NEW YORK -- The Yankees had just begun celebrating their 27th World Series title, and first in nine years (that's 63 in Yankee-drought years), when general manager Brian Cashman was asked about people saying his team bought a title.
"You can call us anything you want," Cashman said. "You're also going to have to call us world champions."
But if the Yankees' latest championship teaches us anything, it's that a big payroll is just money unless it's combined with smarts.
Here's what we can conclude off the 2009 postseason:
NEW YORK -- On a pleasant, Doppler-free evening made for bare, brawny forearms, Alex Rodriguez continued his postseason awakening without even swinging a bat. This was in the fourth inning, when the Angels were unable to employ their desired intentional walk because the bases were loaded. So as 50,000 fans stood and shrieked and awaited magic in the new Stadium -- all except Kate Hudson, who sat like she was waiting for Matt Dillon in You, Me and Dupree -- A-Rod stepped in and sought a pitch to rip into the galaxy.
The fat one never came. Joe Saunders walked him, forcing in the Yankees' third run when it was apparent that the Angels wouldn't score more than that off two Doctor Octobers, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera. All that awaited were the police to ring their field, and when they arrived nearly at the stroke of midnight, the Yankees were celebrating their 40th American League pennant and first World Series trip in six years, which in these parts is an eternity.
MINNEAPOLIS -- People in New York must think we're talking about some other guy named Carl Pavano.
And maybe we are.
The Carl Pavano who will start for the Twins on Sunday in Game 3 of their American League Division Series against the Yankees doesn't sound like the one who spent four years on the Yankees. Or, more precisely, their disabled list.
He's married now, with one child and another on the way. He's 33 years old and pitching on a one-year contract that forces him to earn his next deal.
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.
As fall begins and the Yankees near their first American League East championship since (gasp!) 2006, it's time for the focus in the Bronx to turn to the playoffs. While discussing Joba Chamberlain with the Bergen Record, Brian Cashman let two interesting playoff-related tidbits slip. The first is that the Yankees are planning on going with a 10-man pitching staff during the Division Series. The second is that Chamberlain isn't guaranteed one of those ten spots if he doesn't, "step it up," in the near future.
There's no denying that Chamberlain's been awful lately. In his last nine starts, his ERA is 8.25 and hitters are reaching base at a .409 clip. Even if he can't turn things around completely, it's hard to imagine him being left off the playoff roster entirely. Leaving him off of the playoff roster would leave a spot open for someone like Chad Gaudin, who's not really much of an upgrade. Still, looking at the schedule it's entirely possible that Cashman isn't bluffing.
In a kinder, gentler world, one without cell phone cameras and the insatiable desire to know everything about everyone, here's what would be relevant: Alex Rodriguez is in a brutal slump, the Yankees are in a bit of trouble and most of the pertinent details can be found in the latest box scores.
In a Jon and Kate world, here's the, ahem, rest of the story: Behind closed doors, Yankee executives argue about and stress over what they call "the A-Rod situation." They wonder if his awkward flails with the bat, his slowly swiveling hips, are merely expected by-products of the surgery he underwent during the spring, or a harbinger of much worse? They wonder how he can be caught shamelessly canoodling with actress Kate Hudson at nightclubs in the wee morning hours, while his employers who pay him $30 million a year decide he needs days off, to rest his weary body.
After furiously fighting his way back onto the field May 8 -- from a hip injury some thought would keep him out until June -- Alex Rodriguez recently appeared to be tiring. At least, that's what some of his New York Yankees bosses thought. In his last 10 games, the polarizing slugger we call A-Rod was just 3-for-34. We learned Friday that he'd get the next two days off before re-entering the lineup Sunday.
Saturday, Jon Heyman of SI.com reported that sitting Rodriguez down was not only requested by the front office, but ordered. Apparently there was a conference call where Brian Cashman -- accompanied by Hal Steinbrenner -- informed his star third baseman that he would be on the bench for Friday and Saturday's games in Florida (Update: A-Rod did wind up playing in Saturday's game as a pinch-hitter.)
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.
You Oughta Know ... That the Indians had a night to forget on a day they honored a movie about their days as lovable losers. The Brewers and famed announced Bob Uecker were in town for a memorable night in which Uecker's team was on the right end of a few big homers.
The Indians led 8-3 in the fifth and 12-7 in the eighth before the Brewers scored seven runs to win, including four on Prince Fielder's first career grand slam. Fielder's big blast was set up by three consecutive Indians walks, which Uecker must have called by saying "Ball Four. Ball Eight. Ball 12."
"Overall, it was a very bad night on the mound," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "We continually got ourselves in bad situations. They kept coming, and we kept making it tougher on ourselves."
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.
You Oughta Know ... That Matt Wieters may one day be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but he's going to have to show a little more than he did in his much-anticipated big league debut. The top hitting prospect in baseball, Wieters went hitless in four at-bats in his first game with the Orioles on Friday.
Before the game, Wieters held court for a large contingent of media, while Orioles veterans shook their heads at the hype. Adam Jones, a former hyped prospect, said the media should not expect too much of him too soon.
Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira was one of the two big free agents available last winter along with CC Sabathia, and it wasn't exactly a huge surprise when he landed a $180 million deal with the Yankees. What has been somewhat surprising is Teixeira's inability to live up to his contract through the first month and a half of the season.
While Teixeira has hit seven home runs and driven in 19, his batting average sits at a lowly .202 through his first 114 at bats. Now Tex has always been a slow starter in his career, generally heating up along with the weather, but the man who signed him to that big contract thinks there's another factor to Mark's slow start. The pressure of living up to his deal and being a Yankee.
NEW YORK -- The Yankees had just begun celebrating their 27th World Series title, and first in nine years (that's 63 in Yankee-drought years), when general manager Brian Cashman was asked about people saying his team bought a title.
NEW YORK -- On a pleasant, Doppler-free evening made for bare, brawny forearms, 
MINNEAPOLIS -- People in New York must think we're talking about some other guy named 
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?
As fall begins and the 
In a kinder, gentler world, one without cell phone cameras and the insatiable desire to know everything about everyone, here's what would be relevant: 
After furiously fighting his way back onto the field May 8 -- from a hip injury some thought would keep him out until June -- 
Starting Five
Yankees first baseman 
