A Team Effort Propels Yankees

It wasn’t just important that the Yankees defeated the Twins, 7-2, in Game 1 of the American League Division Series Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.

What was impressive is the way the won, because if this team is going to win its first World Series title since 2000, it will need to have contributions from every one.

Wednesday night, they did.

There were the usual suspects that delivered big in October for the Yankees. Derek Jeter had a home run, scored three runs, knocked in two more. Mariano Rivera pitched a scoreless ninth. They did what they’re supposed to do in October.

They were not the only ones, however, who starred on this night. CC Sabathia, Hideki Matsui, Alex Rodrgiuez, even Joba Chamberlain, contributed in this one.

If the team is going to do anything this October, they will need to continue to produce.
Sabathia and Rodriguez are the perhaps the most critical pieces, and they each delivered in their own way last night.

Sabathia pitched 6 2/3 strong innings, allowing just one earned run with eight strikeouts and no walks. He also allowed a run on a wild pitch, but he handcuffed the Twins most of the night.

"I was able to hold them down," Sabathia said. "It got a little sketchy in the third, but I was able to come back and put up zeroes like I have all year - and these guys scored runs like they did all year."

Sabathia is crucial to the Yankees postseason plans. He’s their top starter, and with the unpredictable A.J. Burnett following him, the Yankees need him to be at his best. Sabathia came into the postseason with a shaky past – a 2-3 record with a 7.92 ERA – but he was superb Wednesday. He pitched the way he did during the regular season, when he was 11-2 with a 2.74 ERA after the All-Star break.

"This is what you come here for, to pitch in the postseason and play in October," Sabathia said. "It was electric tonight."

The other key figure in Wednesday’s win was A-Rod, who had two hits, two RBIs and scored a run. The numbers were gruesome. He was 0-for-29 with runners on base in postseason games dating back to Game 4 of the AL Championship Series. He hit .071 in the 2006 playoffs, and hit just .256 with six strikeouts in 14 at-bats in the 2007 divisional round.

It was just a pair of singles for A-Rod Wednesday, but it took the pressure off him. At least for a little while.

"I'm sure it makes him feel good inside," Girardi said. "Whenever you contribute, it's important. It puts you in a good place."

There were others, too. Hideki Matsui hit a two-run home run. Phil Hughes, Phil Coke and Joba combined to get four outs before handing the ball over to Rivera for the ninth. Steve Swisher, an overlooked component of the Yankee who had 29 home runs during the regular season, delivered an RBI single.

It was all good for the Yankees Wednesday against a drained Minnesota team that was playing less than 24 hours after beating Detroit in a playoff for the AL Central crown. Few people expected Minnesota would be able to win Game 1, and the Twins looked like a tired team.

Still, it was important for the Yankees to take that first step toward 11 postseason wins. What was impressive was not how they won, but in the way in which they did it. If they continue to get contributions from their entire roster, they might just win that elusive 27th World Series.

Sanchez Takes a Step Back

Mark Sanchez is finding out there is a steep learning curve for young quarterbacks in the NFL.

The question for the Jets rookie is how quickly can he overcome his first subpar effort?

Make no mistake about it: Sanchez needs to perform better than he did in Sunday’s 24-10 loss to New Orleans.

The final numbers were these: 14 completions in 27 attempts, a mere a 138 yards. The bigger numbers were these: Three interceptions and one fumble that resulted in a Saints touchdown.

It wasn’t just the turnovers or the fumble that were killers for the Jets. It was also when he fired the interceptions. The most critical one was early in the second quarter, with the Jets trailing 3-0 but deep in Saints territory. His pass intended for Dustin Keller was picked off by Darren Sharper and returned for a 99-yard touchdown.

Talk about turning points. The Jets get the lead there, they can let their defense loose. Coach Rex Ryan’s team will be difficult to beat once they get a lead, but Sanchez’s critical interception cost them that chance.

“That’s a classic rookie quarterback looking at his receiver and Sharper read me the whole way,’’ Sanchez said. “I took him right to it. It was a poor decision and poor use of my eyes.”

The Jets’ loss can’t be pinned entirely on Sanchez. The Saints had a fourth-and-one play in Jets’ territory late in the fourth quarter and protecting a 17-10 lead. Coach Sean Payton said the team was content to take a delay penalty and punt, but nose tackle Kris Jenkins jumped offside and the Saints maintained possession.

There were other errors, too, but Sanchez’ mistakes were critical. “We spotted them 14 points, and the final score was 24-10,’’ Sanchez said. “That was huge. I’ve got to learn from that and improve.”

How quickly, and how much, Sanchez improves will define his career. He won his first three games as an NFL starter, and certainly shows as much promise as any Jets quarterback has shown in a long, long time. But if the team is going to make a run at the postseason, he will need to improve. Quickly. Things change on a weekly basis in the NFL, and the Jets need Sanchez to minimize turnovers and let the defense keep the team in the game.

We will find out quickly if Sanchez is up for the challenge. His next opponent is the Miami Dolphins in a nationally televised game on Monday night. There is no question Miami general manager Bill Parcells and coach Tony Sparano saw Sanchez get exposed Sunday, and will try to capitalize on that.

It is too soon to tell if the Jets made a mistake by taking Sanchez with the No. 5 pick in April’s draft or even if he will be a starting quarterback in the NFL for any length of time. We will have a much better idea, however, after the next couple of games.

Jets Need to Show Saints Something

New York is What-Have-You-Done-Lately town, and that will certainly be evidenced by the New York Jets in Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints.

The Jets have shown in three games thus far that these are not the Same Old’ Jets.
Things have a way turning around quickly in this town, however, which is why Sunday’s game at New Orleans is critical for Gang Green.

Certainly, the Jets have taken care of business so far. They are 3-0, beat New England at home, and have shown an aggressive defense that is capable of shutting down any one. Coach Rex Ryan has injected new life into the team, and first round quarterback Mark Sanchez has played as well as any one had any right to expect.

What was impressive in Sunday’s win over Tennessee was how the Jets were able to capitalize after getting a turnover. The game changed when Titans’ rookie Ryan Mouton fumbled a punt deep in his own territory. The Jets scored a few players later on Mark Sanchez’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Jerricho Cotchery, and the defense allowed very little the rest of the way in a 24-17 victory.

The Saints and quarterback Drew Brees might be the Jets’ toughest test yet this season. It is on the road, and Brees and Co. have been putting up staggering offensive numbers. If the Jets are as good as people think they are, this will be a good chance for them to show it.
”People are going to say what they want to say whether you win, lose or draw, Ryan said at Thursday’s news conference. “ I think people realize now that the Jets have a pretty darn good football team. That’s important to us.”

The Jets don’t necessarily have to beat the Saints on Sunday, because there is still a lot of season left. Nobody expects the team to go undefeated and losing on the road to an upper-echelon team is not going to end their season.

The one thing that positively cannot happen, however, is for the Jets to lose ugly. Their defense can’t surrender 40-plus points, Sanchez and the offense can’t survive multiple turnovers and the defense has to show that it can stop one of the marquee teams in the league.

If any of those things happen, many of the good vibes that have been generated by the good start will get washed away. New York is a town that breaks legs jumping on and off bandwagons, and if things get rolling in the wrong direction, people will be quick to dismiss the team’s good start as a fluke.

That’s not Ryan’s fault, but that’s the way things are in New York. If Ryan wants to keep the faith among the team’s hard core (and long-suffering) fans, it needs to play well against the Saints. Otherwise, many of the good feelings engendered from their September sprint will be wiped away.

All Around the Big City

So as we wait for the Yankees to get ready for the playoffs, the Mets to end their season, and the

Jets and Giants to get ready for their next opponents, here’s a few thoughts to that crossed my

mind:


-- Does anybody miss Eric Mangini? Really, the effort his Cleveland Browns put up

Sunday in a 34-3 loss to Baltimore was pathetic. His team is winless, and the quarterback

situation is still a mess. Meanwhile, the Jets are 3-0, the defense is vastly improved from a year

ago and Rex Ryan looks like he’s a better coach than his old man. Miss Mangini? Don’t think so.

-- The Mets lost again last night, this time to the Nationals, and have 90 losses for the season.

They are 23 ½ games out of first place and and only the pathetic Pirates and the Nationals have

worst records in the National League. Yes, it’s all because of injuries, right? Well, last night’s

lineup included David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Luis Castillo and Jeff Francoeur. In fact, Wright

and Beltran have been back for a while, and Castillo and Francoeur have been in the lineup just

about every day. There is no way this team should be this bad. No way. But manager Jerry

Manuel is coming back, Omar Minaya is hanging on and everybody thinks it will get better next

year when the injured players come back. Here’s a news flash: It won’t. The Mets need to totally

rebuild. Another 90-loss season in 2010 is not out of the question.
-- The Giants are 3-0, will be 4-0 after playing the Chiefs on Sunday, and have looked

impressive doing it. But the season-ending loss of second-year safety Kenny Phillips slipped

under the radar of a lot of fans last week, and it’s a critical one. Phillips was a promising young

player, and losing experienced talent in the secondary is always a problem. The Giants didn’t

need Phillips against Tampa Bay – they probably could have won the game playing with 10

defenders – but down the road, the Giants will feel the loss of Phillips. Maybe it won’t cost them

a trip to the playoffs, but it could be the difference between them making the Super Bowl or

suffering an early loss in the playoffs.


-- The Rangers are in full preseason mode. That’s great. Can somebody tell me when the games

become important in April?

-- There have been lot discussions about various postseason awards for the Yankees, but few

people have talked about Joe Girardi getting named the American League Manager of the Year.

Yes, he did have a bloated payroll and more weapons at his disposal than any manager in the

game, but the team got off to a slow start, the team did not have a consistent fourth and fifth

starter and he somehow managed to juggle an outfield with Melky Cabrera, Brent Gardner, Nick

Swisher, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Jerry Hairston and get all of them playing time.

Most importantly, he managed to get a big year out of Alex Rodriguez after the third baseman

missed the first 1 ½ months of the season. Girardi’s ultimate assessment will be determined by

how the team fares in the postseason, but 100 wins and the best record in baseball are not too

bad for the manager in just his second year in pinstripes.

Yankees Will Be Measured by October

The Yankees clinched a spot in Major League Baseball’s postseason tournament earlier this week, but that can only be the beginning for this proud franchise.

For the Yankees, and second-year manager Joe Girardi, it’s all about October. In New York, it is always a pass/fail grade. Despite being the first team to secure a spot in the playoffs, the Yankees’ final report card won’t be distributed until next month.
Going into the playoffs, there are a few reasons to be concerned.

First, the Yankees have to take care of business and secure the AL East division title. They can take a big step toward that direction this weekend with a three-game series against Boston, their closest pursuer in the division chase. After finally winning a series in Anaheim this week, the Yankees need to keep the momentum going and play well this weekend. Boston leads the season series, 9-6, after taking the first eight games against the Yankees this season. Boston enters this weekend 5 ½ games behind the Yankees.

More importantly, however, the Yankees have to sort out their pitching. It is difficult to fathom how the team has won 97 games because 40 percent of its starting rotation has been downright frightful. Joba Chamberlain has looked lost for the past two months and the No. 5 starter has been either Sergio Mitre (3-3, 6.88 ERA) or Chad Gaudin (5-10, 4.78 ERA). Neither of them figures to be important factors in the postseason.

The wild card as the Yankees get ready for October is Chamberlain. The enigmatic right-hander gets a start tonight against the Red Sox, and it is important that Yankees see some progress after a string of poor performances.

His most recent effort was perhaps his most disappointing. Last Sunday against Seattle, Chamberlain pitched three innings and gave up seven earned runs, six hits and three walks. Ouch!

He hasn’t won a game since beating Boston on Aug. 6, and is 8-6 with a 4.72 ERA in 29 starts this season.

The Yankees have mishandled the “Joba Rules” from the outset, trying to cap his innings to protect his valuable right arm. He has only pitched six innings once in the last two months, and has been limited to three innings in four of his last five starts. He pitched four innings in the other one.

Besides Chamberlain, however, there are other concerns as well. A.J. Burnett (12-9, 4.19 ERA) has been nearly as enigmatic as Joba. He can be ridiculously nasty in one start – like he was Wednesday in Anaheim, where he struck out 11 in 5 2/3 innings – or he can be awful. He gave up six runs in seven innings in a Sept. 12 start against Baltimore. If the Yankees are going to do any thing in the postseason, they need the dominating Burnett.

Mariano Rivera anchors the bullpen, but there are questions in the bullpen as well. Phil Hughes has emerged as the eighth inning set-up man, but how will the 23-year-old perform in October? There are questions about the other relievers as well, such as Phil Coke, Alfredo Aceves, David Robertson and Brian Bruney. Can they get big outs in October?

And what happens if Alex Rodriguez has one of his famous October meltdowns? Is the lineup good enough to have an unproductive A-Rod batting in the middle of the order?

Those are some of the key questions that will be resolved. When we get the answers to them, we can the final grade to the Yankees’ season.

A Signature Win for the Jets

This just wasn’t any victory for the New York Jets.

This was over New England, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. At home, in front of a rabid, energized crowd that was tired of losing to the Patriots.

Sunday’s 16-9 victory was, quite simply, one of the biggest wins in this decade for this franchise.

“The Patriots are a hell of a football team. I just thought we were the better team today,’’ coach Rex Ryan said. “That’s all we said the whole time. We believe that we are the better team today. We went out and showed it.”

If anybody doubts how the Jets are going to go about this season, their blueprint has been on display through the first two games.

They are going to be an aggressive, physical team that is defined by its defense. Two games, two victories, and Ryan has shown that he’s not afraid of any team, even one that has won a couple of Super Bowls.

“The big deal is, we’re a football team that should be respected,’’ Ryan said. “Sometimes we talk a little bit, but only because we have confidence in our football team. We believe it to be true that we are an outstanding football team. We have to go out and show it each week.”

The Jets made Brady look positively average yesterday. Brady was 23-for-47 for a pedestrian 216 yards and a quarterback rating of 53.1. The Jets didn’t’ sack Brady – he was hit seven times – but the most important number is this: No touchdowns. For the first time since 1993, the Jets played consecutive games without allowing a touchdown by the opposition’s offense.

That’s how the Jets are going to play this season, and that’s how Ryan wants it.

“In the past, it was aggressive and semi-laid back,’’ defensive end Shaun Ellis said. “In the past, in the second half, we would have been more laid back. With Rex, we are more like, “get it!” We were just going to keep coming out there with that game plan, keep coming out there and working, and not (going) to sit back one bit. We put as much pressure as possible.”

No quarterback likes pressure, even one that has won Super Bowls. But under Ryan, the Jets promise to be an aggressive team that gets after the quarterback and makes him feel the heat. If it worked against the Patriots, it can work against any team.

What Sunday’s victory did was show the rest of the AFC that the Jets are coming after them. They might not win every game, but the Jets are going to play hard in every game. That you can count on.

“This is a new beginning. I don’t pay attention to the past,’’ Bart Scott said. “The past is the past. It’s a new day, It’s a new team. It’s not the same old Jets people are used to. When you come in here, you have to fight and battle for every yard. Not one or two yards. If you get down to the goal line, you are not in the end zone until you are actually in the end zone.”

Jets, Ryan Not Afraid to Tweak Patriots

If any body is surprised by the tactics Jets coach Rex Ryan has used to prepare his team for Sunday’s game against the Patriots, they haven’t been paying attention.

One of the first things Ryan said when he landed the head coaching job was he didn’t plan to “kiss Belichick’s rings”, alluding to Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

The teams meet for the first time since that statement on Sunday at Giants Stadium, and Ryan hasn’t backed down from that comment. He has brought a new attitude to the Jets, a bold approach that runs contrary to just about every thing Belichick stands for.

Ryan went so far as to record a message this week for Jets season-ticket holders, asking them to make things difficult for the Patriots and their stud quarterback, Tom Brady. The fans have seen enough of the Patriots winning at the Meadowlands, where they have walked off with eight consecutive victories over the Jets. The last time the Jets beat New England at home was in 2000.

"I’ve always challenged our players, as you know," Ryan said Wednesday. "And I've challenged our fans. I want our fans to be a factor in this game to help our defense out, make it loud and make the communication tough.

"I know Brady has seen it all before, but still, let’s look like we have about 13 or 14 guys out there. It would be great. Sometimes I’ve seen that happen where it gets so loud — it just takes one guy to miss a check. And so I’m challenging our fans to maybe be the difference in the game this week."

Ryan’s attitude has rubbed off on his players. Safety Kerry Rhodes said in The Daily News on Thursday that he merely doesn’t want to beat the Patriots, he wants to “embarrass” them.

That’s fine with Ryan, who likes to talk the talk. Sunday, we’ll see if his team can walk the walk.

The Patriots, following the cue of the keep-it-zipped Belichick, have refused to be drawn into the war of words. There’s not a whole lot of talking come out of Foxborough, but then again, you don’t expect a lot. Belichick never gives any team bulletin board fodder, and certainly won’t give any to the Jets.

“Our main focus is us and what we need to take care of as a team. We try not to pay attention to everything else,” wide receiver Wes Welker said.

That attitude plays well for the Patriots, but the Jets needed a new attitude, and Ryan has given it to them. Even if it doesn’t result in a victory on Sunday, at least Ryan has made the Jets an interesting franchise. After several years under the rudder-less leadership of Eric Mangini, that’s certainly a welcome sign.