As a survivor of the Great Fold of 2004, I’ll freely admit that I went into tonight’s Yankees-Angels game with one thought.
Don’t do this to me again.
The good news:
They didn’t. The New York Yankees defeated the Anaheim Los Angeles California Angels four games to two in the 2009 American League Championship Series, thereby advancing to the World’s Serious (as the inimitable Ring Lardner called it) versus the Philadelphia Phillies.
The bad news:
The Yankees are never going to beat the Phils playing the way they did in the ALCS.
Their flaws included – but were not limited to – boneheaded managing, boneheaded pitch selection by their hurlers, boneheaded pitch selection by their hitters, and boneheaded base running.
But by far their biggest flaw: They failed to heed the timeless admonition of the inimitable James Malone before a gunfight in The Untouchables:
And put your man down. Because he’ll do the same to you. Shoot to kill. …
The Yankees never convincingly put the Angels down. They let the Halos hang around far too long, and at times the Bombers looked like they were playing scared.
Toughen up, guys. The World’s Serious is serious.
Campaign Outsider 
O ye of little faith. The “LOBs” was distressing, but the Yanks eliminated the Angels’ running game, outshone them in the field, and played smarter baseball overall. Phils are as good as the NL gets (because they hit like an AL team), but their bullpen is weak and their largely AL cast-off starting rotation very hittable. Lee is good, but CC is better (odd that the World Series is a stage for star Cleveland Indians southpaws). Pedro adds drama, but the Yanks always find a way to beat him in playoff games–Charlie Manuel sounds like Jimmy Williams, so maybe he won’t take Pedro out of the game when he should either. Blanton and Hamels in his current state are no match for the Yanks lineup. Matsui will awaken and Tex will remember that the Yanks didn’t just get him for defense. As I predicted with the Angels–Yanks in 6.