Won and Done (Postgame notes 23 September 08)

For one day, Yankee fans could dream the impossible dream and a sweet dream it was.

Tonight, it became official through a Boston win over Cleveland--the Yankees will not make the postseason for the first time since 1995.

The reasons are many and varied and will be gotten to in due course.

Yeah, it hurts. I won't lie about that.

However, for now, there are still reasons to watch. There are still reasons to take pride in being a Yankee fan.

First, there's the fact that Mike Mussina now has 19 wins, which means that he officially has a chance at 20 wins. He's got to win his next start, in Boston, and this is hoping his arm hasn't swelled too much after getting hit by a pitch in the arm tonight.

Mussina looked excellent in the early innings, and was able to tough it out through five--all he needed to qualify for the win.

It's completely ironic that Mussina is the one and only pitcher on the Yankees that might get to twenty wins when you consider where he was in September last year--having pitched himself out of the rotation, and it is also wonderful.

Mussina has pitched too long and too well to not get a chance for 20 on Sunday.

Secondly, the Yankees are doing a great job of finishing strong. They were eliminated not because they lost, but because Boston won.

Think about the other teams that were supposed to contend this year and fell short--the Tigers, the Indians, the Mariners, all in contention as of 1 September 2007. The Yankees were the only ones to make it this far, and that's with the injuries to Wang, Posada, Matsui, Joba et al, and Hughes and Kennedy combining for 0 wins. Never mind the regression of Canò and Cabrera and the un-clutchness of Alex Rodriguez.

The Yankees have won six straight and right now actually look like a good baseball team. It's too late, of course, but it's easier to go into the winter on a positive.

More coming later, in the form of video.