New York Yankees defeat the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of the ALCS

 

The New York Yankees defeated the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of the ALCS on Monday night.  The game took place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York and the final score was 5-2.  Carlos Rodon got the start for the Yankees, and he pitched well.  The bullpen did their job, and the offense was led by Juan Soto who had two hits. 

Rodon pitched six innings giving up one run on three hits.  He walked none and struck out nine and earned his first win of the postseason.  Clay Holmes pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout, Tim Hill pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up three hits and a run and Luke Weaver pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up a walk and he struck out four.  Weaver earned his fourth save of the postseason. 

Alex Cobb started for the Guardians, and he pitched 2 2/3 innings giving up five hits and three runs with three walks and three strikeouts.  Cobb took his second loss of the postseason.  Joey Cantillo pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up a run and three walks with a strikeout, Pedro Avila pitched 2 2/3 innings with a strikeout and Erik Sabrowski pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up a hit and a run with three strikeouts.  Andrew Walters pitched an inning giving up a walk and he struck out one. 

Gleyber Torres had a hit and drew a walk, Soto had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk and Aaron Judge had an RBI and drew a walk.  Giancarlo Stanton had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk, Anthony Volpe drew a walk and Anthony Rizzo had a hit and drew a walk.  Alex Verdugo had a hit and drew a walk, Soto and Stanton each hit a homerun, and the Yankees were 0-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.  Hill committed an error, and Wells had a passed ball. 

Steven Kwan had a hit and an RBI, David Fry had a hit and Lane Thomas drew a walk.  Jhonkensy Noel had a hit, Andres Gimenez had a hit and Brayan Rocchio had two hits and an RBI.  Rocchio hit a homerun and the Guardians were 1-4 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. 

In the bottom of the third Soto hit a solo homerun giving the Yankees a 1-0 lead.  Two wild pitches pushed the lead to 3-0.  In the bottom of the fourth Judge hit a sac fly and it was 4-0 Yankees.  In the top of the sixth Rocchio hit a solo homerun cutting the lead to 4-1.  In the bottom of the seventh Stanton hit a solo homerun extending the Yankees lead to 5-1 and in the top of the eighth Kwan hit an RBI single making it a 5-2 game.  5-2 would be the final score and the Yankees have a 1-0 series lead with Game 2 on Tuesday night in the Bronx. 

New York Yankees take Game 1 of ALDS

The New York Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins in Game 1 of the ALDS on Friday night.  The game took place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York and the final score was 10-4.  James Paxton started for the Yankees and he pitched well, the bullpen did their job and DJ LeMahieu led the offense with three hits and four RBI. 

Paxton pitched 4 2/3 innings giving up five hits and three runs with a walk and eight strikeouts.  Adam Ottavino pitched to one batter and walked him, Tommy Khanle earned the win pitching 2/3 of an inning and giving up a hit and a run with a walk and a strikeout and Chad Green pitched 2/3 of an inning.  Zack Britton pitched an inning with a walk and a strikeout, J.A. Happ pitched an inning giving up a hit and a walk with two strikeouts and Aroldis Chapman pitched an inning giving up a walk and he struck out one. 

Jose Berrios pitched four innings giving up four hits and three runs with one being earned.  He walked three and struck out six.  Zack Littell pitched giving up two runs and a walk, Tyler Duffey pitched an inning giving up a hit and a walk with three strikeouts and Cody Stashak pitched an inning giving up two hits and two runs.  Kyle Gibson pitched an inning giving up a hit and three runs with three walks and a strikeout and Brusdar Graterol pitched an inning striking out two. 

LeMahieu had three hits and four RBI, Aaron Judge had a hit and drew two walks and Brett Gardner had a hit and an RBI.  Edwin Encarnacion had two hits and an RBI, Giancarlo Stanton drew three walks and Gleyber Torres had a hit, two RBI and drew a walk.  Gary Sanchez drew a walk, Didi Gregorius drew a walk and Encarnacion hit two doubles and Torres and LeMahieu each hit a double.  LeMahieu and Gardner each hit a homerun and the Yankees were 3-13 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.  Maybin had two stolen bases and Torres had a stolen base.  LeMahieu committed an error and Sanchez had a passed ball. 

Jorge Polanco had two hits, two RBI and drew two walks, Nelson Cruz had a hit, an RBI and drew two walks and Miguel Sano had a hit and an RBI.  Max Kepler drew two walks, Marwin Gonzalez had two hits and Luis Arraez had a hit.  Gonzalez and Arraez each hit a double.  Polanco, Cruz and Sano each hit a homerun and the Twins were 1-9 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base.  Polanco had a stolen base and Cron committed an error. 

In the first Polanco hit a solo homerun to give the Twins a 1-0 lead.  In the third Cruz hit a solo homerun to push the lead to 2-0.  In the third Encarnacion hit an RBI double to cut the lead to 2-1.  Torres grounded into a forceout but an error allowed two runs to score and give the Yankees a 3-2 lead.  In the fifth Polanco hit an RBI single to tie the game at three.  In the bottom of the fifth Torres hit a two-run double to give the Yankees a 5-3 lead.  In the sixth Sano hit a solo homerun cutting the lead to 5-4.  In the bottom of the sixth LeMahieu hit a solo homerun and Gardner hit a solo homerun extending the Yankees lead to 7-4.  In the bottom of the seventh LeMahieu hit a three-run double and it was 10-4 Yankees which would be the final score.  The Yankees take a 1-0 series lead and Game 2 will be played on Saturday evening at Yankee Stadium before switching to Minnesota for the next couple of games beginning on Monday night. 

The New York Mets lose the game and also their shortstop

The New York Mets were defeated in game two of the NLDS on Saturday night.  The game took place at Dodger Stadium and the final score was 5-2 Dodgers.  Noah Syndergaard started for the Mets and pitched well and Curtis Granderson led the offense with a couple of hits. 

Syndergaard pitched 6 1/3 innings giving up five hits and three runs with four walks and nine strikeouts.  Bartolo Colon gave up a run without recording an out, Addison Reed pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up two hits and a run and Jon Niese pitched to one batter and struck him out.  Hansel Robles pitched a perfect inning with a couple of strikeouts. 

Zack Greinke pitched seven innings giving up five hits and two runs with no walks and eight strikeouts.  Greinke got the win.  Chris Hatcher pitched a perfect inning with a couple of strikeouts and Kenley Jansen saved the game pitching an inning with a walk and a strikeout. 

Granderson had two hits and drew a walk, Daniel Murphy had a hit and Yoenis Cespedes had a hit and an RBI.  Michael Conforto had a hit and an RBI, Cespedes and Conforto each hit a homerun.  The Mets were 0-2 with runners in scoring position and left one men on base.  Murphy was caught stealing. 

Howie Kendrick had a hit and an RBI, Adrian Gonzalez had a hit and two RBI and Justin Turner had two hits and an RBI.  Andre Ethier had a hit, an RBI and drew two walks.  Enrique Hernandez had a hit and drew two walks, Chase Utley had a hit and Turner hit two doubles.  Ethier and Gonzlez each hit a double and the Dodgers were 4-12 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.  Crawford and Hernandez each had a stolen base. 

In the second Cespedes hit a solo homerun to give the Mets a 1-0 lead.  In the second Conforto hit a solo homerun to extend the lead to 2-0 Mets.  In the fourth Ethier hit an RBI double to cut the lead to 2-1.  In the seventh the Dodgers tied the game at two with a fielder's choice.  The play resulted in a violent collision at second base and the shortstop Tejada leaving with a broken leg.  Gonzalez hit an RBI double to give the Dodgers a 4-2 lead, Turner hit an RBI double to make it 5-2 and that would be the final score of the game. 

The two teams have split the first two games in the best of five series.  The third game will be at Citi Field in New York on Monday night with game four to follow on Tuesday night and then if game five is needed it will be back in Los Angeles on Thursday night.  The big play of this game was the takeout slide by Utley and the resulting broken leg by Tejada the shortstop of the Mets.  This will continue to draw a lot of discussion and debate and maybe even result in a rule change so stay tuned.  Utley was suspended two games but is appealing and awaiting on the appeal to be heard so he can continue to play.   

The New York Mets take game one of NLDS

The New York Mets defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.  The game took place at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California and the final score was 3-1 Mets.  Jacob deGrom started for the Mets and pitched great and the bullpen did their job.  Curtis Granderson led the offense with two of the teams five hits. 

deGrom pitched seven innings giving up five hits and no runs with a walk and 13 strikeouts.  deGrom earned the win for the game.  Tyler Clippard pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up two hits and a run and Jeurys Familia pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings. 

Clayton Kershaw pitched 6 2/3 innings giving up four hits and three runs with four walks and 11 strikeouts.  Kershaw suffered the loss despite pitching pretty well.  Pedro Baez pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up a hit and he struck out one, Joel Peralta pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout and Chris Hatcher pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout. 

Granderson had two hits and drew a walk, David Wright had a hit, two RBI and drew a walk and Daniel Murphy had a hit and an RBI.  Lucas Duda had a hit and drew a walk, Ruben Tejada drew a walk and Murphy hit a homerun.  The Mets were 1-2 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. 

Howie Kendrick had two hits, Cory Seager had a hit and Adrian Gonzalez had a hit and an RBI.  Justin Turner had two hits, A.J. Ellis had a hit and Joc Pederson drew a walk.  Turner, Seager and Kendrick each hit a double.  The Dodgers were 1-8 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. 

In the fourth Murphy hit a solo homerun giving the Mets a 1-0 lead.  In the seventh Wright hit a two run single to give the Mets a 3-0 lead.  In the eighth Gonzalez hit an RBI single to make it 3-1 but that would be the final score.  The Mets take a 1-0 series lead in the best of five NLDS.   

The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in four games to advance to NLCS

The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in four games to advance to their fourth straight NLCS.  It is the first time a team has appeared in four straight LCS since the 1998-2001 New York Yankees.  The St. Louis Cardinals don't seem to have the best team but they are always there.  The Cardinals have a great business model though.  They have a lot of young guys that are inexpensive that they work in mainly through their own system.  The Cardinals of course sign some free agents like Matt Holliday but he even comparably isn't that bad of a contract. 

The Cardinals won this series though mainly for one reason.  I give them credit and lots of it for never panicking, for coming back in the late innings.  Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers though blew two games.  He is the best pitcher in baseball, he had an incredible year but he had a 6-1 lead in game one of the series and blew that in a horrendous seventh inning and then in game four he had a 2-0 lead and was cruising along and blew that in the seventh inning.  The worst part is that he gave up the game winning three run homer to Matt Adams.  He hasn't given up a homerun to a left handed batter in two years and never off of his curveball.  Adams also wasn't hitting that great this season but he had his big moment in game four. 

The Dodgers also had no one to trust out of the bullpen other than their closer.  Jansen though the closer only got into one game.  It was a contrast of styles as the Dodgers are a free spending big time organization and then there are the Cardinals who don't spend that much money but keep on turning up in the NLCS.  It is amazing that the biggest spenders this year didn't make it out of the first round if they made it to the postseason at all.  The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox both missed the playoffs.  The Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Dodgers were all bounced in the first round.  What does this teach us?  The Cardinals are a team to be modeled after and the Kansas City Royals and Baltimore Orioles who will meet in the ALCS are more teams like the Cardinals then the biggest spending teams.  It will be interesting going forward if more and more teams act like the Cardinals.  It will be really interesting to see if the big spenders act more like them or if they keep doing what they know which is to spend more money and hope for a different outcome next season.  The Cardinals will meet up with the San Francisco Giants who have won the World Series twice in the last four years.  This would be their third time in five years if they end up winning it all this year. 

New York Yankees notes after a disappointing 2-4 road trip

The New York Yankees just completed a 2-4 road trip through Tampa Bay and Toronto. Here are some notes from Wednesday night; the Yankees were off on Thursday. The Yankees will begin a long homestand on Friday night against the Orioles followed by the White Sox and the Red Sox.

Hiroki Kuroda has been the Yankees ace really for the past two years now. He has become very hittable over his last couple of starts though. Joe Girardi said his command hasn’t been as sharp and he doesn’t know why. Kuroda is 38 years old and maybe it is catching up to him a little or maybe it is just a bad stretch that every baseball player goes through.

Eduardo Nunez tweaked his knee on Tuesday night and was scratched late on Wednesday. He will have an MRI on Thursday; he told Bryan Hoch he is worried he could miss two weeks or more. Mark Reynolds started at second and looked pretty good, he was a middle infielder in college and the minor leagues.

Alex Rodriguez tried to score from first in the fourth inning and was thrown out. Girardi said he didn’t have a problem with the decision but it did kind of halt the Yankees rally. Stewart had a passed ball in the first that led to two runs. He said he called a slider and a fastball was thrown but he tried to force the issue and should of just eaten the ball instead of throwing it wild and allowing the two runs to score. It was 4-0 instead of 2-0 and maybe the game would have been different without that play.

The Yankees have 29 games to play and a lot of teams in front of them. They really can’t afford to lose many more games. It looks like they will have to go somewhere around 20-9 to make it. I don’t think it is going to happen but it is possible. The Yankees will have to go 8-2 on this homestand to have any chance.

Yankees ALDS Game Two postgame notes

Here are the postgame notes after the Yankees lost game two on Monday night in Baltimore.  The series will now shift to New York for the remainder of the series.  The Yankees hope they can win the next two and move on but if it goes to a fifth and deciding game they will be home for that also.  Hiroki Kuroda will take on Miguel Gonzalez in Game Three.  The notes are courtesy of the Lohud Yankees blog. 

This was Andy Pettitte answering about how he pitched. “No, because I didn’t,” Pettitte said, offering the most predictable answer of the night. “… It’s a playoff game. The bottom line is that you know that if you give up too many runs, that number doesn’t have to get up too high before it adds up to a loss. Like I said, we had a lot of guys in scoring position, a lot of opportunity. We just weren’t able to take advantage of it.”

Leading the series one game to none with a one-run lead against the Orioles and Pettitte on the mound, that was the opportunity. There were a lot of other opportunities sprinkled in — bases loaded in the fourth, tying run at third in the seventh, two on with no outs in the first — but the Yankees got just two runs, and that wasn’t enough. Two runs meant Pettitte’s three runs were too many, which meant the series is shifting to New York tied.  I thought Pettitte pitched well but the Yankees offense just didn't get the job done and didn't help him much. 

“No one this time of year is going to lay down for you,” Alex Rodriguez said.

Thing is, tonight was the broken record that was supposed to stop playing months ago. Ten runners left on base, five of them in scoring position, three of those with fewer than two outs.  This has been their achilles heel all season and it hasn't gotten them yet but if it keeps up it will in this series and then they will go home. 

“I believe these guys are going to come through,” Joe Girardi said, for the hundredth time this year. “I believe they’re going to put good at-bats, they’re going to keep putting runners on, and they’re going to break through. I believe in them.”  Girardi is loyal and they have bounced back all year so why shouldn't he believe they will do it again. 

The Yankees came through in a big way late last night, not so much tonight.

“Wasted opportunity?” Russell Martin said. “I don’t know. You have to win the series, that’s really what it comes down to. We split on the road, and we come back home, and we believe we can win two out of three over there. It’s part of the game. You’re trying to make something happen, and sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you hit the ball hard and it gets caught. Sometimes you drop one at the right time. So it’s not something to go crazy about. I feel like we’re a good team, and we’re going to bounce back, and we’re going to give them a hard time at home.”  I would agree that going home to Yankee Stadium should be a huge advantage.  I know the Orioles played well this year but this is a new season and a different animal.  We will see how the crowd is and how the Orioles react to it. 

 Legitimately tough break for the Yankees in the first inning when Rodriguez actually hit a ball pretty hard, only to have Robert Andino make a great diving stop, turning an RBI single into a deflating double play. “I can’t believe he made that play,” Rodriguez said. “It was really an incredible play. I thought that ball was by him. I saw it into center field, it’s first-and-third, 1-0, and here we go. … That’s a big momentum change for them. That ball goes through, we might score two or three in the first and the momentum changes for us. The one thing about the playoffs, you might have the biggest play of the game in the first inning. I think tonight we saw that.”  I would agree with him, that could of changed the whole game, definitely that inning. 

Bad luck on that play, but Rodriguez also went 1-for-5 with two more strikeouts tonight. Hard to make too much of two games, but this feels more like a continuation of the last three weeks of the season. Girardi once again said he plans to keep Rodriguez batting third. “Right now, I don’t plan on making any chances to our lineup,” Girardi said.  If I had to guess, I would bet that Cano will hit third in game three and Arod fourth or fifth. 

Maybe he’s just being his usual self, but Pettitte was especially hard on himself tonight. “I felt really good early, and pretty suspect after that,” he said. “I don’t really feel like I lost command of the strike zone, really. When you’re out there, and there’s certain pitches you want to make. For the most part my stuff wasn’t as sharp as I would like, but I feel for the most part I was able to get it to the area where I was trying to.”

Martin didn’t really see it that way. “It was just one pitch (to Chris Davis), really,” Martin said. “I felt like he was pretty good all game. … If there’s one pitch he didn’t command probably as well as he wanted to it was his cutter. That’s a really big pitch for him. At times it seemed like he had a really good feel for it, and at others it looked like he wasn’t making great pitches with it. He’s definitely tough on himself, but on our side, we’ve got to score more runs and we’ve got to produce when we have the opportunities.”

The biggest blow was the Davis two-run single in the third. “Trying to go low and away, just left it up over the middle of the plate,” Pettitte said.

Why didn’t Nick Swisher try to throw home on that play? “Davis hit it so hard, just a big one hop,” Swisher said. “Really, just trying to keep them there are first and second rather than try and make a throw home and maybe get a little antsy and overthrowing the cut and next thing you know it’s first and third or second and third. I just thought it was a smart play at the time.”

Speaking of defensive plays on the right side, should Robinson Cano have knocked down Mark Reynolds’ RBI single? Girardi said he didn’t think so because of where Cano was playing, and Cano said he didn’t think a dive would have kept the ball in the infield. “We all know he’s a guy that pulls the ball, so the last thing in your mind is that he’s going to hit the ball the other way,” Cano said.

The Yankees highlight was surely Ichiro Suzuki giving them a 1-0 lead with his tag-dodging play at the plate in the first inning. “I’ve never done it before,” Ichiro said. “Obviously you look at the size of me, and look at the size of the catchers, I’d probably have to have some kind of weapon to make something happen when I went into the plate. I knew that if I just went into home, it would be an out. So I thought that if I could make something happen, maybe I would be safe is what I was thinking. Obviously I was trying to use my head and see if maybe I could use my head to make something happen.”

Ichiro said his teammates were calling him “ninja” and “Matrix” in the dugout. “In baseball, there’s times when it’s not that you’re not hustling, but slowing down and speeding up sometimes can make a difference,” he said. “It’s not that you’re not hustling, but it’s not just all going fast.”

Cano on the decision to intentionally walk him in the seventh: “Wieters said, ‘We’re going to walk you.’ I started to laugh. I thought he was joking.”

Why walk Cano with a lefty on the mound? Swisher is 1-for-18 against Brian Matusz. “The numbers speak for themselves,” Swisher said. “I don’t really hit him as well as I would like to, but man, go there in that 3-2 count. Angel’s zone was kind of a little bit big at times. Got that fastball down, just trying to line it right back up the box, just kind of got underneath it.”

Girardi on not using Brett Gardner to run for Teixeira in the eighth: “I knew we weren’t going to be able to run on Matusz in that situation. If I’m going to use Gardy, it’s going to be a situation where I think we can run.”

Phil Hughes was throwing in the bullpen late in the game. He was just throwing his between-starts bullpen, not warming up to pitch.

Give the final word to Girardi: “We get to go home, and we’ve played very well at home and we’re going to have to continue to do that if we’re going to move on. It seems like Baltimore and us have kind of went back and forth all year, and that’s what we did here. … Whoever plays the best (is going to win). I mean, that’s the bottom line. Whoever pitches the best and scores in their opportunities is really what’s going to make the difference.”

New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles Series Preview

The New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles played 18 games this season and split them 9-9. The two teams will be going at it in the ALDS. This is the first time that divisional opponents can meet in the first round. This is going to be a look at the series and what I think could happen and some keys as well as matchups. 
I think the Yankees will win this series because they are a better team but anything could happen in the postseason. I do think that starting on the road is kind of unfortunate for the better team but if the Yankees can go out and win game one on Sunday night the pressure will be on the Orioles to win game two and get back to New York tied. I think the Yankees play well on the road and especially in Baltimore. The Yankees will send CC Sabathia their ace to the mound followed by Andy Pettitte. Hiroki Kuroda will start Game three which will be the first home game. Kuroda is much better at home and this was the right choice.

I think the Yankees have the edge on offense and starting pitching. The Orioles probably have the edge in the bullpen. The Yankees have three good starters and a fourth who won 16 games. The Orioles pitching has been pretty good this season but they aren’t household names. Jason Hammel who hasn’t started since the beginning of September is their game one starter, I think that says a lot.

Mark Reynolds has been very good at first since moving there but you still have to say Mark Teixeira is the better first baseman. I think the extra three days off really helps him, if he can come back strong now that is a big boost for the Yankees. The Yankees clearly have the edge at second and short. The third base comparison is interesting as Alex Rodriguez is clearly on the downside of his career. Manny Machado is a raw rookie who has promise but also has shown that he can struggle also. He strikes out a lot and is a guy that you can get out. I think the experience would favor Arod for now but in the long run you want Machado. In the outfield I would give the Orioles the advantage in center with Adam Jones over Curtis Granderson. In right field it would have been close with Nick Markakis and Nick Swisher but Markakis is hurt and the edge goes to the Yankees. In left field it may be a toss up right now.

I would have to predict that the Yankees will win the series in four games.

The New York Giants defeat the Dallas Cowboys to win the NFC East

The New York Giants defeated the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night by the score of 31-14. The win gave the Giants the NFC East Championship and a spot in the postseason for the first time since 2008. The Giants will take on the Atlanta Falcons next Sunday at home in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Eli Manning was brilliant once again and Victor Cruz who has become a household name this season came up big again. The Giants defense which has been maligned for most of the season had another strong game especially rushing the passer. 
Manning was 24-33 for 346 yards, three touchdowns and he didn’t throw an interception. Ahmad Bradshaw rushed 16 times for 57 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Jacobs rushed seven times for 16 yards, D.J. Ware carried it twice for 19 yards and Manning rushed six times for 14 yards. The leading receiver was Cruz who caught six balls for 178 yards and a touchdown. Hakeem Nicks caught five passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. Henry Hynoski the fullback had four catches for 31 yards, Bear Pascoe had two catches for 14 yards and Devin Thomas had a catch for 14 yards. Travis Beckum had two catches for 13 yards, Bradshaw had three catches for 12 yards and a touchdown and Ware had one catch for eight yards. Lawrence Tynes made 1-2 field goals. He missed a 40 yard field goal.

The Giants had six sacks after they had five last week so the vaunted pass rush is coming back to life after not doing anything since the beginning of the season. The Giants have dealt with a lot of injuries and with their four main pass rushers playing together now they may be peaking at the right time. The sacks came from Jason Pierre-Paul, Jaquin Williams, Chris Canty, Justin Tuck and two from Osi Umenyiora who made his return after missing four straight games.

Tony Romo was 29-37 for 289 yards two touchdowns and an interception. Felix Jones rushed the ball 11 times for 30 yards, Sammy Morris rushed it three times for 16 yards and Romo had two rushes for three yards. Romo deserves a lot of credit as he was hurting from his hand and he was really getting beat up back there but he tried to rally the team from a 21 point defecit. Dez Bryant led the Cowboys receivers with six catches for 70 yards. Jason Witten caught seven passes for 69 yards, Jones caught seven passes for 47 yards and Laurent Robinson caught four passes for 61 yards and two touchdowns. Miles Austin caught two passes for 20 yards, Tony Fiammetta caught one pass for 14 yards. Bennett caught one pass for five yards and Morris one for three yards. The kicker missed his only field goal attempt which was from 56 yards.

The Cowboys defense was able to get a couple of sacks on Manning who has been so good at escaping pressure. Ware got 1 ½ sacks and Jason Hatcher had ½ a sack. Abram Elam led the team with nine tackles and an assist.

The Giants at 9-7 won the NFC East and will host the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the playoffs next Sunday at 1:00PM. The Cowboys finish their season at 8-8 and will go home. If the Giants win that game then they will play either the Green Bay Packers or San Francisco 49ers away.

The New York Giants win the Battle Of New York

The New York Giants defeated the New York Jets by the score of 29-14 on Saturday afternoon. It was a close game for most of the day until the Giants pulled away at the end of the fourth quarter. It wasn’t the prettiest of games, especially in the fourth quarter but the Giants made fewer mistakes and executed when they needed to. They kept their season alive and will now play for the NFC East Title on Sunday night Football on January 1, 2012. 
Eli Manning was 9-27 for 225 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Ahmad Bradshaw rushed for 54 yards on 15 carries and he had two touchdowns. Brandon Jacobs had seven carries for 42 yards and D.J. Ware had three carries for 20 yards. Victor Cruz was the leading receiver with three catches for 164 yards and a touchdown. He did have one catch for 99 yards. Hakeem Nicks had one catch for 20 yards, Jacobs had one for 13 and Devin Thomas had one catch for 11 yards. Bradshaw had one catch for eight yards. Lawrence Tynes was 2-2 on field goals with his long being 36 yards and he made three extra points.

Mark Sanchez threw more passes then he has ever thrown for the Jets. He was 30-59 for 258 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Shonn Greene rushed for 58 yards on 14 carries, LaDainian Tomlinson had 29 yards on five carries and Sanchez had 13 yards on four carries and a touchdown.

Dustin Keller was the leading receiver with eight catches for 77 yards. Santonio Holmes had four catches for 50 yards, Tomlinson had six catches for 36 yards and Jeremy Kerley had five catches for 36 yards. Plaxico Burress had three catches for 34 yards. Nick Folk missed the only field goal he attempted and made two extra points.

Kenny Phillips and Corey Webster each had an interception for the Giants. Webster and Antrelle Rolle led the team with seven tackles each. Jason Pierre-Paul had two sacks. Justin Tuck, Dave Tollefson and Chris Canty each had a sack. The Jets defense had one interception by David Harris and Muhammad Wilkerson led the team with three tackles and two assists with a sack.

The Jets will play Miami in Miami on Sunday needing a win and three other teams to lose to make the playoffs. The Giants will play for the division crown on Sunday night Football at home against the Dallas Cowboys. If they win the game they will be in the playoffs and have a home game in the first round and if they lose they will miss out on the playoffs once again and have another second half collapse that could end the Tom Coughlin era with the Giants.

New York Knicks week in Review

This past week the Knicks played a home and home series with the Bulls and lost both games. Their record falls to 19-34 on the season and they are 7 1/2 games out of the playoffs. They only have 29 games left to play, they have lost 10 of their last 14 and the season seems to be slipping away. The first game against the Bulls on Tuesday saw the Bulls crush the Knicks by the score of 118-85. Derrick Rose proved to be too much to handle as he scored a game high 29 points. The Bulls were leading by 14 at the half and pulled away in the third quarter by taking a commanding 95-68 lead. David Lee led the way for the Knicks with 24 points and 12 rebounds. The Knicks didn't fare much better on Wednesday night at the Garden. They blew a 15 point lead to lose once again to the Bulls. They lost 115-109, this extended their losing streak to 5 games. Rose led the bulls again with 27 points and All Harrington led the Knicks with 27 points. The Knicks were without Nate Robinson who was traded to the Celtics for Eddie House.

NFL Playoffs Recap

The New Orleans Saints came into their playoff game with the Arizona Cardinals limping. They had lost 3 straight to end the season after opening with 13 straight victories. The Arizona Cardinals won a thrilling game against Green Bay last week and were riding some momentum. The Saints took care of all that yesterday and looked like the team they were for most of the season. They beat the Cardinals by the score of 45-14. The Saints took the time at the end of the season and the bye to rest some guys and get healthy. Jeremy Shockey was back and played a good game. He was his wild, emotional self and that seemed to lift the Saints early. Reggie Bush had his best game as a pro with over 200 all purpose yards. He looked like the man that played at USC 4 yrs ago and won the heisman. The Saints will take on the Vikings at home in their first every NFC Championship game. The Saints will be looking to make their first trip to the Super Bowl. The Vikings led by ageless wonder Brett Favre put a spanking on the Dallas Cowboys today and beat them 34-3. Dallas was riding momentum after finishing the season strong and then winning their first playoff game in 15 years last week. Minnesota weathered a early storm from Dallas and then never looked back. They finished the season 9-0 at home. They will take on the Saints in New Orleans next week, it should be a high scoring game. The Indianapolis Colts who were heavily criticized for not going for the record undefeated season came out and took care of business over the Baltimore Ravens yesterday. They won the game 20-3. They were never really in danger in this game and the Colts didn't look great but they didn't have to be in this one. They will host the AFC title game for the right to go to the Super Bowl. The New York Jets who have been the big underdogs keep living up to their talking. They came out to San Diego and weathered a dominating first half by the Chargers. The Chargers were in control but only led 7-0 at the half. The New York Jets turned it on in the second half and won the game by the score of 17-14. Nick Kading the placekicker will be kicking himself for missing 3 field goals. The Jets defense is starting to really earn its stripes and will now head to Indianapolis for what will be their toughest test. The thing is if they could go into San Diego and win they could probably beat anyone. San Diego definitely helped the Jets but all that matters is they got the victory, it doesn't matter how. The Jets and their fans should enjoy this one and then start looking ahead to Indy. The Jets beat the Colts in Indy in week 15 after the Colts were heavily criticized for pulling their starters after the first half. The Colts will surely be fired up for this one as they want to show the Jets they can beat them. It should be a fun weekend next weekend with the title games.

Recap of Wildcard Weekend

Wildcard weekend lived up to it's name, it was wild. The Jets/Bengals game which started it all off and last nights Green Bay/Arizona game were the good ones. The Dallas Philly and NE/Balt games were pretty much blowouts. I will start with the Jets/Bengals game since the New York Jets are the home team for me. The New York Jets played a pretty dominant game, good defense and a solid running game. They also didn't turn the ball over and Mark Sanchez was good, they didn't make him throw it all that often which is a good thing. He really wasn't in any third and longs which is another way from limiting the mistakes that he could possibly make. The Bengals were awful especially there quarterback Carson Palmer who was overthrowing guys left and right. Chad Ochocinco once again was shut down and maybe he needs to learn how to shut his mouth and just play the game. I give the Jets credit for getting down 7-0 but not panicking and once they tied the game up they took control. It looked early on like the Jets could be in trouble but they weathered the storm and then were fine after that. They will now move on to play San Diego in San Diego on Sunday afternoon. The other AFC game between New England and Baltimore was a shocker. The Patriots were down 21-0 before you even blinked and they just couldn't catch up. I wonder if Tom Brady was really hurt as he played a terrible game, he wasn't helped by the offensive line which just let him get beat up back there. The Patriots are still a good team but are no longer the dominant team and have some work to do to get back there. Baltimore will travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts on Saturday. The NFC started off with the Dallas Cowboys once again dominating the Philadelphia Eagles. I guess you could say that Tony Romo and Wade Philips have the monkey off of their back now. They look like they are going to be a tough out the rest of the way. The offense is really rolling along with Romo looking sharp and their defense has been playing great. I really think Brett Favre and the Vikings are going to be in for a really tough battle. The last game of wildcard weekend turned out to be a really fun and entertaining shootout. The Arizona Cardinals got up big on the Green Bay Packers but to their credit they wouldn't quit and battled all the way back. Arizona had a chance to win it on a chip shot field goal in the closing seconds but missed it and the game went into OT. This was a game where it was back and forth and the teams kept matching each other score for score. There was basically no defense in this game and then when it is all said and done the game ends in OT with a fumble return for a TD by Arizona which will go on and play the Saints in New Orleans.

NFL Week 17

The New York Giants will play their final game of the season tomorrow afternoon in Minnesota. The Giants would like to win the game to finish the season on a positive note and also have a winning season, they are currently 8-7. The New York Jet on the other hand will play tomorrow night at home against the Cincinatti Bengals needing a win to get into the playoffs. I am pretty sure that the Bengals are going to rest their starters making it much easier on the Jets. I don't see how the Jets are going to lose this game and I don't really see how the Giants are going to win their game. The reason I can't see the Giants winning is because the Vikings will still be playing for a chance at the second seed which is homefield advantage and a bye. I am sure Brett Favre will be coming out throwing the ball all over and the Giants defense just isn't up to the task of stopping anyone. I could see the Giants offense competing and going out with a bang but if anything it will be a high scoring affair. I am going to pick the Vikings in this game by the score of 38-31. I can't see the Jets losing because why would the Bengals play anyone? If the Jets win they will have to travel to Cincy the next week to play them again. The Jets have to go all out and show everything when the Bengals don't have to show them anything and can prepare for them better after they see them up close and personal. I will pick the Jets in this game by the score of 24-17.

No Rival to Red Sox in 2000s -- MLB FanHouse

I know this is a couple of days old but I didn't get a chance to get to this. This article comes from Ed Price of Fanhouse. I just don't get how someone can even think of saying the Red Sox had no rival in this past decade. It is fine if you want to try and make the argument that they are the team of the decade but the Yankees obviously have to be in the discussion. The New York Yankees only missed the playoffs once which was in 2008 and they won 4 pennants and 8 division titles to go along with their 2 bookend World Titles. The Boston Red Sox won 2 titles also, no other team won more then one. The Red Sox also missed the playoffs 4 times in the decade, they won 2 pennants and 1 division title. Please take a look at this article and let him know what you think. No Rival to Red Sox in 2000s -- MLB FanHouse

Jets Review and Giants Preview

The New York Jets took on the Atlanta Falcons at Giants stadium yesterday and to say it was ugly is a understatement. The Falcons just aren't that good of a team and were officially eliminated from the postseason on Saturday night when the Cowboys won. The Jets defense was good as it has been for most of the season. The Problem for the Jets is other then the nice 60+ yard bomb that Braylon Edwards caught for a touchdown they couldn't do much offensively. Mark Sanchez looked like a rookie once again with 3 interceptions and the kicking game failed 3 times in 3 different ways. They missed one field goal, had one muffed snap and had another blocked. How is it possible for all of those mistakes in one game especially a pretty much must win game. I know the Jets still technically have a chance but does anyone think they are going to win in Indianapolis who I really think is going to try and go undefeated or at home against Cincinatti. I think the Jets need too many things to go right and they have to win both of their games. I think for the most part Rex Ryan has done a good job and the quarterback has shown flashes of brilliance but they are both rookies in their jobs and you have to go through growing pains. I know as Jets fans they have been through nothing but misery other then that one glorious day with Joe Namath but at least they are building and look pretty good for the future. The Giants are also in must win mode themselves as they are down in the nations capital to take on the Washington Redskins in a monday nighter. The Giants need to win tonight and their last 2 games against Carolina at home and at Minnesota and have Dallas or Green Bay lose one game to make the playoffs. I guess they still have a chance but it is hard to believe their defense is going to turn it around. The offense is playing great and I think they will continue to play well tonight against the Redskins. I think Brandon Jacobs may have his best game and I think there will be big plays to be made with the receivers. I think the Giants will probably win this game but it won't be easy, I am looking at Giants 28 Redskins 24. I probably won't have a recap tonight but I will have one tomorrow and hopefully it is a happy one. I hope the Giants will take more chances with the blitzing and get to Jason Campbell who has played well but can be rattled.

Jets Staying Alive, Staying Alive

The New York Jets defeated the Buffalo Bills by the score of 19-13. The Jets defense was good once again and the running game did most of the work. The last 2 wins came by running and good defense with Mark Sanchez not having to do much. Darel Revis once again shut down a top flight receiver with this week being TO. The New York Jets pretty much have to win out to make the playoffs but right now they are in the picture at 6-6 and can only worry about one game at a time. The Jets play Tampa which is a winnable game and then they will play Atlanta, Indianapolis and Cincinatti the last 3 games so it will get more difficult but maybe by then the Jets will have some swagger back and build on that. The least they want to do is at least finish strong and feel good going into next season. The only blemish on the game was Mark Sanchez spraining his knee, he may be able to play on Sunday though so we will wait and see on that.

Playoff schedule to change next year

Bud Selig announced today that the playoff schedule will be tightening up next season. I do think it was crazy this season how many off days there were. Bud Selig said " We are going to change it, I don't disagree with Mike Scioscia. I think he was right, so we're going to try and tighten that up." The Yankees played 15 games in 36 days from the end of the regular season to the end of the World Series. Baseball players are used to playing everyday, they play 162 games in 180 days. I understand that TV plays a factor and you have travel so it won't exactly be the same as the regular season but they should play as often as possible. If a series ends there is no reason that the team has to wait around for a week. I think when a series ends on a Saturday or Sunday they should be playing by that Wednesday. Bud Selig also said " When you plan the playoff schedule, you don't know how many games the first round will go so that is difficult. There were clubs that sat around, some were necessary, but some were not." Bud Selig also spoke about looking at instant replay and reworking the draft. His big thing is a slotting system to regulate signing bonuses but we will see what happens. I don't think they will do anything with instant replay yet but after all the missed calls in the postseason it has become a very hot topic and something has to be done. I don't see anything happening with the draft system but I am guessing he is trying to keep the teams like the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers from overslotting and getting the best players that way but the thing is those teams always draft near the bottom so it is fair in that way.

ALDS Playoff matchups

The NL is all set with the Cardinals taking on the Dodgers and the Phillies playing the Rockies. The Phillies and Dodgers have homefield. Here is the schedule of the games. Wed- Rockies at Phillies 2:37PM Wed- Cards at Dodgers 9:37PM Thurs- Rockies at Phillies 2:37PM Thurs- Cards at Dodgers 9:37PM Sat- Dodgers at Cards 6:07PM Sat- Phillies at Rockies 9:37PM The AL will have the Red Sox taking on the Angels and the Yankees taking on the Tigers or Twins who will play Tuesday night at 5:07 to decide who will head to New York. Here is the tentative schedule assuming the Yankees pick the longer series. Wed- Twins/Tigers at Yankees 6:07PM Thurs- Red Sox at Angels 9:37PM Friday- Twins/Tigers at Yanks 6:07PM Friday- Red Sox at Angels 9:37PM The rest of the schedule will be determined at a later date as the games move along.

Are you ready for some football?

The football season starts today locally with the Jets and Giants both in action. This blog is called Yanks and More so I have to start covering the football as well although my main focus will be the Yanks and baseball as we are nearing the playoffs and hopefully a world series run for the New York Yankees. I am going to do a quick preview. The Giants take on the Redskins at home and I would expect a tough defensive battle. The Giants will run the ball as lot and try to control the clock. I would expect the Giants to win 17-10 somewhere in that range. The Jets start a new era with Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez. I would expect the Jets to be competitive this season but don't get too excited. This is going to be about growth and the future. I think Sanchez could be very good and should be the franchise quarterback for a long time but lets see how he develops. The game today in Texas against the Texans will be very e tough. I would say then Texans win 24-21. I will start going more in depth next week with the games and tonight or tomorrow will have the postgame recaps and reaction.