wow...the Cubbies are out of it. Too bad, I'd like to see them someday back in a WS.

The Rockies have just beaten the Phillies as I type this.Wow. I didn't think Philly would go out that quick
I'm glad the Cubs lost. I have rooted for them in certain circumstances over the years, but I didn't like this particular version, especially the manager. Piniella will now have all winter to rest Zambrano.

I'm also shocked the Phils went out that quick. They seemed to have alot of fight in them all season but this years playoffs have been a wipeout for some teams so far.

I now can see my Mets would have also been wiped out if they had made it in.

I'm not sure who to root for in an Arizona/Colorado series.

At this point I would prefer Boston over the Angels and still hope the real Yanks will show up but things seem eerily similar to last year for them.

Well, it wasn't easy, and Clemens wasn't much help, but at least we'll be playing again tomorrow.

I see the game time has moved to ~7:30, instead of 6PM.

The kids saved the Yankee season and Johnny Damon!!

Someone tell Clemens to please retire for good now.

Do you know that for sure? If the Mets had played well enough to win the NL East, they might have been able to beat the Diamondbacks.

A-Rod gets a lot of heat but Posada has been terrible with the bat this series. Who'd-a thunk that Johnny Damon (along with Schilling, the most hated player by Yankee fans in October 2004) would be a fan favorite in '07. Yankees better not take tonite for granted (I think Paul Byrd started the 2005 home loss to the Angels when Randy Johnson started game 3), they have no bullpen to call on tonite.

Yep, the Yanks were helped out big-time by two ex-Sox, Damon and Trot Nixon.

Wang is supposed to start tonight, on short rest. Here's hoping he pitches better than in Game 1.

Another side story to the Yankee win was a missive from the Great One, George Steinbrenner. He proclaimed if the Yankees didn't win....Torre is fired!

Nah, the Yankees don't have much pressure during this series already.

You know the players say one thing "He's The Boss" but privately must think "What a nut but thank god he signs them checks!".

Rooting for the Yankees was a strange experience for me last night (as a lifelong Sox fan/Yankee hater). I felt like I was cheating on my wife or something lol.

I think that Eric Wedge is making a huge mistake starting Paul Byrd instead of CC Sabathia. I would have started Byrd yesterday and Sabathia today. Wedge may well be letting the Yankees back into this thing. I think that Pettite is NY's best playoff pitcher, and Cleveland should be throwing out their best tonight to end it before it gets back to Cleveland.

Ultimately, I think Cleveland will win this thing either tonight or on Wednesday. Nonetheless, why would you even consider going with anything other than your best pitching in a short series?

Finally, a word on Wang. Jimbo, if conventional wisdom holds true, Wang should be much better tonight. Sinkerball pitchers are supposed to pitch better with a little fatigue, rather than when they are overly strong. We'll see.

One things for sure...Torre is depending on Joba more and more. I expect him back in there tonight.

Wang is much better at home than on the road this season, plus he threw far fewer pitches on Thursday than Sabathia did, now admittedly if Sabathia started and had nothing tonite Cleveland would still have Carmona for Wednesday. Some guys just cannot pitch on 3 days rest (I believe the yanks tried with Pettitte in post seasons past with disastrous results)

You never know how a pitcher will react to short rest until you try. It just seems to me that Byrd isn't going to go more than 5 or 6 innings anyway, and you are likely to get that from Sabathia. Wouldn't you rather take your chances with 5 or 6 innings of CC over 5 or 6 innings of Byrd?

I look for the Yanks to win tonight, and then for Cleveland to win on Wednesday. However, why even give the Yanks a chance to go against an inferior pitcher? Hell, maybe it will rain tonight in NY, and then Sabathia can pitch tomorrow.

Walter, do you know any rain dances?

Well I guess since we've already seen a plague of bugs, a flood would make sense.

I can't say much at this time but the rest of the Playoffs will be pretty lonely for NY fans. NY Sports Talk Radio will be pretty intense for the next 2 days.

Of the 4 teams left, the only one I have an interest in is Boston. They at least amuse me.

i was actually rooting for the yankees last night. i wanted a game five and i wanted it to go about 15 innings. use up those pitchers!

renny

p.s. those bugs come off the lake every year, pretty freaky eh? i am about 60 miles south of cleveland, and we don't get them here.

argh! last nights game was like watching an old dog try to cross an 8 lane freeway. Yanks need much better pitching, look back at the 96 - 01 teams they won a lot of close, low scoring playoff games.

How 'bout them Cowboys!!

At least a few things are clearer now for the Yankees as the prepare for next year.

They need to give the kids a chance next year. Lose some of these aged arms like Mussina and Clemens. Try and keep Pettite who had a very nice year. Realize that Wang isn't a #1 starter. He's a very good pitcher but he's not a stopper or an ace of the staff no matter his W/L record.

The positives is the young pitchers got a lot of work this year so they'll be ready for next season. A staff of Wang/ Hughes/ Kennedy/ Chamberlain/ Pettite is not too shabby.

Hopefully Hughes or Chamberlain becomes a #1 ace for the staff.

Torre deserves to stay even more than after last year but probably is done in NY. The Yankees looked dead in early July but rose from the abyss and where the best team in baseball as the season ended. Why they couldn't turn it on in the Playoffs is always a mystery.

I guess the magic years are truly over. Turns out 1996-2000 where just very special years. No Aaron bleeping Boone around these days.

I agree with everything you say here John. It seems to me that, rather than looking at this as tragic thing, Yankees fans should be excited that they can add their good young talent to a strong base, and remain competitive.

I agree that Torre should keep his job, though he probably won't. He was arguably the manager of the year for bringing the team back in spite of having an old roster with many players who's skills have diminished considerably.

I'm sure you don't want to hear advice from a Red Sox fan, but if I were Brian Cashman (whom I admire), this is what I would do (recognizing that I don't know what additional talent is available on the farm):

Dump the deadwood (players with diminishing skill and/or prone to injury): Giambi, Damon, Clemons, Mussina, Abreu.

Re-sign: Pettite, Rivera, and Posada (and try to find a legit #1 starter)

I'm not typically this invested in the Yankees (and frankly I'm enjoying their slide into the shadow of the Red Sox). However, the treatment that Torre is receiving is so unfair that I felt it was worth commenting.

PS A-Rod may do the team a favor if he opts out of his contract. He's a great regular season player, but he does nothing when it counts. And from what I hear, he's not a great player to have in the clubhouse.

PPS Please, please Theo Epstein: don't even consider signing A-Rod if he becomes a free agent. Sign Mike Lowell at your first opportunity.

Great ramblings about the Yankees-I agree with much of what you guys said.
Mussina and Giambi both have 1 year remaining. If they can find takers and pay some of the freight, lose 'em.
Enough with Clemens already!

I am also very excited about next year because of the young pitchers.
I would keep Chamberlain in the bullpen. Even if Rivera comes back, he's not got long to go. Chamberlain would be the perfect replacement as closer.

I like Torre as much as the next guy, but I think it's time to move on. He's got a great legacy, has made good money, and can go enjoy his celebrity and spend time with his family.
I would not Like LaRussa here. Joe Girardi would be my pick.

Willie and Omar finally taking responsibility for the Mets' collapse:

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