The question is: Should the New York Yankees retire Joe Girardi's #27 ?

Well, Manager Joe Girardi has stated that he intends to switch to uniform number 28 this season as motivation for the Yankees journey in pursuit of their 28th World Championship in 2010.

At first, I thought this switch to #28 by Girardi was a bad idea because #27 is now such a special number in Yankees history. And one would think Girardi would always want to treasure the accomplishment of managing the Yankees to their 27th World Championship by proudly wearing that number on the back his Yankee uniform. Also, it is Girardi's first World Championship as a manager.

But, the reason Girardi chose #27 when he was hired as manager in 2008, was as motivation for the Yankees winning their 27th World Championship. That goal was achieved last year, in the 2009 baseball season.

So, if Joe Girardi follows through on his plan to wear #28 starting in 2010, then: what happens to #27?

The number 27 can never really be given to other Yankee players to wear because of its significance as Joe Girardi's number, worn during the year the Yankees won their 27th World Championship -- their first World Series victory at the new Yankee Stadium.

Since Girardi will now be wearing #28, the only fitting way to properly honor his #27, is to "retire" the number in honor of: Joe Girardi; the Yankees 27th World Championship; and, the first World Championship at the new Yankee Stadium.

The New York Yankees have retired 15 numbers, (honoring 16 players and managers), in their history.

The last Yankee number to be retired was Ron Guidry's #49 in 2003.

So, in my view, it is about time another Yankee number is retired.

And, why not #27?

Just a thought, on a very cold winter day in the Beautiful Bronx, New York.

Click to view: New York Yankees Retired Numbers  

-- Jimmy, "BY&L"   

... to end the game. The game of high stakes baseball negotiations.

With the signing of Randy Winn by the Yankees for a reported one year / $2 million contract, Johnny Damon's stay in the Bronx has come to an end. And, in a lot of ways, Johnny has to take much of the blame for his sad New York departure. It seems he was the only one who believed his agent, Scott Boras' sale pitch that the market for Damon would yield at least $13 million per year, for at least two years, and maybe even for as many as four years.

Of course, Scott Boras was surely sailing the boat in the talks to re-sign the Yankees left fielder. Tacking back and forth -- first, Boras asked for two years at $13 million per year, while telling the Yankees that Damon would not accept any offer less than $13 million per year; Brian Cashman countered with an offer of $14 million for two years; then, Boras started to read the market a little more accurately by dropping Damon's asking price to $20 million for two years, which led to a windless halting of Johnny Damon's ship.

Cashman continued his active winter, which included: trading for Curtis Granderson; letting Hideki Matsui walk away from the Yanks; signing Nick Johnson; and, trading for Javier Vazquez. These moves resulted in a so-called "halt" of the money stream from the New York Yankees supposedly "ironclad" budget, except for a remaining $2 million that was earmarked for the 2010 Yankee left fielder, whoever that player may be. Of course, that player turned out to be Randy Winn.

Only Johnny Damon knows what his motivation was during these negotiations. Money, to be sure. But, it seems Johnny just got caught up in the middle of the crossfire of hardball talks between Cashman and Boras. If Damon really wanted to stay a Yankee, though, [which I do think he did], he should have taken full control of the negotiations, and taked directly to George, Hank, and Hal Steinbrenner. The "money" is certainly "always" available in the Yankees Universe.

It is fair to say, the real budget is "cloaked"; and, in my view, money is not the main reason that Johnny Damon was not re-signed by the Yanks. But, I guess, that reason will also remain cloaked.  

The new Yankee Stadium was perfect for Johnny Damon's swing; Johnny was always a clutch player for the Yanks; and, a fan favorite who was always available after games to be interviewed, win or lose. It will be interesting to see who will be hurt more by this decision [move] - the New York Yankees or Johnny Damon. In any case, Damon, as well as Matsui, will be missed.  

But, the Yankees will be fine this year and into the future. Granderson, Johnson, Vazquez, and Winn are all great additions, and will be a major part of the 2010 Bronx Bombers as they defend their World Championship of last year.

I look forward to the Yankees playing hardball "on the field" this upcoming season, as this winter, once again, has provided way too much hardball "off the field" for my liking.  

-- Jimmy, "BY&L"    

Photo Credits: google images  /  http:// breathmastery. com

Best Wishes to everybody, for a Happy and Healthy New Year in 2010 !!!

-- Jimmy, BY&L - "Baseball, The Yankees, and Life"  

"Due to this injury, I feel very sorry, and at the same time, very disappointed, to have let my teammates down" ... "I will do my best to fully recover and return to the field to help my team once again."

                                       ... Hideki Matsui

                                           May 15, 2006 Press Release

                                           After Surgery To Repair Left Wrist

 On May 11, 2006, in a game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, Hideki Matsui broke his left wrist on an attempt to make a diving catch in left field. This great effort resulted in surgery to repair Hideki's damaged wrist that kept him on the disabled list for most of the 2006 season, and, also, ended Matsui's 1,768 consecutive games playing streak [1,250 with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan, and 518 with the Yankees].

That injury, and apology in 2006, was the first thing that came to mind when it became official that Hideki Matsui had signed a one-year, $6.5 million contract to play for the L.A. Angels in 2010.

The tremendous level of "respect" Matsui always had for the Yankees and Baseball was repayed with a great level of "disrespect" by the Yankees braintrust when they did not re-sign him, and basically just let him walk away from the team.

It is interesting, 2006 was the last year Bernie Williams played for the Yankees, receiving the same disrespect that Matsui experienced from the Yankees organization.

Williams wanted to return to the Bronx for at least another year at a reported bargain rate of $1 million plus incentives; but, for unknown reasons, Bernie was not re-signed by the Yanks. Even though Williams did not retire or look for another team to play for at the time, his baseball career sadly ended at the end of the '06 season.

Hideki Matsui was the perfect Yankee. And, the word "respect" has to always be associated with Mr. Matsui. 

"I would like to thank Joe Torre from the bottom of my heart for having been considerate of my consecutive games played streak these past several years and placing me in the lineup every day", said, Matsui, in his press statement in May 2006.  

Of course, a year later at the end of the 2007 season, Manager Joe Torre also fell victim to disrespectful treatment by the Yankees organization. After leading the Yankees to 12 straight post season appearances, including six American League Championships, and four World Championships, Mr. Torre was only offered a one-year, incentive-laden deal -- lame-duck status -- when Torre felt he had earned at least a two-year contract offer to continue managing the Bronx Bombers. Torre turned down the one-year deal, and accepted the L.A. Dodgers managerial position.

To be fair, I understood at the time some of the New York Yankees braintrust concerns about Joe Torre returning as manager in 2008; and, there certainly were valid points on both sides of this issue. In the end though, I do think the Yankees should have offered Mr. Torre a two-year deal at the same rate [per year] he earned in 2007.

"It's all about responsibility -- what he [Matsui] thinks his responsibility is to the team and the organization, because the Yankees committed to him and he feels it's a two-way street in that regard ... He has done it before here, when he's made an error and came up and apologized to me." ... [Joe Torre, commenting after Matsui's '06 press statement].  

At the end of the 2008 season, the New York Yankees braintrust continued their streak of disrespect by not re-signing Bobby Abreu. I have written about, and made many comments voicing my displeasure regarding the Abreu move. The decision to let Abreu walk away from the the Yankees was "very wrong" as witnessed by the great year Bobby had for the Angels in 2009 -- a MVP season for his new team.

Now, after blasting a grand slam in his first game at Yankee Stadium; and arching a deep shot into the outfield seats at the Tokyo Dome when the Yankees played in Japan a few yeras ago; and, finally, his most  dramatic heroics, winning the 2009 World Series MVP, Hideki Matsui will be joining Bobby Abreu in 2010 as a member of the AL West winning L.A. Angels.

The city of Los Angeles is becoming New York [Yankees] West ...

* Bobby Abreu

* Hideki Matsui

* Joe Torre

* Don Mattingly

* Larry Bowa

And, also, to add to the disrespect, it was reported on Thursday, December 17th, that the Yankees signed the injury-prone Nick Johnson to a one-year, $5.75 million contract, to be their designated hitter next year.

Hideki Matsui for Nick Johnson !!! ...

Not a good deal [at all] for the New York Yankees in my book !!!

So, I guess the "Circle of Life" in Major League Baseball is really just a "Pattern of Disrespect" that can all be summed up as "The Business of Baseball" !!!

Sad ... really sad !!!  

-- Jimmy, "BY&L" - "Baseball, The Yankees, and Life"     

The 2009 Baseball Winter Meetings in Indianapolis ended Thursday December 10th without any real major block-buster trades or deals taking place. But, the winter baseball season still has many months remaining, with many big free agents on the market that should keep baseball on the back pages of the sports sections right up to spring training 2010.

Some of the biggest names still looking for large contracts with winning major league teams are: Roy "Doc" Halladay, Matt Halliday, John Lackey, Jason Bay, Hideki Matsui; and, Johnny Damon. Of course, I'm most interested in the Yankees re-signing Matsui and Damon; and, then, maybe, making at least one more major deal before the new season begins.

Most Yankee fans, including myself, would agree that all the moves made by the Yankees at the winter meetings were good deals that will help the team in 2010 and beyond.

The mini-blockbuster three-team trade the Yankees made with the Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks, that landed all-star center fielder Curtis Granderson in the Bronx, was the major move by the Yanks.  

The Bombers really gave up very little to get Granderson, as Ian Kennedy is headed to Arizona; and, Phil Coke and Austin Jackson are traveling to Detroit. The other players involved in the trade, included: Edwin Jackson going from Detroit to Arizona; and, Daniel Schlereth and Max Scherzer moving from the Diamondbacks to the Tigers.

At these meetings the Yankees also reached a one-year agreement with Andy Pettitte for $11.75 million to be the third starter once again in the rotation. And, they traded Brian Bruney to the Washington Nationals for the first selection in the Rule 5 Draft, which turned out to be Jamie Hoffmann, an outfielder from the Dodgers minor league system. Both good moves.

Hoffmann, who batted .291 with 10 homers, 64 RBI's, and 15 SB, in 358 at-bats last season, as well as, being rated [by Baseball America] the best defensive outfielder in the Dodgers minor league system the past four seasons [2006-'09], will be given a chance to make the team in spring training. This will create a very crowded outfield situation for the Yanks in 2010, especially if the Damon is re-signed. Could a deal involving Melky Cabrera or Brett Gardner be in the works?

As I stated above, I do want the Yankees to re-sign both Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. But, if the Yanks only intend on signing one of these two very important players, then my choice would be Matsui.

Matsui's MVP performance in 2009 World Series, highlighted by his six RBI's in the Yanks 7-3 victory over the Phillies in Game 6, the deciding game; along with his great regular season in which he hit 28 homers and drove home 90 runs, should be all that the Yankees braintrust need to consider when offering Hideki at least a one-year deal.

Yes, Matsui will only bat as the DH in the lineup. But, he is the perfect number five hitter behind Alex Rodriguez; and, certainly, the Yankees would miss Matsui's bat in the middle of the order "if they just let him walk away from the team". 

"If they just let him walk away from the team" ...  

That is pretty much the same quote I used last year when the Yankees braintrust decided not to re-sign Bobby Abreu. I was disappointed then, and still disappointed [now] about that move. And, I would feel the same way if the Yankees do not re-sign Hideki Matsui. The Yankees owe Matsui a little more then just a little respect, as well as, a decent contract for 2010.

On the final day, the Winter Meetings did end with an interesting four-year, $65 million offer from the New York Mets to Jason Bay.

Now, Jason Bay is a player I would like to see the New York Yankees bring to the Bronx - [five-years, $85 million?]

Jason Bay already turned down a reported four-year, $60 million offer from the Boston Red Sox. I think it would be foolish for the Sox to not re-sign their left fielder; but, when all is said and done, I do think the Red Sox will "up" their offer and re-sign Mr. Bay ... I really cannot imagine the Mets out-bidding the Red Sox for Bay.

But, if all parties can't come to an agreement, then, maybe, just maybe, the Yankees will make a last minute bid for Jason Bay [like they did with Mark Teixeira in 2008], and their crowded outfield situation will become just a little bit more crowded - only until the next deal.

It is great to be back blogging !!!

I have been very busy over the last month which has limited my time on the computer. This has resulted in a lack of new posts on my mlblog, and, also, no time to offer any commentary on my blog and throughout the mlblogosphere. For this lack of time to update my blog, and, or, visit other blogs, I am truly sorry !!!

Hopefully, I will be able to blog on a more regular basis throughout the rest of the Winter Baseball Season, and, also, visit many other mlblogs in this awesome blogging community here at mlblogs/mlb.com !!!

I hope everybody had a Happy Thanksgiving, and is doing well, as we all enjoy the Hot Stove League while we count down the days to Spring Training 2010.

Thank You for all your visits, and continued support of my mlblog, "BY&L" !!!

Best Wishes,

Jimmy Curran, "Baseball, The Yankees, and Life"  

YES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#27

-- Jimmy, "BY&L"

No second guessing [here] on my part regarding Joe Girardi's decision to pitch A. J. Burnett on three games rest in Game 5 of the World Series against the Phillies. Even though A.J. was terrible in his start ... in my view, Girardi, and the Yankees braintrust, made the right move in sending Burnett to the mound because basically: what other options did they have?

Chad Gaudin, the only possible fourth starter for the Yanks in this series, has not pitched in about a month. He would have pitched no more than three to five innings. So, it would have made very little sense in taking a chance with Gaudin on the mound instead of Burnett, especially, with all the ineffectiveness out of the bullpen.  

A.J. was brought to the Bronx to pitch big games for the Yanks, and it seems very clear to me: Game 5 of the World Series was a "big" game. Since Burnett was available to pitch on three games rest, then, there really was no other choice for Girardi, but to pitch A.J. over Gaudin. Period.

There is no way to sugarcoat A.J. Burnett's performance, though  -- he was awful.

A.J., who had a solid outing in Game 2, lasted only two innings, allowing, six runs, on four hits, four walks, and two strikeouts.

He was replaced by David Robertson with no outs in the third inning, after walking Utley and Howard, and, then, allowing RBI singles to Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez before being taken out of the game. Robertson allowed one more run to score for a 6-1 Phillies lead before getting out of the jam without any further damage.   

The Phillies took their first lead, 3-1, in the bottom of the first inning on a three-run homer by Chase Utley after the Yanks scored a run in the top of the inning.

In the seventh inning, the Phillies increased their lead to 8-2 on solo home runs by Utley and Ibanez. Utley's homer was his fifth of the series, tying Reggie Jackson's record of five homers in the Yankees victory over the Dodgers in the 1977 World Series.

In the meantime, Phillies starter, Cliff Lee pitched seven solid innings before getting into trouble in the top of the eight inning.

Johnny Damon led off the eight with a single which was followed by a single by Mark Teixeira and a two-RBI double by Alex Rodriguez that cut the Phillies lead to 8-4.

Lee (2-0), was replaced by Chan Ho Park with no outs in the eight.

Park faced Nick Swisher, who advanced Rodriguez on a ground ball out. A-Rod then scored on a sac-fly by Robinson Cano that made the score 8-5.

The Yankees scored their final run in the top of the ninth, before Ryan Madson closed out the Phillies 8-6 victory.

The 2009 World Series now heads to the Beautiful Bronx for Game 6, with the New York Yankees leading the series "three" games to "two" over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Another classic pitching match-up is on tap ...

Andy Pettitte, (Yankees) vs. Pedro Martinez, (Phillies).  

In my view, I think both starters will pitch well, with Andy out-dueling Pedro into the seventh inning.

But, the key for a Yankees win will be a solid bridge directly from Pettitte, with seven strong innings pitched, to the "Great Mariano" Rivera, closing out the Yankees World Series winning final game by recording a two-inning save, pitching a scoreless eight and ninth innings.

Andy to Mariano is: "THE BRIDGE TO VICTORY" !!!

And, a final note: I look for huge offensive numbers by: Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada, and Mark Teixeira in tonight's game.

"GO YANKEES" !!!

ONE MORE WIN FOR #27 !!!  

Enjoy the game tonight ...

-- Jimmy, "BY&L"  

With two outs and the score tied 4-4 in the top of the ninth inning of Game 4 of the 2009 World Series against the Phillies, Johnny Damon battled at the plate until he stroked Brad Lidge's ninth pitch of the at bat to leftfield for a single that started yet another late-inning rally by the Bronx Bombers.

Then, on the first pitch to next batter Mark Teixeira, Damon took off for second and easily stole the base. On the play, with the shift on the right side of the infield for Teix, Damon quickly poped up from his slide, spun around, and sprinted towards third base which was not covered by any Phillie player because of the shift, earning Johnny an unchallenged second stolen base on a very rare base running play.

The unusual turn of events clearly unnerved the Phillies closer as Lidge then hit Teixeira that set up a first and third situation for Alex Rodriguez.

And, A-Rod delivered ... one of his biggest hits as a Yankee, a RBI double that plated Damon with the go-ahead run, moving the Yankees into the 5-4 lead.

Jorge Posada followed with a two-RBI single that scored Teixeira and Rodriguez with two big insurance runs, capping the scoring in the Yankees 7-4 victory.

The Great Mariano Rivera closed out the Yankees win with an easy one-two-three ninth inning that gave the Bombers a three games to one lead in the 2009 World Series.

The Yankees starter on the mound, CC Sabathia, was pitching with three days rest, and gave the Yanks a very solid effort even though he struggled throughout his six and two-thirds innings of work in which he gave up three runs, on seven hits, three walks, and six strikeouts, while throwing 107 pitches.

Damaso Marte recorded the final out of the seventh inning, protecting the Yanks 4-3 lead as the game entered the eight.

Joba Chamberlain was then called on to build the "Bridge to Mariano". But, even though Joba struck out the side, he allowed a two-out, solo homer to Pedro Feliz on a three-two pitch that resulted in the Phillies tying the score at 4-4.

The Yankees jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first off Phillies starter Joe Blanton on a lead-off single by Derek Jeter, which was followed by a double by Damon, and, a RBI groundout by Teixeira; A-Rod reaching first on a hit-by-pitch; and, a sac-fly by Posada.

The hit-by-pitch was the third time Alex has been hit in this Series, and resulted in the home plate umpire issuing warnings to both benches. It seems obvious, the Phillies would rather hit A-Rod with one pitch instead of using four balls to walk him to first.

Anyway, the Phillies scored one run in the bottom of the first to cut the Yanks lead in half; and, scored again in the fourth to tie the score 2-2.  

Then, in the top of the fifth, Nick Swisher walked; Melky Cabrera singled; Jeter [2-for-4], hit a RBI single that gave the Yanks a 3-2 lead; which was followed by a RBI single by Damon [3-for-5], that increased the Bombers lead to 4-2 at the time.

Blanton delivered a serviceable six innings starting this game for the Phillies, a move that has been, and will always be questioned, as manager Charlie Manuel decided "not" to  pitch his "ace" Cliff Lee on three days rest, which would have matched Lee up against the Yankees "ace" CC Sabathia who "was" working on three days rest.

Advantage Joe Girardi on these pitching decisions, as the Yankees manager has perfectly set CC in the rotation to pitch games one, four, and seven [if necessary].

So, the New York Yankees are now up in this Series 3-1, with A.J. Burnett [on three days rest] taking the mound against Cliff Lee in Game 5.

Alex Rodriguez had the game-winning hit in Game 4; but, it was Johnny Damon's classic nine-pitch at-bat; single; and two stolen bases, in the ninth inning that sparked the Yankees victory.

Much like Paul O'Neill's classic ten-pitch at-bat against Armando Beitez in the ninth inning of Game One of the 2000 World Series against the New York Mets, Damon's at-bat has now become another special moment in Yankees history.

Johnny Damon's great game and play in this World Series may lead to him be selected MVP, as the Yankees are on a solid path to their 27th World Championship.

The "Magic Number" is now "ONE" for number 27.

"GO YANKEES" !!!  

-- Jimmy, "BY&L"  

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cliff Lee was in total control on the mound in the first game of the 2009 World Series against the New York Yankees, leading the National League Champs to a 6-1 victory over the Bronx Bombers.

Cliff Lee was brilliant, dazzling Yankee batters with a devastating curveball throughout his 122 pitch effort, that produced ten strikeouts, while Lee allowed one unearned run, six hits [including three hits by Derek Jeter], and no walks, in route to his complete game win.

Yankees starter CC Sabathia pitched well enough to win, throwing 113 pitches over seven solid innings of work, allowing only two runs [two solo homers by second baseman Chase Utley: in the third and sixth innings]; on four hits; three walks; and six strikeouts.

When CC was replaced at the start of the eight inning, the Phillies were leading 2-0; and, that's when the senseless parade of Yankee relievers was put in motion [once again] by grand marshal, Joe Girardi.

The bullpen was awful, collapsing any possible "Bridge to Mariano" before it was even constructed.

Phil Hughes walked two batters at the start of the eight, and was booed off the mound after being replaced by Damaso Marte who was the most effective Yankee reliever, retiring the two batters he faced.

With two outs, David Robertson replaced Marte, and promptly issued a four-pitch walk to load the bases. Then, Robertson gave up a two-RBI single to the next batter Raul Ibanez that increased the Phillies lead to 4-0.

Brian Bruney, who for reasons unknown was added to the World Series roster, allowed the final two Phillies runs in the ninth, without any help from Phil Coke - the final Yankee pitcher out of the pen. This continued ineffectiveness put the game out of reach for the Yanks as Cliff Lee was still on the mound painting his masterpiece.

The Yankees scored a meaningless unearned run in the bottom of the ninth on a throwing error by shortstop Jimmy Rollins on a double play attempt  that capped the scoring in the Phillies 6-1 victory.

Maybe, even if CC Sabathia was allowed to stay in this game into the ninth inning, it still would not have made a difference in the score because Cliff Lee was just way too dominant on this night in the Bronx.

But, Joe Girardi has to stop "over-managing" the bullpen the rest of this World Series.

If four, or five, [or more], Yankee relievers are constantly brought into each game, the odds are: not all these pitchers are going to be effective and pitch well. The only bridge to Mariano Rivera should be built directly from the starting pitcher each game.

And, maybe, even allowing the Yankees starters to complete some games would be a very refreshing path to victory.

Just look at the game Cliff Lee pitched in Game One -- a "CG" victory.

It is time for Manager Joe Girardi to forget about "pitch-counts"; "inning limitations"; "righty/lefty pitching matchups"; or, "using the middle relievers" out of the Yankees bullpen.  

Let the starters pitch into the eight and ninth innings; then, go to the "Great Mariano".

This is the reason why CC, A.J., and Andy were given huge contracts in 2009 -- to start, and lead the Yankees to victory.

There will be plenty of time to rest after the World Series is over; and, the deeper our starters pitch in each game, the greater the Yankees chances of winning their 27th World Championship this year.  

-- Jimmy, "BY&L"   

Finally, after a week delay, baseball has returned. And, it is a great return for all of us in the Yankees Universe, as the New York Yankees, led by an awesome pitching performance by our "ace" CC Sabathia, won the first game of the American League Championship Series, 4-1, over the Los Angeles Angels on a raw, frigid, winter-like night at Yankee Stadium in the "always" beautiful Bronx, New York.

It is so wonderful that baseball is back on the national stage. Also, personally, it feels great to be back blogging again after a short absence because of my busy schedule which has greatly limited and curtailed my blogging activities here at my mlblog and throughout the mlblogosphere.

I am truly sorry for my lack of new posts, and not responding to the many excellent comments that have been posted on my blog over the past few weeks. I hope to update my blog by offering new posts on a regular basis throughout the rest of the playoffs and World Series, as well as, offering responses to comments on my blog, and, also, commentary on as many other mlblogs as possible in the time that my schedule permits.

Thank you to all who have visited my blog, and, or, also, posted comments on my posts. I truly appreciate all your kind words and thoughts; and, look forward to your future support and visits. Enjoy all the upcoming baseball action the rest of this post-season.

Game 1 was really over after the first inning when the Yankees took a early 2-0 lead, on a lead-off single by Derek Jeter; a single by Johnny Damon who advanced to second on a throwing error by left fielder Juan Rivera; a long sacrifice fly to center by Alex Rodriguez after Mark Teixeira flied out to left; and, an infield single on a pop-up in between short and third by Hideki Matsui that looked like an easy out; but, there was some miscommunication on the play between shortstop Erick Aybar and third baseman Chone Figgins that allowed the ball to drop safely to the ground [untouched] for the RBI hit.

On the replay it looked like Figgins called to Aybar to make the catch; but, Aybar was waring a ski mask to shield is face from the cold which also covered both his ears. Maybe this caused the shortstop to not hear his third baseman on the play. Anyway, this was a major mistake by the Angels infielders, and probably the key moment of the game that set the tone for the Yankees victory.  

The Angels scored their only run in the fourth inning on a double by Vladmir Guerro, and a RBI single by Kendry Morales that cut the Yankees lead to 2-1 at the time.

The Yankees increased their lead to 3-1 on a RBI by Matsui in the bottom of the fifth; and, completed the scoring in the game in the sixth inning when Melky Cabrera reached first on a two-out walk; advanced to second on a bad pick-off attempt by Angels starter John Lackey; and scored on a single to center by Derek Jeter that deflected off the glove of Torii Hunter allowing Melky to score without a play at the plate, upping the score to 4-1 in favor of the Yanks.

John Lackey lasted only five and two-third innings in this game, and certainly was hurt by the three Angels erros which resulted in two of the Yankee four runs being unearned.

But, CC Sabathia delivered a brilliant performance, throwing 113 pitches over eight solid innings, allowing one run, on four hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts to earn a very well-pitched victory, exactly the reason why the Yankees signed the great left-handed hurler last winter.

Mariano Rivera closed out this win for the Yankees by pitching a scoreless ninth inning, recording his all-time leading 36th post-season save.

Game 1 is now history with the Yankees leading the ALCS one game to none against the Angels.

The Yankees need only three more wins to become American League Champions; and, seven total wins for their 27th World Championship.

It is great to see baseball back on the world stage.

-- Jimmy, "BY&L"