I was a tad concerned that this World Series wouldn't interest me much - I like the Rays but I'm not all that invested in their success, and I'm pretty neutral about the Phillies. To my delight, the series has actually been quite riveting and I've enjoyed every moment of it!

I've got a couple gripes, though:

1) What is up with the umps?! I hate to knock those dudes because they are generally amazing and make the right calls (I can't even count the number of times I've hollered "what?! He was safe!" only to see that the ump was in fact right when they played the slow-mo replay for us), but there have been SEVERAL missed calls in the first four and a half games of the series. I understand the hesitation to utilize the available instant replay willy-nilly during the regular season, but I think that special provisions should be made for the World Series. Perhaps they could allow each manager a certain number of challenges? It seems like a waste to refuse to use the available technology during the most important games of the year.

2) What is up with the umps in the rain?! I have never seen a baseball game played in rain as hard as Monday. The pitchers' fastballs were only about 80% as fast as they're capable of throwing, and how the hell are batters expected to hit a ball so slick with water? Not to mention the risk of slipping and sliding all over the field (or on the on-deck circle a la Manny). WHAT WERE THEY WAITING FOR?! A hurricane? Dugout flood? Drowning of the shortest player on the field? Did they honestly think they were going to play 9 innings? It was obvious after an inning that the rain was WAY too outta control to get the game in. Tonight, since they ended on a tie the other night, they're basically playing a 4 inning game to decide whether the Phils win or if the Rays get another chance. That just doesn't seem right.

What dost thou think? Am I being ridic?

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):

Well, the season is effectively over. The team has been eliminated and the Girardi has switched to "let's see what these no-names and prospects can do" mode when creating his lineup.

I was hesitant to start throwing blame around while the Yanks were technically still in the mix, but now that the FAIL has been made official I think it'd be interesting to get some opinions on who - if anyone - and/or what y'all think is at fault. Obviously, there were a LOT of problems plaguing the team, from injuries to slumps to peeps not living up to their expectations, but I can't help but think that there has to be one prevailing reason that the team couldn't hack it.

Or perhaps I just want to single someone/something out so that I can comfort myself with the fact that at least there is a REASON they lost... and that if that person/thing just shaped up for 2009 things would be totally different. Ya hear?

Let's play the blame game!

Who or What Can We Blame for This Disastrous Season??
	The Steins
	Cash Man
	Girardi
	Hughsie and IPK
	INJURIES to Jorgie, Wang, et al
	Robby Cano Dontcha Know
	NOT Getting Santanamania
	ALL of the Players
	Can't Pick Just One...
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Tres partidos.

With 10 games left to play/butcher, the Yanks' elimination number is down to a meager 3 games. That's right: we're just any combination of 3 Yankees losses and/or wins by anyone ahead of us (D-Rays and Sox in division race, as well as the Twinsies in the WC hunt) from the season actually being over.

Not that it hasn't been over for quite some time now... but the official failure is still going to be hard to take. Its truly a shame, and not just because they're breaking their amazing million-years-in-a-row post-season streak. The true sadness is that they are leaving the old stadium on a sad note, which is just not the Yanks style. The Yankees have made history with broken records, World Series wins, flashy plays, big name players, and a penchant for fanfare - having the final few games at Yankee Stadium mean nothing in terms of season status just seems wrong.

And unexpected! Who would have guessed at the beginning of the year that our team would disintegrate into a pile of FAIL? I suppose our naive belief in Hughsie/IPK did us in. As did Cano.

And the injury gods. Let's blame them - Big Stein does.

A: Transport yourself back to high school and bust out a game of beer pong (rebellious!)

In celebration of beating the Royals last week (yeah, that's all we have to live for at this point: beating the Royals and Orioles), seasoned drunkard Giambi took the still sorta-injured Jobamania out to a NYC bar called Southern Hospitality and indulged in a delightful game of beer pong with some locals.

They lost. Badly.

Let's hope Joba was wise enough to use his non-pitching arm to do the paddlin'.

It seems like it's been 6 months since the Rockies secured their spot in the World Series, but today the American League finally found a team to play them. The Sox beat the Tribe (there are so, so many politically incorrect Indian-related jokes a lesser person could choose to insert here, but I shall, as always, take the high road...) to win the AL pennant, and while I still don't think the Red Sox were the best team in baseball throughout the season (what the hell happened to the Angels? Or the Mets?!) I tip my hat to them - they pulled through when it counted.

The series doesn't actually start until Wednesday (is it just me or has this post-season been going on since approximately 1978?), and even though the Yanks are sadly not a part of the action/satisfaction I am actually really looking forward to the series - it has all the makings for a drama-filled finale. There are a few things we can count on: Beckett will be Boston's ace, Francis will go for the Rockies, Troy Tulowitzki's name will be really hard to spell, etc etc, but other than that a lot of things will be up in the air (insert stupid "Colorado has thin air" joke here for me, I'm too tired). The Rockies have been the great underdogs of the year - scrappiness, $2 paychecks, and Coors - and the Sox have been, well, the new Yankees - old dudes, cash, and cigars - so it will be quite the contrast of teams. My money is on the Rockies - they capitalized on the Rocktober pun before the Sox could.

A-Rod has been to the post-season 7 times (10 series total) during his 14 seasons - 3 years with Seattle and now 4 with the Yanks - and he's come out of those series with the unfortunate stigma of a man who simply cannot get it done in October. His reputation as a post-season underachiever has mainly come about during his tenure as a Yankee, in large part due to the extremely high level of pressure all Yanks endure, particularly in the post-season where expectations are most inflated. Everyone from Red Sox Nation to the beacon of journalistic dignity that is the New York Post has jumped on the "A-Fraud Choke Artist lolz cleverz" and I don't think there's a Yanks fans in all of Yanksville that hasn't cringed with disappointment during at least a couple of his post-season at-bats. That said, I do think there's a lot of us residents of Yanksville that honestly don't think he's all that much of a failure when October comes around; in fact, if we get off our lazy asses and look at the numbers (wait, we can remain on our lazy asses - opening a new browser does not require getting up, whew!) we'll see that he has actually had a few great post-season series... just not recently.

Ok, he admittedly hasn't helped the Yanks' cause much since the 2004 season (maybe he was crushed like the rest of us after the team's choke?). Even taking the last 3 years into account, though, he really has only had one series where he truly failed to contribute: the 2006 ALDS, when he got just 1 hit in 14 at bats and didn't even eek out a walk in there. Every other year, though, his OBP has at least been respectable, and he's certainly had some impressive years slugging-wise. He ain't no Mr. October (and hey, even that dude had a couple disappointing series) or Jeter Jeter Pumpkin Eater, but what the hell. Sometimes I just feel like strangling anyone devaluing him because of a couple bad Octobers. His talent is unbeatable. Go mock someone else... Pavano, perhaps - I can absolutely get behind that.

Throughout the second half of the season I did a (approximately) weekly "Rest O' The League Round-Up" report during which I would run through the other 29 MLB teams and sum up the goings-on in their neck of the woods in 10 words or less. I quite enjoyed writing those listies, but now that baseball is over for all but 4 teams and will be over entirely in just a couple weeks, there is really not much sense in attempting to come up with even 10 words to say about each team (right now the 10 words for most of the teams would be "Season dunzo. Golf, Wii, and 'Rock of Love' marathon time"), I have been forced to think up an alternative list-related post I can utilize here whilst we patiently await for the return of the Rest O' The League Round-Ups (oh yeah, and baseball itself). Here, then, in the stead of my beloved Rest O' The League Round-Up is the inaugural edition its off-season replacement, Top Ten Tuesdays:

Top 10 Reasons the Yanks' season ended in round 1 of the playoffs (again):
10. Despite my conviction that he was indeed a super-robot from the planet Nowalks, Joba turned out to be human after all.
9. Bad luck on three calls in game 4. Yes, umps make mistakes all the time, and the Yanks - like any team - have been the benefactor of bad calls from time to time, too... it was just plain and simple bad luck that those three mistakes all happened in the most important game of the Yanks' season.
8. Jeter and Jorgie realized that in all the years they've been with the team, they had been good in way too many post-seasons. Clearly a break was needed. (Yeah, that's sarcasm.)
6. Wang just did not have it. He didn't have it in game 1 and he sure as hell did not have it in game 4. Is he a good pitcher? Yes. Was he an integral part of the Yanks' regular season success? Absolutely. Did he blow it big time in the ALDS. Unquestionably, yes.
5. Matsui should not have been starting game 1 or 2. When a player has a bum knee, why waste a lineup spot?! He could have easily been brought in later in the game.
4. Big Stein is a jackass of even greater proportions than I had realized.
3. ABYSMAL hitting with RISP.
2. Scooter the squirrel was nowhere to be found.
1. Cleveland played their goddamn hearts out and pitched circles around the Yanks. They absolutely, 100% deserved to advance, and I have to tip my nonexistent hat to them.

That's my ten... hit me with a hundred more in the comments section!!! (and if you want to think happy thoughts with me, regale us with those tales over here)

Perhaps it sounds naive, but after the way the team played last night and the love the players have for Torre, I really did think they would muscle out another win tonight to extend their season and Torre's career.

Alas, 'twas not to be. Wang did not come through for the team, Byrd and the Cleveland 'pen pitched yet another great game, our dear Captain Clutch tried his best but couldn't hack it (or the ball). The truly horrendous (Simon Cowell accent, don't forget to use it) aspect to the loss, though, is not the premature end to the season or lack of another ring, but the plethora of gigantic question marks it leaves in its path:

• Will Torre stay or go? Will Big Stein make good on his threat?
  
• Did A-Rod do enough to earn the love of Yanks' fans that he so dearly deserves?
• Regardless of the answer to the above question, will Big Stein and the Cash Man pony up the dough to keep him?
• Wait, will the Cash Man even get to keep his job?
• What will happen with Mo, Pettitte, and Posada, all of whose contracts are up?
• What horrible, scathing things will the Yankees Chick have to say about the abysmal umpiring that went down this series when she awakes from her depression-induced slumber on Tuesday morning?

Sigh.

I don't think there's soul in the word that is under some strange ill-founded delusion that Big Stein is in any way a sane human that cares about people, but lest anyone forget for nary a moment what a whack-job the man is, he took care to remind us yesterday. Before the game last night, Big Stein decided that a high pressure situation like his team being on the brink of elimination would be the perfect time to publicly castigate his manager, saying - to the media, of course -

"His job is on the line. I think we're paying him a lot of money. He's the highest-paid manager in baseball, so I don't think we'd take him back if we don't win this series."

I understand Big Stein's frustration with the team and even with Torre, I honestly do; Torre has made some missteps this year and in the past, and what owner doesn't want their team to win? That said, though.... what is wrong with that man that he would think it is remotely OK to say something like that to the media just a few hours before the team's biggest game of the year? How, pray tell, does that make a positive impact on the team? As far as I can fathom, the only thing it accomplishes is making Torre (who, as we know, is the most sensitive and sentimental person on the planet aside from the Yankees Chick herself [what, you guys don't tear up when you pass a homeless person and you happen to not have any cash on you? It's just me?]) less effective at getting his team pumped up (how can you pretend to be gung-ho when your boss just told you that you're essentially a failure?) and putting a lot of additional pressure on the players - like they didn't have enough - to win not only for themselves but to save the job of the manager they love.

It is possible that I find this reprehensible simply because Torre seems like a good person (and I have that sensitive-as-a-2-year-old kinship with him) and I do think he has done a superb job with the team as a whole this year - imagine, if you will, what would have become of the team had someone else been the manager? Do you think for one moment that they would have been able to bounce back from all the injuries and early-season slumps to wind up just 2 games out of the division? I don't. Even putting that affection for Torre aside, though, I still cannot see how Big Stein's comment could be considered appropriate or effective. Differing opinions, please let me know.... perhaps I am just being emotional.

The playoffs just started, and already 3 of the 4 series are dunzo. After the crazy fashion in which the NL post-season teams were finally determined, with the Phillies not taking the NL east until the last day of the season and the wildcard not being decided until the 13th inning of a 1-game playoff between the Pads and the Rocks, the two NLDS series were decidedly anticlimactic. The D-Backs swept the Cubs with less effort than I expend cracking open a Dr. Pepper and reading a delightful book, and while the Phillies kept things a tad more respectable with the Rocks they too were swept. Also taking up residence in sweepsville are the Angels, who are clearly not the Kryptonite to the Sox that they are to the Yanks; Beckett, Dice-K, and Schizling made quick work of the Jesus-Crew.

The Yankees were thisclose to having to join the ranks of the Phils, Halos, and Cubbies after getting clobbered by the Indians on Thursday and by GNATS on Friday, but they prevailed at home tonight and will live to see another day. Unlike Thursday and Friday, the team seemed to be confident both at the plate and at the mound tonight. A-Rod had not one but two hits, as did Matsui, Jorgie Porgie hit one to break himself out of his own little post-season slump and Hughes looked absolutely brilliant in relief of the Rocket (who, by the way, I have to commend for pitching at all - - it seemed clear to me that he was not feeling up to it physically; I appreciate that he didn't want to let the team down but was also smart enough to step aside and let Hughes take over when it started to unravel). Damon, of course, was the true hero with his 3 hits and that 3-run smack (isn't it nice to see him hitting a homer FOR the Yanks rather than AGAINST them in October??), but Cano was a big contributer with his 3-run dub, too. In fact, the only starters that didn't join the hit party tonight were Jeter, Abreu and Giambi.

Now that the Yanks have avoided the humiliation of the sweep, we have to cross our fingers that the win tonight will prove to be enough of a boost to their morale to propel them through another 2 games. The Wangster will face off against Byrd tomorrow at 7:30pm EST, and I think that we can expect better results this time - Wang pitches much better at home than he does away, and unlike last week the rest of the team should be able to back him up with some runs. Also intriguing will be seeing Big Stein's reaction to the win and how Torre is treated by the boss man - more on that mess in the morning!!

Last night's game was a disgrace. Tonight's was just sad. I'm too bummed/sickened to even type.

After last night's disappointing (though NOT necessarily damning...) blow-out in Indians-ville, Yanks players, fans, and detractors alike all had something to say about the state of affairs. Some think their season is dunzo, a few aren't ready to judge just yet, and a bunch just hope that last night will fire the team up for a win tonight! Since you're here (why?), you know by now which category I fall into, but let's see what how others are reacting:

Peter Abraham: "Don’t give up on your squad yet. I detected not an ounce of panic in the clubhouse. This is why you want Andy Pettitte in pinstripes."

Alex at Bronx Banter: "An ass-whipping for the Yanks. Andy will pitch the biggest game of the year tomorrow."

Dave and Aziz at Pride of the Pinstripes: "Silver lining time... At least most of the kids were able to get their feet wet in this game. Duncan got to play a bit, and Ohlendorf, Veras and Hughes all pitched and were able to get any potential postseason jitters out of the way. And the Yankee hitters were extremely patient, working six walks out of Sabathia in his five innings of work (though two were intentional). This is a pitcher that walked only 37 batters all year, and didn't walk more than three in any of his 34 starts. As Mike Vaccaro notes, the team's game plan against Sabathia worked. If they keep up that approach, and keep getting that many people on base, the timely hits will follow. A-Rod, Jeter, Matsui, and Posada combined to go 0-for-14. We don't expect that to keep up."

The Star-Ledger: "The winner of Game 1 of every ALDS series involving the Yankees since 2000 ... has eventually lost the series.

Year;Game 1; Series

2006;Yanks, 8-4;Tigers, 3-1

2005;Yanks, 4-2;Angels, 3-2

2004;Twins, 2-0;Yanks, 3-1

2003;Twins, 3-1;Yanks, 3-1

2002;Yanks, 8-5;Angels, 3-1

2001;A's 5-3;Yanks, 3-2

2000;A's 5-3;Yanks, 3-2"

K Obrien at Newsday: "If this series goes to a Game 5, after seeing Wang give up eight runs in 4 2/3 innings last night, I just don't think you can start Wang. Maybe you start him on three days' rest in a Game 4 Monday, but I don't think you can send him back out there in Cleveland if there is a Game 5."

Larry at Replacement Level: "They say that pitching wins championships, that great pitching beats great hitting, etc., etc. During the broadcast, the commentators kept saying how the Yankees couldn’t win without good pitching. Uh… they would have won without good pitching tonight if they’d gotten OKAY pitching. If Wang had given up 4 runs over 6 innings, we’d probably be recapping a Yankees win right now."

SG at Replacement Level: "A split in Cleveland would be a good scenario for the Yankees. If they can win tomorrow they’ll get to go home for two games against Jake Westbrook and Paul Byrd, who are possibly even bigger question marks than Roger Clemens or Mike Mussina. It’ll be up to Andy Pettitte to keep them in the game tomorrow. Let’s hope he’s up to it."

Johnny Damon (not "Demon" today since he at least had an RBI last night): "We need to get a win back for it. Three losses and we're heading home. It would be too tough to overcome a deficit of 2-0 against this team."

The Wangster himself: "I feel today wasn't good. Maybe I worked too quick."

And finally, Mr Torre: "With what we had to deal with pretty much all year, especially since early on when we dug a hole for ourselves, we understood that we certainly can't feel sorry for ourselves."

Your turn now, friends and foes: hit me with your feelings going into game 2!

Game 1 of the division series did not go quite as planned for the Yanks. Torre and his Gang opted to hitch their star to the Wang Wagon, and unfortunately, that vehicle derailed like a runaway train after oh, say, half an inning. The Wangster only made it through 4.2 innings and gave up 9 hits and 8 runs, looking only slightly less frightened than a deer that has has the misfortune to find himself smack dab in the pathway of that aforementioned runaway train. The offense looked similarly out of it throughout the whole game - and it was ALL of them, so if I hear ONE person say that A-Rod "failed" tonight my little Yankees Chick head truly may explode - and Torre looked pretty bummed all night in the dugout.

So yes, tonight was a disappointment, no doubt about it. But let's not fret, my pets! Many folks are pushing the panic button, so to speak, but why? It's a five game series - not a one-game playoff - and this is the same team that came back from an utterly horrendous (say that with a Simon Cowell accent) first couple months to have the best second-half record in all the land, so to think that this initial loss spells defeat for the team seems a tad on the hasty side. Pettitte will bring in the calm (and da noise, and da funk) tomorrow night, and I think his experience and confidence will do wonders for the team's morale. The Yankees did not dig themselves out of their early-season grave to bust out of the playoffs in the first round again. I can't fathom this team rolling over and going down without a fight.

They better not, anyway, or I'll be out a few bucks.

We're less than 24 hours away from game 1 with the Indians, folks! Yesterday I discussed what I consider to be question marks for the team, but those are far outweighed by the positive stuff we can look forward to seeing. I sure hope the Bombers are as jazzed as I am...

Per Senor Torre's press conference today....

The lineup for tomorrow will be as follows:
Johnny "I've Been Hitting Better, Stop Calling Me Demon" Damon
Jeter Jeter Pumpkin Eater
Bobby "Jesus Helps Those Who Point To The Sky After Every Goddamn At-Bat, Just Ask Sammy" Abreu
Alex "Clutchosity is My Middle Name, For Reals Guys" Rodriguez
Jorgie Porgie Pudding and Pie
Hideki "Knee Fluid Is The New Martini" Matsui (DH)
Robby "Did Anyone Notice That I Stole 4 Bases But Got Caught 5 Times? I'm Gonna Stick To Hitting" Cano
Melk-Man
Mientkicantspellhisname

The B-Squad (which looks pretty damn good!)
Wilson "My Last Name > Yours" Betemit
Giambino
Shelley Duncan, Spirit Coordinator Extraordinaire
Jose "Catching Ability Is Genetic" Molina
Bronson "I'm Sorry, I Know No One Is Able To Think Of Anything But Sardines When They Talk About Me" Sardinha

And the pitchers we'll be biting our nails throughout the ALDS for will be:
Rotation
Wangster
Prince Pettitte
Rocket
Lil Baby Hughesie
Mike "Pussina" Mussina

Pen
Ross "I Went To Princeton, Where Did You Go To School?" Ohlendorf
The Viz
Farnsworthless
Jose "My Middle Name Is Enger; No Really, That Is Actually My Middle Name" Veras
Jobamania
Mo-Mo

Thoughts? Predictions?

I'll be on Mike Silva's NY Baseball Talk Radio tonight at about 7pm EST, chatting post-season chances and consoling Mike about the demise of the Mets. You can listen right here or head on over to the BlogTalk radio site. Tune in and feel free to call 646-716-8187 to join the action!

Now that the National League October representatives have finally been hammered out - and what the hell, Padres and Mets! I had you two down as eventual NLCS contenders - I can officially morph into post-season mode. We're just 2 days away from game 1 of the Yanks-Indians series, and the Yankees Chick's emotions seem to have been concocted from some strange mixture of nerves-juice, excitement-tonic, and terror-milk (mmmmm....terror-milk), a feeling unlikely to dissipate until the Yanks have successfully navigated their way through round 1 of post-season-ville.

Through a stroke of good luck and some magic courtesy of Dreamy Grady Sizemore, the Yankees avoided having to face the Krypotonite that is the Angels in the ALDS. This is key for the Yanks not because the Indians are a lesser team, but simply because for some unknown reason the team is reduced to little more than a gaggle of stuttering tee-ball players in the Angels' presence. The Yanks beat the Indians every time they faced them during the regular season, but while that may give the boys an extra spring in their step as they head to Cleveland it really doesn't mean much in the post-season; these games are going to be won (or lost...) on timely hitting (you can do it this year, A-Rod! I believe in you!) and on the big P-word: Pitching.

Things have been looking swell for the Yanks over the past couple months, and there is plenty to feel good about going into the series in Cleveland - A-Rod proved his clutchosity in the final few days, Hughes's last outing was great, Posada never woke up and realized he is a 36-year-old catcher and should not be hitting so well - but there are unfortunately some question marks we need to be concerned about, namely:

• Roger Clemens: Peter Abraham assures us that the Rocket has been working out and is in fine shape and Torre sounds positive that he will be able to start on Sunday, but I will not count these chickens until they are hatched in the form of Indians striking out.
  
• Moose: This man makes me wish I was the type of person that bit her nails.
  
• Matsui: He missed the last 2 games of the season because of swelling in his knee and had the fluid drained over the weekend, and Torre indicated that he may only be available to DH throughout the series. Since we have a good bench these days (thank goodness), there is no real shortage of outfielders; what worries me is having him in as DH if he is not at 100%. There is no room for half-injured players on a post-season roster.
• Farnsworthless: He is so worthless it seems like sacrilege to even waste valuable blog space discussing him. He will be on that roster though, and we all know that if someone is alive, breathing, and not bleeding profusely from one or more orifices, Torre WILL use him in a game.

These question marks, while nagging, should pale in comparison to all of the exclamation points the Yanks have in their favor (if you're not impressed with that punctuation metaphor, you are no longer welcome at my dinner table), which shall be discussed in glorious detail on Wednesday. I can't promise any more punctuation puns though... I'm tapped out.

The regular season for the Yanks is finally officially over, and I don't think there's a fan or player in all the land that isn't relieved to be off that horribly frighting death-trap of a roller coaster. When all was said and done everything went swimmingly for the dear Yanks, so rather than lament yet again about all the early-season troubles, let's break down how things ended up:

• Final record: 94-68
  
• Runs scored: 968 (first in MLB)
• RBI: 929 (first in MLB)
• Home Runs: 201 (4th in MLB)
• Batting Average: .290 (first in MLB)
• Slugging percentage: .463 (first in MLB)
• Stolen bases: 122 (7th in MLB)
  
• Pitching cumulative ERA: 4.49 (17th out of 30. Still better than I thought it might be)
• Cumulative WHIP: 1.43 (20th in MLB)
• Strikeouts by pitchers: 1,003 (24th in league. Ouch)

The disparity between those mind-boggling offensive numbers and the mediocre-at-best pitching performance is a tad disconcerting for the team's post-season chances, to be sure, but the pitching has improved over the past few months of the season. It appears that they'll be going with 11 pitchers on the roster for the first round of playoffs, so if someone can guide Torre on how to manage a bullpen (cross your fingers), they might be able to wrangle that pitching into something workable.

And hey, if not - - - take a look at those offensive stats!!!