New York Yankees

It was a great day for the Yankees.

They got their rings, and were up big on the Angels going into the ninth.

That's when David Robertson came in to pitch.

Last year, young Robertson was very effective out of the pen, going 2-1 with 63 strikeouts.

A good fastball and a great curve make Robertson an ideal guy that you would want coming out of the pen.

But then again, everyone has those days.

You know.

The oh-crap-this-day-sucks-I-can't-wait-for-it-to-be-over days. Everyone has them.

So do you. Get real.

The Yankees celebrated their 2009 World Series victory by receiving their championship rings. Then, New York went out and earned their third straight win with a 7-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Tuesday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. It was the 12th win in the last 13 Yankee home openers dating back to 1998.

The Yankees celebrated their 27th World Championship this afternoon in their home opener. As usual, the team overdid it in an arrogant fashion when it came to the pomp and circumstances of this achievement.

Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford handed out rings to the players. The team raised the World Championship flag. Michael Kay went overboard with the introductions. The national anthem took forever to end.

This took as long as it really had to be.

For those who don't know, I live outside Philadelphia.

It's a big city, and it's pretty cool: the history, the activity, the cheese steaks.

But it's by no means the greatest place on Earth.

Because that's New York City.

In New York, there's an energy. There's more to it than people buzzing around and tall buildings.

It's got a feeling like no other city.

You coudn't be done with just Times Square in a day. There's everything to do, and then some.

What a day and what a game this afternoon as the Yankees opened the season at home in their usual classy fashion.

Minutes after an emotional ring ceremony, the Yankees took the field against the Angels. World Series MVP Hideki Matsui hopped out of the visitors dugout to receive his ring, prompting a sight some will never forget. This could have been a distraction, but the Yankees got right down to business.

Pettitte took the mound in the first inning, let up a lead-off single to Eric Aybar, but proceeded to sit the rest down in order.

That was more than enough for Pettitte.

Here are some pictures tweeted by MLB of the World Series ring that the New York Yankees received today as part of their Opening Day ceremonies in the Bronx.

This is George Steinbrenner's ring. In the past his ring has been slightly different, usually bigger, than the rings they hand out to all of the players. I’m not sure if that is the case this year. This is also the first time that the ring is made out of white—not yellow—gold.

What do you think? I like it. I think it’s one of the better rings they’ve given out in recent history.

The primary reason why athletes play the game, any game, is their competitive fire drives them to win. What helps drive the Major League baseball player is to obtain the World Series Championship ring.

He's got no range.

Not an accurate arm.

Getting too old.

I hear it all the time. It makes me sick.

Derek Jeter is always either adored or hated. Those haters keep inventing new stuff to make him look bad.

Well here's my say.

First off, I'm not even going to use stats, because Jeter's stats aren't even half of what he is to a team.

We'll start with the physical game.

I'll make this clear right now, he is one of the best defensive shortstops in the league.

It's only April, but the New York Yankees already look like winners. I'm not ready to declare them playoff bound yet, but might be doing so before the month is out.

That's because the next four series are almost as crucial as the ones that the Yankees just won.

The Yankees took two out of three EACH against the two stronger division rivals, the Boston Red Sox, and the Tampa Bay Rays on the road.