Andy Pettitte

Next week will begin the annual General Managers meetings in Indianapolis. Many expect the free agency period to really get into motion once those meetings take place.

Yankees' GM Brian Cashman has a lot of decisions to make as far as the 2010 roster, which will be looking to defend their World Series.

Everyone has been talking lately of the rumors of the Yankees making a trade to get Blue Jays' starting pitcher Roy Halladay to add to the staff that already includes CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett.

The great thing about the postseason, and the World Series in particular, is that redemption is always just around the corner.

Alex Rodriguez knows all about that. He entered last month as a playoff pariah—his October failures as big a part of his identity as his three MVP awards.

It took just 14 games (and 18 RBI) to change all that.

Playoff baseball is convenient like that: It's a one-stop shop for re-shaping your legacy.

He was dominant in game one at Yankee Stadium, shutting down the vaunted New York Yankee lineup in a complete game victory. In going the distance, Cliff Lee struck out 10 hitters (including Alex Rodriguez three times), allowing only six hits and a single unearned run.

He is in his prime and is basically a win waiting to happen every time he takes the mound. The best bet for Philadelphia in winning this World Series is to have Lee pitch as often as he can.

Before Game Three of the 2009 World Series could be played between the Yankees and the Phillies, the fans at Citizens Bank Park experienced an 80 minute rain delay to start the night.

After the delay was over and the tarps were pulled off the field, the Fall Classic was on.

After the first two games of the World Series were in New York, the series shifted to Philadelphia where both teams were tied 1-1 and looking to take an advantage.

Alex Rodriguez broke out of his World Series slump with a two-run home run, and Andy Pettitte picked up his 17th career playoff win as the Yankees won Game Three in Philadelphia. 

Well...that was fast. My night of celebration ended about 15 minutes after I posted the last piece . Immediately, my mind started to shift to the new question at hand.

How do the Yankees beat the Phillies this week?

Here's the game plan, in three(-ish) parts:

1. Use the Long Lineup to Tire Out Cliff Lee and the Philly Starters Early. Then, Go to Work on the Bullpen.

After Game 6 of the ALCS was postponed due to rain, there was the Yankees veteran left-hander warming up in the outfield. He took sprints on the puddle-filled warning track.

It was as if Game 6 was still going to happen.

Andy Pettitte stood out there in an empty Yankee Stadium contemplating the importance of lifting his team to the World Series just one more time. 

The rain-soaked Pettitte later took a seat in the empty stadium. Yankee Stadium is most definitely not going to be empty for Game 6.

Alex Rodriguez is having a career-altering postseason.

Nick Swisher? Not so much.

No matter whether he's hitting left-handed or right-handed, whether he's swinging at fastballs or breaking balls, whether the pitch is a foot outside or right over the middle of the plate and thigh high, he is the surest out in the Yankee lineup right now.

I find it funny that Yankee fans are already proclaiming that CC Sabathia is the greatest free-agent pitcher signing in team history. Colin Linneweber of Bleacher Report offers an article titled "CC Sabathia's the Greatest Free-Agent Pitcher the Yanks Have Ever Signed."

He offers quotes from Joe Girardi and Mike Scioscia of his performances in the 2009 postseason. Sabathia has had a stellar postseason going 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA, but last time I checked Sabathia has only been in New York for less than a year.

In 1998, the Yankees won 114 games in the regular season, which at the time was an American League record (it would be broken in 2001 by the Seattle Mariners). 

The 1998 Yankees were not the most talented team ever, but they were the most complete team. 

Each of the 25 guys on the team had a role, and they each executed it. The 1998 Yankees had a great combination of youth and experience, power and speed, and right-handed and left-handed pitching.