Delivering #27 Diary - Game 3 World Series - Yankees vs. Phillies - 2 wins till #27!

7:11 p.m. - Happy Halloween. It's 46 minutes till first pitch of Game 3 of the 2009 World Series and also 46 minutes until we stop answering the door for neighbor kids looking for a free handout of candy.

7:12 p.m. - Question: If the US Government was giving out free candy tonight, would Republicans stauchly oppose it and crazed Americans hold packed town hall meetings to scream about it?

7:27 p.m. - Joe Girardi announced today that C.C. Sabathia is pitching for the Yankees in Game 4. If Andy Pettitte wins tonight against Cole Hamels, I think that gives the Yankees a considerable edge in the series.

7:32 p.m. - Just turned on the Fox pre-game and found out there is a rain delay for Game 3. Guess, the trick or treaters have a few extra minutes to fleece me out of candy. Come and get it.

7:34 p.m. - Honestly, how is Ozzie Guillen a commentator on the pre-game. He doesn't even speak good english. I can't even understand him. He sounds worse than Shannon Sharpe....And Sharpe is unintelligible.

7:36 p.m. - On Twitter: BobKlap (From The Bergen Record) Curious how Pettitte, who is as gentle as a dove, will handle a hostile crowd tonight....Really, Bob? Andy has the most postseason wins in Major League HISTORY. Plus, this is his 8th World Series. He will pitch well tonight.

7:42 p.m. - I keep saying this before every game, but this is a big game tonight that will turn the momentum of the series. Andy Pettitte is the person I want pitching this game.

7:46 p.m. - From LoHud Blog: "Tonight is Andy Pettitte’s 11th World Series start for the Yankees, which is the second-most in team history. Pettitte passes Waite Hoyt and Red Ruffing."

7:51 p.m. - I echo what Eric Karros just said on the pre-game: "Alex Rodriguez is going to have a good game tonight. Isn't it interesting how he had an other worldly ALDS and ALCS and now that he's gone 0 for 8 in the World Series, that people are starting to question him again. What the hell. I think he's going to do well and go deep tonight.

8:10 p.m. - We're in a rain delay and I switched over to Ocean's 11 on TNT, one of the few movies I have watched a thousand times and will still watch again and again whenever it is on TV.

8:32 p.m. - The rain delay has forced me to desperate measures. We're taking advantage of the free Halloween Black Taco from Taco Bell.

9:03 p.m. - I'd imagine that those 3 Taco Supremes that I just ate aren't going to feel good later.

9:05 p.m. - The cast of Glee is singing the National Anthem and the guy who plays Artie Abrams in the show is standing. It's a Halloween Miracle!

9:20 p.m. - It's game time, finally!

9:22 p.m. - God, I hate Phillies fans already. They suck. They are surprisely loud in the first inning.

9:23 p.m. - The home plate umpire is the horrible 1B ump from Game 2. This is going to be rough.

9:26 p.m. - Rollins singles to left and A-Rod makes another bad defensive play. 1st one resulted in only run for Phillies in Game 2. Let's hope trend doesn't continue.

9:30 p.m. - I wonder if Chase Utley's hair is as greasy tonight as it was in Game 1. Do you think the rain watered it down somewhat tonight?

9:32 p.m. - I think I hate Philly fans more than I hate more than Red Sox fans. ...And I've only had to endure them for one inning. I've had to endure Red Sox fans for years upon years.

9:36 p.m. - Great pitch by Andy to strike out to Chase Utley. Big, big time.

9:42 p.m. - Ryan Howard strikes out to end the inning with Rollins on second base. It's his 7th K of series and he's now 2 for 10 in the series. Earlier in the at-bat, Fox was comparing A-Rod to Howard (in snarky fashion) as a way to show how bad both team's sluggers have been this series. Are Philly fans getting on Howard the same way NY fans are getting on A-Rod? Probably not.

9:43 p.m. - Yes, I realize I just said NY fans are "getting on A-Rod." Don't be dirty!

9:46 p.m. - A-Rod leads off the second and it hit in the shoulder by Hamels.

9:47 p.m. - How is it that Tim McCarver can see Hamels balk from up in the TV booth, but the umps can't see it and they are on the field?

9:49 p.m. - Mr. .114 steps to the plate after a 1 game layoff. Can you make up for your previous playoff suckyness, please?

9:50 p.m. - Mr. .114 flies out to Jason Werth. Is it me or does it look like Werth is going to drop the ball everytime he catches it?

9:55 p.m. - Well, I shouldn't have made fun of Werth. He hits a homerun to lead off the 2nd. 1-0 Phillies.

10:02 p.m. - I don't think I could ever root for a National League team. I hate when the pitcher bats. It's just unnatural.

10:03 p.m. - How does Pettitte not make a play on that bunt by Hamels?

10:04 p.m. - And the whole pitcher wearing a jacket when he's on first base is just plain dumb.

10:05 p.m. - Walk to Rollins with the bases loaded. Andy is not looking good tonight. 2-0 Phillies

10:07 p.m. - Sac fly on an 0-2 pitch and it's another run for Philly. 3-0

10:10 p.m. - And Pettitte mercifully gets out of the 2nd with a strikeout of Utley. Yankees have 6 innings to come from behind, as they are so good at doing this year.

10:14 p.m. - Pettitte comes to bat. Can he make up for the 3 runs he just gave up. Probably not. That's why pitchers shouldn't hit.

10:17 p.m. - The Yankees are making Cole Hamels look good tonight. And he's not good.

10:19 p.m. - I feel sick. I don't think it's from the Taco Bell I ate an hour ago.

10:21 p.m. - Howard strikes out for 8th time in series. No, I'm not making fun of you Ryan. Don't hurt the Yankees later.

10:24 p.m. - 1-2-3 inning for Pettitte and hopefully he's calmed down. Damon, Tex and A-Rod to start the 4th. Let's break it open here.

10:27 p.m. - No, I would not like to get paid in gum, Trident Layers guy. Trident should fire their marketing staff. They should have totally played it off of Shrek's classic "onions have layers...donkeys have layers."

10:29 p.m. - How do the Yankees not even have a hit yet?

10:31 p.m. - If Alex was looking for a time to break out, here might be a good place with Tex on first after a walk.

10:32 p.m. - Alex rockets a ball to right and the ball hits the camera hanging over the wall in right field. That was a homerun. The umps need to replay that!

10:33 p.m. - And they are replaying it. It better be in the Yankees favor.

10:34 p.m. - And it's RULED A HOMERUN! 3-2 Yankees.

10:34 p.m. - I am Nostradamus, by the way.

10:35 p.m. - It took the umps literally 1 minute to look at the replay and rule it a Home Run. Wouldn't it be nice to replay plays in all cases to make sure the call is right?

10:40 p.m. - Out of A-Rod's 6 HRs this postseason, 5 of 6 have been hit to right or right-center field.

10:42 p.m. - Andy needs to get out of this inning without giving up a run. The Yankees offense is going to come alive the next inning.

10:44 p.m. - And Hamels bunts again and Posada actually makes the play this time. THIS IS WHY THE PITCHER SHOULDN'T BAT!

10:45 p.m. - MLB really needs to discuss this offseason about expanding the "limited use of replay". The technology is in place to warrant it. Of course, Bud Selig is spineless, puppet commissioner so I would not bet on it.

10:46 p.m. - Pettitte stymies Philly threat in 4th and I'm feeling some fireworks from Mr. .110 to start the Top of the 5th.

10:49 p.m. - Is it Philly or Phillie? Who cares. They and their fans both suck.

10:51 p.m. - Mr. .110 with leadoff double to start the 5th! Yes, I am Nostradamus!

10:53 p.m. - Andy Pettitte with single to center and Swisher scores! 3-3. That's why pitcher's should bat!!

10:54 p.m. - Jeter singles to put runners on 1 and 2nd with 1 out and the Yankees have something going. Come on Johnny!

10:56 p.m. - Johnny Rockets a double to center and drives in two to put the Yankees ahead for the first time tonight. 5-3 Yankees!

10:59 p.m. - A-Rod comes to the plate again with runners on 1st and 2nd and a big chance to make a big impact again in this game.

11:06 p.m. - The Yankees Suck chants by the Phillie-Philly faithful don't have the same affect now that Yankees are leading as they did when they were losing 3-0.

11:08 p.m. - Again, the bottom of the 5th is another big inning for Pettitte to shut down the Phillies.

11:09 pm. - I've been playing Borderlands and Halo ODST lately for XBox 360 and recommend both if you are fan of shooters. While both are shooters, Borderlands has a heavy RPG (role playing game; not rocket propelled grenade) angle to it and ODST is more of a straight shooter.

11:10 p.m. - Those pumpkins with Yankee and Phillies logo on them (behind Buck and McCarver) are very nice. Are they carved or drawn?

11:15 p.m. - Pettitte downs Phillies 1-2-3 and looks like he is back to his usual self after a rough start to the game.

11:16 p.m. - Yankees need to start tacking on runs in the Top of the 6th to give Pettitte and eventually the bullpen some breathing room.

11:19 p.m. - Robinson Cano really needs to take more than one damn pitch to start the 6th. He's 1 for 10 this Series. Not good.

11:21 p.m. - My buddy, Mr. .114 just nailed a homerun to left. I guess that 1-game benching was a wake up call, huh? 6-3 Yankees! It's a Swish-a-licious! That's 2 extra base hits this game for Nick Swisher.

11:26 p.m. - According to my DVR, the "Talkshow with Spike Feresten is supposed to be on now. Yes, that's the only time you'll ever see my DVR tuned to that show.

11:27 p.m. - Jason Werth leads off bottom of 6th with his 2nd homerun of the night. 6-4 Yankees. That makes Swisher tack on solo homerun even more important.

11:35 p.m. - McCarver just said: remember to turn your clocks back so you won't be late for the start of 1 p.m NFL games tomorrow. Uh, if we don't turn our clocks back won't we be an hour early Tim?

11:36 p.m. - I've said it before and I'll say it again. Yankees need to tack on in 7th. Pettitte definitely isn't starting the 7th.

11:38 p.m. - McCarver is totally getting blasted on Twitter right now for his lack of understanding for Daylight Savings Time.

11:43 p.m. - Damon walks and steals second. A-Rod up with a chance to tack on run for Yankees.

11:46 p.m. - A-Rod gets hit for 2nd time tonight. Intentional? Maybe. Nonetheless, Jorge steps up with chance to add run for Yankees.

11:49 p.m. - Jorge comes up clutch again as he dunks a flare single into left to drive home Damon. 7-4 Yankees!

11:50 p.m. - Wow, Robbie takes a pitch. Good for you.

11:54 p.m. - I love the U.S. Military for what they give to our country, but the guy who sang God Bless America was worst than the one who sang it at Yankee Stadium. Sorry. Ronan Tynan was the best God Bless America singer, his horrible comments recently aside.

11:56 p.m. - Joba comes in to start the 7th for Yankees.

11:57 p.m. - Great start tonight by Pettitte. He got into trouble early in the 2nd inning, but pitched very well after that getting 12 of the next 14 batters out. Here's tonight's line for Pettitte: 6 IP, 4 runs, 5 hits, 3 BB, 7K

11:59 p.m. - Joba gets Phillies out 1-2-3.

12:05 p.m. - I'm glad to hear that Brett Myers bowled a 298. Who cares about that?

12:06 p.m. - Phil Hughes warming up in bullpen and of course Joe Buck mentions that he hasn't pitched well lately. Thanks for bringing that up there Joe. You'd mention Don Larsen was pitching a perfect game while he was doing it if you were an announcer back then.

12:07 p.m. - Matsui pinch hits for Joba and smacks a homerun to left field. 8-4 Yankees. Oh, how I wish you could play in the field tonight and didn't have the knees of an 80-year-old.

12:08 p.m. - How crap it's November. And Mr. November steps up to the plate! Any coincidence?

12:11 p.m. - Jeter strikes out, but I still can't believe it's November and we're playing baseball.

12:12 p.m. - Marte comes in to start the 8th. A little bit of a surprise, but lets see what happens after Howard bats.

12:16 p.m. - Howard strikes out for 3rd time tonight and 9th time in series. If the Phillie-Philly fans don't get on him tomorrow for his series, I don't know what to say.

12:17 p.m. - Interesting that Marte stays out there to pitch to Werth. I'm surprised when Girardi doesn't overmanage, I guess.

12:19 p.m. - Very nice 1-2-3 inning by Marte. That's two straight 1-2-3 inning for Yankee bullpen, which is saying something after their recent struggles.

12:21 p.m. - The Phillie-Philly faithful who were loud as hell early in the game sure are quiet right now. Do they all have Philly Cheesesteak stuck in their craw?

12:27 p.m. - Uh, why did A-Rod just try to pick up that ball in the dirt like he was a ball boy? Is he trying to get a World Series souvenir for his girlfriend Kate Hudson?

12:30 p.m. - A daylight saving time question for you and Tim McCarver: Does Grace, my 9 month old, know it's daylight savings time and she gets an extra hour of sleep or will she wake up on Sunday at 5 a.m. instead of 6 a.m.? And will she miss the 1 p.m. game if she tunes in late-early, whatever?

12:37 p.m. - Good thing Phil Hughes has some breathing room as Ruiz hits a homerun, 8-5 Yankees.

12:39 p.m. - Girardi isn't messing around and brings in Mariano. I don't have a problem with this move despite what Joe Buck is saying on TV now. McCarver agrees with me.

12:43 p.m. - And Mo closes it out on 5 pitches. Yankees win 8-5.

Wrap-up: This was definitely a big game for the Yankees as their offense finally broke out and they got a good game from Andy Pettitte and a great effort by the Yankee bullpen. Tomorrow C.C. is up with a good chance to put a strangehold on this series.

2 wins till #27!

Let's go Yankees!

Happy Halloween!

World Series Game 2 - Yankees vs. Phillies - 3 wins to #27

7:53 p.m. - Simply put, this is a huge, huge game for the 2009 New York Yankees. They were dominated by Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee last night and need to make a statement right here to tie the best-of-seven series at 1.

7:55 p.m. - As I've stated in past insta-blogging sessions during this years playoffs, A.J. Burnett has awesome stuff, yet he tends to get a little too amp'ed up when he starts in a 2009 playoff game. Thus, his "awesome stuff" can be more likely classified as wild. He needs to have awesome stuff tonight to get his team back on track tonight.

7:57 p.m. - Here we go. ...Yes, I am more nervous than I was in any game against the Angels. It's the World Series for cripes sake!

8:00 p.m. - My wife is so cute. Last night she asked if Vic Torino was Italian. I told her that his name was Shane Victorino.

8:02 p.m. - I'm playing Facebook's Farmville while watching the 1st inning of the 2009 World Series featuring the Yankees, a team I've loved since 1984. Would you say I obsess much?

8:04 p.m. - 1-2-3 for A.J. and I can already tell that he's keeping it under control and has his "awesome stuff" tonight. Great cut on his fastball and he got ahead of all three hitters in the first inning.

8:07 p.m. - Yankees need to be patient at the plate tonight against Pedro Martinez and let "Who's Your Daddy?" beat himself.

8:08 p.m. - Yes, the "Who's Your Daddy?" chants are already starting.

8:19 p.m. - A.J. makes Ryan Howard look silly as he strikes out his 2nd batter of the night.

8:20 p.m. - Joe Buck just called A.J. Burnett...Beckett. I hate you Joe Buck. Have I mentioned that lately?

8:27 p.m. - A dumb bloop double and single that gets past A-Rod puts Phillies up in first, 1-0 Phillies.

8:43 p.m. - Ibanez makes a diving stop to deny the Yankees of their first run. That's the difference right there in this game. The Phillies got a couple lucky bounces in the 2nd inning. The Yankees did not.

8:44 p.m. - Come on Jerry Hairston Jr. Make your Manager look like he made a good decision for once. ....Girardi got killed all day about this move on WFAN. What else is new. And Hairston flies out. Girardi is the worst manager ever," so says everyone on WFAN tomorrow.

8:49 p.m. - And I finally finished planting carrots in my farm for harvesting tomorrow. Yes, I obsess much. Now, to concentrate on the gae.

8:56 p.m. - I don't like Vic Torino's double ear flapped helmet. What is he in: the little leagues?

8:57 p.m. - AJ needs to concentrate on batter right here. Game is slowing down to a snails pace and he is off his rhythm.

8:59 p.m. - Thanks for the old news, Fox: Brett Favre returning to play in Green Bay is so 2006. Oh wait....

9:01 p.m. - Do you think Charlie Manuel and Johnny Lackey drink Pabst Blue Ribbon at a Texas trailer park together? See my Game 1 ALCS insta-blogging for reference.

9:03 p.m. - Phillies on 1st and 2nd with 2 outs in the Top of 3rd. And up steps Ryan Howard, who is hitting .500-something with runners in scoring position during this year's playoffs. Jesus.

9:05 p.m. - Nice sequence there for AJ as he strikes out Ryan Howard to end the threat.

9:07 p.m. - Pedro has 43 pitches to the first 7 Yankee batters. We need to break thru in the 3rd inning against him.

9:12 p.m. - Molina walks and reaches first base for the first time in the 2009 Playoffs. At least, that's something. Maybe he'll score and make his start tonight worthwhile.

9:13 p.m. - I wish Joe Buck would stop talking about Pedro's good years in Boston. I wonder if Fox announcers will talk about Favre's good years in Green Bay on Sunday. Ya think?

9:16 p.m. - I wish the Yankees could actually score a run. That would be nice.

9:23 p.m. - Excellent, excellent throw by Molina to get Werth out. Posada definitely doesn't make that play there. So, Molina's got that going for him, too.

9:28 p.m. - Tex with a big bang, deep to center to finally break through against Pedro. 1-1. Bout time Tex. Bout time.

9:32 p.m. - Matsui walks and the Yankees have something going. ...The Yankee threat ends shortly after.

9:42 p.m. - I wish Buck would stop openingly rooting for the Phillies. Seriously. He is spewing stats about Phillie prowess.

9:48 p.m. - It's the start of the bottom of the 5th and time for the Yankees to break it out against Pedro. He's tiring. We need to finish him, Mortal Kombat-style!!

9:52 p.m. - After Jeter doubles to left (typical), Damon swings at first pitch from a tiring Martinez to end the 5th.

10:01 p.m. - Burnett thru 6. Pedro coming out with Tex, A-Rod and Matsui coming up. I smell big things.

10:03 p.m. - No matter what happens tonight, it won't surpass the fact that my 8-month-old daughter Grace stood up today by herself for the first time.

10:08 p.m. - Fox just showed a shot of Rudy Giuliani's girlfriend trying to calm him down. That makes me feel better about my nervousness. The guy was the NYC mayor during 9/11 for cripes sake

10:11 p.m. - Matsui dings one to right field and beer goes flying everywhere. Shades of Tino Martinez's grand slam in 98 against Padres. The flying beer, I mean. 2-1 Yankees. First lead for the Yankees in the World Series.

10:13 p.m. - AJ needs to lock Phillies down in 7th after homer by Matsui.

10:15 p.m. - RT JoeandEvan I know its early in the series...but I go Mo for 8th and 9th tonight. I don't think Girardi will though

10:16 p.m. - My response: @JoeandEvan I think you have to go Mo in 8th and 9th. This is a must win for #Yankees and there's an off-day tomorrow.

10:18 p.m. - AJ strikes out Stairs for 9th K of night. Good stat by Fox. AJ has thrown first strike to 22 of 25 Phillie batter tonight.

10:21 p.m. - After that 1-2-3 inning by AJ, I'd revise my 10:16 thoughts. He's dealing and it's his game. Let him start 8th and only take him out if a runner reaches base.

10:29 p.m. - Hairston singles to start the 7th inning (validation for Girardi?) and is replaced by Gardner.

10:29 p.m. - BTW, Pedro surpassed 100 pitches (his dreaded career highwater pitch count) right before Hairston singled.

10:29 p.m. - RT @YankeesWFAN Pedro back for the 7th. Did Grady Little chloroform Charlie Manuel and take over as Phillies manager?

10:30 p.m. - Melky singles on a hit and run and Gardner speeds to third to put runners on the corner with no one out.

10:32 p.m. - Pedro lifted to raucous boos and he actually smiles. He loves it! Wow. You could tell that he was completely fueled - and not hurt at all - with the "Who's Your Daddy?" chats. Just an interesting, interesting individual even though I hate him more than Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin combined. And I hate them, a lot.

10:34 p.m. - And here comes HIP HIP..Jorge! to replace Molina behind the plate.

10:35 p.m. - What the hell happened to Chan Ho Park? He looks completely different. Like he was a snow-bound in a Alaskan log cabin for years and finally let out.

10:37 p.m. - Jorge lines a single up the middle for Yankees to add another run on for Yankees. 3-1 Yankees. I'm seeing shades of 2003 ALCS right there.

10:39 p.m. - Bad decision by Jeter there to bunt with 2 strikes.

10:43 p.m. - Ryan Howard completely trapped that ball. Another horrible call by umps though, as they say it's a double play. Horrible, horrible call.

10:46 p.m. - Girardi's not messing around tonight as he brings Mo in to start the 8th. Guess that he's listened to the bashing he's gotten on WFAN about his handling of the bullpen throughout the 2009 playoffs.

10:53 p.m. - Burnett's line on the night: 7 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 9 K and 2 BB (1 intentional).

10:59 p.m. - Huge double play (Cano to Jeter to Tex) and the Yankees get out of a tough, tough jam there. Biggest outs of the night for the Yankees as the Phillies were threatening.

11:04 p.m. - DJ Hero? What? EA and Activision are out of control with their music-based games. Guitar Hero 1-3 and Rock Band were awesome and were crazy successful. So -- what usually happens -- money hungry execs step in and oversaturate the marketplace, including specialized versions of GH Aerosmith, Metallica, Van Halen, Guitar Hero: World Tour, Rock Ban 2 and Rock Band Beatles. It's just out of control. Stop already.

11:06 p.m. - Aceves is warming up in bullpen. Jesus. He can't come into this game. He just can't. Please just be getting your day work in.

11:19 p.m. - Mariano strikes out Ryan Howard looking to start the 9th. Howard is very foreboding player who reminds me of Manny and Ortiz - when they were taking steroids from 2004-2007.

11:26 p.m. - Mariano comes on for a six out save and wins it for the Yankees. Burnett was completely lights out tonight for the Yankees and pitched like a big-time pitcher on the biggest stage.

Wrap-up - Big, big win for the Yankees and the Series moves to Philadelphia tied at 1. All is right with the world.

2009 World Series - Game 1 - Yankees vs. Phillies - 4 wins to #27

It was a rough game last night, but you have to remember something: It's not the Super Bowl.

It's a best of 7 series where the winning team usually loses a few games. So, the Yankees got drubbed 6-1 last night, who cares.

It's not the end of the world. Really, it's not.

I've never seen so many people overreacting more to Yankee playoff game losses then they have this year.

The Yankees swept the Twins and then beat the Angels in six games. After both of the Yankees' two ALCS losses you would have thought that every Yankee fan had lost their minds. It wasn't the end of the world then though, and it's certainly not the end of the world now.

I've feeling bummed this morning, but know in my heart and in my head and that this is a resilient Yankee team that can still win the World Series backed by great starting pitchers and a clutch starting lineup. Sure, they played poorly last night, but it was more about the dominance of Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee than it was about anything else. Despite the loss, I thought C.C. Sabathia, while slightly off at times, pitched great and the Yankees weren't patient enough at the plate.

Tonight A.J. Burnett takes the mound with a chance to right the ship against long-time Yankee nemesis Pedro Martinez. If A.J. is under control, we're golden tonight. If he isn't and Pedro finds his early 2000s form, then I'll admit they are in trouble. Stay tuned.

The Battle for New Jersey

This map sums it up pretty easily on who's rooting for who:

Delivering #27 & Night at the Meadowlands

7:45 p.m. - It's my first ever dual insta-blogging session and it comes at a time when the Yankees are on the verge of their 40th pennant and a trip to the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, while the Giants face the defending NFC champion Arizona Cardinals.

For the Yankees: Tonight is it for them. They are up 3-2 in the series against the Angels, but are coming off a disappointing loss in Game 5. The Yankees need to win tonight to finish off a dangerous Angels team and to silence the critics who keep talking about the 2004 ALCS collapse to the Red Sox. Just be quiet people. You are making me more nervous. For the Yankees, Andy Pettitte is on the mound. And really, who better to calm my fears? With a win tonight, Pettitte will secure a historic, record breaking 16th playoff victory and record breaking 5th playoff series clincher.

For the Giants: They were embarrassed last week by the New Orleans Saints and need to come out tonight and get back to old Giant smash mouth running football, complimented by a confident Eli Manning and a young receiving core that has impressed the critics early in this season. I'm confident they can win it tonight if they can control the Cardinals aerial attack and put pressure on QB Kurt Warner - something they didn't do against the Saints' Drew Brees last week.

8:12 p.m. (Yankees) - In my Oct. 16th Delivering #27 Diary of Game 1 of the ALCS, I predicted that the Yankees would win the series in 6 games. Well, here we are. I'm sticking to my prediction.

8:20 p.m. (Giants) - Giants have to get up early in this game to silence the critics. Last week, they were down 2 TDs to the Saints before they could blink.

8:25 p.m. (Yankees) - Really good start by Andy. He's getting strike calls on the corner and his curve looks sharp tonight.

8:26 p.m. (Giants) - And now my first successful switch between the Yankees and Giants game. Did I mention that I'm also giving my wife a back massage at the same time. I'm talented..

8:31 p.m. (Yankees) - Johnny hits a pop fly to right and it nearly goes out of the park, but it is just foul. That's shades of early in the Yankees season when everything that was hit to right went out for a homer.

8:33 p.m. - (Giants) - Early fumble by Cardinals called down by contact, but replay shows otherwise. Giants need to challenge this. That's totally a fumble by Hightower. Tuck nearly ripped off his arm trying to get the ball.

8:34 p.m. (Yankees) - Tex rockets a single to center and the best player in this years playoffs comes to the plate to make a statement - hopefully....

8:35 p.m. (Yankees) - A-Rod knocks a single to right. 1st and 2nd with Jorge Posada coming to the plate. We need to break through early and get the Angels on their heels.

8:37 p.m. (Giants) - They are showing a shot of the new Giants Stadium and it just dwarfs and looks awesome compared to the old Stadium where tonight's game is being played.

8:38 p.m. (Giants) - And the Giants win the challenge and get 1st and 10 on the Giants' 27 yard line! Let's break it open early!

8:39 p.m. (Yankees) - The Yanks threaten in the bottom of 1st and don't score. Guerrero starts off top of 2nd with a infield single and barely beats the throw. Boy, he looks old...

8:40 p.m. (Yankees) - Old man Guerrero then gets doubled off of 1st on a great catch and throw by Nick Swisher. Hey, at least Swisher did something this series. :-)

8:41 p.m. (Giants) - A lot of early passing by Giants with a few runs sprinkled in. That worries me against the Cards.

8:49 p.m. (Random) - Just found out that the St. Louis - not Arizona - Cardinals hired Mark McGwire as the strength and steroid conditioning coach - I mean hitting coach....I'll be here all week.

8:50 p.m. (Yankees) - Cano knocks a single to center and up comes Mr. .118. Can we pick it up at bat, Nick. Please?!

8:51 p.m. (Giants) - Eli throws a deep pass and Hixon misses it and it's caught by Rodgers-Cromartie. Hixon really needs to fight harder for that ball. Plaxico was good at doing that....Yeah, he would have shot the guy in the leg....Please tip your wait staff.

8:52 p.m. (Yankees) - And Nick flies out and his AVG goes down to .110-something....

8:56 p.m. (Yankees) - The Captain comes to the plate and the table is set for him with Cano on 2nd and Melky on 1st.

8:57 p.m. (Giants) - Warner complains about a pass interference, but refs don't see it that way. And G-men get the ball back. It's still scoreless at the Meadowlands.

8:59 p.m. (Yankees) - Jeter walks to load the bases and 1B ump McClelland says Jeter didn't swing on ball 4. First call that he's got right all series. The ducks are on the pond for Johnny.

9:01 p.m. (Yankees) - And he hits a weak ground ball to right to end the inning. Rough. It's still scoreless at Yankee Stadium.

9:04 p.m (Yankees) - Angels backup catcher Jeff Mathis comes up to start 3rd and hits another double to center. Where did this guy come from? He thinks he's Johnny Bench or something.

9:05 p.m. (Giants) - Great throw and catch by Manning and Manningham there. ...or Ham as I like to call that connection. Giants have been aided this drive on 2 off-sides calls in a row by Cards.

9:07 p.m. (Giants) - Rough start for the Giants offense as they look as disjointed tonight as my DVR channel switching skills.

9:10 p.m. (Yankees) - Who is the Preston on the right shoulder of each Angels jersey? Bill S. Preston Esq.?.....And Ted "Theodore" Logan. ...Try the veal.

9:11 p.m. (Yankees) - Great, great play by Cano as he gets groundball, spins and throws out Figgins. He's been doing that all season long. A great, underrated fielder.

9:12 p.m. (Yankees) - Abreu singles in Mathis. 1-0 Angels. Uh oh.

9:15 p.m. (Giants) - Very nice pick there by Terrell Thomas as Kurt Warner just flings it. Giants ball on Cards' 29 yard line. The offense need to bang it in here.

9:16 p.m. (Giants) - Jacobs bangs his first nice run of the year flying 25 yards. Giants at 4 yeard line.

9:17 p.m. (Giants) - Jacobs bulls his way into endzone to put the Giants up: 7-0 Giants.

9:19 p.m. (Yankees) - After threatening in 1st and 2nd, Yankees need to score in 3rd to answer Angels. With the heart of their lineup coming up, hopefully they can do just that.

9:19 p.m. (Yankees) - Tex was completely safe on that infield single there and McClleland paused for a few seconds before calling him out.

9:21 p.m. (Yankees) - A-Rod walks on 5 pitches. It's clear in that at-bat right there that the Angels don't want any part of Alex. Now, the Yankees batters need to make them pay for that.

9:23 p.m. (Giants) - Giants pressure Cards on series and Cards go 3 and out. The defense looks great tonight.

9:24 p.m. (Yankees) - Posada hits one to the RF wall and Abreu nearly misplays it. Oh, how I miss those days.

9:25 p.m. (Giants) - Does the good Steve Smith even have a catch tonigh?. What happened to that guy? I have him on two of my fantasy teams, joined as a fan on his FB page, follow him on Twitter and now he lets me down with no catches. What gives?

9:28 p.m. (Yankees) - It's only the top of the 4th with Angels leading 1-0, but I've officially become nervous. Did you hear there's a Giants game on and they are leading? Who knew?

9:29 p.m. (Yankees) - Old man Guerrero strikes out looking and shows up HP ump Dale Scott. Should have gotten thrown out right there.

9:31 p.m. (Giants) - More pressure by Giants defense, including a sack by Danny Clark and the Cards are 3 and out again.

9:32 p.m. (Yankees) - Andy strikes out his 5th batter to end the top of 4th. Yanks need to break thru in bottom of 4th.

9:34 p.m. (Random) - I think I've seen the Transformers 2 commercial four times already and I'm fast forwarding through them!

9:35 p.m. (Giants) - It's definitely hurting the Giants tonight that McKenzie isn't playing. Eli is getting rushed a ton and his hurrying his throws. And that's when the bad Eli comes out. We hate the bad Eli.

9:36 p.m. (Yankees) - Cano starts it off right for Yankees as he walks to lead off the bottom of 4th. When's the last time he walked? Last year?

9:37 p.m. (Yankees) ....And up comes Mr. 111.

9:38 p.m. (Yankees) ....And he literally dribbles a single to left field. Nice. 1st and 2nd and no outs. Yanks threatening again.

9:40 p.m. (Yankees) - Melky bunts and puts runners on 2nd and 3rd. Angels are thinking about walking Jeter to load the bases. Do they realize it's only the 4th inning and not the 8th?

9:44 p.m. (Yankees) - And Fox screws me by showing that the Cards just tied the Giants at 7. Damn, I was a few minutes behind that game! I hate you Joe Buck.

9:44 p.m. (Giants) - Hey, Beanie Wells just scored a TD for the Cards to tie the game. Who knew? I hate you Fox. 7-7

9:45 p.m. (Yankees) - Jeter walks to load up the bases again for Yankees and Johnny, for 2nd time tonight. Ducks! On! Pond!

9:47 p.m. (Yankees) - Johnny rips it to left to drive in 2 runs for Yanks. 2-1 Yankees!

9:48 p.m. (Yankees) - Seriously Joe Buck...Stop giving me updates on the Giants game. Still behind! I'm not leaving the Yankees game now to catch up.

9:48 p.m. (Giants) - Hakeem Nicks catches a deflection off of Mario Manningham and speeds into endzone for a 62 yard TD. 14-7 Giants.

9:49 p.m. (Giants) - Did I mention I am playing my brother-in-law tonight in fantasy football and he has Manningham and I have Nicks. Nice!

9:51 p.m. (Yankees) - Tex knocks Fielders choice to SS and Jeter is safe at second. Bases loaded for A-Rod.

9:52 p.m. (Yankees) - You would think that Sciososa should take out Saunders here, no?

9:54 p.m. (Yankees) - A-Rod walks to bring in a run. That pitch from Saunders was literally right down the middle. Maybe low. 3-1 Yankees.

9:56 p.m. (Giants) - Great stop by Giants defense to stop them before the half. I'm shocked the refs didn't throw a flag on Webster because they always assume pass interference and throw the flag regardless.

9:57 p.m. (Giants) - Cards knock through 30 yard FG. 14-10 Giants.

9:59 p.m. (Yankees) - Posada grounds into double play with the bases loaded. Thanks Jorge for ending that rally. Damn.

10:05 p.m. (Yankees) - Pettitte strikes out Mathis, the Angels hottest hitter doing a Johnny Bench impersonation. It's his 6th K of the night.

10:10 p.m. (Giants) - It's halftime for the Giants and they are leading by 4. I wish I could tell you how they are playing, but I have literally been fast forwarding through the game as I have been making Game 6 of the ALCS a top priority. So I really couldn't tell you about the flow of the game or how the team is performing. I saw some pressures of Kurt Warner in there and a fluke 62 yard TD catch by Nicks, but that's about it. Now back to the Yankees game.

10:11p.m. (Yankees) - Hey, everyone, it's Mr. .158.

10:16 p.m. (Giants) - The Giants offense go 3 and out and their offense continues to look disjointed tonight. No, it's not my DVR fast forwarding.

10:17 p.m. (Yankees) - Andy has pitched real well tonight. Top 6 and he's got to keep it going.

10:18 p.m. (Yankees) - Figgins tries to bunt and the ball hits him on the way to 2nd base and he's called out. Tim McCarver tells us later that if you are scoring at home it's a 2 unassisted. That's something I didn't know and I was a professional score keeper on my high school baseball team. Thanks Tim. You are having a good ALCS. I'm shocked and in awe.

10:20 p.m. (Yankees) - Where did this "Core 4" garbage come from. Supposedly what they call Jeter, Posada, Pettitte and Rivera for being with the Yankees during their late 90s Dynasty. I have never heard that before. It's just plain dumb.

10:21 p.m. (Giants) - Cards are driving on Giants defense on 27 yard pass to Fitzgerald.

10:24 p.m. (Yankees) - That's literally the 3rd time this series that a Hunter check swing wasn't called a strike.

10:25 p.m. (Yankees) - Seriously Fox, stop showing highlights where Guerrero actually got a hit and drove in a run. I'd rather hear the score to the Giants game again.

10:25 p.m. (Giants) - Tim Hightower bangs it in for Cards. Ugh. 17-14 Cardinals. The Giants, much like Pettitte need to start picking it up right here.

10:28 p.m. (Yankees) - Guerrero hits one off his shoetops and puts runners on 2nd and 3rd. Come on Andy!

10:29 p.m. (Giants) - No doubt due to the absence of McKenzie, the Giants offensive line looks horrible tonight and Eli is sacked again.

10:30 p.m. (Yankees) - Seriously Fox. Stop...showing...the Giants score.. Oh wait, I already knew about that score change.

10:31 p.m. (Yankees) - Ground ball to Andy to end the Angels threat and I couldn't care less about the Giants score...or world peace....or nuclear weapons in Iran.

10:34 p.m. (Yankees) - Yanks need to put some distance between them and the Angels. That last half inning was a little too nerve wracking to my liking.

10:35 p.m. (Giants) - The Giants offense looks gawd awful tonight.

10:36 p.m. (Giants) - Giants dodge one as Fitzgerald drops an easy TD.

10:39 p.m. (Yankees) - I think Andy should definitely start the 7th for the Yankees. Hopefully Girardi agrees.

10:41 p.m. (Yankees) - Johnny hits a Johnny Rocket....er I mean Johnny Sparkler to short center field and it's 1st and 2nd with 1 out for Tex. ...and then Tex hits a DP to end the inning. ugh.

10:43 p.m. (Giants) - A tipped ball is intercepted by Cards and they have the ball deep in Giants territory. Double ugh.

10:44 p.m. (Giants) - And now the defense looks as bad as the offense as Beanie Wells runs up the middle for 20+ yards. Triple ugh.

10:46 p.m. (Giants) - Cards Score. I'm out of ughs. 24-14 Cardinals. Back to the Yankee game. My emotions are all over the place tonight.

10:46 p.m. (Yankees) - Andy starts the 7th. Let's go!

10:47 p.m. (Yankees) - Great diving catch by Swisher on a line drive by Kendrick. My heart jumped for a second there.

10:49 p.m. - (Yankees) - Andy is taken out of the game with 1 out in 7th and a runner on 1B. Great performance by Pettitte tonight. Now, the bullpen has to finish it.

10:51 p.m. (Yankees) - Joba's in for the Yankees. For some reason, Scosicia lifted Mathis - who has been completely unconscious this series - for Izturis.

10:51 p.m. (Giants) Wow, the good Steve Smith finally made his first catch of the night. Sorry Steve, even the bad Steve Smith had a better game for the putrid Carolina Panthers today.

10:54 p.m. (Yankees) - Great play by Cano to make up for near Jeter error. 2 outs in 7th.

10:55 p.m. (Yankees) - Joba gets out of 7th on another ground ball, this time it's fielded easily by Jeter.

10:56 p.m. (Yankees) - 6 outs to World Series!

10:58 p.m. (Yankees) - Final line on Pettitte: 6 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 6 Ks, 1 BB

10:59 p.m. (Giants) - Offense back on the field after a bad series by Cards. Anquan Boldin cannot run at all on his high ankle sprain. That is bad news for the fantasy team. Yeah, in addition to the good Steve Smith's ineptness tonight.

11:01 p.m. (Giants) - Nice bull rush by Jacobs. That reminds me of the old Jacobs.

11:02 p.m. (Yankees) - The Sandman is warming up the in the bullpen for the Yankees.

11:03 p.m. (Giants) - Just a horrible drop by Manningham on a sure TD pass from Eli.

11:04 p.m. (Yankees) - A-Rod starts the 7th with a single straight at my TV screen (or up the middle in the real world).

11:05 p.m. (Giants) - Great catch over the middle for Steve Smith. Hey, thanks for waking up. Was my taunting that you weren't the best Steve Smith any longer offending to you?

11:07 p.m. (Yankees) - Posada grounds into yet another DP and runs to first base slower than Old Man Guerrero. And he runs slow....

11:08 p.m. (Giants) - It's just really disappointing that the Giants don't score a TD right there. Tynes cuts Cards lead to 7. Cards 24-17

11:11 p.m. (Yankees) - Enter Sandman!

11:12 p.m. (Yankees) RT @JoeandEvan Girardi now officially "second guess" proof in handling his pen today...its all on the back of the greatest closer in history

11:15 p.m. (Yankees) - Great, great diving stop by Tex. 5 outs left.

11:16 p.m. (Yankees) - Luckily Cano was positioned up the middle and he makes a play to throw out Hunter. 4 outs.

11:21 p.m. (Yankees) - A long battle between Mo and Old Man Guerrero ends with a dinker to right to cut score. 3-2 Yankees.

11:23 p.m. (Yankees) - Another ground ball out for Mo and he escapes further damage. I am officially not turning back on the Giants game until this one is over.

11:24 p.m. (Giants) - And then I do anyway. Great run by Bradshaw ends up in a fumble. That is a heartbreaker for the Giants right there.

11:26 p.m. (Yankees) - 3 outs to the World Series.

11:28 p.m. (Yankees) - Cano walks to lead off inning. Yankees need to tack on a run right here.

11:30 p.m. (Yankees) - Hello Mr. .150. Care to bunt?

11:31 p.m. (Giants) -Just a great, great catch by Smith and a great pass by Manning out of the Giants endzone.

11:33 p.m. (Yankees) - Great bunt by Swisher and Kendrick drops the throw. I'm surprised McClelland didn't call Swisher out.

11:34 p.m. (Giants) - Eli is driving Giants under 2 minutes in the only way he knows how: Awesomely.

11:35 p.m. (Yankees) - Another bunt, by Melky, and another horrible throw to first by Kazmir, who launches the ball over Kendrick's head. Cano scores. 4-2 Yankees. I can smell the World Series.

11:36 p.m. (Yankees) - Kazmir literally launched that ball into the upper deck.

11:38 p.m. (Giants) - Damn, Eli throws a pick and the Giants late comeback ends in defeat

11:40 p.m. (Yankees) - Johnny needs to break it open here to leave no doubt. ...and he walks.

11:44 p.m. (Yankees) - Tex hits a blast DEEP to center and Gardner scores on the Sac Fly. 5-2 Yankees.

11:45 p.m. (Giants) - And the Giants lose to Cards 24-17. If the Yankees weren't winning now, I would be pissed. But right now, I couldn't care less.

11:53 p.m. - (Yankees) The bottom of the 9th ends with the bases loaded when Posada strikes out looking. Hey, at least he didn't ground into a double play. Oh wait....

11:54 p.m. - (Yankees) Despite the strikeout by Posada, those 2 runs the Yankees added in the bottom of the 8th were huge.

11:55 p.m. - (Yankees) 3 more outs until a Wednesday date with the Phillies in the World Series.

11:56 p.m. - (Yankees) 2 more outs!

11:58 p.m. (Yankees) 1 more out!

12:01 p.m. (Yankees) - And it's over....on a strikeout by Mariano Rivera! How fitting!

The New York Yankees have won their 40th AL Pennant and are headed to face the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. It's going to be a fascinating and classic World Series....but that is for tomorrow. I can finally breath a sigh of relief after the Yankees dispatch their long-time nemesis Angels.

Let's go Yankees!

Delivering #27 Diary - Game 5 ALCS - Yankees vs. Angels - 5 wins to #27

7:55 p.m. - I'm back again for more fun insta-blogging Delivering #27 Diary for Game 5 of the 2009 ALCS. If A.J. pitches well tonight, he'll deliver the Yankees their 40th pennant and launch them into the 2009 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. He's going to be amp'ed. I'm amp'ed. Are you?

7:58 p.m. - As always, the Captain sets the table with a leadoff single on the first pitch.

8:01 p.m. - It's 1st and 2nd with 1 out and up to the plate comes the ALCS MVP....and a pop fly that he just missed. Darn.

8:05 p.m. - I'm sorry, but John Lackey looks like he should be sitting in a $5 folding chair drinking a Pabst Blue Ribbon, while sitting in a trailer park in Texas...Hey, wait, he is from Texas! I could be onto something there.

8:09 p.m. - A.J. has pitched well this postseason, but has walked way too many people (7 walks). He gets so amp'ed up for these games and his stuff is so sick that he overthrows the ball.

8:13 p.m. - Abreu wakes up finally and hits a double. 2nd and 3rd with no outs. A.J. needs to settle.

8:13 p.m. - Not a good start. 2-0 Angels.

8:15 p.m. - Just getting tattoo'ed. 3-0 Angels.

8:17 p.m. - Seriously, AJ needs to settle. Do you think a visit to mound might make sense right here? 4-0 Angels.

8:19 p.m. - Nice...first out by AJ is a deep flyout to the track.

8:22 p.m. - And a double play mercilessly ends the inning. Hey, still 8 innings left.

8:25 p.m. - Let's chip away here like only the Yankees know how. ...

8:35 p.m. - Despite a 1-2-3 inning from AJ (assisted by a DP), every ball was hit hard during that half inning.

8:40 p.m. - I hate how Fox is superimposing an ad for Brothers behind home plate. That is a rough show. To quote Michael Strahan: "Say it with me...17-14 is the final score... and I will retire and be in a horrible Fox sitcom for 3 weeks". Okay, maybe he didn't say that last part.

8:41 p.m. - Johnny was safe by a foot. Another bad call by the umps. What else is new?

8:49 p.m. - AJ lets Hunter walk to 2nd base without so much as a look. He is having a rough, rough night.

8:57 p.m. - With Tex, A-Rod and Matsui to bat, Yankees need to break out the bats in the 4th.

9:06 p.m. - That was a rough inning as A-Rod strikes out looking, Matsui's walker breaks on the way to first and Cano swings and misses as a horrible 3-2 pitch in the dirt.

9:16 p.m. - Reading Tweets from Yankee beat writers at NY Post and Daily News and hate how they think they are being funny when they are actually being snarky.

9:19 p.m. - He was great for the Yankees this regular season, but this postseason, Swisher has really reverted to his White Sox days when he was a .200 hitter.

9:21 p.m. - Good move by Girardi to lift Molina for Posada. Let's hope it pays off. ...

9:22 p.m. - Nope.

9:26 p.m. - I'm annoyed tonight.

9:28 p.m. - How much worse could Burnett to Posada be than Burnett to Molina was tonight?

9:32 p.m. - Good story by McCarver about Steve Carlton and Bob Boone. He has been uncharacteristically good color commentator this postseason. He usually just annoys me.

9:39 p.m. - Yanks need to start chipping away in 6th.

9:47 p.m. - Yankees threaten in 6th (highlighted by a blast double by A-Rod) but Cano grounds weakly to shortstop. Really, Robbie? A freaking groundball? That's it?

9:53 p.m. - I love Joe Buck telling story of how Aroldis Chapman established residency in Andorra and then goes on to say: "Andorra..if you don't know...is a small island....[fade away]. And then nothing...I don't think Joe knows where Andorra is.

9:55 p.m. - What an idiot in the center field waterfalls. And where is the Angels security? And how is Fox showing this? And why is there waterfalls in a baseball park?

9:59 p.m. - I'm wondering why Nick Swisher is still playing RF. Isn't it time to give Brett Gardner a start? I mean, Swisher is hitting like .125 this series.

10:04 p.m. RTJoeandEvan It would be fitting for Yanks to complete AL pennant with dramatic comeback

10:05 p.m. - Lackey just showed up ump there big-time on walk to Posada....Should be thrown out of game!

10:06 p.m. - Jorgie on 1B and Melky on 2B. Let's get it going...Captain, oh my captain...

10:08 p.m. - Jeter walks and the ducks are on the pond! Come on Johnny!

10:10 p.m. - Johnny flies to left. Lackey's is lifted and telling Scioscia, "You're shitting me, this is mine." (I read his lips.) Let's hope Lackey was right.

10:12 p.m. Tex is up with bases juiced. And Lackey was right as Tex hits double to drive in 3. Angels 4-3.

10:13 p.m. - The Yanks are coming!

10:15 p.m. - Godzilla strikes with single up middle. Tex scores. Tie game!! 4-4.

10:17 p.m. - RT @JoeandEvan Wow the anti Grady Little...Scioscia may regret this all winter.

10:20 p.m. - Robbie comes through for once in the series and racks a double to center. 6-4 Yankees. Biggest hit of Cano's career.

10:25 p.m. - Yankees scored 6 runs in 7th inning on 7 pitches. Very remiscent of the Angels' 12 pitch rally in the bottom of the first.

10:26 p.m. - 9 outs to the World Series.

10:27 p.m. - AJ is still pitching. Jesus. I am having a heart attack. Ask my wife. Get 9-1-1 on standby.

10:32 p.m. - Uh no, Marte is coming in. Someone please turn off my TV...I might pass out.

10:36 p.m. - I'm watching between two fingers with both hands in front of my face.

10:37 p.m. - Groundball and Angels score. 6-5 Yankees

10:45 p.m. - Angels tie it up with weak single to center. 6-6.

10:48 p.m. - Phil Hughes is not doing well. 7-6 Angels.

10:49 p.m. - After an emotional 6-run inning - for me anyway - the Yankees give the lead right back and are headed into the 8th.

10:54 p.m. - RT@JoeandEvan Call me crazy but I don't think the Yanks are gonna lose this 7-6

11:00 p.m. - Joba comes in and gives up double immediately. Both Joba and Hughes are not performing tonight.

11:12 p.m. - Don't you dare mention Luis Gonzalez, Tim McCarver. Forget the earlier compliment I gave to you. You annoy me.

11:13 p.m. - Good catch and throw by Nick Swisher, the first good thing he's done this series.

11:14 p.m. - Nice job by Mo there. Yankees go to 9th with their big guns coming up. Didn't you think this game was coming down to Mr. Alex Rodriguez? Well, here we go.

11:17 p.m. - Interesting move to bring Fuentes in the game. Weaver was pitching well. Will it bite Scioscia again?

11:19 p.m. - Two outs...Here comes Alex. Let's do it again!

11:20 p.m. - I can't believe they are walking him. GODZILLA WILL STRIKE AGAIN!

11:24 p.m. - And Matsui walks.

11:25 p.m. - It's up to Cano now. Break thru Robbie...

11:26 p.m. -And Cano is hit to load the bases.

11:27 p.m. - It's up to Swisher, who doesn't have RBI this series (Thanks Joe Buck for that stat).

11:32 p.m. - Damn, Swisher pops up on 3-2 count and Yankees lose. Headed back to NY to hopefully wrap this up.

Wrap-up - Sure, the series is now 3-2 Yankees, but we are headed back to the new Yankee Stadium where the Yankees have a stellar record this year and Andy Pettitte - owner of 4 series clinching wins - on the mound. Tonight was a rough game to lose, especially after the Yankees stormed back in the 7th.

5 wins until #27.

Let's go Yankees.

Delivering #27 Diary - Game 4 ALCS - Yankees vs. Angels - 5 wins to #27

Welcome back to the Delivering #27 Diary!

7:49 p.m. - I'll be blogging all night long about Game 4 of the ALCS - or what I'm calling it, the biggest game of the year for the Yankees. Sure, they are up 2-1 in the series, but they simply cannot allow the Angels to tie up the series at 2 games apiece. They need to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series to give them some breathing room against an Angels team that won a truly heartbreaking game -- for the Yankees and their fans anyway -- last night.

7:50 p.m. - I listened to WFAN radio hosts and Yankee fans complain all day long about how Girardi lost Game 3 for the Yankees, but it was much more than Girardi's decision to relieve David Robertson in the 11th inning: it was about the team not hitting with runners in scoring position (0 for 8 in Game 3 and 0 for 20 something in the series thus far); it was also about Joba and Aceves not having their best stuff out of the bullpen and it was about Swisher, Cabrera, Cano and others not hitting - oh right, I said that already.

7:52 p.m. - I like C.C. on the mound tonight for the Yankees. He's been golden throughout the 2009 playoffs thus far and I'm hoping he can come up big again for the team.

8:00 p.m. - Great start for the Captain with a single. ....but he gets picked off on first pitch. Damn.

8:05 p.m. - Tex has a good at-bat vs. Kazmir -- including a near HR to left -- but strikes out looking to end the inning.

8:08 p.m. - CC needs to come up big tonight. He's 2-0 with a 1.23 and 15 Ks in 14 2/3 innings this postseason. I love those numbers.

8:12 p.m. - How does Tex only have 2 Gold Gloves? He should have won it every year with his stellar defense.

8:18 p.m. - Pat Sajak is at the game again. Has the Wheel of Fortune stopped?

8:21 p.m. - A-Rod surprises everyone and swipes a base after walking. I'm really surprised -- as are the Angels -- as the Yankees aren't really known for that. Kazmir is clearly concentrating on A-Rod on 2nd base before each pitch.

8:25 p.m. - Yanks are being patient at plate and aggressive on the bases tonight. I like it.

8:29 p.m. - Can someone from the bottom of the order please come up clutch when runners are in scoring position??

8:46 p.m. - Smart thinking by Melky with a push bunt. That's how you get out of slump!

8:47 p.m. - A-Rod's future father in law Kurt Russell is in the house!

9:02 - C.C. strikes out Abreu looking and he is also LOOKING really sharp tonight on 3 days rest.

9:08 p.m. - To steal from Joe Buck, A-Rod knocks a single up the middle and is really "locked in" during this playoffs..

9:13 p.m. - Really nice baserunning by A-Rod as he scores on a little squib by Cano. When the last time you saw him do that? Wow. 1-0 Yankees.

9:17 p.m. - Let's break this open Yankees and make Kazmir wish the Mets never traded him!

9:21 p.m. - Melky breaks the Yankees 0 for 26 or something streak with runners in scoring position. Nice. 3-0 Yankees. Maybe it was the giant chaw in Melky's lip that helped.

9:25 p.m. - Not that I needed the Coors Lite Freeze Cam to show me, but Swisher was out by a mile!
9:26 p.m. - A bad umpiring call on Swisher's tag up from 3rd helps Kazmir get out of a nightmare inning. Hey, he was supposed to be out on 2nd base anyway, so that makes up for it, right?

9:35 p.m. - C.C.has given up 1 hit thru 4 innings. He's been worth every penny that the Yankees paid him this year.

9:38 p.m. - Interesting stat from Fox: Angels have led in 2 of the 37 innings played so far in ALCS.

9:43 p.m. - A-Rod is LOCKED IN and hits his 5th HR in seven 2009 playoff games...5-0 Yankees

9:47 p.m. - RT nyp_joelsherman A-Rod now has an RBI in eight straight Yankee postseason games, tying him with Lou Gehrig for the most in team history.

9:50 p.m. - Do my eyes deceive me? Jorge just stole a base!

9:52 p.m. - Instead of decoying Posada, why didn't Hunter actually try to catch the ball?

9:53 p.m. - Some horrible baserunning by Yankees there. And horrible umpiring AGAIN by the Crew Chief!

10:01 p.m. - C.C. gives up first run of game. 5-1 Yankees

10:10 p.m. - If Yanks get out of this giving up only 1 run they are lucky.

10:12 p.m. - Great job by CC in getting out of trouble!

10:24 p.m. - Damn, A-Rod, striking out looking when men are in scoring position. Same ol' A-Rod in postseason...Haha. Kidding. Isn't it funny how different this year is?

10:30 p.m. - How was that not a swing by Hunter?! What?! The umpiring is horrible tonight.

10:36 p.m. - Great double play there by C.C. as he is close to getting out of another jam!

10:37 p.m. - C.C. gets out of it. Two big jams in last two innings and he gets out of both giving up only 1 run. A lesser pitcher would have let the floodgates open.

10:53 p.m. - For the record, the Yanks lost last night because I wasn't wearing my Joba Rules shirt...it was in the wash for the 1st time since Gm 1 ALDS. I'm wearing it tonight. No coincidence at all.

11:02 p.m. - You would think that Girardi was putting Gardner in there to get thrown out. It has happened past 3 times.

11:09 p.m. - It's a JOHNNY ROCKET!! 7-1 Yankees!

11:23 p.m. - Alex doubles, tags up on fly ball and scores on error. Great baseball. 8-1 Yankees.

11:25 p.m. - C.C. is done for the night. Another wonderful start for him.

Just great, great numbers for him:

2009 Playoffs = 22 2/3 IP, 3 ERs, 20 Ks, 4 BB
Game 1 ALDS - 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 8Ks, 1 BB
Game 1 ALCS - 8 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 7 Ks, 1 BB
Game 4 ALCS (Tonight) - 8 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 5 Ks, 2 BB

11:28 p.m. - Melky knocks a double to right to score Cano and Gardner and the Yankees are breaking out the whipping stick. 10-1 Yankees

11:29 p.m. - It's about time Gaudin got some work. He hasn't been one of the thousand Yankee relievers who have pitched in the ALCS.

Wrap-up - Just a great, great pitching performance from C.C. and another stellar game by A-Rod who has homered in the last 3 straight playoff games. 1 more win to wrap up the ALCS and 5 more wins total to #27.

Let's go Yankees.

Game 3 ALCS - Yankees vs. Angels

All, I have to say is ugh.

Besides A-Rod and Jeter, no one in the Yankees lineup is hitting, so I guess that we should be fortunate that the team is up 2 games to 1 and not vice versa. The starting pitching for the Yankees has been lights out and up until last night the bullpen has been great.

The only thing consistent about the team has been Joe Girardi's overmanaging. He did it again last night and it cost the team the game. I'm not going to blame the whole loss on him, because like I said Tex, Swisher, Cano, Cabrera are not hitting, but he deserves a big part of the blame for the loss.

Game 2 ALCS - Yankees vs. Angels -- 6 wins left till #27

I was at a wedding on Saturday night and tried in vain for hours to avoid finding out the Yankee score.

I gave up when we left the wedding at 10:30 and I broke down and checked the score and found out it was tied 2-2 in the 9th inning.

I tuned in when we got back to my sister's and nearly got thrown out of her house after I jumped up and down uncontrollably when Alex Rodriguez continued to be Mr. Clutch this postseason with a game-tying solo homerun to right field in the bottom of the 11th inning.

Since I didn't watch innings 1 thru 9, I don't have too much more analysis of the game other than to say:

Thank you, Ms. Hudson (a.k.a. The Future Mrs. Rodriguez)

Thank you for making Alex happy and relaxed...You deserve a bonus if the Yankees win a World Series this year.

6 wins left until #27...

Game 1: ALCS - Yankees vs. Angels ...7 wins left until #27

I'm bringing back the running diary that I used to do in 2007-2008 during each Giants game for the Yankees playoff run and renaming it: "Delivering #27 Diary"

I'm predicting it here first: Yankees in 6 over Angels.

Let's go Yankees!

Here goes:

7:57 p.m. - Here we go, first pitch. I'm confident in the Yankees, but my memories of the 2002 and 2005 playoffs against the Angels make me as scared as the girl in the tent in the Blair Witch Project. But we didn't have C.C. back then!

8:01 p.m. - Bobby Abreu's hitting 2nd for the Angels. Welcome back Bobby. Now, sprain a knee!

8:03 p.m. - Why is the Fox HD broadcast keep breaking up in picture and sound? Is it just me?

8:05 p.m. - Despite a soft hit by Hunter in the 1st, it looks like C.C. is really dealing tonight. Let's go Yankees!

8:11 p.m. - Tim McCarver makes his first "Captain Obvious" prediction when he predicts Jeter's right field single in the 1st inning seconds before the Captain hits it.

8:12 p.m. - Johnny needs to step it up in the ALCS. He was awful in the ALDS against the Twins.

8:13 p.m. - Heeeeeere's Johnny!! as Damon drops in a double to left field.

8:15 p.m. - Don't know why Tex was swinging at 3-0 right there.

8:17 p.m. - A-Rod drives in 7th run of postseason with sac fly to center. 1-0 Yankees.

8:20 p.m. - Shades of the Mets's Luis Castillo in the ALCS...It's windy tonight at Yankee Stadium as Hideki Matsui hits pop fly to SS and Aybar and Figgins look at each other as the flyball drops in between them. Damon scores from 2nd. 2-0 Yankees. Angels look sloppy tonight.

8:27 p.m. - C.C.'s first K of the night. I wish Fox could get their act together with this HD transmission.

8:30 p.m. - Great, great play by Robinson Cano on a slow dribbler to 2nd. He's been making great plays like that all year long...

8:33 p.m. - Cano leads off to start 2nd. It's uncanny - SI did an article on it once - how in an inordinate amount of cases, a player who makes a great defensive play to end an inning leads off at bat the next inning...

8:43 p.m. - 2nd K of night for C.C. He looks really good tonight. This is the reason the Yankees paid him a bajillion dollars this past offseason.

8:52 p.m. - Tex tatooes a ball to right like he tatoo'ed it to left for the Game 2 ALDS Game Winning HR.

9:02 p.m. - Vlad Guerrero looks a lot chubbier since he stopped using steroids. The ball he just hit to the fence would have been gone if he was still on the juice. ...

9:05 p.m. - Angels cut the lead in half, 2-1.

9:19 p.m. - Melky needs to deliver right here.....and he walks. At least he got on base. Feels like he hasn't been on base in weeks.

9:23 p.m. - John Lackey looks like a fat accountant.

9:25 p.m. - Damn! I forgot to tape NBC's Secrets of the Lost Symbol! Great book by Dan Brown. Hopefully it'll be on NBC.com later tonight.

9:25 p.m. - Yanks broke through early in the 1st as a result of some sloppy play by the Angels and haven't broken through since as the fat accountant has pitched well. C.C. needs to keep it up!
9:30 p.m. - 3 groundouts and 3 great plays by Yankee IFs. Yankees up through 4 1/2 innings...

9:34 p.m. - I just typed Amazone.com into my Internetweb address by mistake and went to the French version of Amazon.com....Wee...wee...

9:35 p.m. - Johnny hits a gapper into left-center and is 2 for 3 in ALCS after going 1 for 12 in ALDS. Welcome back Johnny.

9:42 p.m. - Matsui sticks out his bat and hits double to left. Johnny scores and Alex tries to run over catcher and is out at the plate. 3-1 Yankees. Kate Hudson must have been cringing, like Abby Manning, when Alex ran into the catcher. Abby cringes when Eli hikes the ball.

9:49 p.m. - Damon makes a great diving catch off bat of Abreu. I am shocked and in awe.

9:50 p.m. - Great play by C.C. on bunt by Hunter and great split by Tex. I don't care if his foot was off the bag. He did a damn split! Tex makes a great play like that almost once per game. The Yankees could pay his double what he is making and he wouldn't be making enough.

9:56 p.m. - Wow, Bobby Abreu actually caught Cano's fly ball near the rightfield wall and didn't cringe up in the fetal position at all. That's progress for him...

10:02 p.m. - Jeter up with 2 outs in 6th and Melky on 1st. Come on, Derek...do something clutch for once in your life....Kidding.

10:03 p.m. - Melky to 2nd on another sloppy play/2nd error of the night by the Angels. ...

10:04 p.m. - Jeter comes through in the clutch again with a base knock up the middle. Goes to second on 3rd error of game for Angels. 4-1 Yankees....

10:07 p.m. - Marc Bulger takes the mound for the Angels. I guess the Rams gave up on him.

10:12 p.m. - McCarver says that C.C. has lost 1 game since the All-Star Break. I had no idea. If it's true - and you never know with McCarver - that's awesome.

10:13 p.m. - 6th K by C.C. Did I mention, he's dealing tonight. Just a clutch, clutch performance on the big stage by C.C.

10:16 p.m. - Another great play by Robbie as he lays out and gets the 2nd out of the 7th.

10:20 p.m. - The Yankee Stadium crowd is loudly chanting C.C. as Sabathia strikes out 7th batter of game. Must be an awesome feeling.

10:23 p.m. - Thru 7 innings, C.C. has given up 1 run, 4 hits while striking out 7 and walking 1. This is the best pitching performance by a Yankees starter since Andy Pettitte outpitched John Smoltz, 1-0 in Game 5 of the 1996 World Series.

10:40 p.m. - The ducks are on the pond for Swishalicious! Break it open Nick!

10:43 p.m. - On 3-2, Swisher, who usually has a really good eye, strikes out on a horrible pitch.

10:53 p.m. - C.C. thru 8 innings...1 run, 4 hits, 7 Ks, 1 BB. Just an awesome performance. Will he come out for 9th?

11:00 p.m. - I'm pleasantly surprised...Joe Buck and Tim McCarver have been informative and not annoying tonight. They are much better than Skip Caray and Ron Darling. My cat's would be better than Skip Caray.

11:06 p.m. - Top 9...Enter Sandman.

11:13 p.m. - Mariano blows it by Vlad for 1st out in 9th.

11:17 p.m. - 36 postseason save for Mariano Rivera and Yankees win game 1 against the Angels.

11:18 p.m. - Great, great outing by C.C. Sabathia tonight. Timely hitting by Yankees who took advantage of 3 errors by Angels. Yankees up 1-0 on Angels in 2009 ALCS.

Who's scared now Blair Witch girl!

7 wins left until #27.

Game 3 ALDS - Yanks vs. Twins (Win 3 of 11)

I'm a few days late with this, but felt the need to post it for posterity.

The Yankees swept the Twins on Sunday night, winning Game 3 in the same fashion that they won the previous two against the Twins: coming from behind. A-Rod, once again, hit a big time homerun to tie up the game in the 6th inning and was followed a batter later by Jorge Posada who put the Yankees up for good.

Next up, the dreaded Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim sponsored by Home Depot and Best Buy. They've beat us in the 2002 and 2005 playoffs and I'm scared of them as that girl in the tent in The Blair Witch Project.

The 2009 Yankees is a different team though than they were in 2002 and 2005, so I am hopeful and confident that we can beat the Angels in 5 or 6 games.

Let's go Yankees...8 wins away from the 2009 World Champions.

Game 2 ALDS - Yankees vs. Twins (Win 2 of 11)

The only way I can explain the Stadium last night, before, during and after Alex Rodriguez hit a game-tying 2 run homer in the bottom of the 9th inning last night was complete and utter pandemonium.

I was there to witness it and I must say it's the loudest that I've ever heard the new Stadium and it came very, very close to being as loud as the old Stadium was when Aaron Boone jacked one off of Tim Wakefield in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS against the Red Sox. I was there for that one too, but there was something extra special about last night's game.

Last night's blast by A-Rod in the 9th and Mark Teixiera's laser beam of a homerun to lead off the bottom of the 11th inning was definitely the first real special moment in the new Stadium.

That's win 2 of 11 on the Yankees' journey to becoming the 2009 World Series Champion.

Game 1: ALDS - Yankees vs. Twins (Win 1 out of 11)

The Yankees played a typical 2009 Yankee game: They had great starting pitching, a solid bullpen, didn't get down on themselves when they fell behind early and everyone on the team contributed (including Jeter, A-Rod and Matsui) with big hits...

I'll admit, I was more than worried before this series started. Everyone was picking the Yankees to win the series against the Twins. But I was concerned. There's something to be said for the hot team that is on a roll.

The Twins were coming off a torrid finish to their regular season and an emotional 1 game playoff against the Tigers. Plus, the Yankees' 2006 ALDS defeat to the Tigers - another team they were heavily favored to beat - is still a deep scar in my mind. So, yes, I had some trepidation about this game.

I was definitely concerned early on in the game as the Twins threatened to score both in the 1st and 2nd innings before breaking through with two runs in the 3rd. Yes, it was only two runs, but I think past Yankee playoff teams would have folded up like a cheap suit right there....

Not the 2009 Yankees though.

In the next half inning, the Captain (as he always does) tied up the game with a clutch 2-run blast to left field. I can't say enough about how clutch Derek Jeter is in each and every postseason game... It's inexplicable. ...From the flip against the A's, to the homer against the Mets in 2000, to the Nov. 1 homer off the D-backs and last night's homerun, he always comes up big when it matters the most.

From there, it was easy sailing for the Yanks with great contributions from Sabathia, A-Rod (2 RBIs in the post season for the first time in forever) and a deep blast by Matsui and great bullpen work from Hughes, Coke and Joba.

That's win 1 of 11 for the Yankees in the 2009 playoffs.

Eli Christens New Cowboys Stadium

Apparently Eli christened the new Cowboys Stadium by writing this in sharpie marker in the visitors clubhouse. Very nice.

She's unbelievable