UNDERDOGS, JUST THE WAY I LIKE IT

YANKEES 2008 SEASON PREVIEW

Finally, the memories of those gnats that sabotaged the Yankee season last October 5th, are out of my mind. Those bugs, along with an excruciating ride home from Yankee Stadium after the Yanks were eliminated in Game 4, seemed to stay with me all the way until spring training began in February.

 Believe me, there is nothing worse than a 3- hour plus ride home after your team has been eliminated from a playoff series. The only thing I want to say about that night (actually early morning) is a "thank you" to the convenience store /gas station right off exit 90 in Mystic, Connecticut,  which was still open at 3:00 am. Without those two energy drinks I bought there, I never would have made it back for work for 8:00am. Yes, I do LOVE this game!

 So now that I have recovered from the disappointment of the 2007 Yankee post-season, I now can focus on 2008, and analyze this Yankee team--a team that will set out to capture their 27^th World Championship--and a team that will play its final season at historic Yankee Stadium.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

 For the first time since 1998, the New York Yankees are not the consensus odds-on-favorite to win the world championship.  For the first time since 1996, the Yankees have a new manager leading the team. For the first time in 13 years, the Yankee starting rotation has three big question marks in it.  And finally, for the first time since 1998, the Yankees are not defending Eastern Division Champions. In short, for the first time in a very long time, the New York Yankees can be considered underdogs as they head into the new season.

STARTING PITCHING - AFTER THE FIRST TWO, ALL WE HAVE IS A CLUE

 The top two pitchers in the Yankee starting rotation can arguably match up with anyone's 1-2 in baseball. If they stay healthy, Chien-Ming Wang (19-7 3.70 ERA) and Andy Pettitte (15-9  4.05 ERA) will duplicate or better last year's performances.  Both of these two starters are proven winners, and can handle being counted on to be a stopper.

After the top two in the rotation, it becomes a **** shoot for the Yankees.  Twenty-two year-old, Phil Hughes ( 5-3, 4.46 ERA) is the Yankees number three starter.  At times last season, Hughes pitched like an ace. The Yankees number one prospect showed glimpses of "Clemens-like" stuff in many of his appearances. Phil has a lively fastball that he's not afraid to spot inside on a hitter. He has a great curve, and shows no fear on the mound.

That said, Phil is only 22, and no one knows how he will shoulder the load of being the make or break man for a team that everyone expects to make the playoffs.  Every time Phil takes the hill for the Yankees, many Yankee fans will view him as the guy Brian Cashman would not give up for Johan Santana.

 Mike Mussina (11-10, 5.15 ERA) and 22-year-old, Ian Kennedy (1-0, 1.89  in 19 innings pitched) round out the Yankees rotation. Both of these guys scare me because they are very similar in style. Since the "Moose" lost the zip on his fastball, he has been getting pounded. The problem with Mike is, there is very little differential between his 86-88 mph "fastball" and his changeup. From the little I've seen of Kennedy, he might have the same problem as Mussina. Ian can hit the low 90's with his fastball, but like Mike, he has to have pin point command to be effective.

THE BULLPEN --  IF YANKEES LEAD AFTER 7 INNINGS, GAME IS OVER

 In Mariano Rivera (30 saves, 3.15 ERA) and Joba Chamberlain (0.38 ERA  34 K's in 24 innings) the Yankees have the eighth and ninth innings covered. In other words, if the Yankees carry a lead going into the last two innings, they will be a good bet to win the game. Not since 1996 (Rivera to Wettleland) have the Yankees had this type of 1-2 punch in their pen.

Kyle Farnsworth, LaTroy Hawkins, Brian Bruney, Ross Ohlendorf, and lone lefty, Billy Traber, will try to find a way to get the ball to Chamberlain with the Yankees leading.  I was surprised that Scott Patterson (1-hit, 0-runs, 7-K's, in 7 innings this spring) didn't make the team. Remember his name, because if any of the above middlemen fail, Scott will get the call.

ONCE AGAIN, A POTENT OFFENSE - 1,000 RUNS A POSSIBILITY

 You can bet the Yankees will be in contention all season long thanks to having one of the most potent offenses in baseball. While scoring a ******** 968 runs last year, one can only wonder how many more runs the team would have scored if Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi didn't have off years.

 Coupled with the disappointing years from Damon and Giambi, the Yankee offense also suffered from very slow starts from Bobby Abreu and Robinson Cano. While 968 runs scored is a stellar number, the 2008 Yankees should score over 1,000 runs if the above mentioned players improve on their first half numbers from last season.

 For the most part, manager Joe Girardi will go with the following lineup.

PLAYER                  OBP.                RUNS            HR           RBI

DAMON  LF           .351                  93                   12               63

JETER  SS               .388                 102                  12               73

ABREU  RF            .369                  123                  16              101

RODRIGUEZ 3B    .422                  143                  54              156

GIAMBI 1B           .356                    31                   14                39

POSADA  C          .426                    91                   20                90

CANO  2B            .353                    93                   19                97

MATSUI   DH       .367                  100                   25              103

CABRERA  CF     .327                    66                    8                  73         

A few notes on this lineup.

  Jason Giambi  played in  only  83 games last season. In order for the Yankees to give A-Rod some protection in this lineup, Jason is going to have to have a rebound season. The "GiamBino" had a great spring, and the Yankees hope it carries through the season.

 Last preseason, I picked Robinson Cano to be the Yankees MVP. Well, a historic season by Alex Rodriguez and a slow start by Cano, shot that prediction down. That said, I still believe "Robbie" is the best pure hitter in this Yankee lineup. I expect his power numbers to rise this year, and this time, he just might turn in that MVP season.                 

 As noted earlier, Damon must return to form as being the catalyst in this lineup. Johnny admitted this spring that he was out of shape last year, and thus could never get over his nagging injuries. "Damon like" numbers at the top of this lineup will surely help the Yankees push over the 1,000 runs scored mark.

A BENCH THAT CAN ACTUALLY CONTRIBUTE

 Unlike early last season, the Yankees now have a very good bench.  Jose Molina (C), Wilson Betemit (3B, SS, 2B), Shelley Duncan (OF, DH, IB), and Morgan Ensberg (1B,3B) will give manager Girardi  some lineup flexibility, and a chance to rest some of his every day players.

THE MANAGER --- NOT THE SAME OLD JOE

 Joe Girardi has the tough job of following a legend as he takes over for Joe Torre.   Girardi will differ from Torre in that he will probably play the "numbers" game more that Torre did. Expect to see the new Yankee manager play match-ups with certain players when situations call for it. Girardi will try to manufacture runs more than Torre did.

 I expect to see Girardi push for wins early on in the season. Torre's style was to manage for the long haul. I don't see Girardi doing this.  We are going to see intense playing and managing for the whole year. Let's just hope the young manager doesn't burn the team out.

Like every team in baseball, at some point during the year, the Yankees will go into a slump, and that's when Girardi will be tested and compared to the successful Torre. The former Yankee manager not only managed on the field, but off the field too.  Everyone is convinced Girardi can manage game situations. We just have to wait and see how he will manage the club after the game is over. In New York, with this team, that may be more important than managing the game itself.

HELP FROM THE MINORS - PROSPECTS GALORE

 During every season, a team will have to dip into their minor league system to fill  holes on the big club or to make a trade. Here are some names you will be hearing about as the year goes on.

 Besides Scott Patterson, the Yankees pitching staff could be helped by Jeff Karstens, Darrell Rasner, Alan Horne, Jonathan Albaladejo, and later on in the year, flame-thrower, Humberto Sanchez. Kei Igawa will start the year in Triple A, but frankly, I can't see this guy helping the Yankees at all. Young outfielders Austin Jackson and Jose Tabata will be on everyone's list when the Yankees try to make a deal in July.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER - BOSTON AND NEW YORK MIRROR  EACH OTHER

 The Yankees will fight for the division crown with Boston and Toronto. The Blue Jays have already suffered some big injuries so I will put them behind both the Red Sox and Yankees.

 Like the Yankees, Boston has three very big question marks in their starting rotation. Boston can match the Yankee bullpen strength in the eighth and ninth inning. Also, like their rivals to the south, the Red Sox also have a lineup than can score lots of runs.

So it will all come down to which team will end up having a better 3,4, and 5^th starter. At this point, I see neither team having an advantage. Maybe by the trading deadline in July, we will know, but until then, I will give the division nod to the Red Sox because they are defending champions.

 Here is my projected order of finish:

BOSTON

NEW YORK

TORONTO

TAMPA

BALTIMORE

This is going to be a very exciting and historic Yankee season. To all Yankee fans out there, please enjoy being the underdog. I hope many of you learned a lesson from last year, and now will not panic if the team gets off to a slow start. It's a very long season, and I can assure you changes will be made as the year goes on.

Enjoy the season, everyone and I will see you at Yankee Stadium!

The tradition continues at www.yankeetradition.com

When the Yankees and Joe Torre parted ways a few weeks ago, I figured Don Mattingly would be the next Yankee manager. I felt “Donnie Baseball” would be given the job because he was Torre’s most recent bench coach, and because Mattingly would be a very popular choice --- something I thought would influence the Yankees since they received a very negative backlash when they let the popular Torre go.

Well, as we know now, Hank Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman didn’t succumb to “the most popular choice” but instead, picked the man they felt would best be able to lead a revamped Yankee team with a new organizational philosophy.

In picking Joe Girardi as manager, and telling their most potent offensive player, “see ya”, the Yankees sent a loud message to the “Yankee Universe”. The message that was sent was, pitching is going to be the top weapon of the 2008 New York Yankees.

The Yankees selected their former catcher as manager, because they wanted an experienced man to handle a staff that may feature the young arms of Job Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, and Ian Kennedy. In my opinion, this is why Girardi got the job over Mattingly.

In Thursday’s press conference, Girardi said, “Pitching wins championships” and hinted he and Brian Cashman will focus on building a very solid starting staff and pen to help bring world championship #27 to this storied franchise.

If you’re a Yankee fan, you really can’t argue with the direction Girardi is planning to lead the Yankees in. The ALDS failures of 2005, 2006, and 2007 had nothing to do with clutch hitting, managerial decisions, or bugs. The Yankees failed to advance in the playoffs because Randy Johnson and Chien-Ming Wang could not get the job done in the first round. Simply put, the Yankees have been very short on quality pitching since the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

Steinbrenner, Cashman, and Girardi all know this, and that’s why I feel you will see the Yankees build a team around solid pitching, and focus less on offense.

Soon, I can almost guarantee that you will hear rumors that the Yankees are in hot pursuit of

Minnesota

While we can all hope that Chamberlain, Hughes, and Kennedy can contribute greatly in next year’s rotation, we all must realize that plugging in three kids in a rotation is very risky if your goal is to win a world championship.

The Yankees need another experienced and quality starter to join Andy Pettitte and anchor this young rotation. Santana should be that guy, and the Yankees will probably pull out all the stops to acquire him.

As we know from his playing days and his experience as a Yankee bench coach, Girardi is a very well-prepared individual. I’m certain the new Yankee manager has already given Steinbrenner and Cashman some examples in how this team can improve and reach their ultimate goal.

In the next few months, I expect the Yankees to make a flurry of moves, and most of them will involve improving their pitching. Steinbrenner, Cashman, and Girardi all have the same plan. Now we will see if they can implement it successfully and ready this team for 2008.

With all due respect to baseball great Henry Aaron, there’s a new “Hammerin’ Hank” in baseball, and his last name is Steinbrenner. With a statement that pleased this long time Yankee diehard, Hank Steinbrenner essentially told Alex Rodriguez, Scott Boras, and the baseball world, that no one player is bigger than the New York Yankees.

Reacting to the news that Alex Rodriguez was opting out of his contract with baseball’s most storied franchise, George Steinbrenner’s oldest son made points in Yankee Universe when he said the following:

"It's clear he didn't want to be a Yankee. He doesn't understand the privilege of being a Yankee on a team where the owners are willing to pay $200 million to put a winning product on the field. I don't want anybody on my team that doesn't want to be a Yankee."

Bravo, Hank. Bravo.


Steinbrenner’s words were music to my ears because as a fan, I’ve always felt this way. Playing for the greatest franchise in sports IS a privilege. When a player can call Yankee Stadium his home, play in front of 52,000 fans in that “home”, and has a chance to be linked to legends like Ruth, Gehrig, and DiMaggio, he not only should consider it a privilege, he should consider it a very special gift.


On Sunday night, Alex Rodriguez decided to give up that privilege and return the "gift". As a Yankee fan for 40 years, his decision did not upset me, because like Hank Steinbrenner, if a player willingly gives up his pinstripes, it’s his loss, not mine.

My reasoning for not getting angry at A-Rod is simple. You see, unlike Alex, I do consider it a privilege and gift to be a fan of this team. I feel that way every time I enter Yankee Stadium, and will always feel that way whether Alex Rodriguez is there or not. In other words, I’m not concerned about any Yankee “opting out”. In my book, no one Yankee is more important than the franchise that has made us proud for so many years. I was so reassuring that Hank Steinbrenner feels the same way.

I think my words have some weight here because I was never an A-Rod basher. Many times during his tenure as a Yankee, I “went to bat” for Rodriguez and scolded many Yankee fans for giving him such a hard time. Unlike many fans, I won’t deride Rodriguez with name calling and be foolish enough to say, “He’s not that good.” Truthfully, he’s one of the best baseball players I’ve ever seen since I began following this game in 1967.


That said, the Yankees continued to thrive after the losses of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Mantle, so I won’t be fretting over A-Rod’s departure. He doesn’t want to be here, so it’s time for him to move out quickly, so the Yankees can replace him with someone who wants the privilege, and accept the gift of being a New York Yankee.

www.yankeetradition.com

Tough losses have been something Yankee fans have been feeling for the past seven years.  Ask a number of Yankee diehards about what were their toughest recent losses, and you will get a variety of answers.

Some will argue, what could be tougher than losing a World Series title in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 7?  Some would answer that losing an ALCS to their arch rivals-- after being up three games to zero-- would head their list. Others would answer losing a World Series in Game 6, after winning a pennant in dramatic fashion, was tough to take. Finally, others might say, losing an ALDS game due to a swarm of bugs, made them toss and turn all night long.

To this diehard, the toughest loss in recent times came on the day the Yankee brass forced Joe Torre out of his job as manager of the New York Yankees.  For me, Luis Gonzalez’ blooper, the Boston Red Sox ALCS comeback, a Florida Marlins World Series win, and three-straight ALDS series defeats, all pale in comparison to the loss the Yankees  suffered when they failed to realize what they had in Joe Torre.

When the Yankee brass let Joe Torre go, they lost more than just a great manager. The entire New York Yankee organization lost a well respected man. The organization lost a very classy man.  The Yankee family lost a man that represented this team as well as any other Yankee had in the history of this storied franchise. In short, Mr. Steinbrenner, the Yankees, and their fans, have lost one of their biggest assets.

While losing Joe Torre is my recent toughest Yankee loss, it is a bit different from the other losses I listed in my opening. The reason why it is different than any game loss is because Mr. Steinbrenner and his sons have an opportunity to turn this loss over.

I’m publicly pleading to the Boss, Mr. Steinbrenner, and to his sons, to re-think what they have just done. Please, just listen to what the players, fans, media, and the baseball world are saying.  Right now the Yankees need a manager, and the best man for the job is Joe Torre.

Mr. Steinbrenner, you have changed your mind many times in the past. By doing so this time, you will turn a tough loss into a great win.

www.yankeetradition.com

Back on May 29th, when the Yankees trailed the first place Boston Red Sox by 14 1/2 games, giddy Red Sox fans were actually figuring out the team's magic number to secure the Eastern Division title. Now that the Yankees are making a historic charge, and have cut the lead to 1 game in the loss column, Red Sox "Nation" has forgotten about "magic numbers". As a matter of fact, from what I heard and read today, Boston had no intention of winning the division.  The spin from Yawkey Way is, the Sox are really not trying to win games, but instead, they are trying to get their team ready for the playoffs. Yeah, that makes sense, especially when the team was running promos calling this a "September to remember".


Since Red Sox "Nation" has no use for magic numbers anymore, I thought I would carry their torch and list some "magic numbers" of  my own.


1 4  -  This was the number of games the Yankees were behind Boston in the loss column on May 29th


46  -  Congratulations to Andy Pettitte who notched his 200 career major league victory against the Baltimore Orioles Wednesday night.


6   -  When almost everyone was writing the Yankees off,  Joe Torre stayed calm,  showed confidence in his team, and has guided them to their best second half  since he became manager in 1996.


20 -  I wrote about it many times during the years, but I have to say it again.  Jorge Posada is the irreplaceable Yankee.  The Yankee catcher is having the best year of his career, and still you hear nothing about him. The Yankees can't replace him, and this winter Jorge will finally be rewarded for what he has meant and means to this team.


13 - He will probably be the MVP of the league once again, but what really impresses me about Alex Rodriguez is how hard he plays the game. He has truly been a joy to watch this year, and I hope and pray he carries it over to the playoffs.


2 - While some players in Boston are sitting out with "nagging injuries", Derek Jeter continues to play injured (bad knee). His big homer against Curt Schilling on Sunday night didn't surprise me one bit. That's what Derek has done since opening day of 1996--He's a big time player.


42- Don't insult me or any other Yankee fan comparing anyone to Mariano Rivera. Every year the "experts" tell us "Mo" is "losing it", and yet all this guy does is get big outs. How ironic it was that soon after Jonathan Papalbon gave up a grand slam, Mariano was nailing down another clutch. late season save for the Yankees.


24,28,36,40, 62, 65 -  Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, Ian Kennedy, Chien-Ming Wang, Phil Hughes, and Joba Chamberlain all are home grown players that have contributed greatly to this current Yankee comeback. We were told the Yankee farm system was "bare" but now we know that was a false report.


1,565 - This number represents the number of  times I've read or heard that the Yankees were "out of it this" year.


1- This is the number of games the Yankees trail the Boston Red Sox by.


0 - This number will represent the number of times I will read or hear that the Yankees are "out of it" tomorrow.


1978 - Shame on anyone who didn't believe this could happen again!

The comeback continues at www.yankeetradition.com

One of the best things about being a Yankee diehard in New England is, just about every year you get to experience a very entertaining event here. This event usually happens late in the baseball season and sometimes in early October. For people who experience this event for the first time, they may find it pathetic or even alarming. Yet, for those us who have gone through this seemingly every year, it's one of the best parts of the baseball season. The event? It's the Red Sox "Nation" whine.

The "Nation" whine usually centers around the manager of the team. He's usually blamed for every loss. No, the "Nation" never gives the opposition any credit, for it's always  something the manager did that cost the "Fenway Faithful" a much desired win.  Sometimes, the whine is directed at a Theo Epstein free-agent signing that has gone bust on Yawkey Way. Other times, the whine is directed at the umpires. You know, they're all against the Red Sox. But more than a manager, a poor free agent signing, or an umpire, the whining is usually directed at the 26-time world champion, New York Yankees.

Today (August 7th) the official whining season began here in New England, and not to my surprise, it was directed at the surging New York Yankees who are in the process of erasing a 14 1/2 game Boston lead that was established on May 29th. The only thing that surprised me about this whine, was I couldn't figure out who was more pathetic, the fans or the New England media.

You see Yankee fans, today in New England, the Boston fans and New England media weren't talking about the rise of Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano. They weren't talking about the consistent hitting of Jorge Posada nor Derek Jeter. Nothing was said about Hideki Matsui's fabulous July.  They didn't mention Bobby Abreu's offensive surge, nor the dominating pitching of Mariano Rivera.  No, the self-proclaimed "most knowledgeable fans in baseball" and the astute Boston media ignored all this, and pointed to the Yankees "easy schedule" as being the reason why the Yankees are closing in on Boston.

Most of the papers around here have pointed out  "there is nothing to worry about" because soon, the Yankees will be playing "tough teams". The local sports shows were flooded with whining Red Sox fans saying the same thing.  Mind you, we heard nothing about "easy" teams when the Red Sox had a 14 1/2 game bulge on May 29th, but now, that the lead is shrinking at an alarming rate,  the whine is focused on the Yankees playing "easy" teams.

All the talk today about "easy" and "tough" teams, and lack of talk about the real reason why the Yankees are winning, once again proved to me that the label "most knowledgeable fans" and "astute media" should not be given around here. The whine got so bad today, that I spent some time to look up how both New York and Boston fare against "tough" and "easy" teams.

I went back to June 1'st (and stopped after the last started series in July), and took a look at the Yankees and Red Sox series wins against "tough" and "easy" teams. Interestingly enough, June 1'st started the second straight series win the Yankees had against a "tough" team, the Boston Red Sox. Here are the results:

Series won against +.500 teams     New York  5     Boston   4

Series lost against +.500 teams     New York  2     Boston   3

Series won against -.500 teams     New York  7     Boston    5

Series lost against -.500 teams     New York  3     Boston    3

Series tied against -.500 teams    New York  0     Boston    2

Not much difference is there? Keep in mind, this is two months worth of data. Now when Boston was running away with the division, I didn't hear any member of Red Sox "Nation" or any member of the local media talk about "easy" teams.  Yet now that the Yankees are on a tear, the reason that is being thrown around here is, they are playing "easy" teams.

Now you may ask how could almost everyone around here miss the actual reasons why the Yankees are surging? Well, members of the "Nation" and the media,  were too busy writing off the Yankees in May.  Too much time was being spent on planning an "elimination day" and not enough time was being spent on the real reasons (an unbelievable amount of injuries to the starting rotation, and slumps by Abreu, Matsui, and Cano) why this Yankee team got off to a slow start.

According to the whiners here, soon the Yankees will start playing those "tough" teams. So now, if the Yankees win series against those teams, what will be the excuse then?  You guessed it, Red Sox "Nation" and the media will just blame the manager.

www.yankeetradition.com

When you're a young player on a team with names like Jeter, Rodriguez, Posada, Clemens, Pettitte, and Rivera, it's easy to get over-looked no matter how well you are playing. Well today, that all stops, as I'm going to praise the Yankees young dynamic-duo, Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano. The play of these two "Baby Bombers" is one of the reasons the Yankees have gone 25 and 10 since July 1'st, and closing in on a playoff spot. Both of these players had a sizzling July and have continued the pace early on in August. Let's take a closer look.

In July, Robinson Cano hit .385 with a .420 on base percentage. The 24-year old second baseman hit six homers in the month while driving in 24 runs. So far in August, "Robbie" is continuing his torrid pace as he has gone 9-18  at the plate. This surge in hitting has brought Cano's season average up to .309. His homer total is now at 11, and his RBI production has climbed to 65.  While being one of the hottest hitters in major league baseball in the last month, Robinson has also played a very steady second base.

For the second straight year, Cabrera has energized this Yankee team. Like Cano, Melky got off to a slow start this season, and just like his buddy, he's gotten very hot at the plate in the last month.  In July, Cabrera hit a ******** .368 (39-for-106) and logged a .410 on base percentage.  The 23-year old has continued his stellar hitting in August as he's gone 8-for-25 (.320)  and now is just two points shy of hitting .300 for the season.

Besides making an impact at the plate, Melky has become a terrific defensive centerfielder for the "Bronx Bombers". Gone are the days where runners would go from first to third on a hit to center. Cabrera has a strong and accurate arm that has saved runs for Yankee pitchers. If you're a Yankee fan who watches all the games, you've got to smile when you now see runners putting on the breaks when they see Melky charging the ball in center.

Now while we are on the subject of  young Yankees who are propelling the Yankees into playoff contention, we have to talk about the "Yankee reliever in waiting", Joba Chamberlain. Folks, I can't contain my excitement when talking about this guy. I'm excited for two reasons. First the Yankees have one weak point and that's their bullpen. Besides Mariano Rivera, they just don't have a "lights out", late inning man.  Joba is an asset the Yankees can use to make themselves better.  My second reason for being excited is Chamberlain's relief numbers in Scranton.

So far, the 21-year old Chamberlain has logged 8 innings in relief in AAA. In those eight innings, Joba has given up no runs on five hits. He has struck out 18-hitters while walking only one. I understand AAA is a lot different than toeing the mound at Yankee Stadium in a pennant race, but I feel the Yankees have a need, so why not give this guy a shot? In all of his minor league stops he has proven he can blow hitters away, now it's time to see him do it in the majors. If Chamberlain can pitch like this in the majors, he will be the most important pickup any team has made all season long. The need is so great, and if the Yankees fill it they are going to be a very tough team to beat down the stretch and in October.

www.yankeetradition.com

The date is July 18th, 2007. The nightly baseball results are in . The scores read, Yankees 6  Blue Jays 1,  Kansas City 6  Boston 5.  The standings now show that the Yankees are only 6 games (loss column) behind the Red Sox for the Eastern Division lead . Yes, the Yankees, who were 14 games behind Boston in the loss column (May 29th) earlier in the season, are now within striking distance of making 2007, 1978 all over again. Yes, Red Sox "Nation", I will say it again, 1978 all over again.

It's very quiet in New England right now. You see, no one is giggling at my Yankee comeback talk anymore. The giddiness that blinded Red Sox "Nation" for all of this season is gone.  Writers who deemed the season "over" in May, are now trying to figure a way to explain what is happening. In short, panic has gripped Yawkey Way,  as a pennant race has suddenly developed.

You all remember my prediction that it would be a very damp summer this year from the sweat of Red Sox "Nation" when the Yankees make their charge. Well, right now, the "Nation" is sweating, fretting, and doing some bed wetting, over the surging Yankees and the shrinking Boston lead. Forget "easy schedules", forget "homestands", forget who "has to play .700 ball", forget about "blowing up the team". It all goes out the window now folks, for we now have a pennant race in mid July.

So now that the "non-believers" are resigned to the fact that there is actually a race, let's examine how the Yankees can complete this comeback.

Despite the final score of 6-1, tonight's game once again exposed the Yankees weakest link, which is their bullpen.  Ron Villone, Scott Proctor, and Brian Bruney can't come in and start walking hitters in close games.  Luckily for the Yanks, they had Mariano at the ready to record a five save out.  That said, the Yanks won't be able to go deep in October with this bullpen.

During the next two weeks, Brian Cashman is going to have to find two quality arms to fortify the bullpen. As mentioned before, Jeff Karstens could be one of them. Karstens has been pitching well in his rehab starts and could join the club late next week. Cashman will then have to pull off a trade to obtain another much need reliable arm.

The Yankees also have to take a serious look at Johnny Damon.  Once again, Damon had a futile night at the plate, and it's apparent something is just not right with him.  Having a leadoff hitter hitting under .240 is not going to help this team make up 6 games in a little more than two months. Damon has to be honest with the team and tell them if he's hurt.

Phil Hughes had a very good rehab start this afternoon, and he may need just one or two more outings before he becomes the final piece of this now very good starting rotation.

Yes, the Yanks need a bit more to complete this comeback. That said, it's July 18th, 2007 and we do have a pennant race. Sorry, Red Sox "Nation".

The comeback and tradition continues at www.yankeetradition.com

With every game being so crucial to the Yankees divisional hopes, it is now time for Joe Torre to flip-flop Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter in the Yankee batting order. If you have been following the Yankees all year long, you surely noticed by now that Damon is not the man to be batting leadoff for this team. For whatever reason ( I still contend he's playing hurt) Johnny has become a very anemic hitter. It seems all he's doing is hitting pop ups and weak grounders to the right side. With his on base percentage (.341) being 60 points less than Jeter's, this should be a "no-brainer" move for Torre. By moving Jeter up to the leadoff spot, the Yankees will have a better chance of scoring in the first innings of games. This season, the Yankees have been having lots of trouble grabbing an early lead, and Damon's poor offensive year at the top of the order is the reason for it.

Batting behind Jeter may actually help Damon snap out of his slump. With Jeter being on base 40% of the time, Damon will have a chance to sacrifice Jeter over to second for Bobby Abreu or Alex Rodriguez to pick up. Torre could also use the hit-and-run more which will open more holes in the infield for Johnny to poke one through. I know Joe loves Derek in the second spot, but the Yankees are a better team with the Captain leading off.

Speaking of Damon, the Yankees shouldn't even consider taking Melky Cabrera out of centerfield in favor of Johnny. Cabrera's strong and accurate arm has stopped the "first-to-third" merry-go-round which had become a staple for the opposition for the last few years of Bernie Williams' career, and the first year and a half of Damon's Yankee tenure.

During the Yankees early season struggles, one of the factors that was over-looked was the poor start by Hideki Matsui. Uncharacteristically, Matsui wasn't hitting for a high average, and was failing to drive in runs. Well, that has all changed in July. "Godzilla" is back to form as he's hitting .313 (.389 OBP), with 5 homers and 9 RBI early on this month. The reason for Matsui's resurgence? Maybe his wrist, which he broke last May, is finally back to its pre-injury state. Whatever the reason, the Yankees finally have some protection behind A-Rod in the order.

Kei Igawa's days as a Yankee starter, are on life support. With Phil Hughes just a few weeks away from a return to the rotation, Igawa will get one or two more starts and then be sent down to the minors or used out of the pen. When he starts, Igawa seems to get by the first few innings, then the hitters figure him out and it's bombs away. To prove this point, here is the breakdown on Igawa so far this year:

In his initial 1-15 pitches, hitters are batting .240 against Kei. He's still fine when he throws the 16th - 30th pitch (.219). Once Igawa gets by 30 pitches, he loses it. Hitters facing Kei's 31st-45th pitch are hitting .333, and those who face his 46-60th pitch are batting .290. If you watch his outings, you know these numbers don't lie. At best, the only way  Igawa can help the Yanks this year may be as a mop up man out of the pen or lefty specialist.

Besides moving Jeter up to the first spot in the order, Torre must make another key move, and that is anoint Luis Vizcaino as his eighth inning bridge man. Joe has give Kyle Farnsworth numerous chances, but the hard throwing right hander just hasn't got the job done. Vizcaino has earned the right to hand the ball over to Mariano and Joe should let him do just that.

Remember last season when we all thought David Ortiz was an unbelievable clutch hitter late in games? Remember when Alex Rodriguez was chastised for not doing what Ortiz does? Well, how fast things change.  In the close and late stat this year, Ortiz is hitting .205, with 0 homers, and 1 RBI. A-Rod is batting .333, with 5 homers, and 16 RBI. Sometimes you just got to love stats.

If no one has noticed, the Yankees are averaging 51,806 fans per game so far this season. If the Yankees do what  I believe they can do ( a late season charge past Boston) this average will sure go higher. Yes, business is booming in the Bronx.

The Tradition and Comeback Continues at www.yankeetradition.com

On the eve of the start of the second half of the 2007 baseball season, the New York Yankees stand 9 games ( in the loss column) behind the first place Boston Red Sox. With 77 games remaining on the Yankees schedule, most "experts" have concluded the Yanks won't catch Boston, and have labeled people like me (those who feel the Yanks can win this division) as "nuts", "dreamers",  and just chalk up my 1978 talk as "wishful thinking" from a diehard fan.  My response to people who deride me, laugh at me, or discount me as a "pinstripe dreamer"  has always been, "who cares"?

One thing I have learned over the years is, there are no "baseball experts" out there. Yes, this year, a baseball writer on the YES Network website can sound like a genius saying how the Yankees are out of it and should blow it all up and start trading stars. So far, this guy is looking pretty good. But you know what? Two years ago (2005) when the Yanks trailed Boston by four or five games in early July, this guy wrote the same thing. He went on to say the Yankees should trade "aging" players like Jorge Posada. Well, the Yanks came back and won the division that year, and thankfully, Brian Cashman doesn't get his "expert" advice from columnists, for Jorge Posada is still a Yankee.

In July of that same year, a seasoned Boston Globe columnist, declared Boston would win the division by at least 10 games over the Yankees.  This "expert" then spent the next  2 1/2 months fending off critics as the Yankees passed Boston and won the East title. Last season when the Yankees were four games out on the 4th of July, we heard and read the same kind of "Yankee demise" stories. As a matter of fact, ever since their historic 1998 season, every time the Yankees fall back in the division by more than a handful of games, we hear and read the same kind of gloom and doom.

So from these few examples, and believe me, there are many, many more, you can see why I chuckle at what these "experts" write as much as people chuckle at my optimism for this 2007 Yankee team. If the season ended in July, I would tip my cap to the "experts" out there and give them their due. However, the season doesn't end this early, and that's where these journalists seem to be making their mistake. In an effort to come up with a  "Man Bites Dog" story, these writers are always quick to write the Yankees off. This year, they have been doing just that since May, and now I will go on to explain why they will be wrong----AGAIN.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IN THE FINAL 77 GAMES

Let's get this straight from the start, the Yankees are going to have to do a lot of things better than they did in the first half of the season to catch Boston. No, they don't need Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, or Joe DiMaggio to rise from Monument Park to help the team out, but they are going to need better second halves from numerous players.

In my opinion, Johnny Damon is going to be the most important player who has to step it up during the second half of the season. As I've written many times this year, I appreciate the fact that Damon plays hurt, but he's going to have to start producing soon.  Hitting in the leadoff spot in front of  guys like Jeter and A-Rod, Johnny has to hit better than .245 and has to get on base at better than a .339 clip. The Yankees have trouble scoring first inning runs, and that's because they haven't had a consistent table-setter at the top of the order this year.  We all know a healthy Damon can give the Yankees just that, so it's not far-fetched to predict Johnny may have a terrific second half. It's going to be needed.

Besides Damon, the Yankees must get more consistent offensives performances from Bobby Abreu and Robinson Cano. Both players are capable, but like Johnny, they have to get it going quickly. Abreu had a great second half last year, and hopefully Cano has learned one good year doesn't make you a super star. Robinson has to concentrate more, and be more selective at the plate.

Unlike the first two months of the season, the Yankees have four solid starters in their rotation to begin the second half. Just the fact that Wang, Pettitte, Mussina, and Clemens will be in rotation will make the second half Yanks a much improved team. Unfortunately, when you are nine games behind, you need production from your fifth starter. Kei Igawa is not the answer here.  As written numerous times on this site, Igawa just doesn't have the stuff to pitch effectively as a starter at this level.  In a week or two, the Yankees may have two options besides Igawa. Both Phil Hughes and Jeff Karstens are rehabbing and could help the Yanks out by late July. If Hughes joins the rotation, Karstens can be a much needed long man out of the bullpen.

It's going to be very important that Luis Vizcaino continues to pitch well out of the Yankee pen. An effective Vizcaino gives manager Joe Torre an alternative to Kyle Farnsworth and Scott Proctor who both have been very inconsistent this year.

As with every Yankee team in recent history, Brian Cashman is going to play a key role in the Yankees quest in catching Boston. There are a few holes on this team which the Yankees can't fix from within. In some way, Cashman has to get a first baseman, another reliever, and a bat for the bench, by the July 31'st trading deadline. The loss of a healthy Giambi has really hurt, and no one knows if he can come back this year. With his offense gone, it's imperative that the Yanks get another power bat to protect Alex Rodriguez.

If you look at the Yankees schedule for the next month, you can conclude if the Yankees get their act together, they will pile up the wins. It's easy to say, but the Yankees have to play each game with extreme urgency, as if their season is on the line each day. Boston is not a super team and has many flaws. Unlike a few weeks ago, the Yankees can't afford to go on losing streaks when Boston is losing. The Red Sox will have their share of losing streaks in the second half, but the Yankees must capitalize on them.

This 2007 comeback is not going to be easy, but despite what the "experts" think, it can be done. Don't take my word for it, just look at their track record.

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