***official New York Yankees Thread***

[3A 0]

That would make the game unwatchable. One of the beautiful things about baseball is the way the game is paced. Pitch after pitch after pitch, and then finally something crazy-exciting happens. Overturning calls and requiring automatic advances or retreats on the basepaths would detract from that. Baseball is an imperfect sport. Balls and strikes are never absolutes.This is what I should have used as an example:Your exact scenario. No outs. Bunted up the third base line with the runner going, the catcher comes out and fields the ball and on a close play the batter is called out at first. The runner stealing second (let's call him Runner) is easily into third standing up, and he thinks the catcher might be snoozing, having come out to field the ball and not realized that there is now a man on third and nobody guarding home. Runner makes a move to go, but realizes that it's a bad idea. But...he's gone too far, and he's got himself caught in a goddam rundown like an idiot. Anyways he's out. Soooo, then they go ahead and reverse the call at first on instant replay. The batter (now safe at first) would surely argue that he would have moved up to second on the pickle, but it's not automatic or anything. So...what happens?My point is not that there is no reasonable answer to the questions about where the runners should be after a reversed call - my point is that reversing those calls and forcing the runners to do a certain thing would detract from the enjoyment I get from watching a game, in an extremely major way. It would fundamentally alter certain strategies that have been bred and studied and experimented on etc etc for the last 150 years or whatever.

In football when pass interferance happens they stop play and spot the ball at the place of the penalty, they don't allow further yards or a touchdown and that works out pretty good. If a legitimate rule is made people will accept it and get comfortable with it, even the fans.There are some pretty obscure rules out there and this could just be another one of those rules the umpires have to check their rulebooks to confirm and maybe the rule would be having the player sent to second base as you elluded to, while the player who was infact out in the run down is out. I don't know what the best "rule" here would be, but I'm sure if enough good baseball minds were put together to decide on one, it would end up being accepted since its set in stone and equal across the board to all teams.Also why should it come to this are there many professional players or teams who do leave bases unguarded? If the catcher fielded the ball and quickly ran back to the plate to his position there wouldn't be this problem in the 1st place and now runners get to be safe on first and third instead of 1 out and a man on second. I don't see any fundamental strategies changing here aside from a catcher intentionally trying to pretend to be out of position to dare players to run on him and creating this out at home, who does that; a little league playing the outfield daring another kid to try to score on him while he's running he ball in. It would be humorous, but I don't see much time spent on a tactic like this in the MLB. (just my 2 cents)

[myenemy 0]

The Yankees are so dominant right now, I just cant see the Phillies or the Dodgers putting up much of a fight. I hope Burnett can seal the deal tomorrow night. WS: Yankees in 5.

[akoff 0]

The Yankees are so dominant right now, I just cant see the Phillies or the Dodgers putting up much of a fight. I hope Burnett can seal the deal tomorrow night. WS: Yankees in 5.

You just keep thinking that. I don't know what you have been watching over the last 3 years to think winning 4 of 7 against philly is going to be easy. I have plenty of respect for the Yankees, they are good ball team, I actually want them in WS because it will make for the best series...but going though Philly is going to be anyhing but easy!!

[JoeyJoJo 18]

The Yankees are so dominant right now, I just cant see the Phillies or the Dodgers putting up much of a fight.

The Yankees are really, really good, but they've also been somewhat lucky in a few games this postseason. You know who else has been really, really good this postseason? The Phillies.ARod has been great; the Phillies have three guys with a playoff OPS above 1100. Have you not been watching the NL playoffs?I'm not saying I think the Phillies will win, but it seems odd to say that the reigning world champs who have been rolling over teams these playoffs won't put up much of a fight.

[LongLiveYorke 38]

The Yankees are really, really good, but they've also been somewhat lucky in a few games this postseason.

The Yankees have been a bit lucky, but they've also put themselves into positions where they're able to get lucky. Meaning, they've had good bullepens, good clutch hitting, and good defensiveness awareness.

I'm not saying I think the Phillies will win, but it seems odd to say that the reigning world champs who have been rolling over teams these playoffs won't put up much of a fight.

The Phillies are going to be a difficult team. We can beat them, but we're going to have to play our best to beat them. We're going to need to have everybody in the lineup hitting (yes, Swisher, that means you too!). We're going to need AJ to have a strong start. We're going to need Hughes to be dominant, and we're going to need Joba to be the old Joba out of the bullpen. We have the team to win the series, but we're going to need that team to preform. It's not going to be a cakewalk. I watched the game last night, and Philly looked pretty scary offensively. I don't look forward to having to deal with a lot of those hitters. But, man, we're getting way ahead of ourselves. We have a game tonight, and we REALLY want to win it. This absolutely CAN'T go to 7. It would ruin our rotation. We need AJ to finish the job tonight so CC can get plenty of rest and be ready to pitch 3 games in the World Series if necessary. The Yankees, more than anyone, know that being up 3-1 is nothing, it's one game away from being only up 3-2, and it's two games away from game 7.

[CaneBrain 95]

It seems impossible the umpires could be any worse. How hard is it to call 1st base?????

[myenemy 0]

ARod has been great; the Phillies have three guys with a playoff OPS above 1100. Have you not been watching the NL playoffs?I'm not saying I think the Phillies will win, but it seems odd to say that the reigning world champs who have been rolling over teams these playoffs won't put up much of a fight.

Yes I have been watching the NL playoffs, and the Phillies have been very good, no question. I just have two points:-The Dodgers arent nearly the team the Angels are, so while they rolled over them, I cant believe they would have that to the Angels.-The Phillies have excellent hitting but the Yankees have the best hitting in the league. Where I think we ultimately win out is starting pitching (obviously AJ is highly questionable), the Phillies dont have one starter that won more than 12 games this season. I suppose it all comes down to who shows up, I guess thats why they play the games. We shall seeHitting stats: Team LEAGUE G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG 1. New York Yankees AL 162 5660 915 1604 325 21 244 881 2703 663 1014 111 28 .362 .478 .283 2. Philadelphia Phillies NL 162 5578 820 1439 312 35 224 788 2493 589 1155 119 28 .334 .447 .258

The Phillies are going to be a difficult team. We can beat them, but we're going to have to play our best to beat them. We're going to need to have everybody in the lineup hitting (yes, Swisher, that means you too!). We're going to need AJ to have a strong start. We're going to need Hughes to be dominant, and we're going to need Joba to be the old Joba out of the bullpen.

Amen. That AB was PITIFUL!!!The question is, you start CC or Andy if no game Saturday night?

[JoeyJoJo 18]

It seems impossible the umpires could be any worse. How hard is it to call 1st base?????

I was on full blown monkey tilt after the umpire blew that strike three call in the 7th. It wasn't even borderline, it was just a strike. (I realize that we don't know what would've happened if that was the second out and maybe they still score six runs in the inning, but when you get that next out, which would've been the third out, before they score any runs...that didn't help my tilt. Nor did bringing in Oliver.)But I guess it's just a good thing Jeter has zero range going to his left. Do Yankee fans realize that any decent shortstop not only stops Vlad's 12-hopper up the middle, but actually makes the play?I was also hoping they would leave Weaver in for the 9th instead of bringing in Fuentes. And you have to send Willits on that fly ball. It's freakin' Mariano Rivera out there; you're really going to count on getting a hit to drive him in?What a game. Angels have to be kicking themselves over blowing game 2.

[Speed Limit 0]

the Phillies dont have one starter that won more than 12 games this season.

Do you really think their pitching is a problem? Cliff Lee has been the best pitcher in the post season. With Hamels, and the ability to plug Happ, Pedro, and Blanton as they see fit, I think to argue against a staff that clearly has flexibility to go along with quality may be futile.

[myenemy 0]

Do you really think their pitching is a problem? Cliff Lee has been the best pitcher in the post season. With Hamels, and the ability to plug Happ, Pedro, and Blanton as they see fit, I think to argue against a staff that clearly has flexibility to go along with quality may be futile.

I specifically referred to starters because the Phillies 4 starters in the post season have a combined ERA of 3.75, the Yankee 3 starters are 2.7. And my theory is that they have not faced hitting as good as the Yankees. I.E. starters will be exiting games earlier and pressuring the bullpen more. We'll see if that bullpen holds up. Incidentally, the top 6 Phillies relievers have an ERA of 4.17 (this doesnt include Pedro, as he is included in the starters), and top 6 Yankee relievers are 2.43. But like I said, we'll just have to wait and see.

[CaneBrain 95]

no baseball series between two competent teams is ever that much of a mismatch. The Yankees are better than Philly but not by much. And they still need to beat the Angels first (which I think they will do in game 6).also, yeah Jeter is great, but most SS at least get close to that ball and some definitely make the play.

[slink 1]

I was on full blown monkey tilt after the umpire blew that strike three call in the 7th. It wasn't even borderline, it was just a strike. (I realize that we don't know what would've happened if that was the second out and maybe they still score six runs in the inning, but when you get that next out, which would've been the third out, before they score any runs...that didn't help my tilt. Nor did bringing in Oliver.)But I guess it's just a good thing Jeter has zero range going to his left. Do Yankee fans realize that any decent shortstop not only stops Vlad's 12-hopper up the middle, but actually makes the play?I was also hoping they would leave Weaver in for the 9th instead of bringing in Fuentes. And you have to send Willits on that fly ball. It's freakin' Mariano Rivera out there; you're really going to count on getting a hit to drive him in?What a game. Angels have to be kicking themselves over blowing game 2.

These points are spot on!

[slink 1]

Figgins .105Abreu .143Hunter .316Guerrero .304Morales .200Izturis .111Rivera .143Mathis .600Aybar .294Wow, that sucks.Aybar must bat leadoff.Mathis must start.Abreu must get a blast.Rivera must get a blast.Kendrick must get in the game (I think he's starting).Petite's ERA is higher at home than on the road (~4.5 at home).All 8 victories over the Yanks in the playoffs have been come from behind.Good luck Halos. If we get to game 7, I think Sabathia's good run could come to an end.

[timwakefield 68]

Aybar must bat leadoff.

I disagree. Figgins is amazing at leadoff. Basically, here's a results-oriented example: Back in friggin game 7 of the 2004 ALCS when we capped off the Greatest Sports Comeback Ever, Johnny Damon had been batting about .013, but Francona stuck with him, and he hit a 2nd-inning grand slam in game 7 (and then another hr to put the nail in the coffin). I remember I was also praying for Tito to finally pull Mark Goddam Bellhorn for Pokey Reese since Bellhorn was hitting nothing and Pokey was the best-fielding-second-baseman like ever. That, until Bellhorn hit the game-winning home run in game 1 of the World Series. Bottom line, unless Figgins has been hurt (?), I definitely keep him in the 1 or 2 spot. Maybe Aybar 2nd and drop Abreu to 6thish.

Abreu must get a blast.

It seems reasonable that he should.

Good luck Halos.

Yep. A game 7 would be lots of fun.That game 7 in '04 was on my mind because the 5-year-anniversary of that game was a couple days ago, an anniversary that did not go unnoticed in the Boston papers. Posting it here because it's a good article and also obviously needles the Yankees.

And, yes, Johnny Damon. He's cast as the villain now, having taken the Yankees' bags of cash in free agency after the 2005 season. At first it was hard to accept his decision to so casually shed his popular "Idiot" persona and join the enemy, especially since he'd said he'd never consider such a traitorous act. But any frustration with his change of allegiances has faded, not only because the Red Sox have a 1-0 lead on the Yankees (for now) in terms of championships since he left, but because at some point this realization hit us:How can Yankees fans ever look at him without remembering his role in Game 7?Make no mistake: If there is such a thing as a hero in something as trivial as baseball, then it was Johnny Damon on that particular October night. Foreshadowing bigger things to come, he led off the ballgame against Yankees starter Kevin Brown with a single, then promptly swiped second.

Red Sox fans will forever remember it as their day of redemption, the victory that made the deep, personal investment of time and emotion through so many seasons worthwhile at last.Yankees fans? I'm pretty sure they remember it as Thanks For Nothin' Kevin Bleepin' Brown Day.

http://www.boston.com/sports/touching_all_...nniversary.htmlAs long as I'm being a nostalgic pussy, I think that probably of all of those games (best week of life ever), Dave Roberts, Papi's consecutive walk-offs, Frankenschilling, Foulke's perfection, even the moment we finally won the WS, the single moment that I screamed the loudest and freaked out the hardest was when Johnny 'Girly-arm' Damon hit that grand slam. Moral of the story: Figgins is due.

[slink 1]

AybarFigginsHunterGuerreroAbreuMoralesRiveraKendrickMathisThis is what I'd like to see.

[LongLiveYorke 38]

And we're going to the World Series.It's such a huge relief not to have to go to game 7 and use CC again in this series. Now we're going to have a well rested CC be able to pitch 3 games in the post season.It's not going to be an easy series, but certainly the Yankees are the favorite. Now it's their time to step up and win this thing.

[akoff 0]

It could be an epic WS...we are going to agree to to disagree on the favorite, reguardless of who is the favorite the edge is so small that in 7 games it won't matter much, we'll know for sure in 9 days. I will be at game 2 in NY and games 3 & 5 in Philly.

[LongLiveYorke 38]

I will be at game 2 in NY and games 3 & 5 in Philly.

Ah, lucky man. I hope it's not too cold.

[eYank 0]

And we're going to the World Series.It's such a huge relief not to have to go to game 7 and use CC again in this series. Now we're going to have a well rested CC be able to pitch 3 games in the post season.It's not going to be an easy series, but certainly the Yankees are the favorite. Now it's their time to step up and win this thing.

I was the same way with game 7. I did not want one any way. I say Yankees in 6, but it should be a good series. Now we need to finish what we started

[JoeyJoJo 18]

I say Yankees in 6, but it should be a good series.

If I was forced to make a prediction with a gun to my head, I would really like to know how I ended up in that situation.I mean, I would probably say Yankees in 6.Regardless of who wins, just give me seven games and I'll be happy.Well, I guess that's not necessarily true. If every game was a 10-0 blowout, that wouldn't be fun.Ok, here's what I want to see:- Seven games all decided by one run.- Two great pitching duels- Two slugfests- One extra inning game- Ryan Howard and Alex Rodriguez matching each other home run for home run- Game 7 to be either a walk-off win or the tying and winning runs left stranded on baseThat's not too much to ask, is it?

[LongLiveYorke 38]

That's not too much to ask, is it?

That'd be pretty good, but I'll take 4 10-0 Yankee blowout victories, thank you very much.

[timwakefield 68]

They need to start the season earlier and have less ridiculous extra days off during the LDS and LCS series. The World Series should not start on October goddam 28 unless there was some sort of natural disaster which pushes it back. Absolutely terrible, terrible schedule-making this year. We should be at game 5 or 6 right now, not waiting for the Series to start.

[slink 1]

I think one of the reasons for this was the WBC, which is unnecessary.

[eYank 0]

They need to start the season earlier and have less ridiculous extra days off during the LDS and LCS series. The World Series should not start on October goddam 28 unless there was some sort of natural disaster which pushes it back. Absolutely terrible, terrible schedule-making this year. We should be at game 5 or 6 right now, not waiting for the Series to start.

They added a lot of extra off days this post season. I dont think they started the season any later then normal.

[timwakefield 68]

They added a lot of extra off days this post season. I dont think they started the season any later then normal.

I'm pretty sure that change was actually made a few years ago. The Red Sox season started on April 6 and ended on October 4. I think Slink is right about the WBC. The extra days off in the playoffs are also a big part of it though, obviously.