Sean B. Fitzgerald It doesn’t go something like this, it goes exactly like this.

Thoughts on the 2009 World Series/2010 Season

-Finally, I can enjoy my winter for the first time since 2000. I usually rate years of my life based on how the Yankees did. So, for me, 2009 will forever be known as "a good year".

-Sure I'm spoiled. I turn 22 on the 30th and have been lucky to experience five World Series championships. But don't assume that I have appreciated them any less. I'll never take them for granted. If I live to be a 100 and never watch the Yankees win another championship, I'll always have these five.

-It's going to be really interesting how the Yankees approach the whole resigning of Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. There are so many questions that need to be addressed. Do they want to stay in New York? How many years are they looking for? Does Matsui want to play left field? Do the Yankees want to employ a full-time DH? Aren't they looking to get younger? Obviously, all of these concerns will be ironed out over the next few months.

-The game was fun last night, but what was probably even more fun was watching the agents of Damon and Matsui as the night progressed. I'm sure after every Matsui RBI-hit, his agent was lighting cigars with 8,000,000 yen and yelling the Japanese equivalent of "Cha-Ching!" The same could be said for Damon's agent. That is until the third inning when Damon pulled his calf while scoring on Hideki's hit. My guess is general managers aren't necessarily salivating  over Damon's impending free agency. "OOOOOO, an aging left-fielder with no arm and a penchant for straining vital muscles!" Don't get me wrong though, I want Damon back. He was too valuable to THIS team. Which brings me to my next point:

-Damon's at-bat in the ninth inning of Game 4 will forever be known as "the most unheralded important at-bat in World Series history". Two outs and no one on base. In the previous inning, Joba Chamberlain surrendered a game-tying home run off the bat of Pedro Feliz. The series had shifted in the Phillies favor. If Lidge gets out of the ninth, there's a very good chance Philadelphia wins it in the bottom of the ninth and the series is tied 2-2. But up steps Johnny Damon. After looking silly swinging at two sliders in the dirt, Damon fouls off pitch after pitch until Lidge leaves a fastball up. Johnny knocks it into left and passes the proverbial baton to Teixeira. Surprisingly, Damon takes off for second. Since the Phillies had the shift on for Teixeira, no one was covering third. Knowing this, Johnny sprints towards third and makes it. Cue Teixeira hit-by-pitch and Arod double. Game, Blouses. Yankees take a commanding 3-1 series lead. That's why I want him back (for the right length and price).

-I'll say this once, if the Yankees don't put Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen next season, I'll lose it. Whatever "IT" is, I'll lose it. This post-season was clearly a glaring reason why they should do so. And if they didn't see it, they're either blind, stubborn, insane, or epically stupid. Both his velocity and location improved. Plus his slider was actually sliding, which it wasn't during the season. The man was born to relieve. He doesn't have the intelligence nor the attention span to start.

-Since the Yankees WILL be doing the above, this means its a perfect opportunity for Phil Hughes to start. Look, I lovedwhat he did for us in the bullpen this season. It was terrific. But unlike Joba, his pitching repertoire and overall mental makeup screams "STARTING PITCHER!!!!". He's calm, cool, calculated and smart. Once again, unlike Joba.

-Can we officially call the period between 2001 and 2008, "The Curse of Mike Mussina". Mussina arrived in New York in 2001, a year after they had won their third straight World Series championship. And retired in 2008, a year before they won their 27th world title. Bad luck? Coincidence? Was he as much of a douche as everyone said he was? I'll put my money on the latter. He was a terrific pitcher and a great Yankee, but from what I heard, he was a word that starts with a "pr" and ends with a "ick". And I'm sure his "winning personality" had some effect on team chemistry.

-Throwing aside blatant homerism, I think we can all agree that Mariano Rivera is not human. On his Baseball Reference page it says he turns 40 on November 29th. Does that mean anything really? Really? Every time he strikes out a batter, I'm reminded of a C.S. Lewis quote:

"I find in myself desires which nothing in this earth can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world"