Let’s not make more of this game than it was. Mussina just stunk. We did fine against Verlander. In a short playoff series, anything can happen.

I don’t think this game, or their performance against Bedard, shows that they can’t win in the post-season. Verlander wasn’t even impressive last night. What it shows is that they need their pitching to match another team’s good pitcher. Hughes, Henn and Ramirez more or less matched Bedard. They were close enough to tie the game against Walker. This Yankees team pounds guys like Walker and Todd Jones. If they can keep it close enough to get to the bullpen, then they can win in the post-season. Also, this was the one game where the Tigers had the pitching advantage. If the Yankees actually take the next three games the series will still have been a success.

Small thing from last night that disturbed me: Giambi’s at-bats against Rodney and Jones. Okay, Rodney struck him out with a 97-mph fastball, which Giambi was waaaay late on, but Jones HANDLED him, and Jones is horrible. That’s not a good sign.

They touched up Carmona pretty good less than a week ago didn’t they? i heard he was pretty good! not to meantion Guthire and to a lesser extend Doc Halladay (though Wang bombed that game. )

I’m not saying i think this team has a great chance or anything, but let’s be real, the Cardinals won last year with a craptistic lineup that featured 1 awsome hitter, 1 good hitter, and 2 shell of former great player, and then a lot of garbage. and a rotation that featured the almighty Jeff Weaver and Jeff Suppan , and Reyes, who sucked beyond badly this year.

It really just say that playoff is 70% luck and 30% skill, make it, and anything could happen. like So Taguchi, a skinny man that have very little power even by NPB standards, homered off Billy Wagner in a crucial moment in the playoff.

You are exactly right — this team may, indeed, should make the post-season as the wild card team and then fall short of the World Series. But we should recognize that it is a team in transition, with a pitching staff that is being rebuilt around younger power arms. That doesn’t happen overnight, of course. To make the post-season while going through a generational shift is no small accomplishment. I, for one, would be satisfied with that for 2007.