I'm sure those of you who have been keeping up with the Yanks know that Cashman has decided to come back. He has been extended through 2011. This is great news since I think he knows what's best for the future of the team better than anyone else. He will bring us a step closer to winning a World Series.

My new favorite free agent pitcher since Lohse was signed by the Cards is Oliver Perez. The guy's an absolute stud and he would perfectly fill the need for a dominating lefty in our starting 5. He is especially effective against lefties. This past year, for example, lefties batted a mere .158 against him. Think about some of the tough lefties the Yanks have to face in the AL East: David Ortiz, J.D. Drew, Carlos Pena, Carl Crawford, Nick Markakis, and Aubrey Huff to name a few. Also, Perez is used to the pressure of being in New York, since he is a Met. The best part is that he is only 27. Some negatives include his past inconsistent performances and the NL to AL switch that is usually so difficult on pitchers.

Lastly, I want to congratulate the White Sox on reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2005, the year in which they won it all. The question is, can they do it again? I had them winning the Central all along. Even though, I did not imagine that they would do it in such dramatic fashion. I certainly want them to win since they are the team that is least harmful to the Yanks. Red Sox, Angels, and Rays winning would result in a lot of cocky fans with bragging rights. As for whether or not they can do it is a different issue. They are facing the Rays tomorrow. The Rays have heart, but I'm not sure if their offense will be enough to propel them past a power-hitting White Sox team.

"The Cardinals announced Monday that they have agreed to a new four-year contract with right-hander Kyle Lohse, who would have been eligible for free agency after the World Series ends. The deal, which lasts through the 2012 season, includes complete no-trade protection and is worth a reported $41 million."

So, I guess the Yanks won't get lucky with this 30 year old in the offseason. I hate to say it, but it looks like Sabathia is the Yank's best offseason option. They will have trouble getting him because big market NL teams will make large counter offers for him. Sabathia has excelled as a hitter and seems like a better fit for the NL.

I'm happy for Moose. Maybe he will be able to carry some of this momentum into next season.

But what a bummer for Mets fans. Their bullpen killed them as many detractors predicted. The Mets are definitely better than the Brewers. It's too bad they didn't make it.

It's sad that both the Mets and the Yankees have identical (good) records and will not make the playoffs. Especially since teams with much worse records, such as the Dodgers are making the playoffs. But hey, that's baseball.

Tomorrow is the last game of the Yankee season. It will be a doubleheader versus the Red Sox. Unfortunately, these games mean much less than what the teams were hoping they would when the schedules first came out. There is one achievement that you should all be watching in addition to the final game at Shea. Mike Mussina, who has been a 19 game winner a few times in his career, will be going for number 20. Moose's career can be defined by a lot of near misses. He pitched 8.2 innings of no hit baseball when his no-no was broken up. All of these near misses may prove insignificant after tomorrow's performance. Let's see if Moose can overcome this elusive feat at the expense of the Red Sox.

If we look at 2008, we will see that it was both similar and different than other seasons. While two no hitters and a lot of action at the trade deadline were unique to '08, it was the balance of power shift in baseball that really surprised me. Going into 2008, the Detroit Tigers were on my list of teams to look for in the pennant race after making the blockbuster acquisitions of Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis, Jacque Jones, and Edgar Renteria. As of today, they have a .459 winning percentage. What many people didn't consider since they were in such awe was that the Tigers did not correct any of their past starting pitching and bullpen problems. They were left with a power slugging high payroll team with little starting pitching and no bullpen. While I am on this note, I can also cite the Mariners as another team that just collapsed in 2008. A few other teams did not live up to their potential, while others played better baseball than many expected form them, such as the Twins and the Rays.

In this post, I will choose 1 team that will surprise everyone next year. I will select this team from a list of the 10 worst teams of 2008 based on winning percentage.

List of 10 Worst teams:
Cincinnati
Kansas City
Detroit
San Francisco
Atlanta
Baltimore
Pittsburgh
San Diego
Seattle
Washington

Of these 10, I think the team that will most likely not be on this list next year and will surprise a lot of people is the Cincinnati Reds. I say this because they have a solid bullpen, some solid starters, and some up and coming hitting prospects who are sure to impress next year. After getting rid of Adam Dunn and Griffey, many people thought of them as a much longer term team. However, the Reds have faired well since the departures of their two principle sluggers. Brandon Phillips, Jeff Keppinger, Jay Bruce, and Jerry Hairston Jr. are among some of their very talented offensive players. They have some great starting pitchers in Aaron Harang and Edinson Volquez. If this team adds another solid starter to their rotation, you can count on them upsetting a team like the Brewers in the central division. The Brewers, I suspect, will not fair well next year due to the loss of a lot of the players who they acquired at the deadline, such as CC Sabathia and Ray Durham. They will still have a talented team, however, it will suffer a lot.

So my pick for surprise team of next year is the Cincinnati Reds. Remember to watch Moose get his 20th win tomorrow.

So the Yankee post season run is officially over after the Red Sox beat the Indians 5-4 yesterday. With Cashman's status for next year a question mark, there are many more question marks in what could be the most influential offseason in the team's history. A number of players will be free agents in the winter, freeing up $80 million in the payroll.

Here's what I think should happen:
2009 Roster
Outfield: Matsui, Nady, Abreu, Gardner. I think alternating Gardner with these guys is a good plan since you can give them days off or put them at DH. I think we should trade Melky while we still can. He is no better than Gardner and I never liked Melky's offense.

1st Base: Johnny Damon. With Giambi coming off the books, most people are speculating that the Yankees are going to pick up Teixeira. I don't understand what gives people the idea that Teix will be available. The Angels have almost as much money as the Yankees and benefit greatly from having him in the lineup. Expect them to lock him up with a long term contract. The first baseman position in baseball is one in which you can get away with having a decent/mediocre fielder since fewest balls are hit there and most of the duties of the position is to catch the ball while keeping your foot on the bag. Look at some of the other first basemen around the majors: Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder, Konerko, Frank Thomas, Kevin Millar, etc. These guys are all hitters. Having Damon at first would seem a little weird since he would be the fastest first basemen in the majors. But that is not to say that is a negative by any means. Damon is no outfielder. A Major League outfielder needs a good arm. He is similar to Juan Pierre of the Dodgers. Damon playing first would also free up the DH spot so players could alternate at that position. Damon is an offensive player at this point in his career, so this move would benefit him as well as the team. Besides, the only free agent first baseman who would be worth getting is Teixeira.

2nd Base: Robinson Cano. I have always been stoked on Cano. While he defense can be lacking at times, he has the skill to win a batting title someday. He also makes some really tough plays at 2nd base. There is no reason to get rid of him.

SS: Jeter. We can't get rid of Jeter. He isn't the best defensive shortstop in the game anymore, but he is still up there. And you can't argue with his defense. He is also the captain. Unlike Varitek, he still contributes to his team's success on the field.

3rd Base: A-Rod. I absolutely hate it when people hate on A-Rod. It's clearly a jealousy issue, with him being the highest paid baseball player. Hopefully, this odd year statistic holds true for the '09 season. '03, '05, '07 were amazing years for him. I personally think he needs a better psychologist. That is why he has clutchness issues.

Pitcher: This is where it gets pretty complicated. I'm going to outline a couple possible scenarios.

Scenario 1: Wang, Mussina, Pettitte, Hughes/Joba/Kennedy, Free agent acquisition
Scenario 2: Wang, Mussina, Hughes, Joba, Free Agent Acquisition

The complicated part of all this is the Free Agent question mark. I would personally throw Melky into the trade talks to get a high quality pitcher. Before Sabathia's trade deadline deal that sent him to the Brewers, I thought he would be a Yankee for sure. But Sabathia demonstrated his ability to hit, which gives NL teams a greater advantage if they acquire him. I expect the Dodgers or some other big market NL team to get him. A.J. Burnett is a possibility; however, I'm not sure that his inconsistency would be aided by a move to the AL East rival Yankees.

My top pick for a free agent acquisition this offseason is Kyle Lohse of the St. Louis Cardinals. Lohse is turning 30 on October 4th and is a solid Young pitcher. He played well this year and seems like he would fit the mold of the future of the Yankees. He is a Native American, so the Yanks would be one of the few organizations with 2 Native American players. Usually, I am not too fond of pitcher acquisitions from the NL. Look at Burnett, Willis, Pavano, etc. However, Lohse held his own this year against the Rays and the Red Sox, who are our division rivals. Against Boston, he gave up 1 earned run over 6 innings at Fenway. He also gave up 2 earned runs over 6 innings against the Rays. Lohse has also pitched in the AL before, so he is used t the level of play.

Here are his stats for the 2008 season through today:
15-6 record
3.78 ERA
1.30 WHIP
119 K
49 BB

One of the main reasons why I like him is that it won't be nearly as hard to get him. Sabathia is going to cost a lot of money and the Brewers own him until the winter so we would have to give up some prospects. Lohse is only 30 and is good enough for the job that we need him to do. Plus, Sabathia has been pitching so many complete games that his value has become diminished.

That is my take on the offseason. Let's hope we get Lohse.

So this is my first official post. It's pretty exciting to have a new medium to vent my frustrations and boast about the success of the Yankees. The name of this blog reflects my prediction (hope) about the future. Brett Gardner as many of you may know is an outfield prospect for the Yanks who has gotten some playing time in the majors due to 40 man September rosters. While he has a mediocre .180 batting average in his limited MLB appearances, I believe that he has the potential to be better than Damon. He is already faster and has a better arm, so that makes him a better fielder by default. All it takes is for him to replicate his offensive performance in the minors.

Here are his minor league numbers:

BA: .296

HR: 3

RBI: 32

SB: 37 

He will become a valuable asset to the team when he brings his average up.

Since I have high hopes for the future of my blog, I will list a few of my goals:

1. To be as unbiased a Yankee supporter as possible. I often hate hearing ignorant fans, even Yankee ones, talk about how their team is the best without giving any real reasons. Some could say that's pride, I call it ignorance.

2. To have a community. I would very much like to hear feedback from fellow readers and bloggers. The blog is a great way to bounce ideas off fellow fans.

3. To learn a lot. While I claim to know a lot, there is still much that I don't know.

4. To have fun.

I will consider this a meaningful experience if I can meet these 4 basic goals. I might as well attempt to compose a real entry to give you prospective readers something to look forward to.

So the Yanks are still technically in the race. The probability of us making it is very slim, but who am I to say that the season is over until it is officially over. Look at the '07 mets. But realistically, we shouldn't get our hopes up.

As for next season, I hope Cashman decides to come back. I share the same sentiment as the rest of the Yankee community. I truly believe Cashman is amongst the best GMs in baseball. He, Billy Beane, and Theo Epstein are my top 3. Cashman is essential for a playoff berth next season since this will be a big offseason for the Yanks, who will be releasing $80 million from the payroll when contracts expire. I will post my offseason predictions in another thread.

So that's it for my first post, I will try to post regularly if my schedule permits. In the meantime, let's hope for a Yankee 6 game winning run and a Red Sox 6 game losing run. Go Yanks!!!