Yankees win World Series 2009

Obviously, this is the worst news possible.

Wait, I take that back, "Giants win World Series 2009" would be worse.

The Yankees won approximately their 10,000th World Series title Wednesday night. How does that make you feel? This is the place to discuss it.

Yankees fans: You don't have to thank me for using small words so you can follow everything we're saying here. My pleasure.

-- Houston Mitchell

Photo: The Yankees celebrate their World Series victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. Credit: David J. Phillip / Associated Press

Pedro vs. Pettitte: So last millennium

Pedro Martinez faces Andy Pettitte in Game 6 of the World Series tomorrow. Joe Girardi, now the Yankees' manager, was the Yankees' catcher the first time Martinez faced Pettitte.

"What year was that?" Girardi said.

It was 1998. Here's the box score. Girardi hit one of his three home runs that season, a three-run shot off Martinez.

"Yeah, but I think we got smoked, so it wasn't a lot of consolation," Girardi said.

Pettitte gave up eight runs in 2-2/3 innings and the Yankees lost, 13-7, to the Boston Red Sox. Each team used five pitchers that day. The fourth Boston pitcher was a future Hall of Famer in the final season of his career, playing out his last year as a middle reliever, guy by the name of Dennis Eckersley.

-- Bill Shaikin

Photo: Philadelphia starter Pedro Martinez gestures after making a seventh-inning exit against the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the World Series on Friday. Credit: Chris McGrath / Getty Images

Not that they'll admit it but Fox honchos would love Phillies to beat Yankees tonight

Depending on how many pitching changes there are, the Fox network can earn as much as $130 million  from advertising sales for each of the Yankees-Phillies World Series games. So what do you think? Does Fox want the Phillies to win tonight and extend this Series at least to a sixth game in New York?

Well, we wouldn't even ask because, well, of course the answer would be yes. And for more reasons than extra advertising.

This series has been a ratings hit. Game 4 ratings from Sunday showed that an average of 22.8 million watched the Yankees win and take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven matchup. It was the most-watched Game 4 since 2004 (Red Sox-Cardinals).

So far, the Yanks and Phils are up 45% in ratings over last year's Tampa Bay-Philadelphia series (what, you mean the Yankees draw more eyes than the Rays?)

The World Series has also helped Fox to a No. 1 spot in prime-time viewership in that most-coveted of categories -- ages 18 to 49. Any of you who don't fall into that demographic? It apparently doesn't matter what you're watching. Tonight that might be the "Monday Night Football" game on ESPN between Atlanta and New Orleans. Or you could combine NFL and entertainment by catching ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," where the so-far underprepared Michael Irvin keeps getting judges' criticisms but lots of fan votes to keep him dancing. There's other stuff on too I imagine. But there's only so much channel-changing a person can handle.

And, yes, we are aware there is a Kings-Phoenix hockey game on Fox Sports West and a Clippers-Timberwolves game on Fox Sports Prime. But November in the NHL? And Clippers without Blake Griffin and the Wolves without Kevin Love? Even the sublime Clippers announcer Ralph Lawler can't make this game attractive considering the alternatives.

But it will be interesting to see the NFL ratings (on a cable channel) versus the World Series ratings (on over-the-air free television) tomorrow.

-- Diane Pucin

Game 5 lineups -- and a roster move

The Yankees received permission from Major League Baseball to make a roster move before Game 5 of the World Series today, replacing Melky Cabrera with infielder Ramiro Pena. Cabrera came out of Sunday's Game 4 with a mild hamstring strain. His place in the Yankee lineup will be taken by Brett Gardner.

And speaking of lineups, here's the way they'll start Game 5:

YANKEES

SS -- Derek Jeter

LF -- Johnny Damon

1B -- Mark Teixeira

3B -- Alex Rodriguez

RF -- Nick Swisher

2B -- Robinson Cano

CF -- Brett Gardner

C -- Jose Molina

P -- A.J. Burnett

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

SS -- Jimmy Rollins

CF -- Shane Victorino

 2B -- Chase Utley

1B -- Ryan Howard

RF -- Jayson Werth

LF -- Raul Ibanez

3B -- Pedro Feliz

C -- Carlos Ruiz

P -- Cliff Lee

-- Kevin Baxter

Phillies' Manuel: Why call a meeting?

With his Philadelphia Phillies one loss from extinction this season, Manager Charlie Manuel said he had no plan to call a team meeting. On the one hand, this was sort of obvious. If he needs to remind his team this is a big game, he has bigger issues than a meeting could solve. On the other hand ...

"I think last meeting I told them about everything I need to tell them," Manuel said. "Most of the time, meetings are a negative. Meetings are a downer. I mean, really. Most of the time, a meeting is to chew people out or try to get straight things that you need to get your point across and try to improve the way you're playing, or something that you don't like."

-- Bill Shaikin

Photo: Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel. Credit: Jeff Zelevansky / Getty Images

Soon to be on EBay

The back page of Monday's A section in the Philadelphia Inquirer contained a five-column department store ad congratulating the Phillies on winning back-to-back World Series titles and hawking championship T-shirts.

The Phillies, of course, woke up Monday trailing the New York Yankees, 3-1, in the World Series. The store placing the ad? The New York-based Macy's company.

-- Kevin Baxter

Photo: The Philadelphia Inquirer apologized Monday for printing a Macy's ad congratulating the Philadelphia Phillies on winning the World Series. Credit: Matt Rourke / Associated Press

Phillies' season now hanging on a Cliff

If you thought the Philadelphia Phillies were in a big hole just because they're a loss from elimination heading into tonight's Game 5 of the World Series, just wait. Because it gets worse.

The Yankees are starting right-hander A.J. Burnett on short rest tonight and Burnett has never lost pitching on three days rest, going 4-0 with a 2.33 ERA in four starts. The last time he did it was September 2008, when, pitching for Toronto, he held the Red Sox to a run on three hits over six innings.

Plus Burnett has already beaten the Phillies once in the Series, giving up a run in seven innings to win Game 2. The Yankees haven't lost since.

"This is what you talk about growing up. I'm going to do my best to take full advantage of that," Burnett said of pitching in the World Series. "I'm not going to take it as just one ordinary game or another start. It's the World Series Game 5 and I'm the starter. That's what it's all about."

Trying to prolong the season for the Phillies with be Game 1 winner Cliff Lee, who grew up dreaming the same World Series dream about 10 miles from Burnett in south-central Arkansas.

A-Rod's greatest hits have Yankees dancing

There's no question Alex Rodriguez has buried talk that he can't perform in the playoffs, batting .348 with 12 runs, six homers and a franchise-record-tying 15 RBIs this fall, taking the Yankees to within a win of their first World Series title since 2000.

But as striking as those numbers are, in Rodriguez's case, the sum isn't nearly as impressive as the individual parts.

Here, then, is a chronology of A-Rod's greatest postseason 2009 hits:

Oct. 9: His game-tying two-run home run off Minnesota closer Joe Nathan in the ninth inning takes Game 2 of the American League Division Series into extra innings, where the Yankees win.

Oct. 11: His game-tying home run in the seventh inning sparks a comeback that ends with the Yankees sweeping the Twins in the ALDS.

Oct. 17: His game-tying 11th-inning home run off the Angels' Brian Fuentes, the major league saves leader, allows the Yankees to go on to win Game 2 of the American League Championship Series in the 13th.

Can we talk? Cashman speech inspired Yankees

Now it can be told.

Although Yankee General Manager Brian Cashman is widely credited with making this year's Yankees successful by signing the likes of CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett, it may have been something he said rather than  something he did that got the team to the World Series.

New York was limping along in second place, five games off the pace in the American League East, when the team went into Atlanta for an interleague series in late June. Cashman met the team there and gave a clubhouse pep talk, after which the Yankees went a baseball-best 65-27. Including the playoffs, New York has won nearly 72% of its games since the Cashman speech.

"We were barely picking up wins and not playing good ball," outfielder Johnny Damon said. "And when Cashman came and had a talk with us down in Atlanta, we got it going. And we've been able to battle every night because we know that every team out there was gunning for us."

-- Kevin Baxter

Photo: Brian Cashman, left, talks to Yankees Manager Joe Girardi during a team practice on Friday. Credit: Noah K. Murray / US Presswire

Johnny Damon double steal video

Johnny Damon pulled off an amazing double steal in last night's Yankees-Phillies World Series game.

With two out in the top of the ninth, Damon singled left, bringing Mark Teixeira to the plate. The Phillies put an infield shift on, moving shortstop Jimmy Rollins to the second-base side of the bag and shifting third baseman Pedro Feliz between third and short. Damon then stole second base, with Feliz taking the throw at second. Damon alertly noticed that there was no one covering third, so he popped right up and stole the base. Two steals in one play by the same player. You can watch it here.

-- Houston Mitchell