World Series Preview

New York Yankees versus the Philadelphia Phillies. 'Nuff said. Sort of. 

Written by: MJK

The Breakdown- These two teams represent almost mirror images of one another.  The similarities between them are pretty remarkable and as such makes it a bit more difficult to define differences between the two to exploit.

The Lineups- If the Divisional and Championship series’ weren’t example enough, maybe now would be the appropriate time to recognize that it is time to let the statistics of the regular season fly right out the window.  The cliché, “make every pitch count” never rings truer than at this point in the season, and both of these teams will look to make that a reality.

Both shortstops play integral roles on their respective teams.  Not only do Jimmy Rollins and Derek Jeter assert themselves as clubhouse leaders, but they also play the role of top of the order table setters for the potent lineups that lurk behind them.  While it would be interesting to harp on the all the little things that make up a complete lineup, there is no ignoring the immense power potential that oozes top to bottom of either of these teams. 

The 3-4 hitters will be sure to provide pitching matchup nightmares, as four of the games best sluggers will be on display in this series. For the Phillies, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard are almost the perfect complement to each other.  Utley has a pure stroke with few holes in his swing and can drive the ball to any part of the field with relative ease. He will undoubtedly be the toughest out for the Yankees to get due to his short swing and near perfect mechanics, especially in high-pressure situations with men on base. Now, none of this is to discredit the threat that Ryan Howard poses. Obviously, he is one of the games best power hitters and can hit the ball a mile. While his stroke and his eye at the plate have improved a great deal over the course of this season, he still lacks much of the discipline that makes pitchers truly fear him. The problem with the Dodgers pitchers in the NLCS was that they kept missing their location with pitches on the inside half of the plate. A huge no-no against Howard.  They missed badly on the inner half of the plate with so many important pitches, they basically gift wrapped every battle versus Howard. If the Yankees don’t allow the slugger to extend on pitches and are able to execute properly on the inner half, then they will have a great deal of success against him. Easier said then done of course.

 With the Yankees you get two of the most complete bats in the league in Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez. Sure, lots of people are looking to A-Rod’s so –called “clutch” at bats this postseason, but I don’t see it.  He’s been locked in more so than at any other point in his postseason career but nothing has been extraordinarily high pressure. The mere fact that he is as locked in at the plate right now as he is, is enough reason for the Yankees to feel confident when he steps in to the box.  This is a far cry from his previous struggles in the postseason.  It will be interesting to see how he reacts to continued success or if certain demons begin to creep up on him once again. One thing is for sure, he is not getting a free pass from me for hitting a few game tying home runs. After all that is essentially what he is paid to do. Its time to take it to the next level.  Big Tex on the other hand has been a near godsend for the Yankees this season, however, much of that production seemed to taper off against the Angels in the ALCS. He did spring to life a bit in the final few games, but he really needs a strong showing in this series for the Yankees to operate as they would like to. I really feel strongly about the outcome of this series being decided by these four batters.

The Rotation- It appears as though both teams will move forward with three-man rotations for the balance of this series.  If that is the case then the pitcher to pitcher matchups are nearly identical. Not necessarily when mashed into a game to game basis but more along the lines of available content.

CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee have been lights out this postseason, with Lee arguably being the best pitcher in the playoffs to this point.  Both pitchers will square off in Game 1 and will surely set the pace for the rest of the series.

AJ Burnett and Pedro Martinez look to face off in a Game 2 that should be one of the more intriguing of the season. AJ’s electric stuff is well documented but his inconsistency (as noted by his lackluster 6 inning-6 earned run performance in the ALCS) should not be tolerated in this series. We all know the history between the Yankees and Pedro when he was with the Red Sox. Of course, he is not even close to the pitcher he was when dodging flailing Don Zimmer punches but that’s not to say he wont be getting a ringing chorus of “who’s your daddy” chants from the Bronx faithful as well. Should be a party.

Andy Pettitte will play the roll of Pedro Martinez in Game 3 when he matches up with Cole Hamels. Pettite relies heavily on his ability to control the strike zone much like Martinez as his lack of over powering stuff can be a draw back if pitches aren’t executed well.  Cole Hamels has been an anomaly this season as he seems completely unable to restore the magic he was able to harness during last years championship run. It really is a shame. He has more upside than any pitcher in this series but his inability to locate his curveball with any sort of consistency has been a huge setback as he now finds himself a two-pitch pitcher going forward. His changeup remains one of the best in the game but teams have been able to sit on it without having to worry about the threat of another out pitch. 

Both of these rotations provide a good amount of quality pitchers, two aces and an uphill battle in facing the two best lineups in all of baseball.  The Yankees will have to rely on their ability to get left handed batters out and not allow the bottom of the order beat them as the Angels did.  If the heart of the Phillies order gets to bat with men on base, they will make you pay. The Phillies on the other hand will look to attack, attack, attack.  It would be unrealistic to think that just throwing strikes would be the key to their success but in all reality it will be very important if they want to continue to keep pitch counts down and innings quick.  The starters will need to go deep into the game as manager Charlie Manuel will surely not want to tap too much into his bullpen.

Intangibles- While the Yankees offer a much more balanced lineup top to bottom, the Phillies possess an element of speed, which can quickly change the pace of any game in a short series.  It might go without saying that considering the potency of both of these lineups, the series will fall into the hands of the bullpen.  While the Yankees looked to have a stranglehold on this aspect in the ALCS, both Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain got knocked around quite a bit and now manager Joe Girardi cant be nearly as confident as he was coming into the postseason.  That being said they still have a considerable amount more depth than the Phillies, even with the relegation of former Phillies starters JA Happ and Joe Blanton to the bullpen.  Brad Lidge has shown signs of coming out of his season long funk but I feel like I have told myself this one too many times throughout the season. Only time will tell.  The Yankees will be able to make any game a 7 inning game with Mariano Rivera’s penchant for the two-inning save.

The Verdict- Its tough because the Yankees have been the best team in baseball all season long but the Phillies are riding real high right now and have probably been the most impressive team thus far in the playoffs. Momentum could play a very important role but that being said could also be vastly overrated, especially in a short series versus two quality teams.  This series will not go less than 6 games. Period. But it won’t go more either. The Yankees take home the crown in 6 games and bring the title back to the Bronx.

UFC 104 Recap

Dominant Victories, Top Heavy Weights Square Off, and A Controversial Decision

Written by: D.Wash.


Lyoto Machida vs Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

When this fight was announced, many people were outraged. Shogun getting a title shot already? What had he done recently to earn it? His only UFC wins were against the should-have-retired -years-ago hall of famer Mark Coleman and a quickly aging Chuck Liddell. That’s clearly not worthy of a chance at Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida’s belt right? Regardless of what the fans thought, Shogun got his chance at UFC 104 and provided quite a surprise for most everyone in the Staples Center. Shogun came out not overly aggressive as he usually is, but at the same time not passive like Rashad Evans looked during his fight against Machida. He utilized kicks, especially leg kicks, throughout the fight and by the third round it was clear that the damage had taken its toll on Machida as the quick karate expert lost some of his explosiveness. Though the first two rounds were quite questionable, third round was definitely Machida’s. When it came to the announcement of the final decision, many people expected to hear that it was Shogun who pulled out the victory, tainted “The Dragon’s” unbeaten record, and stolen Machida’s belt. When the decision was announced that it was Machida who won the 48-47 unanimous decision, there was a mixture of shock, outrage, and joy throughout the Arena. After the fight even Dana White went into the ring to exchange words with Shogun (possibly to tell Shogun that Dana thought Shogun won the fight). Machida’s post fight comments were overshadowed by a deafening chorus of boo’s from the crowd, while Shogun post fight interview was met with cheers and applause. Though I am among those who believe that the judges made right call by granting the decision to Machida, I know that there are many more people out there who will now consider Shogun Rua a “dragon slayer”.

Cain Velasquez vs Ben Rothwell

It was clear coming in that this fight would have huge implications in the heavyweight title picture. Velasquez, who came in with all but one win by TKO, has looked very impressive throughout his career. Rothwell has a wealth of experience that could not be overlooked. The winner of this fight would almost definitely be considered next in line for the title after the UFC 106 match between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin. So how did it go? Well, let me just say that calling it “one sided” would be an understatement. Velasquez came in firing and repeatedly hit Rothwell with blows all over. Rothwell looked completely unable to stop Cain, and the fight was somewhat reminiscent of a school yard bully beating on a large but unathletic bookworm. After barely escaping the first round, Rothwell came out in the second hoping that perhaps Cain had tired himself out in the first. Unfortunately for Rothwell, Cain looked even more energized in the second round than he did in the first. Less than a minute into the second, Cain had Rothwell pinned up against the cage and was mercilessly beating on his face, causing Herb Dean to stop the fight. Though Rothwell was upset and Velasquez said that the fight could have gone longer, it was clear who the victor would be, as Rothwell didn’t even look to be in the same league as Velasquez. Next for Cain, a title shot against the winner of the Lesnar-Carwin fight. It should be quite entertaining, as regardless who wins between Lesnar and Carwin, it will be against somebody extremely violent and brimming with potential.

Gleison Tibau vs Josh Neer

Honestly, this fight didn’t deserve to be on the main card. Both of these fighters are young guys with some potential, but have yet to really step their game up to the point where they are pay per view material. Throughout the fight, Gleison took down (often via slam) Josh Neer, but wasn’t able to keep Neer on the ground or advance his position any further than the up down. Neer was able to get a few punches in, but the pure volume of takedowns from Gleison was enough to get the judges to give him the decision. Gleison will still have to prove himself to be considered a good lightweight in my eyes, so he’ll have to fight someone who has shown more than just potential before anyone will take him seriously.

Joe Stevenson vs Spencer Fischer

Both of these lightweight are guys that like to stand on the feet and put on a show for the fans and for the majority of the first round they did just that. The fight began very even and, though the general consensus was that Stevenson won the first round, it seemed as if it could go either way. Once the second round began, Stevenson began to pull away. After again starting with some good striking from the stand up, the two 155 pounders sprawled, with Joe Stevenson landing on top. Not looking to waste any time, Stevenson slowly progressed from the half guard to the side control and eventually the crucifix position. From there, Joe repeatedly dropped elbows on Fischer’s face, eventually causing Fischer to tap out due to the strikes. While it may be a while for Stevenson to get a title shot in this competitive lightweight division, expect him to fight one of the top lightweights around such as Clay Guida or Frankie Edgar .

Anthony Johnson vs Yoshiyuki Yoshida

Anthony Johnson always looks big when compared to other welterweights (he cuts to 170lbs from 220 lbs), but against Yoshida (who, as many Japanese fighters, walks around near his fighting weight) he looked like a giant. Add in the fact that Johnson came in outrageous 6 pounds overweight and this fight seemed very unfair. Johnson came out extremely aggressive and less than a minute into the fight, he caught Yoshida with a powerful right hand that sent him into la la land. During the post fight interview, Johnson apologized profusely about not being able to cut weight, stating that a knee injury factored in to his inability to cut down to 170. He said that, while he does eventually plan to move up to middle weight, he will remain at welterweight for know. As a top prospect in the welterweight division, expect Johnson to get a much better opponent next time out, such as a Martin Kampmann.

Ryan Bader vs Eric Schafer

“Darth Bader” is a fan favorite. The winner of TUF 8, he was undefeated coming into the fight and looked like quite a force to be reckoned with. A knee injury sidelined him for a while, but he came back against Eric Schafer on Saturday night. Showing no hesitation, he charged Schafer repeatedly throughout the fight, throwing the wild punches and using the aggressive style that has made him so beloved by the fans. Though he seemed to slow down about halfway through the second round, bringing some questions about his conditioning, Bader was dominant throughout the fight and won every round. Look for him to make his way onto main cards soon, but if he can’t condition better later on, he won’t be able to last very long in this very deep light heavyweight division.

Yushin Okami vs Chael Sonnen

Okami was at once considered one of the best middle weights in the world. He’s one of only four men to have a win against Anderson Silva (Okami’s was controversial, but a win is a win), and was at one point contending for a middle weight title shot in the UFC. Now, it looks like he may be on his way out. Never an exciting fighter, Okami had only one thing going for him, he could win. On Saturday night however, he wasn’t able to win a single round against Sonnen and lost the fight 30-27. It’s hard to say that a 28 year old is over the hill, but if Okami wants to continue to be competitive, he may have to drop down to welterweight.

Jorge Rivera vs. Robert Kimmons

This fight was short, sweet, and to the point. Rivera hit Kimmons early, causing a cut to open on Kimmons’s head. Seconds later, Kimmons was bathed in blood and Jorge was using dominant ground and pound, forcing the referee to stop the fight. A former TUF member, Rivera is much beloved by the fans, and wins like this will help to move him onto the main card for future fights.

*All photos courtesy of Sherdog.com*