Opinion

Full disclosure: I wasn't really feeling the playoff-clinching celebration on Tuesday night.

I know, I know. It's a long season. Making the postseason is an achievement, and the players deserve to blow off some steam. I get that. But there's a part of me—okay, all of me—that was rubbed the wrong way by how satisfied the team seemed with itself.

The New York Yankees are postseason-bound, but how far they make it is another story.

In 2009 the Yankees had a three-headed monster in CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, and A.J. Burnett. This allowed skipper Joe Girardi to use a three-man rotation in the postseason, and the results speak for themselves.

Currently, the same group is still in pinstripes but unfortunately is not as reliable.

Let’s look at the three amigos individually.

They were called the Cinderella team of 2010: a collection of second-hand, ragtag players who stepped it up all season long and put together a season of shock and awe in San Diego.

Now, with just three games left in the regular season, all the magic potions in the universe may not be enough to help the San Diego Padres.

The end of an era is coming...again.

The Blue Jays had their final home game on Wednesday night and had a ceremony honoring Cito Gaston since he will be retiring this year.

With close to 900 wins under his belt with the Blue Jays, Gaston is the most successful manager in the franchise's history.

Seattle Mariners manager Jack Zduriencik announced today that they are shutting down star pitcher Felix Hernandez for the rest of the season.

He’s only missing one start, but come on, Mariners—you can’t be serious.

I understand being cautious with your franchise cornerstone, but Hernandez is in the midst of a tight Cy Young race, and one more win could certainly push him into the lead.

Part 3 of 7

Although the Phillies have a league-wide reputation as an offensive powerhouse, their numbers were down across the board this season. Appearances can be deceiving. 

A peek at the rankings suggests that the Phillies might take a back seat to other playoff teams in terms of offensive output.  

The 2011 season is finally over for the Boston Red Sox.

The upcoming months should provide a lot of intrigue.

A number of current Red Sox could be hitting the free-agent market: David Ortiz, Adrian Beltre, and Bill Hall if their respective options aren't exercised. Also, the bullpen woes must be addressed. 

For a guy that was signed as a Minor League Free Agent prior to the 2009 season, Brooks Conrad sure has accomplished a lot for the Braves in 130 games.

In addition to accumulating a ton of nicknames ("Raw Dog" and "Dirt" being the most notable), the Magic Man from Monte Vista (that one is mine) has been involved in some of the more memorable moments in recent Braves history.

Clayton Richard- 13-9, 3.71 ERA

Clayton has been a big part of the Padres' first place pitching staff. He has racked up nearly 200 innings while giving his team a chance to win. I've heard numerous Sox fans wishing he were still in our rotation this season.

However, I don't think he's that big a loss based on a few factors.

As I was cruising the Internet last night, I saw Jose Bautista's stats, and a thought struck me, "How come nobody has ever said Jose

• AL East
• Jose Bautista
• MLB
• Opinion
• Toronto Blue Jays