For every Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte with a history of success in the October, the Yankees seem to have a player who has to prove himself in this coming one.
You'll hear all about from now until those players redeem themselves -- or the Yankees are eliminated.
"It's going to be a huge deal," said CC Sabathia, who will take a 7.92 ERA from his five playoff starts into Game 1 of this year's Division Series.
MINNEAPOLIS -- Johan Santana had never seen the Metrodome before the Twins took him from Single-A in the Rule 5 draft.
"When I first got there," Santana told FanHouse, "my first impression was, 'How can you play baseball in a place like this?'
"I came from Single-A and from Venezuela, and we don't have any of that stuff. ... I couldn't figure it out. How could this thing [the roof] be up in the air? And then it feels like you're in a bubble. And then you play baseball."
Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
You hear that, fantasy baseball owners? Josh Hamilton's sole purpose on this Earth is to mess with you. Really, there's no way to over-dramatize the crap he's put fantasy owners through. Initially, he would have been the crown jewel in a dynasty league with minor-leaguers. When those types finally gave up on him, he made the show for the Reds. Then, he started to catch on for the Reds, but couldn't stay healthy. So he goes to the Rangers and puts himself on a record RBI pace, only to significantly slow down in the second half. In 2009, the bona fide elite-level fantasy outfielder has only played 35 games. He's only hitting .240. And he's out until mid-July.
A lot has happened since our last fantasy chat. You know what hasn't? The Yankees haven't lost. Along the way, they have become one of the teams with the most productive set of fantasy players around. Lost in the shuffle to an extent has been Robinson Cano. If it's possible for this line to be quiet, he's quietly hitting .317 with 8 home runs, 25 RBI and 28 runs. Elsewhere, did David Ortiz's home run mean anything? Is it time to give up on Adrian Beltre? Why can't the Cubs hit the ball? There's always room for any discussion -- just come check us out at 1 PM ET.
It didn't just rain on the Yankees in the Bronx on Monday night, it poured. They waited 2 1/2 hours to lose a fourth straight game to the Red Sox, saw their manager ejected in the proceedings and watched their starting catcher limp off the field with a hamstring injury. It will be a while before they see Jorge Posada on the field again.
Posada was placed on the disabled list on Tuesday with what's being called a Grade 2 strain of his right hamstring. That means it is a partial tear, and it probably means that it will be June before he'll be back behind the plate or playing DH for the Yankees.
From many other websites, you'll surely find lineup planners for Week 1 in fantasy baseball. I have no problem with that, but it's a week where each team is going to play six or seven games. Just as we do every year, we're entering a season where we really don't know how each player is going to fare. Sure, we have an idea, and we can speculate on all kinds of tendencies. But did anyone see Cliff Lee going 22-2 last season?
The basic premise for Week 1 in fantasy baseball is to just play your guys. You drafted the team and you know who you drafted as your starters. Play them. Doing anything otherwise is just getting too cute, and that's a good way to start off the season on the wrong foot.
FanHouse completes its 2009 MLB Preview with a look at the New York Yankees.
When they signed A.J. Burnett, CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira for a combined $423.5 million in December, the Yankees opened the door to criticism that they were just trying to use their revenue advantage to bludgeon the opposition. The team did use a heavy hand, but they aren't deserving of criticism.
Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through every major player on each team. Fantasy FanHouse is here to help with a quick once-over.
Meet the ... Funhouse. Formerly the straight arrow clubhouse where fun wasn't allowed -- even though it did find a way to seep in there from time to time -- now the Yankees are taking trips to pool halls instead of practice. Plus, do you see CC and Joba in this picture? They are having the time of their lives. The Yankees are now just here to have fun. Seriously, just ask the Steinbrenner family. They don't even care about wins, for real.
As we'll preach time and again at FanHouse, compiling a successful fantasy baseball team isn't about the most productive players. It's about what players give you the most value. Carlos Quentin was much more valuable last season than Ryan Braun -- despite ending with slightly inferior numbers -- because of how much cheaper he was to attain than Braun.
The best way to compile a winning team is to recognize areas where you can maximize the value of your draft picks. Not spending high picks on closers is one way to do this. Finding players being underestimated is another. Another, still, is to find places lacking depth and grab a strength.
Free agency, it's the nature of the game in the 21st century. No longer are players locked down to one major league franchise (study your baseball history about getting rid of the reserve clause), and it's often the case that players no longer choose to stay with one franchise due to fan and city loyalty (Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio). Today's players are guided by a simple, yet fiscally sound mantra: "show me the money!" Somewhere Jerry Maguire is smiling.
The offseason between 2008 and 2009 featured the same old storylines. We've seen aging superstars sign with better teams to make one last run for a title. We've seen spending by a franchise as if their new stadium has a printing press in the basement. We've even seen a bad economy create new twists to free agency this spring like "Manny being Manny" now being defined as trying to get one team to bid against itself.
Business of baseball aside, it's time to talk about players who are calling new cities home and how that will affect your fantasy baseball team.
NEW YORK -- Can a team win the World Series with an ace sporting a 7.92 ERA and a cleanup hitter with one RBI in his past 59 at-bats in the playoffs?
Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
It didn't just rain on the Yankees in the Bronx on Monday night, it poured. They waited 2 1/2 hours to lose a fourth straight game to the Red Sox, saw their manager ejected in the proceedings and watched their starting catcher limp off the field with a hamstring injury. It will be a while before they see 
From many other websites, you'll surely find lineup planners for Week 1 in fantasy baseball. I have no problem with that, but it's a week where each team is going to play six or seven games. Just as we do every year, we're entering a season where we really don't know how each player is going to fare. Sure, we have an idea, and we can speculate on all kinds of tendencies. But did anyone see 
Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through 
As we'll preach time and again at FanHouse, compiling a successful fantasy baseball team isn't about the most productive players. It's about what players give you the most value. 
