It's Halloween and it's scary out there.

It's especially scary if you're the Yankees and you're in Philadelphia looking at costumes like this.

But not everyone is dressed like a monster. I met up with Amber Sabathia, and - surprise! - we both had the same idea for Halloween. Take a look.

Back in California, I went in search of Bill, the guy who owns the Surf Dog concession at the beach. Last time he gave me a free hot dog, along with his thoughts about the Yankees. This time he presented me with my very own Surf Dog shirt. I do love swag, but what I love even more is a Yankee fan willing to let his freak flag fly, so to speak. Here's Bill hoisting the pinstripes.

GO YANKEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!

The above photo is of Ryan Howard after AJ struck him out three times tonight. OK, no it isn't, but I'm sure that's how Howard felt - especially after Mo struck him out too, making him eligible for this.

Everybody was so nervous (including me) about AJ and whether he'd be able to control his emotions, avoid the wildness that's plagued him in the past and perform on the big stage.

Obviously, he performed so well that the Yankees beat the Phillies 3-1.

He wasn't just good. He was masterful, working seven innings and only giving up a run on four hits. After the game, he told the media: "It's the funnest I've ever had on a baseball field." So what if "funnest" is not an actual word. It was AJ's night and if he wanted to say "funnest," then "funnest" it was!

Pedro was keeping the Yanks off balance in the early innings, and when the Phillies jumped out to a 1-0 lead I thought, Please don't let this be a repeat of Game 1. But Tex came to the rescue with a solo shot in the fourth to tie the score and break out of his slumber.

After Matsui put the Yanks ahead with his own blast into the seats, I decided it was safe to eat dinner. The "lucky" turkey club sandwich had lost its effectiveness during the ALCS, so I turned to the only food that was deliverable to my house at that hour.

The pizza was delicious, but then - after Posada knocked in Gardner in the seventh for 3-1 - the umps made that questionable ruling on Damon's "double play ball" and I needed some of these.

Not to beat a dead horse, but is the umpiring bad or what? Seriously. These guys....

...were reminding me of these guys.

With AJ done after seven, Girardi went right to Mo for the six-out save and got it - Mo's 38th career postseason save. It's staggering how many times Yankee fans have witnessed this scene over the years.

Other plays of note:

Molina's pickoff of Werth in the fourth.

Singles by Hairston and Melky in the seventh.

Jeter getting the Clemente award and Fox not showing it.

Ditto for Paul O'Neill's first pitch.

Alicia Keys' purple boots.

Oh, and Pedro's post-game press conference during which he wore a dark pinstriped version of this.

"If I was on the Yankees, I'd probably be like a king over here," he told the media.

The man is never dull. And he can still pitch. But AJ was better, and the Yanks evened the series at 1-1. Now they're off to Philly by train. All aboard, boys.

Chase Utley hit a couple of solo shots off CC, who otherwise pitched seven solid innings and was more than good enough to win on any given night. There was just one problem: Cliff Lee. The guy was lights out.

Jeter had three hits and scored the Yankees' lone run in the 6-1 loss. But Lee took care of everybody else. He could have been pitching in his backyard in Arkansas, not a care in the world, especially on Damon's pop up in the sixth. He hardly moved a step to catch it and was like, "Oh. Yawn. I think I'll just stick my glove out and see what happens."

I don't think I've ever seen a pitcher so relaxed. Even on Cano's tricky eighth-inning comebacker, which Lee corralled from behind his back, he could just as easily have been doing this.

So I'll simply tip my cap and say: "Good job, Cliff. Now get back on that Amtrak train so I never have to see you again."

The Yankees didn't play badly, but I'm concerned about the bullpen. Marte was effective, but Robertson, Bruney and Coke? Stinkeroo. And Phil Hughes? What happened to Mr. Setup-for-Mo? He hasn't pitched well in the postseason and I want to know why. Is it some mechanical problem? A glitch in his delivery? Or just playoff butterflies?

There really isn't much else to say about the game, except that the Stadium looked beautiful all decked out in its World Series finery, even with the steady drizzle. And I loved seeing Yogi walk out to the mound during the pre-game ceremony, flanked by two heavy-duty she-fans.

But my favorite moment was right after the ceremonial first pitch. I snuck into the Yankees clubhouse, stole one of those nifty World Series sweatshirts/jackets/whatever they were, and rushed onto the field - just as Jeter was approaching Yogi and the others. What a thrill it was when Jeet leaned over and planted a kiss on my cheek!

Talk about a World Series to remember.

Yes, they're the defending champions. Yes, they have an excellent team. Yes, Ryan Howard is big. But there are ways to deflate their confidence.

In other words, they can be beaten and they must be beaten. While it's true that my tarot card reader already declared in the pages of The New York Times that the Yankees would win the 2009 World Series, I figured I'd better do a little scouting as backup. Here's what I've unearthed about certain players in the Phillies lineup. (Full disclosure: I went to grad school at the University of Pennsylvania, lived in downtown Philly and loved it. But there's no conflicting loyalty going on. None. I swear.)

Last year he led all NL shortstops in fielding percentage (.988) and he finished the season with 295 career stolen bases - the most by any Philly in the modern era.

So he's fast and he can play short. What's more, he's a switch-hitter who's had three postseason leadoff homers. But here's the good news: he only batted .250 this season. And another thing: he's single. Tip to Yankees: Put some good looking women near the Phillies dugout and try to distract him.

Another switch-hitter, the "Flyin' Hawaiian," as he's affectionately known in Philly because he hails from Wailuka, Hawaii, is batting .361 in the postseason. And how about this little tidbit to tie my Yankee fan stomach in a knot: He hit the first grand slam in Phillies playoff history in Game 2 of the NLDS last year against - guess who - CC Sabathia. Scary, right?

But he only hit 10 homers all year with 62 RBIs. Not scary. And his bio lists his favorite hobbies as fishing and diving. Tip to Yankees: Pitch him low and outside and make him fish and dive.

Chase Cameron Utley had 31 homers this season, and he's batting .303 in the postseason. He can steal a base and he's patient at the plate. (Last year he became the third player in NLCS history to walk four times in a game.) His other claim to fame in '08 was that he led the NL in HBP; the guy was plunked 27 times!

But he made two errors in Game 2 of the NLCS against the Dodgers. Tip to Yankees: Pitch him away, away, away. He can't get hit by a pitch if the ball is outside. And hope he makes more errors at second.

OK, so he has 45 home runs and 141 RBIs this season. And he already has a couple of dingers in the postseason, not to mention 14 RBIs. He's a beast with the happy-go-lucky personality of a puppy.

But he's struck out over 190 times in '09. That's a lot. Tip to Yankees: Forget about the intentional walks and just let him swing and miss.

The right fielder has 41 homers this season. And he has quite the pedigree. His grandfather, Dick "Ducky" Schofield, played in the majors for 19 years. His uncle, Dick Schofield, played for 14 years. And his mother, Kim Schofield Werth, competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials in the long jump.

But despite all that athleticism in the family, he only batted .268 this year. Tip to Yankees: Don't sweat it. He's good but not that good.

He'll be DH-ing for the games at Yankee Stadium, and although he's 37 years old he can still hit - 34 homers in the regular season and another one in the postseason. He was a Yankee killer when he was with the Mariners.

But nobody remembers him from his three years with Kansas City. Tip to Yankees: Pitch to him the way you did when he was a Royal.

The Dominican born former Giant had the second best fielding percentage among NL third basemen in '08. Oh, and he drove in the winning run in the seventh inning of the Phillies' World Series clincher against the Rays.

But he had back surgery in November. Tip to Yankees: Bunt the ball in his general direction and make him bend over.

The Phillies catcher made his major league debut in 2006. His biggest hit to date was his walk-off infield single in the bottom of the ninth in Game 3 of last year's World Series against the Rays. He's from Panama, the land of Mo, so he must be good.

But he only threw out 14 of 79 potential base stealers in '08 for 17.7 %. Tip to Yankees: Run! Run! Run!

I don't know anything about him except he'll probably be playing left field instead of Ibanez. Oh, and he was with the Indians in '07 and '08.

Like Rollins, he's single. Tip to Yankees: Try the distraction tactic as discussed in #1.

The Phillies' Game 1 starter is the reigning Cy Young Award winner. And his full name is the intimidating Clifton Phifer Lee. In 2002 he was named the Hog Nation Minor League Player of the Year.

I'll focus on Yankees-Phillies in my next post, complete with an exclusive "She-Fan Scouting Report," but today I was feeling mopey. People kept asking me if I was going to the World Series and I kept having to say no. Even my best friend from high school, a Red Sox fan, called to say, "So are you flying to New York?" I told her I was staying in California. I was so ashamed.

If I hadn't been so busy with work, I might have hopped on a plane so that I could be in attendance for at least one game. But I didn't make any plans, so now I'll just have to watch on TV and deal with it. Still, it's times like this when New York seems far away and I miss it. I miss my family. I miss New York accents. I miss people walking fast and elbowing each other out of the way. And here's what else I miss:

* Fall foliage in Central Park.

* Mickey Mantle's Restaurant.

* Cheesecake.

* The subway.

And I miss everything having to do with Yankee Stadium:

* Freddy.

* Frank Sinatra.

* The fact that they've already painted the field with this.

* The fans....

  Big ones...

  Small ones...

  And "artistic" ones.

I was so down in the dumps this afternoon, wishing there were other Yankee fans in Santa Barbara, that I left my desk and went for a beach walk. It was a gorgeous day, and this was my view as I did my five miles.

Nothing to complain about, right? I was starting to perk up until my Yankees cap began to attract some unfavorable attention. You could tell people wanted to shake their fists at me and demand, "Why aren't you a Dodgers or Angels fan? What's wrong with you?"

And then a mirage....or so it seemed.

No, it wasn't a hot dog concession in the Bronx, but close. It was the Surf Dog cart owned for 16 years by Bill Connell - a local celebrity for having won a major case against the state of California last week.

A 55-year-old disabled veteran, Bill fought for an exemption for street peddlers like himself who were being forced to pay sales tax on their wares. It was a victory for disabled vets and it made him a hero. And - just my luck - Bill turned out to be a huge Yankee fan. When I told him I was a fan too, he not only handed me a free hot dog but let me interview him on the She-Fan Cam - a happy ending to my day.

Oops. They did it again.

The Yankees clinched their 40th American League Pennant tonight with a 5-2 victory over the Angels in Game 6. They won because they pitched better, hit better and played better defense. It was a formula that worked for them all year long.

When the champagne started flowing in the clubhouse after the game, my phone started ringing. Friends were congratulating me, as if I'd actually done something. Even an Angels fan friend called to say, "Your team played better than mine. They deserved to win." And my Florida friends, Paul and Judy, called just so they could scream, "WE WON! WE REALLY WON!"

I was so excited that I decided to celebrate the way the players were celebrating.

I put on my husband's snorkeling goggles and had him shake up a bottle of ginger ale and pour it on my head. (I didn't have any champagne, and I thought red wine would make me look like Carrie.) Here's the result.

Terrifying, isn't it? It took me a half-hour to wash and dry my hair. But it was so worth it. Your team doesn't win a pennant every day. 

I've never been any good at it. Waiting, I mean. Not for the phone to ring. Not for a red light to turn green. Not for the woman ahead of me at the supermarket checkout to fish around in her purse for her debit card.

I was OK with Friday's day off from Yankees-Angels, figuring I could use the time to drive to LA and get some work done, but to have to wait until Sunday for Game 6? That's just plain torture.

I've been reading all sorts of speculation about which team the postponement helps and which team it hurts, and to me the question is silly. The team that plays well on Sunday night will win. Period. The delay gives them both more time to "think about it" - but it also gives the media more time to write nonsense. I went out and did some real reporting. I checked in with various Yankees to see how they were spending their free Saturday night.

(Pettitte lives pretty well, doesn't he? Those contract incentives paid off.)

(That was Mo. He said he was staying loose by the fire in case Joe called for him in the sixth inning.)

(I'm glad Damon and Swisher are having fun, but could they please get some sleep?)

(That was Hideki. He said he just finished having both knees drained in case Joe wants him to steal a base or two.)

(Wouldn't you think A-Rod would have a personal chef to cook dinner? What if he cuts himself with that meat cleaver and can't play?)

(That's me, trying to get a comment from Jeter. He never likes to make himself the story, so he wouldn't talk. I still love him.)

OK, the waiting is over. As Mariano Duncan used to say, "We play tomorrow. We win tomorrow. Das it."

I was trying not to think about the playoffs, I really was. I drove down to LA on Friday for a lunch meeting arranged by my agent with a woman producer who is interested in my novels for TV movies. We were sitting in the restaurant, talking business, when I slipped and said the word "Yankees." I expected her to roll her eyes or stare blankly at me or launch into a speech about her love for the Angels or Dodgers, given that we were in SoCal. Instead, she beamed and asked, "Are you a Yankee fan?" Well, forget the TV movies. All we did for the rest of the lunch was discuss Jeter, A-Rod and everybody on the roster. She said Andy Pettitte was her favorite Yankee and I said wouldn't it be great if he nailed down the victory at the new Stadium, and we went on and on about the Bombers. It was an omen; I had found yet another she-fan in the last place I expected to find one, and it had to mean the Yankees would beat the Angels in Game 6. She and I decided that it all boiled down to home field advantage.

And so, with Hollywood and the Bronx in mind, I'm posting this video to remind everybody that we're home. We're in our house. We survived the Wicked Witch and her flying rally monkeys, and are now safely back where we belong, just like Dorothy. The pennant will be ours.

  Go Yankees.

They say that baseball breaks your heart, but what they don't tell you is that it gives you heart attacks. Seriously, it should come with a warning label.

With the exception of Tuesday night's 10-1 blowout, the ALCS games against the Angels have been as nerve-wracking as they've been exciting, with the outcome never clear until the final out. Tonight's 7-6 loss was a case in point, and I'm exhausted.

AJ was so astonishingly bad in the first inning that I was ready to jump off a bridge. He had nothing. His pitches didn't dive and dart. They just sat there, begging to be eaten, like some balls of mozzarella.

At the same time, the Yankees offense looked lifeless against Lackey (is there any Yankee batter who can hit a curve ball?), so I figured it just wasn't our night - especially after yet another blown call; Damon was clearly safe at first and, instead, was ruled an inning-ending out. I'm beginning to think the umps should use these.

But then a funny thing happened: AJ settled down. He held the Angels scoreless for five innings, giving the Yanks a chance to come back - and they did. Lackey became unhinged in the seventh after he gave up a double to Melky and a bitterly contested walk to Posada. He walked Jeter to load the bases, and Scoscia had seen enough. Lackey didn't want to leave the game and practically had to be dragged away.

In came Oliver, who helped Tex break out of his slump by serving up a three-run double. Then he intentionally walked A-Rod and allowed an RBI single by Matsui to tie the score at 4-4. Suddenly, we had a brand new ball game. When Cano tripled off Jepsen, the Yanks went ahead 6-4 and I got up from my couch and started dancing around the living room.

No, I didn't think we had the game won. Not with three innings left to play. But I was feeling a whole lot better about our chances. Should Girardi have brought back AJ to pitch the bottom of the seventh - with a rested bullpen available, not to mention the best closer in baseball? Probably not. But it was Hughes who threw mozzarella balls to Guerrero and Morales, and the Angels took a 7-6 lead and kept it. Where was Dave Robertson? That's what I'd like to know. When it became clear that Hughes didn't have it, why not bring in D-Rob, who has shown such great strikeout-potential? Why, Joe? Why?

And then in the top of the ninth, after A-Rod walked against Fuentes, you pulled him for Guzman. So my question is.....What if the Yankees had tied it up and we'd gone into extras? Why would you want your best hitter out of the lineup? What's more, why didn't you have Guzman try to steal, since his speed is the only reason he's on the roster? Why, Joe? Why?

And just one more thing, Joe. Gardner should be in the lineup and Swisher should be playing this.

Just a suggestion. Anyhow, the series moves back to New York for Game 6. I'm sure Fox is thrilled. I'm not. Well, my heart isn't. It's still recovering from tonight.

 

That's me off to the left looking impatiently at my husband Michael. I was dying to get inside to watch the Yankees take batting practice, but he was stopping to shoot pictures. The nerve! Actually, I was the one who was stopping in the parking lot to meet Yankee fans. I kept whipping out the She-Fan Cam, hoping to get some words of optimism from my fellow followers of the pinstripes. Here's one fan who didn't seem to be nearly as nervous about the game as I was.

It was my fault that we missed batting practice. I was too busy being Jeanne Zelasko. By the time we got inside the stadium, it was too late for food/beverages too. The game was about to start and we needed to find our seats. We were in the section just above the press box - way up there but with a great view of the action.

I was heartened that, despite the sea of red surrounding us, there were Yankee fans sitting directly behind us. It was just like being in the Bronx. Well, except for these.

One diehard Angels she-fan even clutched her rally monkey while she settled in with her radio and scorecard.

I figured there must be something to the whole thunderstix thing, so I blew one up.

I know. It looks....wrong.

With no score in the third inning, I turned around and asked the Yankee fans for their game predictions.

6-2? I could live with that. But I needed another opinion. Two more opinions, as it turned out.

Fourth inning. Time to focus. A-Rod singled to lead off. Posada doubled. Matsui K-ed. (Hideki, come back to us. You looked half dead last night.) A-Rod sprinted home on Cano's fielder's choice and made a great slide past Napoli. If I ever have to have hip surgery, I want A-Rod's doctor doing it.

Melky's two-run single was enough to make me relax a little, but a 3-0 lead wasn't nearly enough. And then came that bizarre out call on Swisher for allegedly leaving the bag too early. Just a bad, bad call. A-Rod's homer in the fifth was a thing of beauty and a nice greeting for Bulger after Kazmir departed. But what was up with Posada in that inning? He didn't score on Cano's double and then got caught in that rundown? (More terrible officiating.) On top of that, Jorge forgot how many outs there were and A-Rod had to run in and cover home. I know JoPo has gotten hit in the mask a lot over the course of his career, but hello?

After Morales put the Angels on the board in the fifth to make it 5-1, I said to the Angels fan next to me, "Do you think your team will come back?" He smiled and played more drums with his thunderstix.

Damon's homer for 7-1 took the crowd out of the game. And when Abreu airmailed that throw in from right field, allowing A-Rod to score in the ninth, many fans started filing out. Melky's double to put the Yanks up 10-1 made the place feel like a funeral home. Even the fan next to me conceded defeat by doing this.

But I've left out the best part of the night: CC. I kept thinking he would run out of gas. Instead, he seemed to get stronger as the game went on. It was such a pleasure to watch a pitcher in his prime, performing well on the big stage.

Feeling exhilarated by the win, I headed out and ran into similarly ecstatic Yankee fans. First came Brian, who was waiting outside the men's room. Perhaps he forgot to take his Avodart.

Next, I met a woman named Cathy, who said her father had been an usher at Yankee Stadium so he could make extra money for her piano lessons. She and I got into it over a certain Yankee.

As we made our way down the ramp, I heard a she-fan yelling "Let's go Yankees." Naturally, I went over to say hi. It was dark out there, but her enthusiasm came through loud and clear.

And finally, back in the parking lot where it all began, I spoke to Mark, the father of the adorable four-year-old girl from the previous post.

It was a very good night for Yankee fans of all ages.

I just got home from Anaheim after a LONG drive. I'll have lots of game notes, pics and videos tomorrow (Wednesday), but it's too late to post anything coherent now. So I'll just say I had a fabulous time at the Big A watching the Yankees take Game 4 with a 10-1 victory. The Angels fans I sat next to were really nice. And the Yankee fans I met along the way were as excited to be there as I was. You'll see a few of them tomorrow, but I'll leave you with this very special fan. I heard her before I actually saw her. My husband and I were among the last to leave the stadium and we were walking to our car in the parking lot when we heard a tiny voice yell, "Let's go Yankees!" And here she is.

It wasn't as if the Yankees didn't make it interesting. Over the 11 innings that lasted four-and-a-half hours and resulted in the Angels' 5-4 walk-off victory, there were moments that were so excruciatingly tense that I almost couldn't watch. And there were plenty of positives:

Jeter's homer off Weaver in the first.

A-Rod's homer off Weaver in the fourth.

Damon's homer off Weaver in the fifth.

Posada's homer off Jepson in the eighth to tie the score.

Pettitte's ability to get out of jams with the double play ball.

Tex's mastery at first base throughout the game.

Mo's Houdini act in the 10th with bases loaded.

Nice work by Marte, Hughes and Robertson.

There were also some amusing moments. Like when Posada was batting in the second and the home plate ump forgot how many strikes there were.

And there was that base running blunder by Abreu after he smacked a double off Coke in the eighth - a gift.

But then there were the frustrations, the wasted opportunities, the times when I wanted to throw a sharp object at my TV:

The deadly duo of Swisher and Melky at the bottom of the order.

Joba's ineptitude in the seventh.

Gardner caught stealing in the eighth.

Girardi pulling Robertson for Aceves in the 11th after consulting his stupid scouting book.

Sure, the Yankees had chances to score insurance runs and didn't; they were dismal with runners in scoring position. And yes, Kendrick has historically been a tough at bat for the Yanks. But Robertson was pitching lights out. Why not leave him in to face Kendrick and Mathis? Why must every decision be based on match-ups and stats? Why not go with your gut and let the guy who's doing a great job keep doing it? Why, Joe?

OK, I feel better now. Sometimes, it's cleansing to get things off your chest.

The good news is I don't have to eat that "lucky" turkey club sandwich anymore. The even better news is I'll be at Angel Stadium tomorrow for Game 4. I will be embedded in enemy territory, sitting somewhere in this sea of red thunderstix.

Will I witness a dazzling performance by CC? Will the Yankees bounce back from today's defeat and win? Will I run onto the field and try to say hi to Jeter?

Will I maneuver my way into Kate Hudson's suite so A-Rod will wave to me too?

Or will I sneak into the dugout, steal a copy of Girardi's scouting book and set it on fire?

Anything is possible.

It's west coast time for the Yanks. I hope they're adjusting to their surroundings and not experiencing any jet lag. They have to be liking the weather. Here's the forecast for Monday.

 

I enjoyed the day off, but now that Game 3 is upon us I'm nervous all over again. Angel Stadium has been such a house of horrors for the Yankees. Well, it has.

Sure, we're up 2-0 in the series and playing confidently. But will our success continue? It's hard to imagine that the Angels won't pull it together on both offense and defense and run like crazy if they get on base. On the other hand, Andy Pettitte has the best pickoff move in the universe.

And he's coming off an excellent start against the Twins. Maybe, just maybe, he'll show us his old magic against the Angels, our bats will go batty against Weaver, and we'll steal a game at their house?

The Yankees have confirmed that CC will pitch on Tuesday in Game 4 - and I'll be in attendance! I've got my tickets and can't wait to see the pinstripes in person. I'll post pics and video Tuesday night (if the game doesn't go 13 innings). In the meantime, here are tonight's musings.

GO YANKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!

The game lasted five hours and ten minutes. It was played in cold and wind and, at times, a steady downpour. It took 13 innings and featured over 400 pitches, and when it was all said and done, the Yankees beat the Angels 4-3 in walk-off, pie-in-the-face fashion.

Watching this marathon was like reading an epic novel with twists and turns and plenty of memorable characters. I mean, Jerry Hairston, Jr. as the hero? Not what I would have expected. Here's what stood out for me:

Cano's RBI triple in the second.

Jeter's solo homer in the third.

Tex's two defensive plays in the fourth.

AJ's wildness in the fifth.

The fact that Jose Molina actually singled.

Two errors by Cano and one by Jeter.

An error by Figgins and the game-winning miscue by Izturis.

AJ's mostly impressive six-plus innings.

Great relief by Coke, Joba, Hughes, Mo (2-plus innings!) and Marte.

A shaky Aceves.

A brilliant Robertson.

The Yankees' total shutdown of Bobby Abreu and Kendry Morales.

A-Rod's homer off Fuentes to tie the game in the 11th.

All the runners left on base (16 for the Angels; 12 for the Yanks).

Hairston's pinch hit single in the 13th.

Gardner's sacrifice.

Melky reaching on the error to end the game.

Girardi's use of 21 of his 25 players.

And the continuing success of my turkey club sandwich.

Yes, I ate another one during the game, and the Yankees scored their first two runs while I was scarfing it down. I'm looking forward to a break from the rally sandwich on Sunday, my off-day.

Actually, tonight's fans looked more like Nanook of the North, given the raw weather.

They braved the cold to watch CC harpoon the Angels and eat them for dinner.

On Fox's pre-game show, Eric Karros described CC as a pitcher "who isn't dominant but is a horse." Um, Eric? Here's his line from tonight's 4-1 victory over the Angels:

Eight innings.

One run.

Four hits.

Seven K's.

One walk.

If that isn't dominant, I don't know what is. But thanks for the laugh.

CC got some nice defense behind him, too - from a snazzy stop by Cano on Kendrick's grounder in the seventh to this stretch by Tex on Hunter's disputed bunt in the sixth.

 

Tex's split not only reminded me of the move perfected by U.S. Open tennis player Kim Clisters...

...but his little snuggly cap with the ear flaps made me think of Elmer Fudd.

The offense was good enough to take advantage of the Angels' sloppy play; hits by Jeter, Damon and Matsui, along with A-Rod's sac fly and Melky's walks got the job done against Lackey. Speaking of Big John, I did write in my post the other night that he tends to demonstrate his displeasure if his fielders don't perform. He was at it again in this game. He departed in the sixth.

Not that I blame him for being frustrated. His team committed three errors, including one by Big John himself, and there was that hideous play in the first when Matsui's pop up dropped between Figgins and Aybar for an "RBI single." Talk about sloppy.

It's always satisfying when your team is facing the "fundamentally sound" team and yet they're the ones who end up looking like Little Leaguers.

When Girardi handed the ball to Mo in the ninth, I knew we had the game won, despite some funky calls by the ump.

It was only the first contest in this series, but what more could a Yankee fan ask for? We got a great performance by our ace, solid defense, opportunistic offense and a quick save by our closer. Obviously, my lucky turkey club sandwich worked again.

The time for pre-game posturing is over.

The hype about how unbeatable the Angels are means nothing.

Who cares if they stole 100 bases.

Good for Abreu that he found a new home.

How special that John Lackey isn't intimidated by New York.

So what if Kendry Morales is the Second Coming.

I prefer to focus on the Yankees and what a special, soul-stirring, we-can-do-anything season they've had. And so without further ado, I'm posting a video that my Yankees blogger friend Michael Fierman sent me. It got me on my feet cheering, feeling positive about the ALCS and believing that my team will find a way to win. I hope it does the same for other Yankee fans.

See you back here tomorrow. Fingers crossed that the weather clears in time for the game.

I've been thinking a lot about CC Sabathia today.

There's been speculation about whether he'll make three starts for the Yankees in the ALCS - and whether it's a good idea if he does. I guess it'll depend on the weather and how the days off line up. But my opinion? It's a great idea. Here's why.

OK, so I've established that I'm comfortable with CC in the role of Super Pitcher. But now that I really think about it, why shouldn't the Yankees use him at other positions on days when he's not pitching? Seriously.

This is all another way of saying that if Girardi decides to go with CC as the Yankees' main man, I'm behind it 100%.

Yes, he'll be the Angels' Game 1 starter against the Yankees on Friday night. And yes, he's been on the Angels for his entire big league career, although where he ends up after this season is anybody's guess. And yes, he's the guy the Yanks need to crush in order to establish their dominance. But who IS John Lackey and how do we get him to look all frustrated and beaten down like this?

Let's start with the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and look up the word "Lackey."

According to the last definition, John Lackey is a toad.

Oh, I kid. John Derran Lackey is a very good pitcher. He's a big pitcher, too. His 6' 6" frame prompted Angels broadcaster Rex Hudler to give him the nickname "Big John." Do you think the name came to Rex in a lightning bolt in the middle of the night? Talk about creative.

Lackey was born in Abilene, Texas on October 23rd, 1978. That makes him a Scorpio.

According to astrology guru Susan Miller, here's what Lackey can look forward to as the month moves along:

"If you need to lease a new apartment, sell your coffee table, get a more attractive bid from a contractor to do over your kitchen, or do any other property-related plan, you can expect to see progress at long last."

Whew. I don't see anything in there about winning the ALCS, do you? If Lackey wants to sell his coffee table and buy a new one, I say he should go for it. And maybe he should buy a new coffee table book while he's at it.

Some people say Lackey has had trouble keeping his emotions in check on the mound. Like when a player behind him makes an error. Supposedly, he gets all huffy and throws one of these.

And then there was his debut this season on May 16th against Texas. He had just come off the DL and Ian Kinsler was his first batter. He threw two pitches to Kinsler - one sailed behind his head and the other hit him - and was promptly ejected. Way to go!

But again. I kid. He's a great pitcher. There's just one more thing I need to point out about him: his voice. Take a listen and tell me he doesn't sound like Ray Romano with a Texas twang.

See you Friday night in the Bronx, Big John. We're ready for you.

Since the Yankees didn't fly home from Minny until today, I took the opportunity to spend a little quality time with CC's wife Amber. She met me at our usual spot, a cafeteria near Newark Airport, and we chatted about the Yankees, her husband, my husband, and, of course, the upcoming ALCS. She hasn't changed that much since I first spoke to her during the off-season when CC was still deciding whether to sign with the Yankees.

OK, yes she has. She's changed a lot. Moving to New York has turned her into a different person.

But she's still very entertaining company, and she didn't hesitate to share, which is crucial when it comes to girlfriends. Here's an excerpt from our afternoon together. It sounded to me as if CC, like any successful pitcher, has a plan for facing the Angels.

Personally, I'd hate to have somebody drench me with iced cold champagne. I'd rather drink it than wear it.

But whatever makes the Yankees happy makes me happy too, and did they ever look happy after Mo recorded the final out in their 4-1 victory over the Twins.

Despite the sweep, tonight's game was just as nerve-wracking as the others. I mean, did I expect a tense pitcher's duel between Pettitte and Pavano? No. And yet there they were, going toe to toe for six shutout innings.

Mauer's RBI single put the Twins up 1-0, but A-Rod (the Yankees' new Mr. Clutch) tied the score with a solo shot and Jorge pulled the Yanks ahead with one of his own. Suddenly, we were into the pens.

Hughes was on the mound in the eighth when Nick Punto committed a baserunning gaffe and Jeter made another one of his dazzling, intangible, where-did-that-come-from plays. I couldn't believe it when he threw home and Jorge threw to third and they nabbed Punto. It was almost as much fun to watch as Derek's famous flip play, although the one below isn't bad either.

I have to say I was surprised to see how shaky Joe Nathan was in this series. He's one of the best closers in baseball, and yet the Yankees got to him again tonight. But in the end, this game was about Andy Pettitte.

He went six-plus, gave up a measly one run on three hits with seven K's and a walk, and tied John Smoltz for a record 15 postseason wins. And to think the Yankees almost didn't sign him this year. What would we have done without him, especially with Wang going down and Joba under-performing? There would have been a lot of this on the team, that's what.

And A-Rod. Seriously. Six RBIs in the ALDS? He's been the exact opposite of this.

So now it's on to the ALCS and a meet-up with the Angels. Is it possible to look forward to something and dread it at the same time? They're a great team, but I think the Yankees have finally figured out how to beat them. What's more, we've been knocking off teams in red uniforms a lot lately. I say bring it, Halos.

I don't know. Things could get scary in Minny on Sunday, and I'm not even talking about having to watch endless close-ups of Carl Pavano.

I'm not talking about Joe Mauer either, although he does give me hives every time he comes to the plate.

I'm not even talking about that crazy ceiling at the Metrodome and how easy it would be for, say, Johnny Damon to lose a fly ball.

I'm talking about the stadium itself. It has no open windows. It's completely enclosed. It's like a giant airplane with 100% recycled air, and you know what happens on airplanes. That's right: people catch a cold. I think that's why Twins fans wave those Homer Hankies.

They all use the hankies to sneeze into.

The Yankees warmed up at the Dome today and I hope nobody came down with anything contagious. Barring that, I'm looking forward to a great outing by Pettitte, more clutch hitting  by the boys and maybe even a steal or two by Gardner.

I know I'll be ready for Game 3. I'll be wearing the exact same thing I wore for Games 1 and 2.

I'll be ordering the exact same take-out turkey club sandwich and eating it as soon as the Yankees score their first run.

And I'll be sitting in the exact same spot on the middle cushion of the white couch in my living room.

With more than a few hours to kill until the first pitch, I decided to leaf through a book I received in the mail today called "New York Yankees IQ: The Ultimate Test of True Fandom" by Tucker Elliot. Imagine my surprise when I turned to page 73 and discovered that "Confessions of a She-Fan" (the book) figured into one of their Yankees trivia questions! Check it out. It would make a fun gift.

The Dodgers just won the NLDS as I finished typing this post. It's still weird to watch Joe Torre hugging "other" players, but a big congrats to them!

Only they're not these guys.

And they're actually the T&R Boys.

But you get the idea. As in the Mantle and Maris era, Tex and A-Rod are a 3-4 duo that's producing clutch hits in huge situations. That was certainly the case in tonight's 4-3 victory over the Twins in 11 innings. Oh, what a game. It was such an emotional ride that I was sure I'd end up in a hospital bed suffering from sheer exhaustion.

Where to begin? The game was like a thriller with three distinctly different acts.

For the first four-plus innings, the Yankees couldn't get a hit off Nick Blackburn. Nothing. I kept saying to my husband, "They picked one horrible time to have their bats go cold." 

AJ was holding his own, throwing scoreless inning after scoreless inning, although he walked five and battled his tendency to be a wild man.

After the Twins scored a run in the top of the sixth, the Yankees came back with a run in the bottom of the inning when Jeter doubled and A-Rod knocked him in with a single. Suddenly, it was 1-1 - a whole new ball game.

Joba and Coke took care of the Twins in the seventh. But in the eighth, Hughes wasn't as dominant as he's been and Mo didn't pick him up.

With the Twins ahead 3-1, Mo came back out for a relatively easy ninth, thanks to Swisher's great catch of Young's fly ball. In the bottom of the ninth, I was crouched on the floor and muttering to myself, "Somebody do something so we won't lose this thing! Please!"

That's when the T&R Boys came to my rescue. Tex led off with a single and A-Rod hit a bomb to tie the score at 3-3 - another whole new ball game.

When Joe Nathan took the mound for the bottom of the 10th, I figured we were cooked. But Posada (no, he wasn't off sulking in the clubhouse) singled. Gardner pinch ran for him, stole second and went to third on Nathan's throwing error. Did he score the winning run? Nooo. He got doubled up on Damon's liner. I was so frustrated I started yelling at my husband for no good reason.

Marte took the ball in the top of the 11th and gave up singles to the two batters he faced. (Nice one, Damaso.) With only two guys left in the pen (I think), Girardi sent Robertson out to pitch. After allowing a leadoff single to load the bases, he managed to retire Young, Gomez and Harris and end the threat. My heart was pounding.

As Tex stepped in to lead off the bottom of the 11th, I said on Twitter, "Please, Tex, put me out of my misery." What happened? This.

And then this.

The Yankees won in walk-off style yet again, and I made up with my husband.

Not according to Tom Hanks' character in the movie "A League of Their Own." But I've done my share of crying over the Yankees and I bet I'm not the only fan who's cried over her team. I'm certainly not the only crybaby in baseball.

As we move deeper into the postseason, there's bound to be plenty of crying if our favorite team doesn't win. So just in time... I'm giving away the perfect T-shirt for the occasion!

Actually, it's a company called Vintage Blue that's giving away the tee - to one lucky winner on this blog. Vintage Blue owns the exclusive license to the All American Girls Professional Baseball League that was featured in "A League of Their Own," and they sell adorable organic tees with graphics from the 40s and 50s. One of their most popular items is the famous "There's No Crying in Baseball" tee.

Here's the link to their site, as seen over to the right under "Cool Stuff." And here's specific info about the "There's No Crying" tee. If you're a she-fan who'd like to win a free tee - or you're a he-fan who'd like a tee for the she-fan in your life - now's your chance. All you have to do is be the 27th commenter on this post. (Yes, it's in honor of the 27th World Series I'm praying the Yankees will win this year.) If you're the 27th commenter, I'll be in touch to ask for the size you'd like and the address where you'd like the tee mailed. It's as simple as that. Just make sure you're #27 and the shirt is yours!

For anyone who'd like to buy the tee, Vintage Blue is offering a special deal just for readers of this blog. From October 9th-16th, they'll take $10 off the price. (Be sure to use the promo code yankees10.)

And now on to baseball.....

Tomorrow it's AJ on the mound for the Yanks. I want him to keep his head in the game and not have a hissy if he gives up a run or gets a bad call. He has filthy, dirty stuff and he just needs to throw it!

I'd also like to see Tex get on the postseason train....Gardner steal a base if he comes in to pinch run....A-Rod continue to knock 'em in....Swisher keep up the good work in right....Damon smack one into Damon's Deck...Jeter lead off with another hit.... Oh, and if humanly possible, I want Molina to put his bat on the ball and swing. Here's proof that he has the capability.

SO, YANKEES? PLEASE TAKE GAME 2 AND MAKE ME EXTREMELY HAPPY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LOVE, SHE-FAN.

Yes, the Twins were tired. Let me get that out of the way right now. But here's the story of tonight's game: the Yankees just wouldn't follow the script that their detractors have been peddling for months.

He gave up two runs (one earned) over six-plus innings, struck out eight and issued zero walks for the victory. Just a miserable outing, wasn't it?

He got the Yankees' first hit of the game, drove in their first runs with a homer to tie the score at 2-2 in the third, and was on base four times. Oh, he's old all right.

He doubled in the fourth to put the Yankees up 3-2. Big, big hit. The opposite of useless.

He knocked in two runs with RBI singles in the fifth and seventh - both with two outs. He also made a couple of sparking plays at third. I guess the only ones choking are those who didn't watch him hit in the clutch this year.

He smacked a two-run homer in the fifth to give the Yanks a comfy 6-2 lead. Maybe there's life in those knees after all.

Even I was thinking it might be true. But he trotted to the mound in the eighth, following terrific relief performances by Hughes and Coke, and retired Young on two pitches. The crowd roared. He's just fine.

He didn't set the Twins down in order in the ninth, but he got Harris and Tolbert to strike out. That's not exactly falling apart, is it?

The Yankees did have two, but how come the Twins didn't hit any - especially with the swirling wind conditions?

No, you can't. And one ALDS win is hardly proof of anything. But I'm extremely grateful that I root for a team that can afford the likes of CC Sabathia. I'd rather have him over this...

...or this...

...or this.

OK, forget the last item. I bought it this morning, because my old one died, and had it installed just in time to watch the game. It's mounted on the wall in my living room, and it's now my "lucky TV." I really hope it does its thing again on Friday so I don't have to return it.

Yes, the Twins won the AL Central. Congrats to them. But now I must do my Yankee She-Fan best to assure their quick and painless exit from the playoffs and send them to an early duck hunting season.

How will I accomplish this? By reminding the Bombers that:

* They had the best record in baseball.

* They swept the Twins during the regular season.

* They beat the Twins in recent postseasons.

* They're the New York Yankees.

As we all know, however, it takes more than simply stating the facts to propel a team to victory. So just in case the Yanks have had too much time to rest on their laurels, I thought it would be appropriate to give them the same motivational speech used by hockey coach Herb Brooks in his now-famous pep talk.

Here's A-Rod's potential father-in-law in the movie version.

Here's Rizzo, the kid, in the now-even-more-famous YouTube version.

 

And here's the She-Fan version. It differs only slightly from the two above, plus I'm not wearing the tan blazer.

And if none of those work, the Yankees should watch this and be reminded that the magic did, indeed, follow them across the street.

Back at you, Captain. And GO YANKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!

Well, I won't be playing, obviously, but you know what I mean. I've been thinking about the Twins-versus-Tigers question and it's a really tough call.

First, I start thinking I'd rather play the Twins because the Yankees have such a winning record against them. But then I start thinking maybe they're due to beat us. And then I start picturing us having to show up at the Metrodome with the noise and the white dish towels and the hideous green shag carpeting.

Verdict? I'd rather play the Tigers. They've been slumping and it's doubtful Verlander would be available to pitch Game 1. Their roster doesn't include Joe Mauer or Joe Nathan, which is a plus. And they play in Comerica Park, which is a nice normal stadium. Oh, and Miguel Cabrera might not have his head in the series.

On the other hand, the Tigers eliminated us in '06. They do have Verlander, as well as Jackson and Porcello. They also have Curtis Granderson, Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Guillen, Aubrey Huff and Placido Domingo.

And to manage the team, they have that crafty, craggy, curmudgeonly Jim Leyland.

Maybe I'd rather play the Twins after all. Their nickname makes them sound so benign and sweet and easy to digest, doesn't it?

I don't even think the Tigers have a cute little nickname. It's not the Baby Tigers. And it certainly isn't this.

So maybe I do want to play the Twinkies. Except that there might be a lot of confusion in the broadcast booth, since we have a Gardy....

...and they have a Gardy.

Also, the Twins have Cuddyer, Span and that Yankees killer Orlando Cabrera. Scary. And they have the powerful Jason Kugel too.

But facing Carl Pavano would be a treat. Yes, he's pitched well for the Twins but how cool would it be to have him back at Yankee Stadium with all the fans to greet him?

So I guess my choice is the Twins. But they've been on such a roll lately.

No, it's the Tigers. But they could get a huge confidence boost if they win Tuesday's playoff.

Twins. Tigers. Twins. Tigers.

OK, I don't care! Either team is fine! This whole exercise is exhausting!

The Yankees' regular season came to a close with a 10-2 drubbing of the Rays. Call me a romantic sap, but I do love happy endings. And here's why it was a happy ending today for the Bombers.

The season concluded with such a happy ending vibe that I won't even mention how Joe Maddon walked Mark Teixeira in the sixth, loading the bases. Did Joe do it to keep Carlos Pena tied with Tex for the most home runs in the AL? Oh, wait. I wasn't going to mention it.

The intentional walk brought A-Rod to the plate for the second time in the sixth. He'd already hit one home run in the inning. Would he hit another? A granny? Absolutely.

Talk about a happy ending. A-Rod missed the month of April, rehabbing from hip surgery, and then came back to the team on May 8th and lined a homer off the Orioles' Jeremy Guthrie.

Not only did he break an AL record with his seven RBIs in that sixth inning, but he broke a major league record by tallying 30 homers and 100 RBIs in 13 seasons. And yes, he also tied Mark McGuire with HR # 583. Happy ending.

(OK, who knows about the last pic. Those two could be broken up by the time I finish posting. The main thing is that the Yankees finished at 103-57 for the best record in baseball.)

Now the Yanks fly home to await the winner of Tuesday's deciding game between the Tigers and Twins. Which team will be their opponent? Who will be the leading characters in the ALDS? How will the plot twists go? What will the cliffhangers be?

A wise person (can't remember who) once said, "Baseball is a soap opera with box scores." My sentiment exactly.

P.S. To celebrate the Yankees' great season, Kevin at Zell's Pinstripe Blog has gone through the vault and rounded up every SI cover to feature a Yankee or Yankees related theme on it. Here's the link. If you're a Yankee fan, it's definitely worth a look.

I have nothing. The game was a bore. The players got their work in. That's about it.

*Pettitte threw 95 pitches without melting.

* Hairston survived getting hit by a pitch - twice.

* Aceves made a throwing error but pitched well, as did Gaudin. Damon broke his hitting slump. Gardner and Guzman showed off their speed. Blah blah blah. My husband nodded off.

The excitement was in the AL Central, and I kept switching back and forth to check on those games. Will the Yanks play the Twins or Tigers? Tigers or Twins? It was enough to make my head spin.

The Yankees' goal this weekend has been to give the players their at bats and make sure they don't get hurt. But what about the fans? Isn't it our job to stay healthy for the playoffs too? Well, I screwed up in that department. I was making dinner and opening a bottle of wine when I cut my hand. Now what? Do I keep the injury to myself and try to play hurt? Do I tell Girardi and get treatment over the next few days? Will I be left off the playoff roster?

Since Gene Monahan was in Tampa tending to the Yankees, I turned to my husband for help. He bandaged me up and told me to try holding a ball and going on Twitter at the same time.

(Yes, that's Mickey Mantle's signature on the ball. Or so I was told when I bought it.)

I was in pain, but I'm hoping I'll be OK for next week. I have to be. There's too much at stake to miss even a single pitch.

Off topic, for those who enjoy good movies, I heartily recommend a film I saw earlier in the day as part of the screening group I belong to. It's called "An Education," and it's getting lots of Oscar buzz already. Scheduled for release later this month, it's a coming of age story about a young woman in '60s Britain who falls for a much older man. It was written by Nick Hornby ("High Fidelity," "About a Boy") and has a cast of terrific actors, including newcomer Carey Mulligan, who's amazing in the starring role. Here's the trailer.

I'm watching Dodgers-Rockies right now. It's 0-0 in the sixth. Contreras is pitching for the Rockies and Manny is up. Uh-oh. He just struck out looking.

Update: Dodgers win! 

If I had a dollar for every time somebody on Twitter (or my husband) said, "Tonight's game is meaningless," I'd be a rich woman.

No matter what happened during the bloated, slow-as-molasses marathon, I was reminded over and over that the game didn't count, that the series in Tampa wasn't important, that the Yankees were just marking time, getting everybody some work and settling on their final roster moves.

We lost 13-4 to the Rays? No problem. It was meaningless!

CC couldn't go three innings, let alone win his 20th game of the season? Who cares?

Tex was hit by a David Price pitch that sailed near his head? So what?

The Yankees only managed two hits off Price? Yawn!

Not one of the six Yankees pitchers could shut down the Rays except Bruney? Not even Hughes? HAHAHA!

OK, you get the point. I'd like to be one of those people who shrugs off losses, but I've never managed it; I'd prefer that the Yankees win every game. Since that's not possible, I kept my goals for tonight very realistic.

* I wanted #20 for CC.

* I wanted the offense to kick it up a notch.

* I wanted the pen to stay dominant.

* I wanted the regulars to avoid any conceivable injury.

My goals were not met. Well, Tex is fine; he said the ball only grazed his hand and that he was more shaken up than injured. That's a relief, obviously. But after he got hit, I wished I could put the Yankees in a protective bubble until next week.

I also wished I could cheer CC up. He hadn't lost a game since July and was due for a stinker. I'm sure he'll be great when he takes the hill at Yankee Stadium for Game 1, but he did make my stomach hurt tonight.

I wished he and the other pitchers could refrain from doing their best imitation of a batting practice machine.

There were a few reasons to smile. BJ Upton hit for the cycle - the first player in Rays history to accomplish the feat. Congrats to him. And Juan Miranda hit the longest damn homer I've seen in a while - the first of his major league career. Otherwise, the game was meaningless. Yeah, sure it was.

P.S. Since Pete Abe's departure from the LoHud blog, the Daily News' Blogging the Bombers blog by the always dependable Mark Feinsand has stepped up its Yankees coverage. Mark not only knows the questions to ask but asks them. Check him out. 

I was just reading Mark Newman's article on MLB.com about the upcoming ALDS and the announcers who'll be covering it. I found myself saying out loud, "Why do these games have to be on TBS?"

Never mind that I dread having to sit through promos for comedy shows I wouldn't watch in a million years. What bothers me is that the playoffs are baseball's premier sporting events and TBS hasn't exactly established itself as a premier sports network. Their cameras are rarely in the right place at the right time and their announcers always sound as if they've parachuted in from another galaxy. Having them cover a game is like letting the Food Network do it.

Handling the play-by-play for the Yankees' series will be Chip Caray.

He seems like a nice enough guy, and he certainly comes from an impressive lineage of broadcasters. But when Derek Jeter steps to the plate, do I really want to hear the story of the scouts who spotted him as a skinny kid and said, "He's gonna be a star someday?" Or how Mark Teixeira signed with the Yanks because he idolized Mattingly as a boy? How Mo is a future HOF-er despite only throwing one pitch during his entire career? Oh, and how the Yankees have the highest payroll in the history of life? Don't Yankee fans already know all of that?

Their color analyst will be Ron Darling, the voice of the Mets on SNY.

He's a smart guy, having gone to Yale, and knows his baseball, having been an elite pitcher. He also knows New York, so we won't be subjected to: "Golly, this is a big city." I can live with him, as opposed to Buck Martinez.

If there's a more irritating voice on television or radio, I haven't heard it.

(Warning: Do not listen to the entire video or your ears will explode.)

Buck sounds like he's wearing one of these, doesn't he?

I realize that no broadcaster alive has the magic of Vin Scully. I also understand that TBS is reaching out to a national audience. Would I have preferred that the MLB Network take over the games and put Bob Costas behind the mic? Sure. But since it'll be TBS or nothing, I'm hoping that they'll do their homework this year, give us truly in-depth coverage that tells us stuff we didn't know before, and avoid the following:

1) "Very Funny" promos that aren't.

2) A zillion close-ups of Dr. and Mrs. Jeter, any Steinbrenner and Kate Hudson.

3) A discussion of whether or not Joe Girardi will be fired if the Yankees don't win the World Series.

4) The Joba Rules.

5) The sentence: "Sabathia is a horse."

I can't ask for more than that.

According to Sam Borden on the LoHud Yankees blog, Joba told the media after tonight's 4-3 loss to the Royals that he'd fold towels if the Yankees asked him to. In other words, he gets that he didn't exactly impress anybody by throwing 91 pitches in three-plus innings and giving up three runs and four walks.

So will the Yankees put Joba Chamberlain on the postseason roster? In the pen, perhaps? Or will he spend the ALDS in the clubhouse doing this?

We'll find out soon enough. I'm still digesting the fact that tonight was the last home game of the 2009 regular season. How fast it all went, right? It would have been nice to close things out with a "W" before the team heads to Tampa for the finale against the Rays this weekend, but the offense was in sleep mode for the most part. Jeter homered to lead off the bottom of the first, but the bats were quiet until the fifth when Swisher hit a two-run bomb to tie the score at 3-3.

If only he were a better outfielder. In the seventh, he bungled Buck's fly ball and it went for a triple, handing the Royals the decisive go-ahead run - and the game. Graceful he's not.

I thought the Yanks might mount another miraculous comeback in the ninth when Cervelli singled and Guzman reached on an error. (Where was Farnsy when we needed him?) Instead, Soria shut the Baby Bombers down, and that was that.

Afterwards, I tried to talk to my husband about the game - and about possible roster scenarios for the ALDS. But he was studying for a course he's taking and said, "Go on Twitter and talk to @YankeeMeginPHL, the one with the rally bra, or @irb123, the one who comments on your blog sometimes, or @Legendary23, the one who does the Yankee Twitter Roll Call. Maybe they're not busy."

"It's the middle of the night on the east coast," I said. "My Yankee Twitter friends are asleep."

I shrugged and went into my office, where I found someone I could talk to. No, she couldn't talk back, but it's not as if she didn't want to.