A Core of Four

Whether or not you're a fan of the New York Yankees, it's hard to not respect and admire those four veterans with four World Series rings each and a boat load of postseason baseball records -- Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera.

Yes, the records are slanted a bit by the wild-card era, but these guys have done some pretty amazing things over their careers, and they've done it without making a lot of off-field noise that other celebrity athletes in the Big Apple can't seem to stay away from.

For instance:

• Since his first full season in 1996, Jeter has never had fewer than 156 hits in a single season. That total came in 2003, the year he missed 43 games because of a groin injury.
• In 15 seasons (12 with the Yankees), Pettitte has never had a losing season. His worst season in terms of winning percentage came in 2008, when he was 14-14.
• As if being a switch-hitting catcher isn't impressive enough, Posada has homered in more ballparks (25) than any player in Yankees history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Also, Posada's community service efforts in both New York and his native Puerto Rico are exemplary.
• Rivera has so many accomplishments and great numbers, it's hard to find something that stands out above the others. How about this: About one walk for every four strikeouts over the course of his 15-year career (1,090 innings).

Most important, these guys showed up to play every day. They prepared, focused, hustled, gave no less than 100 percent, respected the opponent and won and lost with dignity. If you want your kids to see how to be ballplayers, make sure they watch these four Yankees.

Moment of Truth for Burnett, Yankees

It's judgment night for Yankees starter A.J. Burnett. This is his chance to earn most of the $16.5 million he was paid this season. The 13-9, 4.04 he put up in the regular season doesn't quite cut it for that type of money, so he better do something special tonight -- like win.

To a degree, the same goes for A-Rod and the other high-priced sluggers in the New York lineup. Time to get busy doing what you're paid to do.

Ugh! Lee!

A star-studded Yankees lineup somehow managed to make Phillies lefty Cliff Lee look unhittable in Game 1. Derek Jeter (3-for-4) looked to be the only Yankee who understood this is a good time to step up your game.

Gotta hand it to Lee, though. He was in total control. He reduced Bombers like Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez to flailing at pitches out of the strike zone, showing anxiousness and desperation rather than the patience and discipline the Yanks are known for.

Big Mac as a Hitting Coach is Tough to Swallow

Mark McGwire providing hitting instruction – something he allegedly will do for Tony La Russa and the Cardinals starting next season – would be akin to Milli Vanilli teaching the finer points of voice and song.

You think Albert Pujols is anxious to heed the infinite wisdom of a guy who hit a whopping .263 lifetime and struck out every fifth plate appearance? You think Matt Holliday or Troy Glaus will be chatting up Big Mac -- notorious for being a dead-pull hitter -- on how to drive that outside pitch the other way? You think for a second that La Russa really knows what on Earth he's doing?

The answer to all those questions is ... Ummmmm, no.

It will be interesting to see McGwire's approach to coaching as he prefaces each and every tip with his signature, "I'm not here to talk about the past."

Sorry, big guy, but the past is all you have to go on.

What Should We Call Them Now?

For a time, back in the 1970s and '80s, they were referred to as "firemen," because they were brought into the game to put out a fire and secure a victory. Today, they're called "closers," because they're expected to close the book on the game.

Slam the door.

End it.

On three glorious days of postseason baseball this weekend, a so-called closer failed to do that.

Thursday, the Cardinals' Ryan Franklin entered Game 2 against the Dodgers with one out and the bases empty in the ninth inning and proceeded to walk two batters and surrender RBI hits to, of all people, Ronnie Belliard and Mark Loretta. Dodgers take a 2-0 series lead and go on to clinch it Saturday.

Friday, Twins closer Joe Nathan entered the ninth inning with a two-run lead on the Yankees and surrendered a game-tying, two-run homer to Alex Rodriguez. The Yanks went on to win Game 2 of the Division Series in the 11th on Mark Teixeira's homer off Jose Mijares and then finished off Minnesota's year Sunday in the Metrodome's final game.

Earlier Sunday, it was Boston's Jonathan Papelbon, who against three different batters got to one strike away from closing the books on Game 3 against the Angels. He couldn't do it. A two-strike single by Erick Aybar. A full-count walk by Chone Figgins. A full-count RBI double from Bobby Abreu. An intentional walk for Torii Hunter. And, finally, a two-run single by Vladimir Guerrero. Red Sox eliminated.

Considering this sequence of events, maybe it's time we went back to calling these guys by an age-old -- yet certainly more accurate -- name: relief pitcher.

Jimmy Dugan said it best ...

A special message for Tony La Russa and the Cardinals, who are fast becoming this decade's version of the Atlanta Braves -- dominant pitching, great lineup, multiple playoff appearances, one World Series title (Yes, I know. The Yankees will be right there with them unless they win it all this year). Click here for a fine snippet of baseball movie lore.

By the way, La Russa and Bobby Cox are third and fourth, respectively, in all-time managerial wins. They have nearly 5,000 regular-season victories and dozens of postseason wins between them. Cox has managed for 28 years and has one World Series title. La Russa has two titles in 30-plus years. Cox is hanging it up after the 2010 season, no ifs, ands, buts or regrets about it. Maybe it's time La Russa walked away gracefully, too.

Cup Checks Awards: Stolen Money Leader

OK. So, anyone could make a case for 90 percent of major leaguers being overpaid. And, of course, no one in his right mind would argue against the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez ($33 million in 2009, according to USA Today's salary list) being the most overpaid player in the the game -- hell, in major league history.

But A-Rod showed up every day. And he produced (although not quite up to the standard that made him the highest-paid player in the game). Besides, those few who were underpaid (by the same standard), such as the Giants' Tim Lincecum ($650,000, 15-7, 2.48, 32 starts, 225.1 IP) and the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright ($2.8 million, 19-8, 2.63, 34 starts, 233 IP), sort of straighten the curve a bit.

No, the Stolen Money Leader award is not about those who took the field, were overpaid and put up decent numbers. It focuses on the overpaid underachievers (i.e., Milwaukee's Jason Kendall topped the list for about six straight years after signing a huge contract with Pittsburgh earlier this decade; even after a severe pay cut to $5 million/year he steals money with the best of them).

One more provision: I could have spent hours scouring the salary list in search of many a journeyman player who took home millions for little or no on-field contribution (i.e. Kendall, .241 average, 2 HRs, 43 RBIs; or the Cubs' Aaron Miles, $2.2 million for a .185, 0 HRs, 5 RBIs in 74 games; or the Cards' Mark Mulder, $7 million for missing the entire season). But, truth be told, I'm just not that into it. So, I kept the focus on the so-called cream of the crop, the Top 25 moneymakers.

Here are the candidates for Stolen Money Leader:

• Magglio Ordonez, OF, Detroit Tigers: $19 million for .310, 9 HRs, 50 RBIs in 131 games
• Carlos Beltran, OF, New York Mets: $19 million for .325, 10 HRs, 48 RBIs in 81 games
• Alfonso Soriano, OF, Chicago Cubs: $17 million for .241, 20 HRs, 55 RBIs in 117 games
• A.J. Burnett, P, New York Yankees: $16.5 million for 13 wins, 9 losses, 4.04 ERA, 33 starts, 207 innings
• Barry Zito, P, San Francisco Giants (last season's winner): $16.5 million for 10-13, 4.03 ERA, 33 starts, 192 IP
• Jason Schmidt, P, Los Angeles Dodgers: $15.3 million for 2-2, 5.60 ERA, 4 starts, 17.2 IP

After careful consideration (and with great emphasis on my bias against starting pitchers who appear in only one-third of games to begin with), I had to go with ...

Jason Schmidt, the leading money-stealer of 2009. Special mentions go to Soriano and Zito.

Win, or Go Home

Who doesn't like a one-game playoff?

OK, fine, I'll tell you: the Minnesota Twins. That's right, the Twins were the latest team to fall in a one-game playoff a year ago. Instead of heading for the postseason, they went home after a 1-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox in a winner-take-all showdown for the 2008 AL Central Division title.

And now, they're back. And maybe they'll change their own minds about what has become most baseball fans' favorite game of the regular season.

The Twins won 16 of their last 20 to force the playoff with the Detroit Tigers, who will have to visit a loud and perilous Metrodome on Tuesday. Right, so all signs are pointing to a Twins victory: home-field advantage, momentum, an extended farewell to a storied and often-ridiculed stadium.

No matter who wins, that team has been given little chance to go further, as they must get past the New York Yankees to do so. But history shows that it's not out of the question:

• The Rockies won a one-game playoff over the Padres in 2007 to claim the NL Wild Card, and went on to win the NL pennant before falling to Boston in the World Series.
• In 1999, the Mets took out the Reds in a one-gamer for the NL Wild Card and also advanced to the World Series, only to fall to the Yankees.
• And, of course, who can forget the 1978 Yankees facing a double-digit deficit in the AL East in mid-August and then chasing down the Red Sox to force a one-gamer at Fenway Park? The Bombers won it on Bucky Dent's homer, and went on to win their second consecutive World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Twins have had some amazing runs in the past. Why not one more?