It’s official. The Angels no longer hold any kind of playoff curse over the Yankees head and the Bronx Bombers are going to the World Series. Thanks to the veteran pitching staff and a string of timely hits and walks the Yankees will play host to the Phillies on Wednesday to kick off the 2009 Fall Classic.

There was no doubt in any true Yankee fan’s head that Andy Pettitte was going to close out the series in the Bronx. With last nights victory the trusty vet became the all-time leader in playoff wins and appearances. Watching him go through the motions last night you could have thought it was a July night game against the Royals. And while his motion was calm, fluid and relaxed, the Stadium was anything but.

As a fan is was nice to see and hear the fans cheering on the Yanks like they were still playing across the street. You may have noticed from articles in the past that I wasn’t, and still am not, a big fan of leaving the old stadium. But my concern about it being too small and too open to really hold in fan noise was erased during last night’s game. I could feel the stadium shaking from my apartment. It’s important for home field advantage to feel like home field advantage, and the Yankees have felt the energy of the crowd in every playoff game so far.

Compared to some of the games seen this playoff season, last night’s Yankee win wasn’t the most exciting. In fact it looked pretty routine. Andy Pettitte starting on the hill throwing 6.1 innings allowing only 1 run and striking out 6; nothing flashy just a man handling his business. Joba finished off the 7^th getting 2 outs on 7 pitches leaving it up to Mariano to get a two-inning save.

MO came in and although he gave up his first playoff run since the 2000 Subway Series, the man did his job and got 6 outs. Another playoff save under his belt and another opportunity to guide his team to another world championship. MO pitched 7 innings over 6 games and allowed only 3 hits. Sunday was just another day at the office for the world greatest closer. And for all you Phillies fans who aren’t sure how good he really is, I invite you to look at his post season pitching stats. Yeah this isn’t Brian Fuentes.

CC Sabathia was presented this year’s ALCS MVP award amongst a shower of champagne and beer. The 6’7” monster of a pitcher was an easy choice for the award having a 2-0 ALCS record, 16.0 IP, 1.12 ERA and 12 SO. He has shown he has a big appetite for the playoffs and has performed stronger than any starting pitcher in the playoffs so far in 2009. He deserved the award and I was happy to see him get it.

Even if CC was the best choice for ALCS MVP he wasn’t the only one. A-Rod earned his playoff pinstripes in the ALCS proving to everyone that his talents last longer than divisional series’ with the Twins. In this series A-Rod hit .429 with an on base percentage of .567. He had 3 HR and 6 RBI to go along with 6 Runs and 8 walks. His stat line continues to be eye popping as you skim through the charts. But what’s more impressive is his relaxed attitude. He’s loose and confident. He isn’t trying to do too much and by approaching each game with this attitude he has accomplished a lot for the team. Without A-Rod this is a much different series with perhaps very different results.

As happy as I am that the Yankees are going to the World Series (and believe me I’m very, very happy) I can’t really say I’m surprised. Since I heard that the Yankees signed Mark Teixeira I’ve had World Series on the brain. The Yankees do spend a lot of money on players so it shouldn’t be a surprise that the fans expect them to win. Especially considering that the Yankees get a lot of their payroll from the fans’ pockets. Yankee Land is happy with last night’s victory but they were expecting it since February.

The Phillies are up next. It’s hard for me to be frightened of them as a fan. I realize that they won the World Series last year but they beat the Rays. And while the Rays were a good team I wouldn’t say it was much of a challenge for them. Both these teams have powerful line-ups that play it hitter friendly ballparks. There should be a lot of hitting going on this World Series with the long-ball being the preferred variety.

I guess that is why I’m not too nervous today, but perhaps it’s just my naivety getting in the way. I don’t know much about the Phillies except that they have obnoxious fans that handle victory worse than they handle defeat. Them boys in red can hit a ton, especially Mr. Howard. But the pitching is lacking and at times poor. Their starters can get roughed up easily and their bullpen is as threatening as a Care Bear drunk on honey.

With two days off, the Yankees will have just enough time to rest up and prepare while the Phillies have had a couple extra days to cool off and hopefully break rhythm. They’ve managed to go through the first two round with less of a challenge than the Yanks. The Phils probably feel unbeatable because they virtually are…so far. But New York is a real baseball city that has a real baseball team. The Phillies are going to struggle and if all goes as planned the Phillies will lose…quickly. But that’s enough about that for now, no reason to get ahead of ourselves.

The Yankees are going to the World Series; all is right in the world.