#27

AND THE NEW YORK YANKEES ARE THE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS OF BASEBALL!!!!!!!!! Sorry, I had to get that out of my system. The New York Yankees are obviously my favorite baseball team and I simply cannot contain my joy and happiness over the fact that the Yankees are once again World Series champions. I'm probably not as happy as Mr. Emeigh is that the Yankees defeated the Phillies in 6 games, but I'm sure he will let you in on how happy he is when he posts his reaction and commentary on what this World Series means in Yankee history. That is enough of my biased commentary for one day. Now, on to my reaction and commentary on Game 6.

There were many experts out there who were very hesitant to predict the Yankees would win in 6 games. I don't know why. I mean, with Pedro Martinez pitching on the mound for the Phillies (and this is not vintage Pedro Martinez), how could you not give the Yankees a slight edge in this game, especially when they're at home in the Bronx. I could understand if the game was on the road in Philadelphia but I mean come on now. This was a team that finished with the best record in the major leagues. This was a team that took care of business against the Twins in the first round of the playoffs and were able to get past their postseason nemesis in the Angels with no real problems. And up until Game 6 actually began in New York, all I could hear on sports talk shows was concern over Andy Pettitte pitching on three days rest. Yes, I can buy the argument that Pettitte hadn't pitched on three days rest since 2006. I can also buy the argument that his best playoff numbers have never occurred in the World Series. I can also buy the skepticism of a possible Game 7 looming in the Bronx, with the Phillies having some momentum after completely bashing A.J. Burnett in Game 5. All that was washed away on Wednesday night, as Pettitte did not pitch great as he went 5.2 innings and gave up 3 earned runs. However, the Yankees potent and explosive lineup were able to back him up enormously in Game 6, giving Pettitte a little leeway in the early innings to put pressure on the Phillies to match the Yankees in the run column. The potency and explosiveness actually came from one guy on Wednesday night and that of course is Hideki Matsui or "Godzilla". And boy did he just launch a major attack on Pedro the other night. My god, Pedro never fails to prove that the Yankees will always be his daddy and it just seems really funny to me that they were able to clinch their 27th with him on the mound. With that being said, Matsui was absolutely brilliant on Wednesday night, going 3 for 4 with 6 RBI's and winning the World Series MVP with I believe the fewest at bats in a championship series ever. And that is just an amazing statistic because Matsui was limited to pinch-hit duty in Philadelphia because he simply cannot play the outfield anymore. Matsui won this game for the Yankees on Wednesday night, driving in all Yankee runs with the exceptions of Mark Teixeira's RBI single that scored Jeter in the 5th inning and proved why he was the appropriate choice for World Series MVP.

The Yankee bullpen was absolutely spectacular on Wednesday night, shutting down the Phillies in the later innings and just handing the ball to Mariano Rivera in the 8th inning to close the door on this World Series. Kudos to Joba Chamberlain and Damaso Marte (who looked like the Damaso Marte we thought we were getting last year when he came from the Pirates) for providing an easy path to Mariano, who looked crisp and sharp in securing another championship for the storied Yankee franchise. This should not discredit the effort the Phillies put into this World Series. They were indeed a worthy opponent with an absolutely star-studded lineup led by Chase Utley, who was absolutely unstoppable in this series. And I'd have to agree with what the experts are saying right now, which is that the Phillies have a better shot of making it back to the series next year than the Yankees do right now. I would say that's a fair argument because if the Phillies can add another decent pitcher to back up Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels in their rotation, then they will definitely be the favorite heading into next season. The Yankees, though still a very explosive team, will have some questions concerning the back end of their rotation. Pettitte will only be getting older and do the Yankees want to start cashing in on their future by putting Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain back in the rotation? Also, what will they do with Chien-Ming Wang? Should they go out and spend money again on a big-name pitcher? These are questions that will be answered in due time, but for now, the Yankees will enjoy their 27th World Series title as they march along the Canyon of Heroes in Manhattan and receive the keys to the city from Mayor Bloomberg. And that is indeed a truly great thing if you're a Yankee fan.