Opinion

Sunday night’s ALCS game was a watershed event in my young life.

After relentlessly hating them for years and years—since before I can remember—I found myself almost kind of happy to see the Yankees beat the Angels.

With the plethora of blown calls this postseason, fans, analysts, and players alike are all shouting for the introduction of instant replay into Major League Baseball. As well they should be.

The Minnesota Twins cannot afford to trade Joe Nathan.

Period.

Not now. Not later this offseason. Not at any point before next year’s trade deadline, if at all.

One of the most crucial injury's last year was at shortstop.  All-Star shortstop, Jose Reyes had his season end early.  A hamstring injury sidelined him for the majority of the season.

Reyes is one of the key parts of the Mets offense.  He acts like the spark plug for the Mets.  When he hits, the Mets hit and they usually win.  When he doesn't hit, the Mets don't hit and they usually lose.  That's how things worked out for the Mets most of the time when Reyes is healthy.

It's World Series time, New York Yankees versus the Philadelphia Phillies. As a fan of the Yankees, I am extremely happy to see the pinstripes back on the grand stage.

Throughout the division series, I've communicated with several on-line friends on Facebook and an issue came up that I want to address.

Yes, I am a Yankee fan. I've been one since I moved from Jamaica to Brooklyn, NY at the age of six. That was 19 years ago. I've been a fan of theirs since.

Lefthander Andy Pettitte and the New York Yankees defeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 5-2 Sunday night in the Bronx to capture their 40^th American League Pennant.

Pettitte, 37, a two-time All-Star selection who has accumulated the most victories of any MLB pitcher since 1995, allowed only seven hits and one earned run in 6 1/3 innings.

First of all, here's a link that will help us establish a proper frame of reference. The sheet attached is from Cot's Baseball Contracts, a valuable source for contract information for baseball players. It breaks down the 2010 financial obligations of the Chicago Cubs.

According to this breakdown, the Cubs are already obligated to $119 million in 2010, a number that's down from the nearly $135 million it reached this past season.

Everyone is asking the the question : What to do with Joe Nathan?

Well...that was fast. My night of celebration ended about 15 minutes after I posted the last piece . Immediately, my mind started to shift to the new question at hand.

How do the Yankees beat the Phillies this week?

Here's the game plan, in three(-ish) parts:

1. Use the Long Lineup to Tire Out Cliff Lee and the Philly Starters Early. Then, Go to Work on the Bullpen.

The raging debate that will go on from now until Wednesday (actually, through the end of the series) is really tearing me apart. 

What's a Met fan to do? You've got our current arch nemesis, the Phillies, against the "jerk of a big brother" in the Yankees.

This situation exemplifies that saying, "Between a rock and a hard place."