Wednesday night November 2nd 2016 has been set up to be one of the best nights in sports history. GAME SEVEN. Ask any sports fan what those two words mean and they'll tell either tell you how great it is or how devastating it can be. They can tell you stories of triumph or stories of ultimate failure.

I can easily give both without hesitation. Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS against the Boston Red Sox and Aaron Boone sending a knuckleball into the Left Field seats to send the Yankees into the World Series is one of my favorite all-time memories. On the other side, Game 7 of the 2001 World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks will forever haunt me as a Yankees fan. Up 2-1 in the Bottom of the 9th inning and the greatest closer of all-time on the mound, Mariano Rivera, the Yanks somehow lost 3-2 and lost the World Series. The World Series that saw TWO, not one, but TWO of the most dramatic endings in sports history go in the Yankees favor. Down by 2 runs in the 9th inning and 2 outs in BOTH Games 4 and 5, the Yanks hit Game-tying Home Runs to send the games into extra innings, just so they could win it minutes later. It was just 7 weeks removed from the September 11th attacks. Those games brought the city of New York together. They captivated a nation in suffering. A feel good story at the perfect moment, in the perfect city, with the perfect team. The thing is...nothing in life is perfect and the 2001 World Series HAD to go to the Yankees, but it didn't. The city needed something, anything to cheer for. They did for a couple nights, but ultimately the Yankees lost one of the most heartbreaking games in their history.

This brings me to Wednesday night. The Cleveland Indians and the Chicago Cubs....Game Seven. All eyes in those two cities will be on them. They ALL will be watching Game Seven. Both cities might just shut down. Why? The Indians haven't won a World Series since 1948 and the Cubs haven't won since 1908. 176 years without a championship. We all aim to be the top of our profession, so could you imagine not being Employee of the Month for 68 years, how bout 108 years? Always giving it your all each and every day and never getting recognized for your hard work? We'd go crazy, we'd lose faith in ourselves at some point, we'd question why do we continue if we can't succeed. Well for these two cities, that's the feeling going around. Wednesday night, someone will finally get recognized. Someone will end years of frustration, and someone will hang their heads and go into the winter questioning everything they did for the last 8 and a half months.

Cleveland is the Cinderella team have no business being in Game Seven of th world Series. Yet here they are, in their home ballpark in front of their fans at Progressive Field. Literally steps away from The Quiken Loans Arena, where the Cleveland Cavaliers play. The same Cavaliers team that won an NBA Championship back in June when no one gave them a chance to win against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors just came off an NBA Championship last year, plus set an NBA record going 73-9 AND were up 3 games to 1. Yet the Cavs fought for respect, fought game by game and won it all. Ironically enough, the Indians found themselves up 3 games to 1 against the team with the best record in MLB but have faltered in their first two attempts to win it all and end their 68 year championship drought.

Chicago is America's feel good story. They are the underdogs. Yet they came in the favorites to win it all back in Feburary. They were the favorites after each passing month in the regular season and each passing round in the Postseason. They have been the lovable losers for well over a century and they are one win away from making history. The city of Chicago will be shut down tomorrow night. Every pair of eyes will be glued on every move these Cubs make. If you've watched them this Postseason they have been nothing short of spectacular. They've come from behind every single time you thought there was no way they could win. Yet they did and they're one win away from one of the greatest sports stories that could ever be told. That's gotta mean something, doesn't it?

As a Yankee fan, I like both teams because they both have two former Yankees on their teams that are playing huge significant roles (Andrew Miller:Indians, Aroldis Chapman:Cubs) So I love that they are performing well when the lights are shining brightest. But I will be rooting for the Cubs in Gmae Seven, like I have all Postseason long. They remind me a lot of the Yankees. And when I say that, I mean the real Yankees, the ones that played in the real Yankee Stadium. The Jeters, the Riveras, the Posadas, the Pettittes, the Williams, the O'Neil's. Those guys were good, they played with heart and they were winners. I see the same in the Cubs. I have seen America's best feel good story unfold for the last 4-5 weeks, I need to see one more good moment. I need to see the underdog win. I need to see David beat Goliath. I want a Cubs World Series win in Game Seven.

Do yourself a favor, watch Game Seven. Watch it for the reasons we love sports for. Watch the passion, watch the intensity, watch the nerves, watch the tension. Have a rooting interest. Go for the city of Cleveland who never won ANYTHING before June, now they can claim their 2nd major sports championship within a 4 month span. Go for the city of Chicago and their fans who have NEVER experienced a high in their life like the one they're on now. Watch as a Yankee fan who sees two of their best pitchers going head to head to win a World Championship. Watch because either way, one city will be so overwhelmed with joy, it'll make you wish it was you and your team winning it all for the first time or watch to see a city go in complete silence and/or destroy itself in the face of defeat. The drama is all there, it's laid out there for your viewing pleasure. We've all watched debates that will doom us all in some way or another, so why not watch a tale of two lovable losing cities and it's franchises fight over being the very best in their profession? This IS better than any debate, any reality show and any soap opera. They even have A-Rod there to cover all those genres for you. Game Seven will be a classic, it will be history....will you be apart of it?

Read more »

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

0 Comments

Tags: Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, World Series

It has been a couple days since the Yankees finally reclaimed their position as the best team in baseball and won their 27th World Championship. Although, somewhere on the streets of New York, people are still celebrating.

Why not, it took 9 years to return to the top of the mountain. For most cities, that's nothing, but in New York, it's an eternity, if you're a Yankees fan. People are still spending their hard earned money on World Series Championship merchandise. Soon enough, the money spent as a result of winning the World Series will be enough to pay for the 2009 Yankee payroll.

Now that most of the dust has settled and most of the celebrating is over, it's time to reflect on this season. There's a lot you can write about this season but not enough space here. You can write about big moments this year all the way to spring training but I'm not going to do that. What I am going to do is say, congratulations to the 2009 New York Yankees for winning their 27th World Championship and say thank you. As a fan who follows the team on a day-to-day basis and fights with the Yankee-haters of the world, I say thank you. I always knew you were the best team in baseball, I said it all year, but I guess it takes a piece of hardware and a parade down Broadway to shut certain people up. For that,I say thank you.

Johnny Damon had one of the greatest at-bats in World Series history in Game 4, in the top of the 9th. Then stole 2nd AND 3rd on the same play! Alex Rodriguez then continued his month of clutch hitting and drove in the winning run of that game. If he wasn't a real Yankee before, he is now. A bunch of clutch hits, homeruns and a World Series ring does that for you. CC Sabathia was everything you ever wanted this year. He stepped up when the Yanks needed him most. Even on short rest, even against the Angels. Mark Teixeria didn't hit much in the postseason but he got a couple big hits, homeruns to be exact. His defense all year long reminded us of the good old days when Tino used to dive and pick 'em like no other. AJ Burnett was great, then he was bad, then he was great, then he was bad. Right now, because of his greatness in Game 2 of the World Series with his team down 1-0 and in danger of going 2-0 going to Philly, he pitched the g ame of his life. He is now a World Champion.

Because of the pies in the face, because of the Championship belt given to the MVP of every Yankee win this year, because of GM Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi believing in their youth, and heck, even because of Kate Hudson, the New York Yankees are once again Champions of the World! 2009 was a special year for so many reasons....for that, I say thank you.

Read more »

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

0 Comments

Tags: AJ Burnett, Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, Baseball, CC Sabathia, Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui, Mark Teixeira, World Series, Yankees

NO. 27!! CONGRATULATIONS to the 2009 NY Yankees!

Read more »

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

0 Comments

Tags: Baseball, World Series, Yankees

Here we go again. The Yankees are again, one win away from winning the World Series. This time, if they do reach their goal, it'll be in the comfort of their own home and in front of the best fans in the world...at Yankee Stadium.

The image of the Yankees celebrating in the new home is something many people want to see and were rooting for all along in this series. Now, the time has come for it to happen.

Tomorrow night, the Yankees have Andy Pettitte going against the Phillies Pedro Martinez. As if this game didn't already have enough buzz, the matchup of Andy vs Pedro reminds us of the classic battles between the Red Sox and Yankees in the 2003 and 2004 ALCS'. Both of which had their historic moments. Tomorrow is no different. If Andy can deliver in Game 6 the way he did against the Angels in Game 6 of this year's ALCS then the new home of the Yanks will be fully christened. If Pedro can reach back and show us the Pedro of old, then Thursday night, there will be a Game 7. And from there, it's anyone's game.

A Game 7 on Thursday night means CC Sabathia comes back on 3 days rest. It means he comes back for the 3rd time in the Series. It means that Phillies Game 3 loser Cole Hamels gets the ball with everything on the line. It means EVERYONE on both rosters is avaliable. It means Mariano Rivera might have to be ready to pitch 3 innings. It means the Yankees might see Cliff Lee again, maybe in the 7th or 8th innings, coming in to put the nail in the coffin,much like Randy Johnson did for the Diamondbacks in 2001 in Game 7 of that World Series (Johnson came into Game 7 in the 9th to limit the Yankee offense so the D-Backs had a shot to make a comeback and win.....a half inning later they did.) It means ANYTHING can, and WILL happen. It doesn't matter if you're in the Bronx or in Philly. Game 7 has a life of it's own and along come moments that will etch in stone for years to come. The Yanks DO NOT want to see Game 7, the Phils would.

That's why tomorrow night, in the Bronx Andy Pettitte needs to be Andy Pettitte. That tough, gritty, give-it-his-all mentality that defines Andy needs to be there. It needs to take the ball and deliver home a World Championship. Tomorrow night is why Andy came back. One more chance to become a champion. One more chance to show the whole world why he is one of the greatest Yankees of all-time. One more chance to prove to himself he can still be one of the very best at what he does and finally...one more chance to show what it means to be a true Yankee.

The numbers don't suggest Andy will be on his game tomorrow night but at this time of the year, numbers don't matter very much. The only numbers that do...the Yanks are 1 win away from their 27th championship in franchise history. Those are the only numbers we care about. It's the only ones Andy cares about. Hopefully, after all is said and dont tomorrow night, no. 46 delivers no. 27 to the Bronx.

Read more »

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

0 Comments

Tags: Andy Pettitte, Baseball, CC Sabathia, New Yankee Stadium, Pedro Martinez, Philadelphia Phillies, World Series, Yankees

Today, we await a game that EVERYONE in New York will be watching. Today, we take in the game we witnessed last night. Today, the New York Yankees can become World Champions.

Last night in Game 4, CC Sabathia took the mound on 3 days rest and he pitched good. He kept us in the game and left in the 7th inning with the lead. Granted Chase Utley hit his 3rd HR of this World Series off of him, but the Yanks still led 4-3. Joba Chamberlain was lights out until that 2 strike pitch to Pedro Feliz. Feliz hit a ball into the left field stands to tie the game at 4, with 2 outs in the 8th. But then, DESTINY made an appearance in the 9th.

Phillies closer Brad Lidge got Hideki Matsui and Derek Jeter for the 1st 2 outs, then got to a 1-2 count on Johnny Damon. Damon then put together one of the best Yankee at-bats of the season. He got the count to 3-2 and proceded to foul off pitch after pitch from Lidge. (This sounds alot like Paul O'Neill's at-bat against the Mets' Armando Benitez in Game 1 of the 2000 World Series. That game, because of O'Neill's at-bat, got the rally going for the Yanks to tie the game and eventually win. They later went on to the win the World Series.) Back to Damon, he got a hit to left field. Then stole 2nd and stole 3rd because no one was covering 3rd as a result of the infield shift given to Mark Teixeria. Tex gets hit with a pitch and Alex Rodriguez gets a hit to score Damon and the Yankees took off.

A-Rod has been amazing in the clutch this October and if they are able to finish the Phils off, Alex will be a World Champion. Something that has elluded him his entire career. Now, he is 1 win away from further cementing his legacy. He was brought in to the Bronx in '04 to win a championship every year. Not easy to do, but if the Yanks do win this series, A-Rod will be a BIG reason why.

Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada did their part to help the Yankees win Game 4 last night, just like they've done for the last 4 Yankee World Championships. Is there time for another one? You bet ya!

AJ Burnett takes the ball tonight on 3 days rest with the chance to win the World Series. This is why they shelled out $80 million for him last offseason. CC has held up his end of the agreement, now AJ needs to. If he doesn't, then old reliable Andy Pettitte will be waiting in the wings on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium against Pedro Martinez.

Today, will be the day the Yankees win the World Series. Today, the Yankees become World Champions!

Read more »

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

0 Comments

Tags: AJ Burnett, Alex Rodriguez, Baseball, CC Sabathia, Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui, Joba Chamberlain, Johnny Damon, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Philadelphia Phillies, World Series, Yankees

I wonder how these next 3 games in Philly will pan out. It's not going to be an easy trip for the Yanks. I have all the confidence in the world in Andy Pettitte in Game 3 tonight, but to be honest...I am scared of that Philly offense.


They are so good top to bottom, that it's hard to relax when they're at the plate. Andy is going to keep us in the game tonight, that I know. It's the bullpen that worries me a bit. You can keep going to Mariano Rivera for 6 outs. Eventually the Phillies will get to him. Yes, they are that good. Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, our stars of the future have to come up big in the present and lead us to a championship. If they can overcome their subpar October, it provide them with a huge boost in confidence for next year and the years to come.

Tonight, the Yankees go for a 2-1 lead in this World Series. A series with 2 evenly matched teams. Game 3's always are a big game, and tonight is no exception. Alex Rodriguez needs his bat to wake up. Citizen's Bank Ballpark is a hitter's park so hopefully that will help A-Rod. I hope Kate Hudson makes the trip over to Philly. We need some more October magic.

Read more »

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

0 Comments

Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain, Mariano Rivera, Phil Hughes, Philadelphia Phillies, World Series, Yankees

I really like this matchup. Both lineups are evenly matched and can go blow for blow with one another. It should be entertaining, but the big difference is the pitching. The Yankees have it, both starting and in the bullpen. Pitching wins championships, and this will be no different. Cliff Lee has gotten knocked around by the Yanks in the past, but if he does hold up, he's still going against CC Sabathia. After Lee, who else can you really rely on? The Yanks have more reliable options in Andy Pettitte and AJ Burnett. The Yanks also have Mariano Rivera in the 'pen to close out as many games as possible. If he has to go 2 innings, he will. 3 innings? He will. Phillies' Brad Lidge is good, but not that good. That's all you need to know there. Advantage Yankees.


World Series Prediction:

Yankees in 6. It will be a good series but ultimately the Yankees are the better all around team and it will show in this series as it has in the previous 2. A-Rod and CC continue to have a great postseason. Meanwhile the depth of the lineup will come through and pick up where Alex cant.

Read more »

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

1 comment

Tags: AJ Burnett, Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, CC Sabathia, Mariano Rivera, Philadelphia Phillies, World Series, Yankees

Game 1 tomorrow night is going to be special. It's the first World Series game in the Bronx in 6 years. For some cities, that would be great, but not here in the boogie down. We're used to having it every year here but times have been rough in recent years so the World Series took a leave of absence. Now, it's back and everyone will be watching.

Jay-Z and Alicia Keys are set to perform their hit "Empire State of Mind" before Game 1 Wednesday night. Many people, myself included think that is the Yankee anthem for this postseason. Derek Jeter uses it as his walk-to-the-plate music so it has to be cool. The World Series in Yankee Stadium is not like anything else you've ever seen. There's alot of history there. Yes, it is a different stadium but the ghosts from Postseasons past made the trip across the street. They will be in attendance tomorrow and Thursday.

The fans will be going wild, the lights will be bright and all eyes will be on CC Sabathia, the Yankees ace. He is 3-0 this October in his 3 starts. He has given the Yanks everything they could've ever asked for. Big pitches in big moments in big games. He was named the ALCS MVP, rightfully so. He will be asked to put the Yankees ahead in a series where they might be meeting their match. Who knows, but one thing is for sure, if Sabathia is on his game tomorrow night, there is no beating the Yankees. If he comes back for another start or two and he comes up big again...there is no beating the Yankees. The Yanks will be your world champions.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves but it sure feels good to be a Yankee fan these days. It's been a long time since we've gone this far, so let's enjoy it as much as we can for the time being....because this might just be a prelude of things to come. If it is, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys may be performing on Broadway next week while the Yankees go down the Canyon of Heroes.

Read more »

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

0 Comments

Tags: Baseball, CC Sabathia, Derek Jeter, New Yankee Stadium, World Series, Yankees

The Yankees are going to the World Series! For the 40th timein franchise history and 1st since 2003, the Bombers will be in the Fall Classic.

The Yankees defeated the Angels 4 games to 2 in the ALCS to win the American League Pennant. The win puts the Yankees up against the Phillies in the World Series starting Wednesday night in the Bronx.

Congratulations to the Yankees in reaching the World Series. Time to bring one home boys!

Read more »

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

0 Comments

Tags: Baseball, Los Angeles Angels, New Yankee Stadium, Philadelphia Phillies, World Series, Yankees

Two games into the 2008 World Series and we are tied 1-1. Where am I going with this? Game 7 in Tampa, thats where. It's a tough call as far as giving a prediction for who's winning this series but I think I will have to go with the Rays. Rays in seven again!

Here's how I view it:

Starting Pitching
Advatage: Rays
James Shields has pitched well this postseason and Matt Garza's impressive ALCS performance earns them the edge here. Phillies' Cole Hamels can't pitch every game, that becomes a problem considering the rest of the rotation is questionable, but it's possible they can get the job done, I just like the stability of the Rays' staff over the course of a long series.

Bullpen
Advatage: Phillies
The Rays don't have a closer unless they plan on using David Price, which they should do. The Phillies 1-2 combo of Ryan Madsen and Brad Lidge are untouchable and have been lights out this October. That's a HUGE factor in October. This is the biggest difference between the teams.

Lineup
Advantage: Even
Philly with Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Pat Burrell can go to-to-toe with BJ Upton, Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford. So far we haven't seen as much offense as we thought we might see but the guys listed can certainly set off some fireworks.

Defense
Advantage: Rays
This is a close call but the Rays all around defense is stellar. The outfield is one of the game's best. Upton and Crawford for TB cover a lot of ground. Philly's outfield isn't bad either led by Shane Victorino but TB has the edge there. As far as the rest of the infield it's a tough call but I gotta call it even there. While Philly I think has the better doubleplay combo TB has Dioneer Navarro behind the plate and I think he's the main difference maker. He has come into his own this year and has the almighty task of directing the pitching staff, that kind of leadership is important in a series like this. A plus is he can throw out runners, that's important because if Rollins or Victorino ever get on base, they'll think twice before swiping a bag.

Rays won my breakdown 2-1-1. Hey, I told you it's close but when it comes down to the playoffs, starting pitching is the most important thing. If the Rays can take the lead early then they have a good shot at keeping it, but if Philly has a lead late in the game it'll be tough for Tampa to comeback. I hope people have been watching this series as it's been competitive so far and the trend looks to continue as the series progresses. I won't be disappointed if Philly wins because then it means they can show up to Citi Field next season with their world championship hats and t-shirts. They can taunt the Mets fans all year long and I would love to see it. If Tampa wins and not only am I right with my prediction but it completes the Cinderella story for 2008. Let's hope for a memorable World Series, that's what I'm rooting for the most.

Read more »

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

0 Comments

Tags: Baseball, Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, World Series