Mariano Rivera

Washington DC

By Patrick Read

Work has kept me away from Bleacher Report for a couple weeks now, and I do apologize for that. But I am back with another topic for the Yankee section to talk about and discuss.

It was reported recently that Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman was not going to talk contract extensions with Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Joe Girardi before the season starts in 2010.

Relax, this is nothing new from the team. If anything, it's a good thing.

While there is still volatility in all of the rankings, I think the closer rankings are the ones with the most potential to change.  Where does Billy Wagner fit in now that he’s going to be a closer?  Should Carlos Marmol, Bobby Jenks, or Trevor Hoffman be considered a top option?  Where do we value 2009 breakouts David Aardsma and Ryan Franklin?

These are all questions that we’ll try to answer as we take a look at how my rankings currently stand (remember, I’m still fine tuning my projections so keep in mind that these are fluid):

This decade was great for the Yankees—winning two World Series—but not great for the Mets, only making the playoffs a couple of times.

In fact, in the first World Series of the decade, the two New York teams faced each other in the Subway Series.

Last week, Rob Neyer challenged someone to find out just how many championships Mariano Rivera has been worth.

In a game where image is heavily compared to the past, the minute intricacies, and similarities are visible throughout all parts of the game.

The history of Word Series winning-shares is limited with the amount of information out there, but courtesy of the Baseball Digest archives, we can get a better understanding;

I've heard and seen many theories this week as to why the Yankees won the 2009 World Series and their 27th overall championship this past Wednesday.

Some thought it was the offense, which was lead by Alex Rodriguez hitting .365 and blasting six home runs and 18 RBI, World Series MVP Hideki Matsui batting .615 and Derek Jeter, who batted over .400 in the series

Some said it was the starting pitching of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte, who combined went 8-2, being the only team since the 1991 Twins to use three starters.

First off, let me congratulate the Yankees on winning their 27th World Championship by defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 in Game Six at the new Yankee Stadium.

The point of this article is to go in depth into the number 27, and even using the two and the seven in a math equation to bring up a significance. I hope you enjoy.

27 = The number of world championships for the New York Yankees after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies to win the World Series in Six games.

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.