work, that’s the Yankees offense, that’s a team hungry for the postseason.

Hector Noesi started the game for the Yankees today. He was a last minute add because Phil Hughes was scratched with back spasms. Noesi pitched 2.2 innings, allowed just 2 runs on 4 hits and struck out 2. Like I’ve said in WHY THE YANKEES PEN IS THE BEST IN BASEBALL, Noesi is a team player and does what is asked of him. He did it again today, this time starting and you have to tip your hat to this kid, he handled it well. But that’s not all, the pen was incredible and they deserve much of the credit in keeping the Rays held to 2 runs the rest of the game. The combination of Raul Valdes, George Kontos, Aaron Laffey, Cory Wade, Boone Logan, Luis Ayala (who earned the win), and Mariano Rivera was brilliant for a day game before this night game. Girardi mixed up the pitchers, righty to lefty and kept the Rays off guard. Terrific job today.

1 heads up base running situation that I wanted to point out which took place today and I loved it because you know I love speed if you read Bleeding yankee Blue. Eduardo Nunez stole second and third in the same inning (I believe the 5th.) No, it didn't give us a run, though it's important because it shows agression and pure grit. Gotta love it.

Final Score: Yankees 4 –Rays 2

Congrats to the Yankees for making the postseason for the 16^th time in 17 years. That is incredible. But no celebration yet. The Yankees have a night game with the Rays and CC Sabathia is on the mound right now. After a win tonight, then let's talk about party time...one game at a time.

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WHY THE YANKEES PEN IS THE BEST IN BASEBALL

Yeah, it’s early, we haven’t even made the playoffs, yet, with all the home runs by Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira and with all the well pitched games by CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova, many forget a true part of the New York Yankees that make them hum… the bullpen.

I remember the 1998 Yankees team and that bullpen made up of guys like Mike Stanton, Jeff Nelson, Graeme Lloyd, Ramiro Mendoza and Mariano Rivera. Back then, that bridge clearly was the best in baseball, mowing them down every opportunity they had. The passion was clear. I remember Jeff Nelson getting super excited over a strikeout and the calmness of Mariano when he closed out the game was equally awesome. He's exactly the same today. It was that drive that was a huge asset in their World Championship in 1998. Now, years later… I feel like it’s happening again. While the names are different, the mission is the same.

Hector Noesi: Noesi does what he’s told to do and he does it well for a kid. He’s learning more from the Yankee pen than he ever would down in AAA. The experience and talent in the pen is diverse and being on the biggest stage of Yankee Stadium, it's allowed this kid to develop. Noesi gets some crappy assignments sometimes, mop up work or even coming in in blowouts, but his expression is always the same. He’s happy to be there and happy to contribute to this New York Yankees team.

Cory Wade: Wade’s been a surprise, a real good one. With all the worry about his arm getting blown out by Joe Torre when he was pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Wade is back and is proving that his injury is a thing of the past. Wade is a terrific addition to our club. This season he’s 6-1 with a 2.06 ERA. Not too shabby pal.

Luis Ayala: A gamer and another guy that has found his niche. Ayala is also a great surprise to me and I consider Wade and he a great mid-game combo. Mix in Boone Logan and you can easily go 5 to 6 innings if needed. I like this kid and I’m happy for him.

Scott Proctor: Proctor is a late addition this year, working his way back to the Yankees where he first started. Many don’t care for Proctor but this guy is tough. Proctor carries an arrogance about him that many pitchers don’t have on the Yankees. It’s almost considered not the "Yankee way." I say Proctor’s arrogance is actually confidence and I’d throw him out there against anyone in a 6^th inning situation. I’m glad Proctor’s back and I hope his contribution is huge down the stretch.

Boone Logan: Not perfect, and has good days and bad days. Lately though, he’s having more good than bad, and this is when we need that lefty most. It’s clear at this point that Brian Cashman is sticking with Boone Logan and we have to grin and bear it and maybe cross our fingers a bit when he comes out.

Rafael Soriano: Something's happened to Soriano when he came off the disabled list… reality happened. With David Robertson clearly taking over Rafael Soriano’s set up role, it was either do what Yankees needed him to do, or whine about it. Soriano choose to work and work he has bridging to Robertson and doing it beautifully and most important, without an attitude. I have seen a transformation in this angry guy that I love. He wants to be there to help his team and it doesn’t matter what the role is, he’s ready.

David Robertson: What can you say about this guy? Robertson is a BYB staple for sure, we love him here. He has proven to the world that he may just be the best 8^th inning guy, not only in baseball, but in history. I remember all the talk about Daniel Bard bridging to Jonathon Papelbon and how great that 1,2 punch was. Well, in the time it’s taken for the Red Sox to implode, the DRob, Mariano 1,2 punch has proven they are better. Look for DRob to continue his success now and in the future. I see this kid taking over for Mariano in 3 years and it’s about to get awesome.

Mariano Rivera: The King of Closing, Mariano Rivera is the best ever and it’s about to get better. How the hell do you compile 602 saves in a career? Longevity and talent. Mariano has both and you add heart in and there's no one better. Mariano Rivera has done something so great for not only the Yankees but for baseball, and it cannot and will not ever be denied.

The New York Yankees bullpen… better than the rest? Yes, without a doubt. While there were question marks early involving our Yankees bullpen, there is no question we now get a big pick me up from these guys, some young and some old, but ultimately, the perfect blend of youth and veteran grit. I’d pick these guys over any other bullpen in baseball…how about you?

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WHY MO'S SIMPLY THE BEST

(Photo: AP)
If I told you it was the most satisfying win in 2011 for me personally, would you believe me? Well, it was. This game had everything I wanted, it was like Christmas; Alex Rodriguez is hitting at the right time after an injury plagued season. Curtis Granderson may have broken out of his mini-slump and he's hitting homers again. Mariano Rivera has tied Trevor Hoffman for the most saves ever in Major League history. Oh, and the Yankees came back to win a big game today, just the way I like my Saturday, how about you?
(Photo: AP)
It didn't start well at all. In fact, it was a train wreck and Bartolo Colon was the conductor. My, how the mighty have fallen. This is a guy we were calling the Yankees 2nd ace back in July. This is a guy that I wanted the Yankees to start making merchandise with his name all over it. This guy was on the fast track to a "Rudy-esque" bio pic. But, let's face it... Bartolo Colon is no longer good enough to be in the Yankees rotation ladies and gentlemen. In short spurts, Colon could be valuable in the pen, but his starting days in New York are over. They have to be, because if the Yankees offense didn't explode today, We'd be looking at another loss and it would be all Colon's fault. Luckily, we had a comeback today. Colon went only 4 innings today, and he allowed 6 runs on 7 hits.Alex Rodriguez homered today and not only that, he started a big rally in the 6th inning when he cranked out a 3 run home run. the Yankees scored 4 in that inning. Alex today was 2-4 and according to Marc Carig of the Star Ledger, he felt good: “I definitely feel good, and I definitely feel energized,” Rodriguez said.

Curtis Granderson hit his 40th homer of the year today and he was the big bat of the game. Grandy gave the Yankees the lead in the 7th inning to top off the comeback. It was a 2 run shot over the center field fence.

The combination of Scott Proctor, Aaron Laffey, Hector Noesi and Rafael Soriano shut down the Jays today and did not allow a hit. When momentum takes over a team, you can see it in everyone. Hats off to these guys today, fantastic bullpen. More times than not, the Yankees pen kicks some ass, today was one of those days.

The story of the day goes to Mariano Rivera. Coming in today and getting save 601 was history and just fantastic. Mariano deserves every great thing that happens to him in life. He's an amazing teammate, a terrific pitcher and iconic in not only Yankeeland, but in baseball. Congrats to Mariano for tying the All-time save record. 601. Wow.Finally, Joe Girardi reads BYB. If he didn't he would have put Jorge Posada in to catch Mariano Rivera's 601st save and my theory in WHY SAVE 602 SHOULD BE MARIANO TO POSADA would have been watered down. Luckily, for save 601, Girardi used Russell Martin setting up what will ultimately be my dream come true, having Jorge Posada catch Mariano's 602nd save. Now, tomorrow is the 3rd game of the Blue Jays series in Toronto. Hopefully, Girardi does the right thing and let's David Robertson close out the game if needed so Mariano can close 602 at home. If he was to do that, and Posada caught it... well... let's just say I'll be a happy man.

Final Score: Yankees 7 - Blue Jays 6

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WHY POSADA SHOWED YOUTH IN YANKEES LOSS

I've been longing for the day it would happen again and last night, it happened. Jorge Posada was able to gear up again, squat behind the plate and re-live the ultimate, catching for the New York Yankees again. It was a thrill to see. I wrote about it in AN OPEN LETTER TO JORGE POSADA. I wrote about my love for the guy and to do what the team needed of him. Last night, he did and in my mind, he shined. Unfortunately, it was due to the fact that Russell Martin got his thumb tweaked pretty bad on a ball bending it back. We'll have to keep an eye on that.
Last night there was nothing good about the Yankees, except to see Posada catch again. The Yankees lost the game 6-0, the Angels looked good, Russell Martin got hurt and don't look now, but the Yankees have lost 4 in a row. Luckily, the Red Sox keep losing, or we'd be in a bad bad place. There's no denying though, we need to start winning... now.

Posada looked overexcited, which isn't to say it's a bad thing. He knew he had a shot and was playing harder than ever, you could see it. He was on a mission, proving to the world on a stage in Anaheim that a 40 year old can still catch, still has skill and will not be denied. If you couldn't see that in Jorge's eye last night, you were watching the wrong highlight. It was good to see this guy give it one more shot, I just hope they give him a few more.Dan Haren was real good, he kept the Yankees shut down all game. This is a guy that was in Yankees trade talk, remember? Even the Yankees know what Haren's all about. The Yankee offense consisted of 4 hits. Derek Jeter clubbed a ground rule double. There was a Jesus Montero single. There were 2 other singles and that was it.
The big story clearly wasn't the offense, it was pitching. See, CC was CC through when he allowed only 1 hit, then it fell apart in the 7th inning. The Yanks were down 1-0 and Girardi put in Hector Noesi and suddenly the Yankees had a hole to dig out. Joe Girardi does that, he uses Hector Noesi probably more than he should to rest the bullpen. I don't blame Noesi, he had a bad night. I don't blame anyone, the Angels are hot right now, they're entitled to be hot.

But it's more than the pitching, it's the injuries. Suddenly the Yankees have question marks, and it seems like it's all at once. Russell Martin has a tweaked thumb. Alex Rodriguez is now going to be out for 4 days with his own tweaked thumb. Nick Swisher has elbow tendinitis and is day to day and Cervelli has concussion like symptoms. It all seems to be happening at the same time. What the Yankees cannot do is panic and that goes for all of Yankeeland too. Today is September 11th. They need to reach back deep today, win one for New York and for America and get some confidence back and move on.

Final Score: Angels 6 - Yankees 0

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WHY IT WAS MUDVILLE IN THE BRONX

There are many reasons why the Yankees lost the game today. You can blame the nasty weather and sloppy play all day. You can blame AJ Burnett for giving the Orioles the runs back that the Yankees kept taking the lead with or you can blame Eduardo Nunez’s error in the late inning that eventually came around to score in what was probably the most ridiculous baseball game I have ever witnessed. Nunez actually made 2 errors today, but who’s counting at this point? Oh yeah, Me, that’s who.

It looked like a football game out there. Mud everywhere and the cameras we constantly covered in mist. At moments the rain slowed but I don’t think it ever stopped. These types of games scare me. Players get hurt in these type of games. Luckily, we’re OK today but don’t forget, it’s now off the Baltimore for probably another wet game at 1pm tomorrow with Ivan Nova on the mound. But enough about the weather, why did my Yankees lose? I’d like to blame Eduardo Nunez because I hate errors, but with the weather being such a factor today, I need to attach that along with some not-so-great starting pitching in the mix. AJ Burnett just kept letting the Orioles come back and to me, that’s disappointing, especially if we’re possibly looking for AJ to be part of the rotation. There are too many rotation question marks at the wrong point of the season Ladies and Gentlemen. You want these question marks in April, not September. Today AJ’s line looked like this: 6 innings pitched, 4 runs on 7 hits. He struck out 7 and walked 4. Joe Girardi can tell you that they liked the way he threw the ball today all he wants, I didn't think so. Look, we need to win all division rival games now, these tough losses suck and can't happen.

The 4 run offense was simple for New York today. Alex Rodriguez hit a 2 run double and Jesus Montero hit a 2 run single. This is a kid that has come up and brought new life to the already electric New York Yankees. Yes, we lost today, but just to see this kid contribute day in and day out is something special. The whole team looks better... except of course for Eduardo Nunez and his sloppiness. Look, I rip this kid because of the errors, he does it often. Today, while I don't want to completely give him a slide, I need to a bit. Anyone who saw the game today, either at the park or on TV understands. The weather was tough and I'm sure it was tough to play in. That being said, once again, an error by Nunez cost us today.

Mark Reynolds hit the tie breaking hit to make it 5-4 in the 11th inning. Hector Noesi got the loss.

The last out of the game was a tough one. Eric Chavez hit the ball hard with the tying run at third. If that ball goes through, the Yankees tie it, and probably win with momentum on their side. But the O's shortstop went for it, dropped it but quickly picked it up and tossed to second to get Granderson by a hair. Dems the breaks. Game over. Nice try.

Final Score: Orioles 5 - Yankees 4.

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WHY A GAME AND A WIN HAPPENED IN THE BRONX

The real winners last night were the fans that stuck around at Yankee stadium for a game that was delayed until after 11pm because of rain and ended in the middle the night, about 2:15am to be exact. Luckily they stuck around to see a win.
The Yankees won 5-3 last night and the big moment was when Francisco Cervelli cranked a home run that in my opinion, wasn't, but it was ruled a home run after review and I guess the reasoning was the outfielder just may not have been able to catch it. I don't know, it looked like it didn't make it out of the park, but I'm glad it went the Yankees way. That home run put the Yankees ahead for good.It reminded me a lot of Derek Jeter's home run in the 1996 playoffs where Tony Tarasco argued that a kid, Jeffrey Maier reached over and caught it. This one was similar, the Orioles argued the call and lost the argument. Thank God.(Photo: Jeffrey Maier catch, 1996)
There were a few more homers last night, um, er, I mean this morning. In the 3rd inning, Jorge Posada had a solo shot and after Cervelli's homer in the 7th, Brett Gardner hit the foul pole in right field be back to back homers for a solo shot. That was Gardner's 7th.As far as Phil Hughes was concerned, his fastball was under 89 MPH after 5 innings which is a cause for concern. But Hughes went 6 innings, allowed 5 hits, 2 runs and 5 strikeouts. He allowed 1 home run. He was followed by Hector Noesi and Boone Logan, Cory Wade, David Robertson and Mariano Rivera who nailed down yet another save making him 1 step closer to 600. Save 39 for him last night.

Final Score: Yankees 5 - Orioles 3

Today, AJ Burnett goes against Zach Britton. 1:05pm game, weather permitting.

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