As a Yankee fan, by no means do I think that this is going to be a cakewalk (for either team). I almost think that the Phillies are a carbon copy of the Yankees. Solid lineup with no weak links, excellent starting pitching and questions in the bullpen (Phillies with their closer and the Yanks with the Bridge to Mariano).
I'm estatic that the Yanks are back in the series and they have played well so far, but they have also benifited from some very sloppy play from the Twinkies and the Halos. Also a call here and there went their way. That being said, they have left a ton of men on base and at times couldn't even put the ball in play just to advance runners. But at the end it did seem like some of the guys started to come out of their funks.
I do really want to believe that the Yanks are the better team here. They are a much different animal then prior years, but deep down I know how good the Phillies are. They are a scrappy team that is very versitile. They can kill you with the long ball and they can equally play small ball and kill you with their speed. Obviously the CC vs Lee matchups will have a huge impact on the series. With them being scheduled to face each other 3 times if needed. Can A-Rod continue to be locked in? Can Texiera regain his MVP caliber form at the plate? Will Matsui be able to come out of his rut and hit a ton of left hand pitching? Which AJ Burnett will see (and who will catch)? Hughes and Chamberlain? This team does have some questions marks going into the series. Another thing is, willJoe Girardi over coach and be out coached. He did make a few suspect moves in the Angels series. Now he will have to deal with the NL rules when playing in Philly (I know he coached in Florida for a year).
People want to say that the Yanks are perfect and it will be a sweep. I personally think that is very far fetched. But I do think that they will end up pulling it out. Like I said, they are a different animal from years past. I will say Yanks in a very tough 7 games (obviously I'm biased) and A-Rod will continue to be in the zone and win the MVP.
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Felix Unger talking to Oscar Madison: "Your horse could finish third by 20 lengths and they still pay you? And you have been losing money for all these years?!"
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