I keep using the word magic to describe this team, but with all the alliterative P’s in play tonight, I couldn’t help but feel this victory was pure poetry. How fitting is it that, the night the Yankees move on to the ALCS, they have to go through Carl Pavano, of all people? The American Idle may be the foremost symbol of Yankee futility for the past 8 years. By moving past the Twins and Pavano, the Yanks are symbolically putting the past few years behind them.
The symmetry doesn’t end there, however. Who are the heroes tonight? It was almost like turning back the clock, as Pettitte is nearly perfect for 6.1, Posada hits the winning home run and drives in another with a clutch 9th inning single, Jeter makes a classic heads up Derek Jeter defensive play, and Mo comes in for archetypal 4 out Mariano save.
This is not to say that there weren’t contributions by the ringless members of the team. On the contrary, this victory was a melding of the new and old as A-Rod continued to dominate with the huge game-tying bomb and a big walk and run scored in the top of the 9th to secure the victory. Nick Swisher also made a heads-up defensive play of his own, throwing out Cuddyer at second on a single under Robbie Cano’s glove. The Yanks looked like the fundamentally sound team of the dynasty era as the Twins made baserunning blunder after baserunning blunder all series.
Want more poetry? Who’s the team that the Yankees have never been able to beat in this Championship-free era: the Angels. Who beat the Yankees and won the World Series at the beginning of this era: the Angels. Who do the Yankees play next round in the ALCS: those same Angels.
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13 Responses to Pettitte, Pavano, Posada, and Poetry
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I predict that we beat the Angels and play the Dodgers for the world championship. Old Joe versus New Joe.
I got us against the Angels in 6 and the Phillies over the Dodgers in 6 and the Phillies win thanks to Cliff Lee’s match up advantage over any Dodger starter. Either way both are going to be tough series and as it stands the Dodgers would be the one I would prefer to play just because they don’t have an “ace” so they have no one to match up with Sabathia.
Sabathia Vs Randy Wolf
Burnett Vs Kershaw
Pettitte Vs Padilla
Sabathia/Chamberlain/Gaudin Vs Billingsley
Now THAT would be sheer poetry, my friend… sheer, utter, absolute poetry.
. . and the Yanks would win that series in 5. Great bullpen, but that rotation is a joke. Nice lineup, but not Yankee-like. Manny’s getting old and the Yanks have plenty of hard throwing righties, who he can’t hit anymore.
I think the Angels would be a much tougher match up. I expect the ALCS to go 6, maybe 7 with some bad luck.
You have to give more credit to Arod for the game tying HR than Posada for the eventual game winner, Alex had a lot more pressure, and in fact he took away all the pressure for Posada by hitting the HR. Both were huge but something about Alex this post season is just special, he is destined to fulfill my prediction of world series MVP.
awesome sweep. but california angels ? man i haven’t heard them be called that in a loooooong time.
Ha! I guess I was stuck contemplating the past, there.
It’s OK. Dave Winfield made the same mistake–twice!—on ESPN.
It’s better than the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim !
Anyone had a creeping feeling this year that we’re not just looking at a Championship team, but one that could roll off 2 of 3 over the next few years? I do. Even during the regular season I felt like this team had more in the tank, that if we enjoyed a good season health-wise and take the Joba Rules off next year, we could do even better than we did this year, and this team won 103 games.
I know these things can change in a hurry, and many post season teams looks like that and go on to have disappointing years the very next season (09 Rays/06 ChiSox/04 Marlins) but so much of this team is still in its prime, and the only guys who are in serious danger of age related drop off IMO over the next few years are Mo and Posada. Neither are easily replaced, but I think this team and farm system is good enough to effectively plug two holes. Obviously some combo of Montero/Cervelli for Jorge, and we have so many capable arms I figure one of them will be able to do a solid job of closing. Not Mo-like, but good enough.
That would be amazing, though that would be awfully tough. Other than the Yankees, no one wins three or four in five years. The A’s of the early 70s are the only other team I can think of that won 3. It’s incredible how difficult it is. If they won 3, that would make them one of the greatest teams of all time.
Papelbon
Sucks!