Inside Pitch

Here it is, unveiled today at Coca-Cola Field. The Bisons are going with this look for the 2013 season, their first with the Toronto Blue Jays. It's a throwback to their logo from 1988-1997, the red-white-blue with a swinging Buster. The red, however, is a little darker and the blue a shade lighter than that arrangment. Uniforms and caps will be revealed in mid-January.

As part of a wild press conference at the ballpark, the Herd re-introduced manager Marty Brown -- their skipper from 2003-2005 -- as their 2013 manager, and the Blue Jays also announced that infielder Jim Negrych has signed a minor-league with an invitation to major league spring training. Negrych, who played for Syracuse last year in the Washington chain, appeared in the Triple-A All-Star Game here last summer.

On top of those items, Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos and new manager John Gibbons made a surprise appearance in town less than four hours after wrapping up their introductory press conference in the Rogers Centre.  Anthopoulos' big trade with the Miami Marlins was made official Monday and his free-agent signing of Melky Cabrera was announced as final Tuesday.

Some quick comments from the principals:

Brown: "I've missed Buffalo very much. ... [Going to the Blue Jays] was a lot like the Cleveland organization when I got in with them. A lot of really good talented young players due to the scouting staff and some of the trades the organization did. We're all going to benefit here in Buffalo."

Anthopoulos on the stunning choice of Gibbons: "Players would run through a wall for him. They loved playing for him. The only thing that made me pause was what would the perception be, what are the optics going to be? How would it look? Is it a bit of a downer because he's already been here? But the decisions I've regretted are where I didn't go with my instincts and was more concerned with optics. I haven't done it very often, very few times. This is one that I find the best decisions I've made I did what I felt was right."

Gibbons: "I never expected this to happen. This is so far-fetched. The reality of it. I had to pinch myself to be honest with you. So I'm going to run with it and see what happens. How many times do you get a second chance, especially in a place you've been working with some good people that I know?"

Negrych: "It's always nice to know that you're wanted. They said they were interested, we told them what we wanted and it was important to me to find out it wasn't just to be in Buffalo. It was for my baseball ability, not for my hometown. They said if they were still in Las Vegas, they would be calling me. They had good reports from their scouts, positive things to say. When I heard all that news, their offer was more than fair for me."

--Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington

After a summer of talk that was basically all Yankees and Red Sox all the time, after a September marked by the dominance of the Tigers, the rise of the Rays and the colossal fall of the Sox, we are left with this:

The Texas Rangers are the best team in the American League. Again.

No AL club has gone to the World Series in back-to-back years since the Yankees went to four straight from 1998-2001. No AL West team, in either the two- or three-division setup, has been a repeat pennant winner since the A's took three straight from 1988-1990.

That all changed Saturday night as the Rangers pounded the Detroit Tigers, 15-5, to win the ALCS in six games. Texas will open the World Series Wednesday night in either Milwaukee or St. Louis. Pretty awesome accomplishment.

I'll admit I slept on the Rangers as a team that could get back to the Fall Classic. I picked them to lose against both the Rays and the Tigers. Yikes. Still, it is hard to gauge a team that played 38 games against the Mariners and A's and has the Astros as a chief interleague rival. They were clearly the best in the AL West but how far could they go after that?

But the Rangers are so balanced offensively with speed, for-average hitters and power numbers, and have such a deep bullpen that they've been by far the best team in the playoffs in either league. They're the favorite no matter who the NL produces.

No one gives manager Ron Washington much credit either but he's been terrific. You have to love, for instance, what he did with Alexei Ogando. A reliever with a 1.30 ERA last year, Ogando started 29 games this year and went 13-8, 3.51 with 126 strikeouts in 169 innings. With fewer starters needed in the postseason, he's back in the pen. He made three scoreless appearances in the division series against the Rays, and pitched to a 1.17 ERA with two wins against the Tigers.

In a bizarre regular season, the Rangers survived the discord about whether to bring back the beloved Michael Young, some of the worst heat in Dallas' history and even the trauma of seeing the fatal fall from the bleachers of one of their fans. They won their division, took out the Rays and got a postseason all-time record six home runs in a series from Nelson Cruz (above). Now they're four wins away from their first title.

The Mavericks. TCU in the Rose Bowl. And now the Rangers. Pretty good run for Big D.

Cheap plug alert: I'll be somewhere (either Milwaukee or St. Louis) for Media Day on Tuesday. Follow all our World Series coverage in print and online. Game One is Wednesday night.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

AP Photo: The celebration is on for ALCS MVP Nelson Cruz in the Rangers' clubhouse.

Tigers-Rangers and Cardinals-Brewers. Did you have that LCS combo in March? Heck, did you have it two weeks ago? This has become one bizarro October.

The Red Sox and Braves, who looked solid all summer, went bellyup before we even got out of September. The Cinderella Rays were gonzo. Then the Yankees went down -- and you'll note I picked that one. But the biggest shocker of all was the Phillies losing to St. Louis.

They were the best team in baseball all year but their offense failed them. That eight-game losing streak after they clinched the NL East was, in fact, a bad omen. And Cliff Lee blowing a 4-0 lead in Game Two when they were in complete control of the NLDS was another major issue.

Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer correctly says this is the lowest point for the Phillies since they won the World Series in 2008. And it appears Ryan Howard may have a torn Achilles tendon after making the last out.

So while the Phillies and Yankees try to figure out what's next (Cheap plug: Read more on the Yankees in Sunday's Inside Baseball column),  the final four play on. The ALCS opens tonight in Texas with the NLCS opening Sunday in Milwaukee. Here's my thoughts:

Tigers vs. Rangers -- Big loss for the Tigers came out today with Delmon Young being taken off the roster with a strained oblique. He's been huge since he was acquired at the trade deadline. Still, I like the roll this team is on.  I like Justin Verlander in Game One and potentially going three times.  Doug Fister and Max Scherzer provide great help in the rotation and the bullpen has been solid led by Jose Valverde. The Rangers looked terrific against the Rays, like they completely expect to go back to the World Series. Think the Red Sox still wish they had Adrian Beltre? FOX may wish this was Yankees-Red Sox but they will still get a great series. Tigers in seven.

Cardinals vs. Brewers -- All the momentum in the world has me wanting to pick the Cardinals but I have questions about their rotation after Chris Carpenter. The Brewers, meanwhile, are just about unbeatable at Miller Park. Great offense,  great bullpen,  solid rotation. Plus they know this is their one chance with Prince Fielder having one foot out of the door en route to free agency. Prince and old man Cecil have long been estranged so it will be interesting to see how he deals with all the questions about his father if he meets the Tigers, Cecil's old team, in a World Series. The Cardinals have been a great story but the road ends here. Brewers in five.

Now you make your picks.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

It's all over for the Yankees, who were lucky they weren't swept in the ALCS by the Rangers and were finally put away with Friday night's 6-1 Texas victory in Game Six.  New York Daily News columnist Mike Lupica said it actually felt like a six-game sweep. 

Cheap plug alert: Be sure to look for Sunday's Inside Baseball column for my thoughts on Joe Girardi. And be sure to keep tuned in to the blog starting Tuesday with my reports from the World Series.  Of course, I have no idea where I will be because the NLCS is still not decided. Game Six is tonight in Philly with Roy Oswalt looking to get the Phillies even with the Giants. And if he does that, I'm thinking Philly completes the comeback.

On the managerial front, the Blue Jays are apparently close to naming Red Sox pitching coach and former Bisons pitcher John Farrell as their new manager. Great choice to work with all their young hurlers. From my dealings with Farrell as the Indians' farm director from 2001-2006, he has a keen eye for talent and how to connect with players. I always thought he had GM stock but he wanted to get back on the field and joined Terry Francona's staff in 2007, promptly winning a World Series.

Might be a chance for old friend Torey Lovullo to get a big-league job as well. You would think Farrell would consider him for the Toronto staff from their days with Cleveland.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

Go all the way back to our season preview section in March and you know how I'm going to pick both versions of the League Championship Series. I picked the World Series as a "reverse of 2009" and I'm staying with that. That means I got the Yankees over the Rangers (I'm going to say six games) and the Phillies over the Giants (I'll say in five). Here's how I see it shaping up:

ALCS: Yes, the Yankees have lots of question marks on the mound, headlined by Game Four starter A.J. Burnett and the middle relief. But CC Sabathia is an ace, Game Two starter Phil Hughes has been unbeatable in Arlington and Andy Pettitte is simply the winningest pitcher in postseason history. The offense continues to be strong and I think they'll really benefit from their quick division series win. Whereas a lot of rest isn't normally a good thing, this Yankees team has been pretty beat up all season. Guys like Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner really needed some down time and should be in better shape now.

The Rangers, of course, are riding their hopes on Cliff Lee but the Yankees will only have to worry about him in Game Three. Unless it goes to Seven. That's the issue. The Yankees cannot let this one get to Game Seven, where Lee would be waiting again. It was a huge boost for the Yankees' hopes that the Rangers blew their two home games against Tampa Bay and had to go back to the Trop for Game Five. You have to love C.J. Wilson's transformation from bullpen to starter and the Rangers have feel-good stories like manager Ron Washington and veteran Michael Young but they're no match at the plate. Nor are they a match for Mariano Rivera in October.

NLCS: The only team in the NL that can approach the Phillies' big three of Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels is the Giants. Will any pitching matchup in recent time have more hype than the Game One showdown of Halladay and Tim Lincecum? Must-see TV. The Phillies are on a mission to become the first NL team since the 1940s to get to the World Series three straight times. I just don't see any way they're stopped now. They've won 30 of their last 38 games and seem to be far and away the best team remaining in the postseason. I'm thinking the World Series doesn't go past five games no matter which AL team they would play.

Pretty amazing Philly lineup now that it's healthy. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard were all out for spells and that really accounted for the Braves' division lead that stretched into August. I can't really get excited about a Giants lineup featuring the likes of a journeyman like Aubrey Huff. Great closer matchup between Brad Lidge, who looks like vintage 2008 again, and Brian Wilson. I'm not expecting a lot of blown leads late.

So those are my picks. Be sure to make yours in our polls below.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

 

Jerry Manuel's job status is suddenly quiet, the pitching is terrific and all is well in Mets land. That's what can happen when you go 5-1 against the Yankees and Phillies. The Mets' 3-0 win last night at Citi Field gave them their first shutout sweep of a three-game series since they blanked-blanked-blanked the Phils way back in 1969!

It was a big day in the New York Post, which blared the headline "Blanks for Coming" at the Phils to go with its game story.

Mike Vaccaro on the Amazins in the Post: "They are a baseball team again, not a traveling circus."

Crazy facts from the Post's Joel Sherman: Rod Barajas leads major league catchers with 10 homers.  R.A. Dickey and Hisonari Takahashi won more games this week against Philly (2) than John Maine and Oliver Perez won overall (1) in 16 starts. At least the Mets fixed the Maine-Perez mistake before Memorial Day. Memo to the Mets: Stop trying to convince Ollie to come to Buffalo!

In the Philly Inquirer, Chase Utley broke out the character building time cliche. Hope so. That's four shutouts in five games. Guess they're not stealing signs anymore. At least not on the road. If they return home and start pounding the ball again, suspicions are really going to be raised.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

Be sure to check out my conversation with former Bisons and Indians manager Eric Wedge in Sunday's Inside Baseball column. Wedge talks about his time in Cleveland, his move to a new home in East Aurora, how he's refocusing his energy on finding a job for 2011 and on a charity golf tournament he's running with his wife June 5 in Akron in honor of his late mother in law. The web site for that event, the Carol K Golf Classic, is here.  

One thing that didn't make the column was some extra Wedge thoughts on the 2007 ALCS, the series the Tribe had a 3-1 lead but lost the last three games against the Red Sox. It was the first time television inserted a day off without travel and it came between Games Four and Five, after Cleveland's 7-3 win gave it a stranglehold on the series.

But the Tribe seemed to lose its momentum and the Red Sox seemed to regroup. I've always felt Cleveland wins that series if Game Five is planned the next day.

"We had young players, guys who were inexperienced in that situation and it might have played into it," Wedge said when I told him my theory. "You're rolling but now you had time to think about it, time to watch TV, read the paper, talk to family. You try to get into a zone and stay there and maybe teams that had been there before can do a better job. You can't say that was a determining factor because we had chances the whole series."

True. CC Sabathia and Fausto Carmona combined to go 0-3. Joel Skinner's fateful stop sign of Kenny Lofton in Game Seven didn't help either. The Red Sox outscored Cleveland, 30-5, in the final three games.

It's the closest any team with that many Buffalo connections will ever get to the World Series. Think of all the players on the team. Then there was Wedge, pitching coach Carl Willis, former Buffalo managers Skinner and Jeff Datz. Even trainer Rick Jameyson and broadcaster Jim Rosenhaus, in his first year in the bigs. It was a great run to cover, from a Division Series-clinching party in the clubhouse at old Yankee Stadium to some thrilling ALCS games in Cleveland and Fenway. Too bad it ended a game short of the Series.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

I'm thinking everyone associated with baseball except for Mets fans is fine with this World Series. The Yankees took their place opposite the Phillies in the Fall Classic wiith Sunday's 5-2 win over the Angels that wrapped the ALCS in six games. Some quick thoughts:

---There is no one in baseball now or probably ever like Mariano Rivera. When he came on to start the eighth with a 3-1 lead, this one was over. Yes, Rivera gave up a run (his first in the postseason in the Bronx since Game Two of the 2000 World Series), but the Yankees' two-run eighth made that one moot.

---It's been six years for the Yankees to make the Series and you could see the joy on the faces of Rivera, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter. And there was unbridled jubilation from Alex Rodriguez as well. It's been six long seasons for him to finally get this far in pinstripes.

---The Yankees got the job done in Game Six, preserving ALCS MVP CC Sabathia for the Series opener against Philly's Cliff Lee. Mets fans who hate the Yankees and Phils are cringing over this series. But Indians fans are probably feeling even worse. at least for the Game One matchup after they traded back-to-back Cy Young winners and spent Sunday hearing their team had named ex-Nationals manager Manny Acta -- a fired Nationals manager -- as their new skipper. Ugh.

---What's up with the Twins and Angels? All those fundamentals fell apart against the Yankees. The Angels' woeful fielding reminded me of the '06 Tigers' troubles in the World Series. Hideous.

---Yankees/Phillies. Gotta believe this one will get the highest TV ratings in many years. Especially if we can get to Game Six for the first time since 2003.

I'll talk to you again on Workout Day Tuesday from the Bronx. This one should be good.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

The Yankees and Angels try again tonight at 8:20 in Game Six of the ALCS after Saturday's monsoon in the Bronx forced them to wait yet another day (doesn't it seem like this series started three weeks ago?). There are two ways to look at this: One is that the Angels have lost their momentum from Thursday's thrilling victory and the return home will help the Yankees regain their balance. The other is the Angels get a huge boost from the rainout if they win tonight because they can come back with Game Six starter John Lackey on short rest.

And, you would think, Mike Scioscia would not make the same mistake twice and would agree when Lackey says, "This one's mine, Scios."

The big winner actually is the Phillies. They want this thing to go to seven games because the winner would have just one off day before starting the World Series. And it would mean both Lackey and CC Sabathia would be unavailable until Game Three Saturday in Philly and the Yankees would have to go to a fourth starter (likely Chad Gaudin) for the first time in the postseason.

It's absolutely crucial for the Yankees to wrap this up tonight in Game Six. They need a big game from Andy Pettitte. They get it done and everything goes as normal, where Sabathia can probably go in Games 1, 4 and 7 of the World Series. They don't and they're at a huge disadvantage against the Phillies. Should be interesting.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

So the ALCS goes back to the cold and rain of New York -- where there's a 90 percent chance of showers and the Yankees are suddenly and nervously trying to ward off the ghosts of 2004 after Thursday's did-you-see-that 7-6 loss.

New York Daily News columnist John Harper says you can blame it on A.J.

Joel Sherman of the Post says you can blame it on Joe Girardi. Here-here. The Yankees were coming off and off day and had another one scheduled today. Once they took the lead, I would have gotten Burnett out of there and tried to get the last nine outs with some combination of Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera. Yes, Hughes got hit. But he came into the game with men on base. I would have started the seventh fresh with Hughes.

Still can't figure out which was the more bizarre move: The Angels walking A-Rod with two out and no one on in the ninth -- or the Yankees pinch-running for A-Rod with Freddy Guzman. A-Rod runs OK and were you really going to go into extra innings without him in the lineup after all that he's done this October?

You still have to like the Yankees' chances. They have Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia lined up for Games Six and Seven. In 2004, they had Jon Lieber and Kevin Brown in 6-7. The Red Sox, remember, had bloody-socked Curt Schilling and Derek Lowe.

I know one guy probably rooting for a Game Seven: Cleveland GM Mark Shapiro. If Sabathia needs to pitch in an ALCS finale, Shapiro won't have to endure the indignity of a Sabathia-Cliff Lee matchup in Game One of the World Series, featuring the back-to-back Cy Young winners that cheapo ownership forced him to trade away the last two years.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

AP Photo: Bobby Abreu and Reggie Willits celebrate after the final out.

The Angels pulled out a wild 7-6 win Thursday in Game Five of the ALCS as both managers took turns having braincramps in the late going. So it's back to New York for Game Six on Saturday night. Uncluttering my brain:

---Think plate ump Fieldin Culbreth was a little relieved the Angels rallied? Dude would have been banned from Disneyland for life after that ball-four call on Jorge Posada set up the six-run seventh.

---Five straight ALCS losses for the Yankees with the chance to clinch a World Series berth. Ouch.

---The season is on the line and Mike Scioscia brings in Darren Oliver for John Lackey -- in what might be Lackey's last game in Anaheim prior to heading into free agency? "This one's mine" was a pretty tame response from Lackey in my opinion.

---I know Jered Weaver doesn't pitch in relief but he looked razor-sharp. I would have left him in rather than bringing in the shaky Brian Fuentes in the ninth, and Fuentes totally walked the tightrope before finally getting pathetic Nick Swisher to pop up.

---The Yankees take the lead with that six-run uprising and Joe Girardi leaves in A.J. Burnett after he sat for like a half-hour? Brutal.

---Joba and Hughes are struggling. Marte and no Coke? How about Robertson in this one? He's been hot. Girardi blew his bullpen for the third time in the last four games.

---I guess Burnett's first inning was Jorge Posada's fault too.

---Not a great night for Fox. Showing the drunk fan in the rock garden was silly and no camera shot of the postgame interview with Lackey. Oops.

---FYI, there's a 90 percent chance of rain Saturday night in New York.

---You know the Phillies are rooting hard for this baby to go seven.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

AP Photo: Jeter and A-Rod watch Game Five slip away in the ninth inning.

It's Game Five of the ALCS tonight in Anaheim and the Yankees need one win to wrap up their I-95 World Series matchup with the Phillies. Better they do it tonight than prolong things to Saturday night back in the Bronx. As Mike Vaccaro's column in today's New York Post points out, the Yankees were a combined 9-0 in 1996, 1998 and 1999 in games where they had a chance to clinch a series en route to winning the World Series (they were 2-1 in 2000).

They need to finish this series now. A big reason? Everyone will spend the next two days revisiting 2004 if the Angels win tonight.

I was there for every pitch in '04 when the Yankees blew their 3-0 lead to the Red Sox and the shift in momentum was ever-so-slight when the Sox won the Dave Roberts game to get within 3-1. But when they pulled out their 14-inning thriller in Game Five, the shift was palpable. By the time we all got off the train back to New York, you felt you were on a runaway. You could feel the Sox gaining control. The Bloody Sock game then gave you that feeling of destiny in your midst.

Three hours before Game Seven, I was on the field leaning up against the railing in front of the Yankees dugout. A few feet away, venerable Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan was screaming into a microphone doing a live hit for some ESPN show. He was saying there was no way the Sox could come this far and get Aaron Booned again. The Sox were loose, chatting and joking on the field. No Yankee cracked a smile. Few said anything. Game Seven was already over before either of Johnny Damon's home runs.

The point is clear. The Angels are reeling. Keep them down. If Girardi, A-Rod & Co. truly want this 103-win version of the Yankees to be different from the past four years, they have to take advantage of opportunity in October. They've been mostly brilliant so far in going 6-1.  They need to take care of business tonight so they don't face an uncomfortable weekend.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

The Phillies are back in the World Series, going back-to-back for the first time in their history by bouncing the Dodgers from the NLCS with Wednesday's 10-4 victory. They're just the fifth NL club in the divisional era to repeat and they'll be trying to match the Big Red Machine of the 70s with back-to-back World Series titles.

(At left, the cover of the Philly Daily News shows Brad Lidge and Carlos Ruiz after the final out)

What a battle of the titans we could have as Ryan Howard is just as hot this October as Alex Rodriguez. Ah, but the reborn-in-October A-Rod isn't there yet as the Yankees need one more win to make our I-95/Amtrak Series official. That could come tonight in Anaheim. It's been five years since the Yankees have been this close and we all remember what happened in 2004. So they want to get the job done at the first chance they have with A.J. Burnett on the mound.

Of course, if the Yankees win, we have to wait until Wednesday night for the thing to crank up because of this goofy, drawn-out schedule that Bud Selig & Co. allowed Fox to foist upon us. Hope we don't see any snowflakes along I-95. I'll be on hand for all the chatter and all the games, beginning with Tuesday's workout/media day.

On another note, our long national nightmare is over and we no longer have to deal with TBS in the postseason. That means Chip Carey is silenced. Mercy on all of us. Hopefully next year, the domos there get a real play-by-play man who knows what he's doing and don't kow-tow to family history. Pretty bad when you're breathing easier because you know Fox is doing the rest of the games.

---Mike Harrington

(twitter.com/bnharrington)

Tuesday morning's Daily News back cover, left, says it all. Yes, Joe Girardi, why in the world did you yank David Robertson for Alfredo Aceves?

If you haven't already done so, be sure to give a look at my quick reactions to Game Three of the ALCS I posted last night and here's some links to what the New York papers were saying this morning:

Daily News beat writer Mark Feinsand got the first 2004 crack in, pointing out that at least the Yankees don't have to worry about blowing a 3-0 lead in this ALCS. Ouch.

Post columnist and great friend of Inside Pitch Mike Vaccaro said Girardi has continued to roll the dice and they finally came up craps.

Daily News columnist Bill Madden had an interesting pregame chat with an unnamed scout that foreshadowed Girardi's braincramp.

How about the Angels giving A-Rod that intentional walk in the ninth? Mike Scioscia might have been skewered the way Girardi is getting it today if that didn't work out.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

We have a series now in the ALCS after the Angels' 5-4, 11-inning win Monday. Here's this corner's view from the couch on another epic:

1). Paging Joe Girardi: WHAT ARE YOU DOING? David Robertson got the win in Game Two. He got out of a bases-loaded jam against the Twins in the division series. He's hot, the revelation of the Yankees' bullpen in October. And you take him out with two out/no on in the 11th for Alfredo Aceves? As they say on Twitter, epicfail.

Girardi was probably due to lose one like this. He's been overmanaging his pen all postseason and stupid baserunning mistakes (think Nick Punto in Game Two of the DS and Bobby Abreu today) keep bailing the Yankees out. Their luck ran out. This is the third game Girardi has run through everybody except Chad Gaudin.

2). What a huge missed chance for the Yankees. A 3-0 lead in the fifth -- and it was nearly 5-0 as A-Rod was a couple of feet short of his second homer later in the inning. Yes, I know what happened in 2004. But if the Yankees got this series to 3-0, it was over. Now? Wide open.

3). What did Girardi tell Pettitte and Posada at the mound just before Vlad Guerrero's game-tying homer in the 6th? How could two veterans make such a big mistake in a big spot? You hear a lot of scuttle around the Yankees that A.J. Burnett is on to something with Posada and wasn't afraid to speak up because he was new to the team.

4). Mariano Rivera is simply the best relief pitcher in history and the unquestioned MVP of the Yankees' franchise since 1996.

5). Time of game for the last two -- 5:10 and 4:21. Wow.

6). I wonder how much time Joba Chamberlain might see in Scranton next year. He just doesn't look like he has a clue. You worry they've ruined him.

7). CC pitching Game Four on short rest one day after Girardi blows through seven relievers. Hmmm. Wonder how that will play out.

8). Yankees 0 for 8 in RISP situations for the second straight game and 3 for 28 in the series. That has to improve. Mark Teixeira has been great with the glove but 1 for 13 at the plate doesn't cut it.

9). Mike Scioscia walks A-Rod with two out and nobody on. Guess he didn't havve much faith in Brian Fuentes after Game Two. Great move.

10). Does Fox really need the series status at the upper right for every second of the game?

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

NEW YORK -- Better hurry up and get this one in. Lots of green blobs on the radar to the south and southwest of us here. Shoulda been a day game and this would be no issue. OK, enough about that for now. The lineups:

Angels: Figgins, 3b; Abreu, rf; Hunter, cf; Guerrero, dh; Morales, 1b; Rivera, lf; Izturis, 2b; Napoli, c; Aybar, ss....Saunders, p

Yankees: Jeter, ss; Damon, lf; Teixeira, 1b; Mr. Kate Hudson, 3b; Matsui, dh; Swisher, rf; Cano, 2b; Cabrera, cf; Molina, c....Burnett, p

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

End-1st: No score. The Angels stranded a two-out double after Figgins struck out to fall to 0 for 17 in the postseason. The Yankees went down 1-2-3 although Damon's high drive to right fell just short of the wall. Just like Cano's last night, a ball that was surely outta here most nights this year died on the track. It was 47 degrees at the first pitch, two degrees warmer than last night.

End-2nd: Yankees take a 1-0 lead as Swisher works a two-out walk on a full-count pitch (Saunders was not happy with Laz Diaz behind the plate) and Cano pulled an RBI triple to right-center on an 0-2 pitch. Great piece of hitting. More sloppy D by the Angels as Izturis dropped the relay in short right and might have had a shot at Cano at third.

End-3rd: Jeter takes a 2-0 fastball that was up and away and sends it up and away the other way to right for a 2-0 Yankees lead (gets high-five from ARod, left). His sixth career LCS home run, 19th career postseason home run. That passes Reggie Jackson and Mickey Mantle who had 18. Of course, they didn't have the division series either and Mantle didn't have the LCS. Jeter cut it through the wind without a lot of loft. Jeter is also third on the all-time postseason list with 19 HRs; Manny Ramirez has 29, Bernie Williams 22.

Mid-5th (halfway home): The Angels tie it 2-2 in a loooooooooooong half-inning that doesn't help our chances if, in fact, it's going to rain at some point soon. An RBI single by Aybar drove in first run and he scored the second on a wild pitch (right) with the crowd roaring on a 1-2 delivery to Guerrero. The fans were up for lots of two-strike pitches in that inning. I covered a ton of games at the old place the last 10 years and this one is pretty close in terms of noise intensity. Not there yet. But close. Burnett has thrown 90 pitches (60 strikes) in five innings. He threw 33 in that inning alone.

End-5th: The Yankees opened with singles by Cabrera and Molina but did not score. Jeter hit into a double play -- or did he? -- and Damon struck out. The replay (again) showed Jeter clearly safe as the ball was nowhere near the glove of Kendry Morales and Jeter's foot was on the bag. Bill Miller on the blown call at first. The umpires continue to be brutal. Look for more on that topic in Sunday's Inside Baseball column. Gotta have a Donn Denkinger type of faux pas in our future in the World Series the way this month is going.

Mid-7th: It remains 2-2 and Burnett left with one out after Cano bobbled a routine grounder to second for an error. Phil Coke is on and we could all use an oven here to get some heat. Burnett threw 114 pitches, 75 strikes. CC Sabathia threw 113 last night. The Angels eventually loaded the bases but Joba Chamberlain got Vlad Guerrero with a wicked slider and pumped his fast across the white linee on the way back to the dugout. that might have been the Angels' best chance.

Mid-8th: A stunning error by Jeter on a sure DP ball to end the inning didn't cost the Yankees. With runners at first and second, Phil Hughes struck out pinch-hitter Gary Matthews Jr. Mariano Rivera then retired Aybar on a first-pitch grounder. Angels went for it in that inning by pinch-hitting Matthews and running Reggie Willets and didn't get rewarded.

End-8th: Yanks go down 1-2-3 and it's tied going to the ninth. Guess what? At 11:07 with two out, it started raining. Remember, the latest forecast was heavy heavy stuff around midnight or so? Will we be done in time?

12:15 a.m. update: Obviously, we've had to focus on stuff for the print edition. But that baby is in bed through 10 innings and this baby is still going. The Angels took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 11th on an RBI single by Figgins, who snapped an 0-for-18 slump by lashing one to left off Alfredo Aceves. But the Yankees just tied it in the bottom of the inning as A-Rod drove an 0-2 pitch from  Brian Fuentes the other way over the wall in right to tie it again at 3-3. Crazy game. We're going to the 12th. And the rain is getting harder and harder. MLB officials must be absolutely croaking.

Going to the 13th: David Robertson got out of a two-on, two-out jam by striking out Matthews. In the bottom of the 12nd, the Yankees loaded the bases for A-Rod but there was no heroics in back-to-back innings as he flied out to center.

An A-Rod note: The good folks at baseball-reference.com point out that A-Rod's home run in the 11th was just the third in history that tied a postseason game. The others were by Houston's Billy Hatcher in the 14th inning of their 16-inning loss to the Mets in Game Six of the 1986 NLCS and by Cleveland's Albert Belle in the 11th inning of their 13-inning win over Boston in Game One of the 1995 ALDS. I was in the house for that one as well; Belle flexed his biceps from the dugout at Sox manager Kevin Kennedy, who wanted his bat checked for cork.

Yankees win: Jerry Hairston scores in the bottom of the 13th on a foolish Izturis throwing error to produce a 4-3 final. Many press box denizens who had wakeup calls scheduled in the next four hours are thrilled.

(Photos: Associated Press)

NEW YORK -- Things are looking better for Game Two of the ALCS tonight in the Bronx. I arrived at the stadium about 3 p.m. and there's no rain and no tarp on the field. It's cloudy and breezier than last night but a little warmer too with temperatures pushing 50. Both of these teams want to get this one in but the contingency plan is set for a 4:30 start on Sunday if they don't.

What is not yet decided is if they would then play Game Three Monday in Anaheim as planned or use Monday as a travel day and shelve the Wednesday off day currently scheduled. The forecasts for tonight are improving, with that 70 and 80 percent chance of rain not hitting until after 10 p.m. Frankly, things look much worse tomorrow with the chance of rain listed as 90-100 percent in some spots. Keep that in mind for the Bills-Jets game across the Hudson in the New Jersey Meadowlands.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

NEW YORK -- It's cloudy but clear right now as we're a few hours away from the scheduled 7:57 start of Game Two of the ALCS. The forecast is not good with a 90 percent chance of rain and up to an inch expected in some spots. We'll see if we're in for a long night at the ballpark like we spent last year in Philadelphia for Game Three of the World Series.

We dodged the first bullet getting the Yankees' Game One victory in without delay. We'll see how this one goes.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

NEW YORK -- Well, we've survived weather wise to this point but at 7:40, the rain has started at Yankee Stadium. At this point, it looks like we're going to at least begin Game One of the ALCS. Keep it here all night as I provide updates and unclutter whatever thoughts are in my mind on this one.  First off, the lineups:

Los Angeles: Chone Figgins, 3b; Bobby Abreu, rf; Torii Hunter, cf; Vladimir Guerrero, dh; Juan Rivera, lf; Kendry Morales, 1b; Howie Kendrick, 2b; Jeff Mathis, c; Erick Aybar, ss....P: John Lackey

New York: Derek Jeter, ss; Johnny Damon, lf; Mark Teixeira, 1b; Alex Rodriguez, 3b; Hideki Matsui, dh; Jorge Posada, c; Robinson Cano, 2b; Nick Swisher, rf; Melky Cabrera, cf...P: CC Sabathia.

I spent 23 minutes stuck in a stadium elevator today after Joe Girardi's press conference. For $1.5 billion, guess they don't have quality materials. I posted some of those shenanigans earlier today on my Twitter page. Pretty small press elevator too. Only 12 of us on it and maybe room for two or three more is all. At least the box lunches for the media had good chocolate chip cookies.

Onward.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

1st inning: Cano (left) and Teixeira are wearing ski masks. I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm from Buffalo but it's not THAT cold. That said, the wind is picking up and that's not a good thing. The Legends seats are disgracefully empty as the high rollers are staying mostly inside. But what a weird scene to be at an ALCS and see tons of empty seats right by the field. No different than it's been all year here. One of the great spectacles in baseball is the roll call greeting at Yankee Stadium by the folks in the right field bleachers, who scream each player's name in unison until they respond with a wave. RF Nick Swisher went a step further with a full turn and military style salute.

The first pitch to Chone Figgins, a called strike, was at 7:58 and it's 45 degrees. Sabathia gives up a Hunter single and no more. The Yankees take a 2-0 lead on a sac fly by A-Rod and an RBI single by Matsui. But the latter has a huge asterisk. Matsui lofted a routine pop up for the third out and Aybar just stood and watch it land in front of him as Figgins did the same. Lackey was openly furious on the mound too. As well he should be. Earlier in the inning, Rivera threw a Damon single to left into no-man's land and gave up an extra base. Hey Angels: Fundamentals?

End-3rd: We're flying along with the Yankees still holding their 2-0 lead. Sabathia has retired nine of 11, giving up two harmless singles. Lackey had a 1-2-3 seconds but gave up singles to Teixeira and A-Rod in the third but got Matsui on a grounder. Sabathia has four strikeouts, including Abreu twice (in the third, left) Figgins has also gone down and is 0 for 14 with seven Ks in the postseason. No way to be for a leadoff man.

Mid-4th: The Angels pull within 2-1 but it looks like it's going to be impossible to hit one out tonight to left center. Guerrero just torched one and was in his trot but it didn't make it into the bullpen and he settled for a double. He moved to third on a Rivera grounder and scored when Morales looped a 94-mph fastball on the first pitch from Sabathia into center.

Halfway home (mid-5th): Yankees holding their 2-1 lead as Sabathia throws a 1-2-3 fifth. Angels have four hits, Yankees have six.

End-5th: Yankees take a 3-1 lead on Matsui's RBI single to left-center but A-Rod runs through the stop sign and is a dead duck at home (Mathis held on through a tough collision, left). What was A-Rod doing there? Hmmm. It's taken Lackey 96 pitches through five innings. Does he get another?

Mid-6th: I'm anti instant replay for base calls and here's why: Torii Hunter bunts, Sabathia gets his big butt to the ball and whirls to first. Teixeira stretches to the toes. Is he on the bag or not? Ump Laz Diaz (a noted dope btw) calls him out. The Angels, esp. Hunter and Mike Sciosica, go wild. Replay is tough-tough to tell. Sabathia at 80 pitches. Lackey back out there.

End-6th: Yankees take a 4-1 lead on a gift run. Cabrera walks to with two out, takes second when Lackey's pickoff throw gets away and scores on the next pitch when Jeter singles and the ball goes under Hunter's glove. That's three errors for the Halos. I missed when the Chico's Bail Bonds logo got put on their uniforms for this series. Lackey relived by Bulger. 5 2/3 9-4-2-3-3 (114/65)

End-8th: Our annual reminder as we head through the postseason that you might get more sparse updates in the last couple innings as we get the print product rolling. It's Enter Sandman time as Mariano Rivera is coming in with the Yankees still up, 4-1.

It's over: Sinatra playing as Yanks wrap up a 4-1 win to take a 1-0 lead in the series. On to the clubhouse.

(Photos: Associated Press)

NEW YORK -- Inside Pitch is in the house at the new Yankee Stadium for Game One of the ALCS between the Yankees and Angels and it features those two words all baseball writers dread: Weather permitting.

Right now at least, the weather will permit the show to go on. A little more than four hours before the first pitch, there is no rain and a light breeze with cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid-40s. The tarp is not on the field and screens and cages are set up for batting practice so we'll see how things go for our scheduled 7:57 p.m. start (on FOX).

The forecast has improved a little for tonight with a 50 percent chance of scattered showers but it's getting much worse for Game Two tomorrow night, with the latest Weather.com advisory calling for a 90 percent chance of rain and at least a half-inch or more. Ugly.

6:20 update: All systems go for Game One. The breeze has calmed down and still no rain. The only surprise in the starting lineup is Nick Swisher batting eight for the Yankees. It's a surprise because he's just 5 for 43 in his career against Angels starter John Lackey. One of those hits was a home run and manager Joe Girardi said video of the last two years showed several hard-hit balls by Swisher off Lackey so they went with him. No other major news pregame. Lots of chatter about the cold, about tomorrow's weather. We're just in a holding pattern on that one.

I'll start an in-game thread in the 7:30 range, when Fox comes on the air. First pitch, remember, is set for 7:57.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

Pretty hard to believe it's been five years since the Yankees have gone to the ALCS but that's the fact: They haven't been there since that historic choke to the Red Sox in 2004. They open Friday night in the House that Jeter Built against the Angels in what should be a fascinating series. The Yanks have power at the plate and power on the mound, the Halos have speed on the bases and heavy hearts as they play for the memory of late pitcher Nick Adenhart. Manager Mike Scioscia won a World Series in 2002 and has been a playoff regular; Joe Girardi is in his first run as a postseason skipper.

I think the series comes down to two things: The Yankees' offense and Mariano Rivera. Both teams have quality starting pitching that bears some question marks. But the Yankees have too many big bats. And Los Angeles closer Brian Fuentes tends to put a lot of men on base, a dangerous way to work against the Yankees lineup. Rivera, on the other hand, is an ageless wonder still in shutdown mode. Look at all the closer blowups in the division series. He had nary a trouble spot. I think there's going to be at least one cream-pie rally off Fuentes. My pick is Yankees in six.

In the NLCS, the Dodgers were challenged only in Game Two by the slumping Cardinals so their rotation is set for their rematch with the Phillies. Joe Torre & Co. has revenge on its mind from last year's five-game defeat but I'm not expecting this one to go much better. Manny Ramirez has been relatively quiet with Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier the big bats to watch. The Phillies, meanwhile, have that amazing middle of the order and terrific starting pitching. The bullpen is certainly iffy but if Brad Lidge pitches as he did against the Rockies, it will feel like 2008 for him again and not the nightmare that's been most of '09. The rematch is a repeat. I'm going with the Phillies in five.

So I'm going with the Yankees and Phillies in an Amtrak series. Maybe you'll take the Angels and Dodgers in a Freeway Series. Make your selections below and feel free to chat up the LCS. I'll be in New York for all games at Yankee Stadium in this round so follow our coverage in the blog, online and in the print editions.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

Bud Selig promised some better times in this year's postseason schedule and at least MLB has delivered for the League Championship Series even though all these off days should be cut way back. According to the schedule announced late Tuesday afternoon, no LCS game starts later than 8:07 Eastern time except for a potential Game Seven of the ALCS. That would go Oct. 25 at 8:20.

It should be more of the same for the World Series. As announced last winter, at least five of the seven games are expected to start at 7:57.

The Phillies-Dodgers series is on TBS and will actually be two games old before the Yankees-Angels set gets under way Friday on Fox.

For all you Yankee fans out there, here's the ALCS rundown:
Game 1, Friday, Oct 16 in New York, 7:57
Game 2, Saturday, Oct. 17 in New York, 7:57
Game 3, Monday, Oct. 19 in Anaheim, 4:13
Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 20 in Anaheim, 7:57
Game 5, Thursday, Oct. 22 in Anaheim, 7:57
Game 6, Saturday, Oct. 24 in New York, 4:13 or 8:07 (if NLCS is over)
Game 7, Sunday, Oct. 25 in New York, 8:20

Here's the NLCS schedule:
Game 1, Thursday, Oct. 15 in Los Angeles, 8:07
Game 2, Friday, Oct. 16, in Los Angeles, 4:07
Game 3, Sunday, Oct. 18 in Philadelphia, 8:07
Game 4, Monday Oct. 19 in Philadelphia, 8:07
Game 5, Wenesday, Oct. 21 in Philadelphia, 8:07
Game 6, Friday, Oct. 23 in Los Angeles, 8:07
Game 7, Saturday, Oct. 24 in Los Angeles, 8:07

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

The Yankees still have time to make up their minds but Joe Girardi apparently told the New York media today on a conference call that he may in fact stick with a three-man rotation for the ALCS that begins Friday night in the Bronx against the Angels.

That would mean CC Sabathia could pitch in Games 1, 4 and 7, A.J. Burnett could go in 2 and 5 and Andy Pettitte could go in 3 and 6. It seems to be a question of using Chad Gaudin in Game 4 because Joba Chamberlain is likely to stay in the bullpen. Play Girardi's role below. What would you do?

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

Pretty amazing game Monday night in Denver to draw the Division Series round to a close. The Phillies showed why they're the defending champions by rallying for three runs in the top of the ninth -- after giving up three runs in the bottom of the eighth -- and held on for a 5-4 win over the Rockies to close the series in four games.

So we had three sweeps and one four-gamer in the first round but each series had at least one fantastic finish and the Phils-Rox had a double dose of drama once they hit frigid Denver. A big story in the opening round was the failure of closers. Jonathan Papelbon, Huston Street, Joe Nathan and Ryan Franklin all flamed out when their teams needed them most. Makes you appreciate Mariano Rivera come October even more.

We'll have plenty more later in the week on the LCS (Phils-Dodgers opens Thursday in LA and I'll be on hand for Yankees-Angels I and II Friday and Saturday in the Bronx). But for now, give a quick look back to the ALDS and NLDS with a vote in our poll below.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

(Photo: Associated Press)

The playoffs begin at today at 2:30 with Game One of the Rockies-Phillies series. Be sure to check our complete preview in today's paper and vote in our polls for the ALDS and NLDS. But as we head toward the first pitch of the postseason, give us a preliminary thought on who is going to win it all.

The Yankees getting No. 27? The Red Sox cementing team of the decade with their third title in six years? The Cardinals, Angels or Phillies tying Boston with their second of the decade? The upstart Rockies? The Dodgers' first crown since 1988, further adding to the legend of Joe Torre?

Make your pick. Even leave a comment or two on where you think Inside Pitch is going to be for the Fall Classic

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

The Tampa Bay Rays are going to the World Series. Think how bizarre that sounds. But there's no arguing how good the Rays have been all season. And it took a whole lot to survive the gut-punch of blowing a 7-0 lead in Game Five and pull out Game Seven over the Red Sox, 3-1, Sunday night.

You've got to give it up to the Red Sox but in the end, too many power arms and just enough offense pushed things Tampa Bay's way.

I want to pat myself on the back for my choice as Joe Maddon as AL manager of the year in our preseason preview section but even I thought the best the Rays could hope for was about 85 wins. And that would never be enough for the wild card with the Yankees and Red Sox above them in the AL East. So I was right on one count and wrong on another.

I'm off to Tampa/St. Pete today and we'll have full coverage of the World Series in the paper beginning on Tuesday and here on the blog. We're also planning a live chat heading into the series, tentatively Wednesday morning in the 11 a.m. range. So be sure to join me for that.

And feel free to post your reflections on the ALCS in the comments. If you're a Red Sox fan, what do you do about the likes of Jason Varitek? Tim Wakefield? Mike Timlin? Some decisions to be made for sure.

---Mike Harrington

The Red Sox have won nine straight elimination games in the ALCS. Think about how absurd that is. Four in a row against the Yankees in '04. Three straight against the Indians last year. And now, two in a row against the suddenly bedeviled Rays.

You wonder if Game Seven tonight is heading for an inevitable finish. Once that momentum starts going Boston's way, it never seems to stop anymore. Who knew that Dave Roberts' stolen base four years ago would forever change history, forever change the way a franchise is viewed.

The Sox were the team that could never get the job done when it counted. Now they're the team you can't beat when it counts. Amazing turnaround. Folks in Tampa seem resigned to their fate. This Tampa Tribune column calls Thursday night's blown seven-run lead the Rays' "Bartman". Ouch.

And if they win tonight, the Sox are going to be huge favorites in the World Series. Remember, their last two trips have been sweeps and the Phillies are sitting home getting stale -- just like the Tigers and Rockies have the last two years.

--Mike Harrington

Technical difficulties on TBS are preventing the telecast of Game Six of the ALCS. You've got to be kidding me. Bad enough I'm teetering with plane tickets to Tampa for the World Series. Now I can't even see the game?

What is this? Time Warner showing a grainy picture with wrong-score graphics of a UB or high school football game? I don't care what the reason is (the latest is a power outage at the broadcast facility in Atlanta). It's unconscionable. MLB should be dropping TBS' horrible coverage like a bad habit and these games should all be on FOX or ESPN. Think the NFL would tolerate this? What a joke.

UPDATE: TBS figured things out in the bottom of the first and got back on the air. Guess they found enough aluminum foil for their rabbit ears. Embarrassing.

---Mike Harrington

A few hours and a little sleep later, I still can't believe what I saw. The Rays are in the World Series, right? It was 7-0 in the seventh, right? How in the world is there Game Six of the ALCS coming Saturday night from the Trop?

Now, understand that Boston's ridiculous 8-7 victory will be a memorable footnote to history if the Rays still win this thing (but Sox fans will probably make it live forever the way Aaron Boone's home run lingers for the Yankees even though they lost the '03 World Series to the Marlins). But what if the Sox really do come all the way back? What if they actually go on and even win the World Series again after this? Will Dustin Pedroia's two-out RBI single in the seventh inning of a 7-0 game go down in history like Dave Roberts' stolen base in 2004?

The Rays had outscored the Sox, 29-5, in the three games at Fenway when Boston came to bat in the seventh. The unraveling was complete and wholly unexpected. Manager Joe Maddon froze (why was righty Grant Balfour pitching to David Ortiz with two on in the seventh?), the bullpen melted down and Evan Longoria made a key throwing error in the ninth to set up the winning run. It came on a J.D. Drew single that was one of two key plays in the final three innings misplayed by Rays right fielder Gabe Gross.

This Tampa Tribune column says it was like watching the 2007 Rays and the '07 Sox. Ouch. And it reminds us that history isn't kind the rest of the series after a big choke. Think '86 Angels, '86 Buckner Sox, '02 Giants, '04 Yankees. The '03 Cubs were five outs from the World Series -- and still haven't gotten there. Will "Seven Outs Away" be the nickname for the Rays' franchise in perpetuity? The only team who survived this kind of shock was the '05 Astros, who overcame Albert Pujols' last-strike Game Five homer to win Game Six of NLCS in St. Louis.

I can only imagine the scene in the Fenway press box last night as reporters first starting making travel reservations for next week, then scrambled to get to Florida today (you can't wait on this stuff, people. You're writing your story and playing travel agent at the same time when you cover these things). I bet there are a ton of writers this morning who are a little nervous to tell their bosses they've already gone and purchased plane tickets to Tampa for the World Series.

Um, good folks at One News Plaza, I'm one of them.

---Mike Harrington

(AP Photos: Top -- J.D. Drew and Dustin Pedroia celebrate the game-winning hit. Bottom -- J.P. Howell and Dioner Navarro trudge off the field after the Sox comeback is complete)