I can honestly say the 2007 NY Mets are done. Thier slogan coming into this season: "Your Season has Come." I think that seems more apporiate for the Phillies. The slogan for the final weekend of the regular season at Shea might as well be "Your Season has Come and Gone." I might be stepping on some toes when bashing the Mets but isn't that what makes the Yankees-Mets fan rivalry so great?

I honestly thought that last night the Mets would turn it around, but quickly it turned ugly. 2-0 in the 1st inning and the rest is history. As a die-hard Yankee fan, I am loving every minute of the Mets fan's misery. I mean come on, why not? All year long all I heard was "..at least we're in first place" and now finally, when it's really matters..on the brink of the postseason, the Mets are pretty much sleeping in the death beds they made for themselves. I am loving this stretch run that has now seen the Phillies overtake the Mets atop the NL East. I have stuck by my Yanks all season long and I'm proud to say that they overcame such a horrible start. Yankee fans support their team all year..Met fans seemed to have abandoned their team this week. Where have all the Mets fans gone? Shea Stadium was empty and quiet all week. Yankee Stadium is always filled, even through the days of being 21-29 and 14.5 out.

And the debate begins..which team has the more loyal fans? I'd say just look at the attendance figures and that will give you your answer. I dont want to hear we're suppose to win because we have a high payroll (which is NOT $200 million), because the Mets have a high payroll themselves. So that has no bearing on the debate. This is why I chose to write a bloq on the Mets collapse. I dont think they deserve to make it to October. The Phillies have earned their way into the dance. The same way, I hate to admit this...the 2004 Red Sox earned their World Series victory. Citizens Bank Ballpark is filled with excitement, with fire, with hunger and mostly importantly..with fans that are sticking by their team down the stretch and yes, the fans are playing a part in this all. Where do you think the Phillies are getting the fire from? From fans that believe. Jimmy Rollins doesn't look so stupid now for his bold preseason prediction proclaming "..the Phillies are the team to beat." He has proven to back up his words with an MVP caliber season. He has proved HE is the best SS in the National League. He's started every single game this season. Jose Reyes isn't dancing around anymore is he? 2 stolen bases in the last 2 weeks? He isn't even the best SS in New York...yes I said it, because Derek Jeter gets the big hits and makes everyone else around him better. Reyes has been left for dead during the recent slide and a "great" player doesn't do that. That's what seperates Jeter and Reyes..and the four championship rings Derek has.

Look at the faces and they tell you the story. There's no confidence and there's the look of desperation and frustration. Everything that can go wrong is going wrong. It looks like it's going to be a quiet October in Queens...unless of course the Mets win the next two games. Even that might not help if the Phils keep winning.

Most Met fans have chosen to look the other way this week. And now it's the Yankee fan's turn to gloat just a bit. We're not cocky fans, we're just proud of our team and can't stand when other fans make premature statements and take pride for something they have not won or accomplished. No more excuses, 2 games to go...2 games out of the wild card and 1 game out in the NL East...doesnt look good for the Mets, but I'll tell you what is amazin...the potental collapse of the 2007 NY Mets.

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Tags: Baseball, Derek Jeter, Jimmy Rollins, Jose Reyes, Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Yankees

Start spreading the news...the Yanks are in. After tonight's 12-4 win win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, the Yankees have clinched a playoff spot. A feat that seemed improbable back in May when New York was flirting with disaster, being 14.5 games back and in last place. With the clinch of the playoff spot, it marks the 13th year in a row the Yanks have made it.

Via By Fred Goodall, AP Sports Writer/Yahoo.com

"We've come from a long ways this year and a lot of adversity, a lot of injuries," Alex Rodriguez said. "This team has a lot to be proud of."

"This ballclub never stopped believing," said Yankees manager Joe Torre, his voice choking with emotion.

"It never gets old," Mariano Rivera said during a champagne celebration in the clubhouse. "Everybody counted us out. We just played hard

The Yankees still remain 3 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the A.L. East but it seems highly unlikely they will catch their rivals this season. As many fans know, going into the postseason as the Wild Card team isn't excatly a bad thing. 4 Wild Card teams have gone on to win the World Series (1997 Florida Marlins,2002 Anaheim Angels, 2003 Florida Marlins,2004 Boston Red Sox). The Yankees opponent in the opening round of the playoffs are still yet to be determined. No matter who the competition, the Bronx Bombers will be ready.

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Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Baseball, Joe Torre, Mariano Rivera, Yankees

24 innings in 24 hours, 9 and a half hours of baseball and 1 step closer to October. That was the end result of yesterday's 12-11 Yankees victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. For the second straight day, we got "free" baseball and Melky Cabrera had a chance to send the remaining crowd of 56,000 home happy. Unlike Friday night when he failed to get the game winning hit in the bottom of the 9th with the winning run only 90 feet away, the Melk man completed a long exhausting back and forth battle with a game winning single in the bottom of the 10th.

Via Anthony McCarron NY Daily News

"He's important to this lineup," said Jorge Posada, who started the 10th with a ground-rule double. "He's been slumping a little bit and he had a big hit. That tells you a lot about the kid."

You could also say Melky won the game in the top half of the 10th as well. He contributed to an inning ending play at the plate that denied the Blue Jays of taking the lead. With 2 outs and a man on first base, Toronto's Aaron Hill lined a pitch over his head and took one bounce off the wall, Cabrera barehanded and fired a throw to cut off man Robinson Cano, who then turned and with the help of the edge of the pitchers mound got the ball just in time for Posada to appply the tag on Matt Stairs.

Via ESPN.com

"That was as good of a relay as you'll ever see," Toronto manager John Gibbons said.

Cabrera finished 3 for 7 with a career high 5 RBI's last night. "I never had a game like that" he said afterwards.

The win kept the Yanks on pace with the Red Sox who won last night in Tampa Bay, and put them 5.5 games ahead of Detriot who lost last night to the lowly Kansas City Royals. The Yankees magic number to clinch a playoff berth now stands at 3, with 8 games left to play.

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Tags: Baseball, Jorge Posada, Melky Cabrera, Robinson Cano, Yankees

The Yankees are coming, the Yankees are coming! Boston knows all about invasions and they've seen the Yanks do this before. After Wednesday night's 2-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles, the Yankees moved 1.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox who lost in Toronto 6-1. They also moved 5.5 ahead of the Detroit Tigers in the Wild Card.


The seemingly magical September continues in the Bronx. It's been awhile since we had games that have meant a lot this time of the year but here we are, 3 and a half months removed from the days of the Yanks being 14.5 games behind Boston (May 29th). Seems like an enternity ago but the Yankees have done a good job of erasing our memories of those woeful days. Mariano Rivera made it interesting in the 9th but held on, and Andy Pettitte got his 200th career win.

During the 9th inning the scoreboard flashed the score in Toronto, showing Boston's continued dismantling during the stretch run. There's still more work to be done in order to get to the top of the A.L East but for now, Yankee fans, don't stop believing.

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Tags: Andy Pettitte, Baseball, Boston Red Sox, Mariano Rivera, Standings, Yankees

A pitchers' duel that resembled Game 7 of the 2001 World Series; a sellout crowd at Fenway Park; bright lights and a nationwide audience watching at home; clutch pitcher against clutch hitter; Curt Schilling vs Derek Jeter. Two balls, two strikes, two outs, and two on for the Captain, No. 2, score tied 1-1. On a cool brisk Sunday evening, that was the scene in the top of the 8th inning in Boston. It had all the makings of a classic, but when don't these teams give us something to remember? And with one swing, the Yankees hope to win the A.L. East was still alive. Jeter hit a Schilling fastball over the Green Monster for a huge 3-run HR that puts the Bombers up 4-1. It also knocked Schilling out of the game.The Red Sox had a chance to steal away the game in the bottom of the 9th inning by scoring a run off of Mariano Rivera and loading the bases, setting the stage for David Ortiz, but he couldnt deliver the big hit this time.

Via Jayson Stark, ESPN.com:

"Ever since you're a kid," Jeter said, "you always think about being up in big situations. I think you always envision yourself coming through. I don't know how many times you envision yourself [making an] out. I've been in a lot of situations where I've failed. But I've also been in a couple where I've succeeded. So I just enjoy it"

The Yankees finish the weekend taking 2 out of 3 from their rivals and now stand 4.5 games out of first. They also maintain their 2.5 game lead of the Wild Card over Detriot. This weekend saw: Friday night, a memorable comeback by the Yanks, also in the 8th inning by scoring 6 runs off of Bostons 2 best relivers en route to a 8-7 win, after being down 7-2. Saturday, a blowout, in which Josh Beckett dominated the Yankee lineup and saw the Yankee bullpen's inability to throw strikes, which resulted in a 10-1 Red Sox victory. Sunday Night, a pitchers duel until Jeter's 3-run HR in the 8th inning. It proved to be just enough for a 4-3 Yankees win.

"There's more theater in this thing," said an exhausted Joe Torre afterward, "than you could ever imagine."

With 13 games left to play the pressure remains at a high level.The Yanks concentration goes back to Detriot. The Tigers are getting healthy at the right time and now have won 5 in a row.

Via Bill Madden NY Daily News:

"It was important to win because we're in a race and we have take care of our own games" said Torre

Barring a Red Sox collapse and a Yankees full throttle charge, the A.L. East will go to Boston. The weekend still proved to be positive because of the manner in which both Yankee wins were obtained. They have the confidence with them now that they can turn it on at any time and any game, no matter the circumstance. They've instilled in the minds of the Red Sox and everyone else watching, that this is a team that is going to fight til the end. If these two teams do meet in the postseason via the ALCS, this weekend will certainly be in the minds of "The Nation", but for now, the calendar is getting closer to October, and so are the New York Yankees.

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Tags: Baseball, Boston Red Sox, Derek Jeter, Joe Torre, Yankees

April was quite a month for Alex Rodriguez, but September is looking like one he wants us to remember. On Sunday he homered again giving him 52 on the year. It was his 7th in 5 games and his 9th in the last 11 games. With 19 games to go, A-Rod can only further cement his candidacy for the American League MVP. The stats: .318 AVG. 52 HR 140 RBI...and counting. Via SI.com:

''I'm enjoying it,'' said Rodriguez. ''It says a lot about the three guys who are hitting in front of me and the protection I'm getting behind me. The reason I'm getting pitched to is those guys behind me - they get a lot of respect. I just want to finish strong.''

As it stands now, the Yankees sit 4 games ahead of the Detriot Tigers in the wild card. This past weekend saw Ian Kennedy, Andy Pettitte and Chien Ming Wang all deliver wins. Monday gives the Yanks a day off to reflect on a strong series in Kansas City and look forward to the week ahead. Their road trip continues tomorrow night in Toronto and this weekend in Boston. When asked about his team's recent play, Joe Torre said ( Via ESPN.com):

"We're here to get to the postseason...We want to win the division. We're going to need help for that to be accomplished. But we're playing well right now and we just need to make sure we pay attention every day."

Wang earned his 18th win of the season, tied with Josh Beckett of the Red Sox. Just last season, the American League MVP and Cy Young winners emerged from the same team when the Minnesota Twins' Justin Morneau and Johan Santana took home the awards. As every Yankee fan knows, personal accomplishments are nice, but winning the championship is all that matters. Lets see what the final 3 weeks of the season hold for the Bronx Bombers.

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Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, Baseball, Chien Ming Wang, Yankees