yankees228

It has nothing to do with what team I root for. Obviously you're going to say that I feel this way because I am a Yankee fan. You're going to call that my defense. That's fine, but I can honestly tell you that my fandom has nothing to do with how I feel about these things. You can choose to believe me, or not to believe me, that's your choice. I'm not going to continue to try to convince of it, because, as I'm sure you would agree, it's pointless.

But it obviously isn't an outrageous figure in the minds of the Steinbrenners'. They have the money. They want to win. They spend the money. The Yankees' payroll is enormous. I know I already said it, but I'm just a fan who doesn't care about those things. Just like I don't care about who took steroids. Just like I don't care about whether or not these guys sign autographs. Just like I don't care how much money these guys make. Just like I don't care what these guys do in the offseason. I'm a baseball fan. I care about the game on the field. For the most part, the other stuff is irrelevant to me. EDIT: First sentence in response to Emmz's post.

You're debating the Yankees' payroll on a Red Sox forum. There is absolutely no chance of this going anywhere.

The Yankees spend significantly more money than any other team. However, they have a huge advantage over any other team because they choose to have a huge advantage over any other team. It's not like they're given this advantage. Regardless, I know how much they spend, but I simply don't care. I heard a lot of Yankee fans saying that they didn't want Roy Halladay at the trade deadline because it would be "overkill". This just isn't how I think. I want Matt Holliday this offseason. I want John Lackey. I want Fernando Rodney. Their payroll is huge. I'm not going to sit here and try to defend. I just don't care.

Also, for the most part, Girardi managed this game well. You cannot manage this game to go 15 innings. You have to give your team the best chance to win at the current time, while maybe thinking a couple innings ahead. The way I saw it, Girardi made one mistake. There was no reason to take Joba out after only a third of an inning. He should have pitched into the 8th instead of Hughes, and they could have saved Hughes for after Rivera. Otherwise, the way he managed was excellent. He use of Rivera this postseason has been fantastic. Girardi has taken full advantage of one of his best weapons this postseason. He used Coke appropriately, turning around Figgins to his much weaker side and going lefty vs. lefty against Abreu. After that he needed to bring in Joba to face the RHHs in the middle of the order. He brought Aceves out at the appropriate time, because he was shaky in the 11th inning when he gave up the run and he got extremely lucky going Vlad. You cannot let him face Morales batting left handed in that situation. Considering the way Morales hits right handed, along with how Aceves was throwing the ball, you have to protect against the home run in that situation. After that Marte was useful simply to turn Morales around, but you cannot keep leaving him in to face RHHs. Then he went to Robertson. Girardi cannot manage for this game to go 14 or 15 innings. You cannot expect a manager in the postseason to do that. However, even if it did, it would have been the Yankees' fifth starter against the Angels' fifth starter. For the 14th inning, those are not awful odds. I've been one of Girardi's biggest critics this year, but he has done an excellent job in the postseason.

I would be absolutely shocked if it was not Molina. I didn't say this last night, but in a postseason clouded by bad umpiring, I thought Tim McClelland did a fantastic job last night Anyway, I think tonight will probably be very high scoring. Saunders is a feel pitcher, and he pitches to contact. That should be a problem in the cold. If the Yankees' offense is ever going to get going (unless they are effected by the cold) tonight should be the night. I also don't think Burnett will do very well. There is a good chance he'll have trouble with his curveball tonight, and if Burnett doesn't have both pitches working, it usually leads to a poor outing. I think this game might be the first one that the Yankees' will have to rely on Alfredo Aceves. I also think they play tonight. It's still supposed to rain, but not as hard, and it keeps getting pushed back. I'm not as confident as I was last night, but I think they get it in.

Teixeira really has looked pretty crummy at the plate so far this postseason, but the nearly automatic 3-0 strike call lives on.

Unless he starts to get hit, I think CC either finishes 8 innings, or comes out after he faces Abreu (who is seven batters away). At that point, if they still have the lead, I go straight to Rivera.

Absolutely unacceptable by A-Rod. He has been great this postseason, but you have got to listen to the third base coach. It's 3-1, but they really let Lackey off the hook. On the flip side, that was a great piece of hitting by Matsui.

Next inning might prove to be CC's most important. Third, and likely final, pass through the heart of the Angels order.

Couple good ABs that inning, but then Lackey throws his best sequence of the game to Jeter.

To me, this is a complete 180 from his first start this postseason. In that start he had excellent command of his off speed stuff (especially his slider), while he had no idea where he fastball was going. Tonight he has an excellent fastball, but his off speed stuff has been sub par. As for the Guerrero double, to me, it looked like Damon gave up on the that ball. Obviously it's impossible to know for sure, but, to me, it looked like he had a play on it. I also wouldn't put it past Damon to make such an awful read on a fly ball. Two balls already hit to the outfield that might have been caught, but weren't.

Yeah, another slow start from the offense.

They don't, which I alluded to. I was merely pointing out that while Lackey was unlucky, in a way, he was also lucky.

Swisher and Cano both had really good pitches to hit. Lackey looks rather unimpressive thus far, but the Yankees' bats continue to be dormant.

I would love to see the change up more the second time through the order. By my count he only has thrown two of them, both resulting in swings and misses.