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NEW YORK -- As the Yankees were expanding their division lead in the American League East near September's midway point, Joe Girardi leaned back in his office chair to savor -- if only for a few minutes -- another victory.It created quite a contrast from Girardi's game face, teeth gnashing with a stat-filled binder close by, and someone commented that the manager actually looked like he was begin 2011 mock draft ning to relax."I'll feel good if and when we clinch the division," Girardi said that night. "That's when I'll feel good."Any break from those pressures and expectations will be short-lived, as now the spotlight magnifies once again with the Yankees taking their second crack at World Series championship No. 28. Here is a look at 10 major reasons the Yankees are back in the postseason once again.Mar 2011 mock draft iano still beating Father Time: Who's going to be the Yankees' closer after Mariano Rivera? It's something people have been asking for years, and as long as he keeps pitching like this, it's still an unnecessary discussion. No matter where he ranks on the all-time saves list, Rivera's official tally is just confirmation of what we all figured: He's the best to ever do the job. There have been blip 2011 mock draft s and cranky body parts, to be expected with a 41-year-old, but no team wants to face him. "When you play for a team like the New York Yankees, you're going to have opportunities," Rivera said. "And all I care [about] is trying to do my job and help the team as much I can."Fixing Curtis: Where would the Yankees be if Curtis Granderson hadn't entered that Texas batting cage last August, effectively 2011 mock draft morphing into one of the league's most dangerous power threats?The Yankees don't want to find out. Granderson vaulted into the discussion as an AL MVP Award candidate, playing high-caliber center-field defense and racking up homers and runs scored in big numbers while seeming to cure his struggles against left-handed pitchers."Now they don't know the best way to attack him," hitting coach Kevin L 2011 mock draft ong said. "That's a compliment to Curtis. He really got his swing to the point where it's compact, it's explosive."Meanwhile, another one of Long's prized pupils -- Robinson Cano -- continues to develop into one of the league's best all-around second basemen. While there was plenty of talk about Granderson's AL MVP Award candidacy, Cano is probably the lineup's most feared force at this point in t 2011 mock draft ime. Counting on Tex: When the Yankees got to camp this year, they could essentially pencil in 30 home runs and 100 RBIs from Mark Teixeira. That's a huge luxury, but there was no reason not to believe it. Teixeira logged at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs for an eighth consecutive season, joining Albert Pujols as the only players to do so in at least eight of their first nine years. "It's tough to h 2011 mock draft it for power as a switch-hitter, but I've been very blessed," Teixeira said. "I've been in some great lineups, had a bunch of people on in front of me and protection behind me. You don't get to 30 and 100 without having some great teammates, and I've had a nice little run here."Teixeira acknowledged that as he prepares for the season, the numbers indeed go through his mind. Those carrots helped hi 2011 mock draft m shrug off his slow starts."When people look at me, they look at me as a 30-and-100 guy. You can't get to 30 and 100 in April," Teixeira said. "That's the mentality you have to have. It's almost like running a marathon. You're not going to win a marathon in the first mile."Return of the Captain: Derek Jeter was hitting a sluggish .260 through 62 games when he went on the disabled list with a stra 2011 mock draft ined calf, putting his chase for 3,000 hits on hold.The time off turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Jeter had time to meet up with his first professional manager, as coach Gary Denbo had a hand in helping Jeter come back as a more explosive hitter. Suddenly, The Captain was restored. "Sometimes, you get an opportunity to work on things when you're not playing in a game," Jeter said. "It's di 2011 mock draft fficult when you're trying to make adjustments in the middle of a game."Jeter breathed sighs of relief after his epic 5-for-5 game on July 9, which included a home run for hit No. 3,000 off the Rays' David Price. But Jeter credits his weeks at a lonely training facility in Tampa, Fla., even more than that big day in the Bronx."After I was in Tampa and had a chance to work on some things, I'd proba 2011 mock draft bly put some stock in that," Jeter said. Big man delivers: People did double-takes at a more svelte CC Sabathia this spring, thanks to a diet that kicked Cap'n Crunch cereal to the curb. That physique slowly disappeared, as Sabathia feared it might, but the Yankees didn't seem to care.Why not? The fact that Sabathia could disregard a near-20-win season as a ho-hum achievement, an item to think abo 2011 mock draft ut when his career is over, says a lot. The big lefty has been a true ace, and in a rotation full of question marks, he was a sure thing."I'm more concerned with just trying to helping the team win," Sabathia said. "I don't think it's that big of a deal. [Twenty wins is] a cool thing to have and to think about when I'm done playing, but right now, I just want to keep going out and helping the team 2011 mock draft win."With an opt-out looming in Sabathia's contract, it is a virtual certainty the Yankees will try to re-sign the big lefty, who seems amenable to staying in New York. He can only help his cause by further proving his early struggles against the Red Sox were a fluke.Russell shows muscle: Russell Martin needed a change of scenery after fizzling out in Los Angeles, and the Yankees wanted someone w 2011 mock draft ho could provide a defensive upgrade over Jorge Posada.Both sides got more than they expected. Martin made the AL All-Star team, earning raves from the pitchers for his defense as well as helping out with an increase in his power numbers."I'm just more explosive, stronger, compared to the last couple of years," Martin said. "I just worked out harder. I feel for me personally, if I work out as hard 2011 mock draft as I can, it gives me confidence just knowing that I've done everything I could to get myself in good playing shape. I think it affects my game."Gardy's got glove: There were points in the season when Brett Gardner needed a little luck at the plate, but he never took it out in the field with him.Gardner effectively proved to be a second center fielder for the Yankees -- just one who happens to pl 2011 mock draft ay left field. Defensive prowess can be a difficult quality to put into numbers, but Gardner's Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) has consistently placed him among the league's top glove men. "I've always said that even if I'm not hitting, defense is something I can do every day," Gardner said. "It's something I take a lot of pride in."Gardner also vowed to take more swings and punish pitchers for fastbal 2011 mock draft ls when he is ahead in the count."Guys really focus on getting ahead on me, they focus on not putting me on base, on not giving me a free pass," Gardner said. "As a hitter, you've got to take advantage of that."Cashman's time machine: Yankees general manager Brian Cashman rolled the dice on a couple of low-risk gambles in Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia. Even he had no idea how great the returns c 2011 mock draft ould be.Colon and Garcia both bucked the odds and revived their careers, rolling the clock back and giving some much-needed stability. Both pitchers' innings have crept into dangerous territory, but no matter what happens, the Yankees have to consider their imports a victory.Cashman also made a couple of lucky and/or smart signings, depending on your perspective, in picking up former stars like co 2011 mock draft rner infielder Eric Chavez and outfielder Andruw Jones to create a deep bench. But the Yankees' most astute move might have been slotting rookie Ivan Nova into the rotation, where he exceeded expectations and could be Sabathia's wing man for the playoffs. D-Rob gets it done: When the All-Star teams were announced, the thing the Yankees howled about most was that David Robertson's name wasn't on t 2011 mock draft he roster. That was fixed when he was named an injury replacement, and Robertson was certainly deserving.The slight right-hander with the explosive fastball earned the nickname "Houdini" for his ability to escape tight jams -- some self-created, some not -- and gives the Yankees a trusted option for the sticky messes that inevitably pop up in October."He has that fastball that has late life," Mart 2011 mock draft in said. "It kind of reminds me of when I was in L.A. [Hong-Chih] Kuo had the same thing. It's almost an invisible fastball. Guys swing through it because of how it comes at you. It's explosive."Winning when they should: No, the Yankees didn't play particularly well against the Red Sox this year, a fact that caused plenty of hand-wringing about a potential meeting in the AL Championship Series. Fi 2011 mock draft gure that Boston hadn't won 11 of its first 14 against New York since 1973, the first year of George M. Steinbrenner's ownership, and Sabathia took until late August to actually beat them. So if those wins weren't trickling in against the Red Sox, they had to come from somewhere. The Yankees figured out how to beat the teams they're supposed to, belting the Orioles at a .722 clip (13-5) and notchi 2011 mock draft ng a double-digit win total against the Blue Jays. A 7-2 record against the Rangers wasn't revenge for last year's ALCS drubbing, but it sure helped their cause this season. Interleague Play was also a breeze as usual (13-5).Call 'em Bronx Burners, too: For all the talk about the Yankees' stacked lineup and a home ballpark that is conducive to power hitting, this team was able to put lots of press 2011 mock draft ure on the basepaths.Gardner was the main stolen-base threat, of course, but Granderson also wasn't shy about running when the opportunity presented itself. "As a basestealer, you're going to get thrown out," Girardi said. "That's the bottom line. There are times that everything is going to click -- the pitcher's going to be quick, the catcher makes the perfect throw, it's a perfect exchange and a 2011 mock draft perfect tag, and you're going to be out -- but that can't take away from your aggressiveness."Both Eduardo Nunez and Jeter also racked up double-digit steal totals, giving pitchers a little something extra to think about rather than just keeping the ball in the park. 2011 mock draft
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