AL MVP

Who should win: Joe Mauer

Who will win: Mauer, although it wouldn't shock me if Derek Jeter or Mark Teixeira stole it.

AL Cy Young

Who should win: Zack Greinke

Who will win: Tough to say, but I'm gonna guess Felix Hernandez in a great miscarriage of justice.

NL MVP

Who should win: Albert Pujols

Who will win: Come on. Pujols.

NL Cy Young

Who should win: Tim Lincecum

Who will win: Probably Adam Wainwright, although he could lose it to Lincecum or teammate Chris Carpenter because his bullpen blew his 20th on the last weekend of the season. And that, in a nutshell, is why it's so stupid to spend a lot of time worrying about these awards.

At some point next week we'll get to what we think the Yankees should do this offseason, but there will be plenty of time to stress over 2010. Let's enjoy 2009 for a little while longer.

OK, that bit of snark aside, I'm very proud of this team, and this championship is very gratifying. I also need to offer condolences to my Phillies fan friends. That's a very tough champion you guys have, and I'm sure you're proud too. A couple different decisions by Charlie Manuel and this series could still be going on -- if not over in your favor.

But man, it was great to have the designated hitter back, wasn't it? You can't make a rash decision on whether or not to bring Hideki Matsui back based on one game -- I'm sure Red Sox brass is wishing it passed on Mike Lowell instead of giving him a big contract after he won the 2007 Series MVP -- but Matsui always struck me as the kind of guy who would have some huge Series moments if he ever got a second chance. And he was an easy Series MVP, because who knows how this game would have gone without him? Most of the rest of the guys who had been struggling continued to struggle, and you can make the case that the Yankees won this series for two reasons: Mariano Rivera, and Matsui owns Pedro Martinez. Matsui's 2-run homer to get things going was huge, but the biggest hit of the night without doubt was his 2-run single in the third inning. Pedro, with help from a generous third-strike call against Alex Rodriguez, was one strike away from escaping a bases-loaded, 1-out jam. Considering the Phillies had already answered Matsui's homer with a run in the top of the third, you have to figure they would have had all the momentum if they could have gotten out of the inning. But Pedro couldn't figure Hideki out, even with two strikes. Huge hit.

Which brings us to Charlie Manuel. Sure it's a classic second guess, but I -- and I'm sure many of you -- first-guessed this. J.A. Happ had to be in there to face Matsui in that spot. It was clear from the start that Pedro had nothing, and the only reason he got as far as he got was because the Yankees, other than Matsui, were doing a fabulous job of getting themselves out. Again, other than Matsui. I know Matsui eventually hit his 2-run double off Happ, but that doesn't justify the decision to leave Pedro in the game with the team's life on the line simply because his name is Pedro. Terrible decision on a night when Manuel should have been ready to empty the tank on everyone. Especially with the possibility of rain tomorrow and Cliff Lee starting in a postponed Game 7.

Andy Pettitte was decent. I know his start is going to be romanticized by a lot of people, and that's OK. He's done a lot to earn the love and respect he has from Yankee fans. And considering he was a 37-year-old man pitching on short rest, he could have been far worse. But all the walks were playing with fire, and he benefited greatly from the team's -- or more accurately Matsui's -- offensive outburst. Hey, he won the clinching games in all three rounds, and he's one of three guys to be a key member on all five of the Yankees' recent titles, and I was very glad to have him on the mound instead of A.J. Burnett in this game. At least he battled. And I'll gladly have him back next season. It's amazing how much things changed for him from the disappointment of 2008.

Hopefully if Pettitte does come back, the Yankees will have a usable fourth starter so he won't have to go on short rest again. It's really amazing that, in this era of specialized pitching, a team was able to win with three starters. So, yes, even credit to Burnett, who it should not be forgotten was outstanding in Game 2.

You know who else should not be forgotten? Damaso Marte, who with one series made that 2008 deadline deal pay off, regardless of how good Ross Ohlendorf and Jose Tabata turn out to be. He was fabulous. Fabulous to the point where I wanted Joe Girardi to leave him in the game when he was bringing in Mariano. How crazy is that?

But it was the right move, of course. Girardi deserves this championship, as, outside of starting Jerry Hairston over Nick Swisher in Game 2, he had an outstanding series. I think we saw a manager that was willing to learn and grow, even from series to series. And I'm now optimistic the day will come when I'm confident in him. Either way, he managed this team to the title, and no one can take that away from him.

Back to Mariano. It's worth noting again how incredible he is. In fact, you just can't say it enough. He's the ultimate weapon in all of sports. From Joe Nathan to Brian Fuentes to Brad Lidge, we got a first-hand look at how difficult it is to fill the closer spot for other teams. As with Michael Jordan, we will never see another like him. Enjoy it, appreciate it, and hope -- no pray -- that he's being serious when he talks about pitching five more years.

Even Joba, who I think we all can begrudgingly agree belongs in the bullpen, is not anywhere near as reliable as Mariano, as evidenced by his seventh-inning struggles. Still, he was very valuable to this championship run, as he was able to pick up the slack for the surprising failure of Phil Hughes, who should be back in the rotation next year.

Derek Jeter. I love the guy, but I get as sick as fans of other teams about the hyperbole surrounding him. That said, he had a superb World Series and postseason in general. He is fashioning a Yankee legacy that makes him an immortal name, and it's well deserved. The fifth ring goes a long way toward cementing that legacy. Pettitte and Jorge Posada will always have a place in team history, but Jeter and Rivera are the immortals.

Ah, but there's another immortal now, isn't there? What more can be asked of Alex Rodriguez now? In his six-year Yankee tenure, he has won two MVPs and was the best player in the run to this year's championship. I'm sure the monkey will never be completely off his back, because some people are just idiots, but he is likely the greatest position player you'll see wear a Yankee uniform in your lifetime.

Can't write the wrap-up for this Series, and season, without mentioning CC Sabathia. Aside from A-Rod finally getting hot in the postseason, the biggest difference this season was that the Yankees finally had an absolute horse they could ride at the top of the rotation. I have complete faith he would have done it one more time, but I'm glad we didn't have to find out.

Well, I think that's about it for now. It was a great season, but the best thing about baseball is that it's a 12-month-a-year sport. We're right around the corner from the season awards and the hot stove, and we'll be all over that kind of stuff here. Thanks for taking the time to read, and I hope you keep coming back.

Enjoy the parade, and congratulations 2009 Yankees, world champions!

The guy was pitching for the Phillies, that is. Not the Yankees.

A.J. Burnett never gave the Yankees a chance tonight -- something that is made even more frustrating by the fact that Cliff Lee was not the same overpowering force he was in Game 1. Although to be fair, he was pretty darn good again.

The idea that Jose Molina needed to catch A.J. Burnett is indefensible now. Sure the decision probably didn't cost the Yankees this game, but there is absolutely no way to argue that it was a savvy move. Of course Burnett, mercifully, will not pitch again this season, but that ridiculous maneuver of benching a borderline Hall of Fame catcher in postseason games did not pay off, as Burnett was the winning pitcher in exactly one of his five postseason starts, delivering only one true gem in Game 2 of this World Series.

And I guess we must be careful to remember that start while killing A.J. for this game. Without that performance, the Yankees never would have had a chance in this series, so he did contribute. But when given the opportunity for his finest career moment, he was a complete zero on Monday night, and that certainly can't be forgotten either.

What none of us can tell, though, is whether or not pitching on short rest truly had a detrimental effect on him. I guess only he really knows. And even though I was in favor of pitching Gaudin tonight, and saving Burnett for Game 6, I'm not going to rip Joe Girardi for the move. And I'll be honest: After seeing what A.J. did tonight, I'm glad we'll be having Andy Pettitte on the mound for Game 6. One more great moment from Andy, that's all we ask.

That's not to credit him with the Game 4 win by any stretch. It just stands out on a night where both team's bullpens blew the game late. Joba Chamberlain actually was pretty good, but he worked himself into trouble by messing around and getting to a 3-2 count to Pedro Feliz, who then knew a fastball was coming -- and he knew what to do with it. Like Joba, Brad Lidge came out of the pen throwing lights out stuff, making quick work of Hideki Matsui and Derek Jeter before the at bat that could go down in history along the lines of Paul O'Neill's at bat against Armando Benitez in 2000. Damon worked Lidge spoiling a few tough pitches before extending the ninth by slapping a single to left. Then he went to work, stealing second and taking the open third base on a wacky play, forcing Lidge to attack Alex Rodriguez with fastballs. And A-Rod completed his reformation with the game-winning hit, spanking an 0-1 pitch to deep left for the winning double. The always under-appreciated Jorge Posada then did the two things he does best -- come through with a clutch hit and get thrown out on the bases. Then it was Mo and, lights out.

That rally saved the game. I mean, duh, of course. But think about it. Since Joe Girardi was only going to get one inning from Mariano Rivera, he was not going to use him in an extra-inning game on the road unless the Yankees took the lead. And I don't know about you, but I wouldn't have been too excited about seeing the Phil's (Hughes and Coke that is) come in to that game to face the top of the Philly order with all the momentum on the Philly side. I'll be honest, I was sure this game was lost and I was wracking my brain trying to think of anything Joe Girardi really could have done differently, and the only thing really would have been to bring in the suddenly lights-out Damaso Marte a batter earlier to face Chase Utley.

But this game came down to Joe Blanton probably pitching a little better than expected, and CC Sabathia pitching a little worse. I can't give CC a "good start" for this one, because the Yankees needed better than three runs in 6 2/3 innings from him tonight, especially with the middle of the order struggling. If it weren't for terrific nights by Damon and Derek Jeter at the top, this game would have been lost. But despite the offensive struggles, despite CC's lack of sharpness, the game still shouldn't have come down to this. Joba Chamberlain should have finished the eighth and gotten the game to Mariano with the lead. When all that's standing in your way is Pedro Feliz with two outs -- no disrespect to Feliz, but come on -- you have to finish the job. That said, he looked good enough in striking out the other three guys that I'd still trust him as the eighth-inning guy Monday.

But I have a feeling we won't have to worry about that. You have to figure Cliff Lee will make a stand, the bad A.J. Burnett probably will show up, and this series will be headed back to New York. But the good news is now, in order for the Phillies to win the series, they will have to beat CC in New York in a Game 7.

OK, maybe I said it. But I also said there was no way Cole Hamels was going to outpitch Andy Pettitte in this game. Of course I had no idea that Pettitte would be barely adequate -- or a gritty, gutty warrior as the YES guys called him -- and still outduel last year's MVP. Let this Hamels postseason put to rest the myth of the big game pitcher. There are merely good pitchers and not-so-good pitchers. Last year, Hamels was the former. This year, he's the latter.

Where was I? Oh yeah, Swisher. Who could possibly have seen that coming? His double sparked the go-ahead rally, and his homer was a valuable insurance run. I ripped Lee after Game 1, so I have to be fair: Swisher should not have posed at home plate on his home run, especially considering how bad he's been this postseason so far. But it was a big moment for him, and he's a little ... incorrigible, so I guess we have to live with it.

Also: A-Rod. Listen to me very carefully. You cannot rip this guy for his postseason performance anymore, regardless of what he does the rest of this series. If it wasn't enough that the guy carried the Yankees through the first two rounds, that home run tonight might have saved this series. Because Game 3 was looking awful bleak at that point. Leave him alone. I don't care if he strikes out every time up the rest of the way.

Let's also not forget Johnny Damon's double, which sandwiched between the home runs and the Andy Pettitte hit could get lost in the mix. But that of course was the game-winning hit, and it really allowed Pettitte and the Yankees to take a deep breath and put the Phillies back on their heels.

Every World Series game is a must-win, but tomorrow's game is vitally important. The Yankees have a chance to put themselves in the driver's seat with CC Sabathia going up against the far inferior Joe Blanton. But if the Philliers somehow pull the game out, they'd have it back to 2-2 with Cliff Lee going the next day. What's that they say about momentum in baseball?

On that note, if the Yankees do win tomorrow, I'd look at Game 5 as a free game and start Chad Gaudin. You figure Lee is gonna be favored against anyone other than -- and maybe including -- Sabathia anyway, so go with Gaudin and hope for the best knowing that in the worst-case scenario you're going back to New York with A.J. Burnett on full rest and CC, going against Pedro and either Hamels or Blanton. I know Charlie Manuel has his reasons for not starting Lee three times -- and I'm sure they're good ones -- but at least on paper that seems like a big help to the Yankees.

Finally a few things about FOX. Was it just me, or was the real issue about A-Rod's homer, what the heck is a TV camera doing jutting out into the field of play? Not only do Joe and Tim not acknowledge that, but they start hemming and hawing over whether the ball would have left the park had it not been interfered with by the camera. Key word being: interfered. The umpires didn't need to break out their protractors to determine if the ball was headed over the fence, as it appeared pretty clearly that it was, and it was interfered with by something jutting out over the fence. Home run. Easiest call the umps have had all postseason.

Finally, what was Joe Buck thinking, trying to stir up controversy about Joe Girardi's move to bring Mariano Rivera in the game in the ninth inning? With the way Phil Hughes has been getting shelled, that was a no-brainer. Even Tim McCarver knew that. Joe, I know you hate the Yankees, and I'll be the first to rip Girardi when he deserves it, but you don't fool around in the World Series. Girardi has had a fine World Series, and he's two wins away from being able to overmanage the Yankees for a long time. He deserves a break -- for now.

But it was a little sweaty there for a while, wasn't it? The offense is far from fixed, as they probably should have hit Pedro Martinez a little more than they did. Great respect to Pedro for a tremendous start, however. Never underestimate the heart of a great warrior, especially a great starting pitcher. This postseason has been a great revelation for Pedro, who is unlikely to be in search of a job when next spring training rolls around.

But Burnett was the star on the mound tonight, and he needed to be. I'm not entirely sure why the Yankees have gone pretty much the whole postseason without hitting; it's probably simply that they're facing good pitching every night. But you could sense the tension from the first pitch last night, with the Yankees feeling the heat after failing to do anything against Cliff Lee the night before.

So if the Yankees come back and win this series, Mark Teixeira's fourth-inning home run goes down as the biggest hit of the year. It was about time for Tex, who had been struggling mightily all postseason, but at least he makes his home runs count when he hits them. And what can you say about Hideki Matsui -- other than Joe Girardi is going to have to think long and hard about starting him in right field in Game 3. You have to figure Nick Swisher is useless now, as Joe didn't even use him to pinch hit in the game, and Jerry Hairston did nothing to earn a second start. I don't know which direction I'd go, because I'm definitely scared to have Matsui in the field. But with the offense being as dry as it's been, it's really hard to sit Matsui.

And then there's Mariano Rivera. He's not human. He's a creature from another dimension sent here to dominate baseball eternally. Wow. They should be relying less on him as he gets older, but instead he becomes more important somehow. If they win a close game in this series without the Ultimate Weapon going two innings, I'll be very surprised.

Now for some bad stuff: A-Rod all of a sudden looks lost. Hopefully the day off and the fact that they were able to steal a win without him doing anything settles him down, because we're gonna need him. He doesn't necessarily have to dominate -- no one can stay as hot as he was -- but he needs to be productive. He also could benefit from going on the road, away from the crushing weight of home-crowd expectations.

Derek Jeter's bunt. I don't even know what to say about that. I don't know who to blame, but whoever decided to do that is off their rocker. Someone needs to remind Jeter he's going to the Hall of Fame for his ability to swing a bat, not sacrifice bunt. Just an awful play that could have proved very costly.

Now it's on to Philly for Game 3. Like I said before, I like the Cole Hamels-Andy Pettitte matchup for the Yankees, but if Hamels suddenly finds himself -- and there's no reason to say he can't -- it could go very poorly for our guys. But at least we get a day of rest to feel good about things after the Game 2 win.

But here's what we learned tonight:

You probably shouldn't throw a second pitch in the exact same spot a guy hit it out the last time up.

Phil Hughes can no longer be trusted in a big spot. If I'm Girardi, he's done for the rest of the series, barring a blowout.

Damaso Marte looks like he can be trusted, at least against a lefty.

Nick Swisher needs to sit for Brett Gardner. I hate to say it, but there's simply no chance of Swish having a productive at bat right now.

Robinson Cano should have made Cliff Lee throw a strike leading off the eighth. But we already knew he was a bad fundamental player, so we didn't really learn anything there.

I'm sure some idiot will say CC pitched well enough to lose. The truth is he pitched very well. The problem was Lee pitched great. It happens.

So hats off to the Phillies. I thought if the Yankees won Game 1 they would win the series. Now I'm not so sure. But I still expect it to be a long series. For that to happen, though, they have to hit Pedro in Game 2.

But I think you know where I'm going with this.

Tomorrow's Game 1 is crucial. If the Yankees beat Cliff Lee in the opener, I simply can't see them losing this series because of the subsequent pitching matchups. Pedro is excited about pitching Game 2? Well, maybe I'm tempting fate by saying this, but so am I. Bring it on. And I find it difficult to imagine that Cole Hamels is going to outpitch Andy Pettitte in Game 3.

But this is just on-paper analysis, of course. As we know, anything can happen in these crazy games. And just because I expect the Yankees to hit Pedro in Game 2, there's no way I can say I expect A.J. Burnett to shut down the Phillies. And then there's that little detail of the Yankees needing to win Game 1 for this whole scenario to play out. I believe CC will pitch a great game, but Lee probably will as well, so it could come down to a battle of two much-maligned bullpens.

I'm not interested in position-by-position comparisons in baseball. It's a huge waste of time, since we all know whether or not the Yankees shortstop is better than the Phillies shortstop (he is, by the way) has nothing whatsoever to do with how baseball games are won. Not unless Derek Jeter and Jimmy Rollins find themselves pitching at some point. But there is one position I have to address. I've been reading and hearing a lot about how great Carlos Ruiz is now, and he's been a terrific playoff performer the last couple of years, no doubt. But for some people to be calling catcher a wash, as I've been hearing lately, is about as absurd as it gets. I would bother trotting out some statistical analysis to back that up, but it's such a landslide it's not worth the effort. If you're the kind of guy who thinks a couple of well-placed hot weeks by Ruiz makes him as good as Jorge Posada, then there's really nothing I can do to convince you otherwise.

A-Rod is finally going to the World Series.

The quest for 27 continues thanks to a few men: Andy Pettitte, Johnny Damon, Mariano Rivera, Mike Scioscia and Scott Kazmir. And of course Alex Rodriguez, the king among men.

There's gonna be a lot written from the Yankees' point of view, so let's take a quick look at the Angels. Mike Scioscia, roundly called the best manager in the game, had a terrible couple of games with his team's life on the line. The fact that he waited until this game was pretty much out of hand to use Jered Weaver -- who he arguably should have started -- is pretty mind-boggling. Meanwhile, he goes to Scott Kazmir, who has not been good in the postseason and isn't used to pitching in relief -- and who is prone to fits of wildness. And it was that wildness, both in his pitching and his fielding, that did the Angels in. Because, let's be honest, when the Halos got to Mariano for a run in the top of the eighth, it was getting awfully uncomfortable. Their lineup is tough from top to bottom, and those guys refused to go away. But once Mariano had a three-run cushion, it was over.

The amazing aspect of this story? That then much-maligned Joe Girardi outmanaged Scioscia, making the right move at every turn. He wisely left Andy Pettitte out there to start the seventh and went batter-to-batter with him. He then went to Joba Chamberlain instead of Phil Hughes; while neither has been great Joba has been the better of the two, but I expect we'll see Phil Hughes back in the eighth inning during the World Series. And he didn't fool around in the eighth, going straight to Rivera. Sure, it almost backfired, but it was the right move, no doubt about it. I even liked that Joe was willing to go with the hot hand and had Damaso Marte throwing. Now if we could only get him to trust David Robertson.

The offense? Still struggled, although it put plenty of guys 0n base tonight. They really only got the one clutch hit from Johnny Damon, but fortunately that's all they needed tonight. Alex Rodriguez was a monster yet again, even if he did get snubbed for ALCS MVP by the same writers who have made a career out of labeling him a postseason choker. Mark Teixeira's sac fly in the eighth also was big, and he just missed a grand slam.

Let's hear it for Andy Pettitte. If this was his final huge postseason moment, he can walk away from the game a very proud man.

Now we turn our attention to the Phillies, but we have a couple of days to worry about that. For now, let's bask in the glory of this win.

Let's go Yankees!