WHY I'M IN AN EMPIRE STATE OF MIND

We’re going to be fine tonight. That’s right… The New York Yankees will win tonight and force a Game 5 back to the Bronx, to an Empire State of Mind. Why? Because today while I was on my way home, Jay Z’s Empire State of Mind came on my iPod. I had it on shuffle, so it wasn’t strategic, it just happened. And with that, I listened and smiled and looked around and saw a ton of Yankee fans in the city, wearing hats, shirts and jackets. It's Yankeeland, we’re all fans and we all have faith in our New York Yankees. I thought about our run in 2009 and how magical it was. Empire State of Mind was on a loop that World Series. So yes, when Jay Z came on the old iPod, it gave me chills.

Tonight, there are a few important things to think about. AJ Burnett could be a pleasant surprise. AJ Burnett could be the shining moment in our dim past 24 hours. And if he’s not, look for Joe Girardi to have a short leash. There is no way in hell this game gets out of hand. Look for the bats to explode because our backs are against the wall. While it’s not the last game in the series, we need to be smart about this, we need to play to win, but not play to blow our load. I found this on Youtube:

After all, we need to get back to the Bronx and we will, because everything happens for a reason and let’s face it, I haven’t hear Empire State of Mind in months. Why would that song just pop up on my iPod today? I know why… because it’s GO time New York!

I saw this story today from George King III of the New York Post. When the Yankees go to a 5^th game back in the Bronx, Joe Girardi had mentioned that CC Sabathia would not start, but would appear in the bullpen. I like that idea. I said “When” because there is no “If”. The Yankees have to go to a Game 5. We need to win this ALDS and we need to win it in the Bronx.

I also found these nuggets today I wanted to bring to your attention. Check them out:

Russell Martin: Anthony McCarron has a piece today titled Tigers catcher slipping nearly opened door for Yankees. In it, Martin is described as saying “This could be it…this could be the break.” In reference to Alex Avila slipping on the on deck circle in the Bronx in the 9^th inning of game 2. While at the moment it happened, I thought the same thing, I find a full story about this stuff silly. Bottom line, breaks help, but the Yankees need to win on their own, pitching, bats and defense. This is all much, much bigger than luck, the playoffs are about talent. The ALDS is too important to lose. That’s my take at least. You can read McCarron’s piece HERE.

Robinson Cano: Jim Leyland likes Robinson Cano. Newsday has this quote: “Well, I think Robinson Cano is a star, a superstar.” Read the Newsday piece HERE.

Finally, Curtis Granderson has been nominated for the 2011 Hank Aaron award. And dammit, I hope he gets it.

Go Yankees!!!

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WHY IT'S "THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SIGHT THESE EYES HAVE EVER SEEN!"

The Yankees in the playoffs! I stole that line from Ned Beatty who played the role of Rudy Ruettiger’s father in the film Rudy, a film that still makes me cry like a little bitch. I like that line because while it’s simple, yet says so much.

Emotionally, I watched the mountain the Yankees had to climb this year and when you looked at that opening day Pitching rotation, there is no way in hell that you believed that the New York Yankees would win the American League Eastern division. But’s exactly what's happened.

Seeing Jesus Montero and Eduardo Nunez pouring champagne on Robinson Cano is truly extraordinary. Seeing Curtis Granderson and Rafael Soriano smiling ear to ear actually makes me really happy. And thinking about Brian Cashman’s patience rule come into play, it’s almost like he was Biff, using the Delorean to get the Sports Almanac and bringing it back with all the solutions to bring the Yankees yet another postseason berth.

Admit it, you believed in your Yankees, but did you REALLY BELIEVE when Phil Hughes went down and Bartolo Colon suddenly filled the void? Did you believe that Curtis Granderson was going to have a season for the ages? Did you truly believe that DRob would emerge as the greatest 8^th inning guy you’ve ever seen? Yankee fans believe in their team, but you just never know how 25 individuals will come together. When AJ Burnett started falling apart, the bullpen and offense lifted him up. When Rafael Soriano lost his 8^th inning job, he accepted anything to help his team win, and checked his attitude at the door. And when Jorge Posada was called upon to pinch hit, he never complained and he delivered.

These are my New York Yankees. And while they are terrific this season, you have to also give some created to Joe Girardi. Yes, sometimes the Girardi binder pokes in it’s head and tries to lead Joe, but Joe’s less dependant lately, and he’s developed into a pretty damn good manager I’d say. Maybe Manager of the Year and I’m impressed.

One things for sure though, it’s not over. Not only do we need to keep winning, we’ve achieved 2 goals but we need to achieve 3 more:

WINNING THE ALDS: A short series win is more important now because it tests our pitching. We’ve seen the Yankees win plenty of Series’ this season and I’ve always preached that winning every series will get the Yanks to the playoffs, but now we’re going and it starts all over. We need to strike early and often and never lose the focus. We need to play hard until the end of the season and keep momentum going into the playoffs.

WINNING THE ALCS: A slightly longer series but important just the same. The prize is winning the World Series but you can’t do that until you win the ALCS. I believe that when we get through the ALDS, winning the ALCS will happen, again it's momentum. That’s the key.

WINNING THE WORLD SERIES: You can’t go to the World Series and lose. We’ve experienced that before and it sucks. The Marlins... the Diamondbacks... those losses still sting. We’ve learned our lesson. The World Series is a must win, and winning it all in our house is always better.

Yes, when the Yankees clinched and Soriano locked it down, followed by the Yankees having alittle celebration, it was in fact "The most beautiful sight these eyes have ever seen." But let’s be honest, it's bigger than that now, seeing them in the playoffs is, and then going further will be as well. I want to have more of that. We’re almost there.

As Jeet says “One game at a time, one game at the time.”

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WHY THE YANKEES ARE A STATE OF MIND

The past 20 hours have been quite insane. When I watched the Yankees lose to the Tampa Bay Rays and saw the Red Sox’s Carl Crawford miss a liner and Jonathan Papelbon walk off the field, it may have been the greatest feeling of my life since the worst feeling of my life, that 2004 collapse of the Yankees when the Red Sox won 4 in a row. I still don’t know how that happened there. I just remember this… the Red Sox fans made every single one of us Yankee fans feel like shit and when I think about it, I still get pissed. Now, the payback is sweeter. I don’t hate 1 Red Sox fan. I hate the franchise and love my Yankees beating them, and if that means they don't make the playoffs, that's terrific... plain and simple.(Photo: Getty)
Then I got to thinking about last night’s Yankee game, you know the one where Joe Girardi single-handedly lost the game being cute using every pitcher we had, I realized that you can’t even blame Scott Proctor for that loss last night. He was throwing around 60 pitches at that point where Evan Longoria homered. You have to expect a homer to happen eventually. Even though that game didn’t matter to the Yankees, I thought about something interesting. If the Yankees were playing the Red Sox last night but were in the same position, meaning that they had already clinched, and already had the best record in the AL, would we have played the same way? Would Girardi had used all his pitchers the way he did? No. Would Mariano Rivera had come in to try and shut down the Sox? Yes. If last night we played the Red Sox, it would have been a must win.

It goes back to my theory, winning every ballgame counts. Look, the Yankees and Red Sox don’t mix, they’ve never mixed and trust me, if Dan Johnson was David Ortiz last night, the Yankees would have brought in the top closer in the world to shut him down.
(Photo: Getty)
You know me. I hate to lose and in my opinion, walking into a playoff against a potential Cy Young winner like Justin Verlander scares the everliving shit out of me. Why? Because we’re riding a 4 game losing streak. Now, the ALDS is a whole new season, this is true. Do I have faith in CC Monster and my Yankees? Yes, but losing is easy to do and once you do it a few times, it becomes easier and easier and all I’m saying is our Yankees need to and will have to turn it around tomorrow. We need to set the tone.

Luckily for us, this Yankee team is loose. This Yankee team forgot about last night, because, let’s face it, it was more of a celebration of the Red Sox being out of it than the Rays winning the Wild Card. Today is a workout day, tonight, a light dinner, talk alittle strategy, early bed of an early rise and my Yankees will be ready to go. They’re over it so I’m over it... I’m ready to see my Yankees do damage.

I wrote a piece simply titled WHY THE YANKEES WILL LOSE ALDS WITHOUT MOMENTUM. I was sick of losing the last few games of the season and was shooting from the hip. Luckily, you die-hards talked me off the ledge. @jenjeter2211 said it best. “Casey, we have momentum… home field, CC, Nova, Freddy... Jeter, Grandy."
She’s right. We DO have CC and the others. The Yankees CAN make their own momentum. Yankee Stadium during the playoffs is the best place in the world. We have the best fans in the world and the Yankees know that. They feed off that, they feed off each other. Can we win this ALDS? Yes, damn straight! Will it be tough? Yes, but there is one phrase that I forgot about in my 48 hours nervous insanity... “One game at the time.” We can do this, we WILL do this and we will advance… Why? Because we’re the God damn New York Yankees, that's why.

A few quick notes: Alex Rodriguez will be in the lineup tomorrow night for the start of the ALDS. Read about ARod HERE.

Jesus Montero’s X-Rays have come back negative and he’ll be ready to play. Read about it HERE.

Freddy Garcia will be the #3 starter in the ALDS behind CC Monster #1 and Ivan Nova #2.
The Yankees won 97 games this season. That’s no fluke, that’s not luck... that’s solid offense and solid pitching… and we were worried about our rotation all season...remember?

Get Ready Ladies & Gentlemen… here come our New York Yankees…Quest for 28 coming up!

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WHY I'M NO FAN OF A LACKADAISICAL GIRARDI

When this game started, the Yankees were treating it like a game, but not a big game. The Yankees quickly took a big lead, going 7-0 and Michael Kay said it best; Joe Girardi was being all cute with his pitching never thinking he'd be in a 7-7 situation...I'm paraphrasing. Kay's right.

Joe brought in pitchers like he was changing wet socks... constantly, but all the while, treating it not like a must win, but instead, a bridge game to get to Friday...warm everyone up and get through the game. It seemed very lazy to me, it seemed like he was going through the motions.

I sit here now, watching a game in extra innings in Tampa, in our last game of the season with our last pitcher...Scott Proctor and while the Yankees can lose this game, I don't like to lose ever, no one does, not even the Yankees. The Yankees didn't get into this spot though, Girardi did and when you're stuck with 1 pitcher in an extra inning game, you didn't think like a manager, you thought like an amateur.Suddenly this game that was light, laid back and carelessly fun has become a tense game that the Yankees must win. Well, it's alittle late for that I think. If it was a must win, Joe may have taken a smarter approach with his revolving door of pitchers. Do you notice the tension is much different in the 10th inning?

Suddenly, Joe Girardi's back's against the wall and while the Yankees are going to the playoffs, bringing in 11 pitchers in a single game for the sake of pitching them may be one of the most idiotic managerial decisions I've ever witnessed, because if we lose this game tonight, it's not a big deal in the record books, we still go to the playoffs, but it's a big deal to any players mentality. No one wants to leave on a low note and this loss in my opinion is not a Yankee loss, it's a Girardi loss. Hey, just an observation though, what the hell do I know.

Let's hope Joe thinks more clearly on Friday.

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WHY JESUS MAKES THE YANKEES BETTER

(Photo: Getty)
Ian Begley of ESPN has a nugget about how Joe Girardi stated that Russell Martin would be the main catcher, catching every playoff game. Read it HERE. Girardi says: "I think he’s more than capable of playing every day, every playoff game behind home plate. That’s not really a question in my mind."
(Photo: Russell Martin/Getty)
Now, that's no surprise, the real concern is the backup. Who would it be? With Austin Romine being terrific defensively, it would be a logical choice, but don't forget Jesus Montero and his incredible bat and he could also catch by the way. But look at the bat for a moment; the kid is batting .346 with 4 home runs and 12 RBIs and an OBP of .414 right now. Montero can be the Yankees designated hitter in the playoffs, but if Russell Martin we're to get hurt or couldn't play, he can clearly catch if needed and Jorge Posada can slide into the DH role.(Photo: Getty)
Justin Havens of ESPN has a great piece about Jesus Montero today and the need to have him in the lineup. Read it HERE. He writes:

"Montero has been the Yankees’ best performer since his call-up on Sept. 1...he’s posted a .438 batting average on balls in play and a 27.8 percent line-drive rate, both of which would lead MLB, so they’re essentially unsustainable. However, it is reasonable to expect he will continue to represent an upgrade on what the team had received from its designated hitters to this point. Specifically, Montero has already outproduced Jorge Posada despite more than 300 fewer plate-appearances."
And let's take a moment to pat Bleeding Yankee Blue on the back too, ok? On September 1st, we posted WHY MONTERO WILL STIMULATE THE YANKEES. Well, he has... You're welcome.
Look, I'm no mind reader, but it was clear that this kid was going to be something special. Anyone could have written that piece. The fact of the matter is having youngsters with potential in an already energized lineup mixed with seasoned veterans, younger guys, and free agent signings brings a span of experience, players feed off each other, and the kids get woven in nicely. What? It doesn't make sense? As a 1996 Derek Jeter... I'm sure he'd tell you.

No doubt, Montero's on a tear. No doubt the Yankees are on a tear... No doubt we're rolling toward 28. I can't wait.

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WHY CC WILL OPT-OUT IF IGNORED BY JOE

"We have to get into the playoffs before I can adjust anyone's schedule. I'm not making assumptions because we all know what happens when you make assumptions.'' --Joe Girardi told ESPN

(Photo: Getty)
There is something very wrong with that statement from Joe Girardi. Waiting too long to adjust CC Sabathia who is currently messed up going on an extra days rest will ultimately destroy our ace, and possibly end our Yankees season early. There is no doubt in my mind that CC Sabathia leaves the New York Yankees at the end of this season if he is continually ignored and is used in a 6 man rotation, that's the bottom line. Why should our ace, a guy that has pitched 3 magnificent seasons with the Yankees, compiled 59 wins and has kept his ERA at 3.16 with 610 strikeouts in pinstripes be second fiddle to a rotation dilemma that is out of control. Don't know what I mean? Let me explain.

CC Sabathia likes pitching on short rest, or REGULAR rest. CC Sabathia has delivered for this ball club in some huge games since 2009, but one thing that has happened as of late is the 6 man rotation has messed with the big guy. If you don't see that, you're not watching close enough. In his last 8 starts, CC has won just 3 games. In that time frame, we've had a 6 man rotation.
I have stated here before that if Joe Girardi sacrifices his best pitcher, so the Yankees can try and figure out what to do with AJ Burnett and Bartolo Colon, there is no doubt in my mind that CC Sabathia leaves New York at the end of the year. We've invested too much time on what the others have to offer and ignored the 1 guy who's really delivered. That's unfortunate.

Look, CC Sabathia is our ace. CC Sabathia deserves respect, not only was he huge for us in 2009, he's been huge for us for 3 years. The Yankees decision to go t o a 6 man rotation would have been fine if it was temporary, but it is clear that the Yankees want to take this system to the playoffs, and that worries me. We are hurting CC so the other starters can catch up. It's selfish and wrong. The Yankees must make a rotation decision now and analyze all the information they have up to this point on our guys in the rotation. We need to cut the rotation to 5 and let's get CC back on track, A.S.A.M.F.P. Bottom line, if CC doesn't pitch well, what are the chances we get anywhere this post season...IF we make it at all?Wally Matthews of ESPN breaks down the options brilliantly:

"Option A: Girardi can pitch Sabathia on a customary every-five-days schedule the rest of the way -- in one of the doubleheader games against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium and again Monday as the Yankees kick off their final series of the season in Tampa Bay.

That would mean either Sabathia would kick off the ALDS on Sept. 30 on short rest or the Yankees would have to hold back their ace until Game 2 on Oct. 1.

That hardly seems like a sensible solution.

Option B: Girardi can pitch Sabathia on Wednesday and then not pitch him again the rest of the regular season, meaning he would open the ALDS on a whopping nine days of rest. As the manager likes to say, "Not ideal.''

Or Option C: You pitch Sabathia on Wednesday and then use him again in another game, maybe Monday, for an inning or two, to keep him sharp -- sort of a side session within a game. This is an option that can be used only if the Yankees' position at the top of the AL East is secure, a situation Friday night's loss did nothing to help, since the Red Sox beat the Rays to once again pull within 3 1/2 games of the division leaders."

Makes sense and you have to think that without this guy right, it's going to be damn hard to win anything, never mind the Quest for 28.

Now, one thing I don't agree with is CC is out of gas. He's not. I think he's got a confidence block that stems from his voice not being heard. Sure, CC's a gamer, but CC needs his own rhythm and God Dammit, we need to give it to him. CC's never bitched about it because he's a stand up guy, but he's tried to tell the club what works best for him and that's fallen on deaf ears. If the Yankees take too long trying to fix AJ Burnett, we will end up with nothing but our dick in our hand at the end of the season, and CC Sabathia in a Phillies uniform in 2012. Don't believe me? OK... let's talk in December. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

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WHY BICHETTE'S FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT IN PINSTRIPES

When someone gets an MVP award, it’s clear why they are given it. Most Valuable Player is simple to understand and it’s just not given to anyone. Well, Dante Bichette Jr. just snagged one for his ability to play ball as he works his way up the minor league ladder to the New York Yankees. He earned the Gulf Coast League MVP and I’d say, that’s a good start.

Back on June 18^th the Yankees drafted Bichette, who, by the way, is the son of former baseball great, Dante Bichette, Sr. , a close friend of Joe Girardi. We wrote about it in YANKEES FIRST PICK: DANTE BICHETTE JR. Bichette eventually signed and immediately went to train with the Yankees and this season in the Gulf Coast League, Bichette put up very respectable numbers. A .342 average, that 67 for 196. He had 3 home runs, 47 RBIs, 17 doubles and 3 triples. His OBP was .446.

This kid’s going to be something special. We here at Bleeding Yankee Blue hope to get a chance to talk to him about his wild year, and hopefully we do, and we’ll bring it to you. As for now though, congrats to Dante, great job, we can’t wait to see you in the Bronx.

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WHY SAVE 602 SHOULD BE RIVERA TO POSADA

What an exciting 24 hours for Austine Romine. He was called up by by the Yankees to play in Anaheim Sunday and then he caught 3 pretty damn important pitchers in the Yankee rotation. Steve Garrison was designated for assignment to make room for Romine. (Photo: Mariano Rivera with Austin Romine)
Yesterday in front of an Anaheim crowd, Romine caught Rafael Soriano, David Robertson and Mariano Rivera and is now in the record books for helping Mariano record his 599^th save.

But one thing needs to be considered and is it's really important to me... Shouldn't Jorge Posada catch Mariano Rivera's 602nd save game? Jorge Posada. That's right, I said it. To me, that’s Yankee history at it’s best. Nothing against Russell Martin, the guy is pure guts and after all, he is the Yankees starting catcher, but in line with every great Yankee moment, there’s a story and who better to catch Mariano ‘s 602^nd Save than Poe Poe himself.

Joe Girardi’s no dope. He knows the history of the Core Four and what it means to the Yankees and to the fans and while he may not be thinking big picture like me, he should. Not only is it good for baseball history, it’s great for marketing. Think about it… you could check out a baseball that has both Mariano and Posada’s signature on it with the number 602 sitting in Cooperstown or better yet, for sale. You may not like it but the Yankees are big business and they’d miss a huge opportunity to pull a stunt like this, after all, all of Yankeeland would like to see it and like I wrote in WHY POSADA SHOWED YOUTH IN YANKEES LOSS , Posada looked youthful and hungry the other night. Posada is chomping at the bit… this makes sense.

You're worried about Posada’s durability are ya? Well, he hasn’t caught all season, so I’d say he’d be OK for 1 game for crying out loud. But if you’re concerned, then I’m concerned; So you bring him in later in the game. The point is, you want to get him in there. It will be mad cool. Besides, Russell Martin just banged up his thumb so it’s a quick fix throwing Posada in, plus, you don’t disrupt Montero as the DH. Look, any way you slice it, you have the manpower now, so it lends itself to a Cinderella ending… 602 with the battery of Rivera and Posada. I can see the Topps baseball card now; Picture of Mariano and Posada hugging after the 602 record save is secured and a slice of both Rivera and Posada’s jerseys with #602 in the middle. That’s a card I’d like to own.

The Yankees are full of tradition, and to me, this screams it. Tradition, longevity, pride, Mo and Jorge. It’s the way it should be! After all, it’s the Yankee way. Don't you Agree?

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THE YANKEES: FAIRY TALE IN THE MAKING?

Sunday, during the Yankees vs. Orioles game broadcast, the YES Network’s Michael Kay started his pre-game montage by describing Saturday night’s loss as a “heartbreaker”. As we all know too well now, Sunday’s loss was not only heartbreaking, but it was also gut wrenching.

Women are no strangers to heartbreak. We were raised on stories like Cinderella and Snow White, where determination and heart always bring results. We’ve all had those “so close, but yet so far moments” in our lives, where we have been forced to pick up where we left off, dust off, and move on. Making the best of what we have is a way of life for us. That doesn’t mean, however, that we don’t dream about what things would be like if we reached out beyond our comfort zone and all of our dreams came true.

Most recently, the Yankees are Cinderella, the World Series Championship is Prince Charming’s Ball, and the Red Sox are the evil stepmother.Knowing what we want, and how to get it, is very different when you are at the mercy of decisions made by other people that aren’t actually playing the game. Decisions like leaving Bartolo Colon in for too long on Sunday, for example. Colon’s horse drawn coach turned into a pumpkin during the 8^th inning, yet Fairy Godmother Joe Girardi decided to keep him in, and making pumpkin pie out of the inning. When ARod stepped up to bat in the 9^th, the shoe just didn’t fit, and an inning-ending double play ended all chances of getting to the ball. So if you’re asking, “whatever happened to “Someday My Prince Will Come”? In this case, the fairy godmother, the evil stepmother and other influences seem to have more influence over our team than in necessary.

All of the Cinderella and Snow White references aren’t just for poetic license. It’s a lesson to be learned. When everyone is against you, and the situation seems hopeless, you need that same determination, hope, and yes, maybe even a little faith and trust, to get to the dance. Back to the grind, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start over again. If there’s one thing that those fairy tales taught us, it’s that nothing is easy, and many times, it will seem like nothing or no one is on your side. But don’t give up. If you do that, all hope is lost.

I’m not saying that the Yankees need to break into song or dance around the field with little bluebirds; no, that’s not it. But if they whistle while they work, shake it off, and push forward, and put their hearts into the grind, maybe we can put the days of heartbreak far behind us after all, we're about to play the evil stepmother in Beantown... and it's Show time.

--Christy Lee, BYB Staff Writer







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