Over the last month we saw the mighty Red Sox go from leading the AL East to destination unknown. It was hard to watch, even as a Yankee fan because truthfully I felt bad, the same way I did for the Mets in 2007.

This was the Red Sox team that Sports Illustrated proclaimed would win 100 games, on route to winning another World Series Championship in the magazine’s annual Baseball Preview issue.

Just try to conceive the mutiny that must be going on at ESPN?

ESPN is the sports equivalent of CNN, and minus my favorite expert Skip Bayless, the kitten caboodle made up of ex-players and the game’s most respected analysts must be in shock. Just Gordon Edes’ bold predictions alone are enough for any network to hang their heads in shame.

And let’s not forget about ESPN’s predicting machine that simulates a full season of 162 games, for all 30 teams and it picked the Red Sox too. Just read my preseason article, ESPN’s Baseball Machine Even Hates The Yankees to see exactly what a robot that was MADE IN BEANTOWN forecasted for this 2011 MLB season.

Truthfully, at the start of this historical Wednesday all my pity and heartfelt sentiments for my Yankees hated rivals had still not completely out the window.  The real moment it did was at the top of the 2nd inning; with two outs on the board and the bases loaded, Mark Teixeira had to go to hit a grand slam of ace David Price. And suddenly the scoreboard read 5-0; and I wanted the Yankees to lose.

Call me whatever you want because I deserve it. Anyone with a brain knows that the Yankees would be better off in the ALCS playing a team who went 7-20 in September, over a hot team like Tampa Bay who went 17-10 respectively; but during this game I did not care.(...)
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Post tags: American League East, Boston, Boston Redsox, Bud Selig, ESPN, New York Yankee, Rays, Red Sox, Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay Rays, Yankee

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Tonight baseball nation will be watching, as four teams will be battling but not against each other for the last two coveted Wild Card postseason spots.

In the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays (90-71) are tied with the Boston Red Sox (90-71) so if both teams win or lose there will be a sudden death game played tomorrow between these to AL East powerhouses.

Same scenario in the National League, as the Atlanta Braves (89-72) and St. Louis Cardinals (89-72) are both striving to clinch a playoff berth tonight, but if tied the two will also duel it out against each other tomorrow to determine the winner.

This is about as good as it gets for baseball fans, and if you have any friends who are on the fence about loving America’s Pastime this would be the night to make sure they are tuned in.

Here is the TV schedule for tonight’s match-ups courtesy of MLB.com (EST listed):

As the best athlete of out generation once said:

“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” – Michael Jordon

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Post tags: American League, American League East, Atlanta Braves, Boston Redsox, National League, New York, New York Yankee, St Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Wild Card

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Knocking the Boston Red Sox out of the top spot in the AL Wild Card would have been the icing on the cake, but after fighting for 14-innings in the second game of a double-header that mission failed.

Now with three games left in the regular season, the Red Sox remain a game ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays in the Wild Card standings.

Why should any Yankee fan be complaining?

Worried would be the more proper word because back on September 1^st, the Red Sox were the team atop the AL East. On September 2^nd, the Yankees stole first place and never looked back but with a nine game lead in the Wild Card it seemed inevitable that Boston would still be around in October.

That is until Boston broke a franchise record for the worst September slump by losing 18 of the next 24 games.

Still, the Red Sox fought hard to beat the Yankees last night and that might have been just what the doctor ordered.

If you recall the Red Sox started the season 0-7 until they swept the Yankees in Fenway Park and Boston started beating everyone.

Let’s hope history does not repeat itself in this case; or in the case of Yankees ace CC Sabathia not making a start for two weeks before taking the hill in Game One of the ALDS next Friday night.

Ironically, the Yankees will finish the season down in Tampa Bay for a three game set against the Rays.(...)
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Post tags: Boston, Boston Redsox, Fenway Park, New York Yankee, Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, Wild Card, Yankees

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According to pretty much every baseball expert on earth, the champagne was supposed to be flowing in Boston at Fenway Park. Don’t you remember??? Let me remind you….

The Yankees own GM Brian Cashman thought the Red Sox were the better team when asked by Boston Globe’s Peter Abrahams back in January.

In ESPN’s predictions for the 2011 MLB season, all 45 analysts chose the Red Sox to win the division and 34 have Boston penciled in to win the World Series as well. Once you see the cover of the 2011 October issue of ESPN The Magazine, the above numbers are not such a surprise because the network has always seemed to belong in Red Sox Nation.

FOX Sports Ken Rosenthal’s prediction became a collective theme among baseball experts about the Yankees:

“Only question is which starting pitcher — or two — they will acquire.”

Even here at Lady Loves Pinstripes, I wrote this about the Yankees in my 2011 Predictions:

“The Yankees have more holes to fill than fans would like.”

Well, these predictions so far have been very wrong.(...)
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Post tags: American League East, Boston, Boston Redsox, Brian Cashman, Fenway Park, Freddie Garcia, New York Yankee, Red Sox Nation, Yankees

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Yet there is no denying that the Yankees looked solid last night, cooling down the Tampa Bay Rays 5-0 and winning the opening game of this four game set. Rookie phenom Ivan Nova pitched 7.2 scoreless innings, as this kid is the real deal and seems to get better with every start. The Youngster’s timing couldn’t be more perfect either.

The Yankees still have a three game visit from the literally bitter Boston Red Sox’s over the weekend, before heading down to Tropicana Field to end the season.

So, things don’t get much easier for the three amigos in the AL East. The bottom line is at the very least one of these three teams are a postseason goner; with the possibility of two still looming.

Well, it never hurts to look ahead, so let’s play make-believe…. and pretend the Yankees have already won a coveted spot in the playoffs.

Who would the Yankees feasible foes be in the fatal, five-game series (aka. first-round of the MLB playoffs)?

As the Wild Card team, the Yankees would not have home-field advantage and Game One would take place in Comerica Park against the Detroit Tigers.

• Playing away doesn’t worry me, but facing the formidable Detroit ace Justin Verlander twice in five games would give anyone nightmares. Verlander is without question going to be the 2011 AL CY Young winner and he is just lights out.
• Tigers have a strong bullpen, with a closer named Jose Valverde who has yet to blow a save this season.
• All five Detroit starters are righties, which gives the hard-hitting Yankees a huge advantage being so leftie dominant.
• The last time these two clubs played was back on May 5^th and the Tigers won four of the last seven vs. New York. The Tigers have also out hit the Bombers 36-33.
• Tiger’s top slugger is Miguel Cabrera, who in my opinion is the best hitter in baseball.

As the AL East Division winners, the Yankees would play host for the Texas Rangers, as Game One would be in the Bronx.

• The Rangers rotation is a mix of righties and lefties but other than CJ Wilson have had spotty outings against the Yankees. Starter Colby Lewis will have to come up big for Texas, but whether Matt Harrison can hold it together is another story.
• The Yankees are 7-2 vs. the Rangers this season, while outscoring Texas 65-35.
• Revenge has just cause for the Yankees to want to win this series, as New York was not happy after losing to Texas in the 2010 ALCS. It was an embarrassment.

If the world were perfect, the Yankees would be hosting the Rangers to start the playoffs because the Tigers are really hot and just oozing confidence that no team wants a piece of in a five-game series.

Well, getting back to reality and the Yankees still need to qualify for the playoffs or else the third option will start being discussed.

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© Kate for Lady Loves Pinstripes, 2011. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: American League East, Boston Redsox, CJ Wilson, Colby Lewis, Justin Verlander, Major League Baseball postseason, New York Yankee, Tampa Bay Rays

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The reality is the Yankees have not clinched a playoff berth yet and there making life awfully hard after losing the rubber game 0-3 on Sunday vs. the Toronto Blue Jays. It is hard to believe that the Yankees could very well be the man out, but as Justin Bieber says, Never Say Never.

Watching ESPN or MLB Network, one would think that the Yankees were already packing for October. All the media focus has been solely on the AL Wild Card standings, along with a lot of long-winded banter excusing why the Red Sox are stinking lately and how they are still the best team in the AL.

Well, reality bites because even though the Bombers continue to lead the AL East by 4.5 games, not winning on their own merit is a cause for concern.

There is still a week left for the Yankees to get hot again, as limping into the playoffs is not an ideal scenario.

Over the next week the Yankees will face the Rays seven times and the Red Sox three. Just typing that scenario actually makes missing the postseason way to possible in my mind.

So, my point is that all Yankee fans need to stop acting entitled and be humbled instead.

Why?

1. I will start with the apparent reason that three’s a crowd; this necessitates one, or possibly two of the AL East teams going bye.
2. And the other reason is how hard pressed it would be to find more than a handful of baseball experts that didn’t pick the Red Sox as the AL darlings throughout the season; other than my favorite perennial debater, ESPN’s Skip Bayless who said preseason that the Bombers were not nearly done just yet.  I mean the Yankees were not supposed to be leading the AL East with just 11 games left on the season, as the Yankees forecast was to fail.(...)
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   Post tags: American League East, Boston Redsox, MLB Network, New York Yankee, Toronto Blue Jays
   

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