11.03.2009 We hope this is a misprint

Manager Joe Girardi didn’t say whether Jerry Hairston Jr. will get his second start of the series Wednesday night in right field against Pedro Martinez. Hairston, who has had success against Martinez in his career, got the nod ahead of the struggling Nick Swisher in Game 2. Hairston, who went 1-for-3 with a strikeout against Martinez, said he’d be ready either way.

“I’m always prepared to play,” Hairston said. “If I’m in the lineup, great. If I’m not, I’ll just be ready to go.” (Source)

If Joe Girardi is seriously considering playing Hairston over Swisher in Game 6, then he should be psychologically evaluated.  It would be straight-jacket crazy to sit an .869 OPS hitter for a significantly inferior hitter who had 90% of his experience against Pedro Martinez from 1999-2003.

We hope this is just nothing but a meaningless blurb in a newspaper.
 

11.02.2009 It's electric, boogie woogie woogie!

2 IP, 6 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 2K (but if Posada caught, he would have let up 17 runs)
 

11.01.2009 Yankees on verge of making history in Philadelphia

We the people promise to never be idiots and say this team would be better off without Arod.
 

11.01.2009 Sweep the leg, AJ

11.01.2009 Girardi > Manuel

Joe Girardi has come under intense criticism this offseason from fans and analysts alike.  While some of the criticism may have been warranted, Charlie Manuel is a corpse of a manager.

1. How is Brad Lidge still the Phillies closer?  How is he even on their roster?
2. How do you bat a guy with a sub-.300 OBP as your leadoff hitter?
3. Good thing he saved Cliff Lee for Game 5.
 

11.01.2009 Gonna Fly Now: Yanks take Game 3 in Philly

Nick running through the streets of Philadelphia before going 2-4 in Game 3.
 

11.01.2009 There goes Jimmy Rollins' prediction

Sorry, you extremely overrated player, you.
 

10.30.2009 Yanks in the Illadelph

10.29.2009 Our new favorite player: AJ Burnett

Burnett got his first win following three postseason no-decisions for the Yankees, allowing four hits in seven innings and retiring his last eight batters.

''He went to his bread-and-butter, that backdoor curveball. It's impossible to hit,'' Stairs said.

Burnett struck out nine, - including Ryan Howard three times - and started his first 11 hitters with strikes, nine of them looking. Burnett kept his control, walking two, one of them intentional. (Source)

AJ was dealing on Thursday night.
 

10.29.2009 !Hideki-san!

10.28.2009 Well, that sucked

Forget an Empire State of Mind, Cliff Lee had complete mind control over the behemoth bats of the Bombers, throwing a complete-game that was brutal to watch.  Just total domination.

We now place our dreams on the right arm of AJ Burnett and eagerly await for the offense to show up (and a lineup that hopefully includes Jorge Posada).

Good luck, AJ.  We're all counting on you.
 

10.27.2009 Player who had horrible season predicts Phillies in 5

Jimmy Rollins on the Jay Leno show:


Of course we're gonna win. If we're nice, we'll let it go six, but I'm thinking five, close it out at home."

If Rollins' predictions are as bad as he hit this season, then we Yankees fans have nothing to worry about.  J-Roll hit to the tune of a horrendous .250/.296/.423/.719 line this season, good for a Ramiro Pena-ish OPS+ of 85.  His OBP of .296 ranked dead last among full-time NL shortstops and was only second to Yuniesky Betancourt for worst among MLB SS.

However, in Rollins' defense, his BABIP was an incredibly low .253 despite maintaining a line drive rate not freakishly off from his career average.  Be that as it may, he stunk this season and we hope his prediction does too.
 

10.27.2009 Guess what, Pedro?

Pedro Martinez held court Tuesday, taking in the sights in his first trip to the new Yankee Stadium. He'll be starting Game 2 Thursday night in front of what's sure to be a hostile crowd that remembers 2004 and his desire to buzz Babe Ruth in the rear.

"You know what? I might be the only player who brings fear to the fans without throwing a pitch," Martinez said during the Phillies' media session in the Great Hall of the Stadium. "It feels great to have the opportunity to be the player that catches the most attention ever - between the fans, the people in New York, at the Stadium."

It's talk like that, the swagger that Martinez has always had, that made him the Phillies' choice for Game 2 over Cole Hamels or Joe Blanton.

"We wanted Pedro in this atmosphere," Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee said. "We thought he was better for this type of environment." (Source)

We.  Can't.  Wait.
 

10.26.2009 Has the Kool-Aid been shipped from Boston to Philadelphia?

We read this article last week, but we held back commentary until we knew the Yanks were World Series bound.

Sam Donnellon of the Philadelphia Daily News:

Well, here's something to consider while you wait for the latest edition of the Yankees to polish off the Angels.  When they go to bed at night, the Yankees dream about hitting like the 2009 Phillies.

Needless to say, this is insane and you wonder why aspiring sportswriters don't have to pass some sort of basic intelligence test before they are employed.

Here you go, Sam (by the way, congratulations, you've made the front page of NoMaas):

PHI
102 OPS+
HR - 224
258/.334/.426/.781
5.06 R/G

NYY
119 OPS+
HR - 244
.283/.362/.478/.839
5.65 R/G

Obviously, the Phillies are in the NL and those numbers are affecting by the pitcher hitting, but come on, the Yanks dream about hitting like the Phillies?
 

10.26.2009 A message to Philadelphia

"Hey, Philly.  Hey, Philly!  Listen here.  Since your league ain't got no talent, maybe you like to see a real team.  I bet you stay up late every night dreamin' you had a real team, don't ya?  I'll tell you what.  Bring your pretty little self over to my apartment tonight, and I'll show you a real team."
 

10.26.2009 The old gunslinger does it again

What a performance by He of the Four Rings: 6.1 IP, 1 ER, 7 H, 6K, 1 BB
 

10.26.2009 RIP Rally Monkey

10.22.2009 Electricity

6 IP, 6 ER, 8 H, 3K, 3 BB

Is there a reason why Molina should continue to be his personal catcher?
 

10.21.2009 Steve Phillips' two biggest mistakes

1. "The Tigers have the best offense in the history of baseball."
- Baseball Tonight, 3/30/08

2. This: