It's been a minute or two since I did a Top Ten Tuesday post, but back when I was blogging constantly (AKA when I had even less of a life than I do now), they were one of my fave posts to craft up - so let's bring 'em back!

As each member of the Yanks rolled into camp for Spring Training and were pounced upon by the media, every single one of them reiterated the same cliched sentiment: "we just want to repeat what we did last year." A lovely goal, but as history has shown us, a tough one to realize. There are so many variables involved in winning even one World Series - not just your own team's injuries, slumps, and luck (good and bad), but that of 29 other teams, too! - that winning two in a row is no small feat, even with a spectacular team.

The Yanks do have a spectacular team, of course - arguably even better than last year's championship roster. They've got about as good a chance of repeating as any team in recent history, but there's a few things that need to fall into place just right if they want any chance of back to back titles.

Top Ten Things the Yanks Need to Get Ring #28 in 2010:

10) A big year from Cano. Robby Cano Dont'cha Know had a dandy year last year in most regards - solid defense, stellar average, and a nice burst of power (25 home runs compared to his previous career high of 19). However... he couldn't always hack it in big situations and hit into 22 double plays. If he can get his act together just a tiny bit more, it'd be huge for the team. Let's just hope he's not too distracted by the loss of his BFF to play well - we don't want a repeat of 2008's performance.

9) A decent performance from the Gardner/Winn/Thames contingent. I've said several times that because of the depth of the rest of the lineup, having a mediocre player in that outfield spot isn't really that big of a deal. That may be true, but there's still no room for a wretched performance. Whoever ends up in that spot needs to at least be consistent and able to contribute to the team in some way - we can't have a .200 hitter going out there every day.

8) Minimal injuries. It's a "duh" one to even put on here, but really: some of these dudes ain't spring chickens, and we've got at least one guy that is particularly injury-prone (I'm looking at you, Nick Johnson. Try not to trip over a sunflower seed on your way to the dugout.) A rash of ill-timed minor injuries or a totally debilitating injury to a key player like A-Rod or Sabathia could be fatal. To their dreams. And anyone sitting near me when it happens.

7) We need the 2008 Granderson, not the 2009 one. Last year was a relatively rough year for Curtis, at least in comparison to his previous seasons - he only hit .249 with a .327 OBP (although he did hit 30 homers, which he can hopefully duplicate with the Yanks' homer-friendly right field). Worst of all, his splits last year were heinous - he only hit .183 against lefties last year. We need better.

6) No burnout for Sabathia. Sabathia has earned a reputation for being a workhorse, never turning down an opportunity to pitch one more inning or on one fewer day of rest. This was key last year, but can he keep it up?

5) Jobamania AND Hughsie need to be ON all year. Wherever they end up, they both need to finally live up to their hype - and stay healthy. Whichever one ends up starting is going to make a huge impact on the team every five days, and whoever ends up in the 'pen has the ability to be a stabilizing force on the team. Both are important roles, obviously, but it would also be a big morale booster for the team to see both of their young "future stars" finally become stars.

4) A drama-free A-Rod. I think after last year, we can pretty much confirm that A-Rod's attitude makes a WORLD of difference in his performance - and it also makes it easier for the rest of the team to relax and play their best, too. If A-Rod gets entangled in a baby-mama drama with a Real Housewife of New Jersey or continues to be thrust into the spotlight for past transgressions, all bets are off.

3) Jorgie MUST be able to catch (and preferably hit) as often as humanly possible - and he needs to hug it out with Burnett. No offense to Cervelli, but Jorgie better be prepared to play 140 games. Plus, with no Molina to fall back on this year, AJ's gonna have to suck it up and learn to get along with Posada - work on those signs, kiddos.

2) Mariano not to wake up and realize he's 40 years old and shouldn't by any stretch of the imagination still be this good. For a closer to still be this automatic at this stage in his career is obscene... and absolutely necessary for the Yanks' success. If the Yanks lose the luxury of being able to count on winning just about every game when they take a lead into the 9th inning, maintaining momentum and confidence will get a lot trickier.

1) Girardi needs to prove that his strategy wasn't a fluke. I cannot begin to count the number of times last year that I hollered and ranted about Girardi's "over-managing". By the end of September, the man was driving me insane - taking pitchers out when they clearly had more in the tank, giving people days off - I felt like it was killing the rhythm. Clearly, it worked... but I'm not sure I'm convinced it's the best way to do things. Girardi needs to pay close attention to his team this year and make adjustments if necessary (or not - I'm willing to be proved wrong again!)

What say you, YC-ers? Anything you'd like to add to the list?

When I saw on Yankees.com today that A-Rod has been contacted by the FBI to discuss Anthony Galea, a sketchy Toronto-based sports medicine doctor suspected of supplying 'roids to a variety of athletes (his assistant was caught smuggling HGH across the border... but I'm sure that was just a coincidence), I initially was uninterested. We already know A-Rod juiced and have made our decisions about whether we give a shit or not. Do we need to hear every time his name comes up in a discussion about steroids? He got the steroids somewhere and presumably used them in the presence of others - it's not like he made them himself in a converted meth lab and did them in isolation - of course his name is going to come up in connection with a steroid supplier. That's not news, it's exactly what you'd expect.

A-Rod cheated. SO DID A WHOLE BUNCH OF OTHER DUDES. I'm so ill of A-Rod being the poster boy for early 2000's steroid use, just because someone leaked his name and not the other hundred-plus goons on that 2003 "anonymous" list of players who tested positive. Of course, that list is by no means the end-all be-all of who did or didn't do steroids - there are surely even more - but I really feel that it needs to come out in its entirety to give the entire era some context. It's simply unfair for A-Rod to be the one taking the heat when so many of his teammates were doing the exact same thing (or worse). The fact that a whole bunch of players were doing steroids doesn't make A-Rod's cheating "less bad", but it does make it more understandable, and having to acknowledge how many good players were using illegal substances would perhaps quiet (even marginally) not just the A-Rod haters but the entire community of "oh my god using steroids is as cheat-y as incapacitating your opponents with a Tonya Harding whack; I could never vote a steroid user into the Hall of Fame!" idiots (get it through your heads: steroids don't magically make a bad player good. A-Rod still would have been good without them. Matt Lawton didn't turn into Barry Bonds with them. It doesn't work like that, so stop discounting everything a steroid user did the minute a positive test comes back.)

A-Rod participated in the test under the impression that the results where to remain anonymous. Why was that revoked for him and not others? I don't know all the legalities involved, but I sure do wish someone could step in and insist that the list be revealed in full, just to even things out a bit.

And if that's not legally possible for someone to demand, then Sports Illustrated should bust out the checkbook and find themselves a former lab assistant willing to spill the beans for a nice payout... because I'm sick of reading the words "steroids" and "Alex Rodriguez" in the same sentence. Let's start spreading the blame!

A-Rod's New York state of mind circa 2004-2008 (left) and 2009 (right)

When I posted the BQE with McGwire's non-apology apology for juicing a couple weeks ago, I noted that it was unlikely that any other quote would ever top that one in terms of idiocy and amusement factor. That statement stands and likely will for some time (because really, how are we going to top "I did this for health purposes"???), but A-Rod's reaction to winning an award for post-season excellence this weekend earned him a spot on the BQE list for a different reason entirely: it was sincere, endearing, and humble. In other words, totally different from any other BQE I've ever posted.

A variety of awards were handed out at the 87th annual New York baseball writers’ dinner in NYC on Saturday, from the traditional AL and NL MVP to more personal honors like the Joan Payson Award for community service (given to Carlos Beltran... that'll make his team feel better about him concealing his surgery from them, right?) and the Arthur and Milton Richman You Gotta Have Heart Award (which was given to Aaron Boone, obv). Our dear A-Rod was honored as the winner of the Babe Ruth Award (the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s postseason MVP), an award no one who had ever uttered the words "choke artist" or "A-Fraud" during the 2004, 2005, 2006, or 2007 playoffs would have fathomed him earning.

But earn it he did! His 2009 post-season numbers were indeed award-worthy: he batted .365 with six home runs (most of them undeniably clutch) and 18 RBI in 15 games, a performance worthy not just of an award but of a pardon for his prior playoff shortcomings. His amazing post-season capped off an equally impressive regular season, something no one would have expected after everything he'd endured in the previous couple of years (events which include, but are not limited to: a bitchy wife that wore clothes adorned with "Fuck You" to his games, a nasty divorce from said bitch, a romance with a near senior citizen with freakishly muscular arms [I'm looking at you, Madonna], getting dumped by said old lady for a 20 year old male model, opting out of a mega-huge contract in order to get an even bigger one [although I hold Boras primarily responsible for that one], being mocked by his former manager in a high-profile book, and a steroid scandal).

While accepting his award, A-Rod acknowledged both his record of crappy playoff performances and the personal problems:

“Postseason MVP. Wow. What’s next, the good guy award?”

Seeing A-Rod cap off an impressive 2009 with a well-deserved award and a humble, self-aware acceptance speech is a delightful symbol of his shift in attitude. Yankees fans have been hoping for a change like this since he joined the team nearly 6 years ago, and it fills me with hope for what we'll be seeing from him for the next 8 years. A relaxed A-Rod that performs like a champ in the playoffs? It seemed unlikely just one year ago, but he proved me wrong. Perhaps that good guy award is up next after all!

With the humiliation of Joe Torre's "let's all mock A-Rod" book, the steroid scandal, a divorce, getting ditched by Madonna for a teenage model, a hip cyst, and surgery that put him out of commission for a couple of months, A-Rod had a one hell of an off-season. Such turmoil could easily send even the most balanced person into a tailspin, but for a sensitive (fragile) dude like A-Rod, I must confess I would not have been surprised if all the trauma induced an emotion-fueled baseball breakdown. To be honest, I was steeling myself for an unproductive year from him.

Well, he's been back from his injury for a couple months now, and I am thrilled to have been totally wrong about his mental state and productivity! He's happy. He's smiling. High-fives with teammates abound. He looks calm, collected, relaxed. Best of all? He's doing exactly what the Yanks need him to do: hitting for power and getting on base. His average may be on the low side (.255 as of today), but that one little number is very misleading this case. Take a look at the rest of his line:

OBP: .402
SLG: .557
HR: 19 (and remember, he missed the first month of the season)
RBI: 52

So what gives? How is a man known for falling apart in the face of 3 booing fans doing so well this year when by all accounts there is far MORE stress and pressure on him now than ever (one would think that the steroids scandal in particular would be weighing heavily on his mind as he tries to prove that his success isn't solely juice-based)?

My money is on his new lady friend, Kate Hudson. Crappy chick-flicks aside, she seems like a lovely gal, and best of all has a reputation for being laid back and fun-loving, precisely the influence A-Rod so desperately needs. Let's all join together in thanking her for calming our man down - don't fuck this relationship up, A-Rod!

I told you I was back!

I mentioned yesterday that Joe Torre has a new book coming out, and it sounds like a doozy. I love Torre and admire his back-patting talent, but I'm not sure he made the right call in writing about some of this stuff...


And what dost thou think? Exploitation? Just the facts? Extra Xanax for A-Rod this season?

Who needs a World Series ring when you can win a place on the Sporting News All-Star team? Not Jeter or A-Rod! I'm sure they're happy just to have received any honor at all, right?

No offense to the TSN. I'm sure all the honored players appreciate the shout-out and I image A-Rod and Jeet have both cleared off a space in their trophy rooms (both of which are larger than my home, I have no doubt) for their 12th and 9th respective TSN prizes. Do they get trophies? I might have made that up.

That said, it's time to refocus our attention on the HUGE game tonight, essentially a make or break contest for the Rays. If they lose, they COULD make up comeback, of course - no one that's watched them this year could put that past them - but who wants to have to rely on a game 4 win at the Phillies own stomping grounds? Judging by their year-long tradition of coming from behind, I'm anticipating a home run derby-esque game with Longoria putting the team up 3-1 in the 1st.

And before I sign off for the day, let's all have a good chuckle over A-Rod's latest endorsement deal with Guitar Hero (partially funded by The Boxer Brief Association of America):

With my post-season choice intact, Saturday was a fine day. I was happy to see the Dodgers advance and even happier to win a bet with the YCBF that made him responsible for paying for Sunday night's No Mercy PPV. The Brewers won, too, which was nice because I really didn't think that the Phillies were all that much better than them - a sweep would have been a surprising bust for those poor fans (I feel bad for Cubs fans too, but didn't care quite as much since, like I said, I've been sacrilegiously supporting the Dodgers... but hot damn, talk about not fulfilling expectations).

So what the hell happened on Sunday? My whole sports world was turned upside down. First, the Chargers lost to the freakin DOLPHINS, whose 2007 record was, I believe, approximately 1-964. That was supposed to be a sure win, and they could barely get into the double digits (or the end zone). Come on!

Then the Angels and Red Sox started their game, and I found myself rooting with all my might for the godforsaked ANGELS. The thought alone is enough to make me want to vomit. Over the past couple years I have found myself hating the Angels just about as much as the Red Sox and heartily more than the Dodgers, thanks, of course, to the Yankees utter lack of ability to beat them, EVER. Yesterday, though, I realized once and for all that when it comes down to it, my hatred for the Red Sox apparently supersedes any hard feelings I have for The The Angels Angels of Anaheim. I MAY have emitted a "YESSSSS!" or two during the game. In favor of the Angels. I felt very ashamed and their win was little consolation. Can't they just both lose and let the Rays and ChiSox keep battling it out for another 7 games?

The worst part of the day came towards the end of that aforementioned WWE PPV, and while simply admitting that I not only WATCH professional wrestling but enjoy it enough to shell out $40 to watch 12 PPVs a year is pretty damn embarrassing in and of itself, it's the truth so let's move on to the disappointment I felt when Triple Fucking H retained his title. With the way Vince & Co have been pumping the dear drug-addled boy Hardy over the past few months, I was 100% sure that the title was as good as his. First they essentially make a mockery of CM Punk by having him lose to just about everybody while he had the title, and now this?! Suuuuure, JH has had some "personal problems" that have precluded him from reaching his potential in the (recent) past, but come on dudes, he's had a nice long stretch of sobriety (sort of) and he's CLEARLY been taking acting lessons to improve his previously pathetic mic presence - not to mention the fact that everyone loves him - and methinks he deserves a gaudy pseudo-athletic award.

That pretty much sums up my bad day in sports! Luckily, today is already going MUCH better, thanks in large part to this picture of A-Rod that essentially defies explanation:

Let's examine: I see crumbs and a half-drunk glass of agua (vodka?), so I'm surmising that he is at some sort of dining establishment. In the left hand, he's fisting a wad of what we can assume to be hundos (that's how he rolls, yo), and in his right, a singular Benjamin, probably about to be used to pay the bill for his $7 eight-egg white and mushroom omelet. So far, a perfectly reasonable scenario for a mega-millionaire.

But then... he's rubbing it on his face. Right towards the camera that we KNOW he knows is there. With a look that says "Cynthia said WHAT about me?! Let's flash some dough and remind her what she missed out on by signing that pre-nup, HAHAHHAHAHHA!"

PS: A-Rod: Money is dirty. Watch out for pimples on that cheek.

Now that we've all given up on the season in terms of "success", it's time to settle for hoping our dudes will pad their stats a bit and at least let the year die with a little dignity. It's a true pity that they couldn't manage to scrape together a few wins and send the old stadium out with a bang, but we can't do anything about that at this point, so let's focus on the good sugar instead.

Good thing numero uno: A-Rod hit a sweet grand salami yesterday for his 34th homer of the year, leaving him just 1 shy of 12 35+ homer seasons. I am still holding out hope for a hearty 40, but that would take some serious work and perhaps luck. He's always good when there's no pressure, though, and with the season essentially over there really is none to speak of. It could happen.

Giambi hit a big homer himself during the game on Sunday, number 30 on the season. He's now hit 30 or more longballs 8 times in his career - and some of those 8 were steroid free!!! WOOOT!

Those weren't the only homers in the game! I've reserved lo mas importante for last. The Jeet hit #11 in the 5th, the 1,269th hit in his career. With just 7 home games left to play, Jeter tied up Lou Gehrig for the most hits in Yankee Stadium. Twas a heartwarming moment indeed (and hats off to the fan that caught the ball and gave it back to the Jeet, you're a kind soul and a good fan).

Speaking of DJ, his average is a healthy .306 now. Moral of the story: Jeter never disappoints. He always comes through.

Yes, yesterday was indeed a good day for the team - a bright spot amidst what has been a truly pathetic/embarrassing/soul-crushing season. The boys were hitting, Mo actually got the chance to save a game, the bullpen didn't jack things up, A-Rod hit a homer, and Jeter played the role of legend. It honestly breaks my tender heart to know that for the first time in my fandom, the season ends after 162 games.

A-Rod might not reach his usual 40+ homer total this year (THANKS, DL), but he will go down in history as the first player to have a homer officially reviewed by the brand spankin' new instant replay system.

He was the victim of a bad call earlier in the year, when his homer in Yankee Stadium was incorrectly ruled a double (if he winds up with 39 homers, he's going to be extremely bitter about that one). This time, with the help of fancy technology that has been available in other sports for years, when the officials were unsure as to whether a ball he smacked that hit the catwalk should be a ruled a homer, they were able to get the call right.

If you're an instant replay detractor, how are you feeling about things now that it's actually been used - successfully?

Generally speaking, I'd say that approximately 87% of my blog posts contain at least one or two cogent thoughts, whether I'm explaining the consequences of some sort of devastating injury or my thoughts on an awesome trade (sorry, Farnsworthless). Today, though... no such luck. The season has spiraled downhill in such a ridiculous fashion (it actually has the potential to be comical, if it weren't so sickening) that I find myself incapable of retaining any semblance of rationale, calm, or writing ability (do you like how I imply that I usually DO possess some ability? Ha!).

That said, let's take this post in a direction more akin to free-floating hostility and stream of consciousness reporting...

...I know that lamenting the fact that the Yanks may not make the playoffs sounds very spoiled, but what fan doesn't want their team to make the post-season - regardless of how many times they've been there before? What, am I just supposed to sit back and console myself with the fact that they DID indeed win a lot over the past 15 years and be happy for other teams? The YCBF (a dirty dirty Mets fan) seems to think so. False.

...I guess I am sort of happy for the Rays. They're a fun team to watch and they've been working on their roster for years, sans big bucks. No such love for the Angels or Red Sox.

...Has anyone else noticed that this team has essentially become the Braves, making the playoffs every year and FAILING? The hell?

...At least the Jeet has returned to good form. As usual, he's doing his best to carry his team through tough times.

...Johnny Damon in center is driving me absolutely batty. I don't even hold his disgusting defense against him personally. He shouldn't be out there in the first place. I understand that Matsui has to be the DH, leaving no other place for JD but in the field, but that doesn't make it any easier to watch. Tis a sad state of affairs.

...I am so disappointed in Cano. He is so much better than this. Did he just give up? Was his performance over the past couple years due solely to the hugs of Joe Torre?

...The fate of Joba seems like a cruel joke. How often is it that a reliever turns into a starter with essentially ZERO adjustment time - no pathetic outings, the ability to go deep in the game, etc?

...Speaking of cruel jokes, what the F is wrong with Hughes and I-Ken? I know it's rare that even a top prospect ends up living up to his hype, but we were led to believe these dudes were sure things. I honestly expected at least ONE of them to contribute SOMETHING this year. I don't think there's a Yanks fan amongst us that didn't think exackle the same thing. The fact that neither of them was even seriously considered to pitch on Saturday speaks volumes about the lack of confidence the Girardino et al have in them.

...While I'm not exactly thrilled about the great C-Pav making a return to the mound, I'm trying to remain positive - I've even brought back the seldom-used "Pavano Must LIVE" tag. We have zero other options. He's worked hard (allegedly). I'd say there's a decent chance he pitches well. Plenty of pitchers come back from Tommy John surg raring to go, no?

...Does anyone else find themselves rooting for the Dodgers a bit now that Torre and Mattingly are at the helm of that ship?

...Perhaps I'm just living in a state of denial, but I'm not ready to give up just yet. Let's give them a couple more weeks. They might still have it in them.

If you're at the ballpark for three hours, what would be the difference if it were 3:07 and the calls were right? -- Michael Kay

I never thought I'd say this, but... well put, Mr. Kay.

After catching a break from the umps on Sunday when a Carlos Delgado homer was incorrectly called foul, the Yanks were on the cheated end of a play tonight. During the bottom of the sixth inning, A-Rod, who had already homered back in the third, hit a long one out above the wall in right-center field. It didn't go out of the park, though -- it hit off the yellow staircase above/behind the wall and bounced back into the field, where it was played as a base hit. A-Rod was trotting around the bases in home run style, but had to catch himself at second when he realized his homer wasn't being played as such.

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