Giants Report Card

Here's my mid-season report card for the Giants

Quarterbacks: A-
Eli Manning has thrown 12 touchdowns to Five interceptions and 1735 yards. You wish the touchdowns were up, but five interceptions is great considering three came in one game. Eli also has seven wins under his belt this season, which earns him extra credit. He was originally a B+, but wins do matter and he's got them (Won 11 of his last 12 games).

Running backs: A+
Giants have the second-best running game in the NFL in terms of total yardage. Brandon Jacobs is the horse with 680 yards and 7 td's, while Derrick Ward gives a little versatility catching the check-down passes in the flat while also rushing for 437 yards. Ahmad Bradshaw hasn't found as much playing time, but the three of them give the Giants the best backfield in the football. It would be something if Ward and Jacobs both got 1,000 yards.

Wide Receivers: B+
A solid B+. The group has done a good job despite Plax essentially not playing since week 1. Steve Smith is turning into a great third receiver who leads the team in catches and finally got his first touchdown this past week. Plax needs to step up. Amani Toomer is doing fine. Mario Manningham will be interesting to see develop. This unit is productive, but could do better.

Tight Ends: A-
Kevin Boss is no Jeremy Shockey. But he doesn't complain, keeps his mouth shut, and does his job. What more do you want? He also has big touchdown catches (Dallas, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati). He's becoming more involved in the passing game and should be a better force by the end of the season.

Offensive line: A+
This group has given up 10 sacks and did not give up one the top-ranked sack unit, the Pittsburgh Steelers. They should get at least two guys to the Pro Bowl, if not more. This unit is outstanding.

D-Line: A+
Let's see, Lose Osi and Strahan and still be second in the league in sakcs. Justin Tuck is a beast and Mathias Kiwaunuka is playing like the player we expected when we drafted him. Freddie Robbins is one of the best d-tackle's in football. The Giants win games because of the defensive line and don't have their star either. Pretty good.

Linebackers: B+
Antonio Piece leads the team in heart, on the field, and in tackles. He will be missed when his time comes to an end. Chase Blackburn is solid and Danny Clark had done well in his first season. The only problem is this group does have hard times in coverage sometimes and has been banged up, but still is solid.

Secondar: A-
I thought this was the weakest part to the Giants, but it's not. Corey Webster is having a Pro Bowl season and Aaron Ross has played well except for Cleveland. Kevin Dockery was solid in his action and James Butler and Michael Johnson have been solid i the secondary. The Giants used to get torched in the air. Not anymore.

Coaching: A+
Coming off a Super Bowl, it's tough to repeat that success and keep the troops going. Outside the Browns, the Giants have taken care of business and Coughlin has his troops ready. The Giants will never get out coached and that's why they are in the fist place.

NFL Final Predictions

New York Giants (13-3)
Philadelphia Eagles (10-6) ***Wildcard
Washington Redskins (10-6)
Dallas Cowboys (9-7)

Chicago Bears (10-6)
Green Bay Packers (9-7)
Minnesota Vikings (6-10)
Detroit Lions (0-16)

Carolina Panthers (13-3)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5) **Wildcard
New Orleans Saints (10-6)
Atlanta Falcons (8-8)

Arizona Cardinals (11-5)
St. Louis Rams (5-11)
San Francisco 49ers (2-14)
Seattle Seahawks (2-14)

New York Jets (12-4)
New England Patriots (11-5) ***Wildcard
Buffalo Bills (9-7)
Miami Dolphins (9-7)

Pittsburgh Steelers (14-2)
Baltimore Ravens (10-6)
Cleveland Browns (5-11)
Cincinnati Bengals (2-14)

Tennessee Titans (13-3)
Indianapolis Colts (10-6) ***Wildcard
Jacksonville Jaguars (6-10)
Houston Texans (4-12)

San Diego Chargers (10-6)
Denver Chargers (8-8)
Kansas City Chiefs (2-14)
Oakland Raiders (2-14)

Cincinnati Bengals (

NFL Predictions Week 6

Chicago 28, Atlanta 21
Miami 21, Houston 17
Indianapolis 24, Baltimore 17
Minnesota 35, Detroit 13
New Orleans 28, Oakland 20
New York Jets 42, Cincinnati 21
Carolina 24, Tampa Bay 20
Washington 35, St. Louis 3
Denver 24, Jacksonville 20
Dallas 31, Arizona 20
Philadelphia 28, San Francisco 20
Green Bay 27, Seattle 24
San Diego 35, New England 28
New York Giants 31, Cleveland 17

Phillies vs. Dodgers Series Preview

NLCS: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Coaching: Joe Torre (LAD)-Charlie Manuel (PHI)
Joe Torre has won four rings and made the post season each of the past 13 seasons, including this season with a young team. Charlie Manuel makes peculiar decisions, but has led his team to the NL East two years straight.
Advantage: Joe Torre (LAD)

First Base: James Loney (LAD) (.289,13,90) PS (.214,1,6)-Ryan Howard (PHI) (.251,48,146) PS (.182,0,1)
Loney delivered the grand slam that propelled the Dodgers in game one, but did not do much else in the series, going 2-for-13 outside that hit. Howard did not fare much better, but worked five walks in 16 plate appearances, including one with two outs that set up Pat Burrell's homerun. With the way Howard has been swinging the bat lately, the Dodgers would be smart to not face him.
Advantage: Ryan Howard (PHI)

Second Base: Blake DeWitt (LAD) (.264,9,52) PS (.273,0,1)-Chase Utley (PHI) (.292,33,104) PS (.133,0,2)
DeWitt is filling in for the injured Jeff Kent. Utley IS the best second baseman in baseball. This one goes to Philly, but Utley needs to hit better. He is 4-of-26 in the post season, which means Ryan Howard often is coming to the plate with no men on base.
Advantage: Chase Utley (PHI)

Shortstop: Rafael Furcal (LAD) (.357,5,16) PS (.333,0,2)-Jimmy Rollins (PHI) (.277,11,59) PS (.375,0,1)
Perhaps the most intriguing position matchup. Furcal has returned from the disabled list and his drag bunt set up the Dodger's big inning against Carlos Zambrano in game two. J-Rol is raking the ball, going 6-for-16. Both have speed and cause havoc on the basepath. I'm going to go with Furcal on this one just because he is more vital to his team's success I believe than Rollins and can change the game. Furcal needs to get on to set things off for the Dodgers, who have some good players and one great one (Manny). Jimmy has so mch protection in that lineup and others who can pick up the slack.
Advantage: Rafael Furcal (LAD)

Third Base: Casey Blake (LAD) (.274,21,81) PS (.273,0,2)-Pedro Feliz (.249,14,58) PS (.231,0,1)
Feliz is known more for his glove than his bat, as evident by his low batting average. this season. Blake had a nice season overall, but his numbers were worse with the Dodgers. Considering Blake had an overall better season, the edge goes to him.
Advantage: Casey Blake (LAD)

Left Field: Manny Ramirez (LAD) (.332,37,121) PS (.500,2,3)-Pat Burrell (.250,33,86) PS (.250,2,4)
Manny Ramirez has the most homeruns in post season history. End of story.
Advantage: Manny Ramirez (LAD)

Centerfield: Matt Kemp (LAD) (.290,18,76) PS (.154,0,1)-Shane Victorino (.293,14,58) PS (.357,1,5)
I believe Kemp is a better player, but Victorino's speed is such an asset. He covers great ground in center and provides speed at the bottom of the lineup. He also had the big grand slam off C.C. Sabathia that gave the Phillies game two. Kemp is a great player, but Victorino has the advantage.
Advantage: Shane Victorino (PHI)

Right field: Andre Eithier (.305,20,77) PS (.100,0,0)-Jayson Werth (.273,24,67) PS (.313,1,1)
Eithier has greater promise, but I like the way Werth is swinging the bat, especially against lefty pitching. With Utley and Howard's problems against lefties, Werth provides the needed bat to counter that. He also seems to come up with big hit after big hit
Advantage: Jayson Werth (PHI)

Catcher: Russell Martin (LAD) (.280,13,69) PS (.308,1,5)-Carlos Ruiz (PHI) (.231,4,19) PS (.071,0,0)
Perhaps the greatest mismatch in the series. Martin is an emerging star in the game. Ruiz can barely hit his weight.
Advantage: Russell Martin (LAD)

Core players advantage: Tie 4-4

Bench: LAD (Angel Berroa, Juan Pierre, Nomar Garciaparra, Jeff Kent)-PHI (Geoff Jenkins, Chris Coste, Greg Dobbs, Eric Bruntlett, Matt Stairs)
The Phillies have better talent on the bench due to Garciaparra's and Kent's health. The only real difference maker is Pierre who can steal. Overall, though, the Phillies have some boppers in Genkins and Stairs.
Advantage: Philadelphia Phillies

Starting Pitching: Los Angeles Dodgers 1) Derek Lowe, 14-11 3.24; 1-0 3.00); 2)Chad Billingsley (16-10, 3.14; 1-0, 1.35); Hiroki Kuroda (9-10, 3.73; 1-0, .00) ;4) Clayton Kerhaw (5-5, 4.26; NA)------Philadelphia Phillies 1) Cole Hamels (14-10, 3.09; 1-0, .000); 2) Brett Myers (10-13, 4.55; 1-0, 2.57) 3)Jamie Moyer (16-7, 3.71; 0-1, 4.50) 4)Joe Blanton (9-12, 4.96; 1-0, 1.50)
When it comes to pithing, the Phillies have the edge. Lowe is the only Dodgers pitcher (outside Greg Maddux, who is not in the rotation) with experience. Hamels and Myers are a good duo at the top, and Moyer slides in nicely in the three hold. The Dodgers, though, as Billingsley is a good up and coming pitcher as is Kershaw. Overall, though, I believe the Phillies have stronger pitching in terms of quality and experience.
Advantage: Philadelphia Phillies

Bullpen: LAD (Takashi Saito, Joe Beimel, John Broxton, Hong Chih-Kuo)-PHI (Brad Lidge, J.C. Romero, Chad Durbin, Ryan Madson)
The Phillies have the advantage in closing with Lidge, who has yet to blow a save, but the feeling that he will blow a big game lurks in my mind. There middle relief is suspect as well. The Dodgers on the other hand, have great arms coming constantly out of the pen pumping fire. Kuo, who will be used to get out Utley and Howard, struck out 96 in 80 innings.
Advantage: Los Angeles Dodgers

Synopsis: The Phillies are the better team. No doubt about that. But there is something about a Joe Torre team with Manny Ramirez that just seems to have a swagger. The Phillies will not go down without a fight, but that bullpen is suspect and Myers and Blanton could come up soft. I don't think Howard will have a big series either, puting more pressure on Pat the Bat and the rest of the lineup. The Dodgers are firing on all cylinders and advanced to the world series.

Prediction: Dodgers in Six

NFL Power Rankings Week 5

Here they are

1. New York Giants (4-0)
2. Tennessee Titans (5-0)
3. Washington Redskins (4-1)
4. Dallas Cowboys (4-1)
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1)
6. Carolina Panthers (4-1)
7. Denver Broncos (4-1)
8. Buffalo Bills (4-1)
9. New England Patriots (3-1)
10. Chicago Bears (3-2)
11. Tampa Bay Buccanneers (3-2)
12. Philadelphia Eagles (2-3)
13. Atlanta Falcons (3-2)
14. Arizona Cardinals (3-2)
15. Indianapolis Colts (2-2)
16. Baltimore Ravens (2-2)
17. San Diego Chargers (2-3)
18. Minnesota Vikings (2-3)
19. Green Bay Packers (2-3)
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3)
21. New York Jets (2-2)
22. New Orleans Saints (2-3)
23. Miami Dolphins (2-2)
24. San Francisco (2-3)
25. Cleveland Browns (1-3)
26. Seattle Seahawks (1-3)
27. Houston Texans (0-4)
28. Oakland Raiders (1-3)
29. Cincinnati Bengals (0-5)
30. Kansas City Chiefs (1-4)
31. Detroit Lions (0-4)
32. St. Louis Rams (0-4)

Quick hits about every NFL Team

Here's my thoughts after Week 5:

NYG-Best team in football

Washington-Clinton Portis is a beast and is a main reason they are 4-1

Dallas-That defense is not intimidating

Philadelphia-If they lose Brian Westbrook, season over

Chicago-Matt Forte is the best running back drafted this season

Green Bay-This team would be 3-2 or 4-1 with Brett Favre

Minnesota-After beating New Orleans without AP showing up, do they go on a run and win the division like many expected

Detroit-Fire Matt Millen! Ooh, that happened and they still lost.

Carolina-Mushin Muhammed is shining this season, just as he did previously

Tampa Bay-Ernest Graham should be the every down back, but Warrick Dunn is playing too good not to take carries

Atlanta-This team is two years away and needs a corner back

New Orleans-Probably the biggest disappointment in the NFL right now

Arizona-Edge James and Tim Hightower have 8 touchdowns combined...wow

San Francisco-Isaac Bruce is doing a good job under Mike Martz

Seattle-Well, they atleast can score at home

St. Louis-This is an awful team

Buffalo-I saw this game coming from a mile away and Trent Edwards' health is cause for concern

New England-They have beaten three bad teams...Don't get too excited

New York Jets-Thomas Jones is not going to have the breakout year i expected

Miami-Great story this season beating NE and SD

Pit-Scary they have beaten Jax and Balt despite being banged up

Balt-No offense will hurt them

Cle-Overrated. Overrated.

Cin-To think they won the division two years ago

Tenn-Mad props to being 5-0 because they have earned it

Ind-That win is the type you build your season around

Jax-Not the power everyone expected them to be

Hou-They find ways to lose

Den-Won despite only scoring 16 points! shocker

SD-You can't lose at Miami and expect to be taken seriously

Oak-Michael Bush needs more playing time

KC-Well, they play to win the game atleast

The Suicide squeeze that doomed the Angels

With a runner on third and one out in game four of the ALDS, Angels manager Mike Scioscia made a critcal decision. His ninth hitter Erick Aybar stood at the plate with Reggie Willits on third. He was ahead in the count 2-0 on Red Sox pitcher Manny DelCarmen.

Scioscia could have let Aybar try and swing away and possibly get a pop fly to center or right. He instead opted for the suicide squeez, Aybar missed the bunt, Willits was tagged out and the inning ended with an Aybar strikeout.

The Red Sox (unfortunately, much to my dismay (I am in a much more mild-mannered mood then I was before)) went on to win 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth.

So the debate is raised: should Scioscia have called for the suicide squeeze?

I'm going to go with No.

Although Aybar is a good bunter and led his team with sacrifice bunts this year, you have to let him try and drive in the runner. The infield was drawn in. A slash single could have gotten the job done. A pop to center would have done it as well. He just had to make contact. Who's to say that DelCarmen does not fall behind 3-0 in the count and put two runners on base for Chone Figgins? Then the double play is almost out of the question and any ground ball puts ahead the game-winning run.

I understand that had it worked a suicide squeeze would have been the perfect thing to do, but I am against a suicide squeeze. There is too much that can go wrong as shown by Aybar missing the pitch completely. Aybar needs to do whatever he can do to get the ball down and he couldn't. What if the pitcher throws up and in and the batter has to duck. The runner is an easy out, as was Willits.

The Angels again just did not show up to play the Red Sox. They got out-hit, out-pitched and just looked like dogs again for the third straight time against Boston.

That's why the Yankees need to get into the playoffs next year: to knock the damn Red Sox off their high perch.

LET'S GO YANKEEESSSSSS!!!!!!!!

Beasts of the East

I haven't posted in awhile and I figured I would start again. While I was watching TV today, the debate came up about whether the Redskins or the Giants were the best team in the NFL. The fact this is even a question makes me want to laugh.

In the classic movie Rocky IV, the great Apollo Creed says: "I've been with the best and I've beaten the best."

To be the best team in the NFL, you have to beat the best. The Giants BEAT the Redskins. Let me repeat that. The Giants BEAT the Redskins, 16-7. The Giants held the Redskins to 209 yards and 11 first downs. They dominated them in every aspect of the football game.

The Giants are the Super Bowl Champions. They have eight straight games. They are one of two undefeated teams in the NFL. They are the champs.

Yes, I will admit, Washington's wins have been more impressive. Defeated Arizona, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Dallas are great wins. But when you played the defending champs, the New York Football Giants, you got beat. You cannot be the best team when you got beat by another team in your division who is undefeated.

This shouldn't be a conversation. The Giants are the best team in the NFL, and they have beaten the Redskins at home quite convincingly. Until the champs get beat, they are the best team in the NFL in my estimation.

It doesn't matter if you beat better teams. When you lose head-to-head, you cannot claim you are a better team in a sport like football at this point in the season. The Redskins should just enjoy being the second-best team in football, behind the SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS AND UNDEFEATED NEW YORK GIANTS.

Indians 5, Yankees 3-The midges...eh Tribe bites back

Joba Chamberlain has not had his best moments as a Yankee against the Indians. Last year, he gave up the game-tying run in Game 2 that might have made for a different series. Tonight, he served up a 3-run homerun to David Dellucci that gave the Indians a 5-3 lead that they would hold on to.

I'm not going to yell for Joba's head. Set-up men blow saves, that's how baseball works. The only thing i'm going to say is that the walks were a problem. He walked two men and he needs to have better control than that.

The game had all the set-up of a nice Yankees win. Pettite grinded through six innings, the offense scratched three runs off Fausto Carmona, with the rbi's coming by Giambi and Cano, and it seemed like six outs by Mariano and Joba were coming. But the Tribe had other plans.

Tonight's loss dropped the Yankees to 0-15 when losing after seven innings. That is kind of an alarming statistic, meaning they have to beat a closer.

Beauty tomorrow with Cliff Lee against Chien-Ming Wang.

Yankees 8, Mariners 2-How sweep it is

Darrell Rasner has pitched six innings for the Yankees this season. In this six inning, he has won more games that Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes have combined in over 40. Rasner pitched the Yankees to a sweep today as the Yanks beat the Mariners 8-2.

Rasner gave up a bomb to Adrian Beltre in the first inning, but from there he settled down to pitch effectively. He gave the Yankees more than they have seen from Hughes and Kennedy pretty much all season.

The offense again came to life today, absolutely smashing Carlos Silva. Johnny Damon was a sparkplug at the top of the line-up, Derek Jeter was the captain, Melky went yard again, and Robinson Cano went yahtzee too.

This is the type of ball the Yankees need to play to be a championship caliber team. They need to pitch and hit like they did this weekend.

My First month all-star Team

Here is my all-star team after one month:

C-Geovanny Sotto, Chicago Cubs
1b-Lance Berkman, Houston Astros
2b-Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
3b-David Wright, New York Mets
ss-Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins
OF-Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers
OF-Xavier Nady, Pittsburgh Pirates
OF-Pat Burrell, Philadelphia Phillies
DH-David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox

SP-Brandon Webb, Arizona Diamondbacks
SP-Chien-Ming Wang, New York Yankees
SP-Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians
SP-Ervin Santana, Los Angeles Angels
SP-Tim Lincecum, San Fransisco Giants

RP-Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees
RP-Joe Nathan, Minnesota Twins
RP-Johnathan Papelbon, Boston Red Sox
RP-Brad Lidge, Philadelphia Phillies
RP-Joakim Soria, Kansas City Royals
RP-Billy Wagner, New York Mets
RP-Francisco Rodriguez, LAA

Yankees 6, Mariners 1-Mussina and Damon dazzle

Mike Mussina is not finished and I will admit that I was completely wrong when it came to the Moose. He pitched six great innings today to improve to 4-3 and bring the Yankees back to .500 as the Yanks beat the Mariners, 6-1, today in the Bronx.

Mussina is pitching as good baseball as he possibly could. He is mixing his pitches effectively, getting ahead on the hitters, and his off-speed pitches are keeping the batters on their toes.

Mussina probably will not be able to beat the great offenses in the game anymore. I will be quick to admit it. But he can still be an effective third or fourth starter for the Yankees-if he keeps this up.

He was aided by an unusual output from the Yankees against one of the best and brightest young pitchers in baseball, Felix Hernandez. The Yankees absolutely tatooed him today, headlined by Damon, Jeter and Abreu who each had several hits, headlined by Damon's upper-decker.

Johnny Damon has also been playing great baseball recently, providing the spark at the top of the line-up the Yankees need.

On a side note, the Mariners look punchless. This team's offense is weak. Richie Sexson can't hit, Ichiro has no protection, and there are just alot of holes in the line-up.

It's good for the Yankees to win this series, especially since they faced the Mariners' aces. To sweep tomorrow would be great. Silva vs. Rasner tomorrow.

Yankees 5, Mariners 1-Wang continues to amaze

Chien-Ming Wang continues to dazzle this season improving to an 6-0 as the Yankees beat the Mariners, 5-1, to stop their three game skid and get on the winning track.

The Yankees are now 7-0 in Wang's starts, and with the type of outings he gave the bombers tonights, it's not hard to see why. His sinker was on and he continues to get tough outs. His strikeout rate has actually improved too.

The offense was able to get three runs off Erik Bedard and beat him for what seemed like on of the first times in recent history. Although they only managed four hits off him, they were able to give their ace run support that he held up.

The Yankees needed a win desperately tonight and Wang came through in the clutch. With the injuries, the Yankees need to try and keep themselves afloat in the meantime, and tonight they came together for a solid victory.

Big Game tomorrow against King Felix.

Giants draft an effective class

I am very pleased with the New York Giants Draft Class, headlined by Kenny Phillips, Terell Thomas and Mario Manningham.

Phillips is a smart, hard-nosed player that should work well in the Giants secondary and provide depth in the position and look to make an impact this season and next.

Thomas, if healthy, will provide depth to the cornerback position, where the Giants need to fortify themselves.

Manningham adds a solid weapon to the Giants passing attack, and if the stays out of trouble, should be a nice addition to the wide-receiving corps and could help give Eli Manning five options on every passing play.

Overall, I am satisfied with the Giants as we try and defend our title. Let's go Big Blue!

Tigers 8, Yankees 4-Quick start translates into another loss...

The first inning looked so promising. Ian Kennedy pitched a scoreless inning and Bobby Abreu hit a 3-run homerun to give the Yankees a quick 3-0 lead. But as was the case last night, the pitching and the bats let the Yankees down as they were swept by the Tigers after dropping an 8-4 game at the stadium last night.

Ian Kennedy was given a 3-0 lead and was not able to hold the lead. Although he did not get the best of defense from Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu in the fourth inning, he just could not get it done. For the first 2.2 innings, he pitched effectively and was able to get the outs he needed. But with two outs in the third, it all unraveled for him. He put a fastball down the middle of the plate for Maggz that he crushed, and then left another one for Miguel Cabrera. He was yanked after 4.2 innings. It is clearly the case that he is no ready to be an effective starter in the major leagues yet.

The offense, though, just like last night disappeared after the first inning. They allowed Nate Robertson, who has been hit up by every other team in baseball, to settle in and only get charged with one run over the last 5.1 innings. The offense had a chance with two outs and the bases loaded in the sixth, but Bobby Abreu could not come through.

The Yankees are in serious trouble right now. They are struggling and do not seem to have the pitching necessary to be a championship contender team, along with a stagnant offense. This might be a long season...

Tigers 6, Yankees 2-Pettite can't survive

Andy Pettite has been known to be the stopper in his career. When the Yankees lose the previous game, his record in the next start is simply fantastic. But not tonight...and not with this offense. Pettite gave up five runs in six innings and dropped to 3-3 as the Yankees fell to 14-15 with a 6-2 loss against Detroit tonight.

Pettite cruised through four innings, but then seemed to hit a wall in the fifth inning. He gave up a single to Edgar Renteria and then a two-run bomb to the light-hitting Marcus Thames, and then in the sixth, allowed a rare homerun to Placido Polanco and a rbi single to Carlos Guillen.

Andy Pettite has gotten to the point in his career where he will have shaky innings as the one he did tonight. The real problem, though, is the offense. Without A-Rod and Jorge Posada, the offense doesn't have the punch it normally does. Add in that Jason Giambi and Robinson Cano are hitting below the Mendoza line, and you have a line-up destined for failure.

They jumped on Jeremy Bonderman in the first innings for two runs, but then the bats went cold, which has been a common theme throughout this season.

Although the Yankees have been resilient and they have been doing a great job to be only 14-15 at this point when they chould definitely be 10-19 or worse, they just don't inspire any confidence in you that they will go on a rampant tear and just play playoff caliber baseball. Thankfully, no team in the division hs been taking advantage. The Yankees are lucky that Boston is only 3 game ahead of them.

On a side note, Phil Hughes went on the DL which is what he needed to. It was a pressure free way to get him out of the rotation and hopefully he will benefit from it because he has been awful.

Ian Kennedy needs to have a solid start tomorrow or the Yankees will get swept, and then get to face two guys (Felix Hernandez and Erik Bedard) who they do not hit.

Yankees 5, Indians 2-Mussina improves to 3-3

Mike Mussina pitched five average innings last night to improve to 3-3 as the Yankees beat the Indians last night 5-2 to split the series in Cleveland.

Mussina was able to get in and out of trouble in the sixth inning, including twice loading the bases and only giving up one run. Mussina has been a solid fifth starter for the Yannkees this season as shown by his 3-3 record. Unfortunately for the Yankees, has been forced almost into a third starter role.

The Yankees bats finally got going in the sixth, although they did not exactly kill the ball. Melky had an infield single, Ensberg had one too, Giambi dribbled one and A-Rod got hit by a pitch. But in the end, they were able to score the runs they needed to win the game.

The bullpen was effective as John Albadalejo and Kyle Farnsworth pitched the sixth and seventh scoreless and Joba and Mariano did the job in the ninth.

For the Yankees to be 14-13 with all these injuries is quite good. They are right in the thick of things in the American League.

Been away

Sorry but I have not been able to post the past few days. This Wednesday, I will half full recaps of all of the Yankees games I did not post on, the NFL Draft, weekly MLB rankings and everything in between. I might even start now.

Yankees 6, White Sox 4-Mussina pitches Yankees to victory

I only watched the final three innings of this game, so I can't go into much depth. But some observations:

Mike Mussina apparently was dealing tonight, which is a good sign. He needs to provide stability at the back end of the rotation.

Jason Giambi got intentionally walked twice. Who is scarier than the Giambino?

Tonight was a preview of how awful the Yankees bullpen is without Joba. Mariano will be getting lots of five out saves if this continues.

Mariano looks untouchable.

The great debate: Is Joba better suited for the pen or the starting rotation?

The question has permeated the New York sports discussion world for the past few days: Is Joba better for the Yankees in the pen or the rotation?

My answer is simple: In the bullpen.

Let me explain.

Joba has emerged as one of the best set-up men in baseball during his time. He blows his fastball by the hitters and when they sit on the fastball, he catches them swinging on the slider. He has only given up two earned runs in all his innings as a set-up man.

The confidence that he has instilled in his teammates, coaches and Yankees fans can be seen everywhere. Fans are confident when Joba enters the game. Twice this season he has been called on to enter the game with runners in scoring position and less than two outs and gotten the job done.

Joba is the best bridge the Yankees have to Mariano. He is effective and has yet to blow a save opportunity. Although baseball is about 27 outs, if you can shorten the game for the starters down to 21 outs, why not? The one area in pitching the Yankees have the advantage over the Red Sox is Mariano and Joba, why give that up?

The Yankees teams that used to win championships had unbeatable bullpens. Jeff Nelson, Mike Stanton, Ramiro Mendoza, they all set-up for Mariano and made the game seven innings. Joba does the same, he shortens the game down to seven innings.

The best case I can make for his role in the bullpen involves tonight. With the bases loaded and one out, Brian Bruney was yanked from the game. If Joba is not available, who can the Yankees go to in that situation? Kyle Farnsworth? LaTroy Hawkins? Ross Ohlondorf? None are exactly going to instill confidence in the hearts of the fans and the players. Joba, though, has the expectation that he can get out of the situation.

By adding Joba to the rotation, the Yankees are left without a true set-up man. None of the aforementioned men are good enough to be a consistent set-up man and get the job done efficiently. They serve better in the 6th and 7th innings.

Joba can also serve as the replacement to Mariano. As much as Yankees fans don't want to think about it, Mo will be gone one day. Who better to replace him than a homegrown arm. No free agent will want to be the Yankees closer, that would just be dumb.

Also, where Joba to go to the rotation right now, that means one of the pitchers must be sent down or moved to the bullpen. Who are you going to send? Phil Hughes? That would make every Yankees fan wish he had Santana and hate Cashman. Mike Mussina? He's not going to the bullpen for $12.5 million. Ian Kennedy? Again, that's going to look like a bad move keeping him.

Although Yankees fans think having Joba for seven innings would be lights out, let's remember that seeing a guy for one inning is different than seeing him for three or four times through the lineup. Will the hitters pick up on his pitches? Will Joba lose the bite on his pitches as he gets toward the 100 pitch count?

Last year against the Indians, Joba actually got hit up pretty well against them primarily because they had seen him so much. The hitters were used to what he was throwing.

The Yankees could use Chamberlain in the rotation, but would be better served having him as the set-up man. Even next year, the Yankees would just need to sign two free agent pitchers ,and with such a deep class of free agents next year, that should not be a problem.

Joba shines in the set-up role out of the bullpen. He shortens the game. Don't make the game longer, let him continue to be one of the premier set-up men in baseball.

Yankees 9, White Sox 5-Abreu grand slam lifts Yankees

Bobby Abreu delivered in the clutch with a two-out, bases loaded grand slam to lift the Yankees to a 9-5 victory over the White Sox tonight.

After Captain Clutch himself Derek Jeter actually struck out, Abreu sent a 2-0 pitch from Octavio Dotel (he is so awful) into the left field seats to give the Yanks a 6-3 lead that they would never give up.

Jason Giambi also added an opposite field homerun earlier in the game ( a good sign) and Johnny Damon added a 3-run shot in the ninth to provide protection. Damon was 3-5 on the night and the Yankees are going to need this kind of production out of him to keep up with the Sox.

On a side note, tonight was a good look into the scenario that the Yankees will be in if they send Joba Chamberlain to the rotation. Billy Traber failed to do his only job and Brian Bruney was not effective. The Yankees had to call on Chamberlain with one out in the seventh and bases loaded. Although one run scored, Chamberlain minimized the damage.

Chien-Ming Wang did not have his best stuff tonight, but was able to grind, which is what you need out of your starting pitchers. He is now 4-0 on the season and an incredible 42-13 over the past three seasons. The Yankees are 5-0 in his starts. His struggles tonight are not that big a deal as he has traditionally had problems pitching at U.S. Cellular.

Tomorrow, Mike Mussina takes the mound against Javier Vazquez. Word to the wise, Ross Ohlondorf get ready to be in relief.

Yankees Stats

After 20 games, you can say we are roughly 1/8 done with the baseball season. Here are the projected Yankees batters stats based on the first 20 games:

Johnny Damon-16 HR, 56 RBI, 88 runs, 24 SB
Derek Jeter-0 HR, 88 RBI, 56 Runs, 0 SB
Bobby Abreu-16 HR, 80 RBI, 72 Runs, 8 SB
Alex Rodriguez-32 HR, 80 RBI, 96 Runs, 8 SB
Jason Giambi-16 HR, 48 RBI, 48 Runs, 0 SB
Robinson Cano-8 HR, 40 RBI, 24 Runs, 0 SB
Jorge Posada-8 HR, 48 RBI, 56 Runs, 0 SB
Hideki Matsui-24 HR, 72 RBI, 56 Runs, 0 SB
Melky Caberera-24 HR, 56 RBI, 64 Runs, 0 SB

As you can see, these stats suggest the Yankees are under-achieving offensively. Derek Jeter is not going to lead the team in RBI's and Melky Cabera is not going to hit 24 homeruns. The real problem here is 5-6-7 where Giambi, Cano and Posada are not exactly lighting up the stat sheets.

As I said before, though, a 10-10 record right now is Ok. Considering how awful the hitting and pitching has been, i'll take 10-10.

Games started by Wang: 4-0
Games started by Pettite: 3-1
Games started by Hughes: 1-3
Games started by Mussina: 1-3
Games started/relieved by Kennedy: 1-3

You cannot go 3-9 in your 3-4-5 starters.

Yankees 7, Orioles 1-Pettite Shines

Sorry folks, but I wasn't able to blog for the past few days for various reasons. The Yankees need a win in the worst way today, and Andy Pettite delivered in a big way for them today as he pitched seven scoreless innings to power the Yankees to a 7-1 win over the Orioles.

After watching the young arms fail, Pettite was great over the seven innings. He got ahead in his counts, and made the batters work. He retired 14 hitters in a row, and gave the Yankees offense the time it needed to score some runs. He did what a veteran pitcher is supposed to do in these spots.

The offense was asleep for most of the game, but woke-up late. A-Rod and Hideki added rbi double's to give the Yanks a 2-0 lead, but later Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter added a homerun and a bases-clearing double to give the Yanks all the offense they needed.

Joba Chamberlain actually got hit-up today, giving up two hits and allowing a run to score.

The Yankees get a much needed day off tomorrow before heading to Chicago to face the talented and hot White Sox. Wang takes the ball in the opener and the Yankees need him to start the series off on the right foot.

After 20 games, the Yankees are 10-10. Considering that 3/5 of our rotation is a combined 1-8, i'll take that record, but we need to start to heat up at some point.

MLB Power Rankings Week 3

1. Arizona Diamondbacks (13-5)-The babybacks continue to shine. They have arguably the best one-two pitching combination in baseball with Haren and Webb at the top and their line-up is producing from top and bottom. In years past, they struggled to score points, but not this year. Right now, they look like the class of the NL and the strongest team in baseball.

2. Boston Red Sox (13-7)-The Red Sox are finally looking like the world champions. They have won their last four games, and in two of them, have beaten Texas' bullpen to do so. Their five-point comeback against the Rangers on Sunday was impressive. The bats have come to life too, and Manny Ramirez is making the $20 million option look like a safe investment for next year.

3. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (12-8)-The Angels are doing a nice job to start the season, considering they are playing without their top two aces, John Lackey and and Kelvim Esobar. The real key for the Angels has been the pitching of Erwin Santana, who has been able to overcome his road woes and get off to a 3-0 start with one of the top five era's in the AL. Chone Figgins is continuing to play amazing as well.

4. Chicago Cubs (12-6)-Yes, the Cubs have beaten the Pirates for their last few wins. But wins are wins, and this team is playing good baseball. Ryan Dempster is doing a great job in transition from the bullpen to the starting rotation, and Derek Lee is playing at a MVP candidate level. John Madden of the Daily news called Alfonso Soriano one of the worst free-agent signings ever. Interesting take on what may develop.

5. Chicago White Sox (11-7)-The White Sox continue to be one of the surprise teams in baseball, storming out to a great start. The key for them has been the pitching by their young arms, Gavin Floyd and John Danks. The team will go as far as they can take them. Javier Vazquez has continued to be solid. Jim Thome seems to have gotten his stroke back.

6. New York Mets (10-7)-The Mets had a great week, going 5-1 against the Nationals and the Phillies. Oliver Perez looked great in his starts, and although he got touched a little on Sunday, Mike Pelfrey is doing a soild job. Jose Reyes is being the catalyst the team needs at the top of the line-up and David Wright is playing great right now. Angel Pagan continues to shine.


7. Oakland Athletics (12-8)-If you had asked me earlier this year how many games it would take for the Athletics to win 12 games, i would have probably said around 30, but instead they have done it in 20. I really can't explain why, but this team is getting the job done. This seems to be a great year for teams that are in rebuilding modes. They will only get better when Rich Harden returns.

8. Baltimore Orioles (11-8)-Another team was supposed to be in complete re-building mode and out of the race from the first day, they have played great baseball and stormed out to an 11-7 record. They smoked the Yankees in their first two games, something on paper they shouldn't do. Adam Jones has flashed some real leather in center and when he develops offensively, will be a great pick-up for them. They will fizzle out eventually, but are playing great now.

9. St. Louis Cardinals (12-7)-Save the last two games of the series against the Giants, and the Cardinals have continued to amaze. Their offense is very limited, but is finding ways to get it done. When you consider their rotation is pretty much consisted 3/5 of converted relievers, its pretty impressive what they are doing. Their concept of rotating five outfielders seems to be working as they all are fresh and doing good jobs.

10. Florida Marlins (11-7)-Team three in re-building mode that is doing a great job and contending. Hanley Ramirez is just a pure baseball player that just makes the gam better. Scott Olsen, who is known more for his temper and problems than his pitching, is off to a quick 3-0 start. This team has a salary 1/10 that of the Yankees and has more wins right now. Wow.

11. Milwaukee Brewers (11-7)-The Brewers are a solid team, but need to solidfy the end of their bullpen and get Prince Fielder going. Eric Gagne has already blown three saves and is looking like he may be one of the worst free agent signings this past year. I mean, giving up back to back homeruns against the Reds is embarrassing. This team also seems to feed off the play of Prince Fielder and needs him to hit consistently.

12. Seattle Mariners (10-10)-Erik Bedard is on the disabled list. That is not news that the Mariners want to hear. Through it all, though, the Mariners are 8-5 in their last 13 and have found solid contributions from Carlos Silva and Miguel Batista has won his last two decisions. The offense also seems to be on the right foot. Their bullpen right now is pretty shaky, but once J.J. Putz cames back, they will be fine.

13. Toronto Blue Jays (10-9)-The Blue Jays are a team that always seems on the verge of breaking out, but can't. They finished the weekend with a nice series win against the Tigers, including wins by A.J. Burnett and Dustin McGowan. They cut Frank Thomas in a move that is supposed to help them put out the best possible team on the field, but I really do not understand that one. Aaron Hill has been really solid.

14. Kansas City Royals (9-10)-The Royals were swept this weekend by the red-hot Athletics, but take that away, and they are playing good baseball. Brian Bannister and Zach Greinke have been real solid, and like lots of analysts say, you could do alot worse than the top three that KC sends out to the hill. They still might be a year or two away.

15. New York Yankees (10-10)-The Yankees are 7-1 in games started by Andy Pettite and Chien-Ming Wang. They are 3-9 in games started by Mike Mussina, Phil Hughes and Andy Pettite. That is not a formula for success. The Yankees offense has been far too inconsistent as well, with Robinson Cano, Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi hitting poorly. If the back end of the rotation does not get it together, this team is in for a long season.

16. Colorado Rockies (9-9)-After starting the season on such a poor note, the Rockies have finally started to get it together. Barring a Brian Fuentes blown save today, they would be 10-8. The only real problem with this team is the lack of start pitching, as Jeff Francis is good, but he's not an ace. Aaron Cook is not a solid second starter as well, adn tehy are relying on young arms too much. With the Diamondbacks in their division, they will have troubles winning the division.

17. Atlanta Braves-The Braves welcomed Andruw Jones back to Atlanta by sweeping the Dodgers to conclude a good week of baseball. Chipper Jones is continuing his trend of getting off to amazingly fast starts and John Smoltz has not missed a beat. This team needs more consistent starts out of Chuck James like the one they got on Friday to compete and Jair Jurjens looks like a solid young pitcher that they will be available to develop.

18. Philadelphia Phillies (9-10)-The Phillies are trying to stay afloat without the MVP, Jimmy Rollins, in their line-up. The team will be fine, but is struggling a little right now, as they normally do at the beginning of the season. If the pitching staff con hold it together, they will contend with the Mets all season. But for now, they just need to keep their heads above water until Rollins gets back.


19. Minnesota Twins (9-10)-In other years, the Twins would have no shot at winning the division with their current team, but right now, they are in the thick of things. Chase Blackburn has been solid, but they are not solid at pitching. Francisco Lirano is off to an 0-2 start, but you kow that he will improve. This team does have a history of putting it together, but I can't see it happening with this cast.

20. San Diego Padres (9-10)-The Padres are an average team. Yes, they have one of the best pitchers in baseball in Peavy, but they just don't have enough to be considered an elite team. Randy Wolf might not be able to last the whole season, and I am not sold on Chris Young as a number two starter. When Kevin Kouzmanoff is your cleanup hitter, you know you need to improve your offense.

21. Cincinnati Reds (8-11)-I thought the Reds could be a real contender this year, but they are struggling to get out of the gate. They have some really solid pitching in Cueto, Volquez and Harang, but have lost their lost two series to rivals Chicago and Milwaukee. Brandon Phillips needs to pick it up a bit. Their offense, for one that should be potent, seems to go dead at points.

22. Tampa Bay Rays (8-11)-While everyone, myself included, said this team could be a sleeper this year and win a handful of games, it seems that Baltimore has taken that role. Edwin Jackson is coming back down to earth, and the offense seems to need just a little bit more. B.J. Upton has been great for the team, looking like the can't miss prospect he was supposed to be.

23. Cleveland Indians (7-12)-The Indians look nowhere near the team that was within one game of the World Series last year. C.C. Sabthia is not providing the pithing that is needed from an ace at the top of the rotation, and Jake Westbrook has been a victim of lack or runn support. I can understand they lost two of three to the Tigers, but two of three to the Twins. Come on now. They're lucky Cliff Lee has been pitching like has for the past few years.

24. San Francisco Giants (8-11)-It's very surprising to say, but the Giants have actually been playing good baseball. They had two offensive outpours in their two games against the Cardinals. Tim Lincecum is looking like the real deal, off to a 3-0 start on team that struggles offensively. If only they could ever get Barry Zito right, this team would have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball.

25. Detroit Tigers (6-13)-The Tigers showed some promise this week and appeared to be on the verge of breaking out, but have since lost three of their last four games. Justin Verlander is not looking like the Cy Young winner I predicted him to be, and the pitching in general is just very suspect. They are a team that will be looking for pitching helop and bullpen help come the trade deadline.

26. Houston Astros (7-12)-With all the sluggers in this line-up, this team could have a better record but they just can't get it done. Roy Oswalt finally won a game and looked like the ace the team has, but outside of him, the rotation is so shaky. Shawn Chacon has actually pitched well, though. Maybe it was all those years on Baltimore that aged Miguel Tejada two years?

27. Los Angeles Dodgers (7-11)-Outside of winning two games against the Pirates, the Dodgers had an awful week and seem to be continuing their trend of not playing to their talent. Andruw Jones can't seem to hit, and when James Loney and Rafael Furcal are your only source of runs, you are going to have problems. They scored a total of three runs in thre games against the Braves, and they didn't even face Smoltz or Hudson.

28. Texas Rangers (7-12)-The Rangers concluded an awful week with their bullpen blowing two games for them, including a five run lead. Josh Hamilton has been playing great and the offense seems to be able to put runs on the board, but the bullpen has blown two wins they could have had against the Red Sox. Kevin Millwood pitched a great game against the Red Sox, but could not get the win. It's looking like that type of season for him.

29. Pittsburgh Pirates (7-11)-The Pirates looked lifeless this week, getting swept by the Cubs in three games and losing their last five. Adam LaRoche really needs to pick his game up, as he is supposed to be the power bat in that line-up, but he continues to struggle. Their pitching staff is solid, but Matt Morris looks like he is done. This team is going nowhere.

30. Washington Nationals (5-14)-The Nationals continued to flounder this week, going 2-4 including a sweep by the Mets. Although the trade for Lastings Milledge looked great at first, it seems the Mets have gotten the better of that deal. This team looks like it's going to struggle all year.

Notes:

-The Red Sox already have nine come from behind wins....Wow

-George Sherrill is 6 for 6 in saves, but has a 6.14 ERA-You need to get that down a little bit

-Releasing Frank Thomas was clearly a move to save themselves of the option for next season

-Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Mike Mussina need to pick it up for the Yankees to have any chance of making the playoffs

-Could Tampa Bay be interested in signing in the Big Hurt?

-Joe Crede is cooling down after a hot start....Joe Danks and Gavin Floyd are pitchig great for back of the rotation starters

-Could KC need the big hurt?

-Delmon Young is not having the offensive output they expected in Minnesota

-Fausto Carmona doesn't seem toe be a one year fluke

-Miguel Caberea seems to be coming around

-Could Erwin Santana be the comeback player of the year?

-Isn't if funny how the A's always trade away all their guys and continue to compete year after year?

-Richie Sexson is hitting the ball real nice and inflating his value for his walk year

-Texas needs to improve its bullpen

-Ryan Church is having no problems adapting to New York

-Hanley Ramirez is the best shortstop in baseball and will be a rich man when he hits free agency

-Is there anything more pure than watching John Smoltz continue to dominate in his 40's?

-Chase Utley is the best second baseman in baseball

-Wily Mo Pena needs to hit the ball

-John Lieber is settling in nicely to the role of the longman

-Adam Wainwright will be one of the best pitchers in baseball soon

-Eric Gagne sucks...period

-Ken Griffey's 600th is coming up and I can't wait to see it

-Pittsburgh needs to do something to get this taste of losing out of its mouth

-No matter how old he is, Miguel Tejada is performing

-I think the Diamondbacks, if they improve their bullpen, can win it all

-Troy Tulowitzki is finally starting to turn the corner

-The Padres will be around .500 all year

-SF is playing as good as anyone could expect

-Rafael Furcal will cash in on the free agent market again

Red Sox 7, Yankes 5-The Moose is loose....and he's stinking up the joint

Mike Mussina went to Stanford. He is supposed to be a smart man. Then how does he let Manny Ramirez brutalize him so bad at the plate. Ramirez homered in his first two at-bats and lead the Red Sox to a 7-5 victory over the Yankees at the stadium tonight for the series tie.

Mussina was brutal. He only lasted three innings, gave up five runs and seven hits, and left early. Again, he could not control the damage and let Manny kill him. How do you miss that bad on a 3-1 fastball that is supposed to be inside? He cannot beat a good lineup anymore. Mussina is past his prime. He will beat the bad lineups, but not the good lineups.

The Yankees line-up was able to manage three runs in eight innings against Josh Beckett, which is not bad considering the quality of starter he is. The surprising aspect was scoring two runs off Papelbon and hitting him up so much in one inning.

A-Rod had a real chance to shoot a hole in the armor of the Sox, but popped up down by four with a man on in the fifth. A-rod is now 1-15 with two outs and risp. That isn't good.

Interesting site tonight as Kyle Farnsworth threw behind Manny Ramirez. After all the years of watching the Red Sox throw at the Yankees, about time a Red Sox got thrown at-BUT I DO NOT CONDEMN THE LOCATION OF THE PITCH-MOTIF YES, LOCATION NO.

Yankees enter a tough stretch tomorrow, as they have straight road games, starting with the much improved Baltimore team. Phil Hughes needs to pitch well tomorrow to prove that he can pitch effectively.

NFL Week by Week Great games preview

Here is my breakdown of games to watch each week:

Week 1
Washington@NYG-Champions host the opener, should be crazy
Jax @ Ten-Two rival teams both looking to start strong after making the playoffs
Cin @ Bal-Both want to get the sour taste out of their mouths
Dal @ Cle-Both teams are picked to do well this upcoming season and what a way to start
Min @ GB-A.F. (After Favre) begins

Week 2
Phi @ Dallas-Gotta love the rivalry, and especially on Monday night

Week 3
Jax @ Ind-Can Jax finally start beating their rivals?
Dallas @ GB-Two of the beasts of the NFC

Week 4
Wash @ Dallas-Tough, hard-played football

Week 5
Pit @ Jax-Jax won twice in Pitt, can they win at home?

Week 6
NE @ SD-San Diego would like to win once
NYG @ Cle-Great Monday night game with alot of intrigue

Week 7
Ind @ GB-Last time, these two had a barn burner-but this one is outside in the cold

Week 8
Buf @ Mia-First game in Toronto
NYG @ Pit-Eli vs Ben, what a group of 2004 quarterbacks
Ind @ Ten-Great division, great match-up

Week 9
NE @ Ind-Best game in football
Dal @ NYG-Dallas would love to make-up for the loss in the playoffs

Week 10
Ind @ Pit-Tough game

Week 11
SD @ Pit-Two tough teams battling for a playoff spot

Week 12
Ind @ SD-Two division winners, Indy looking to make up for last year's loss

Week 13
Ten @ Det, Sea @ Dallas, Ari @ Phi-Thanksgiving. Duh.
Ind @ Cle-Interesting game
Pit @ NE-Pitt got embarrassed last year

Week 14
Phi @ NYG-Season heating up, playoffs up for grab
Dal @ Pit-Two of the best franchises ever

Week 15
GB @ Jax-Two tough teams
NYG @ Dallas-Playoff spot, division title
Cle @ Phi-Cleveland will have some tough games

Week 16
Ind @ Jax-Division title might be up for grabs
GB @ Chi-Rodgers get his first taste of Soldier Field

Week 17
Jax @ Balt-Possible play-off implications
Ten @ Ind-Play-off implications
Dal @ Phi-Could be for NFC East
Cle @ Pit-Could be for AFC North
Den @ SD-Could be for AFC West

Rangers 5, Devils 3-One away from advancing

The Rangers had a lead. They blew it. They had another lead. They blew it. Another lead. Blown. But the Rangers rebounded to score a late goal with over three minutes left to take a 3-1 lead on the Devils and move within one game of eliminating them.

Mark Staal had the game-winner on a turnover in the Devils side. Both teams capitalized off each other's mistakes.

The one thing I noticed, though, is that Marty seems to be off his game. Granted when you have been on top for so long (like Mariano), people get on you when you're off. But he has not been Marty in this series.

My boy Henrik was ok. He allowed three goals, but came up big at the end.

Big game Friday in Newark.

Improved Bullpen

Although the bullpen has been the focal point of the Yankees struggles the past few season, the pen is actually doing a good job this season. Here are the numbers:

Ross Ohlendorf-3.27 ERA, 9 hits and 5 walks in 11 innings, 10 strikeouts
Brian Bruney-1.80 ERA, 6 hits and 4 walks in 10 innings, 11 strikeouts
LaTroy Hawkins-7.00 ERA, 11 hits and 2 walks in 9 innings 7 strikeouts
Kyle Farnsworth-4.91 ERA, 11 hits and 2 walks in 7.1 innings, 7 strikeouts
Mariano Rivera-0.00 ERA, 3 hits and 0 walks in 6.1 innings, 7 strikeouts
Joba Chamberlain-0.00 ERA, 3 hits and 1 walk in 5.1 innings, 6 strikeouts
Billy Traber-4.50 ERA, 4 hits and 1 walk in 4 innings, 5 strikeouts

Not bad statistics. The pen will be the key to holding onto one run leads. They need to pitch more like they did last night than against the Rays.

Yankees 15, Red Sox 9-Yankees bats do the talking

The Yankees have not exactly lived up to their billing as the best offense in baseball this season--until tonight. The Yankees bats powered them to a 15-9 win over the hated Red Sox at the stadium to tie the series at 2-2 and also tie them in the standings at 9-7.

From the first inning, the Yankees bats were alive. Bobby Abreu took a pitch up in the zone out for a bomb, and then A-Rod followed up with an absolute bomb to give the Yanks a 3-1 lead.

Boston would tie the game, but again, the Yankees bats came alive, highlighted by a Derek Jeter single with the bases loaded. Since coming back from his injury, Jeter has been great.

Even when they trailed 9-7, the Yankees scored four in the fifth to re-take the lead for good, including a game-tying rbi single by Robinson Cano.

And to make matters better, they added four in the eight of Mike Timlin to make sure Mariano did not have to pitch three days in a row.

After an offensively frustrating first 15 games, it was good to see the bats come alive. You knew it would happen at one point or another. And tonight, in a game against our biggest rivals, the bats came through in a big way.

The real positive sign tonight was the bullpen. Chien-Mien Wang was brutal tonight, giving up eight runs over four frames. This happens with Wang, though, so Yanks fan should not be too worried. Also, he was working with a catcher he had no previous experience with and he was facing a team that he had just seen.

The bullpen only gave up one run over five innings to preserve the win. Russ Ohlondorf was shaky, but LaTroy Hawkins pitched great and Brian Bruney managed the final two innings without a run. With such a shaky start to the season for Hawkins and the number controversy, it was nice to see him pitch so well. He is working his way into the 7th inning man over Kyle Farnsworth.

Anytime you can beat the Red Sox, it's always good. But a game where the Yankees trailed twice and their starting pitching was awful, is especially rewarding. Let's keep it up tomorrow.

Yankee fans cross the line

LaTroy Hawkins might not be the best relief pitcher in baseball or even close to it, but the man is highly regarded as a good clubhouse presence and someone who is there for his teammates. The man is widely respected for his demeanor.

This season, Hawkins chose to wear number 21 to honor Roberto Clemente. But in Yankees lore, #21 will always belong to Paul O'Neill. Fans have booed Hawkins incessantly for it, even chanting Paul O'Neill.

Paul O' Neill was a great Yankee. I loved his style of play and he is a guy that will forever be a Yankee and part of the dynasty. But his numbers were not retirement worthy. He was a great player, but his number right now isn't worthy of being retired.

Hawkins was trying to honor Roberto Clemente, and instead, got booed for it. Now, he is changing his number to 22 to avoid all of this (which might even cause booing because its Roger's number).

Yankee fans need to smarten up a little and let it be.

Giants 2008 Schedule

The NFL released the schedules today and here is the Giants:

Washington
@St. Louis
Cincinnati
Bye
Seattle
@Cleveland
SF
@Pittsburgh
Dallas
@Philadelphia
Baltimore
@Arizona
@Washington
Philadelphia
@Dallas
Carolina
@Minnesota

This schedule is easier than it could have been. They get Cincinnati and Seattle at home, which are teams you'd rather see at home than on the road. Also, Carolina is another team you would rather see at home and the Giants always have luck playing im Minnesota.

An interesting game will be at Cleveland on that Monday night. Cleveland should be much improved and playing there will not be easy.

The tough stretch of this schedule will be from Pittsburgh to Baltimore and then the brutal stretch of Washington, Dallas and Philadelphia.

I still believe the Giants are a playoff team this season.

Yankees 5, Rays 3-Solid pitching picks up bats

A solid pitching performance by Andy Pettite, a rare scoreless inning by Kyle Farnsworthless and another great inning by Mariano Rivera secured a 5-3 Yankees victory tonight to sweep the Rays.

Although he was not spectacular, Andy Pettite gave the Yankees seven hard-pitched innings, while only giving up three runs. He let alot of runners on base, but was able to get out of jams and minimized the damage. This is the difference between Pettite and the young pitchers, he minimizes damage.

In the biggest shock of all, Kyle Farnsworth pitched a scoreless inning. I thought the game was over when he came in, but he actually looked good and retired the side in order, which set up the automatic save by Mariano Rivera.

The pitching saved the bats tonight, which although they put up five runs, they still were not good with the bases loaded. They went 0-3 and are 2-15 on the season. They just did not get too many timely hits.

The power came from Hideki Matsui who hit a homerun, and other RBI's from Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu.

This series should give the Yankees a big lift as they head into a big home series against Boston. Boston has looked vulnerable and we should have swept them last time. Let's hope Wanger is on again.

Yankees 8, Ray 7-Cano saves the Yankees

Robinson Cano has been awful all season for the Yankees. He has looked lost at the plate and has not been patient. So with the Yankees tied at 7-7 in the eight, Cano stepped up to the plate in a pinch-hit role. And he finally showed why he's the best second baseman in the American League.

Cano's homerun gave the Yankees an 8-7 that they would never give up as they beat the Rays 8-7 tonight. Mariano Rivera close the game for his fifth save and still has yet to give up a run.

There were great signs in this game. The Offense had its most hits and runs that it has had all season and just looked to be firing on all cylinders. Johnny Damon led off the game with a homerun and had three rbi's, Jeter had two rbi's in his return, A-Rod went yard. The team was jsut great offensively.

Ian Kennedy looked sharp for the first time this season. He was able to get ahead of all of his batters and made the Rays batters work from behind in the count. He only gave up three runs over six and was effective. This is what the Yankees are looking for in their young guns.

The problems thought, was the bullpen. Billy Traber served up a homerun to Carl Crawford, while Brian Bruney gave up homeruns to B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria. The bullpen has looked solid for most of the season, but not tonight. Bruney looked like the old Bruney, and Traber looked like the guy who didnt have a job in spring training.

The Yankees are now 7-7. Next up, Andy Pettite against Edwin Jackson.

Red Sox 8, Yankees 5-The Future? Girardi gamble backfires...again

Phil Hughes is supposed to be the future of the Yankees. There is no doubt he will develop into a good major league pitcher. But tonight, he looked god awful for the second straight start as the Red Sox pounded him in route to an 8-5 victory.

I know that he is young and he needs time to learn, but Hughes has been just awful his last two times out. Tonight, he only lasted two innings and is pitch count was awful, as he would have only lasted three innings tops.

In his 11 innings pitched this season, Hughes has given up 11 earned runs. A great average.

I know it is unfair to compared him to Santana, but right now, Hughes is making the Yankees look more and more wrong for not trading him for Johan. Although Johan is 1-2, atleast he pitches six plus innings and only has an era of 3.42.

But throughout Hughes performance, the Yankee still had a chance to win. Jason Giambi flew out as the tying run in the fifth. The Yanks had two on in the sixth, again could do nothing.

The real chance was the eight. The Yanks were trailing 7-5 and had two runners on and no outs. Johnny Damon up. The obvious thing to do here is to bunt and give Abreu and Cano chances to drive in the game tiers.

Instead, Johnny Damon grounded into a double play that included awful baserunning by Melky Cabrera for the second straight time, where he ran into a double play instead of causing a run-down.

Girardi made an awful decision and the Yankees paid for it.

The Yankees hitting though again was awful. Alex Rodriguez went 0-5 today and 0-9 over the past few days. Robinson Cano went 0-5 and again could not get a big hit when he needed. Overall, the team left nine guys on base and they still cannot get a hit with runners in scoring position.

The Yankees are lucky they are only 6-7. They just don't look good right now. They could have swept this series but instead went 1-2. They need to get it together.

MLB Power Rankings Week 2

1. Arizona Diamondbacks (9-3)-The Diamondbacks have won eight of their last nine games and are just playing excellent baseball. Brandon Webb and Dan Haren are a combined 5-0 and Web is looking every part like a Cy Young pitcher. The offense, which used to be the baby backs problem, has produced the most homeruns in the majors, headlined by the youngest pitcher in the major Leagues, Justin Upton. This team looks like the by far best team in the NL.

2. Milwaukee Brewers (8-4)-The Brewers, although the wins have not been pretty, have started off on a fast note, winning eight of 12, including two series wins over the Mets and the Cubs. Jason Kendall and Gape Kapler are hitting the ball great, and although he was shaky to start the season, Eric Gagne has gotten the past few saves. This team will only improve when Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun actually start to hit.

3. St. Louis Cardinals (9-4)-I really do not know how they are doing this, but the Cardinals have won 9 of their first 13 games with a less than stellar pitching rotation. You just have to give Dave Duncan credit for what he is able to do with such a no name roster. Albert Pujols is really starting to heat up, and Rick Ankiel just continues to be a great comeback story.

4. Boston Red Sox (7-6)-The Red Sox rebounded from a tough sweep against the Blue Jays to win two series against the Tigers and the Yankees. Although the Red Sox did not play great ball, they were able to win four of six games which is nice for them to do, considering David Ortiz did not have a hit all week. Clay Buccholz looked great though, and beating your rivals is always good.
5. Chicago White Sox (7-4)-You have to respect what this team has done, winning four of six from the Tigers. Joe Crede has been the best third baseman in baseball, driving in 15 runs, 8 more than A-Rod. Gavin Floyd looked great in his almost no-hitter against the Tigers. This team can contend in the division.

6. Oakland Athletics (8-5)-If you had told me this team would 8-5 to start the season, I would have bet anything against it. They traded away such talent and players, but have just won games. Since starting 1-3, they are actually 7-2, including great wins against Cleveland's Sabathia and Carmona. Who knows, could they be a sleeper?

7. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (7-6)-The Angels did lose two of three to their rivals, but won two of three from the Indians and are playing solid. This team will only improve when John Lackey comes back. The trade for John Garland is not looking too solid right now, though. They need K-Rod to not go on the DL.

8. Chicago Cubs (7-5)-The Cubs have not played up to their potential, but still have lots of season to go. Derek Lee has been the force in the middle of the lineup they expected, but Ted Lilly has not been the number two starter they envisioned. Their middle relief has been really solid though.

9. Toronto Blue Jays (7-5)-The Blue Jays have been an inconsistent team this season. They sweep the Red Sox, then get swept by Oakland, but then sweep the Rangers. This team has great potential, but needs to play more consistent. Frank Thomas needs to hit better than .178 and A.J. Burnett needs to pitch like he did against the Yankees.

10. San Diego Padres (7-6)-The Padres, a team that I projected to finish 4th in the NL West, have acutally played solid ball and sit in second in the tough division. Jake Peavy has been filthy, and the team has gotten production from the entire line-up. As has been their m.o., the Padres pulled out a 1-0 win on Sunday.

11. Kansas City Royals (7-5)-The Royals would be higher up on this list if they could only beat the Twins. Alex Gordon is playing like the phenom that everyone projected him to be and the team is just gelling. Brian Bannister (3-0) has beaten the Twins, Yankees and Tigers and has just been dirty.

12. Baltimore Orioles (7-5)-The surprise team in the AL East, the Orioles are actually in first place in the division. I really don't know how, but you have to give this team credit. Although I believe they will end the season toward the bototm, for now, they are at the top.

13. New York Yankees (6-7)-The Yankees had a prime chance to sweep their rivals, but instead played awful ball this weekend and dropped a series to the Red Sox. On the week, the Yankees went 3-4 and even lost a series to the Royals. Phil Hughes was just plain terrible this week and Johnny Damon and Robinson Cano have been useless. The Yankees might be in for a long season.

14. Tampa Bay Rays (6-6)-The Rays are playing as a very inconsistent team. Somedays they look great, while others, they look like the old Devil Rays. They should benefit, though, with the return of Scott Kazmir to their pitching rotation. Edwin Jackson has actually been pitching very solid this season for them. Cliff Floyd is back on the DL, a move that nobody saw coming.

15. Seattle Mariner (6-7)-Despite starting the season off 2-5, the Mariners have rebounded to win four of their last six, including a series win over the Angels. Richie Sexson, a man that was supposed to be awful this season, has better numbers right now than several solid first basemen. The real concern, though, with this team is Erik Bedard, who again missed a start with injuries. Beating the Angels, though, shows they can compete with the best team in their division.

16. Philadelphia Phillies (6-7)-The Phillies get the top nod in the NL East, but only because they finished the weekend with 2 of 3 from the cubs. This team still has alot of question marks, including its starting pitching and its bullpen. You can see this team really needs Jimmy Rollins, he just gives the team a spark in the lineup and in the field that is desperately missed.

17. New York Mets (5-6)-The Mets have too much talent to be this low in the power rankings, but are getting off to a cold start. They lost 2 of 3 to the Brewers, and got swept by the Braves, but were able to win 2 of 3 from the Phillies. When Oliver Perez is given a 4 run lead, he needs to hold it. and Johan Santana is 1-2, which they didn't expect. He's pitched fine, but just too many long balls. They should rebound quickly though.

18. Florida Marlins (7-5)-The Marlins are in first in the NL East, but that does not mean they are better than the other teams in their division. They lost their last two games to the Astros, but you have to give them credit for the fact that they are 7-5 overall and doing better than anyone expected.

19. Cleveland Indians (5-7)-The Indians will finish the seas as one of the best teams in the American League, but right now, they stink. C.C. Sabathia is 0-2 with an awful ERA, and Fausto Carmona had no control yesterday and gave up alot of runs. Cliff Lee has actually been a pleasant surprise, going 2-0 with a .66 era. The pitching is the key to this team.

20. Atlanta Braves (5-7)-The Atlanta Braves were some teams sleeper pick to win the NL East, but they aren't playing like it. They got swept by the Colorado Rockies, and their pitching outside of Smoltz and Hudson, who have been absolutely brilliant this season. Mark Texeira is still struggling to hit, and the offense really gets going when he is hitting. Yunel Escobar is continuing to have a great season.

21. Minnesota Twins (6-6)-The Twins are off to a .500 start after life without Johan Santana. Their new ace, Francisco Liriano, looked shaky today and took the loss against the Royals. This team has actually had luck against the Royals, but the rest of the league has had luck. They need to get more hitting out of Delmon Young.

22. Los Angeles Dodgers (5-7)-Take away their opening series win against the Giants, and this team is 3-6 against the rest of the league. The team is not hitting, as evidenced by their 1-0 loss to San Diego today. Andruw Jones, their big off season signing, is hitting a whooping .100. Chad Billingsley, their talented pitcher, is off to an 0-2 start. Joe Torre needs to start working his magic.

23. Cincinnati Reds (6-7)-This team was high on my list of the weekly rankings, but then proceeded to get swept by the Pirates and drop them below .500. The real problem has been how they have not been getting good solid pitching outside of Aaron Harang. Adam Dunn is not hitting the ball well either, and his main object in the line-up is to hit the ball out of the park. The Reds can contend in this division, but they can't get swept by the Pirates.

24. Colorado Rockies (5-7)-The Rockies are off to a slow start this season, but it may be more due to their opening schedule. They have already played six games against the Diamondbacks, who are the top team. Outside of that, they are 4-3, including a three game sweep of the Braves. Once Troy Tulowitzki gets going, this team will improve. The pitching also needs to step it up a little bit.

25. Pittsburgh Pirates (6-6)-The Pirates actually pulled off an impressive sweep of the Cincinnati Reds this weekend, but still have their problems. The offense, though, still has some gaping holes. Nate McLouth is playing really well, and the X man,Xavier Nady is doing his annual tearing the face off the ball in April. Ian Snell (2-0) is off to a fast start.

26. Texas Rangers (5-7)-The Rangers were 5-4, but then got swept in three games by the Blue Jays, who had just been swept by the Athletics. The Rangers have talent, but just need to put it together. Kevin Millwood has been pitching phenomenal, despite the 1-2 record with a slightly above 1.00 era. This team will only continue to improve.

27. San Francisco Giants (5-8)-The Giants actually played like a team with a pulse this weekend, splitting a series with the Cardinals and also taking two of three games from the Padres. Barry Zito is working his way toward being one of the worst free agent signings in the history of baseball. Had their bullpen held a lead on Saturday, they would actually only be 6-7. But the offense is still anemic.

28. Houston Astros (5-8)-The Astros ace Roy Oswalt is not off to the start they envisioned for him, 0-3, 9.00. The batting isn't what it is supposed to be either, as they are having a hard time driving in runs. Michael Bourn isn't being the spark at the top of the line-up that the team needs either. A trade for Juan Pierre in the works? Wandy Rodriguez did pitch well the otehr day as well.

29. Detroit Tigers (2-10)-I would put them in the last place but they just have too much talent to be the worst team. They picked up their first win of the season against the Red Sox, but have since gone 1-3 and gotten annihilated against the White Sox, including two games where they did not score. They need to start hitting becuse their pitching right now just looks god awful.

30. Washington Nationals (4-9)-The Nats started the season off on a real hot note, winning their first three games but have gone 1-10 since then. I thought this team had a real chance to be a surprise team in the NL this year, but they aren't playing well. Atleast they have Wily Mo Pena coming back.

Notes:
-Aubrey Huff is swinging the bat well

-A.J. Burnett is a pitcher that somedays makes him look like a Cy Young candidate, but others looks like the biggest bust in baseball

-Clay Buccholz is going to be a great pitcher that will terrorize that division for years-that curveball is the real deal

-Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy are a combined 0-3-The Yankees are not going to contend with those numbers

-Carlos Pena (13 rbi) is looking like last year might not have been a fluke

-Kenny Williams is sure glad he didnt trade Joe Crede huh? And what a steal the trade for Gavin Floyd is looking like, with Freddy Garcia currently without a job.

-Alex Gordon is showing why he was so highly touted out of college, and will be a stud for yeras to come

-Francisco Lirano will be fine-It was his first game, and most pitchers struggle in their first game off the Disabled List

-C.C. Sabathia is hurting his case to make great money on the free agent class-He needs to raise his level

-Detroit's line-up just stinks right now

-Rich Harden is back on the disabled list-what else is new?

-John Garland is getting lit up and htis team needs him to be a solid third starter

-Raul Ibanez is a quite outfielder who puts up solid production year after year

-Vincente Padilla is just a bad pitcher

-Florida sure doesn't seem to miss Dontrelle and Miguel eh?

-Jason Bruntlett nees to hope Jimmy Rollins comes back sono

-Ryan Church and Brian Schneider have given the Mets sold production along with Angel Pagan, who is having a superb year

-Tim Hudson is pitching like he did last year and that's a good sign for the Braves

-The Nats will rebound with Wily Mo Pena!

-Prince Fielder needs to eat a hamburger (he became a vegetarian)

-If Rico Washington is not a feel good story, I really do not know what is then

-Alfonso Soriano is still to streaky a hitter

-Johnny Cueto got hit up today-It's going to happen, no need to panic-He's pitching bette than any other rookie

-Xavier Nady is Mr. April, not A-Rod

-Houston needs to trade for Juan Pierre

-Brandon Webb has the best sinker in baseball and I personally just love watching him get strikeouts on filthy pitches

-Adrian Gonzalez is the most underrated player in baseball

-Rafael Furcal is having a great season...the rest of his team, though, is not

-Matt Holliday is finally hitting like an mvp

-The Giants have scored more runs in one game (seven) than the Yankees have this season....Wow. Let me repeat that. Wow.

Red Sox 4, Yankees 3-Yankees gamble proves to be the game

The Manny Ramirez powered Red Sox beat the Yankees today 4-3 on a pitch that Joe Girardi and Mike Mussina would love to have back.

With two runners on in the sixth and two outs, Manny Ramirez stepped up to the plate. Manny had already blasted an absolute bomb over the monster. The Yankees could have walked him to load the bases for the not as dangerous Kevin Youkilis. But instead the Yankees pitched to him.

Now in this spot, when you do pitch to him, you don't give him anything he can hit.

Mike Mussina though gave him a nice fastball over the outside that Manny just drove the other way for the go ahead rbis.

And to make matters worse, Brian Bruney then allowed Youkilis to drive in Manny for the rbi that proved to the game winner.

Josh Beckett was dealing for the first five innings. The man was unhitable. But the Yankees were able to rally for six runs and take the lead. But then Mussina blew it.

Mike Mussina was given a lead and a real chance to put a dent into the Red So, but couldn't hold a lead.

The Yankees then rallied for a run, but could not rally in the end.

A-Rod had a chance to tie the game with two men on and two out, but fanned on three pitches to end the eight against Papelbon, and then Cano, Posada and Giambi went down in the ninth.

The Yankees did what they could today, but the real blame in this loss comes down to Mike Mussina. The veteran pitcher needs to be able to hold the lead, but he could not and it hurt the Yankees.

Tomorrow, big game: Phil Hughes vs Dice-K. Phil Franchise needs to pick up the win.

Donte Green to NBA.....or not?

Donte Green announced recently his intention to go to the NBA. Here are my thoughts on his decision.

I understand the draw of the NBA, the lifestyle, the money, but I believe that Donte should have stayed.

Donte is a good player. No doubt. But he is not ready yet. He faltered down the stretch and was not a big factor in the Big East. He was often a streaky shooter down the stretch, and needs to develop into a more consistent threat.

I believe he also needs to work more on developing an inside game. His outside shooting is great, but you are not going to always be able to pull up and take the three-pointer. In the NBA, he needs to be able to play inside and get the dirty rebounds and the dirty points.

Also, he has chosen to enter in a year where there is alot of depth. So many good players are entering this year, that is it really worth going to be a mid first-round pick? Don't get me wrong, but Donte only played in the Quarterfinals of the NIT. That was the biggest game of his career. Wouldn't he rather end his career next year with what looks to be a good Syracuse team possibly in the Big East final or the Sweet 16?

If Donte goes, I wish him all the best wishes. But for now, I hope he reconsiders and comes back not only to help the program, but to help himself develop as a player.

A question to ponder is whether Donte Green is better than Demetris Nichols was as a senior? I personally do not believe so, and now Nichols is scrapping for any playing time and has been traded several times. Demetris was more physically and age ready for the NBA, and he isn't exactly lighting up the scoreboard.

Just my thoughts.

Rangers 2, Devils 1-Rangers take 2-0 lead to the Garden

In a great played hockey game, the Rangers edged the Devils, 2-1, tonight at the Prudential Center to take a 2-0 lead into MSG.

Both teams played a great first two periods, but the Rangers were able to sneak one behind Marty when his teammate accidentally bumped him to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead, and then Sean Avery followed that with a beautiful goal 22 seconds later to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead.

The Devils added a late goal, but the Rangers held on.

Henrik Lundqvist was absolutely great again, stopping 26 of 27 shots. As my brothers friend Mark said to me, the Rangers are winning because Henrik is stopping everything. With such a presence in the goal, its no shock the Rangers are up 2-0.

Look for the Rangers to finish off the Devils in four or five games.

Yankees 4, Red Sox 1-Wang, Molina and Giambi lift Yanks to big win in bean town

For all the haters out there that thing Chien-Ming Wang is not an ace, you're dead wrong. Wang pitched nine innings of two hit ball, only yielding one run on two hits, one that bounced off Abreu's glove for a homerun and a bunt single by Coco Crisp.

Wang was just brilliant tonight. His sinker was heavy, although several balls did fly off the bats, but he was able to mix his pitches and keep the Boston lineup on its toes. He has normally not pitched well in Boston, but today was great.

Clay Buccholz was great. His curveball is just excellent, and he can throw it at different times in the count. He made several Yankees lose silly and was able to keep the Yankees to one run over six innings.

The Yankees, though, took the lead for good off a huge homerun by my boy, Jason GIAMBINOOOOOO. He crushed a pitch from Mike Timlin deep to center to give Wang a one-run lead he wouldn't relinquish.

Jose Molina was extremely solid tonight, driving in a run and just calling an absoulute great game behind the plate. Brian Cashman gets criticized for alot of his moves, but the signing of Jose Molina was a great move.

The only real concern tonight was Robinson Cano, who went 0-5 and is batting a whooping .159. He needs to get his bat alive.

Just overall, a great win for the Yankees. It's always important to get the first win against the Red Sox, especially when Josh Beckett is pitching tomorrow.

Yankees 6, Royals 1-Pettite and Cabrera power Yankees to avoid sweep

After sleeping through the first two games against the Royals, the Yankees played a solid game tonight to beat the Royals, 6-1, and avoid the sweep.

Andy Pettite was great tonight, going 6.2 innings and only giving up one run in the first inning. From there on, the veteran lefty was solid and kept the Royals at bay, which allowed the Yankees bats to get going.

Although the Yankees did not have a grand output of runs, they managed some tonight. Melky Cabrera went yard and plated another, while A-Rod and Jorge went deep in the ninth. The Yankees 12 hits were the most this season.

The Yankees line-up today was interesting with Jose Molina, Alberto Gonzalez and Morgan Ensberg in there, but they still got the job done today. Next up for the Yanks, the Red Sox, who enter with the same record (5-5).

The Yankees needed this win today or they would have been in serious trouble.

Pitching match-ups:
Wang v. Buccholz
Mussina v. Beckett
Hughes v. Dice-K

I like the Yankees in the first and Boston in the second, with the third game being up in the air.

Join the club - Feature

Join the club - Feature

Royals 4, Yankees 0-You can't win when you don't score

I don't claim to be a genius. Far from it actually. But I know if you want to win a baseball game, you have to score some runs. You can't win a game with no runs. Well apparently, someone forgot to tell the Yankees as they got blanked 4-0 by the Royals.

Now let me say this. There are days where you are not going to score any runs against a pitcher like Johan Santana or Josh Beckett. But Zach Greinke? Brian Bannister? Edwin Jackson? Andy Sonnastine? The Yankees have not been able to hit mediocre pitching at all this year, which has cost them in several games and got them out to a 4-5 record.

The Royals scored two runs off who else but Kyle Farnsworthless. I don't care how fast you throw the ball, when you put it over the plate like he did tonight, even I could hit it out for a homer. Ian Kennedy gave up two over three, but like his pal Phil, used way too many pitches to try and get through the innings.

The Yankees are really running into a wall right now, and of course, they decide to do it heading into Boston.

Rangers 4, Devils 1-Rangers take series lead 1-0

The Rangers won seven of eight games from the Devils in the regular season. That streak continued tonight as the Rangers bested the Devils 4-1 to take the first game of the series tonight in Jersey.

Neither team scored in the first, but the Rangers got on the board quick in the second behind Brendan Shannahan. The Devils tied the score to keep it even going into the third period, but the Rangers exploded for three goals to take the game.

Winning game one was huge for the Rangers, especially on the road. The Rangers could not let the Devils get any momentum.

Next up, Friday in Jersey again.

Royals 5, Yankees 2-Hughes struggles and offense falters again....

Phil Hughes gave Yankees fans something to be optimistic about in his last start against the Blue Jays by pitching six solid innings and only giving up two runs. But today, he took a few steps back.

Hughes struggled with his control, only lasting three plus innings in his first loss of the season today. Hughes had no control from the beginning and could not establish the strike zone. He threw over 90 pitches in three plus. His ERA now stands at 5.00.

The bullpen only gave up two runs over the final five innings, but with the offense not hitting, the game was all but over.

As has been the case this season, the Yankees couldn't get timely hits. Cano struck out with the bases loaded, Johnny Damon popped up when he represented the tying run, Giambi couldn't drive in a run from third, and A-Rod had the Golden Sombrero.

The Yankees also received awful news, as Jorge Posada is most likely headed to the disabled list. Without him and Jeter in the lineup, the Yankees are missing two big bats in the lineup with Boston coming up.

The Yankees right now have been lucky they have had solid pitching or they could easily be 2-6 or 1-7. Tomorrow, Ian Kennedy looks to rebound.