NEW YORK (AP) -- Jimmie Johnson has put together the kind of winning streak that Johnny Damon and the Yankees can certainly appreciate.
It took Damon four years to win his first World Series in New York. Johnson has won an unprecedented four straight championships in NASCAR's premier series.
Johnson received a proclamation from the mayor's office designating Tuesday "Jimmie Johnson Day" in New York City. He also flipped the switch that lit the top of the Empire State Building in the blue, yellow and white colors of his Hendrick Motorsports team.
Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.
When you're the Yankees, the only acceptable end to a season is one that ends with a dogpile on the pitcher's mound and a champagne-soaked locker room. The 2009 season had quite an acceptable ending, then, although it isn't one they'll be able to celebrate for too long.
The nature of expecting a championship every year is that the work toward building the next champion begins before Broadway is cleared of confetti. This year's decisions will revolve around a trio of aging stars from the title squad as well as figuring out how they'll use their leverage as baseball's richest team to improve themselves for run at a 28th title.
As always, the latter means that you'll be seeing a lot of Mad Lib headlines with "The Yankees are interested in _______," and, as always, just about any one of them could wind up being true.
Editor's Note: FanHouse's Jeff Fletcher contributed to this report
CHICAGO -- The Reds' need to slash payroll, according to a major league source, could lead them to explore trading second baseman Brandon Phillips as well as right-handers Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang.
Cincinnati's 2009 payroll was about $71 million. General manager Walt Jocketty said during a break Tuesday at the GM Meetings that he "might" have to move some high-salaried players to meet the 2010 goal.
"We're going to probably have less to spend this year than we have in the past," Jocketty told FanHouse. "It just depends on how [ticket] sales go this offseason."
CHICAGO -- The confetti from their championship parade not fully cleaned up, the Yankees are not yet prepared to address their offseason moves.
"I don't see anything happening here in Chicago," general manager Brian Cashman said Monday after checking in to the Hilton Chicago O'Hare Airport for baseball's GM Meetings. "I have the feeling we'll be a little bit more cautious than anxious."
And Cashman made it clear that just because Hideki Matsui was MVP of the World Series does not make it more important for the Yankees to keep him. In fact, the Yankees probably prefer not to have a player who can only DH, as seems to be the case with Matsui because of his knee problems.
World Series MVP Hideki Matsui was an absolute monster (Godzilla?) in the 2009 Fall Classic. In 13 at-bats, he pounded eight hits -- including a double and three home runs -- eight RBI and three runs scored. His OPS for the series was an obscene 2.027.
As he was accepting the MVP trophy, there were many items swirling around in my head (there always are, it's a burden, I tell ya!). He's a free agent, the Yankees likely can't justify bringing back both him and Johnny Damon if they want to shore up their starting pitching, etc. There were several more ... and then I arrived at this one: man, he's really gonna be overrated in fantasy baseball drafts next season.
NEW YORK -- None of them were on the field Wednesday when Robinson Cano threw out Shane Victorino to clinch the Yankees' World Series championship.
And no one should be surprised if neither Hideki Matsui, Andy Pettitte nor Johnny Damon are on the field in Tampa, Fla., next February for Yankees' spring training.
But this championship would not have happened without them.
All three are potential free agents. And all three may wind up leaving the Yankees, for various reasons.
NEW YORK -- The biggest World Series choke involved the New York Yankees, but they won back then in 1996 over the gasping Atlanta Braves.
The Yankees won this time, too. It's just that they did so to avoid sliding toward the brutal end of the second-worst choke in World Series history.
On a clear Wednesday night in the Bronx, with Hideki Matsui's sizzling Mizuno bat and various pinstriped chants warming the November chill inside the newest version of Yankee Stadium, the home team got a 7-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. It also got a 27th world championship for the franchise.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Paint the town in pinstripes! Nearly a decade after their dynasty ended on a blooper in the desert, the New York Yankees are baseball's best again.
Hideki Matsui tied a World Series record with six RBIs, Andy Pettitte won on short rest and New York beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 in Game 6 on Wednesday night, finally seizing that elusive 27th title - the most in all of sports.
It was the team's first since winning three straight from 1998-2000.
Jack Marucci's focus this week has been the health of his LSU Tigers as they prepare for Saturday's SEC showdown at third-ranked Alabama. But Marucci can't help but sneak a peek at the World Series between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies.
Especially after Marucci prior to the start of the Series received a message from Philadelphia's Chase Utley that indicated he wanted a special bat to swing against New York reliever Mariano Rivera.
"It's the same wood but a different style, a little thicker and shorter," Marucci told FanHouse Wednesday.
PHILADELPHIA -- If Johnny Damon isn't careful, people are going to find out that he's got some smarts.
"That's the only thing that keeps me going now," he jokingly told FanHouse early Monday after almost single-handedly creating the Yankees' winning run in Game 4 of the World Series.
With the score tied in the ninth inning, two out and nobody on, Damon battled Brad Lidge through a nine-pitch at-bat to single. He then stole second and third on the same pitch before scoring on Alex Rodriguez's double.
"He really won the game for us," Jorge Posada said.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Jimmie Johnson has put together the kind of winning streak that Johnny Damon and the Yankees can certainly appreciate.
Footprints in the Snow
Editor's Note: FanHouse's Jeff Fletcher contributed to this report
CHICAGO -- The confetti from their championship parade not fully cleaned up, the 
World Series MVP 
NEW YORK -- The biggest World Series choke involved the 
Jack Marucci
PHILADELPHIA -- If 
