WORTH EVERY PENNY

If these early few days of the playoffs have proved anything, it's that you get what you pay for. At least this time out, and at least for the Yankees. In Game One of their ALDS, CC Sabathia got over his post season demons and pitched a nice 6 2/3 innings. In last night's Game Two, A.J. Burnett pitched 6 innings of one run ball. It wasn't very tidy, 5 walks/3 hits batsmen, but he held down the Twins. Minnesota struck against Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera, though, making it a 3-1 game going into the bottom of the 9th. The Yanks final off-season mega- purchase, Mark Teixeira, ripped a single, setting up baseball's highest priced player, ARod, to go yard and tie the game! Extra innings brought frustration, Brett Gardner getting doubled off 3rd, and relief as Dave Robertson worked out of a bases loaded jam. It came back to the Yanks and Teixeira leading off the bottom of the 11th. The superstar first baseman showed why he's here, drilling a line drive homer that skipped into the stands for another walk-off win for the Yankees!

Many will argue that money will buy another championship, but the Yankees have always spent money. ALWAYS. It doesn't mean anything unless you gather the right guys, the perfect mix, and this year with these acquisitions, (Sabathia/Burnett/Teixeira plus Swisher and other smaller contributors) it just seems like the Yanks have put together that right mix. Time will tell yet, but there's a feel here that I, as a fan and observer, haven't felt in a long time. These guys actually look like they like each other, how novel! And they're having fun, too, which is super important for the psyche of the team. Now they'll have to take that camaraderie on the road to Minneapolis with some of the loudest fans in the country. Will they break through it for the series sweep? We'll see tomorrow night!

In other ALDS action, the Angels go up 2-0 on Boston with another stellar pitching performance, this time by Jered Weaver. As predicted, they are also running all over Boston's catching, and last night they frustrated Josh Beckett into making some 7th inning mistakes, leading to their 4 runs. These two games are proving how much more confident these Angels are, and if they can go back to Boston and take one, they'll be one step closer to a second championship this decade. They'll have Boston killer Scott Kazmir to do it in Game Three. Today, the NL teams play their third games, and Torre's Dodgers can clinch an ALCS berth with a win. Should be exciting!