Kuzul

If you’re like me, you weren’t quite mentally ready for the early start time that came with Game 5 of the ALCS.

Like a Saw sequel, it just felt rushed. Only hours earlier, the Yankees had bumbled their way to a lopsided Game 4 loss to the Rangers at the Stadium.

I had spent a good portion of the night on the phone with my Dad, trying to convince him that the police would almost certainly investigate the sudden disappearance of Joe Girardi.

And while I dealt with defusing short-sighted abduction plots, I also had to squelch the pangs of dread I had thinking about the Yankees’ chances in Game 5.

There was plenty to be worried about: The disheartening nature of Tuesday’s loss, the season-ending injury to Mark Teixeira, the continued erosion of the bullpen, the curious ineffectiveness of CC Sabathia. There were more questions than answers.

Then there was the date. October 20. Only a masochist like myself would know that as the date Yankee Universe lost its innocence. October 20, 2004. 10/20. Never forget.

So yeah, I was dealing with demons that even Josh Hamilton could respect.

But that’s the funny thing about this Yankee team. Just when you have them pegged a certain way, they dart in the opposite direction. There’s no possible way to know what to expect.

How else do you explain how loose New York came out in Game 5?

It was the Yankees, not the Rangers, who played like they had house money. Texas gagged with runners on base, Texas made the mental mistakes, Texas threw the ball around the field like the Bad News Bears.

The five runs the Yankees put up by the fourth inning is typically more than enough for Sabathia, who all season cruised through the starts in which his team gave him an early lead.

But this is a different Sabathia than we saw in the spring and summer months. Gone is the pitcher with ace-stuff imposing his will on the opposition. He’s been replaced by a pitcher whose every start is a war of attrition.

Sabathia gave up 11 (11!) hits in six innings of work, somehow escaping with just two runs to his ledger. I remarked during my live blog that it may have been the worst good start in the history of the sport.

What does the win mean? It’s hard to say at this point. If Phil Hughes pitches like he did last Saturday, the Yankees’ Game 5 guile and Sabathia’s gutsy effort will be forgotten.

But I like the Yankees’ chances against Colby Lewis in Game 6. Up and down the lineup, the Yankees were getting good swings on Wednesday. Both Nick Swisher and Curtis Granderson snapped out of funks with homers.

Alex Rodriguez continues to hit the ball hard. Jorge Posada showed some life. Derek Jeter is quietly having a nice series. Robinson Cano keeps destroying everything thrown in his general vicinity.

An offensive breakout is certainly possible.

The Rangers will likely be more at ease in their own house, making stupid hand gestures and feeding off 40,000 fans wearing really stupid shirts. But I’m wondering how a still very inexperienced team reacts if the Yankees score first?

Cliff Lee remains a beautiful security blanket, but if the Yankees can get the negative thoughts to creep into the Rangers’ heads, anything is possible.

Like I said about 10/20 … never forget.

Stray thoughts:

• Even if the Yankees go out like lambs in Game 6, at least fans don’t have to sit through a visiting team celebrating at the Stadium. I had the great fortune of being at each of the last two such celebrations in the Bronx: the aforementioned 10/20 and Game 5 of the ’07 ALDS against Indians, perhaps better known as The Night Chien-Ming Wang Crapped Himself In Front of 57,000 People.

• I don’t want to kick dirt on the man’s grave, but did anybody miss Teixeira today? Kind of feels like Cano should have been batting in the three-hole for weeks.

• Speaking of Cano, how good is this guy? Four homers through five games in the ALCS. Here’s a question for you: Is Cano now the best player the Yankees have?

• Silver lining if Yanks lose on Friday: No more Ernie Johnson in your life. Even better, you’ll be done listening to John Smoltz openly root for young Texas pitchers to escape jams. That dude seriously hasn’t gotten over 1996 yet. I think he talks about it four times a broadcast.

• Aaron Boone and Bucky Dent threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Ramiro Pena was the catcher, because catching ceremonial first pitches is Ramiro Pena’s only role with the Yankees.

• “Let’s go, two more, two more!” — Swisher, to teammates after the final out.

Dan Hanzus writes the Yankees blog River & Sunset and can be reached at dhanzus@gmail.com. Follow Dan on Twitter @danhanzus.

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The Texas Rangers lost their first ever game when attempting to clinch a pennant. On an overcast day at Yankee Stadium, it was the Yankees who fought off elimination, bringing out the bats against C.J. Wilson. This game went the Yankees’ way, the same way it had gone the Rangers’ way over the last three games.

It’s not as if the Rangers couldn’t hit CC Sabathia—they just couldn’t come through in the clutch, and after some home runs by New York, it was a 7-2 defeat for Texas in Game 5 of the ALCS.

Tomorrow will be an off-day in the series, as it shifts back to Arlington for a Game 6 on Friday and potentially Game 7 on Saturday.

The Rangers are still in the driver’s seat with Cliff Lee ready for a one-and-done Game 7 if needed.

Here’s a report card for the Rangers, breaking down what went wrong in their loss on Wednesday.

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It’s almost trite to ask what people initially think about when they ponder the New York Yankees and the postseason.

Some will say a team resting on the ink of a paycheck, while others will say an indelible mark on baseball’s identity.

But when you clear the air on a seemingly endless argument, you’re left with the only topic that is forward focus: The 2010 ALCS.

This matchup was almost written in the realm of possibilities a long time ago. Many fans began to realize the Rangers were not only running away with their division late in the summer but also that they were more legit than they have been in some 10 years.

The Yankees, on the other hand, were steeped in a divisional battle all year long with a Tampa Bay team that was considered one of only two teams that could actually beat the Rangers.

The Yankees were the second; the Rays failed.

And with that, we saw tonight why people believe the Yankees can, in fact, beat this high-powered Rangers team. They overcame last night’s drubbing and a collection of losses that, to some, were unexpected and rose above adversity with the injury to their power first baseman Mark Teixeira.

But in the dark lurks the Texas Ranger.

The Yankees are a well-oiled machine and a well-coached team. With that said, you have to believe that Girardi and company are now feeling the pressure of the torrent bats of Texas and their overpowering pitching staff.

Across the diamond, Texas manager Ron Washington is burning an indelible worry into the crawls of the Yankees coaching staff, as if to say: We aren’t going to go away; we’re just as good as you are!

But the Yankees have a stigma of their own: Just try and beat us!

And that, folks, is the new stage setting for Game 6!

All things considered, it doesn’t matter whether you are a Yankees fan or a Rangers fan because either side of the coin has to admit they couldn’t have asked for a better, more exhilarating series as we have on our hands right now.

The Yankees may be the perennial favorite, but the Rangers are that one history-making underdog that often gets underestimated.

The bottom line is: Is it another year of the inevitable for the Yankees, or has fate found a new friend in Texas?

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When the 2010 MLB Playoffs began, almost everyone who watches or cares for baseball penciled the New York Yankees in as a probable World Series participant. A great deal of folks also had the Yankees winning it all,…again. Ah,…the Texas Rangers say “Not so Fast,” and are exposing the Yankees for what they are, OLD.

Several things about this year’s version of the Bronx Bombers are the same as always. The Yankees payroll exceeds $200 million. Derek Jeter is at shortstop, and the No. 1 closer of all-time, Mariano Rivera, is waiting in the bullpen to douse the hopes and dreams of opposing hitters.

What fans of the game of baseball are witnessing during this ALCS is the realization that save for a few young stars like Robinson Cano and CC Sabathia, the New York Yankees are just plain old.

Sure the argument can be made that baseball is a sport in which men play well into their 30s, and are productive players during that age range. The Yankees have several front-line players that are on the near-side of 40, including Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada.

Mariano the Great (Rivera) will be 41 next month, and Posada is just shy of 12 months away from his 40th birthday. Andy Pettitte is 38, and pitching just OK of late. Lance Berkman will turn 35 before the start of next season, Rodriguez is already 35 and Jeter is 36.

The tip-off for all those watching the ALCS are the plays and hits we have become accustomed to seeing these guys make just aren’t there anymore. Starting pitching is not lasting long enough to get to Rivera, and balls that used to be routine grabs for Jeter are finding left field more often than not.

Aside from Cano, the rest of the Yankee lineup is struggling to hit the baseball. Texas has 40-plus base hits in four games thus far, the Yankees have just over 20. The Rangers are batting over .300 with runners on base in this series, the Yankees are closer to the Mendoza line in that category.

Game 4 exposed a crack in the Yankees’ armor as manager Joe Girardi stayed with starter A.J. Burnett in the sixth inning. By not bringing in a reliever, much to the dismay of Yankee fans, Bengie Molina hit a go-ahead three-run homer.

Don’t blame Girardi for not making the call to the bullpen. It’s not like he could call on anyone who hasn’t been battered by the Rangers already. The middle of the sixth inning is also way too soon to bring in the closer, even Mariano Rivera.

Reality should set in for the Yankees and their fans sometime after Game 5 when Texas will celebrate its first World Series berth in the team’s 50-year franchise history. The Rangers will do the partying in New York, which will add additional insult to injury for lovers of the Pinstriped ones.

The Steinbrenner clan will have the dubious task of re-tooling a roster of aging stars in the coming years. Doing so will mean that perhaps the Yankees will see a few seasons outside of the playoff picture. It will also mean Yankee fans, and fans of the game of baseball may say goodbye to iconic figures like Jeter and Rivera.

A-Rod and his massive contract will be hard to deal with, but he has underachieved during this postseason, and Yankees brass will be wise to explore all possibilities where he is concerned. The check book of the Brothers Steinbrenner will not allow New York to stay down for long, but get ready for them to be down.

Having the New York Yankees not in the hunt for another World Championship can only be good for the game right? The Yankees winning titles seemingly every year feels a lot like their roster…it’s just getting old.

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The New York Yankees are all but out of their ALCS match-up with the Texas Rangers. 

With the exception of just a few innings, they have been dominated throughout and should have been swept.  Their dramatic comeback in Game 1 is the only reason that they’re still in this series.  Now they will need more of that comeback magic to survive.

Many factors have gone into the Rangers’ dominance in this series. Lots of ideas have been kicked around, but one that never gets mentioned is the fact that the Rangers are better than the almighty Yankees. 

Is this true?  Well, it sure looks that way after four games, though a Yankee comeback is always possible.

Here are five ways the Yankees can climb back into this series.

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After the 10-3 shelling that the New York Yankees took at the hands of the Texas Rangers in the “House that George Built,” one can’t help but begin to worry. What began in game one with the exception of an offensive outburst in one inning has only steadily gotten worse through the first four games.

Is this really what a payroll in excess of $200 million looks like?

It’s not like the Yankees are losing close games. They have let a Texas Ranger team with almost no postseason experience outside of Cliff Lee make them look like amateurs.

Rewind only six months ago and the New York Yankees were coming off of their record 27th World Series title and looked primed to defend it. At the same time, the Texas Rangers were dealing with bankruptcy issues and a manager who was involved in a scandal involving his cocaine use.

My how things have changed throughout the course of the season. To the Rangers’ credit, they didn’t let the off-field issue distract them and even went out and picked up super-ace Cliff Lee just as the Yankees were primed to add him to their roster.

But even with all the success that Texas had throughout the regular season and against the Tampa Bay Rays in the divisional series, how many people were really expecting these Rangers to compete with the Bronx Bombers?

Through the first four games, not only have they competed, but they’ve dominated. After losing game one 6-5 in Arlington, the Rangers have outscored the Yankees 25-5. The powerful Yankees offense has been pedestrian. Outside of Andy Pettitte, their high priced pitching staff has looked average.

With the exception of Robinson Cano’s incredible .467 average, no other Yankee has an average higher than .286. In fact, the entire team is hitting a paltry .198.

Compare that with the Rangers’ lineup that has managed to hit .307 as a team. Six of the Rangers’ nine offensive starters are hitting over .300 for the series. Of those nine, only Ian Kinsler is batting lower than .286.

New York has not only been beaten on the scoreboard. They’ve also looked old and tired. They don’t seem to have the fire of the 2009 team that brought home that 27th World Series championship. In the eighth inning with the bases loaded when a pitch appeared to hit Nick Swisher‘s foot, Joe Girardi didn’t even make an argument.

Even before the eighth inning, many of the seats began to empty after the Texas took a 7-3 lead in the seventh. By the time the Rangers put up their final three runs in the top of the ninth inning, the stands began to look like an early season afternoon Tampa Bay-Kansas City game at Tropicana field. It certainly didn’t look like Game 4 of the American League Championship series.

With C.C. Sabathia heading to the mound in this afternoon’s game five in the Bronx, it’s make or break time for the Yankees. There is no tomorrow. Pitching on short rest, he gives New York by far their best chance to pickup a win and take the series back to Texas.

If New York is going to pick up a game five win today, they will have to do it without Mark Teixeira, who left Tuesday night’s game with a strained hamstring and is finished for the remainder of the season. Of course, Tex hadn’t been doing much anyway on offense after going 0-14 with three walks through the first four games.

Unfortunately for the Yankees, it may be too little too late. Even it they were to reel off two consecutive victories, Cliff Lee is set to start game seven in Arlington; not exactly a matchup with good odds.

However, baseball is a funny game. Things can change quicker than a C.C. Sabathia fastball. Just like last week when nearly everyone was counting the Rangers out, the court of public opinion is now certifying the Yankees all but dead. We all know how that has turned out so far.

There are some things one should always do in their life—love your wife, never bet the house, and don’t ever count out the New York Yankees. If Sabathia comes out tonight and pitches like he’s capable of, and the Yankee bats finally come out of hibernation, the momentum could quickly turn back into the Yankee’s favor.

With all of that experience in the New York dugout compared to that of the Rangers, a change in momentum might be the only chance the Yankees have left.

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The ALCS has not been good for the New York Yankees thus far, but blaming the pitching is just a mask for the real issue.

The issue is not hitting, which means runs don’t score. With zero or two as a team’s score, it forces the pitching into having to be almost perfect to get a win.

For example look back at CC Sabathia’s start in Game 1 of the ALCS. Sabathia, who is an ace in all terms is human at times and that CC was on the mound against the Rangers that night.

Sabathia posted his shortest outing of the season, leaving the game after four innings, giving up six hits, five earned runs, one a home-run, while walking four and striking out three. To say he imploded would be correct, but guess who won that game?

The Yankees did in one inning, being down 5-1 entering the top of the eighth the bats scored the five runs needed to take the lead. Then it was over because Mariano Rivera in the ninth is a postseason God.

So, the reason behind the Yankees losing ALCS Game 4 is not AJ Burnett’s fault, as he pitched much better than Sabathia.

In the sixth inning Burnett threw one bad pitch, which turned into a Bengie Molina home-run. Molina scored the two Rangers on base and turned the Yankees 3-2 lead into a 3-5 New York deficient and an eventual Yankee loss.

Whatever is not happening on the mound is also not happening at the plate and that is the Yankees or any other team’s recipe for disaster. This holds even truer in the tough postseason.

Philadelphia Phillies seem to be following in the Yankees footsteps in the NLCS, as the Giants 3-0 shut out the Phillies. A post-game quote from Phillies Shane Victorino sums up my point:

“If you don’t hit, it doesn’t matter how good the pitching is,” Shane Victorino said. “So you can’t blame our pitching right now. We need to find a way. Cole gave up three runs today and we scored nothing.”

It is crazy that the two best teams can’t seem to hit the ball and it is a shame for baseball. A rematch of a Yankees-Phillies World Series make for an awesome series, ratings would be through the roof.

Without question, MLB will see it’s worst ratings if the Giants-Rangers both make it into the championship ever! No one in the northeast (huge sports media market) will even care to watch, which only hurts the game itself.

A rematch is still possible but surely cutting it too close.

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Going into Game 4 of the ALCS, the New York Yankees were down 2 games to one to the Texas Rangers.

So, it’s understandable how hesitant Yankees fans were to trust the decision of starting AJ Burnett in the most important game of this postseason for New York.

Burnett did okay, better than expected but once again the Yankees couldn’t hit the baseball and once again stranding runners on base.

Things hit rock bottom in the fifth inning when Mark Teixeira grabbed the back of his right leg trying to get to first. What might have seemed like a slide into the base was actually Tex in pain that was so bad Tex needed help off the field.

Skipper Joe Girardi said that it would be a miracle if after the MRI Tex would be cleared to play. So, season is over for Mark Teixeira and that will hurt the Yankees at first-base big time. Regardless of Tex’s recently ice-cold bat, he was bound to warm up if the team went on to play more games.

The Yankees are not themselves, and handing the Rangers the wins. It is due to lack of production and not playing to their established potential.

Fact remains if both ALCS teams were playing at the top of their game, the Yankees would prevail.

Well, that is not reality for the Yankees but it still can be. Nothing is set in stone just yet, but if the Yankees want to win they have to play.

The Rangers are playing ALCS-worthy baseball right now and deserve to move on to the World Series. It would be a first for the Rangers franchise and nothing is standing in the way of that happening as of now.

If the reigning World Champions want to keep that title, than winning Game 5 on Wednesday afternoon is the perfect and last chance to start playing New York Yankee baseball.

With CC Sabathia on the mound the Yankees should be able to get this series back to Texas.

In sports, you simply aren’t considered a real champion until you have defended your title successfully. Winning it once can be a fluke; winning it twice proves you are the best. ~ Althea Gibson

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It was unclear which starter would go in game three for the Yankees after the ace they courted in a trade earlier this year jilted them again with yet another magnificent playoff performance.

The worst shut out home loss in Yankee history came during a start for their left hander who is the most prolific winners in MLB playoff history: Andy Pettitte.

The opposing lefty laced them with cut fastballs and knuckle curves while taking a two-run lead into the top of the ninth.

His curve broke out of the strike zone and nibbled just off the plate all night.

The dieting-on-hits New Yorkers tried to snack on his cut fastball, but it was the Rangers’ lefty who ate their gosh darned snack.

Throwing several change ups for easy outs, it was very hard to diagnose his delivery, and his change up was dissecting the corners.

No reason for him to risk injury in the bottom of the ninth with the game in hand.

The Rangers scored six runs in the top of the inning.

Yankee Stadium all but emptied after the fourth run scored.  The bleeding finally stopped after the normally rock-steady New York bull pen had fully collapsed in the Bronx.

Dave Robertson who has dealt with back problems had trouble dealing his pitches, and he could not get any out. 

Neftali Feliz closed the ninth inning without a whimper from the Yankees, and the Rangers took the lead in the three game series.

In the fourth game tomorrow night, Tommy Hunter will start for Texas. He started the season on the disabled list and pitched well for the Rangers this season.

He won 13 games and lost only four and had a 3.73 ERA.

The Yankees batted .300 against him in one five-inning start this season.  He struck out eight, but left the game with no decision.

Speculation is that AJ Burnett will start, but he may end up riding the bench in favor of CC Sabathia who only pitched four innings in the first game of the series.

Burnett has struggled almost all year, and notably more so after the All-Star Break.  It was like he was a totally transformed pitcher than the one who helped win the 2009 World Series.

Texas slugged a team batting average of only .233 against Burnett this year.  He finished 10-15 with a 5.7 earned run average for the season.

Sabathia has had some outstanding playoff performances on three day’s rest.  He has a 2.40 earned run average in seven post season starts off three day’s rest.

He is accustomed to being the ace down the stretch carrying the team to glory.  He did it with Cleveland, Milwaukee, and with the Yankees.

During the press conference after the game, manager Joe Girardi looked confident in saying his team’s chances were good to bring home a playoff victory behind Burnett.

There is no hiding in baseball, and AJ is too big to stuff in a club house closet.  What difference does it make if he gets beat in the fourth game or in the fifth game?

Start him against the mighty Rangers.

Cliff Lee gave up two hits, and he had 13 strike outs and one walk in eight innings.

A total of 34 strike outs and one walk in three post season starts for Lee this year.

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Times are tough in Cleveland, Ohio nowadays. The local economy, seemingly on the rebound everywhere else, continues to stagnate near the bottom of the national conscience. 

It is the middle of October, and the Indians are left at home watching playoff baseball for the third straight season. The Browns, with their third string rookie quarterback, lost to the Steelers, again—only by 18 points this time.  

Still, all of this pales in comparison to the Cleveland’s iconic son embarrassing the city on national TV before turning his back and joining his cohorts in Miami. 

The pulse of the city’s faithful may be at an all-time low, and that’s before baseball’s ultimate free spending team kicks a downtrodden organization, once again. 

C.C. Sabathia is the last homegrown superstar talent the Indians organization has drafted and developed. Fans patiently waited for him to blossom from a green 20-year-old to a legitimate frontline starting pitcher. 

Stardom has a price that a handful of teams can pay—including the Indians. Unfortunately, Sabathia pitched himself in another stratosphere—a place reserved for the elite money making machines.

Former GM Mark Shapiro, in a highly unpopular, but completely reasonable move, traded the big lefty to a contending team for a plethora of promising players. 

Enter. Cliff Lee.

Lee was obtained in another highly unpopular, yet, extraordinarily rewarding trade.  In hopes of accelerating the last rebuilding effort Shapiro traded Bartolo Colon, another former ace, for Lee, Brandon Phillips, and Grady Sizemore. 

In another universe, perhaps, a more favorable place for underdogs and small market baseball teams, the pairing of Sabathia and Lee would have rewarded an organization bereft of a World Series title.

Welcome to Cleveland, the unforgiving cosmos.

During the magical, if unsustainable, playoff run in 2007 Lee looked less like a major league hurler and more like a smile on Albert Belle’s face. Something just didn’t seem right. The formerly consistent league average pitcher morphed into a present day version of Steve Blass. 

Lee struggled through injuries and ailments including a right abdominal strain and a bad case of gopheritis. He was eventually replaced by Fausto Carmona—another burgeoning ace—and left off the postseason roster all together. 

Then, by some magical touch Lee started pitching and he continued to pitch. Past stardom, past superstardom. Now he has settled somewhere in between Sabathia and Sandy Koufax. Somewhere past the allowable limits of Paul Dolan’s purse strings. 

Enter the New York Yankees. 

The New York Yankees threw gobs of money towards Sabathia, and he accepted without hesitation. This offseason following another year, including continued dominance in the postseason, the Yankees will pursue, and more likely than not, sign Lee. 

The combined contracts of both lefties will settle in $40-45 million range—approximately 70 percent of Cleveland’s 2010 payroll. 

Next season’s Yankees will once again challenge for a World Series title, only this time 40 percent of their rotation will consist of former Cy Young Award winning Indians—and 100 percent of the Cleveland fans’ lost hope.

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