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11/03/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - You can argue all you want about whether or not Joe Girardi should have started A.J. Burnett on short rest on the road, or whether Charlie Manuel should have gone with Cliff Lee a day earlier than he did.
Either way, though, this series is headed back to the Bronx.
Wednesday will mark our first Game 6 since 2003 when the world was introduced to Josh Beckett, who tossed a five-hit shutout to eliminate the Yankees and clinch a World Series title that night for the Florida Marlins.
The Yankees are hopeful that Andy Pettitte has a better outcome this time than he did six years ago when he toed the rubber against a 23-year-old Beckett. This time, he will be squaring off against 38-year-old Pedro Martinez in what very well could be the final start of both of their careers.
Surprisingly, these two have never met in a playoff game, and have not faced off anywhere since 2003.
When he takes the ball on Wednesday, Pettitte will be going on short rest for the first time since 2006, when he was with the Houston Astros. Martinez will be working on full rest.
Overall, things haven't gone well for Pettitte on short rest, as he is 4-6 with a 4.15 ERA in those situations. However, in five career postseason starts on three days rest, he is 3-1 with a 2.80 ERA. Two of the best outings of his career have come on short rest: Game 5 of the 1996 World Series, when he tossed 8 1/3 scoreless innings to outduel John Smoltz, and Game 2 of the 2003 World Series when he allowed just an unearned run in 8 2/3 frames.
Of course, Pettitte is not 24 like he was back in Atlanta 13 years ago. But he is still the winningest pitcher in postseason history, and no pitcher has won more clinching games than the six he has under his belt.
It is probably not ideal that the Yankees are in this position, but what was Girardi's other option in Game 5? Chad Gaudin, who's thrown just 2 1/3 innings since September 28?
You could make the case that with Cliff Lee on the hill for the Phillies, that Game 5 was basically a throwaway game, so why not pitch Gaudin? Then you could have had Burnett on full rest in Game 6 at home, where he has thrived. Plus, had Gaudin been given the ball, you would have had Jorge Posada's bat in the lineup against Lee.
Burnett, though, had been excellent on short rest in his career. I can't argue with what Girardi did, especially with how Burnett he looked in Game 2. Did the Yanks do him any favors having him start on short rest on the road? Probably not. But having him and not Gaudin on the hill in Game 5 was the Yankees' best option for winning Game 5. And that is the bottom line.
The bigger issue is that a team with a $200 million payroll does not have a capable fourth starter. Girardi is not to blame for that either, it is Brian Cashman and the front office who deserve the blame for their ridiculous mishandling of Joba Chamberlain.
As they say, though, that is for another time and another place.
I actually have a bigger problem with the way Manuel has handled Lee in this series. I would have let him go on three-days' rest on Sunday, then had him ready to go should a Game 7 be necessary.
Now, he will almost certainly be available should the Phillies get to a decisive game, but after throwing 112 pitches in Monday's win, how much is he going to be able to give you with two days' rest?
Manuel has been a little shaky in this series. I don't know why in the world he took Shane Victorino out of the game in the eighth inning last night. I know Victorino was hurting, but if he made it that long, don't you think he could have finished the game?
Moving on, though, the Phils will once again hand the ball to Martinez in the Bronx. Everyone knows the history, as Martinez is just 1-3 in seven postseason appearances against the Yankees and is 0-3 in his past six outings against them.
Martinez did pitch well against the Yankees in Game 2, however, giving up three runs and six hits in six innings and keeping a potent lineup off-balance all night.
I know Pedro looked good last week, but there are a few reasons I don't like him on Wednesday. For one, he may have benefited early on in that Game 2 contest due to the fact that the Yankee bats were tight after having been baffled by Lee the previous evening. Plus, he had ample rest in between his NLCS gem against the Dodgers and his World Series start. This will be the first time he will pitching on somewhat regular rest in a while.
Then of course, there is the history that Martinez has had against the Yankees, who have gotten the best of him time and time again in big spots. Like he said, they are his daddy.
Before this series started I picked the Yankees in six, and I'm sticking with it. I think both starters will probably struggle on Wednesday, but I like the Yankees if it becomes a battle of the bullpens.
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Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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