Yankees vs. Phillies

by Gregory H. Kim

And so it comes down to this. These two teams were 1 and 2 in home runs in the regular season and both play in bandboxes of a stadium. Both feature players that are basically unpitchable at this moment (A-Rod and Ryan Howard). These teams are widely considered to be the best in their respective leagues. They met in the regular season at Yankee Stadium; with the Phillies taking 2 out of 3. After a few recent duds, this World Series should be close and involve some good action. All types of fans will enjoy it...well, except maybe for those Mets fans, who...well...yea. (Editor's note: Typical Yankee Snob :))

The Role Players

Both of these teams are loaded with superstars, from Howard, Utley, and Rollins to A-Rod, Jeter, and Teixiera, who will and have produced in the post-season in key moments. Also, these teams also have secondary stars who could be middle-of-the-order hitters for other teams (Ibanez, Werth, Victorino and Posada, Damon, Matsui), so the lineups figure to counter-balance each other. It would not be shocking if one of these games was turned by an unknown character hitting a big three-run HR when one of these pitchers takes a break from one of the big stars. Feliz, Ruiz, Francisco, Melky, Swisher, Cano? Who will be the hero?

Say it ain't So, Joe

Much has been made about Joe Girardi and his ridiculous binder, as well as Charlie Manuel's curious decision to send all of his possible Game 3 starters out of the bullpen in Game 2 of the NLDS. So, the question isn't "Which manager will make a brillant move?", rather it's "Which manager won't screw this up?" I am continually puzzled by Girardi's incessant pitching changes and pinch running decisions. Really, is it smart to take out Alex Rodriguez who is playing out of his mind for Freddy Guzman (who, by the way, is barely faster than A-Rod and probably peeing in his pants) when A-Rod could easily come up again in the game. Or take out a lefty for another lefty after one batter. The list goes on and on. Add a National League park and National League rules and you have the potential for disaster. CC Sabathia pinch-hitting in the 10th, come on down! On the other side, Charlie Manuel looks like he's asleep half the time. And the decision to go with Pedro at Yankee Stadium in Games 2 and 6...let's just say that Pedro 5 years ago had some issues there.

Slamming the Door

Can you guess who is number one all-time in closing out a postseason series? Yes, it's Mariano. Can you guess who number two is? None other than the revitalized Brad Lidge. Ok, so it's clear that this stat is meaningless, but what it does show is that both of these guys have been here before. In a series with two patient and powerful lineups, it's clear that both bullpens are going to get some major work here. As a fan of either team, that should scare the living crap out of both teams. For the Yanks, apparently Joba the bullpen pitcher is now the same as Joba the starter and Phil Hughes looks like well..a 23 year-old kid. As for the Phillies, as much as I love Chan Ho Park showing the world that Asians can grow facial hair (yes, I'm an Asian who can't) (Editor's note: he can't), Park, Madson, or any of those other guys do not scare me. So, it comes down to this, can Mariano nail down nine out saves or can Brad channel his inner 2008, and not his disastrous 2009.

Cleveland Rocks, Cleveland Rocks

Games 1, 4 and 7 could feature a matchup of ex-Cleveland Cy Young winners in C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee. Both of them have been just ridonk in the playoffs, with C.C. going 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA in three appearances and Cliff going 2-0 with a 0.74 ERA in three starts. In a series where many are predicting home runs left and right, these two guys might be the only starters with any chance of keeping the ball in the yard. Look for the guy that wins this best-of-three to take their team to the promised land.

So who wins?

To tell you the truth, this series looks, feels, and smells like a seven-game classic. Power hitting, small ballparks, and shaky pitching (outside of the aces) makes for some 8-6, 9-8 extra-inning types of games. Both bullpens and managers look suspect. Will the Phillies go back and repeat or will the Yankees end the "curse" of Mike Mussina (he's the only guy I can blame that has been here from 2001 to 2008)? In the case where it's a toss-up, I'll go with the X-factor. I'm a Yankee fan*, I can't help it.

Yanks in 7

*Ok, so my X-factor is really the closers, and in this case, Mariano goes 2 innings and the Yanks win in the 9th off a Walk Off HR by Jorge Posada (no one is dumb enough to pitch to ARod in that situation.)