• I was a perfect 4 out of 4 predicting the winners in the division series, so far my prediction of a Rays vs. Dodgers World Series is looking halfway correct, a lot depends on how the Rays handle the Knuckleball tonight.
• My predictions for tonight, 7-2 Rays and 4-2 Phillies.
• You’d think when you are paid 7 figures to play a sport such as football you would be able to avoid paralyzing bodyguards in strip clubs and going into alcoholic rages in hotel lobbies, but apparently A. “Pacman” Jones cannot pull that feat off.
• You’d also think you could do without dog fighting….but you know.
• I don’t think the Sox will win the series this year, matter fact I got $20 riding on them not making the series, as a lonely baseball fan in October for the 1st time in 15 years, this makes me happy because that would mean that next year the Red Sox would be looking the 3 peat and a 4th title in 6 years, at which point they could claim to be equally as good as my Yankees late 90′s dynasty.  Which is a dynasty that has been over since early 2002 yet I still refuse to let go of it.
• I haven’t read up much on the NBA yet this year, but I think the Celtics are too old to repeat, I’m thinking the Lakers and Kobe will take it this year.
• I have some ideas for fixing the Yankees but thats a whole new post in itself, I may live blog tonights baseball games though.

Thursday, July 3: Boston: Jon Lester (6-3, 3.48 ERA) @ New York: Andy Pettitte (9-5, 3.98 ERA)

Friday, July 4: Boston: Josh Beckett (7-5, 3.65 ERA) @ New York: Darrell Rasner (4-6, 4.42 ERA)

Saturday, July 5: Boston: Justin Masterson (4-2, 3.75 ERA) @ New York: Mike Mussina (10-6, 3.87 ERA)

Sunday, July 6: Boston: Tim Wakefield (5-5, 3.88 ERA) @ New York: Joba Chamberlain (2-2, 2.03 ERA)

On paper those look like four great matchups, and very well could be. I’m actually relieved because the original schedule had Moose going on Wednesday against the Rangers and missing this series, thus requiring us to send out Sidney Ponson on Saturday, which would bring back memories of this nightmare. That was the only unfortunate part of what was the sweetest 5 game sweep in the history if all history. There are three occasions in which I would give anything to have known AC during their occurence, including the 5 game sweep, Boone’s walk off in ’03, and the fight in game 3 during the ’03 ALCS, the last is more because I would have enjoyed making fun of the ordeal since both teams looked pretty stupid, like Pedro getting angry taking his anger out on Karim Garcia as opposed to someone who is not currently bagging groceries at Save-A-Lot, then DZ trying to take on a 32 year old athlete in his prime, but it was pretty sweet when Clemens was able to harness his ‘roid/viagra rage and shut the Sox down the rest of the game.

Now that I have gotten way off track, back to the series and the 1st game, Lester and Pettitte. Andy is on fire, winning his last four starts and allowing just 3 runs in 27 innings during those starts, granted three of those starts came against Oakland, San Diego and Cincinnati. Lester hasn’t thrown any more no-no’s but has still pitched very well in the past 6 weeks. Lester has still had a hard time throwing strikes at times, and the Yankees have been able to expose that in the past, Pettitte will have to come down from this hot streak at some point and the Sox seem like a good candidate to make that happen, however Manny is hitting .176 since the hamstring injury and seems preoccupied with tackling traveling secretaries. The only reason no Yankee has ever tackled their Traveling Secretary is because they want to avoid Costanza sprinting after them yelling “GET OFF MY BOSS!!”. Along with that Ortiz of course will miss the series. A-Rod is still on fire and Matsui is on the DL, the offense, mainly Giambi and Damon have cooled off Jeter is picking up slowly and Abreu is Streaky as ever, currently on a hot streak. I give the edge to the Yanks in this game, Pettitte will out-pitch Lester, I see this being like a 6-4 victory.

Game 2 features a potential laugher featuring Beckett and Rasner. I have to be honest, I haven’t watched much of Beckett this year, and his numbers don’t exactly blow you away, but he’s facing the Yankees so its almost a guarantee that he will throw a gem. Rasner never ceases to amaze me, after three rough outings against the putrid likes of the A’s, Astros, and Pirates, including getting smashed by the Pirates, he threw a very good game against the Mets, albeit he still lost. I think he will pitch well against the Sox but it takes an idiot to pick him over Beckett. Sox win 5-1.

Game 3, Moose and the Master (son). Manny is probably looking forward to this matchup because it seems like the ideal time to break out of his slump since he has an .861 lifetime average against Mussina. This has the potential to be the one slugfest of the series, I think Yanks match up well against Masterson, I give Moose the edge since he is looking to secure his spot on the all-star team, he should already be on it, but there is a small chance he could start it. Yanks 9-4

Game 4, This is gonna be fun. AC hates Joba more than the Hatfields hate the McCoys. I dunno what Joba ever did to him, clearly AC is jealous that our stud pitching prospect was talented and healthy enough to pitch outside the bullpen, I dunno, but Joba is the real deal; and he will pitch like he did against the Pirates in some games, and like he did against Toronto in others, because he is young and still learning. Wakefield is so unpredictable that Vegas quit betting on his starts, I dont know where to go here so Yanks 4-3.

I’m sure AC will simply say that this is about what he expected from me and I challenge him to counter this article. The home field edge is what makes this a 3-1 series win instead of a split. More to come.

Chamberlin was in control all night and lowered his ERA and went into the 7th inning. To bad it was against a team that would have trouble winning at the South Lexington Babe Ruth Level.

This week, he is grumbling about the National League rule that makes pitchers bat. Here is what he had to say:

“My only message is simple. The National League needs to join the 21st century,” Steinbrenner said in Tampa, Fla. “They need to grow up and join the 21st century.

“Am I [mad] about it? Yes,” Steinbrenner added. “I’ve got my pitchers running the bases, and one of them gets hurt. He’s going to be out. I don’t like that, and it’s about time they address it. That was a rule from the 1800s.”

Wow, I guess Wang is just the latest in a long line of pitchers that are injured running the bases…..Wow, now that I think about it, I don’t remember anybody in my lifetime getting hurt running the bases. How about when Wang has to cover first on defense, isn’t that pretty much the same thing?

So, Hank, please, JUST SHUT UP!

The bottom line is nobody is afraid of a starting pitcher, that is exactly why the New York Yankees are much better served to keep the flavor of the month in the bullpen.

See, when Joba first came up, he would come in the 7th or 8th and throw that gas by people and mix in the slider and strike them out. Then he could do his Indian rain dance on the mound and get fired up and we could hear the story about his dad’s health and everybody thought, “wow, this kid is going to be amazing.” Can you imagine what it would be like in new Yankee stadium (or as I will forever call it, the house that Papi tore down) after Mo hangs it up and all of a sudden Indian Outlaw comes blaring out of the speakers and Joba wobbles to hill? Electric is an understatement. And when you know you are only going to get one chance against this guy everything gets tight. A closer in the big leagues has the chance to look untouchable like nobody else. Look at Paps, he goes in, faces 3 hitters and looks like a murderer, and people fear him.

Closers only need 1 pitch, the heater. If they can gas it up and occasionally mix in a split, nobody hits them, even when they know it is coming.

Starters however, never seem to be scary. Jon Lester is a great example. He threw a no hitter a couple of weeks ago and got hit hard by the first hitter of his next game. Even better example is Brandon Webb. He has some of the nastiest stuff in the bigs, but people stand in there and take their hacks. When Webby was in the middle of his scoreless innings streak, people weren’t scared of him. Just baffled. Never did you see a hitter look like he just saw a ghost.

Remember when Rob Dibble was closing games for the Reds. He scared people. Really bad. He made me cry one time and I wasn’t even hitting. He freaked me out. Dibble threw hard and had some good stuff, but after a while, hitters figured him out and his mystique disappeared.

Same is true with John Rocker.

As a starter, Joba loses a lot of his mystique. He can’t afford to get fired up every time he strikes someone out. If he does, Jeter and ARod better enjoy the taste of leather to the temple, because they are going to get hit a lot.

As much as the Yankees need him in the rotation and as good as he has gotten as the starts have piled up, at some point, he is going to get knocked around and that is when you will see the real Joba. I hope he stays strong because baseball needs a personality like him. But, for now, we can only wait. After that first banging, then we can officially welcome Joba to the rotation.

**Editor’s Note: This post was started before the Chen Ming-Wang injury. Yankees are now looking for an even bigger panic button.

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