I entirely expect that the good guys will be dominated by CC tonight.  4-1 Tribe, with Matsui flailing at an Aaron Fultz strike three with 2 runners in scoring position in the 7th.

OTOH, should I be wrong and they can find a wayn to win, we’ll almost certainly win the series in 3 or 4.

Agreed.  I expect tonight to go poorly.  I think Andy really needs to prove his “playoff pitcher” status in game 2.  If we beat Carmona, I think games 3 and 4 at the stadium are wide open to close it out in 4.

That said, I’m nervous already; you’d think I’m playing.  Is that sad?

Also, last night I sat watching Beckett dominate the Angels and spent the whole time wondering if there was any way both teams could lose.

I am worried, but I’d love to get to their bullpen within 3 runs. But this gap has been brutal—I was so cranked up watching all the baseball yesterday but no Yankees. The waiting is killing me.

Egad, lefties have a .546 OPS against CC this year.

I don’t think the Yankees will hit Sabathia well either, but I think Wang could match him enough to give the Yankees a fighting chance.  I’d be happy to see the Yankees just split the first two games, but tonight would be huge if they can steal one against Sabathia.

“tonight would be huge if they can steal one against Sabathia”

No pun intended, natch.

I’m glad SG finally posted without relying on stastics.

FCUK YEAH!!! Playoffs! Stats no longer matter, flukes and anomalies will happen.

i have never been so pumped for a yankee playoff game than i am today. All this talk about CC is bullshit. All the mystery because we havent faced him all year. Well guess what? the indians did not get to face WANG all year. I think we will all be pleasantly surprised tonight at how the offense especially a rod respond. I am definitely disappointed that shelley is not in the lineup…There is no reason to have him if you are not going to start him against a tough lefty.

LETS GO YANKEES…..[clap, clap, clap clap clap]

maybe CC will choke on a sausage sandwich on his way to the jake

My prediction is that Wang and Sabathia both pitch 7 innings of shutout ball, and then we tee off Joe Borowski in the 9th.

I’m worried and excited all at once.  Objective analysis says advantage Tribe tonight… and yet, I have lots of good memories of the Yankees playing at the Jake (probably b/c I wasn’t watching in 1997).

LET’S GO YANK-EES!!!

Totally different vibe than last year. Detroit was a pit stop on the way to the World Series and .. well, you know.

Quadruple Reverse Jinx - Yanks win in a pitchers duel. Wang and ARod soak up the headlines.

BAWWWWWWNNNNN IN THE USA!!!!

I love the Boss today because I love all things loved by Yankee fans.

A-Rod homers tonight.  Book it.

The righties need to come up big.  Posada behind A-Rod may be the deciding factor.

Also, although I have no idea why, I think Damon will have a very good series.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jeter, ARod and Posada all have big games. Sabathia has gotten a lot better since they last saw in 2004, but something about the playoff atmosphere.. I feel like those guys going up to the plate is like hitting on a girl in a bar… it’s sometimes more about confidence than good looks. And that’s not to say in that analogy that are players aren’t capable, but with good hitters and good pitchers, somethings got to give.

Less than five hours to go…. Hands starting to shake; about to FREAK OUT! 

And yes, the Boss does sound damn good (Along with some Frank).  I think I’ll blast “BORN TO RUN” and all F####### DAY!

GO YANKS!

I only got one thing to say to you, Wang. Strike these mother fuckers out.

[41] And the Yankees came on and drew near unto the Indians
[42] And when the Yankees looked about, and saw the Indians, they disdained them: for they were but youths, and ruddy, and of fair countenances.
[43] And the Yankees said unto the Indians, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with lefties? And the Yankees cursed the Indians by their gods.
[44] And the Yankees said to the Indians, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.
[45] Then said the Indians to the Yankees, Thou comest to me with bats, and with baserunning, and with defense: but we come to thee in the name of C.C. Sabathia, the God of the Twinkies and Toaster Strudels, whom thou hast defied.
[46] This day will Sabathia deliver thee into our hands; and we will smite thee, and take thine heads from thee; and we will give thine carcasses this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Sabathia.
[47] And all this assembly shall know that the Sabathia saveth not with bats and defense: for the battle is the Sabthia’s, and he will give you into our hands.
[48] And it came to pass, when the Yankees arose, and came and drew nigh to meet Sabathia, that Sabathia hasted, and ran toward the mound to meet the Yankees.
[49] And Sabthia put his ball in his glove, and took thence the ball, and slang it, and the Yankees smote the ball back upon Sabathia in his forehead, that the ball sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
[50] So the Yankees prevailed over Sabthia with bats and with defense, and smote Sabthia, and slew him; but there was no bat in the hand of Torre.
[51] Therefore Torre walked, and stood upon Sabthia, and took a bat from Jeter, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Indians saw their champion was dead, they fled.

Does this mean I don’t have to go to church on Sunday?

Left field: The position belongs to Johnny Damon now. The erstwhile center fielder hit .270 for the Yankees and managed to score 93 runs despite a slow start. He’s playing his best baseball of the season as the playoffs start. Kenny Lofton, acquired on July 27 from Texas, hit .283 for Cleveland, .296 for the season. He still gets on base 40 percent of the time and can run. Edge: Indians

Pete Abe’s LoHud notebook doing the positional matchups. I knew we should have went for the Kenny Lofton reunion tour!

Also, how’s that Randy Johnson trade looking now? Losing Randy Johnson netted us 2 guys on our postseason roster (which very well could have been 3 if they had opted for AG over BS), 1 of which is our 3rd best reliever.

It was a good trade from day 1, I thought.  Randy Johnson for a pitching machine would have been a good trade from day 1.

dzop: your #17 was genius!

Assuming nobody objects, I will be liveblogging the hell out of the game.

I honestly don’t know what to expect—my faith in the predictability of postseason series was forever shattered by last year’s 83-win world champion—but I do know that, since the start of July, the Yankees have played twenty-five series and won twenty of them. I know momentum’s only as good as your next day’s pitcher, but that’s quite a run there….

http://ussmariner.com/2007/10/02/these-playoffs-suck/
I think this covers my feelings about the schedule. Hopefully the Yankees can play games that allow them to use their deep bench.

Hopefully the Yankees can play games that allow them to use their deep bench.

You mean games against an NL team in an NL ballpark? World Series. I heartily agree! Go Yanks!

w/o being TOO lame/corny, i’m curious to know how people will be “experiencing” the game tonight (and for the rest of the series).  I unfortunately have to work tonight and tomm, and will thus have one window w/ the game open, another window with the radio’s audio, and OF COURSE, one w/ this website.  I suppose I’ll need another window up for actual work, but that’s about it.

I need to dismiss my students 30 minutes early without making it obvious why.

I suppose I’ll need another window up for actual work, but that’s about it.

Screw that.

Kronic:  Does the mlb.tv package include playoffs games?  I figured they’d be blacked out.

there’s a less legitimate way to watch.

my faith in the predictability of postseason series was forever shattered by last year’s 83-win world champion

Why did you ever have faith in the predictability of postseason series?

there’s a less legitimate way to watch.

Shhhhhhhhhutup.

Has it really been 2004 since the Yankees have last faced Sabathia? That’s insane.

Zop, that was awesome.

Did any of you lads see the comic F Minus in the Daily News today? Quite amusing. It shows 2 dogs hunched over a chessboard and some white guys watching,wads of cash clutched in hand.The caption reads Illegal Dog Chess.    I feel confident The Chingster will have it tonight. I wish CC walked more batters. 37 walks 241 innings is scary.

http://yankees.lohudblogs.com/2007/10/04/injury-for-mientkiewicz/
Maybe Shelly Duncan will start tonight.
And predicting the postseason… you have to forget everything about the regular season, since the postseason isn’t anything you know about baseball. It’s about having two aces (if only for two weeks) and a good closer.

It’s about having two aces (if only for two weeks) and a good closer.

Yeah.  Except when it isn’t.

The Mets should try to sign the Colorado 2nd baseman

How funny is that granny after the jokes (and I know I was making them, too) about the TBS announcers saying “He has some pop in his bat. He hit four home runs this year”?

Bebop- I think he’d make a great SS.

I’ve been reading some Indian blogs… Apparently, the offense is completely A-Rod driven.
I don’t get it. A-Rod can have a crappy series, and we still can win it. Our offense doesn’t need to count on one guy.

OTH they could move Reyes to SS

I’ve been reading some Indian blogs… Apparently, the offense is completely A-Rod driven.

Well, A-Rod’s seasons has been so off the charts it’s easy to miss the fact that he’s only 1/9 of the offense. Missing Posada’s season, though, is just ignorant.

That Reyes kid. Sure can hustle.

I was wondering, does anyone have any special wee talisman like items that emerge during the playoffs? I can hardly ever decide which lucky shirt to wear.Tonight is gonna be a Yogi night.

>>Well, A-Rod’s seasons has been so off the charts it’s easy to miss the fact that he’s only 1/9 of the offense<<

If Arod is 1/9 of the offfense what’s Men K?

One more, since there ain’t nothing like good ol’ fashioned Old Testament pump-up reading:

7: Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because A-Rod was wroth.
8: There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
9: He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
10: And A-Rod rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
11: He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12: At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
13: A-Rod also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
14: Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.

i must say I’m looking fwd to this series, if only because the Sox look OK and I can relax a bit. If we crap out against the Angels then I’ll be rooting for the Yanks to implode at the earliest possible moment. But that aside, this is probably the most interesting matchup of all. The Yankee offense is reason #1, but the Indians’ high ceiling and low floor are part of it too. Plenty of people think Sabathia is a god, but if the Yanks chip away at him and the game is in the hands of Borowski vs the heart of the Yankee order… well, I’ll skip the predictions because you guys will accuse me of a reverse jinx. But as opposed to the Angels/Sox, where everybody is pretty good at everything, in this series you have two teams with elements across the quality spectrum. Should be more intriguing and explosive than any games not involving the Rockies.

Oh, so it’s the Un-reverse no-jinx jinx then. I see how it’s going to be. Very clever. I’m going to have to sacrifice three chickens and a Melido Perez jersey to counteract it.

Matsui just tripled… a single short of the cycle and they’re in the 6th.

At this rate, Matsui will get the Brian Doyle 1978 Memorial Award for Crappy Hitter Who Turns Into Ty Cobb in the Postseason…...

Do they actually credit you with hits when they come off Kyle Lohse and Jose Mesa? I didn’t think those counted toward your career stats.

I am fucking pumped. KILL! KILL! KILL!

[3]Behold, Mariano Rivera, will bring a cutter upon you, and he will destroy your best hitters.
[4] And your basepaths shall be desolate, and your bats shall be broken: and he will cast down your slain hitters before your fans.
[5] And he will lay the dead carcasses of the players of Cleveland before their fans; and he will scatter their bones round about your dugouts.
[6] In all your stadia the batters shall be laid waste, and the scoreboard shall be desolate; that your offense may be laid waste and made desolate, and your bats may be broken and cease, and your statistics may be cut down, and your contracts may be abolished.
[7] And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that Mariano is the LORD.
[8] Yet he will leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape the cutter among the batters, and they shall be scattered through the league.
[9] And they that escape of you shall remember him among the teams whither they shall be carried, because he has broken their whorish heart, and their eyes, which go a whoring after sliders: and they shall loath themselves for the strikeouts which they have committed in all their abominations.
[10] And they shall know that Mariano is the LORD, and that it is not said in vain that he would do this evil unto them.

Do they actually credit you with hits when they come off Kyle Lohse and Jose Mesa? I didn’t think those counted toward your career stats.

I doubled off Lohse once.

At this rate, Matsui will get the Brian Doyle 1978 Memorial Award for Crappy Hitter Who Turns Into Ty Cobb

or he’s Joe Hardy

The Yanks’ inability to throw in some more quality righty bats to tonight’s lineup (and Gam4 4 or 5) is a bit of a scandal. I can’t think of any other team that would be stuck with so many lefties. And both Posada and Melky are worse from the right side than the left. Wang will really need to be on.

Kim Jones: 150 postseason hits for you, the most in baseball postseason history.  How is it you are so good in these situations?

Derek Jeter: Well now you just jinxed me.  Thanks, I appreciate it.

>>The Yanks’ inability to throw in some more quality righty bats to tonight’s lineup (and Gam4 4 or 5) is a bit of a scandal<<

and also the fact that the bullpen is leftyless

I’m going to have to sacrifice three chickens and a Melido Perez jersey to counteract it.

So you’ve waited til now to sacrifice the Melido Perez jersey? That’s impressive. Shit, I Goodwilled my Nomar replica in 2005.

how bad are these tbs commentators?

From Peter Abraham: “His ankle has some swelling but Mientkiewicz did some agility drills before the game (see previous post) and was cleared to play. He will be in the lineup as scheduled.”

Great, we’re now starting Dougie-M when he isn’t at 100%.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m going to have to sacrifice three chickens and a Melido Perez jersey to counteract it.

Also, I recommend slow-sacrificing the chickens in a smoker, maybe with some nice BBQ sauce…

Also, I recommend slow-sacrificing the chickens in a smoker, maybe with some nice BBQ sauce…

As long as it’s not this smoker.

But its ok if you’re Keith Richards

But its ok if you’re Keith Richards

Yeah, but everything’s okay if you’re Keith Richards…..

Years ago after a poker game I ran into KR at 4am in a Greenwich Village deli with his model wife cracking up as he bought condoms

I imagine it’s been all downhill after that brush with His Keefness.

Headline at MLB.com: “Angels to stay aggressive vs. Dice-K”

Can they be this stupid, or is this just the writer? Daisuke walked 80 guys (12th highest in MLB) in 204 innings, putting him in the same category as Oliver Perez, Miguel Batista, Barry Zito and others. Granted, Scott Kazmir had 89. It doesn’t mean you suck. But it does mean that the other team probably shouldn’t go up there hacking. Everyone loves to celebrate those scrappy, aggressive Angels and their lovable quirky genius manager. Tomorrow will show whether they read their own press clippings, or actual scouting reports.