a win tonight radically shifts the momentum of this series. i guess that's always the case in the playoffs, but i think it counts for double tonight.

My predictions tonight is a high scoring affair. The Yankees bats finally awaken vs. Verlander but Hughes gets banged around as well. Or Verlander tosses a perfecto. Whatever. Go Yankees!

I think Swisher's defensive antics, and continuing postseason struggles at the plate justify giving Gardner a start tonight.
My guess is he's a better bet to get on base than Swisher is, and his speed in that huge outfield would be a plus.
Any chance Girardi sees it this way?

here's how I'd do it:
Ichi RF
Robbie 2b
Tex 1b
Raul DH
Alex 3b
Grandy CF
Gardy LF
Nix SS

Have not recovered from the bad call at Second. While I wish for angrier bats to appear, my season-long examinations of the box scores has told me that they don't hit with RISP. Too many K's. Too much guessing. No Jete, either.

Please don't get me wrong and don't take this personally, anyone who makes a prediction is wishing, not thinking. I am so tired of the grimacing after K's that I have begun to look away in anger and disgust. In Game 2, A Rod took a called third strike his first time up that he used to hit into the centerfield bleachers. I couldn't figure out what he was thinking or saying to himself when he walked off. Just cannot watch it. Too painful.

[4] no catcher? No way. Too controversial, Sliced. Plus the passed balls would KILL us.

worth noting that Chavez has good numbers vs Verlander but so does America's Boyfriend who has taken him deep 3 times. Chavez and Rodriguez both have 8 hits in 22/24 at bats against him.
Ichi hits him very well,and Gardy is 3 for 8.
The rest of big boppers have bad career numbers against Verlander no duh.

6) think outside the box, man!
but if you have to go old school and use a catcher put Martin after, let's say, Granderson.

oh, and Martin is 5 for 12 vs Verlander.

Part III of The Swingin' for the Fences Sweep

Shameless Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez was playing so poorly against the Detroit Tigers Saturday night that he was yanked from the lineup — but that didn’t stop him from trying to score.

After being replaced in the bottom of the eighth inning in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, the highest-paid Yankee openly flirted with a pair of pretty women two rows behind the dugout — even sending them a ball bearing a note asking for their phone numbers, a witness told The Post

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/rod_plays_field_3CyBvCsO66Fugdu1bvXCLP

[11] Somehow, I'm not surprised.

As for the great ARod debate, I say I'd rather eat all the salary and have a below-average 3B during the regular season so long as he doesn't completely choke when the postseason rolls around.

Same for Swisher, Grandy, and Robbie: Having a great regular season might make you an outstanding ballplayer and get you paid, but you shouldn't be a Yankee if you can't hit in October. And obviously this isn't the first postseason these guys have cracked under the pressure, so I think we've got adequate sample size to make the call.

Is there something higher than a perfect game that a pitcher can pitch? If so, I'm afraid we might just see it tonight from Verlander.

Maybe the Yankees should dress out in NL All Star Game uni's tonight... ;-)

13) he could get all 27 batters out on 27 pitches (Express Perfecto), or strike out all 27 batters on 3 pitches each (Absolute Perfecto), or Bud Selig could allow him, you know, in "the interest of the game" to strike out all 27 batters in one inning conga-line stylee (Bugs Bunny Perfecto). This would allow Yankees and Tigers fans to watch the Presidential Debate uninterrupted.

11) the only thing that surprises me about that story is that they missed the part where "witnesses say" ARod took off his shirt and reclined on a tanning bed in the dugout until he was disturbed by Jeter's injury.

[14] I'm going with the Bugs Bunny Perfecto...along with strikeouts of Pres Obama, Gov Romney and Candy Crowley for good measure... ;-)

[14] And do it all on one pitch to boot.

Really, at this point, it is comical.

[17] And so I expect the Yanks will win. They can't hit and play this badly for this long. Its bound to end, and why not tonight against the best pitcher in baseball?

I chuckle sometimes to recall that the day Aaron Boone went down, my first reaction was, "Hmm, I wonder if they can spackle Mark McLemore in there for a year?"

Sometimes I don't chuckle.

I think Hughes could have a pretty good game in the confines of a larger stadium.

This also might benefit the Yankee hitters who keep swinging for the fences. Maybe if they are swinging harder, they will be so wild that they might actually connect with one?

[11] I just read that story too, and this is like the chicken and beer story in beantown last year. ARod is in love with himself, and any protestations he makes about having changed are for his self image, which is more important than his team.

I know Cano has been more disappointing in many ways this postseason, but Robbie carried us in the last few weeks of the season, and helped to get us where we are now. (Albeit not much of a help in the 1st round). I also wonder what might have been if he was rightfully called safe in game 1? I am not jumping on the umps. We have had a lot of calls go our way over the years. But maybe Cano gets on a roll in the ALCS after his first AB and RBI?

I've chosen to interpret some of the cryptic stuff coming from the Yankees' brass as meaning this:

ARod will be traded to Kansas City immediately after Game 4 of The Swingin' for the Fences Sweep. Jeter will be moved to 3B, and Nix will become the starting SS unless and until NunE5 gets his shit together.

Or at least that's what I see as the best case scenario here.

[19] Today is 9 years since the Aaron Boone HR in the 2003 ALCS...a good omen perhaps?

[21] Nix was robbed of 2 extra base hits so far. 2 defensive gems kept him from making a bigger impact this postseason. I hadn't even considered that if they somehow move ARod, that Jeter could replace him at 3rd. It was always a given to me that ARod was un-moveable, so I hadn't entertained the possibility. Nunez was moved around a lot, and should be allowed to concentrate on 1 infield position or outfield for that matter. He is not a super utility infielder, but does have some nice pop in his bat, and at least he made contact a few times.

[21] You actually just made me smile. Best part is, KC might even pick up $50 or so of what the Yankees still owe A-Rod. Not $50 million; I mean $50.

[22] A good omen, and also I am old. That was my last unmarried playoffs.

[5] oh, i'm definitely wishing, not predicting. if i can't be optimistic about baseball and the yankees, well, there isn't that much left. it should be fun and that's all there is to it.

[4] Oh yeah? Well, here's what you're gonna get:

Gardner LF
Suzuki RF
Teixeira 1B
Cano 2B
Ibañez DH
Martin C
Chavez 3B
Granderson CF
Nuñez SS

[26] The sound of MattPat11's head exploding should reach me in ... 3 ... 2 ... 1

[26] No ARod or Swish.

ARod will have more time to collect digits from the ladies and Nick can start faxing out his resume for his next gig.

That's one. Now let's have A-Rod pinch hit for Cano.

[29] If we get that far.