Bleacher Report - Articles by Jordan Schwartz

Grading the New York Yankees: Pitchers

Jordan Schwartz — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:32:37 -0500

Even more than Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia was the biggest offseason acquisition for the New York Yankees last year. The Bronx Bombers have always had good hitting, but what they really lacked since last reaching the World Series in 2003, was a true ace to lead the staff through the postseason.

Take a look at the Yanks' ERA in the playoffs from 2004 to '07: 4.64, 4.40, 5.56, and 5.89.

Enter Sabathia.

The big lefty went 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA in five quality starts this postseason, leading the staff to a 3.26 ERA in the playoffs.

That's how you win a championship.

In Part One of this series, I graded New York's position players . Part Two evaluates the pitchers' performances in 2009.

CC Sabathia, SP: (A+) Some questioned why the Yankees would spend $161 million on an "overweight" pitcher who had been overworked down the stretch by the Milwaukee Brewers during the previous September and October, but the southpaw showed no ill effects of that heavy workload.

Sabathia went 19-8 with a 3.37 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 197 strikeouts in 230 innings for New York, finishing fourth in the American League Cy Young Award race.

The left-hander tied for the AL lead in wins, was fourth in ERA, and seventh in strikeouts, and he carried the Pinstripes to the division crown by going 8-0 with a 1.62 ERA from Aug. 8 to Sept. 26.

And then, of course, there was Sabathia's postseason performance, highlighted by his 2-0 record and 1.13 ERA in the AL Championship Series, which earned him Most Valuable Player honors.

Mariano Rivera, RP: (A) Mo did his job this year, converting 44 of 46 save opportunities with a 3-3 record, 1.76 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 72 strikeouts in 66-1/3 innings.

He did, however, struggle once again in two areas: tie games (.292 opponents' batting average) and against the Red Sox (1.58 WHIP).

And, obviously, I have to take exception with anyone who thinks Rivera was the most important player on the team this season. Clearly, there's no way he can rank above Sabathia, Derek Jeter, Teixeira, or Alex Rodriguez.

Remember, 40 of his 66 appearances came when the Yankees were already ahead by at least two runs, thanks largely to those four other guys. And in the playoffs, he pitched with an average lead of 2.5 runs.

Phil Hughes, RP: (A-) Hughes once again failed in the rotation, racking up a 5.45 ERA in seven starts at the beginning of the year, but his emergence as a top-flight reliever was one of the turning points in the Yankees' season.

The right-hander went 5-1 with a 1.40 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 65 strikeouts in 51-1/3 innings out of the bullpen.

I still believe the 23-year-old should get another shot at starting in 2010, at least until Chien-Ming Wang is healthy enough to return to the rotation. This would allow Hughes to get his innings up high enough that he could become a full-fledged starter in 2011, when I can't imagine Andy Pettitte will still be pitching.

Alfredo Aceves, RP: (B+) Ace was the Jack of All Trades for the Yanks this year, winning 10 games, the second most among Major League relievers behind Matt Palmer's 11 for the Angels.

The righty started a game on July 9, just four days after recording an impressive four-inning save. But Aceves was mostly a middle reliever, chewing up important innings en route to a 10-1 record with a 3.54 ERA and 1.01 WHIP.

That one spot start was a turning point in the 26-year-old's season, though, as he entered July 9 with a 2.02 ERA and then had a 4.91 the rest of the way.

A.J. Burnett, SP: (B) The right-hander acquired via free agency from Toronto struggled with his control all season, leading the league in walks (97) and wild pitches (17). There were many bright spots, however, like his eight consecutive quality starts from June 14 to July 27, during which he went 6-1 with a 1.68 ERA.

Burnett, who was 13-9 with a 4.04 overall, worked much better with Jose Molina (.221 batting average against) than he did with Jorge Posada (.270), including his most important start of the year when he allowed just one run over seven innings to win Game Two of the World Series.

Andy Pettitte, SP: (B) Last winter, the Texan didn't even know if he'd pitch again, but the Yankees are sure glad he did. The 37-year-old went 14-8 with a 4.16 ERA and won all three clinching games in the postseason. The organization should do its best to bring him back for 2010.

Phil Coke, RP: (B-) Like most relievers, the southpaw had a streaky season, pitching well during the first half before accumulating a 9.92 ERA in 21 appearances between July 8 and Aug. 30.

But his main job is to get out lefties, and he did pretty well in that regard, holding them to a .195 BAA with 32 strikeouts and just five walks. Coke's biggest problem was the long ball; he surrendered 10 in only 60 innings of work.

David Robertson, RP: (B-) This young flame thrower made quite the splash during his second season in the bigs. The 24-year-old struck out 63 batters in just 43-2/3 innings, or 12.98 K/9, fifth best in the AL. By comparison, Rivera's ratio was 9.77.

Chad Gaudin, SP: (C) The right-hander did a satisfactory job after coming over from the San Diego Padres in early August. He pitched well in six starts, as well as five relief appearances, to finish with a 2-0 record and a 3.43 ERA for the Yankees.

Brian Bruney, RP: (C-) Looking at the team's final statistics, I was astonished to find that Bruney was 5-0 with a 3.92 ERA. This is because the right-hander was so bad following his return from an injury.

On Aug. 1, Bruney had a 6.10 ERA, but manager Joe Girardi kept his confidence in the reliever and from that point forward, he allowed only three runs in 18-1/3 innings (1.47 ERA).

Bruney's biggest issue was his control as he walked 23 batters in just 39 frames.

Joba Chamberlain, SP: (C-) The righty's disappointing second half was far from only his fault.

Chamberlain was inconsistent between April and June, but he seemed to figure things out in his first three starts after the All-Star break (3-0, 0.83 ERA).

That was until the Yankees' brass decided it would be best to mess with his rest and innings pitched. The result was a 2-4 record with a 7.69 ERA over his final 11 starts.

I am so looking forward to finally seeing Joba complete a full season in the rotation without any ridiculous restrictions.

Mark Melancon, RP: (C-) The rookie had a respectable 3.86 ERA in 13 appearances, but he walked 10 batters in 16-1/3 innings.

Damaso Marte, RP: (D+) The southpaw's regular season (1-3, 9.45 ERA) was nothing but a big fat F, but Marte's shockingly good performance in the playoffs (4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5 K) was enough to bring his grade up to a D+.

Brett Tomko, RP: (D+) Tomko was 1-2 with a 5.23 ERA in 15 games for the Yankees before being shipped to Oakland, where he enacted his revenge on the Bombers by shutting them out over five innings to earn the win on Aug. 17. In fact, he finished the year with a complete game shutout of the Rangers.

Jonathan Albaladejo: RP: (D+) The right-hander was 5-1 in 32 appearances, but had an ERA of 5.24 and an astronomical WHIP of 1.66.

Edwar Ramirez, RP: (F) But those numbers were nothing compare to Ramirez's 5.73 ERA and 1.95 WHIP.

Jose Veras, RP: (F) The righty couldn't repeat his success of 2008, racking up a 5.96 ERA in 25 games for the Yanks this year before being sent to Cleveland.

Sergio Mitre, SP: (F) Some people thought that Mitre's recent success in the Minor Leagues would translate over to the Majors, but it was no surprise when a guy with a 10-23 lifetime record in the bigs entering this season, put up a 6.79 ERA in 12 appearances (nine starts).

Chien-Ming Wang, SP: (F) The former two-time 19-game winner had a 34.50 ERA in three April starts. Thirty-four point fifty. He pitched better after returning from injury on May 22, but suffered a season-ending injury on July 4 that could keep him out well into the 2010 campaign. Hopefully, he can return to the form that had him go 46-15 from 2006-08.

INCOMPLETES

Nick Swisher, Ian Kennedy, Josh Towers, Michael Dunn, and Anthony Claggett

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

NFL Power Rankings: Week 12

Jordan Schwartz — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:54:54 -0500

1. (1) Indianapolis Colts (10-0)

The oddsmakers had the undefeated Colts underdogs at Baltimore, expecting a letdown after that incredible comeback win over the Pats. Peyton Manning, however, is never an underdog.

2. (2) New Orleans Saints (10-0)

For the fifth straight contest, New Orleans was not ahead after one quarter of play. The Saints certainly played a lot better over the final 45 minutes, but they can't afford to get off to a slow start next Monday Night against New England.

3. (4) Minnesota Vikings (9-1)

I'm not happy about it, but Brett Favre has to be near the top of the list of NFL MVP candidates right now. He leads the league in QB rating (112.1) and has thrown the least amount of interceptions among full-time starters (three). I'd still go with Manning right now, though.

4. (5) New England Patriots (7-3)

Les Miles' coaching at the end of the LSU/Mississippi game was far worse than anything Bill Belichick did against Indy in Week 10.

5. (3) Cincinnati Bengals (7-3)

The Bengals allowed 10 points in the final minute to drop to 0-10 at Oakland.

6. (8) Arizona Cardinals (7-3)

Tim Hightower's 110 yards on the ground were the most by a Cardinals running back since Edgerrin James rushed for 114 on Dec. 2, 2007.

7. (9) Green Bay Packers (6-4)

The Packers defense once again did just enough to win. Green Bay is now 6-0 when it holds its opponents under 30 points.

8. (10) Dallas Cowboys (7-3)

The Cowboys have scored a grand total of two touchdowns over the past two weeks, and yet here they are at 7-3.

9. (7) Baltimore Ravens (5-5)

The Ravens would be doing very well in the BCS. Their five losses are to teams that are a combined 33-7.

10. (6) Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4)

The Steelers' stunning loss at Kansas City not only knocked me out of my eliminator pool, but it also leaves Pittsburgh with the possibility of starting a third string quarterback in a very important game at Baltimore this Sunday.

11. (12) San Diego Chargers (7-3)

The Chargers have scored in 11 straight quarters.

12. (11) Denver Broncos (6-4)

The Broncos are averaging just 9.25 points a game over their current four-game losing streak.

13. (13) Philadelphia Eagles (6-4)

The Eagles are 3-1 when LeSean McCoy leads the team in rushing.

14. (14) New York Giants (6-4)

All of those people who say NFL overtime rules are unfair because the team who wins the coin toss automatically wins the game must have missed that Pittsburgh-KC contest.

15. (15) Atlanta Falcons (5-5)

Atlanta has now lost six of its last seven on the road. The Falcons will be happy to hear that their next three are at home.

16. (16) Miami Dolphins (5-5)

Even with Ronnie Brown lost for the season, the Dolphins got a big victory at Carolina on Thursday (thanks to three touchdowns by Ricky Williams), and now have an extra three days to prepare for a very winnable game at Buffalo.

17. (17) Chicago Bears (4-6)

The Bears have lost five of six and have the unenviable task of traveling to Minnesota on Sunday.

18. (18) Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4)

Don't look now, but the Jags have won three straight and have three more winnable games coming up.

19. (19) New York Jets (4-6)

The Jets are 1-5 since Braylon Edwards showed up.

20. (22) Tennessee Titans (4-6)

Chris Johnson is averaging 161.5 yards per game during the Titans' four consecutive victories.

21. (21) Carolina Panthers (4-6)

The Panthers are 2-5 when Jake Delhomme throws a pick.

22. (20) Houston Texans (5-5)

Kris Brown's 71.4% field goal percentage ranks him 26th out of 30 qualifying kickers.

23. (23) San Francisco 49ers (4-6)

The Niners are 1-4 since Michael Crabtree joined the squad.

24. (26) Kansas City Chiefs (3-7)

The Chiefs got a gift when the Steelers decided to call a pitch play on third and two at the KC 35 in overtime. Instead of putting itself in position to attempt a game-winning field goal, Pittsburgh was forced to punt and Kansas City quickly marched down the field and scored.

25. (28) Oakland Raiders (3-7)

Why did it take this long to start Bruce Gradkowski?

26. (24) Buffalo Bills (3-7)

The Bills would win a lot more games if Terrell Owens was more involved. Oh wait, he had 197 yards and they still lost.

27. (25) Seattle Seahawks (3-7)

The Seahawks have lost six in a row on the road.

28. (27) Washington Redskins (3-7)

The 'Skins are another member of the Can't Win on the Road Club. They've lost eight consecutive away from home.

29. (29) Tampa Bay Bucs (1-9)

You can't beat the Saints when you turn the ball over four times.

30. (30) St. Louis Rams (1-9)

The Rams have lost 10 straight home games.

31. (32) Detroit Lions (2-8)

Not only did Matthew Stafford throw for 422 yards and five scores, but one of them came with a separated shoulder and no time left on the clock.

32. (31) Cleveland Browns (1-9)

Brady Quinn had the best game of his short career, throwing for 304 yards and four touchdowns, and yet the Browns still lost.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

Grading the New York Yankees: Position Players

Jordan Schwartz — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:45:06 -0500

The New York Yankees earned an A+ for their overall efforts on and off the field during the 2009 season, as they captured the 27th World Series championship in franchise history.

But who deserves most of the credit for the rings they will receive in April? In the first part of my grading series, I evaluate the position players.

Derek Jeter, SS: (A+) So much for all those critics who said the 35-year-old's best days were behind him. The captain had an MVP-caliber season, hitting .334 with 18 homers, 66 RBI, 107 runs and 30 steals. He was second in the American League in hits (212), third in batting and on-base percentage (.406), fourth in runs and eighth in thefts.

Mr. November once again came up big when it mattered most, going 11-for-27 (.407) with five runs and three doubles in the Fall Classic to secure his fifth ring in 14 seasons.

But his defense might've been the biggest surprise. The shortstop won his fourth Gold Glove, but just his first since he won three straight from 2004 to 2006.

The Yankee led all AL shortstops this year with a .986 fielding percentage, up from the .979 he had in '08. Jeter, statistically, still has the worst range at his position (3.90 range factor), but he had the best zone rating (6.48)—the percentage of balls fielded by a player in his typical defensive "zone," as measured by STATS, Inc.

The captain also committed only eight errors this season, tied for the least among shortstops with Cesar Izturis of Baltimore.

Jeter's error total and fielding percentage were the best of his 14-year career and there's no question that has a lot to do with the guy whom he was throwing the ball to at first base.

Mark Teixeira, 1B: (A+) That man was Teixeira, whom the Yankees acquired in the offseason for eight years and $180 million. It was money well spent because the first baseman is also in the race for Most Valuable Player.

The No. 3 hitter smacked 39 homers and drove in 122 runs this year, but he may have been more valuable for his defense. Teixeira's Gold Glove was his third, but his first since 2006.

He committed just four errors in 1,275 chances, which comes out to a .997 fielding percentage—tied for second with Justin Morneau, but behind Lyle Overbay's .998.

Teixeira's 2.913 zone rating was second best behind Carlos Pena of the Rays.

In 2008, Jason Giambi made five more errors in 360 less chances for a .990 fielding percentage—10th in the league.

But Teixeira's real worth can be seen by looking at how much he improved his fellow infielders' stats. In addition to Jeter, Robinson Cano saw his errors drop to the second-lowest total in his five seasons and Alex Rodriguez committed just nine errors—the fewest since he moved to third base in 2004.

But let's not forget about Teixeira's offense. He may have struggled during the playoffs, but the Bombers may not have made it that far if not for the switch-hitter's performance during the regular season.

He led the league in homers and runs batted in and finished third in slugging (.565) and OPS (.948).

Alex Rodriguez, 3B: (A) A-Rod's return from hip surgery on May 8 signaled the turning point in New York's season. Rodriguez homered on the first pitch he saw and instantly improved everyone around him.

The Yanks entered that game at Camden Yards with a 13-15 record and a No. 3 hitter who was batting a putrid .198 with an awful .396 slugging percentage. After A-Rod's return, the Pinstripes went 90-44, while Teixeira hit .310 and slugged .596. Inserting Rodriguez into the clean-up spot gave the guy in front of him a lot more good pitches to hit.

On his own, A-Rod batted .286 with 30 homers, 100 RBI, 78 runs and 14 steals in just 124 games. His two-homer, seven-RBI inning in the final regular season contest got him to the 30-homer and 100-RBI plateaus for the 12th consecutive year.

But the real story was the so-called Mr. May's performance in the playoffs. Rodriguez hit .365 with six enormously clutch homers and 18 runs batted in for an incredible .808 slugging percentage and a ridiculous 1.308 OPS.

Robinson Cano, 2B: (A-) Cano had a strange season. His .207 average with runners in scoring position ranked him 82nd out of 86 AL players with at least 125 plate appearances in those situations. Yet, he was first in the league with the bases empty (.376).

You can't criticize the second baseman for his struggles in the clutch without recognizing his ability to get on base and start rallies. Keep in mind, Cano hit .335 in the seventh inning on, which was third in the AL behind Ichiro Suzuki (.344) and Jeter (.341).

Johnny Damon, LF: (B+) Damon benefited the most from the new Yankee Stadium. He launched 24 home runs, tying a career high. He also tied Jeter for fourth in the league with 107 runs scored.

Damon struggled down the stretch, hitting .247 over the final month. But he nearly snagged World Series MVP honors with back-to-back three-hit performances in Games 4 and 5, including that amazing double-steal on one pitch at the end of Game 4.

Hideki Matsui, DH: (B) Godzilla's Fall Classic heroics were an A+, but he stumbled at times during the regular season. Matsui hit .227 with only 19 RBI in May and June, but finished strong, culminating in his World Series MVP.

The designated hitter's knees are a liability, but I'd bring him back for his bat, which produced 28 homers and 90 runs batted in this year.

Nick Swisher, RF: (B-) I was not pleased when the Yankees signed Swisher on Nov. 13 of last year because he was coming off a season with the White Sox in which he hit a league-low .219. But Swisher proved me wrong as he filled in admirably for the injured Xavier Nady.

The right fielder began the year red-hot, batting .312 with seven homers and 19 RBI in April. He really kept the offense afloat until A-Rod returned.

But Swisher's defense was very inconsistent and he was a terrible 6-for-47 (.128) with 15 strikeouts in the playoffs.

Jorge Posada, C: (C+) Posada is the worst base runner in the game, and he's not a very good catcher, either. The Core Four member's eight passed balls and seven errors were the fifth-most out of the 53 AL catchers that put on the gear behind the plate in 2009. He also didn't work well with some pitchers, driving Girardi to make Jose Molina the personal catcher for A.J. Burnett.

Luckily, Posada can still hit. His 22 homers and 81 RBI in 111 games represented a major contribution to the lineup. Now, if only he could keep his temper in check .

Melky Cabrera, CF: (C+) Cabrera lost his starting job to Brett Gardner in Spring Training, but he never complained. He simply waited for his turn, which came quickly after his replacement hit .220 in April and suffered a thumb injury in July.

Cabrera wasted no time regaining the respect of coaches and fans, picking up three walk-off hits before the All-Star break. He finished the year batting .274 with 13 homers and 68 RBI.

Jose Molina, C: (C) Molina was a non-factor at the plate, hitting .217 in 52 games, but he was once again a valuable backup catcher, especially for Burnett. The pitcher had an opponents' batting average of just .221 with Molina, as opposed to .270 with Posada.

Brett Gardner, CF: (C) Despite a slow start, Gardner was making a case for Rookie of the Year before he got hurt in July. In the end, the speedster finished third among AL first-year players with at least 250 plate appearances in batting (.270) and second in steals (26) and triples (eight).

Francisco Cervelli, C: (C) Cervelli did a nice job filling in behind the plate for the injured Posada and Molina when they both went down with injuries in May. Overall, he hit .298 in 42 games this year.

Ramiro Pena, 3B: (C) Pena was an improvement over Cody Ransom, who started the season at third base in place of the injured A-Rod. Pena hit .287 in 69 games.

Jerry Hairston Jr., Util: (C-) Hairston did little more than give guys a day off in the field after he was acquired from the Reds at the trade deadline. With the Yankees, he hit .237 with two homers and 12 RBI in 45 games.

Eric Hinske, RF: (C-) Hinske's tenure in New York began with a boom after his acquisition on July 1. He launched five homers in his first six starts, but then fizzled out to hit .226 in 39 games for the Bombers.

Juan Miranda, 1B: (D+) Miranda went 3-for-9 as a September call-up and even picked up a walk-off hit in a 4-3 win over the Royals on Sept. 29.

Kevin Cash, C: (D) Cash was called up when Posada and Molina were injured. He went 6-for-26 (.231) in 10 games.

Freddy Guzman, LF: (D) Guzman was called up in mid-September to add some speed to the team. He did that by stealing four of five bases in the regular season and even made the AL Championship Series roster, where he struck out in his only at-bat and then inexplicably pinch ran for A-Rod in Game 5.

Shelley Duncan, RF: (F) The Yankees were expecting better things out of Duncan, who didn't get a single at-bat until September. He went 3-for-15 (.200) with no homers and an RBI.

Cody Ransom, 3B: (F) I thought New York would be able to get by for a month with Ransom filling in for A-Rod, but Ransom was downright awful, hitting .190 with no homers and just 10 RBI in 31 games.

Angel Berroa, 3B: (F) Berroa was another player the organization used to try to fill in for A-Rod after Ransom also went down with an injury. Berroa hit .136 in 21 games.

Xavier Nady, RF: (INC) Nady injured his elbow after just seven games and had to undergo a second Tommy John surgery, most likely ending his short tenure in New York. That's a shame for a guy who went .305/25/97 for the Pirates and Yankees in 2008.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

NFL Power Rankings: Week 11

Jordan Schwartz — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:37:46 -0500

Parity returned to the NFL for one week as six underdogs pulled off upsets on Sunday. But the two biggest Super Bowl favorites - the Colts and Saints - managed to avoid falling from the ranks of the unbeaten by the slimmest of margins. So where does this all leave the Power Rankings?

1. (2) Indianapolis Colts (9-0)

Peyton Manning just might be the best quarterback ever.

2. (1) New Orleans Saints (9-0)

For the fourth consecutive game, the Saints failed to hold the lead at the end of the first quarter, but they overcame three turnovers to avoid an embarrassing loss at St. Louis and remain undefeated.

3. (4) Cincinnati Bengals (7-2)

The Bengals won at Pittsburgh without scoring an offensive touchdown to sweep the Steelers and take sole possession of first place in the AFC North.

4. (6) Minnesota Vikings (8-1)

Sidney Rice's 201 receiving yards were the third most in a game this season behind Miles Austin's 250 and Roddy White's 210 - both in Week 5.

5. (3) New England Patriots (6-3)

I thought there was nothing wrong with Bill Belichick's fourth and two decision .

6. (5) Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3)

The Bengals held Ben Roethlisberger without a touchdown for the first time this season.

7. (9) Baltimore Ravens (5-4)

I was wondering why ESPN would schedule the Baltimore/Cleveland game for Monday night until The Network started doing in-game promos for The Blind Side , a movie about Ravens offensive lineman Michael Oher opening on Friday. Because that's how NFL games should be scheduled.

8. (11) Arizona Cardinals (6-3)

The real Cardinals have stood up. They've won five of six and are tied for the third best record in the NFC.

9. (13) Green Bay Packers (5-4)

The Packers are 5-0 when they hold their opponents under 30 points. Seems like an easy enough formula.

10. (8) Dallas Cowboys (6-3)

The Cowboys were done in by three costly turnovers, including one that should've been reversed if not for the latest NFL Made Up Rule of the Week when the referee revealed that the recovery of a loose ball in the field of play is not reviewable.

11. (7) Denver Broncos (6-3)

On Sunday at Washington, the Broncos not only lost their third straight, but they might have also lost quarterback Kyle Orton for next week's game against San Diego.

12. (14) San Diego Chargers (6-3)

The Chargers are 27-7 in games played after Oct. 19 over the past four seasons.

13. (10) Philadelphia Eagles (5-4)

The Eagles lost their second game in a row despite 450 yards from Donovan McNabb.

14. (15) New York Giants (5-4)

Things don't get any easier for the G-Men, whose next four opponents all have winning records.

15. (12) Atlanta Falcons (5-4)

The Falcons have lost five of their last six on the road.

16. (17) Miami Dolphins (4-5)

The Dolphins nearly knocked me and 330 other people out of my huge double elimination pool. Luckily the Bucs' defense is terrible.

17. (16) Chicago Bears (4-5)

Matt Forte is averaging just 3.4 yards per carry, which ranks him 40th in the NFL.

18. (26) Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4)

I don't agree with the Jags' decision to have Maurice Jones-Drew kneel on the ball at the one yard line in the waning moments of the game against the Jets. That's a good move if you're up one, so that you don't give the ball back to the opposition, but when you're trailing by one, you need to make sure you get the points. There's a better chance of the Jags botching the short field goal than there is of the Jets scoring a touchdown with no timeouts in the final minute.

19. (18) New York Jets (4-5)

Gang Green was 3-1 before Braylon Edwards arrived. They are 1-4 since.

20. (19) Houston Texans (5-4)

Coming off a bye, the Texans face their entire division over the next three weeks

21. (21) Carolina Panthers (4-5)

Jake Delhomme has gone three straight games without an interception for the first time since since Weeks 11-13 of last year.

22. (22) Tennessee Titans (3-6)

When Chris Johnson carries the ball at least 23 times, the Titans are 3-0.

23. (23) San Francisco 49ers (4-5)

It makes me feel better when games I miss because they're on the NFL Network wind up being 10-6 snoozefests.

24. (20) Buffalo Bills (3-6)

No Bills running back has rushed for more than 71 yards in a game since Week 2.

25. (24) Seattle Seahawks (3-6)

Second-year running back Justin Forsett had a break out game rushing for 123 yards and a touchdown, but the Seahawks lost to the Cardinals, 31-20.

26. (28) Kansas City Chiefs (2-7)

This is how bad the Raiders are: the Chiefs have now beaten them seven consecutive times in Oakland.

27. (29) Washington Redskins (3-6)

Ladell Betts' 114 rushing yards against the Broncos were the most by a Redskin since Clinton Portis ran for 126 on Oct. 26, 2008.

28. (25) Oakland Raiders (2-7)

JaMarcus Russell's 67-yard effort against the Chiefs was not even his worst of the season. He threw for just 61 vs. Denver in Week 3.

29. (30) Tampa Bay Bucs (1-8)

Before Josh Freeman took over as quarterback, the Bucs were averaging just 13.7 points per game. Since his arrival, they're putting up 30.5.

30. (31) St. Louis Rams (1-8)

The Rams came within five points of pulling off the biggest upset of the year.

31. (27) Cleveland Browns (1-8)

"The Big Bang Theory" must've seen a spike in ratings on Monday night.

32. (32) Detroit Lions (1-8)

The Lions haven't had a 70-yard rusher since Week 3 against Washington, incidentally, their only win.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

Bill Belichick's Fourth-Down Decision Was Not a Terrible Call

Jordan Schwartz — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:29:54 -0500

I am not a fan of Bill Belichick, but I don't think his fourth-down call was as ludicrous as everyone thinks it was.

Up six with just over two minutes remaining, the Patriots head coach decided to go for it on fourth and two from the team's own 28 yard line, despite the fact that New England led Indianapolis by six.

Generally a ridiculous call, I wasn't shocked that Belichick rolled the dice in that situation because his offense had put up more than 450 yards and 34 points so far, and Colts quarterback Peyton Manning has been nearly impossible to stop on potential game-winning drives over the past four years.

In Tom Brady's career, the Pats have about a 63 percent conversion rate on fourth and two or less. That means by going for it on fourth down, New England had a 63 percent chance of winning the game right there.

Let's say, if the Patriots don't pick up the two yards and give Indy the ball at the 28, the Colts have a 90 percent chance of scoring a touchdown. That leaves a 10 percent chance that New England still wins the game even if they fail to convert fourth and two.

So 10 percent of the 37 percent of the time that the Pats don't pick up the first down (3.7 percent), they still win. Let's add that 3.7 percent to the 63 percent and we find that New England has roughly a 66.7 percent chance of winning the game by going for it on fourth down.

But what if the Patriots punt?

In that situation, Indianapolis probably gets the ball around its own 25. Now here's the big question. What are the chances the young, exhausted New England defense has of stopping the red-hot Manning from marching down the field and scoring the game-winning touchdown anyway?

Well, in that fourth quarter, he had already led the Colts on a 79-yard touchdown drive in just 2:04 to cut the deficit to 31-21.

The next time Manning got the ball, he was picked off, but on Indy's third possession, he again went 79 yards for the score and this time, it took only 1:49.

Being very conservative, I'd say there was a one-out-of-three chance the Colts were going to get into the end zone if they got the ball back with two minutes left in the game, considering how incredibly clutch their quarterback has been over the past four seasons.

So a 33.3 percent chance the Patriots lose if they punt the ball away and a 33.3 percent chance they lose if the go for it on fourth down.

Then why are many calling this one of the worst coaching decisions of the decade?

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

New York Yankees Golden Infield: Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira Earn Gold Gloves

Jordan Schwartz — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:26:55 -0500

In 2008, Derek Jeter would often range to his left on a ball up the middle, but fail to get his glove down in time to make the play. Even if the shortstop did get some leather on it, a throw in the dirt would rarely get picked by first baseman Jason Giambi and the runner would be safe with a single.

This season, however, it seemed like the captain got to a lot more balls and even if he short-hopped the throw over to first, Mark Teixeira would make the play nearly every time.

Defense is often an overlooked part of baseball, but in 2009, the Yankees used it to help them win a 27th World Series title. And on Tuesday, Jeter and Teixeira were recognized for the efforts with American League Gold Glove Awards.

For the shortstop, it was his fourth, but the first since he won three straight from 2004-2006. Jeter has recently been criticized for his defense, but worked hard at it this past offseason and it showed.

The Yankee led all AL shortstops this year with a .986 fielding percentage, up from the .979 he had in '08. Jeter, statistically, still has the worst range at his position (3.90 range factor), but he had the best zone rating (6.48)—or the percentage of balls fielded by a player in his typical defensive "zone," as measured by STATS, Inc.

The captain also committed only eight errors this season, tied for the least among shortstops with Cesar Izturis of Baltimore.

Jeter's error total and fielding percentage were the best of his 14-year career and there's no question that has a lot to do with the guy whom he was throwing the ball to at first base.

Teixeira's Gold Glove was his third, but his first since 2006. The No. 3 hitter smacked 39 homers and drove in 122 runs this year, but he may have been more valuable for his defense.

The first baseman committed just four errors in 1,275 chances, which comes out to a .997 fielding percentage—tied for second with Justin Morneau, but behind Lyle Overbay's .998.

Teixeira's 2.913 zone rating was second best behind Carlos Pena of the Rays.

In 2008, Giambi made five more errors in 360 less chances for a .990 fielding percentage—10th in the league.

But Teixeira's real worth can be seen by looking at how much he improved his fellow infielders' stats. In addition to Jeter, Robinson Cano saw his errors drop to the second lowest total in his five seasons, and Alex Rodriguez committed just nine errors—the fewest since he moved to third base in 2004.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison.

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

NFL Power Rankings: Week 10

Jordan Schwartz — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:25:54 -0500

In my Week 10 Power Rankings last year , only one team was undefeated, and just three teams had one loss, or fewer. At the midway point this season, there are two perfect squads, and five organizations with no more than one win. Parity no longer reigns in the 2009 version of the NFL. Let's sort it all out.

1. (1) New Orleans Saints (8-0)

For the third straight week, the Saints trailed after the first quarter, only to come back to win the game. New Orleans shouldn't trail at all in its next two contests at St. Louis, and Tampa Bay, before the big showdown at home with the Patriots on Nov. 30.

2. (2) Indianapolis Colts (8-0)

The last three games between the Colts and Texans have been decided by a combined 13 points, but Indy has won them all.

3. (4) New England Patriots (6-2)

After giving up 216 yards on the ground, the first time these two division rivals met last year, the Pats held the Fins to just 66 rushing yards in their second meeting of 2008, so it should've been no surprise that New England was able to overcome the Wildcat once again to beat Miami on Sunday.

4. (5) Cincinnati Bengals (6-2)

Cedric Benson is the first player to run for at least 100 yards against Baltimore twice in one year since Jerome Bettis did it for the Steelers in 1997.

5. (6) Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)

Ben Roethlisberger leads the league in completion percentage at 70.6.

6. (7) Minnesota Vikings (7-1)

The schedule makers gave the Vikes a gift, lining up three home games after their bye week.

7. (3) Denver Broncos (6-2)

The Broncos could only muster 27 rushing yards in their loss to the Steelers.

8. (13) Dallas Cowboys (6-2)

The Cowboys needed to prove they could beat a winning team on the road, and they did just that on Sunday night, defeating the Eagles, 20-16.

9. (8) Baltimore Ravens (4-4)

The Ravens' four losses have come to three teams that are a combined 19-5.

10. (9) Philadelphia Eagles (5-3)

It should be another fun week in the City of Brotherly Love for Andy Reid, who will get killed for kicking a field goal instead of going for it on fourth down with his team down seven late in the fourth quarter.

11. (11) Arizona Cardinals (5-3)

The Cardinals have won five consecutive true road games (the Super Bowl doesn't count).

12. (14) Atlanta Falcons (5-3)

The Falcons, on the other hand, prefer home cooking. They've now come out on top in seven straight contests at the Georgia Dome.

13. (10) Green Bay Packers (4-4)

Intently watching the fourth quarter of the Packers game, because I had them as one of my team two teams in my double elimination knockout pool, I realized that the offensive line isn't entirely to blame for Aaron Rodgers' league-leading 37 sacks. The quarterback refuses to throw the ball.

14. (16) San Diego Chargers (5-3)

Philip Rivers won the battle of 2004 Draft picks over Eli Manning, as the Chargers QB led an 80-yard touchdown drive to shock the Giants with 21 seconds left.

15. (12) New York Giants (5-4)

Only the Lions are on a worse losing streak than the G-Men.

16. (15) Chicago Bears (4-4)

The Bears had no answer for Kurt Warner, and Larry Fitzgerald.

17. (17) Miami Dolphins (3-5)

The Dolphins are 1-5 against teams not named the Jets.

18. (18) New York Jets (4-4)

Speaking of which, Gang Green had a week off before hosting a must-win game against the Jags.

19. (19) Houston Texans (5-4)

The Ryan Moats era in Houston may be over after two weeks. Following his 23 carries for 126 yards and three touchdowns against the Bills' last-ranked rush defense, the running back picked up just 38 yards on 16 attempts against the more formidable Colts.

20. (20) Buffalo Bills (3-5)

Following their bye, the Bills are back on the road, where they've won two straight.

21. (21) Carolina Panthers (3-5)

The Panthers remain undefeated this year (1-0) when Jake Delhomme throws more touchdowns than interceptions, after the quarterback failed to get the ball into the end zone against the Saints.

22. (26) Tennessee Titans (2-6)

Vince Young hasn't been outstanding, but one thing he's doing better than Kerry Collins is handing the ball off to Chris Johnson. The running back averaged only 15.8 carries over the first six weeks (all losses), but is getting 24.5 attempts during back-to-back victories.

23. (22) San Francisco 49ers (3-5)

The previous three losses were understandable, but falling at home to a one-win Tennessee team will be hard to bounce back from.

24. (23) Seattle Seahawks (3-5)

The 'Haws are 3-2 when Matt Hasselbeck is healthy enough to start.

25. (24) Oakland Raiders (2-6)

In a game of very little importance, the Raiders host the Chiefs this Sunday.

26. (25) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4)

The Jags are the lowest ranked four-win team, because their victories have come over teams that are a combined 9-24.

27. (27) Cleveland Browns (1-7)

ESPN must be thrilled about its upcoming Browns/Ravens Monday Night game.

28. (28) Kansas City Chiefs (1-7)

I can't see Larry Johnson's release having any effect on the Chiefs one way or the other.

29. (29) Washington Redskins (2-6)

Clinton Portis' concussion is about the last thing the 'Skins needed right now.

30. (32) Tampa Bay Bucs (1-7)

The Josh Freeman era has started well in Tampa Bay.

31. (30) St. Louis Rams (1-7)

We could see a three-touchdown spread in the Rams/Saints game this week.

32. (31) Detroit Lions (1-7)

Welcome back to the bottom. For the second time this season, the Lions have the longest losing streak in the NFL.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

Why Texas, Michigan State, Kansas, and UNC Will Reach the Final Four

Jordan Schwartz — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:00:50 -0500

Before the 2007-2008 college basketball season, I came up with a mathematical formula to create my very own preseason Top 25. As it turned out, the top three teams in my rankings (Memphis, Kansas and UCLA) made the Final Four. My number four team, Louisville, did not, but my number five team, North Carolina, did.

I thought the chances of lightning striking twice were slim, but I decided to apply the formula again for the 2008-2009 season. The result was a financially successful March as I won my bracket pool because I had UNC beating Michigan State (my preseason top two) in the championship game.

So here are my projections for the 2009-2010 campaign.

The formula has three parts:

A. Previous season finish

The previous season's national champion (UNC) starts off with 65 points.

The runner-up (Michigan State) gets 64.

Losing in the Final Four (Villanova, UConn) gets you 63 points.

Teams losing in the Elite Eight get 61.

Teams losing in the Sweet 16 get 57.

Teams losing in the second round get 49.

Teams losing in the first round get 33.

And teams which missed the tournament, but are expected to improve this year, get 18.

B. Returning Impact Players

That starting number is then multiplied by the number of returning players that I believe will have a major impact on the team this season.

C. Impact Freshmen

Finally, I take that subtotal and add 10 points for every impact freshman joining the team this year. Impact transfers fall into this category as well.

I have ranked the following 40 teams in order of the total points they receive according to this formula. If you feel like I have left someone out or your favorite team should be higher up the list, let me know.

1. Texas (49*6+40=324)

Returners: Damion James, Dexter Pittman, Justin Mason, Gary Johnson, Varez Ward, Dogus Balbay

Freshmen/Transfer: Avery Bradley, Jordan Hamilton, J'Covan Brown, Jai Lucas

2. Michigan State (64*5=320)

Returners: Kalin Lucas, Raymar Morgan, Delvon Roe, Durrell Summers, Chris Allen

3. Kansas (57*5+30+315)

Returners: Sherron Collins, Tyshawn Taylor, Markieff Morris, Marcus Morris, Cole Aldrich

Freshmen: Xavier Henry, Elijah Johnson, Thomas Robinson

4. North Carolina (65*4+30=290)

Returners: Ed Davis, Marcus Ginyard, Larry Drew, Deon Thompson

Freshmen: John Henson, Dexter Strickland, Leslie McDonald

5. Purdue (57*5=285)

Returners: Robbie Hummel, E'Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson, Keaton Grant, Chris Kramer

6. Villanova (63*4+30=282)

Returners: Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes, Reggie Redding

Freshmen: Mouphtaou Yarou, Dominic Cheek, Maalik Wayns

7. Connecticut (63*4+10=262)

Returners: Stanley Robinson, Kemba Walker, Alex Oriakhi, Jerome Dyson

Freshmen: Alex Oriakhi

8. Louisville (61*4+10=254)

Returners: Samardo Samuels, Jerry Smith, Edgar Sosa, Terrence Jennings

Freshmen: Peyton Siva

9. Michigan (49*5=245)

Returners: Manny Harris, DeShawn Sims, Zack Novak, Laval Lucas-Perry, Stu Douglass

10. Duke (57*3+30=201)

Returners: Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, Jon Scheyer

Freshmen: Mason Plumlee, Ryan Kelly, Andre Dawkins

t-11. Butler (33*6=198)

Returners: Matt Howard, Gordon Hayward, Shelvin Mack, Willie Veasley, Ronald Nored, Chase Stigall

t-11. Northern Iowa (33*6=198)

Returners: Jordan Eglseder, Adam Koch, Lucas O'Rear, Kwadzo Ahelegbe, Ali Farokhmanesh, Johnny Moran

t-13. Siena (49*4=196)

Returners: Edwin Ubiles, Ronald Moore, Alex Franklin, Ryan Rossiter

t-13. Dayton (49*4=196)

Returners: Chris Wright, Marcus Johnson, London Warren, Chris Johnson

t-15. West Virginia (33*5=165)

Returners: Darryl Bryant, Joe Mazzulla, Wellington Smith, Da'Sean Butler, Devin Ebanks

t-15. Mississippi State (33*5=165)

Returners: Jarvis Varnado, Barry Stewart, Ravern Johnson, Dee Bost, Phil Turner

t-15. Tennessee (33*5=165)

Returners: Tyler Smith, Wayne Chism, J.P. Prince, Scotty Hopson, Bobby Maze

18. California (33*4=132)

Returners: Jerome Randle, Patrick Christopher, Theo Robertson, Jamal Boykin

19. Xavier (57*2+20=134)

Returners: Jason Love, Dante' Jackson

Freshmen/Transfers: Mark Lyons, Jordan Crawford

20. Syracuse (57*2+10=124)

Returners: Arinze Onuaku, Andy Rautins

Transfers: Wesley Johnson

t-21. Maryland (49*2=98)

Returners: Greivis Vasquez, Sean Mosley

t-21. Texas A&M (49*2=98)

Returners: Donald Sloan, Bryan Davis

t-21. Oklahoma State (49*2=98)

Returners: James Anderson, Obi Muonelo

24. Clemson (33*2+20=86)

Returners: Trevor Booker, Demontez Stitt

Freshmen: Milton Jennings, Noel Johnson

25. Kentucky (18*3+30=84)

Returners: Patrick Patterson, Perry Stevenson, Ramon Harris

Freshmen: DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall, Daniel Orton

26. Oklahoma (61*1+20=81)

Returners: Willie Warren

Freshmen: Keith Gallon, Tommy Mason-Griffin

t-27. Georgetown (18*4=72)

Returners: Greg Monroe, Chris Wright, Austin Freeman, Jason Clark

t-27. South Carolina (18*4=72)

Returners: Devan Downey, Dominique Archie, Mike Holmes, Brandis Raley-Ross

29. Memphis (57*1+10=67)

Returners: Doneal Mack

Transfer: Elliot Williams

t-30. VCU (33*2=66)

Returners: Larry Sanders, Joey Rodriguez

t-30. Ohio State (33*2=66)

Returners: Evan Turner, Dallas Lauderdale

t-32. Utah State (33*2=66)

Returners: Jared Quayle, Tai Wesley

t-32. Illinois (33*2=66)

Returners: Demetri McCamey, Mike Davis

34. Missouri (61*1=61)

Returners: Kim English

35. Washington (49*1+10=59)

Returners: Isaiah Thomas

Freshmen: Abdul Gaddy

t-36. Gonzaga (57*1=57)

Returners: Matt Bouldin

t-36. Arizona (57*1=57)

Returners: Nic Wise

38. Georgia Tech (18*2+20=56)

Returners: Iman Shumper, Gani Lawal

Freshmen: Mfon Udofia, Derrick Favors

39. Kansas State (18*2+20=56)

Returners: Denis Clemente, Jacob Pullen

Freshmen/Transfers: Wally Judge, Curtis Kelly

40. Creighton (18*3=54)

Returners: P'Allen Stinnett, Kenny Lawson, Chad Millard

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison.

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

Worth the Wait: New York Yankees Win First World Series in Nine Years

Jordan Schwartz — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:22:12 -0500

On the night of Nov. 1, 2001, I was sitting alone in the second-floor lounge of Shaw Hall on the campus of Syracuse University, having been banished there after cheering too loudly in the room of two Red Sox fans following Scott Brosius' game-tying two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth.

After Alfonso Soriano singled home Chuck Knoblauch in the bottom of the 12th to win Game Five and take a 3-2 World Series lead on the Arizona Diamondbacks, I celebrated by obnoxiously banging on the door of the room from which I had been expelled.

The New York Yankees now had two chances to close out the Fall Classic and capture their fourth consecutive championship.

But Randy Johnson silenced the Bombers in Game Six and the next night, Luis Gonzalez singled off Mariano Rivera and over Joe Torre's drawn-in infield to break the hearts of all Yankee fans and millions of New Yorkers still reeling from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Over the following seven seasons, the Pinstripes' goal of reclaiming their perch atop baseball's mountain was thwarted by two Rally Monkeys, a historic collapse, overspending on washed-up talent, and a manager who had lost his touch.

That all changed Wednesday night, when at a new stadium with a new skipper and three key offseason acquisitions supported by a core group of Yankees that have been around since 1996, the Bronx Bombers captured their 27th World Series title.

Here are the grades from the Yanks' 7-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game Six.

Joe Girardi, Manager: (A) I disagreed with Girardi's decision to start A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte on short rest in Games Five and Six when the Yankees had a 3-1 Series lead, but while the right-hander floundered, the veteran southpaw gutted out five and two-thirds innings to pick up his second victory of this Fall Classic.

Pettitte wasn't great. He gave up three runs and walked five, while throwing almost as many balls (44) as strikes (50); he was fortunate the offense put up seven runs in the first five innings and he left the shaky bullpen with 13 outs to record, but in the end, the left-hander did his job.

Derek Jeter, SS: (A+) The captain was 3-for-5 with a double and was the second most valuable player in the Series for New York, finishing with a .407 average.

Johnny Damon, LF: (B) Damon went 0-for-1 with a walk and a run scored before exiting with a strained left calf that he suffered while running the bases in the third inning.

I know he's getting old and has one of the weakest outfield arms in baseball, but he went .282/24/82 this year and hit .364 in the World Series, so I would try to re-sign the free agent this offseason. Unless they get Matt Holliday.

Mark Teixeira, 1B: (A) Teixeira hit only .136 vs. the Phillies, but he walked and picked up an RBI single in the fifth. The Yankees won four championships in the six years before Jason Giambi arrived in the Bronx; they didn't win a single ring during his seven-year tenure, and they won the first season the cancer was removed. That is not a coincidence.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B: (A) A-Rod was 1-for-2 with a steal, two walks, and a pair of runs scored in the game that clinched him his first world title. He hit .365 with six homers and a franchise record 18 RBI in the postseason, forever removing that ridiculous Mr. May tag.

Hideki Matsui, DH: (A++) In my two seasons of handing out grades after Yankees games, this is my first A++. I said earlier this postseason that with opposing teams pitching around the red-hot Rodriguez, someone would have to step up out of the No. 5 hole, and that's exactly what Godzilla did in Game Six.

Credit Girardi for placing Matsui ahead of Jorge Posada, who entered the contest 11-for-60 (.183) with 33 strikeouts in his career against Pedro Martinez.

All the Japanese native did was go 3-for-4 with a double, homer, and a record-tying six RBI, finishing the World Series hitting .615 with three jacks and eight runs batted in. They should re-sign Matsui as well.

Jorge Posada, C: (C) Posada went hitless in three at-bats, had a passed ball, and went 0-for-1 gunning down base stealers, but he walked and generally handled the four pitchers well.

Robinson Cano, 2B: (F) Cano had a terrible 0-for-4, two strikeout game to conclude a dreadful Fall Classic, during which he hit only .136.

Nick Swisher, RF: (D+) Swisher was 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.

Brett Gardner, CF: (F) Gardner was hitless in four at-bats, struck out twice, and couldn't get a bunt down to finish up an 0-for-9 World Series.

Jerry Hairston Jr., LF: (C) Taking over for the injured Damon, Hairston went 0-for-2 with a beautiful sac bunt.

Andy Petttitte, SP: (B) The Texan had some control issues, but managed to wiggle out of trouble until he surrendered a two-run homer to Ryan Howard in the sixth. Pettitte threw a wild pitch and struck out five.

Joba Chamberlain, RP: (B-) Joba didn't give up a run in his inning of work, but he again ran into trouble, allowing a hit and a walk in the seventh. I'm looking forward to seeing him pitch a full year as a starter.

Damaso Marte, RP: (A) I don't think anyone expected Marte, who had a 9.45 ERA during the regular season, to be this good in the playoffs, but kudos to Girardi for sticking with him. The left-hander struck out Chase Utley and Howard in Game Six and yielded just two base runners over four scoreless postseason innings.

Mariano Rivera, RP: (A-) Mo did his job as he yielded only a hit and a walk while picking up the final five outs, but let me explain why I am so bothered by the credit heaped on Rivera.

He was shaky in Game Two and then pitched with at least a three-run lead in his other three appearances, and yet some people were tweeting during the game that the closer deserved the MVP over Matsui.

That's lunacy.

Rivera is important, but there's no way he was more than the seventh most valuable player for the Yankees in this Series (Matsui, Jeter, Damon, A-Rod, CC Sabathia, Pettitte).

Yankees Overall Grade: (A+) The Yankees are world champions and I can't wait to go to that parade at 11 am on Friday. Hope to see you all there.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

NFL Power Rankings: Week 9

Jordan Schwartz — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:45:35 -0500

And then there were two.

Baltimore's 30-7 win over Denver knocked the Broncos from the ranks of the unbeatens, leaving just one team in each conference without a loss - New Orleans and Indianapolis. Could this be your Super Bowl match-up? There's still a long way to go.

1. (1) New Orleans Saints (7-0)

The Saints remained undefeated by beating the Falcons, 35-27, on Monday Night Football, but I was busy watching Joe Girardi ruin the Yankees' World Series chances.

2. (3) Indianapolis Colts (7-0)

The Colts haven't turned the ball over since Oct. 11.

3. (2) Denver Broncos (6-1)

I'm not surprised the Broncos lost their first game of the year to the Ravens, but scoring one touchdown after having two weeks to prepare has to be disappointing.

4. (4) New England Patriots (5-2)

That bye week came at the perfect time for the Pats, who get set to play their next five games against teams with a combined record of 24-12.

5. (5) Cincinnati Bengals (5-2)

Baltimore's last opponent had two weeks to prepare and it still got blown out. Hopefully the Bengals are studying harder before hosting the Ravens on Sunday.

6. (6) Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)

After an undefeated October, the Steelers had an off week before heading to Denver on Monday night and then playing the Bengals after a short week.

7. (7) Minnesota Vikings (7-1)

For the past two seasons, Brett Favre has played with the Packers fans' hearts. On Sunday, he ripped them out completely.

8. (8) Baltimore Ravens (4-3)

The Ravens haven't committed a turnover in more than 120 minutes of game time.

9. (24) Philadelphia Eagles (5-2)

Okay, I'm just going to treat that loss to Oakland as a complete and utter fluke and just go the rest of the season with the understanding that the Eagles are a good team.

10. (9) Green Bay Packers (4-3)

The Packers biggest problem is not Favre; it's their offensive line which has given up a league leading 31 sacks.

11. (10) Arizona Cardinals (4-3)

In last year's playoffs, the Cardinals took advantage of five Jake Delhomme interceptions to beat the Panthers, 33-13. On Sunday, Kurt Warner returned the favor as he was also picked off on five occasions in Arizona's 34-21 loss.

12. (11) New York Giants (5-3)

Over their first five games, the G-Men allowed 14.2 points per game (all wins). Over their past three, they've given up 37.3 ppg. And it doesn't get any easier as New York's next five contests are against the Chargers, Falcons, Broncos, Cowboys and Eagles. Luckily, four of those are at home.

13. (12) Dallas Cowboys (5-2)

The Cowboys continue to roll, but they only have one victory over a winning team.

14. (13) Atlanta Falcons (4-3)

The Falcons have now lost four of their last five road games, including the playoffs.

15. (14) Chicago Bears (4-3)

The Bears entered the week 29th in rushing at just 80.7 yards per game, but racked up 170 against the Browns.

16. (15) San Diego Chargers (4-3)

The Chargers had a lot of eliminator pool participants holding their breath in the fourth quarter as they held off the Raiders, 24-16.

17. (16) Miami Dolphins (3-4)

The Dolphins wish they could play the Jets every week.

18. (18) New York Jets (4-4)

The Jets defense let them down in their Week 5 loss to the Dolphins, their offense was bad the following game against Buffalo and the New York special teams was the culprit this past Sunday as Ted Jr. returned two kicks to the house for Miami.

19. (19) Houston Texans (5-3)

Before you get too excited about Ryan Moats' 23 carries for 126 yards and three touchdowns, remember, the Bills rush defense is ranked dead last in the NFL giving up 174.1 yards per game. That being said, the Texans are red hot, winning three in a row.

20. (17) Buffalo Bills (3-5)

Don't worry, Bills fans, Buffalo (1-3 at home) heads back on the road for two games after their bye.

21. (25) Carolina Panthers (3-4)

The Panthers are undefeated this year (1-0) when Delhomme throws more touchdowns than interceptions. They're also undefeated when the opposing quarterback gets picked off five times.

22. (20) San Francisco 49ers (3-4)

I wouldn't give up on the Niners just yet. If Alex Smith started that game against Houston, San Fran would be 4-3 and he kept his team close at Indy.

23. (21) Seattle Seahawks (2-4)

The 'Haws are 2-9 on the road over the past two seasons.

24. (23) Oakland Raiders (2-6)

JaMarcus Russell has completed less than half of his passes this season and has a 2:9 touchdown to interception ratio. How is he still starting?

25. (22) Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4)

The Jags gave up 430 yards of offense to a previously winless team.

26. (28) Tennessee Titans (1-6)

The Vince Young experiment worked, but the Titans' first win was more about Chris Johnson's 228 yards and two rushing touchdowns.

27. (27) Cleveland Browns (1-7)

That's two straight games without a touchdown.

28. (29) Kansas City Chiefs (1-6)

It's incredible how this team isn't even close to the worst in football.

29. (30) Washington Redskins (2-5)

Washington will almost definitely lose its next five games.

30. (32) St. Louis Rams (1-7)

The Rams won the Toilet Bowl, 17-10.

31. (26) Detroit Lions (1-6)

I don't know how you bounce back after losing to St. Louis at home.

32. (31) Tampa Bay Bucs (0-7)

And we have a new biggest loser. The Bucs have dropped 11 in a row.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

Joe Girardi May Have Cost Yankees World Series by Starting A.J. Burnett

Jordan Schwartz — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:33:02 -0500

There was no reason to start A.J. Burnett on three days' rest in Game Five of the World Series against the Phillies.

I'm not second guessing. As I wrote after New York won Game Four to go up 3-1, sending the right-hander to the mound was an unnecessary risk.

Sure, Burnett entered with a 4-0 record and a 2.33 ERA in his career on short rest, but he hadn't been tested like that all season.

It would've been a necessary gamble if the Series was tied at two, but with three chances to close out the Fall Classic and the red-hot Cliff Lee going for Philadelphia, manager Joe Girardi should've started Chad Gaudin.

Turning to Gaudin, who hasn't started since Sept. 28, would've given the Bombers a slim chance of beating Lee, who struck out 10 batters while giving up only one unearned run in a nine-inning effort in Game One.

But how much better were their chances with Burnett on the mound on short rest?

The Yankees didn't have to win Game Five; they had to win one of three and the best way to do that would've been to start Burnett on full rest in Game Six at home. A.J. was 5-3 with a 3.51 ERA at home during the regular season, as opposed to 8-6 with a 4.59 on the road.

And that's not the only reason. Now Andy Pettitte has to start on three days' rest on Wednesday and he does not have good career numbers in those situations (4-6, 4.15).

In addition, if the Yankees had pitched Burnett in Game Six and he lost, they'd still have Pettitte available to relieve CC Sabathia in a possible Game Seven. This is important considering the big lefty might not have his best stuff starting for the second consecutive time on short rest.

For all of these reasons, Girardi made the wrong call starting Burnett in Game Five.

Let's take a look at the grades from New York's 8-6 loss on Monday night.

Joe Girardi, Manager: (F)

Derek Jeter, SS: (D)

The captain was uncharacteristically unclutch when he stepped to the plate with runners at the corners and no one out in the ninth. He grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, and while the Yankees still brought the tying run to the plate in Mark Teixeira, Jeter's double-dip prevented Alex Rodriguez from batting with the game on the line.

Johnny Damon, LF: (A+)

Damon has overtaken Jeter for the lead in the Most Valuable Player award race if New York is able to win its 27th World Series title. The left-handed batter had three singles—including another one after a long at-bat in the ninth to keep the rally alive—walked, scored twice, and drove in a run the only time he made an out. Damon is now hitting .381 in the Fall Classic.

Mark Teixeira, 1B: (C-)

Teixeira's invisibility in the first two rounds of the playoffs went relatively unnoticed because of the Yankees' success. Now his postseason slump may finally be hurting the team. The first baseman doubled in five at-bats and scored a run to raise his World Series average to .105, but he swung at two bad pitches to strike out and end the game.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B: (A+)

After a slow start to the Series, A-Rod has heated up over the past two games, doubling twice and driving in three runs on Monday. He also made a heads-up play on the base paths to score on Robinson Cano's sac-fly to relatively shallow center in the eighth.

Nick Swisher, RF: (D+)

Incredibly, the Phillies kept giving Rodriguez pitches to hit even though Swisher was batting behind him. The right fielder was 0-for-3 with a walk.

Robinson Cano, 2B: (B+)

Cano was 1-for-3 with that sac-fly in the eighth.

Brett Gardner, CF: (D+)

Brett Gardner got the start in Game Five due to Melky Cabrera's hamstring injury. Gardner was a failure at the plate, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout. But he made an outstanding catch crashing into the wall in left center. With his speed, I still don't understand why he doesn't just lay down a bunt every time up.

Jose Molina, C: (C-)

Molina was retired in his only at-bat before being pinch-hit for by Jorge Posada in the fifth. I blame the pitcher's bad outing more on Burnett and Girardi, but Molina made a poor throw to second on Chase Utley's stolen base.

Jorge Posada, PH-C: (B+)

Posada doubled and scored in three at-bats after replacing Molina.

Eric Hinske, PH: (INC)

Hinske walked and scored for David Robertson in the fifth.

Jerry Hairston Jr., PH: (INC)

Hairston flied to center for Alfredo Aceves in the seventh.

Hideki Matsui, PH: (B)

Godzilla singled to left for Phil Hughes to keep the rally going in the ninth. I don't fault Girardi for not pinch-running for him to stay out of the double play that Jeter hit into. At that point, they only had Pena on the bench and there was no reason to replace a guy who wasn't the tying or go-ahead run. Jeter's DP was tailor-made anyway.

A.J. Burnett, SP: (F)

It was obvious right from the beginning that the right-hander didn't have it. He surrendered six runs on four hits and four walks, while striking out two in just two-plus innings. Hopefully, he'll be available for at least an inning of relief in a possible Game Seven.

David Robertson, RP: (A)

Robertson allowed one of Burnett's runs to score, but he pitched very well, giving up only one hit and striking out two in a pair of innings. He may have jumped right up the reliever pecking order for the rest of the Series.

Alfredo Aceves, RP: (A)

Aceves also looked good, yielding just one hit and striking out one in two scoreless innings of work.

Phil Coke, RP: (F)

Coke, on the other hand, surrendered solo shots to Utley (his record-tying fifth in the Series) and Raul Ibanez in the seventh.

Phil Hughes, RP: (A)

The righty gave up one hit and struck out one in 1.3 innings to lower his Fall Classic ERA to 16.20.

Yankees Overall Grade: (C-)

The offense scored enough runs to win and the bullpen pitched well (other than Coke), but Burnett's start gave the Yankees very little chance to win. Worse yet, it may hurt their chances to win Games Six and Seven.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com .

Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter Have Yankees One Win From World Series Title

Jordan Schwartz — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:03:49 -0500

With Johnny Damon down 1-2 in the count against Brad Lidge with two outs in the ninth, things were beginning to look very iffy for the Yankees' chances of winning their 27th World Series.

After Joba Chamberlain surrendered a game-tying home run to Pedro Feliz in the bottom of the eighth, the Phillies carried all the momentum into the ninth.

With Philadelphia's ace, Cliff Lee, scheduled to start Game 5 on Monday against A.J. Burnett on just three days' rest, a win on Sunday would've put the National League champs in control of this series.

But Damon, who had already doubled and picked up an RBI single, fouled off three more pitches and worked the count full before lacing a base hit to left on the ninth pitch of the at-bat.

With Mark Teixeira up next, Damon took advantage of the defensive shift by stealing second and then popping up and also swiping third, which no one was covering.

After Teixeira was hit by a pitch, Alex Rodriguez brought Damon home with an RBI double to give New York a 5-4 lead.

Jorge Posada's single then plated two more, capping a three-run, game-winning rally all started by Damon.

Here are the grades from the Bombers' 7-4 victory, which gave them a 3-1 World Series advantage.

Joe Girardi, Manager: (A) The skipper's decision to start CC Sabathia on three days' rest worked out as the starter pitched well, leaving with a 4-3 lead in the seventh.

I thought Girardi could've kept the big southpaw in to pitch to Ryan Howard (3-for-16 vs. CC) with two outs in that inning, but Damaso Marte entered and retired the left-hander for the fifth time in five career confrontations.

And sending Damon with the shift on Teixeira was the correct aggressive move in the ninth inning.

Derek Jeter, SS: (A) The captain is one of the front-runners for the World Series Most Valuable Player Award. His RBI single to left in the fifth gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead. He had another base hit, walked, and scored to improve his 2009 Fall Classic average to .412.

Johnny Damon, LF: (A+) Damon entered this game just 2-for-12 in the World Series, but in Game 4, he went 3-for-5 with two runs, an RBI and those two stolen bases on one play.

Mark Teixeira, 1B: (C) Teixeira was 0-for-4 and is now hitting only .071 in the Series, but he had an RBI ground out in the first and was hit by a pitch and scored in the ninth.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B: (B+) Lost a little in Damon's great game was A-Rod's game-winning RBI double in the ninth. He has just two hits in 14 World Series at bats, but they've been big ones: the two-run homer in Game 3 and the double in this contest.

Rodriguez was also hit by a pitch and scored on Sunday. He's now been plunked three times by the Phillies in the last two games, and the one from the hand of Joe Blanton looked intentional, as there was one out and a runner on third.

The umpires were wrong (shocking) to issue warnings, thereby disallowing Sabathia from retaliating or maybe even pitching inside for the entire game.

Jorge Posada, C: (A) Posada made Blanton pay as he followed that HBP with a sac fly for the Yankees' second run via an out in the first. He also put the game on ice with a two-run single in the ninth, capping the play with some classic bad base running.

Robinson Cano, 2B: (C-) Cano singled and struck out in four at-bats.

Nick Swisher, RF: (C) Swisher was 0-for-2 with two walks and two strikeouts.

Melky Cabrera, CF: (A-) Cabrera singled and scored in three at-bats before exiting the game with what appeared to be a left hamstring injury. If he's not able to go on Monday, Brett Gardner would get the start.

Brett Gardner, CF: (INC) Gardner was 0-for-1 after replacing Cabrera.

Hideki Matsui, PH: (INC) Godzilla popped out to short for Joba Chamberlain in the ninth.

CC Sabathia, SP: (B) If Chase Utley wasn't in the Philly lineup, Sabathia might already be taking home the MVP trophy after a Yankees sweep.

Philadelphia's second baseman had an RBI double off Sabathia in the first and sent him to the showers in the seventh with his third homer off him this Series.

The ace allowed three runs on seven hits and three walks, while striking out six over 6 2/3 innings.

Damaso Marte, RP: (A) Marte faced one batter and did his job, retiring Howard to end the seventh.

Joba Chamberlain, RP: (F) Joba struck out the side in the eighth, but blew the lead by giving up a homer to Feliz.

Mariano Rivera, RP: (A) Mo retired the side in order in the ninth, but a three-run save doesn't add much to his MVP credentials.

Yankees Overall Grade: (A-) With a 3-1 Series lead, I would start Chad Gaudin in Game 5. Why send Burnett out there on three days' rest for the first time this season and risk wasting his start completely because he's facing Lee.

I say take your chances with Gaudin and the rest of the bullpen and if you lose on Monday, then you still have two chances to close out the Series at home with Burnett on full rest in Game 6 and Sabathia in Game 7 with Andy Pettitte available in relief.

If you lose Game 5 with Burnett on the mound, then do you start Pettitte on three days' rest on Wednesday and then you don't have Andy or A.J. available in relief in Game 7.

Hopefully Burnett and the Yankees can close it out on Monday, but I think the wise move would be to start Gaudin instead.

I can't believe I just said that.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com .

Dino Daddy: Godzilla Chases Pedro As Yankees Even Up World Series

Jordan Schwartz — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:55:34 -0400

The strategy when facing Pedro Martinez is always to just wait him out, get his pitch count up, then pounce on the relievers who take over for him in the seventh inning.

In the fourth, everything appeared to be going as planned, as Mark Teixeira's homer tied the game and the Yankees started getting better swings against the future Hall of Famer.

But in the sixth, the Phillies pitcher settled back down to strike out Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez swinging, and was one pitch away from striking out the side when Hideki Matsui golfed a 1-2 breaking ball into the right field seats to give New York the lead, 2-1.

The entire complexion of the game changed on that one swing, as Pedro was pulled the following inning, leaving to "Who's your daddy?" chants from the Yankee Stadium crowd, and Mariano Rivera entered in the eighth to close out A.J. Burnett's brilliant start and even up the World Series at one game apiece.

Here are the grades from the Bombers' 3-1 Game Two victory.

Joe Girardi, Manager: (A) The bottom of the seventh inning was one of the best of the year for Girardi, as he pushed all the right buttons to get the Yankees an insurance run.

Jerry Hairston Jr., who the skipper correctly started over the struggling Nick Swisher because the former Oriole was 10-for-27 (.370) in his career against Martinez, started the frame with a single off Pedro.

Girardi then pinch ran for Hairston with Brett Gardner, which I thought was a questionable move at the time because Hairston has some speed, and I believed the manager could've saved the speedy Gardner to replace a slower runner later in the game.

But it worked out when Melky Cabrera, who squared around to bunt on the first pitch but pulled it back to take a ball, smacked a single to right on a well-timed hit-and-run that sent Gardner to third, beating a throw that might've nabbed Hairston.

Girardi then pinch hit for Jose Molina with Jorge Posada, who is 11-for-60 (.183) with an astounding 33 strikeouts against Martinez. But the manager knew Pedro was about to be pulled from the game, which he was, and Posada singled to center off Chan Ho Park to bring home the Yankees' third run.

Derek Jeter, SS: (C) I agree 100 percent with the captain's decision to bunt with two strikes in the seventh. With runners at first and second and no outs, the correct play was to sacrifice another insurance run to third with less than two outs. It's very difficult to just all of a sudden change your strategy with two strikes and try to get a hit. Jeter just couldn't get the bunt down in fair territory, and he wound up striking out for the third time. He did, however, pick up a double earlier in the game.

Johnny Damon, LF: (F) Damon went 0-for-4 (0-for-2 with runners in scoring position), and in two games has come to the plate four times with Jeter on base without knocking him in. Damon needs to get things turned around because the captain is going to be on base a lot and he needs someone behind him who is going to bring him home.

Damon was robbed of reaching base on his sharp short-hop to Ryan Howard in the seventh. But even if the correct call was made by first-base umpire Brian Gorman, Damon only would've been credited with reaching via fielder's choice. Luckily, that blown call didn't wind up costing the Yankees, but we're getting closer and closer to expanding instant replay.

Mark Teixeira, 1B: (A) Teixeira's long solo shot to right center off Pedro in the fourth woke up the crowd and the New York lineup, which had been dormant up until that point in this series.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B: (F) A-Rod is now the first position player to have back-to-back three-strikeout games in World Series history. He also let a hard grounder off the bat of Matt Stairs go under his glove for the Phillies' only run in the second.

Hideki Matsui, DH: (A+) In addition to his clutch home run, Godzilla also singled and walked. Look for him to pinch hit in each of the next three games in the National League park.

Robinson Cano, 2B: (C-) Cano singled in four at-bats.

Jerry Hairston Jr., RF: (A-) Hairston singled and struck out in three chances against Martinez.

Melky Cabrera, CF-RF: (A-) Cabrera had that big hit-and-run single in the seventh, but he also struck out once.

Jose Molina, C: (A) Molina once again did a great job catching Burnett and also picked off Jayson Werth at first base. He wasn't too shabby at the plate, either, picking up a walk in two plate appearances.

Brett Gardner, PR-CF: (B) After pinch running for Hairston, Gardner went first to third on Cabrera's single and scored on Posada's base hit. He was 0-for-1 at the plate.

Jorge Posada, PH-C: (B+) Posada had a pinch-hit RBI single in the seventh and closed out the game behind the dish.

A.J. Burnett, SP: (A+) Burnett was outstanding, yielding just one run on four hits and two walks, while striking out nine over seven innings. He threw an incredible 22 first-pitch strikes to the 26 batters he faced, and had his devastating curve working all night.

Mariano Rivera, RP: (A-) Like in his two-inning save in Game Six of the ALCS, Mo bent but did not break. He gave up a hit and a walk in the eighth, but was aided by another bad call by Gorman on an inning-ending double play. In the ninth, he surrendered another hit before closing the door.

Yankees Overall Grade: (A-) Not the greatest offensive display, but they got the big hits when they needed them. And that was enough, because Burnett was absolutely tremendous in Game Two.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison.

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com.

Ut-Lee Leads Phillies Past Yankees in World Series Game 1

Jordan Schwartz — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:41:30 -0400

Driving home from work along Route 3 in North Jersey, I got goosebumps when I saw the Empire State Building lit up in Yankee blue and white.

But Phillies starter Cliff Lee quickly turned those goosebumps to shivers as he completely dominated New York's lineup en route to a 6-1 complete-game victory in Game 1 of the World Series.

The left-hander, who somehow lowered his already stellar postseason ERA to 0.81 over four starts, allowed just one unearned run on six hits and no walks, while striking out 10.

He capped off the win with an absolutely ridiculous behind-the-back grab of Robinson Cano's comebacker in the eighth inning.

It seemed like there was nothing the Yanks could do to avoid dropping the first game of this series, but was there? Let's take a look at the grades and find out.

Joe Girardi, Manager: (D) The Bombers managed to put only six men on base the entire game, so you would think Girardi would try to make something happen when they did, but that was not the case.

Down 1-0 in the fifth, Hideki Matsui led off with a single to center. Realizing that runs were going to be very difficult to come by against Lee, the manager should've had Cano follow with a bunt attempt to move Godzilla into scoring position for Nick Swisher and Melky Cabrera.

I don't want to hear that Cano doesn't know how to bunt. He's a Major League hitter, so he should know how to execute one of the most fundamental tasks in the game.

Of course, the second baseman swung away and popped into a very unusual 6-3 double dip on a brilliant play by shortstop Jimmy Rollins, squandering the scoring opportunity.

In the sixth, now down by two after Chase Utley's second homer of the night, Derek Jeter reached on a one-out single.

But with Johnny Damon up next, Girardi did not put on a hit-and-run, nor did he have the captain attempt a steal. Instead, Damon popped out to the mound and Mark Teixeira followed with a ground out to end the inning.

Damon should not have been in the starting lineup to begin with. As I mentioned in my World Series preview , Girardi should've been gutsy and started Brett Gardner (2-for-5 off Lee) over Damon (2-for-22, .091).

The left fielder looked lost all night at the plate, which really hurt the Yankees because his at-bats followed Jeter, who was the only hitter consistently reaching against Lee.

Derek Jeter, SS: (A+) Another case of the captain can't do it alone. Jeter went 3-for-4 and picked up the Yankees' only extra-base hit, but he scored just once on a meaningless run in the ninth.

Johnny Damon, LF: (C-) I applaud Damon for realizing he didn't have much of a chance vs. Lee and therefore laying down a bunt in his first at-bat, although he was easily thrown out.

In his second at-bat, Damon stranded Jeter at second when he grounded out to third, and in his third AB, with the captain on first, he floated one back to the pitcher. Only in his fourth plate appearance against the tiring Lee, did Damon single to right.

Mark Teixeira, 1B: (F) Teixeira's postseason struggles continued, as he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B: (F) It was an even worse performance for A-Rod, who picked up the dreaded hat trick.

Jorge Posada, C: (C-) Posada singled and struck out twice in four at-bats, while going 0-for-1 in throwing out base stealers, but he handled CC Sabathia relatively well and blocked the plate nicely to tag out Shane Victorino in the ninth.

Hideki Matsui, DH: (A-) Matsui singled and struck out in three at-bats.

Robinson Cano, 2B: (D+) Cano went 0-for-3 on just seven pitches, but he made a nice relay throw home to retire Victorino.

Nick Swisher, RF: (D+) Swisher also was 0-for-3, but picked up an outfield assist on that Victorino play at the plate.

Melky Cabrera, CF: (F) Cabrera was yet another Yankees batter to go 0-for-3.

CC Sabathia, SP: (A) The big lefty really only made two bad pitches the whole night: the pair of solo bombs by Utley. Other than that, he only surrendered two more hits and three walks, while striking out six. He was simply outpitched by Lee.

Was Girardi considering Sabathia's Game 4 start on short rest when he pulled the southpaw after seven innings and 113 pitches?

It would've been nice to see Sabathia go out there for the eighth to try to keep the Yankees close. He's certainly capable of throwing at least 120 pitches.

If that's the case, then the organization's flawed plan to protect Joba Chamberlain during the second half might have finally come back to bite them.

If Girardi isn't worried about limiting CC's workload in Game 1 because he has Joba going in Game 4, then maybe Sabathia pitches the eighth and hands a 2-0 deficit over to Mariano Rivera in the ninth, giving the Pinstripes a chance to come back in the bottom of the inning.

Or is Chamberlain going to start Game 4 after all? He was curiously absent from the five relievers the skipper used on Wednesday night. Are they saving him for Sunday out of fear that A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte won't be able to pitch on three days rest. That might be the right play, depending on where the series stands after three games.

Phil Hughes, RP: (F) The right-hander continues to struggle in the playoffs, walking the only two batters he faced. They both came around to score.

Damaso Marte, RP: (A) Is Marte becoming the Yankees' best option out of the bullpen? What universe is this?

The left-hander has yielded just two hits over two scoreless innings in five postseason appearances. He struck out Utley, thanks to a couple generous strike calls and then got Ryan Howard to line out to right.

David Robertson, RP: (D) Robertson may be the best right-hander in the 'pen right now, but even he walked a batter and gave up a single, allowing both of Hughes' runs to cross the plate.

Brian Bruney, RP: (F) I understand the need for more pitchers on the roster for when Girardi needs to make 13 double switches in Philadelphia, but Bruney should've never been added. He gave up two runs on three hits and only recorded one out.

Phil Coke, RP: (C) Coke allowed one hit in 2/3 of an inning.

Yankees Overall Grade: (D) Sabathia was great, but the lineup couldn't do anything against Lee, the bullpen was atrocious, and Girardi made no effort to get the offense in gear.

In Game 2, the Yankees need a solid effort from AJ Burnett and their hitters need to come alive and knock Pedro Martinez from the game by the sixth inning, so they can take advantage of the Phillies' poor middle relief.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com .

Yankees-Phillies World Series: A Preview of the Turnpike Tussle

Jordan Schwartz — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:08:38 -0400

The Yankees are leaning towards going with a three-man rotation in the World Series against the Phillies.

This will be a more difficult task than in the American League Championship Series, when there was an additional off day between Games Four and Five, because A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte will also have to go on three days' rest.

The other option would be to start Joba Chamberlain or Chad Gaudin in Game Four, but neither of them has started in weeks, and neither was particularly impressive during the second half.

If New York believes Burnett and Pettitte are capable of being effective on short rest after not being tested like that this season, and if CC Sabathia can still pitch his best in back-to-back three days' rest starts in Games Four and Seven, then a three-man rotation is the way to go.

Philadelphia may also use only three starters, so let's take a look at the possible Game Four through Six starters and their career regular season stats on short rest.

Game Four: CC Sabathia (3-1, 1.01) vs. Cliff Lee (no career starts on short rest)

Game Five: A.J. Burnett (4-0, 2.33) vs. Pedro Martinez (1-1, 1.80)

Game Six: Andy Pettitte (5-6, 3.88) vs. Cole Hamels (no career starts on short rest)

Now let's take an in-depth look at the pitching matchups in the first three games (postseason stats in parentheses).

Game One: Wednesday, Oct. 28—CC Sabathia (3-0, 1.19) vs. Cliff Lee (2-0, 0.74)

It's the matchup that's making every Cleveland Indians fan cringe. These former Tribesmen will become just the sixth pair of former Cy Young winners to square off in the World Series.

Sabathia has been outstanding in the first two rounds, earning the ALCS MVP Award by going 2-0 with a 1.12 ERA against the Angels. He's now 5-3 with a 4.72 mark in eight career postseason games, but he has never pitched in the Fall Classic.

The big lefty was 19-8 with a 3.37 ERA this year, including a no-decision vs. the Phillies in a 4-3 loss on May 24. In that game, Sabathia allowed three runs on nine hits over eight innings. He struck out four and walked no one.

In three career starts against Philadelphia, the southpaw is 1-1 with a 4.35 ERA. The Philly roster hits .255 vs. Sabathia, but only two players have faced him at least 10 times. Jimmy Rollins is 4-for-11 (.364) with two doubles and a triple, and former Mariner Raul Ibanez is 11-for-40 (.275) with two homers, nine RBI, and 10 strikeouts.

Lee pitched just once in the NLCS, shutting out the Dodgers on three hits over eight innings in a Game Three victory. He has been stellar in his first postseason.

The left-hander was 14-13 with a 3.22 ERA in 2009, including a 7-4 record with a 3.39 mark since coming over from Cleveland in late July.

As an Indian, Lee faced the Yankees twice this year, beating them on April 16 in New York and picking up a loss at home on May 29. In those two games, he yielded four runs on 16 hits and five walks, while striking out nine in 12 innings.

The 31-year-old has made nine lifetime starts against the Bombers, during which he's gone 4-4 with a 5.02 ERA. He's 2-2 with a 5.91 at Yankee Stadium.

New York's roster hits a healthy .294 off Lee. Derek Jeter is 11-for-27 (.407) with three doubles, Mark Teixeira is 9-for-23 (.391) with four doubles and six RBI, Alex Rodriguez is 5-for-15 (.333) with two homers, and Nick Swisher is 6-for-18 (.333) with four walks.

I'd start Brett Gardner (2-for-5, .400) over Johnny Damon (2-for-22, .091), but I doubt Joe Girardi would have the guts to do that.

Game Two: Thursday, Oct. 29—A.J. Burnett (0-0, 4.42) vs. Pedro Martinez (0-0, 0.00)

Burnett gave up four runs in the first inning of his Game Five start against Los Angeles before settling down to shut out the Angels until the seventh inning, when he was pulled with two men on. The bullpen didn't do him any favors as it allowed both runners to score.

The right-hander went 13-9 with a 4.04 ERA during the regular season, including a 7-3 loss to Philadelphia on May 22. In that game, he surrendered five runs on eight hits (three homers), two walks, and a hit batter, while striking out seven through six frames.

The former Marlin and Blue Jay has made 17 appearances (16 starts) vs. the Phils in his career, going 5-8 with a 4.75 ERA.

Against him, Chase Utley is 6-for-21 (.286) with seven strikeouts, Rollins is 11-for-43 (.256) with 12 Ks, Ryan Howard is 2-for-12 (.167) with six punchouts, and Pedro Feliz is 2-for-15 (.133).

But the big story of Game Two will be Pedro's return to New York. The former Red Sox and Mets pitcher is 11-11 with a 3.20 ERA in 32 starts vs. the Bombers, including an 8-4 record and a 2.95 mark in the Bronx. The strategy against Martinez has always been to just wait him out until he tires and then take advantage of the middle relief that follows him.

The Yankees roster hits just .226 off the right-hander. A-Rod is 16-for-55 (.291) with only one homer and 19 strikeouts, Jeter is 22-for-86 (.256) with 11 walks and 22 Ks, and this works out for Jose Molina's start because Jorge Posada is 11-for-60 (.183) with THIRTY-THREE strikeouts.

I'd also put Jerry Hairston Jr. (10-for-27, .370) in the lineup over Johnny Damon (5-for-25, .200) or Hideki Matsui (4-for-28, .143).

Martinez is 6-2 with a 3.13 ERA in his postseason career and earned a win by throwing seven shutout innings in his only World Series appearance.

Game Three: Saturday, Oct. 31—Andy Pettitte (2-0, 2.37) vs. Cole Hamels (1-1, 6.75)

Pettitte is the only Yankees starter with World Series experience, going 3-4 with a 3.82 ERA in 11 starts over an amazing seven Fall Classics. He has an overall 3.83 mark in the playoffs with a record 16 victories to go along with just nine losses.

The southpaw was 14-8 with a 4.16 ERA this year, including a no-decision against the Phillies in a 5-4 win on May 23. In that contest, he allowed four runs on five hits (two homers) and two walks, while striking out five over seven innings.

In his 14-year career, the one-time Astro is 2-2 with a 3.67 in seven starts vs. Philadelphia. He is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA in two games at Citizens Bank Park and was 0-2 with a 4.15 at the old Veterans Stadium.

The Phils hit just .237 off Pettitte. Ibanez is 6-for-21 (.286), former Yankee Miguel Cairo is 10-for-36 (.278), Rollins is 4-for-18 (.222), and Jayson Werth is 1-for-13 (.077) with five strikeouts.

Hamels is the only starter in this series who has really struggled this postseason. He hasn't pitched beyond the sixth inning in any of his three starts and surrendered at least three runs in each of them.

The left-hander is now 5-2 with a 3.36 ERA in nine career playoff starts, including a 1-0 record with a 2.77 mark in two games during last year's World Series, which earned him MVP honors.

Hamels went 10-11 with a 4.32 ERA in 2009 and picked up a no-decision in a 4-3 win over New York on May 24, when he allowed two runs on eight hits and no walks, while striking out five through six.

The 25-year-old yielded two runs over seven innings but picked up the loss in his only other start against the Yankees in 2006.

Teixeira is 5-for-17 (.294) with two homers vs. Hamels, while A-Rod, Posada, Matsui, and Robinson Cano are a combined 0-for-13.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison.

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com.

NFL Power Rankings: Week 8

Jordan Schwartz — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:01:51 -0400

One more team fell from the ranks of the unbeaten when Minnesota lost, 27-17, at Pittsburgh on Sunday, leaving three teams still undefeated, a record this deep in the season.

We know where that trio is ranked, so let's take a look at how the other 29 squads line up.

1. (1) New Orleans Saints (6-0)

The Saints proved they can also come from behind to win, overcoming a 24-3 deficit at Miami.

2. (2) Denver Broncos (6-0)

Four of the Broncos' games have come against playoff contenders and they have two more coming up at Baltimore and vs. Pittsburgh.

3. (3) Indianapolis Colts (6-0)

The Colts/Pats seven-point teaser was the easiest money I've ever made.

4. (7) New England Patriots (5-2)

In the past two weeks, the Pats have scored almost as many points (94) as they've given up all season (98).

5. (8) Cincinnati Bengals (5-2)

The Bengals absolutely manhandled the Bears, 45-10, and will now have two weeks to prepare for their second game against the Ravens since Oct. 11.

6. (12) Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)

Pittsburgh's defense outscored its offense and Minnesota's to send the Vikes to their first loss.

7. (4) Minnesota Vikings (6-1)

If not for a questionable tripping call late in the game, the Vikings could still be undefeated.

8. (9) Baltimore Ravens (3-3)

After three straight losses, Baltimore needed that bye week to make some changes and get ready for a big showdown against the Broncos.

9. (10) Green Bay Packers (4-2)

By the time the Packers take the field Sunday for their much anticipated match-up vs. Brett Favre and the Vikings, Green Bay's defense will have gone 27 days without giving up a touchdown - incidentally that last score was surrendered to Minnesota.

10. (15) Arizona Cardinals (4-2)

The Cards' defense, which allowed 22.3 points per game over its first four contests, has given up 10 ppg the past two weeks. Too bad I didn't see a single down of this game because I was too busy watching the Yankees capture their 40th pennant .

11. (5) New York Giants (5-2)

The Giants are 1-2 vs. teams in the top half of the league in scoring and 4-0 against teams in the bottom half.

12. (14) Dallas Cowboys (4-2)

Despite a shaky start to the season, the Cowboys are just a two-point loss to the 5-2 Giants and a seven-point loss to the 6-0 Broncos away from being undefeated.

13. (6) Atlanta Falcons (4-2)

The Falcons began a very difficult stretch of four road games over the next five weeks - including three against winning teams - with a 16-point loss at Dallas, thanks to three turnovers.

14. (11) Chicago Bears (3-3)

Jay Cutler needs some help. The Bears are 29th in rushing at just 80.7 yards per game.

15. (16) San Diego Chargers (3-3)

The Chargers' 37-7 win over the Chiefs was one of six games decided by at least four touchdowns this week.

16. (17) Miami Dolphins (2-4)

Up 24-3 on the Saints, the Dolphins had a chance to win their third consecutive game and make a statement by handing New Orleans its first loss, but the Fins curiously abandoned the run in the second half and allowed the Saints back in the game.

17. (18) Buffalo Bills (3-4)

That's the first time the Bills have won road games in back-to-back weeks since 2004.

18. (19) New York Jets (4-3)

Nothing cures a three-game losing streak like a date with Oakland.

19. (22) Houston Texans (4-3)

Here come the Texans. Wins over the Bengals and 49ers have Houston back in the playoff chase in the AFC.

20. (13) San Francisco 49ers (3-3)

Alex Smith threw for more yards in the second half at Houston (206) than Shaun Hill has accumulated in a single game since Week 1.

21. (20) Seattle Seahawks (2-4)

Hopefully the Seahawks found their offense during the bye week.

22. (21) Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3)

After a week off, Jacksonville will look to avoid becoming Tennessee's first victim this Sunday.

23. (23) Oakland Raiders (2-5)

I have no idea how the Raiders beat the Eagles.

24. (24) Philadelphia Eagles (4-2)

Philly bounced back nicely after its loss to Oakland, but a victory over No. 30 Washington isn't moving them up this list.

25. (25) Carolina Panthers (2-4)

Jake Delhomme hasn't thrown more touchdowns than interceptions in a game all season.

26. (26) Detroit Lions (1-5)

The Lions should be favored for the first time since 1973 when they host St. Louis this week.

27. (27) Cleveland Browns (1-6)

The Browns have lost eight straight home games.

28. (28) Tennessee Titans (0-6)

With two weeks to prepare for the Jags at home, I say the Titans get their first win this week.

29. (29) Kansas City Chiefs (1-6)

The Chiefs have a couple of weeks to prepare for a pair of winnable games at Jacksonville and Oakland.

30. (30) Washington Redskins (2-5)

Watching the Monday Night game, I IM'd my buddy Brad every time the 'Skins did something absolutely terrible with "skins are awful." I sent that message seven times.

31. (31) Tampa Bay Bucs (0-7)

The Bucs have now lost on two continents this year. They've won on none.

32. (32) St. Louis Rams (0-7)

The Rams are almost outscoring every individual player in the NFL, but that darn Lawrence Tynes still has them by nine points.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

Small Ball, Big Win: Yankees Bunt Their Way to 40th World Series

Jordan Schwartz — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:03:48 -0400

For five games, the Yankees mostly sat back and waited for home runs.

Sometimes they came, like Alex Rodriguez's game-tying shot in the 11th inning of Game Two. And sometimes they didn't, like when the Bronx Bombers stranded 10 base runners in Game Five.

But in their 5-2 American League Championship Series-clinching win on Sunday night, New York took a page out of the Angels' book by playing small ball.

For years, Los Angeles has been the Yanks' nemesis, frustrating the Pinstripes with their aggressive base running and willingness to sacrifice at-bats for the betterment of the team.

But in Game Six, that's exactly what the Yankees did.

Down 1-0 in the fourth inning, the struggling Nick Swisher stepped to the plate with a runner on first and no one out. On the first pitch, he squared around to bunt, but pulled it back and took a ball. With the infield now slightly drawn in, he grounded a single through the left side.

That brought up Melky Cabrera, who laid down a perfect bunt to advance the runners to second and third, and put the pressure on Angels starter Joe Saunders, who walked Derek Jeter to load the bases.

Johnny Damon then picked up the biggest hit of the game, driving in two with a base hit to left center, and A-Rod later walked with the bases juiced to complete the three-run rally.

Clinging to a 3-2 lead in the eighth and needing to get an insurance run for Mariano Rivera, who was about to head out for his second inning of work, Robinson Cano led off with a walk.

This time Swisher did get down the bunt and everyone was safe when second baseman Howie Kendrick dropped the ball at first.

Cabrera followed with his second sacrifice of the night, and like often happens when a pitcher is forced to make a play in the field, Scott Kazmir threw the ball away, allowing Cano to score the Yankees' fourth run.

Mark Teixeira later hit a sac fly to ice the game at 5-2.

See, you don't always need the long ball to win. Sometimes small ball works just as well.

Here are the grades from the pennant-clinching victory at Yankee Stadium.

Joe Girardi, Manager: (A) I didn't agree with all the moves Girardi made in Game Six, but for the most part, they worked out. The first of which was starting Andy Pettitte, when, because of the rain out on Saturday, he could've given the ball to CC Sabathia on normal rest. The risk paid off as Pettitte pitched well and the Yankees can now use Sabathia in Game One of the World Series against the Phillies on Wednesday.

Like in Game Three, I thought Pettitte could've stayed in the game a little longer, but when Juan Rivera reached on a bloop single to right with one out in the seventh, the manager pulled his starter in favor of Joba Chamberlain, who had not pitched particularly well of late. He did on this night, however, inducing a pair of ground outs to end the frame.

Then, since Joba did such a good job, I thought the skipper could've hung with him a little longer until he let someone to reach in the eighth, thus sparing Rivera from having to pitch two full innings. Girardi opted to have Mo start the eighth, and while he did bend, he did not break.

Finally, Girardi made me proud with those three sac bunts.

Derek Jeter, SS: (B+) The captain went 0-for-2, including a disappointing comebacker that failed to score a runner from third with no one out in the eighth, but he scored a run and walked three times in a postseason game for the first time in his Hall-of-Fame career.

Johnny Damon, LF: (A+) Damon was 2-for-4 with a walk and delivered the biggest hit in the game - a two-run single in the fourth. After a poor Division Series, the left fielder bounced back nicely to hit .300 in the ALCS.

Mark Teixeira, 1B: (A) Teixeira went 2-for-4 with a sac fly and made a great diving stop to help out Rivera in the eighth. Still, he's just 8-for-39 (.205) this postseason, and the Yankees will look for him to finally break out in the Fall Classic.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B: (A) A-Rod reached all five times with two singles and three walks, including one with the bases loaded. He had a tremendous series, hitting .429 with six RBI, but I believe Sabathia deserved the MVP Award he won a little more for single-handedly winning two of the four games for the Yanks.

Jorge Posada, C: (D) Posada made it very easy for the Angels to pitch around A-Rod as he had a dreadful night at the plate, going 0-for-5 with a strikeout and two double plays. I'll give him some credit for catching a good game, but someone needs to step up in the No. 5 hole to give Rodriguez some protection vs. Philadelphia.

Hideki Matsui, DH: (F) Godzilla went 0-for-4 on just nine pitches.

Robinson Cano, 2B: (A) Cano went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and runs scored and again played well in the field, making a heads-up play on Jeter's bobble in the seventh and snagging a hard-hit ball up the middle in the eighth.

Nick Swisher, RF: (A) I didn't think Swisher should've started this game given his poor postseason performance thus far, but as he has done many times this year, the former White Sox player twice put the team ahead of his individual statistics, showing bunt once before hitting a single and then laying one down to lead to a big inning in the eighth. He also doubled off Vladimir Guerrero at first base in the second.

Melky Cabrera, CF-RF: (A) Cabrera quietly had a tremendous series, hitting .391, and he went 1-for-2 with two—count 'em two—sacrifice bunts in Game Six. That never would've happened under Joe Torre's watch.

Brett Gardner, PR-CF: (INC) Gardner pinch ran for Swisher in the eighth and scored a run. I still hope to see more of him in the next round.

Andy Pettitte, SP: (A) The southpaw was once again outstanding in a big playoff game for the Yankees, yielding just one run on seven hits and a walk, while striking out six over six and one-third. His next start will come in Game Three on Friday in Philadelphia, where he will have to bat.

Joba Chamberlain, RP: (A) Did Chamberlain earn himself a Game 4 start with his solid outing or did he further convince the Yankees that they need him in the bullpen, especially with Phil Hughes not pitching well?

Some people have been talking about starting Sabathia on back-to-back three-days rest starts in Games One, Four, and Seven, but what they don't realize is that by going with a three-man rotation, A.J. Burnett and Pettitte would also have to go on short rest (because there's no off day between Games Four and Five like in the ALCS), which they are not as apt to do as CC.

I think New York has to go with a four-man rotation and I'd love to see what the future of the staff—Joba—could do, but I have a feeling the organization is leaning towards going with Chad Gaudin in Game Four of the World Series, which even seems strange to type.

Mariano Rivera, RP: (C+) Rivera gave up a run on two hits in two innings of work and was helped out by two outstanding defensive plays by Teixeira and Cano, but when most Yankees fans look back on this game in a few years, they'll remember Mo mowing down six in a row with cutters delivered like lightning bolts from his eyes. Because that's how people like to treat Rivera.

Yankees Overall Grade: (A+) The Yanks showed their versatility in this one by scoring five runs with no extra-base hits and three sac bunts. I'd love to see more of that when the Turnpike Tussle kicks off on Wednesday in the Bronx.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

Yankees-Angels Postponed: Why CC Sabathia Should Start Game 6 on Sunday

Jordan Schwartz — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:42:16 -0400

Before Game 6 of the American League Championship Series was postponed just after 6 pm ET on Saturday, Yankees manager Joe Girardi had said that in the event of a rain out, scheduled starter Andy Pettitte would still start if the game was pushed back a day and CC Sabathia would start a possible Game 7 on Monday.

While Pettitte is a veteran pitcher capable of closing out the ALCS for the Yanks, starting Sabathia on Sunday would be a better choice for two reasons.

First, it would give New York a better chance of winning Game 6 and clinching their 40th trip to the World Series, and secondly, it would prevent the possibility of Sabathia being unavailable to pitch until Game 3 against the Phillies.

Pettitte is 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA this postseason, but Sabathia is 3-0 with a 1.19, so giving him the ball on Sunday would give the Yanks the best chance of advancing and isn't that what it's all about? You have to get to the World Series before you can win it.

Saving CC for a possible Game 7 start would give New York a chance to start him in Game 1 of the Fall Classic, but it's a risky move because if the Angels force a deciding game on Monday, then Sabathia wouldn't be able to pitch until Saturday's Game 3 of the World Series.

If you start the big lefty on Sunday, he could pitch on three-days rest in Thursday's Game 2, which would also allow him to start a possible Game 6 vs. Philadelphia. I believe this would be the safest play for the Yankees.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

Yankees-Angels ALCS Game 5: Joe Girardi Out (and Over) Manages Mike Scioscia

Jordan Schwartz — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:05:51 -0400

Nine of the 13 runs scored in Game Five of the American League Championship Series crossed the plate after the starting pitchers were removed from the game.

First, Angels manager Mike Scioscia took out John Lackey with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh, even though the right-hander was throwing a six-hit shutout with seven strikeouts.

Southpaw Darren Oliver entered and immediately surrendered a bases-clearing double to Mark Teixeira on the first pitch, intentionally walked Alex Rodriguez and gave up an RBI single to Hideki Matsui. The reliever left after recording no outs while blowing a four-run lead.

Next up for Los Angeles was Kyle Jepsen, who allowed a two-run triple to Robinson Cano. Lackey left the game with the Angels up, 4-0, but by the time the top of the seventh ended, the Yankees led, 6-4, and were just nine outs away from their first trip to the World Series in six years.

After the long frame, New York manager Joe Girardi let A.J. Burnett return to the mound for his seventh inning of work. I was shocked to hear some criticize this move, especially after these same people slammed Girardi for lifting Andy Pettitte after only 81 pitches in Game Three.

At the start of the seventh, Burnett had thrown only 80 pitches, had retired the last four batters he faced, and hadn't yielded a run since the first inning.

I actually thought Girardi pulled his starter too soon. Even after surrendering a single to the red-hot Jeff Mathis and walking Erick Aybar to lead off the frame, Burnett was still only at 89 pitches and had a two-run advantage.

In addition, the next two batters—Chone Figgins and Bobby Abreu—were 1-for-5 with a walk against Burnett in the game.

Reliever Damaso Marte didn't do a terrible job, giving up a sac bunt to Figgins and an RBI ground out to Abreu, but then Girardi brought in Phil Hughes, who has really struggled in the postseason, and before you knew it, the lead was gone.

The right-hander allowed RBI singles to Vladimir Guerrero and Kendri Morales to give Los Angeles a 7-6 advantage, which they would hold onto for the victory, sending the series back to the Bronx for Game Six on Saturday, when none other than Pettitte will get the ball for New York.

Here are the grades from Thursday's loss.

Joe Girardi, Manager: (D) In addition to his questionable use of the bullpen, Girardi once again did very little to get his offense going during the first six innings. They attempted not one sacrifice bunt, stolen base, or hit-and-run as the Bombers just sat back and waited for the ol' three-run homer.

It didn't wind up mattering, but I also didn't understand why Girardi pinch ran for possible ALCS MVP A-Rod with Freddy Guzman in the ninth inning. Guzman has a lot of speed, but is he really that much faster than Rodriguez, who stole 14-of-16 bases this year, that it was worth risking removing your best bat from the lineup? What if the Yanks tied it and the game went to extra innings?

Derek Jeter, SS: (C+) The captain led off the game with a single, but went hitless with two strikeouts the rest of the night. He did, however, pick up a walk and scored a run.

Johnny Damon, LF: (D+) Damon was 1-for-5 and failed to get the run in from third with less than two outs in the seventh, but was bailed out by Teixeira's clutch hit. He was also robbed of an infield single on another bad call by the umpires and had another hit stolen from him on a nice play by Morales in the ninth.

Mark Teixeira, 1B: (A+) Teixeira broke out of his postseason slump with an enormous two-out, three-run double to draw the Yanks within one in the seventh. He also singled and scored.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B: (A) A-Rod doubled, walked twice (once intentionally in the ninth) and scored a run.

Hideki Matsui, DH: (A) Godzilla tied the game with a single in the seventh and drew a big two-out walk to keep the rally going in the ninth. He may be the key to winning this series as the Angels continue to pitch around Rodriguez.

Robinson Cano, 2B: (A) Cano's two-run triple capped the six-run seventh. He was also hit by a pitch in the ninth.

Nick Swisher, RF: (F) I don't understand why Girardi keeps penciling Swisher into the lineup. His 0-for-5 night, including the final out with the bases loaded, drops him to 3-for-29 (.103) in the postseason. He's 5-for-21 (.238) against Game Six starter Joe Saunders, so I don't see why he should play on Saturday.

The Yankees need to get Brett Gardner into the lineup as a way to diversify the offense. They can't keep sitting back and waiting for the big blast like they were doing in Game Five until Scioscia let them off the hook by taking out Lackey. New York needs to start playing some small ball and Gardner is the guy to lead the charge.

Melky Cabrera, CF: (A) Cabrera needs to be moved up in the lineup. He singled, doubled, and scored a run on Thursday night to bring his ALCS average up to .381.

Jose Molina, C: (C-) Molina went 0-for-1 before being pinch-hit for in the fifth. He and Burnett had a rough first, but then settled down over the next five frames. If the Yankees do move on to the World Series, I'd continue to use Molina to catch Burnett.

Freddy Guzman, PR: (INC) Guzman unnecessarily pinch-ran for A-Rod in the ninth. He pinch-walked to second on Matsui's base on balls and then pinch-walked to third on Cano's hit-by-pitch, before being stranded there by Swisher.

Brett Gardner, PR: (INC) Gardner necessarily pinch-ran for Matsui in the ninth. He will hopefully start on Saturday.

Jorge Posada, PH-C: (C) Posada struck out looking for Molina in the fifth and finished 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored. I thought Girardi should've started Posada as the DH because he was 12-for-29 (.414) vs. Lackey, while Matsui was just 8-for-28 (.286).

A.J. Burnett, SP: (C-) In the first inning, Burnett had his first bad blow-up inning of the playoffs that we saw so often during the regular season. He surrendered four runs without recording an out, but then retired 18 batters without giving up a run until Girardi pulled him in the seventh. I liked the way he responded after the first and kept the Yankees in the game by holding the Angels at four.

Damaso Marte, RP: (A-) Marte retired both batters he faced, although both of them made productive outs with a sac bunt and an RBI ground out.

Phil Hughes, RP: (F) The right-hander continued his poor postseason by blowing the lead and picking up the loss. In the playoffs, he has a 5.79 ERA and a 2.36 WHIP.

After getting ahead of Guerrero with a good breaking ball in the dirt, Hughes should've gone right back to that pitch to strikeout the free-swinger. Instead, Posada called for a high fastball, but Hughes threw it right down the middle of the plate and Vlad scorched it for a game-tying single.

Joba Chamberlain, RP: (D) Joba retired only one of the three batters he faced in the eighth before being bailed out by Mariano Rivera.

Mariano Rivera, RP: (A) With runners on first and third and one out in the eighth, Mo did his job and kept the Yanks within striking distance by getting Figgins to line out and Abreu to fly out.

Yankees Overall Grade: (C-) The Yanks offense was silent until Scioscia threw them a bone by taking out Lackey in the seventh. Burnett was great other than the first inning and Girardi pulled him too soon before the New York 'pen once again couldn't get the job done.

On the bright side, the Pinstripes only have to win one of two home games this weekend to win their 40th pennant and they have the veteran Pettitte and the MVP candidate CC Sabathia scheduled to pitch.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

How Boise State Could Change College Football

Jordan Schwartz — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:52:39 -0400

For years, school presidents from the Big Six conferences have resisted the public's overwhelming desire to implement a playoff in college football.

Any why wouldn't they; under the current system, the universities they represent have an inside track on playing in the national championship.

But what if a team outside the ACC, Big East, Big XII, Big Ten, Pac-10 or SEC reached the BCS title game? Then, would things change?

Boise State, ranked fourth in the opening BCS standings, has a legitimate shot at playing for the trophy in January.

The Broncos are 6-0 and will most likely complete the regular season at 13-0. But their most important victory of the year came back in Week 1 when they defeated Oregon, 19-8.

That was the Ducks' (5-1) only loss of the season so far and they have gone on to defeat Top 25 teams like Utah and California.

If Oregon, which is ranked 11th in the BCS standings, can beat No. 7 USC at home on Halloween and go on to win the Pac-10, I see no reason why Boise State (if it remains undefeated) shouldn't be considered one of the two best teams in the country.

Of course, the voters have shunned undefeated non-BCS schools before, leaving Utah out of the title game last year and in 2003, and stonewalling Boise State in '06.

But I don't remember any of those teams being ranked as high as fourth in the BCS this early in the season or having as big a win as the Broncos have over the Ducks.

Boise State will need some help to reach the title game, but it's not out of the question. In addition to Oregon beating USC, the WAC school would need Texas to drop a game (possibly at Oklahoma State on Oct. 31), Iowa to fall at Ohio State on Nov. 14 and maybe even Cincinnati to lose to West Virginia or Pittsburgh.

An SEC title game between Florida and Alabama should squash any chance of those two teams meeting in the BCS championship.

If Boise State can somehow sneak into that final game in Pasadena, you can bet officials at Texas, Iowa, Alabama, Cincinnati, Miami, and USC will be the first ones signing up for a playoff system.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

CC Your Friends: Sabathia, Yankees Have Angels on Brink of Mailing Season In

Jordan Schwartz — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:37:41 -0400

The Yankees kept blowing opportunities to score.

In the first, Derek Jeter led off with a single, but was caught stealing.

In the second, the first two men reached, but again, New York couldn't get a hit with runners in scoring position.

In the third, Melky Cabrera used a bunt to get aboard, but the Yanks refused to utilize any more small ball to get him over and in.

And each time the Bombers failed to put a run across, the momentum shifted to the hometown Angels.

But not for long.

Every inning, CC Sabathia, working on three days rest, slowly sauntered out to the mound, and quickly retired the Anaheim batters.

Once his offense finally got him a lead, led once again by Alex Rodriguez, the big lefty just kept on mowing them down, until Game 4 was in the books with a 10-1 Yankees victory.

Here are the grades from Tuesday's blowout.

Joe Girardi, Manager: (B+) After a terrible job in Game 3, Girardi bounced back with a much more encouraging effort in Game 4. Having Sabathia as your starter helps, but on Tuesday, the manager improved his effort in getting the offense going.

He failed to bunt or hit-and-run with men on base in this game, but at least he had his guys stealing. The Yankees attempted four thefts and were successful on two of them.

Derek Jeter, SS: (A) Facing the pitcher against which he has the lowest average in his career (.111), the captain led off the game with a base hit off Scott Kazmir. He was then caught stealing, but later picked up another single and a walk.

Johnny Damon, LF: (B) Over his first four at-bats, Damon continued to struggle, swinging over curveball after curveball. He again whiffed on a breaking pitch to begin his at-bat against Matt Palmer in the eighth, but he didn't miss the second curve. Instead, Damon sent it into the right field seats for a two-run homer to put the game on ice.

Mark Teixeira, 1B: (C) Teixeira is still not right at the plate, going 1-for-5 with two strikeouts, but he scored a run and made a few nice plays at first base.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B: (A+) A-Rod is in a tight race with Sabathia for ALCS MVP. Right now, I'd give it to CC, but Rodriguez is making a strong case. He not only went 3-for-4 with a double and his third homer of the series, but he also jump-started the offense by aggressively scoring from third on a grounder to second in the fourth inning.

Jorge Posada, C: (A-) This was a weird game for Posada, who doubled, scored a run, walked twice, handled Sabathia well and even stole a base.

But the catcher also failed to score from second on a double by Robinson Cano, got caught in a run down on a grounder back to the mound, and forgot how many outs there were when the Yanks were in the field.

Posada will get some time to clear his mind as he won't be starting again until at least Saturday.

This grade summary was brought to you by DIRECTV.

Hideki Matsui, DH: (F) I guess the invitation to the party wasn't translated into Japanese. Godzilla went 0-for-5 with three Ks.

Robinson Cano, 2B: (B-) This was another guy with a roller coaster game. Cano doubled, walked, drove in a run and scored twice, but he also committed one of the dumbest baserunning plays you will ever see.

With Posada caught in that bonehead rundown between third and home, Cano headed toward third, but waited two feet off the bag as Posada returned to the same base.

The Angels defender tagged both Yankees while they were both off the bag for what should've been an inning-ending double play, but Tim Mcclelland, who was in the midst of the single worst game in the history of umpiring, called Cano safe.

Nick Swisher, RF: (C) Swisher was 0-for-2 with a walk, but he will be remembered in this game for what he did on the basepaths. On second in the fourth, the right fielder was picked off, except second-base umpire Dale Scott called him safe.

Later that inning, he appeared to score the Yanks' fourth run when he tagged up from third on Damon's fly ball, but was incorrectly called out on appeal for leaving too soon by McClelland, who wasn't even looking at the bag.

There will definitely be an umpiring shake-up this offseason, whether it be more instant replay or new umps.

Melky Cabrera, CF-RF: (A+) Lost in the dominating performances by Sabathia and A-Rod was Cabrera's outstanding four-RBI night. He bunted for a base hit to lead off the third and then delivered the biggest hit of the game, a two-run single in the fourth, to put the Yanks up, 3-0.

He drove in two more with a double in the ninth and also walked and scored a run. This is the type of production the team needs from the bottom of the order.

Brett Gardner, PR-CF: (C+) Gardner pinch ran for the second straight game, and for the second straight game, he was thrown out attempting to steal. However, he did single and score in his only at-bat.

This grade summary was brought to you by Black Taco from Taco Bell.

CC Sabathia, SP: (A+) The southpaw allowed just one run on five hits and two walks, while striking out five over eight stellar innings. He is now 2-0 with a 1.12 ERA in the ALCS.

Chad Gaudin, RP: (A) Girardi has now successfully gotten every pitcher on the roster into a game this series and so everyone will be receiving a snow cone from the snack bar.

Yankees Overall Grade: (A) After a devastating 11-inning loss in Game 3, the Yanks rebounded with a nearly perfect performance in Game 4.

I'm sure they'd like to get back out there and play Game 5 on Wednesday, but they'll have to wait until Thursday, when A.J. Burnett squares off against John Lackey in what will hopefully be New York's final game until the World Series.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

NFL Power Rankings: Week 7

Jordan Schwartz — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:31:42 -0400

The Saints move atop the Power Rankings this week after a dominating 48-27 victory over the Giants. That leaves just four undefeateds left in the NFL.

Two big upsets also shook up the rankings this week (and knocked a lot of people out of their eliminator pools). The Jets drop 10 spots after losing at home to the Bills, and the Eagles plummet 17 spots following their awful loss to the Raiders.

1. (4) New Orleans Saints (5-0)

The Saints' strength of schedule (.483) is the best among the undefeated teams.

2. (5) Denver Broncos (6-0)

The Broncos' .471 opponents' winning percentage is second in that group.

3. (2) Indianapolis Colts (5-0)

The Colts have two weeks to prepare for the Rams. That's almost unfair.

4. (3) Minnesota Vikings (6-0)

The Vikes picked up a nice win over the Ravens, but their SOS (.333) is still last among teams without a loss.

5. (1) New York Giants (5-1)

It's a little more difficult to win when you play an offense ranked in the top 10 in scoring.

6. (6) Atlanta Falcons (4-1)

The Falcons have won 11 of their last 12 home games.

7. (10) New England Patriots (4-2)

That's the third time the Pats have topped 50 points in their past 31 regular season games.

8. (8) Cincinnati Bengals (4-2)

Coming into this season, not many thought the Bengals could lose to the Texans in Week Six and still be atop the AFC North standings.

9. (11) Baltimore Ravens (3-3)

A stunning fourth quarter comeback, combined with losses by the Jets and Eagles, has the Ravens moving up two spots, despite a hard-fought loss at Minnesota.

10. (12) Green Bay Packers (3-2)

After shutting out the Lions, the Packers now have the ninth best scoring defense in the league at 18.6 points per game.

11. (13) Chicago Bears (3-2)

It's hard to win when Jay Cutler is your leading rusher.

12. (14) Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2)

Troy Polamalu made an instant impact with an interception in his return from injury, but the four teams the Steelers have defeated have a combined record of just 4-19 (.174).

13. (17) San Francisco 49ers (3-2)

The Niners needed that bye week after that horrible performance against the Falcons. San Fran will be tested at Houston on Sunday.

14. (18) Dallas Cowboys (3-2)

Dallas' bye gives it two weeks to prepare for a difficult home game vs. Atlanta.

15. (19) Arizona Cardinals (3-2)

One of the most impressive performances of the week came from the Cards' defense, which held Matt Hasselbeck and the Seahawks to three points after they scored 41 on the Jags the Sunday prior.

16. (15) San Diego Chargers (2-3)

Darren Sproles couldn't even get me one fantasy point to break the tie in my game, so now I stand in 10th place despite my second most points in the league.

17. (16) Miami Dolphins (2-3)

That win over the Jets looked a lot less awe-inspiring after Gang Green's embarrassing loss to the Bills.

18. (28) Buffalo Bills (2-4)

The Bills beat the Jets in overtime, but Dick Jauron should still be fired for not calling time out to run another play to get Ryan Lindell closer than 46 yards on his windy field goal attempt at the end of regulation.

19. (9) New York Jets (3-3)

Mark Sanchez is tied with Jake Delhomme for the lead league in interceptions with 10.

20. (20) Seattle Seahawks (2-4)

So the Seahawks beat the Jags, 41-0, one week and then lose to the Cardinals, 27-3, the next. Gotta love the NFC West.

21. (21) Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3)

That was a tense three-and-a-half hours for those, like me, that had Jacksonville in their eliminator pool.

22. (22) Houston Texans (3-3)

Matt Schaub leads the league in touchdowns with 14. The Texans are not dead yet.

23. (29) Oakland Raiders (2-4)

The Raiders actually have the 16th best pass defense (220.2 yards per game) in the NFL.

24. (7) Philadelphia Eagles (3-2)

After their loss to the Raiders, I see no reason to rank the Eagles higher than 24th because their only wins have come over Carolina (25th), Kansas City (29th), and Tampa Bay (31st).

25. (24) Carolina Panthers (2-3)

Beating the Redskins and Bucs by a combined 10 points isn't exactly an indication that things are turning around in Carolina.

26. (25) Detroit Lions (1-5)

As bad as the Lions have been, at least their offense usually shows up, but with Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson out with injuries, Detroit was shut out for the first time in eight years.

27. (27) Cleveland Browns (1-5)

The Browns were outgained, 557-213, by the Steelers on Sunday.

28. (23) Tennessee Titans (0-6)

Even the greatest 0-6 team ever shouldn't lose by 59.

29. (30) Kansas City Chiefs (1-5)

The Chiefs managed to win their first game of the year without even scoring a touchdown.

30. (26) Washington Redskins (2-4)

Because the Redskins have found the end zone just eight times all season.

31. (31) Tampa Bay Bucs (0-6)

The early line on the Pats/Bucs game next week is 14. I suggest you all mortgage your homes to bet on New England.

32. (32) St. Louis Rams (0-6)

The Rams gained a big 20 points in their battle against the kickers of the NFL for scoring supremacy, but St. Louis still trails Ryan Longwell, 55-54.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison .

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

Yankees vs. Angels ALCS Preview: New York Aims to Get Rally Monkey off its Back

Jordan Schwartz — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:04:40 -0400

Among the 134 pitchers Derek Jeter has faced at least 20 times in his Hall of Fame career, he has the lowest batting average against Scott Kazmir (.111) and Jered Weaver (.118).

That's not a good sign.

What is a good sign is the way the Yankees beat the Angels the last two times they played them on Sept. 22 and 23 in Anaheim—previously a graveyard for New York victories.

The Halos ousted the Bombers from the playoffs in 2002 and 2005, but this year, the two teams split the 10 games they played and were first and second in the Majors in runs scored.

All of that adds up to a heck of a best-of-seven American League Championship Series set to kick off between the two clubs on Friday.

Let's take a look at the pitching match-ups for the first four games.

Game One: Friday, Oct. 16, CC Sabathia (19-8, 3.37) vs. John Lackey (11-8, 3.83)

Sabathia was sharp in his Game One start against the Twins. He allowed two runs (one earned) on eight hits and no walks, while striking out eight over 6.2 innings to pick up the 7-2 win.

That improved his career postseason record to 3-3 and dropped his ERA to 6.54. The big lefty has started two games in the LCS round, losing both to the Red Sox when he was with the Indians in 2007. He surrendered 12 runs on 17 hits and seven walks in just 10.1 innings.

Sabathia was 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA against the Angels this season and is 5-7 with a 4.72 mark in his career vs. Los Angeles.

Howie Kendrick has killed the southpaw over the years, going 8-for-12 (.667) with a double, and Maicer Izturis is 5-for-10 (.500) with two walks against Sabathia. Torii Hunter (20-for-68) has more doubles (eight) and RBIs (17) off of CC than any other batter he's faced.

Don't expect Gary Matthews, Jr. (5-for-26, 10 K) to start against the left-hander. Sabathia has also had success facing Vladimir Guerrero (3-for-15).

The Yanks' ace was 7-2 with a 3.17 ERA at home during the regular season.

Lackey, meanwhile, was brilliant in his ALDS start against the Sox. He pitched 7.1 innings of four-hit, shutout ball to earn the 5-0 victory and improve his lifetime postseason mark to 3-3 with a 3.02 ERA.

The right-hander faced the Yankees twice during the 2005 ALDS, yielding just three runs on seven hits and striking out nine through 11 1/3 innings, but he also walked nine and didn't pick up a decision. Lackey also pitched three shutout innings of relief against New York in the 2002 Division Series.

This year, the soon-to-be 31-year-old saw the Bombers only once, picking up a 5-4 win in Anaheim on July 12, when he was charged with two runs in seven innings. Lackey is 5-7 with a 4.66 ERA in 16 regular season starts against New York, and he is 3-3 with a 3.76 at Yankee Stadium.

Eight Yankees have at least 19 at-bats vs. the righty, so there shouldn't be too many surprises. Jorge Posada is 12-for-29 (.414), Mark Teixeira is 19-for-49 (.388) with 11 RBI, Melky Cabrera is 9-for-25 (.360), Derek Jeter is 15-for-44 (.341) with six doubles, and Johnny Damon is 16-for-48 (.333), so hopefully he'll be able to break out of his current slump.

However, Robinson Cano is just 6-for-26 (.231), Alex Rodriguez is 9-for-51 (.176) with an astounding 23 strikeouts, and Nick Swisher, who was 1-for-12 (.083) against the Twins, is only 5-for-43 (.116) with 17 Ks against Lackey, so maybe Jerry Hairston Jr. (3-for-9, 2B, HR) should get the start.

Game Two: Saturday, Oct. 17, A.J. Burnett (13-9, 4.04) vs. Joe Saunders (16-7, 4.60)

In his first career postseason start Burnett struggled a bit with his control but pitched well overall. The right-hander allowed one run on three hits and five walks, while striking out six in six innings against the Twins. He earned a no-decision, while the Yankees won, 4-3, in 11 innings.

Manager Joe Girardi had Jose Molina catch Burnett in that game and he should keep the same battery for Game Two of the ALCS. Batters hit .221 against Burnett this year with Molina behind the plate, as opposed to a .270 clip with Posada catching.

The No. 2 starter allowed four runs in seven innings with Posada behind the plate in a no-decision against the Angels on April 30, and he surrendered two runs with 11 strikeouts over 5.2 innings pitching to Molina in a victory at Anaheim on Sept. 23.

Burnett is 2-2 with a 4.43 ERA in six career starts against the Angels, and he was 5-3 with a 3.51 ERA at home during the regular season.

Chone Figgins is 5-for-12 (.417) with two extra-base hits vs. the righty; Kendrick and Mike Napoli are both 4-for-11 (.364); and Bobby Abreu is 20-for-64 (.313) with six doubles, 11 RBI, and 12 walks.

Burnett, however, has had success against Guerrero (9-for-42, 11 K), Matthews Jr. (2-for-13), and Hunter (2-for-23, 7 K).

Saunders is an interesting Game Two start for the Angels, considering he is their fourth best pitcher, but the club wants to throw at least one left-hander at Yankee Stadium in order to neutralize the short porch in right field. This also allows Jered Weaver to pitch at home, where he has had more success this season.

Because Los Angeles swept Boston, Saunders last start came way back on Oct. 4, when he beat Oakland for his seventh consecutive win in eight starts.

One of those victories came on Sept. 21 at home against the Yankees. In that game, the 28-year-old allowed just two solo homers through 8.1. He didn't pitch as well, however, on July 10, when he surrendered five runs in five innings to earn a no-decision. That start also came in Anaheim.

Saunders is 2-1 with a 6.28 ERA in his career vs. New York and gave up two earned runs over six frames in his only lifetime appearance at Yankee Stadium.

Molina's Game Two start would've worked better if Weaver was getting the call because he's 2-for-5 (.400) with a homer against the Angels pitcher, while Posada is just 2-for-14 (.143) with four strikeouts.

Facing Saunders, however, Molina is 1-for-6 (.167) and Posada is 2-for-4 (.500) with a walk. A-Rod, meanwhile, is 7-for-14 (.500) with two doubles and two homers and Jeter is 7-for-15 (.467).

But Swisher is just 5-for-21 (.238), Cano is 2-for-11 (.182) and Teixeira is 2-for-16 (.125).

Game Three: Monday, Oct. 19, Andy Pettitte (14-8, 4.16) vs. Jered Weaver (16-8, 3.75)

Pettitte completed the Yankees' stellar starting pitching in the first round by holding the Twins to only one run on three hits through 6.1. He struck out seven and earned the 4-1 win.

The southpaw is now 15-9 with a 3.89 ERA in 36 career postseason starts. He's 6-1 with a 3.92 in the ALCS, but gave up four runs on eight hits in a three-inning no-decision during the 2002 ALDS.

Pettitte did not pitch well against the Angels this season, going 0-2 with a 7.88 ERA in three starts. He was 0-2 with a 7.84 at Angel Stadium.

In his career vs. L.A., the Texas native is 12-10 with a 4.70 ERA, including a 6-7 record and 4.19 ERA in Anaheim.

Napoli is 5-for-9 (.556) against Pettitte, while Erick Aybar is 7-for-16 (.438), Guerrero is 9-for-23 (.391), and Matthews Jr. is 9-for-26 (.346).

Not having as much success are Hunter (8-for-33, 12 K) and Juan Rivera (2-for-11).

Weaver was great in Game Two vs. Boston, striking out seven while only yielding one run on two hits over 7.1 to win, 4-1. That improved his lifetime playoff stats to 2-1 with a 1.88 ERA.

The 6'7" right-hander faced the Yankees three times in 2009, going 1-1 with a 5.59 ERA. He was 0-1 with a 6.08 in two games at the Stadium, so pushing Weaver back to Game Three makes sense. In his career, he is 4-2 with a 5.88 vs. New York and 2-1 with a 5.62 in the Bronx.

In 2009, Weaver was 9-3 with a 2.90 ERA at home and 7-5 with a 4.78 on the road.

Bombers with success facing Weaver include Cano (6-for-15), A-Rod (5-for-15, 4 HR), and Eric Hinske (4-for-11, HR), who the Yanks should consider starting over Cabrera (1-for-12) or Damon (3-for-19, 6 K).

Game Four: Tuesday, Oct. 20, CC Sabathia vs. Scott Kazmir (10-9, 4.89)

Girardi said Tuesday that he is considering sticking with a three-man rotation for the ALCS, which means Sabathia would pitch Games One, Four, and Seven. CC would have to go on three days' rest in Game Four, but thanks to an odd off day between Games Four and Five, he'd pitch on normal rest in Game Seven, and Burnett and Pettite would pitch on normal rest in Games Five and Six, respectively.

I think this is the way to go for the Yankees because it allows them to keep Joba Chamberlain and Chad Gaudin in the bullpen, while using their ace to start three out of the seven games, including the possible decisive seventh.

I would rather have Joba (0-0, 5.40 in two starts this year vs. L.A.) start Game Four over Gaudin (0-1, 11.74 in two starts), but Sabathia—even on short rest—is the best option.

The southpaw is 3-1 with a 1.01 ERA on three days' rest in his career. Those regular season stats do not include his Game Two start against the Phillies in the NLDS last year, when he gave up five runs in 3.2 innings for the loss, but that was also his fourth consecutive short rest start for the Brewers. Sabathia hasn't been nearly as overworked down the stretch for the Yankees.

Kazmir looked bad in his Game Three start at Fenway Park. He surrendered five runs in six innings, but got bailed out when Jonathan Papelbon blew the game for the Red Sox in the ninth.

Kazmir, who helped the Rays to a World Series appearance last year, is now 1-1 with a 4.83 ERA in the postseason. He had a 4.35 mark in two no-decisions in the 2008 ALCS.

The left-hander went 2-1 with a 3.20 ERA vs. the Yanks this season, but his only loss came after he was traded to the Halos in late August.

Kazmir has always been sharp against New York, racking up a 6-5 record and a 2.67 ERA over the years.

Teixeira hits him well, however, going 7-for-11 (.636) with four doubles and five walks. Posada is 11-for-25 (.440) and Cabrera is 8-for-20 (.400).

But the rest of the Yankees starters all hit below .200 against Kazmir. Swisher is 5-for-27 (.185), Hideki Matsui is 5-for-28 (.179), Damon is 6-for-36 (.167), Cano is 4-for-26 (.154), Rodriguez is 3-for-24 (.125) and Jeter is 4-for-36 (.111) with 11 strikeouts.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison.

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

NFL Power Rankings: Week Six

Jordan Schwartz — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:38:30 -0400

Who would've thought that the Week One snoozefest between Denver and Cincinnati, which the Broncos won, 12-7, on that miracle tipped 87-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Stokley, would turn out to be a legitimate defensive struggle between two of the best teams in the AFC?

This week, Denver (5-0) stunned New England, 20-17, in overtime and the Bengals (4-1) beat Baltimore, 17-14, on the road.

Both of these teams are in my top 10, but let's take a look at the rest of the rankings.

1. (1) New York Giants (5-0)

For the third straight week, I was forced to watch the Giants blow out a college team because there was no other NFL game on in their time slot. It's a good thing I had the Red Sox-Angels game to flip to, which turned out to be very exciting and quite satisfying.

2. (2) Indianapolis Colts (5-0)

Forgive me if I didn't watch any of the Sunday night mismatch between the Colts and Titans, but I was busy tuning into the Yankees' clinching win over the Twins.

3. (3) Minnesota Vikings (5-0)

Adrian Peterson is tied for the league lead in touchdowns (7) and is second in rushing (481 yards).

4. (4) New Orleans Saints (4-0)

The Saints were idle this week before their big showdown with the Giants at the Superdome on Sunday.

5. (5) Denver Broncos (5-0)

This Denver team is for real with the best scoring defense in the league (8.6 ppg) and the second best total defense (252.8 ypg).

6. (9) Atlanta Falcons (3-1)

The Falcons absolutely dismantled the 49ers on the road, putting up 35 points in the first half.

7. (10) Philadelphia Eagles (3-1)

Donovan McNabb was stellar in his return from injury, completing 16 of 21 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns.

8. (11) Cincinnati Bengals (4-1)

The Bengals should request that Gus Johnson call all of their games.

9. (6) New York Jets (3-2)

That vaunted Jets defense looked absolutely confused against Miami's Wildcat offense.

10. (7) New England Patriots (3-2)

The Pats have now been shut out in the second half twice in the past four games.

11. (8) Baltimore Ravens (3-2)

The Ravens have lost two close games and we're left to wonder why they've only beaten three teams with a combined record of 3-11.

12. (12) Green Bay Packers (2-2)

The Pack got a bye week before two very winnable games vs. Detroit and at Cleveland.

13. (13) Chicago Bears (3-1)

The Bears' off week, on the other hand, comes prior to a pair of difficult road contests at Atlanta and Cincinnati.

14. (14) Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2)

Ben Roethlisberger has thrown five touchdowns and just one interception over his past two games.

15. (15) San Diego Chargers (2-2)

San Diego got a bye before playing its entire division over the next three weeks.

16. (24) Miami Dolphins (2-3)

Ronnie Brown ran for 74 yards and two scores, caught three passes for 14 yards and even threw for 21 yards, and my fantasy team still lost by 20.

17. (16) San Francisco 49ers (3-2)

Down 25 in the third quarter, Dre' Bly intercepted a pass by Matt Ryan but was caught from behind and lost the ball when he began celebrating during his return. "Dre's going to be Dre'," Bly said. "When I make plays, and I've made a lot, I express myself." I'm surprised Mike Singletary didn't drop his pants right then and there.

18. (17) Dallas Cowboys (3-2)

Tony Romo finally came up big in the clutch, launching two long touchdown passes to Garfield, New Jersey's own Miles Austin in the fourth quarter and overtime. Then again, it was against the Chiefs.

19. (18) Arizona Cardinals (2-2)

The Cardinals blew a 21-0 lead before scoring a touchdown late to beat the Texans.

20. (22) Seattle Seahawks (2-3)

Boy, are the Seahawks happy to have Matt Hasselbeck back. Not only did he throw for four touchdowns, but he inspired the defense to pitch a shutout after allowing 82 points in their previous three games.

21. (19) Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3)

How can the Jags score 37 against Tennessee and then nothing at Seattle the next week? It can't all be due to the cross-country flight.

22. (20) Houston Texans (2-3)

My sleeper Super Bowl pick has been quite a disappointment.

23. (21) Tennessee Titans (0-5)

The Titans have lost five games to teams with a combined record of 15-10.

24. (23) Carolina Panthers (1-3)

Brady Quinn has a better passer's rating than Jake Delhomme, but at least he led them past the Redskins this week. Barely.

25. (27) Detroit Lions (1-4)

The Lions are bad, but at least they're competitive, which is more than I can say for most of the teams below them.

26. (28) Washington Redskins (2-3)

Another one of the better terrible teams in the league.

27. (30) Cleveland Browns (1-4)

The Browns picked up their first win by beating the Bills in The Worst Game Ever Played.

28. (25) Buffalo Bills (1-4)

Over/under on how many more games Terrell Owens plays this year for the Bills stands at 3.5.

29. (26) Oakland Raiders (1-4)

Michael Turner and Maurice Jones-Drew have more touchdowns this year (five) than Oakland (four).

30. (31) Kansas City Chiefs (0-5)

The Raiders cannot be the worst team in football because this team lost to them.

31. (29) Tampa Bay Bucs (0-5)

The Bucs have the seventh-worst offense in the league (284.2 ypg) and the fifth-worst defense (379.8 ypg).

32. (32) St. Louis Rams (0-5)

In this week's edition of "Which kicker has more points than the Rams this year," the winner is Nate Kaeding, 35-34.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison.

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

Derek Jeter's Heads-Up Play Has New York Yankees Heading to the ALCS

Jordan Schwartz — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:50:49 -0400

I watch a lot of sports and I'm a pretty laid-back person, so it takes a rather unique play for me to respond with an audible "Wow!"

But that's exactly what happened in the bottom of the eighth inning during the Yankees' American League Division Series clinching win over the Twins on Sunday night.

With no one out and Nick Punto on second with a lead-off double off Phil Hughes in a 2-1 game, Denard Span bounced a ball over second base that was fielded by Derek Jeter.

Realizing he had no chance to retire the speedy Span at first, the captain alertly turned his attention to Punto, who for some reason was halfway around third.

In no rush, the shortstop calmly tossed the ball home to Jorge Posada, who fired the ball over to Alex Rodriguez at third to retire Punto, trying to elude the tag.

In Game 1, Jeter did it with his bat- launching a two-run homer to tie the game in the third inning- and in Game 3, he did it with his arm, as he kept the Twins from knotting the game, and the Yanks went onto win, 4-1, to clinch their first postseason series in five years.

After everything No. 2 has done since 1996, it's incredible that he keeps coming up with new ways to make us say "Wow!"

Let's take a look at the grades from the final game at the Metrodome.

Joe Girardi, Manager: (B-) If the Twins had scored a run in the bottom of the seventh and gone on to win this game, Girardi's yanking of Andy Pettitte would've gone down as the worst managerial move by a Yanks skipper since Joe Torre drew in the infield in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series.

The southpaw retired the first 12 batters he faced and was still pitching well when Girardi took him out for Joba Chamberlain with one out in the seventh. Pettitte allowed just one run on three hits and a walk, while striking out seven over 6 1/3 innings. And he only threw 81 pitches!

The guys due up next for Minnesota were Delmon Young and Brendan Harris, who were both 0-for-2 against the left-hander in this game, despite having very good numbers against him in their careers entering the contest (9-for-14 and 8-for-17, respectively).

After Joba gave up a double to Young, he was able to escape the inning without surrendering a run, but the Yanks were forced to sweat out the final eight outs of the game, when it looked like Pettitte could've gone the distance, or at least handed the ball to Mariano Rivera in the ninth.

Derek Jeter, SS: (B+) In addition to his defensive heroics, the captain doubled in four at-bats and finished the ALDS hitting .400 with a .538 on base percentage.

Johnny Damon, LF: (F) This courtesy of Ed Price of FanHouse.com: Damon was the first Yankee with four strikeouts in a nine-inning postseason game since Mel Stottlemyre in Game 2 of the 1964 World Series. The last position player to do it was Mickey Mantle in Game 3 of the 1953 Fall Classic.

The outfielder hit just .083 in the series following a poor September, and Girardi may need to consider replacing him with Brett Gardner for a game or two in the ALCS, because Damon hit just 4-for-33 (.121) with eight K's against the Angels this year.

Mark Teixeira, 1B: (C-) Teixeira went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. He hit just .167 against the Twins and will need to step it up vs. the Angels.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B: (A+) A-Rod secured his spot as this series' most valuable player with a solo homer in the seventh that finally got the Bombers on the board against Carl Pavano, who pitched an outstanding game (7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 9 K).

Rodriguez hit .455 with two huge home runs in the ALDS. I guess you feel kind of silly now if you were one of those Yankees fans who actually wanted to trade A-Rod after his postseason struggles a couple years back.

Hideki Matsui, DH: (A-) Godzilla was 1-for-3 with a walk, but he struck out twice.

Jorge Posada, C: (A+) Posada got some of his frustration out after being benched on Friday by going 2-for-4 with the go-ahead home run in the seventh and an RBI single to drive home a big insurance run in the ninth.

He also made that great throw to gun down Punto in the eighth. I'd still sit him for A.J. Burnett's Game 2 start on Saturday.

Robinson Cano, 2B: (C) Cano started 0-for-3 and made what should've been scored an error on a line drive off the bat of Jason Kubel in the fifth, before blooping a single in the ninth to drive in the Yanks' fourth run.

Nick Swisher, RF: (D-) Swisher went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and hit only .083 with no walks in the ALDS, but he bailed out Cano on that play in the fifth when he threw to second for the force.

Melky Cabrera, CF-LF: (C-) Cabrera went 1-for-4 with two Ks.

Brett Gardner, CF: (INC) Gardner replaced Damon for defensive purposes in the ninth. He may replace Damon for offensive purposes in the ALCS.

Jerry Hairston, Jr., PR-DH: (INC) Hairston finally made it into a postseason game for the first time in his 11-year career when he pinch ran for Matsui.

Andy Pettitte, SP: (A) Pettitte pitched great and should've been allowed to stay in the game longer. His next start should be Oct. 19 in Anaheim.

Joba Chamberlain, RP: (B) Joba retired two of the three batters he faced in the seventh without giving up a run. The big question this week will be whether he's slated to start Game 4 of the ALCS on Oct. 20. I say he should be.

Phil Hughes, RP: (B-) Hughes gave up two hits while getting two outs in the eighth. He was bailed out by Jeter and Rivera and the Yankees will look for him to pitch better in the next round.

Mariano Rivera, RP: (A) Mo got lucky on his first pitch to Joe Mauer, when his fastball up and out over the plate was just fouled back by the batting champion. His second pitch was much better, sawing off the lefty on a ground ball to first that ended the inning.

Yankees Overall Grade: (B+) The Pinstripe's managed just five hits until the ninth, but it was enough as Pettitte's pitching and Jeter's defense held the Twins at bay. Now they get set for a huge best-of-seven showdown against the Angels, who have ousted them from the playoffs twice since 2002.

ALDS Game Three Preview: Yankees Aim for Sweep, Revenge on Pavano

Jordan Schwartz — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:52:31 -0400

Carl Pavano robbed the Yankees of $38 million from 2005-2008 and on Sunday night, New York will look to make him pay for it.

The 33-year-old right-hander is the only thing standing between the Bombers and their first trip to the American League Championship Series since 2004, and there's more on the line in Game 3 than just the satisfaction of sweeping the Twins and exacting revenge on Pavano.

If Minnesota wins on Sunday, the Yanks would be forced to start CC Sabathia in Game 4 on Monday at the Metrodome, meaning he'd have to pitch on just three-days rest if New York was to win and advance to Game 1 of the ALCS on Friday at Yankee Stadium.

We all remember how poorly the southpaw pitched in the playoffs on short rest last year for the Brewers. He surrendered five runs in 3 2/3 innings in an NLDS Game 2 loss to the Phillies.

Of course, that was his fourth consecutive short-rest start in a row and Sabathia is more than capable of pitching Monday then Friday, but it would be nice to have him 100 percent for the beginning of the next round.

Let's take a look at the Game 3 pitching match-up.

Game three: Sunday, Oct. 11 - Andy Pettitte (14-8, 4.16) vs. Carl Pavano (14-12, 5.10)

Pettitte is a veteran of postseason play (14-9, 3.96) and pitched very well on the road this season (8-4, 3.71), so it made sense to start him in Game three.

The left-hander is 4-3 with a 3.93 ERA in 12 career ALDS starts, including a victory over the Twins in 2003. In that game, he allowed just one run on four hits and three walks, while striking out 10 over seven innings.

Pettitte is 9-5 with a 3.70 in his life vs. Minnesota, including a 5-4 record and a 3.62 mark at the Metrodome. This year, he faced the Twins once on May 18, giving up four runs on 12 hits in 6 2/3 innings at Yankee Stadium, leading the Bombers to a 7-6 win.

Minnesota's roster hits a stunning .394 against Pettitte, led by Delmon Young (9-for-14, 2 2B), Brendan Harris (8-for-17, 2 2B), Joe Mauer (4-for-10, HR) and Michael Cuddyer (5-for-14, 2B, HR).

I was saddened to find out that Pavano was born in New Britain, Conn.—the same place where my girlfriend grew up. That should give you some sort of idea how much hatred we Yankees fans have for a man who started just 26 games over the span of a four-year contract in the Bronx.

Pavano, who began 2009 with the Indians, had a terrific six-game stretch after being traded to the Twins. From Aug. 23-Sept. 19, he went 2-2 with a 2.97 ERA, before stumbling to the finish line with an 8.27 mark over his final three starts.

The former Marlin went 2-0 with a 1.40 ERA in eight games (two starts) for Florida during the 2003 postseason, including nine innings of one-run ball against the Yankees in the World Series (another reason to hate him).

Pavano is 0-1 with a 4.76 ERA in four career regular-season starts vs. New York, but yielded just four runs in 13 1/3 innings against them this year in two games for the Indians.

Johnny Damon is 5-for-12 (.417) with two doubles when facing the right-hander and Derek Jeter is 4-for-10 (.400) with a pair of doubles.

Jorge Posada returns to the starting lineup with an 0-for-2 mark against Pavano and Robinson Cano is 0-for-5.

The Twins pitcher was 1-2 with a 4.55 ERA in five starts at the Metrodome this season.

Prediction: Yankees 6, Twins 5

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison.

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

Derek Jeter Proves Most Valuable As Yankees Topple Twins in Game One

Jordan Schwartz — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:09:24 -0400

Everything changed in the bottom of the third inning.

When Derek Jeter stepped to the plate with the Yankees trailing 2-0 to the Twins in Game One of the American League Division Series, a lot of questions were racing through the minds of Yankees fans.

Why has our opponent scored first for the ninth time in our last 12 playoff games? Why has Alex Rodriguez failed to pick up a hit in his last 18 postseason at-bats with runners in scoring position and past 28 with runners anywhere on base?

Why is Jorge Posada using his chest protector instead of his glove to catch fastballs from CC Sabathia? Why does Delmon Young look so much like Jay-Z? Are we really going to lose to a bunch of hungover, jet-lagged players from the AL Central?

And then, with one un-Jeterian swing, the captain eased the tension in the Yankee Universe.

The shortstop turned on a 1-0 pitch from Brian Duensing and tied the score with a two-run homer—just his third third round-tripper to left field in 2009.

All of a sudden, the Bombers were no longer trailing, A-Rod was driving in runs in the playoffs, Posada and Sabathia were on the same page, Delmon Young still looked like Jay-Z, and New York was beating Minnesota, 7-2, to take a 1-0 series lead.

This is nothing new for Jeter, who always seems to deliver when the team needs him the most. So while Joe Mauer may win the AL Most Valuable Player Award for this season, Yankees fans know who really is the MVP.

Here are the grades from Yanks' win over the Twins on Wednesday night.

Joe Girardi, Manager: (A-)
Girardi did a pretty good job in his first playoff game as Pinstripes skipper. He sent the runner a couple times in order to stay out of the double play, and he knew exactly the right time to pull Sabathia.

Then, he got a little carried away. The manager used four relievers to get the final seven outs despite the fact the Yankees had a comfortable lead. Maybe Girardi wanted to get everyone acclimated to pitching in the postseason, but he was lucky none of the relievers experienced a big blow-up, because then they would've been short-handed in the bullpen if the game got tight.

Derek Jeter, SS: (A+)
In addition to his huge homer, the captain singled, walked twice and scored three runs.

Johnny Damon, LF: (C-)
Damon, who hit .235 in September, singled in four at-bats.

Mark Teixeira, 1B: (D+)
Teixeira scorched a couple balls, but hit into some bad luck and finished 0-for-4. He did, however, make a nice grab on a line drive off the bat of Jason Kubel in the eighth inning.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B: (A)
A-Rod snapped out of his postseason slump, picking up RBI singles in the fifth and seventh. He also made a couple nice plays at third base.

Hideki Matsui, DH: (A)
Godzilla's two-run homer in the fifth broke the game open.

Jorge Posada, C: (D)
Posada went 1-for-4, but the real story was how he played behind the plate. The catcher and Sabathia got crossed up twice, leading to a couple of passed balls—one of which Mauer scored on for the second run in the third inning, when Posada failed to hustle after the ball.

I can't imagine why A.J. Burnett wants to pitch to Jose Molina in Game 2. Now, Posada can go back to moping until he's inserted as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning on Friday.

Robinson Cano, 2B: (D+)
Cano was 0-for-4 with a strikeout, but he scored a run and made a couple of outstanding defensive plays: a sweet double-play turn in the third and one of his patented off-balance throws to first later in the game.

Nick Swisher, RF: (B+)
Swisher delivered one of the biggest hits of the game: a two-out RBI double that put the Yankees ahead, 3-2, in the fourth.

Melky Cabrera, CF-RF: (C)
Cabrera singled and scored in four at-bats.

Brett Gardner, CF: (INC)
Gardner replaced Swisher for defensive purposes.

CC Sabathia, SP: (A)
The big lefty entered with a 2-3 record and a 7.92 ERA in five career postseason starts, but he pitched just about as well as the Yankees hoped he would when they signed him to a seven-year, $161 million contract this past offseason. Sabathia allowed two runs (one earned) on eight hits and no walks, while striking out eight over 6 2/3 innings to pick up the win.

Phil Hughes, RP: (A-)
The right-hander recorded one of the biggest outs of the game when he struck out Orlando Cabrera in an epic 10-pitch at-bat with runners on second and third with two gone in the seventh.

Phil Coke, RP: (C)
I'm not sure why Girardi let Hughes face AL batting champion Mauer (a lefty), but took him out for fellow southpaw Kubel. Coke was lucky to retire Kubel on a line drive right at Teixeira.

Joba Chamberlain, RP: (B+)
After his two pitches Wednesday, Joba won't be available again until August.

Mariano Rivera, RP: (B-)
With a five-run lead, Mo retired three of the five batters he faced. Hooray!

Yankees Overall Grade: (B+)
Led by Jeter, New York did what it did all season—come from behind to win. Let's see if the Yanks can lead wire-to-wire when Burnett squares off against Nick Blackburn in Game Two on Friday.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison.

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

ALDS Game 1 Preview: Yankees Should Trounce Tired Twins

Jordan Schwartz — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:23:05 -0400

Well, it wasn't the 19-inning game I had hoped for, but it was close.

The Twins outlasted the Tigers, 6-5, in 12 innings on Tuesday night to win the American League Central tiebreaker and clinch a spot opposite the Yankees in the AL Division Series, which will start in the Bronx at 6:07 pm Wednesday, just 20 hours after Carlos Gomez slid home with the winning run in Minneapolis.

New York got its wish, drawing a team that it not only defeated seven out of seven times this season, but one that also used eight pitchers last night.

On the other hand, Minnesota will be on an emotional high when it storms into the first playoff game at the new Yankee Stadium tonight. But in baseball, momentum is only as good as the next day's pitcher, so let's check them out.

Game 1: Wednesday, Oct. 7—CC Sabathia (19-8, 3.37) vs. Brian Duensing (5-2, 3.64)

Sabathia went 8-1 with a 2.16 ERA over his final 11 starts of the regular season, but will now try to improve on his career 2-3, 7.92 mark in the playoffs.

The big lefty beat the Twins in his only start against them this year, allowing just one run on three hits and a walk, while striking out three over seven innings as the Yanks won, 10-2, at the Metrodome on July 7.

Sabathia, a former Indian, is quite familiar with Minnesota. He's 13-8 with a 3.05 ERA in 28 starts against them.

Alexi Casilla (9-for-13, 2 2B) and Mike Redmond (13-for-26, 6 RBI) are the only guys on a Twins roster—that has a .229 average against CC—that have had any sort of success vs. the southpaw.

AL MVP candidate Joe Mauer is 5-for-23 (.217) with nine strikeouts, Michael Cuddyer is 11-for-52 (.212) with 11 Ks, Nick Punto is 6-for-36 (.167) and Orlando Cabrera is 5-for-33 (.152).

Sabathia was 7-2 with a 3.17 ERA at home this season and the Yankees won 13 straight Wednesday games until falling to the Royals last week.

Duensing, meanwhile, is a rookie who made his first career start on July 29 and then transitioned to the rotation for good in late August. From Aug. 22 through Sept. 18, the left-hander went 4-0 with a 1.45 ERA, but over his final two starts, he pitched to a 6.97 mark.

The 26-year-old's only appearance against the Yankees was 2 2/3 innings of relief during which he surrendered four runs on two hits and four walks. Ironically, that came in that same July 7 game that Sabathia started.

Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano each had singles off Duensing, with Cano's hit driving in two runs. He walked Hideki Matsui, Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher (twice), but struck out Johnny Damon.

The Twins starter was 2-2 with a 4.84 ERA on the road this year.

Prediction: Yankees 6, Twins 1

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison.

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

NFL Power Rankings: Week 5

Jordan Schwartz — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:34:27 -0400

The Mannings stand atop the NFL mountain after the quarter-pole of the regular season.

Eli's Giants are 4-0 after dismantling the Chiefs down in Kansas City and Peyton's Colts are also undefeated following a similar crushing of the Seahawks.

Could the brothers be headed for a sibling Super Bowl? We'll see.

1. (1) New York Giants (4-0)

The G-Men's Week 3-5 opponents are a combined 1-11, so it'll be nice to see them play some real competition again in two weeks, when they travel to New Orleans to play the Saints, who will be coming off a bye. Eli's heel injury also has to be cause for concern.

2. (3) Indianapolis Colts (4-0)

Peyton leads the league in QB rating (114.5), yards (1,336), touchdowns (nine) and yards per attempt (9.75).

3. (4) Minnesota Vikings (4-0)

Not only did Favre beat his old team, but he also helped out the Yankees.

4. (5) New Orleans Saints (4-0)

The Saints turned the ball over just once, while forcing four takeaways from the Jets.

5. (12) Denver Broncos (4-0)

The Broncos have given up just 26 points this season. That's 27 less than any other team in the NFL.

6. (6) New York Jets (3-1)

Okay, so Mark Sanchez might not be Joe Namath just yet.

7. (9) New England Patriots (3-1)

The Pats picked up a big win at home against the Ravens, thanks in part to two questionable roughing-the-passer penalties.

8. (1) Baltimore Ravens (3-1)

Penalties aside, if Mark Clayton catches that fourth-down pass with 28 seconds left, the Ravens might still be undefeated.

9. (10) Atlanta Falcons (2-1)

The Falcons move up a spot during their bye week as they get set for a difficult game at San Francisco on Sunday.

10. (11) Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)

Coming off their bye, the Eagles have a very easy road ahead against the Bucs, Raiders, and Redskins and should be 5-1 for their Nov. 1 showdown with the Giants.

11. (13) Cincinnati Bengals (3-1)

After having his extra point blocked toward the end of the fourth quarter, Shayne Graham made amends when he nailed a 31-yard field goal to win the game in the final seconds of overtime.

12. (14) Green Bay Packers (2-2)

Aaron Rodgers' eight sacks and one interception cost my fantasy team a victory this week because my opponent had Minnesota's defense. Thanks, Aaron.

13. (15) Chicago Bears (3-1)

Jay Cutler has thrown seven touchdowns and one pick during his past three contests.

14. (16) Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2)

Ben Roethlisberger averaged 10.1 yards per attempt on Sunday night against the Chargers.

15. (7) San Diego Chargers (2-2)

San Diego's defense surrendered 6.8 yards every time Pittsburgh snapped the football.

16. (17) San Francisco 49ers (3-1)

My eliminator pool pick was awfully shaky until the Niners remembered they were playing the Rams.

17. (8) Dallas Cowboys (2-2)

Tony Romo has thrown one touchdown and four interceptions over his last three games.

18. (19) Arizona Cardinals (1-2)

Coming off a bye, the Cards have a winnable game at home against the Texans on Sunday.

19. (20) Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2)

Back-to-back division wins has the Jags tied for second in the AFC South and just a game back of a Wild Card spot.

20. (21) Houston Texans (2-2)

The Texans' defense, which entered the week as the worst in football, put up 26 points on my fantasy bench, while the defense I started (Tennessee) scored negative three.

21. (22) Tennessee Titans (0-4)

With the Colts and Pats coming up, the Titans are looking to become the best 0-6 team ever.

22. (23) Seattle Seahawks (1-3)

Seneca Wallace isn't the problem with this team right now. The big issue is that their defense has allowed 82 points over the last three weeks.

23. (24) Carolina Panthers (0-3)

Jake Delhomme didn't throw any interceptions this week. Hey-oooooo!

24. (25) Miami Dolphins (1-3)

The Fish should just run every play out of the wildcat for the rest of the season. And I'm not just saying that because I have Ronnie Brown on my fantasy team.

25. (18) Buffalo Bills (1-3)

I'm still trying to figure out how this team got so close to beating the Patriots in Week 1.

26. (26) Oakland Raiders (1-3)

Yahoo! Sports is reporting that head coach Tom Cable could be arrested soon in relation to an alleged assault on an assistant coach. That could actually be good news for a team that ranks last in total offense.

27. (30) Detroit Lions (1-3)

The Lions haven't won since September.

28. (31) Washington Redskins (2-2)

Any game involving two teams ranked 26th or lower in these rankings (see Washington vs. Tampa Bay, Week 4) should be blacked out in all markets.

29. (27) Tampa Bay Bucs (0-4)

Not even close to the worst team in football.

30. (28) Cleveland Browns (0-4)

Still not the worst team in football.

31. (29) Kansas City Chiefs (0-4)

Almost there.

32. (32) St. Louis Rams (0-4)

Being outscored by Jeff Reed this year, 25-24.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison.

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com

How Brett Favre Is Helping the Yankees' Drive For 27

Jordan Schwartz — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:46:10 -0400

Is Brett Favre a Yankee fan?

Even if he isn't, a lot of Bombers supporters are certainly fans of No. 4 after his second unretirement and subsequent signing with the Minnesota Vikings set up a fateful Monday Night Football showdown with Favre's former team and Vikes' rival, the Green Bay Packers tonight at the Metrodome.

The huge regular season matchup was too big for the NFL and ESPN to move. So the American League Central one-game tiebreaker between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins—to be played at the same facility—is being pushed back to Tuesday at 5:07 p.m.

That's just 25 hours prior to the probable first pitch of Game One of the AL Division Series between the winner and the Yankees in New York.

This is assuming the Pinstripes opt for the longer, eight-day series to begin on Wednesday. Many believe they were already going to choose this series, so they can start CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett in four of the possible five games, but Tuesday's play-in game is all the more reason to play Game One on October 7.

The Favre-caused delay also keeps the other two AL playoff teams—Boston and Los Angeles—on their toes. That's because New York (thanks to finishing with the best record in the league) doesn't have to select which series it wants to play until an hour after the conclusion of the Detroit/Minnesota contest.

Another advantage for the Yankees is that Tuesday's starters—Rick Porcello and Scott Baker—will be unavailable until at least Game Three of the ALDS. This, after Tigers ace Justin Verlander was already put out of commission for Game One due to the fact that he had to pitch Sunday's crucial game against the White Sox.

Everything is setting up nicely for New York, which is most likely rooting for the Twins to win (in 19 innings) on Tuesday. The Yanks went 7-0 against Minnesota this season and knocked out the Twins in four games in the 2003 and '04 ALDS.

The Tigers, meanwhile, were just 1-5 against the Yankees this year, but have a far better starting rotation.

The Bombers know to be careful what they wish for after drawing the apparently overmatched Tigers in 2006, only to fall to Detroit, 3-1, in the first round. But there's no denying New York is sitting pretty right now.

Thanks in part to Brett Favre.

Follow me on Twitter at JordanHarrison.

Jordan Schwartz is Bleacher Report's New York Yankees Community Leader. His book "Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man" is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com