MLB Playoff Capsules: A-Rod and Howard add luster to starry World Series

NEW YORK — Ryan Howard thought about the World Series and his eyes widened.

"Between Yankee Stadium and Philly, it’s going to be, I would have to say, probably one of the rowdiest World Series — just between the fans," he said.

Sure will be if Howard and Alex Rodriguez start teeing off in their high-profile slugger showdown.

For the first time in 20 years, the World Series will feature a pair of former major league home run champions when it opens, weather permitting, on Wednesday night.

No player in the major leagues has been scrutinized more than A-Rod, a postseason star following a scandalous spring training that include a steroid admission and hip surgery.

And Howard has carried the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies every bit as much as Rodriguez has propelled the Yankees to their first Series appearance since 2003 — and the first of his career.

"Ryan, along with his power, he’s also become a great hitter," Rodriguez said Tuesday. "And that’s bad news for the National League and bad news for us."

The 34-year-old Rodriguez already has succeeded Reggie Jackson as the favorite Yankees target of wannabe amateur psychologists, who try to analyze past playoff flops and his relationships with Madonna last year and Kate Hudson this season. Now he wants to follow Mr. October as a champion.

A three-time AL MVP, he entered the first round against Minnesota hitting .136 (8 for 59) in the postseason dating to 2004 and was hitless in 18 consecutive playoff at-bats with runners in scoring position.

What a change.

He led the Yankees with a .438 average, five homers and 12 RBIs in the victories over the Twins and Los Angeles Angels, hitting tying home runs in the seventh, ninth and 11th innings.

"I think everyone is looking for a profound answer, and I don’t have one," he said, sitting behind a table in Yankee Stadium’s Great Hall as baseball adopted an NFL-style approach to Series publicity for the first time.

"I think at the end of the day, I’m content. I’m happy, both on and off the field," Rodriguez said. "I think I’ve cut out a lot of the fat, or unnecessary distractions."

The 29-year-old Howard also needed a winding, if less notorious, path to postseason success. He had only one RBI in reach of his first two playoff series while hitting .217 (5 for 23), then batted .300 with two RBIs against the Los Angeles Dodgers in last year’s NL championship series. He then hit three homers and drove in six runs in leading the Phillies over the Tampa Bay Rays for Philadelphia’s second-ever title.

And this year, he’s batted .355 with 14 RBIs in the playoffs against the Rockies and Dodgers.

"I think that our approaches this postseason, as opposed to be previous postseasons, are a lot better," Howard said. "I think both of us are a lot more patient, both of us are a lot more relaxed, it looks like. You know, I’m going out there just having fun. It looks like that’s what he’s doing, as well."

Both teams worked out Tuesday in the mist of $1.5 billion new Yankee Stadium, where two freshly painted logos were in foul territory in honor of the ballpark’s first World Series. Still standing across the street, covered in black mesh as if a ghost, is its 86-year-old predecessor, awaiting demolition after hosting a record 100 Series games.

CC Sabathia, 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA in his first postseason with the Yankees, starts for New York against former Cleveland teammate Cliff Lee, 2-0 with an 0.74 ERA for the Phillies. It’s a rematch of the April 16 ballpark opener, won by the Indians 10-2.

This will be only the second Series with two former season home runs leaders since 1975’s faceoff between Cincinnati’s Johnny Bench and Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski, according to STATS LLC. The other was in 1989’s Earthquake Series, when Oakland’s Bash Brothers of Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire swept San Francisco and Kevin Mitchell.

Rodriguez had a remarkable season, especially after missing the first month following March 9 surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right hip. He homered on his first and last swings of the regular season, reaching 30 homers and 100 RBIs for the 12th consecutive year by hitting a three-run homer and a grand slam in a single inning at Tampa Bay.

He said two close friends — he didn’t identify them — took him to breakfast at spring training after he admitted using steroids from 2001-3, and they told him he had to change. He called it "tough love."

Since then, he’s eliminated many of the advisers and outside experts who made him more of a business than a ballplayer. He said he also stopped obsessing on putting up big statistics and beating himself up when he didn’t. His only goal was the Yankees’ 27th title, their first since 2000.

"For me it was obvious in spring training I hit rock bottom," he said. "You can only hit your head against the wall so many times, you know, before you figure out there’s another way to get to the other side of the wall."

Rodriguez said sitting at the table reminded him of his spring training news conference, when he took heart that his teammates and Yankees staff sat near him "when a lot of people were running the other way."

Howard has managed to maintain himself as a player throughout, not a commodity. He’s paid attention to Rodriguez — for the baseball, not the business.

"I’ve watched A-Rod and just tried to study guys like A-Rod, study like Manny, Albert," he said, a reference to Manny Ramirez and Albert Pujols. "You don’t want to be known as just a slugger. You want to be known as a good hitter or a great hitter."

And this Series features two of them.

Old friends Lee and Sabathia set to square off

NEW YORK — The first time they met was seven years ago. Cliff Lee was a September call-up with a cocksure attitude, and his new teammate was immediately impressed.

"He was the Cliff that he is now. He went out and pounded both sides of the plate, attacking, real aggressive in the strike zone," CC Sabathia said Tuesday. "He goes right after you."

Lee lost his major league debut that day for Cleveland, despite pitching well against Minnesota. The two pitchers soon struck up a friendship, however, and it’s still going strong.

Now, the left-handed aces are set to square off in the World Series opener Wednesday night. Both traded by the Indians within the past two years, Lee will start for the Philadelphia Phillies against Sabathia and the New York Yankees.

"It’s going to be a lot of fun," Sabathia said.

Teammates only 16 months ago, Lee and Sabathia have more in common than their Cleveland history and potent left arms. Their families are friendly, and they still text each other often.

"I think we made each other better," Lee said. "We helped each other out as far as how we thought we should approach certain teams and just what’s the best frame of mind to have on the mound and stuff."

Sabathia won the 2007 AL Cy Young Award with the Indians, then Lee took home the trophy last year. They’ve both been dominant throughout this postseason, leading their new teams onto baseball’s biggest stage. And they’ve already faced each other in a similar setting.

Lee pitched the Indians to a 10-2 victory on April 16 in the first game at the new Yankee Stadium. Sabathia started for New York but did not get a decision.

"I guess it was a chaotic atmosphere," Lee said.

Even though the Yankees lost, Sabathia has fond memories.

"That was pretty cool. It’s just weird because a couple years ago we were talking about maybe pitching in a World Series together. Now we’re in different clubhouses," Sabathia said. "We’re close. You know, we always have been. We came up together."

And after that game, Lee had dinner at Sabathia’s house.

"My wife cooked, and he came over and hung out. That’s just how we are," Sabathia said. "We never talk about baseball. ... Just two regular guys talking about whatever."

New York’s home opener certainly drew plenty of attention, but it won’t compare to Wednesday night.

"This matchup couldn’t have been better," said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, the skipper in Cleveland for Sabathia’s first 1½ years in the majors from 2001-02. "This is a big, premier game. I’m looking forward to it."

Both clubs are thrilled to open the Series with a well-rested No. 1 starter on the mound.

Sabathia, traded from Cleveland to Milwaukee last season, signed a $161 million, seven-year contract with the Yankees as a free agent last winter. He’s been worth every penny.

The 6-foot-7, 290-pound workhorse won 19 games during the regular season, then raised his game in the playoffs. He went 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA and 20 strikeouts in three starts, earning MVP honors in the AL championship series.

"CC has been an enormous, enormous pickup for us. I mean, he’s doing exactly what we brought him here to do," Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez said. "CC’s an amazing human being. He’s fit into our clubhouse extremely well and I think he has the perfect makeup and personality for New York."

The defending champion Phillies have had some success against Sabathia, though. He is 1-2 with a 5.55 ERA in four career starts against them, including a playoff loss with the Brewers last year.

Pitching on three days’ rest for the fourth straight start, Sabathia lasted only 3 2-3 innings in that one. He allowed five runs, four walks and six hits, including a grand slam by Shane Victorino.

Lee, a fast worker with pinpoint control, has been just as effective as Sabathia this October. Acquired from Cleveland in a July trade, he is 2-0 with a 0.74 ERA in his first postseason. He has thrown 24 1-3 innings in three starts.

"When he’s on the mound, he wants to be perfect," Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins said.

Of course, while the Lee-Sabathia matchup figures to intrigue most fans, it will probably be painful to watch for those in Cleveland.

With both star pitchers approaching big paydays, the cost-conscious Indians dealt them away for packages of prospects.

"They can’t be feeling too good about it," Lee said with a smile. "I’m going to do everything I can to take advantage of this opportunity."

-- Mike Fitzpatrick

Martinez to start World Series Game 2 for Phillies

NEW YORK — Pedro Martinez has a long history of memorable starts against the New York Yankees. He’s pitched against them during the regular season and playoffs, poked fun at their history and called them his daddy.

Thursday night, well, that’s going to be a whole other level.

Martinez is slated to start for the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 2, adding even more spice to this star-studded World Series.

"I think this is going to be a real big moment for him," manager Charlie Manuel said Tuesday.

Martinez, who turned 38 on Sunday, last pitched in the Bronx on June 24, 2005, when he threw eight sharp innings for the Mets in a 6-4 victory at the old Yankee Stadium across the street.

The World Series start marks the latest surprise for the right-hander, who spent the first half of the year home in the Dominican Republic. He signed a one-year deal with the Phillies during the All-Star break for a prorated share of $2 million plus incentives, and went 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA in nine starts down the stretch.

"For me, the reality is the reality," he said. "It’s something I didn’t imagine although I had the hope in picking the team that had a chance to win. Up to now, thanks to God, I’m looking very intelligent before baseball."

Cliff Lee, Martinez and Cole Hamels are scheduled to get the ball in the first three games for the defending champs. Hamels, last year’s World Series MVP, also was a candidate to start the second game.

"I wanted to split my lefties up," Manuel said, "and also I felt like Pedro was the ideal guy to go in between them because of what type of pitcher he is, and his command, how he can change speeds, and the fact that he’s been here before."

CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte will start the first three games for New York. Manager Joe Girardi would not reveal his pitching plans beyond that.

Sabathia could start Game 4 on three days’ rest or the Yankees could go with Chad Gaudin, who pitched to Eric Hinske and Jerry Hairston Jr. in a simulated game Tuesday.

Martinez is 12-13 with a 3.41 ERA in 38 career games against the Yankees, counting the postseason. He hasn’t faced New York in the playoffs since he pitched a shaky inning in Boston’s 10-3 victory in Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS.

"Pedro is one of the best pitchers to ever play this game," Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said. "Whether he’s throwing 97, 98 or not, he knows how to pitch. It’s always a challenge when we face him."

Martinez became an integral part of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry during his seven seasons with Boston. In the 2003 AL championship series, he tossed aside Don Zimmer when the then-72-year-old bench coach charged the mound during a bench-clearing incident.

In 2004, a frustrated Martinez said this after another loss to New York: "I just tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy." Since then, he has been serenaded with chants of "Who’s your daddy?" when he returns to the Bronx.

The Phillies made one change to their roster ahead of the Series, adding reliever Brett Myers and dropping infielder Miguel Cairo. Myers made one appearance against Colorado in the division series, walking two batters in two-thirds of an inning. Cairo was 0 for 5 in the postseason.

Girardi held off on revealing New York’s roster on Tuesday. He might replace pinch runner Freddy Guzman with Hinske, who was active in the first round and would give him an extra bat on the bench. Reliever Brian Bruney also was in consideration.

-- Jay Cohen

Jersey is a state of divided baseball loyalties

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. — When the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees meet in the World Series on Wednesday, New Jersey will be a state of divided loyalties.

Somewhere around Exit 7A of the New Jersey Turnpike, the concrete ribbon connecting the New York suburbs of north Jersey to the outskirts of Philadelphia in south Jersey, is the line of demarcation separating Phillies and Yankees fans.

At the turnpike’s Richard Stockton rest area, about halfway between New York and Philadelphia, fans are bleeding Phillies Red or Yankees blue in a baseball version of the Crips and Bloods, as tractor-trailers laden with chemicals and scrap metal roar by.

"Y’all goin’ down!" Douglass Thomas of Roselle warned the Phillies and their fans, whose money he is looking forward to taking if the Yanks win the series in six games. "Our bullpen is better than Philly’s, and I can’t wait to face Pedro Martinez, because we have his number."

Such talk is laughable to the likes of Elaine Finn of Audubon, in New Jersey’s Philadelphia suburbs.

"The Phillies are the superior team, and you want to put the Yankees in their place," she said. "There’s nothing to like about that team. I’m looking forward to another parade down Broad Street to celebrate our second straight championship. It’s our turn for a dynasty now!"

The Yankees have won 26 world championships, the Phillies, two. The last time the two teams met in the Fall Classic, in 1950, New York swept the Phils in four games.

A Quinnipiac University poll in June found the Yankees rule New Jersey when it comes to fan loyalty, 44 percent to the Phillies’ 22 percent. The Mets (remember them?) took 21 percent.

Baseball’s version of the 38th Parallel or the Mason-Dixon Line corresponds roughly to the boundary between the Philadelphia and New York television markets. South Jersey gets the Philly TV stations and Phillies games; north Jersey receives the New York stations and Yankee games.

To get to Yankee Stadium or Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park, most fans will have to use the turnpike, the much-maligned roadway whose images of smokestacks, gasoline tanks and toll booths introduced each episode of "The Sopranos."

At the Dick’s Sporting Goods store in Moorestown, just off Exit 4 in south Jersey, there is such a sea of red that you almost expect Moses to come part it. Here, deep in Phillies country, you cannot buy any Yankees gear.

"It’s about bragging rights," said Al Nicolosi, 52, a financial planner in Marlton.

Ryan Tetro, a third-year student at Seton Hall Law School in Newark and a Yankees season ticket holder, picks the Bombers in six, on the strength of C.C. Sabathia and Andy Pettitte.

"If they pitch C.C. on three days’ rest, they won’t lose any game he pitches, and I trust Pettitte to win at least one," he said. "And I don’t think we’ll lose any games at home."

You want divided loyalties? Joe Finley is the co-owner of the minor-league Trenton Thunder (a Yankees Class AA affiliate) and the Lakewood Blue Claws (the Phillies’ Class A affiliate).

"I grew up a Phillies fan and I bled Phillies red, but it’s the perfect storm, being affiliated with both the Yanks and the Phillies," he said. "These are definitely the two best teams in baseball, two juggernauts coming right at one another."

The only prediction he will offer: "It’s going to be great theater for everyone."

Smack in the middle of no-man’s land is Gregg Berke, a lawyer and die-hard Phillies fan. The house he and his wife bought last year in Manalapan had one major flaw that would have been a deal breaker had it not been for his wife’s gentle reasoning.

"One of the smaller bedrooms where the previous owner’s 2-year-old lived was a shrine to the Yankees," said Berke, 37. "He had painted the walls Yankee blue. It had hand-painted jerseys with the numbers of all the great Yankee players, and around the top was the Yankee Stadium facade.

"I didn’t want to buy the house, but my wife was able to see the big picture more clearly than I was," he said. "We painted over it. Now the room is normal colors, green and gray. I guess you could argue that makes it an Eagles room."

World Series hasn’t been played in sun in 25 years

DETROIT — Bud Selig wants a throwback game in the World Series — one in daylight.

The sun hasn’t shone on baseball’s biggest stage since 1984, when Detroit beat the San Diego Padres in Game 5 at Tiger Stadium to win the World Series. There was a single day game three years later, but it was played indoors at Minnesota’s Metrodome.

Ever since, the game’s signature matchup has been played under the lights, with some flickers of twilight helping illuminate the first inning of West Coast games.

Baseball’s commissioner acknowledged he might not get the change he’s hoping for.

"I want a day game in the World Series," Selig said in a telephone interview this week with The Associated Press. "It’s been a favorite subject of mine over the years because I grew up watching the World Series during the afternoon in the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s.

"But our objective is the have as many viewers as possible."

The New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies will open the Series on Wednesday night at 7:57 p.m. EDT — about 30 minutes earlier than usual — and will end each game when most children, at least those living on the East Coast, are sleeping.

Rather than catering to kids, Major League Baseball and Fox are shooting for the highest ratings they can get to help sell the commercials that pay the bills.

"World Series games, for more than 20 years, have been played at a time when the greatest number of fans can watch from coast to coast," Fox Sports president Ed Goren said in a statement. "This year, we worked with MLB to move postseason start times 30 to 40 minutes earlier, and we would be very willing to consider televising World Series games played during the day if the fee to acquire those rights reflected the smaller audiences that day games would naturally produce."

When Goren’s comments were relayed, Selig wouldn’t close the door on lowering rights.

"I am sensitive to the issue because I love baseball games during the day," he said. "I’m willing to continue to discuss it with Fox.

"We’re starting earlier this year — 7:57 — and that’s quite early if you’re not in the East. The fact is, though, the networks have a lot of commitments on the weekends with football and day games ratings are never as good as they are at night when more people can watch TV."

Both parties got more incentive to keep the games at night when the Yankees played the Los Angeles Angels in the AL championship series. The five prime-time games had an average rating of 6.9 while the one day game drew a 4.8 — a 44 percent decrease — according to Fox.

The last Series, though, seemed to give MLB and Fox a reason to pause and evaluate how late to make the first pitch this year.

Philadelphia and Tampa Bay — with scheduled starts from 8:29 to 8:35 p.m. and 3-plus hours games — drew a Series record-low 8.4 rating that was 17 percent less than the 10.1 average Detroit and St. Louis had three years ago.

Game 1 this year will have the earliest first pitch since Game 6 between Florida and Yankees in 2003, which began at the same time, and the earliest first start for a regularly scheduled weekday matchup since 1971, when Baltimore and Pittsburgh played Game 5 during the day.

Coincidentally, the 1971 Series also featured the first night game.

"Charlie Finley made the suggestion to play the games at night," famed broadcaster Ernie Harwell told the AP last month. "Then, TV took over and decided when the games would be played — at night."

Sparky Anderson, who led the Tigers to the title in 1984, said it’s a shame the Series is played so late.

"It’s all about money," Anderson said. "Period."

Alan Trammell, the World Series MVP that season 25 years ago, fondly recalls watching baseball’s best in the late 1960s during the day as a kid.

"I started getting the gleam in my eye; the dream started," Trammell said. "I was fortunate that my teachers were sports fans. They used to bring a TV in the back of the room and I used to be the one who could go back and get updates on the games to give the class a report.

"Day baseball is a thing of the past. I wish they would bring it back."

-- Larry Lage

Guest Commentary: Surprise! Hall of Famer Schmidt picks Phils to win

OK, I’ll give it a shot. Add me to the long, ridiculous number of so-called experts making World Series predictions. One word of warning before you read this: It’s unlikely, but I could be wrong. Oh yes, I might also be a bit biased, but what can I say?

First, here are a couple guarantees you can take to the bank. Reggie, Kate Hudson and Rudy (not the Notre Dame player) will get on TV every game. There will be more close-ups of A-Rod and Jeter than all other players combined. The umpiring will improve, because it can’t get worse. Quick question, umps: If any part of the ball touches that gray square we see on TV, is it a strike? Yeah, sure, we’ll be watching.

The Yankees and Phillies are the best teams in baseball. Unlike the BCS, baseball has a way of getting the two best together in October and November. The Yankees may have had a better, more consistent regular season, but Philly has clearly shown in the postseason it knows where the switch is located. Pitching and defense, offense and baserunning, and karma are the elements that deserve a look.

I know most about offense, so let’s start there. The lineups are similar, they both have patient hitters with power and experience, but Philly has more sock. Against right-handed pitching, the Phillies are better one through four; against lefties, the edge goes to the Yankees, so that’s a push.

The lower half of the order gives the Phillies a decided advantage, especially with the DH in New York. Add Ben Francisco and Greg Dobbs in behind Raul Ibanez with Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz to follow — with all due respect to Jorge Posada, Hideki Matsui, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher and Melky Cabrera, who haven’t shown much this postseason — edge, Phillies.

Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth are the offensive keys to the Series. If Rollins and Victorino get off early, everything changes for Philly. Chase Utley gives you the professional at-bat every time and now the fun starts. Choose your poison — Ryan Howard, Werth or Ibanez?

I didn’t forget the Yankees. Jeter will get his hits, Johnny Damon a few here and there, no question Mark Teixeira can produce, A-Rod is not pressing and scares everyone. But there is no speed, no excitement, no havoc, the Yankees must hit to win. The Phillies can win dink-and-dunk as well as home run derby, and both parks fit the latter.

This is a perfect segue to baserunning. I can see it now, Yankee pitchers will throw to first once for every two times to the plate. These games will last 5 hours. I’ve cleared my TiVo. The Phillies score on singles, take third on singles, get infield singles and turn singles into doubles. This is patient speed, experienced speed and intimidating speed. Mark my word, speed will influence the outcome of a couple games. In the close games it is a big advantage.

Speed affects defense as well. The Phillies’ outfield is the best. They run down balls and throw well at all three positions. The infield defenses are comparable. No question the Yankees are good, with a decided advantage to Teixeira at first. However, and this is gospel, Feliz and Rollins may be the best left-side tandem in history. Maybe the same can be said about Teixeira and Cano on the right side? Two interesting characters are Jeter and Utley. Both have a nose for the ball, as they say. Both are only about winning ... any way, any how. Both will surface at key times in every game, both are impervious to pressure.

Behind the plate the Yankees have concern about stopping the Phillies’ running attack, for sure. Posada is not the guy. He’s closing in on a Hall of Fame career, but the green light will be lit from the get-go. Posada has serious postseason and career experience, compared to Ruiz, who only has last year’s run in October. I just feel, right now, Ruiz is better defensively. Not offensively, of course, but the two are too close to call.

Pitching is where I could be — and hope I am — wrong. There are four phases to pitching: starters, middle relief, closer and team defense. I’ve got to give an edge to the Yankee starters because Cole Hamels is struggling to find his old self. Joe Blanton and Pedro Martinez are not necessarily lights-out and J.A. Happ, the NL Rookie of the Year, might be a key cog in the ‘pen.

In Game 1, the edge goes to CC Sabathia against Cliff Lee at home, Game 2 goes to A.J. Burnett at home against the Phils’ No. 2, and it’s experienced Andy Pettitte in Game 3. Edge Yankees on paper, but they play on grass.

Remember, this is only the first five innings. Unfortunately, the Yankees are also slightly better in the middle. Joba Chamberlain/Chad Durbin, Phil Coke/Happ, Phil Hughes/Ryan Madson, et al. The edge is ever so slight on paper, but guess what? They play on grass. You gotta love Brad Lidge, 48 straight saves last year, money this postseason, but Mariano Riviera is who he is. He will not beat himself. The Phillies must overcome him at least twice and they can, with patience, speed and hard-nosed, late-game at-bats. Lidge, well, every game is not going to be a blowout, so he must close successfully in each opportunity. Even with the Phillies’ great defense behind the pitching, this edge goes to the Yankees. I hope I’m wrong.

This series is so even, it’s hard to pick. The team with more home games technically has the advantage. Maybe the NL should start winning some All-Star games, Charlie. The Phillies are the underdogs, they will relish that role. They tied the Angels for the best road record in baseball, they love their gray uniforms. They have skipper Chuck Manuel, who exudes good karma. Karma makes a difference. It’s a feeling in the air that is absorbed by everyone. It’s a refuse-to-lose attitude. It comes from playing loose, with a smile and wanting the at-bat with the game on the line. Every player in their lineup has a big postseason hit, which says a lot.

Don’t forget, one of these teams has the trophy and is the defending champion. I’m going with them, the underdog World Series champs to repeat.

-- Mike Schmidt

Rollins picks Phils in 5 games, Yankees scoff

NEW YORK — Jimmy Rollins has done pretty well making predictions. His latest is sure to rile up New York Yankees fans.

"Of course we’re going to win," he said on "The Jay Leno Show" on Monday night, two days before Game 1 of the World Series. "If we’re nice we’ll let it go six (games), but I’m thinking five. Close it out at home."

The Yankees were not moved by Rollins’ boast, dismissing the Philadelphia shortstop’s comment Tuesday.

"He’s been Nostradamus, that’s what I heard," Yankees catcher Jorge Posada said. "He’s been (making) a lot of good predictions, so we’ve got to take that away from him."

Earlier this season, Rollins forecast the Yankees and Phillies would meet in the Fall Classic this year.

"He predicted we’d play them in the World Series about seven years ago, too," Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said. "You make enough predictions, I guess you’d be right most of the time, right?"

Most of the time. Try all of the time, so far.

Rollins got into the soothsaying business before the 2007 season when he exclaimed the Phillies, not the Mets, were the team to beat in the NL East. He backed it up with an MVP season as Philadelphia surged into first as New York collapsed.

And last year, Rollins said the Phillies would win 100 games. They got 92 of them in the regular season and 11 more in the playoffs en route to the World Series title.

Rollins’ teammates are used to his swagger, and are not bothered by the bulletin board fodder.

"That’s just Jimmy," Phillies slugger Ryan Howard said. "He loves that spotlight. He loves putting that type of — I guess I don’t want to say pressure — but just putting that kind of attention on himself and on our team. Obviously, with those comments, you know here in Yankee Stadium, you know they’re going to be all over him. And you know what? He wants that. He relishes that moment."

Then why didn’t he go further a call for a sweep?

"I think it would be very tough to take four. You figure one game they’re going to find a way to win," Rollins said during Tuesday’s media session. "That’s the way it is."

Teammate Chase Utley has his own plans for Rollins if he’s right again.

"I think if this one sticks I think I’ll take him to Vegas with me," Utley said.

-- Howie Rumberg

World Series ticket prices falling in New York

PHILADELPHIA — A rainy forecast is causing online ticket prices to drop for the opening game of the World Series in New York.

The New York Yankees are scheduled to host the Philadelphia Phillies in Wednesday night’s opener.

There seems to be more demand — and higher prices — for the weekend games in Philadelphia.

Wednesday night prices for resale tickets have dropped from about $330 to $270 for the cheapest seats, according to ticket broker Don Vaccaro, chief executive of TicketNetwork. He expects prices to drop to about $200 by game time, given the uncertain forecast.

Separately, Yankees fans seem more inclined to sell their tickets than Phils fans this year, perhaps to recoup the high price of season tickets at the Yankees’ new $1.5 billion stadium.

"They’re two huge markets close together. There should be a big rivalry there," Vaccaro said. "The Philadelphia ticket is holding up, the New York ticket is not."

Ethan Blum, 27, a New York City resident from suburban Philadelphia, hopes to match a deal his family found last year that put six of them in seats behind the visitors’ dugout at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park for about $3,500.

Blum, who works for an investment firm, has posted an online ad offering a maximum $4,000 for six tickets to Game 4 on Sunday in Philadelphia.

He thinks it’s worth the price to get the family together for a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity — even if the Phillies are back again this year.

"If that’s going to be money that’s going to be a mortgage payment or a kid’s college fund, no, but was that experience worth it at the time? Yes," said Blum, who grew up along Philadelphia’s affluent Main Line.

Yankees fans in his midst in New York are supremely confident, he said.

"They think they’re going to walk all over us," Blum said. "They’re very confident, but so are we."

University of Pennsylvania graduate student Kevin Smith, 28, hopes to recoup $500 each for two standing-room only tickets. He picked them up online for about $100 before the Phillies clinched the league title.

Fortunately, he has a second pair he plans to use to attend Sunday’s game.

Tickets to that game were going Tuesday for $400 to well over $1,000 each on StubHub.com, an online ticket exchange site.

-- Maryclaire Dale

Clean version of ‘Empire State of Mind’ for Series

NEW YORK — Whoa, baseball fans!

Check out the lyrics of "Empire State of Mind," the hit song Jay-Z and fellow New Yorker Alicia Keys plan to perform at Thursday night’s World Series Game 2 at Yankee Stadium.

Don’t freak. Major League Baseball says you’ll hear a more wholesome rendition.

"There’s a clean version that goes out on radio, and that’s what they’ll use. It doesn’t have bad words," Marla Miller, MLB’s senior vice president of special events, said Tuesday.

It’s common for players to pick music with rough lyrics for their introductions before at-bats and pitching appearances, however, altered versions are used that drop offensive language.

Fox, televising the World Series, didn’t expect any issues with the opening song.

"I’m told that a broadcast-appropriate version will be performed," spokesman Lou D’Ermilio said.

AP-KN Poll: Fans says it’s Yankees over Phillies

NEW YORK — Baseball fans say it’s the Yankees year.

An Associated Press-Knowledge Networks poll released Tuesday shows that fans think New York will beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series and that Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez will be the Series MVP.

Asked to pick the winner of the Series, 64 percent of fans chose New York, with 36 percent predicting the Phillies would win their second title in a row.

The majority of fans also said they would prefer either having a designated hitter in both the American League and National League parks or no DH at all as opposed to the current system, under which there is a DH in AL stadiums but not in NL parks.

How much would fans pay to see a World Series game? Fifty-eight percent say they wouldn’t go above $100.

They also may be content to learn who wins the next morning. Only 53 percent of fans said they would stay up late to watch World Series games.

Chance of showers for Game 1

NEW YORK — There could be more soggy weather in the Bronx for Game 1 of the World Series.

John Murray, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, says there’s a 30 percent chance of showers for Wednesday night’s opener between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees. The gametime temperature is expected to be about 47 degrees.

Game 6 of the AL championship series was pushed back a day to Sunday after rain soaked Yankee Stadium on Saturday night. New York beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-2 to advance.

Murray said Tuesday the forecast for Game 2 Thursday night calls for mostly clear skies and a low of 48.

Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday night in Philadelphia.

Philly, NYC mayors make community service wager

PHILADELPHIA — The mayors of Philadelphia and New York have made a community service bet on the World Series.

Each mayor will host a public arts project regardless of who wins. But if the Philadelphia Phillies repeat as champions, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will come to Philadelphia to help paint a mural at a recreation center.

And he’ll have to wear a Phillies jersey while he does it.

If the Yankees win, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter will travel to New York to help paint the interior of a school. And yes, he’ll have to wear the Bronx Bombers’ pinstripes. Bloomberg says he’s already picked out a Derek Jeter jersey for Nutter.

The mayor of the losing city will also buy lunch for the winning mayor and his fellow volunteers.

N.Y., Pa. senators wager cheesesteaks, cheesecakes

NEW YORK — Will it be cheesesteaks or cheesecakes?

The U.S. senators representing Pennsylvania and New York are betting local delicacies in a friendly wager over the World Series.

If the Yankees win, Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand will get a supply of Philadelphia cheesesteaks.

If the Philadelphia Phillies win, Sens. Arlen Specter and Robert Casey will get some cheesecakes from Junior’s.

There are higher stakes to another food bet. If the Yankees lose, New York City’s Hunts Point Terminal Market will donate a truckload of local produce to a Philadelphia food bank. If the Phillies lose, the Philadelphia Regional Produce Market will send food to a New York City food bank.

The first game of the World Series is set for Wednesday night in New York.

Michelle Obama to attend Game 1 of World Series

WASHINGTON — First lady Michelle Obama will attend Game 1 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night.

Mrs. Obama’s office announced Tuesday that she will be joined at Yankee Stadium by the vice president’s wife, Jill Biden.

Major League Baseball is dedicating Game 1 to veterans and their families. Both Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Biden spend time visiting with military families and talking about the sacrifices they make for the country.

Earlier Wednesday, Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Biden are scheduled to join New York Yankees players when they visit patients at a veterans’ medical center in the Bronx.