The National League Concept of Team.....

Since inter league play has become more prevalent in the schedule, it is starting to become more competitive then in years past.

The joke has always been the NL is not comparable to the AL. I used to think that meant the AL has better teams, more talented players which is false in a sense. I believe that the AL has more competitive divisions than the national league, but as we saw last year, the World Series was won by the NL Philadelphia Phillies.

I never took the Phillies as more then being the hottest team at the right time, cause the last three years they pull it together at the end of the season with winning and the Mets collapse which basically cements their playoff berth.

At least that is what I blew off as thinking it is just the NL. And this past weekend, the champs sure showed why it was no fluke. The Yanks played well, but only after the first was a loss cause Philly came to play, and I think it brought the Yankees back down to earth, which, as a fan, I sadly think was needed.

I do conclude that the Yanks are a better team then the Phillies but because being a Yankee is being a Yankee it is easier to forget we can get beaten. Overall, Philly is struggling with starting rotation, Brad Lidge is a mess (feel badly for him), and Hamel's looked good on Sunday but he has not even been close to his norm.

Hamel was hurt, I know, and maybe that's been beating him down but regardless the why of it the team knows that their pitching is shaken at the moment. I mean do you think that their worked series rings would have been there without Hamel's and Lidge???

So the Phillies utilize their strengths to pick up that slack. The Yanks are starting to get this concept which is crucial and results in wins. A concept I feel the NL is defining, maybe not by choice but who cares cause it is working.

For the AL, Tampa Bay was that last year as well...and look at the two teams who made it to the finish line; god maybe its just easy for me to be critical as a fan or maybe I am a genius, but I bet this is not a rule that players can be ordered to follow. It happens but...

I worry...what if A-Rod goes down again or Jeter's leg (god forbid)...is Tex going back to unreliable or will the team will fall apart? Also, Mo is still one of the best, we all seem to forget that he is still human and sometimes he needs the team to pick him up as well.

But Mo is always so classy...unlike another closer who acted like the biggest f'in baby I have ever seen in a professional athlete when the Mets, Omar Santos smack a two-run homer right in the face of the big, bad green monster.

Papelbon, whom I already hate for his gay kilt dancing and his blowfish face he makes when he pitches always give such a show when he makes a mistake that I can still hate him without even crediting his talent for it!!

So keep it up, Papel-tard, cause your attitude is awesome for everything you don't want to be as a closer or a Yankee for that matter. God he pisses me off; please excuse my tangent of rage and watch the video here to understand me or not...

Apologies for getting completely off track but he is such a god damn pain in the everywhere...now getting back to post.

Overall, eight of 10 wins is a great run of home games and the Twins are much better then they played so that was a nice sweep. As big poppy is slumping in an unthinkable fashion the Red Sox pick him up.

Toronto has one lights out, probably the best in all of baseball in Roy Halladay and use it as inspiration and to thrive off his energy.

The Yankees have every position across the board (except middle relief is struggling but who's isn't) covered with great utility guys to fill spots. Both our catchers are both on the DL but Francisco Cervelli is earning the respect of his teammates and the fans quite quickly.

Cervelli reminds me of the best of both Posada and Molina...he is confident and he can hit around .300 at that! The main concern as most would understand is that he is catching for some of the best pitchers in baseball...CC, AJ, Andy, Mo, Wang (soon) and Hughes.

I get nervous at the thought of it but he looks like an old pro. The 23 year old is exceeding all expectations! I thought we were in some trouble cause Posada's bat is huge and Molina is a great defender overall but Cervelli has the talent to be the future, and I am totally more than okay with that.

And with Girardi and Pena as past catchers themselves, he should only get better.

The point I am so inadequately attempting to make is that today's win 11-1 against Texas, who has a serious lineup of hitters who were up against Phil Hughes is the perfect example.

Hughes looks tougher in every sense from last season but he is still young and doesn't have the experience behind the rest of our starters (even Joba is more confident as last season he stayed up) so our lineup and defense had to step it.

To win the game, yes but also to give Hughes a little breathing room and let him show his best stuff without the game on his shoulders cause we couldn't get the runners on base in for a run. And that's what the team just did!!

Not playing as a team over the last few seasons is exactly what has prevented the Yankees from winning. Just being at the game I can see the players being a team; I think Jeter has finally accepted A-Rod, which I feel is all Alex really needed to finally be a part of something.

The shortstop was finally laughing and actually having whispers behind the glove which seemed to be inside jokes between the two. Maybe its cause now that A-Rod has done something that Jeter will never has on his record there is that wall of superiority, for whatever reason, has come down.

Or maybe A-Rod is relieved to have nothing on his chest or maybe Jeter is finally feeling like he is the shortstop, not the captain and face of the Yankees who is keeping his position cause of rank or right. I can tell you something is different this year and that is not because I want it to be for my own sake, it is what it is.

So since it just is....as long as the team is working and winning reason can be as simple as 'it just is'. If 'it' keeps up.... I think the Yanks will be there in the end but it will be a fight and as a fan my job is to cheer to keep the players wanting it!! Here is my pledge as a fan:

I will do it as a fan from the bottom of my heart and never give up!!! Keep playing as the team you have become and when one teammate struggles.....have his back!!!! And when the team struggles I will have yours!!