There were some questions in early May, before Alex Rodriguez returned to the lineup. After that the Yankees proved they were destined to get back to the World Series. They were the best team in baseball from then on, and now four more wins await them this time, before they can be called the best against the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies

And just like the ALCS battle with the Angels, the Yankees know their destiny to get championship number 27 won’t be easy. They don’t know much about the Phillies with the exception of the three games they played against them in June when the Phils came to the Bronx and took two of three games.

And so the mission for Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and the Steinbrenner owned Yankees is almost complete. It was Cashman, last October, after seeing his team fail to make the postseason making a statement. “We are not satisfied and won’t be,” he said, “unless we are in the World Series.”

So they spent money again to make it correct. They had to with a spanking new billion dollar ballpark. And the hope is it will all culminate in the next week with another World Series trophy.  But these Phillies provide just as much power as the Yankees do, and play just as well at their ballpark as the Yankees do in the Bronx.

“Don’t know a thing about them, don’t know much about them,” said the captain Derek Jeter when asked about the Phillies in the new spacious Yankees clubhouse that got another dose of champagne Sunday evening. Jeter is a part of that core of four with Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and Andy Pettitte who now go to their seventh World Series.

For Rodriquez it is his first time going to the Big Dance. And all of the demons of previous postseasons are history. He could have been ALCS MVP that went to Sabathia, but what is more important is how Rodriquez shut the mouths of critics and finally became a Yankee the past few weeks.

He reached base five times in the ALCS finale, batted .429, hit three home runs, and drove in six against the Angels. After two of the core players embraced after the final out, Posada and the closer Rivera, it was no surprise that Rodriquez was the first Yankee on the field that got hugged by Jeter and the rest of his team.

“I felt really happy and really blessed and all I cared about this year was winning games,” said Rodriquez who had a tense spring training with a steroid controversy and then missing time until May with hip surgery.  But all along the goal was to get where he is now, a World Series with the Yankees.

And for the manager Joe Girardi every thing now has gone to plan. Like his predecessor, Joe Torre, management provided the players and opportunity to get the elusive 27^th championship. The moves made out of the bullpen that may have cost a game three win last week are now in the past.

His mission from the spring was to get where the Yankees are, beginning Wednesday evening in the Bronx. “We’ve had big players do big things,” he said. “That’s why we are going to the World Series.” Sabathia is one of those big players with two wins, one on three days rest against the Angels, Rodriguez the other, and of course Pettitte who got a baseball record 16^th career postseason win getting the clinching win against the Twins also in the ALDS.

Perhaps this will be the last time Pettitte and the core are together for this special moment in late October. Pettitte signed a one-year contract to get there again. Jeter, Posada and Rivera still have some time together.  But for now, the agenda for them and these Yankees are the Phillies, a team that picked up momentum in September and will provide a bigger test than the Angels.

“They outplayed us, that’s’ the bottom line,” said Angels manager Mike Scoscia. His team made errors, and the Yankees like the good team they are will capitalize on that. And the Angels only stole two bases in the six games, so the Yankees had a way of stopping their running game.

With Sabathia pitching Game 1 Wednesday evening, the Yankees quickly have an advantage.  “That’s’ what you play for,” said Rodriguez. “In order to win a World Series you have to get there first.”

Mission accomplished for now. Bring on the Phillies.

e-mail Rich Mancuso:  Ring786@aol.com

Wednesday evening at Yankee Stadium it was baseball again. Yankees manager Joe Girardi had little evidence of the brawl left that left him n with a black eye and cut. The end result of an ugly brawl was Bob Watson, the Major League Baseball Vice President of On-Field Operations handing out the expected suspensions.

Yankees Catcher Jorge Posada and Blue Jays pitcher Jesse Carlson have been suspended for three games. Shelley Duncan, the reserve gets a three-game suspension, Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long and pitcher Edwar Ramirez were handed undisclosed fines. All warranted of course because Posada, a family man with morals should have known better.

Posada took his own action, thought about putting an elbow at Carlson when he rounded the bases Tuesday evening before coming home. He will accept the repercussions, because at this of year, when the only significance left was Yankees home field advantage in the playoffs, there was no need for retaliation about a close pitch Carlson threw in the top of the eighth inning.

All was calm in the Yankees clubhouse before they took the field and won a 5-4 bottom of the ninth walk-off win over the Blue Jays, their 14^th such win of the season and Major League leading 48^th comeback win. “There were no warnings issued from the umpires before the game,” commented Girardi.  “They obviously thought it was over.”

And thankfully it is over and that the Yankees and Blue Jays don’t meet again until next June up in Toronto.  Now the Yankees embark on a late season west coast swing that takes them to Seattle, and then three with the Angels out in Los Angeles, a possible post season opponent.

“We have put it behind us,” said Yankees pitcher Mark Melancon who drilled Toronto’s Aaron Hill in the top of the inning Tuesday evening, a pitch that was not intentional.  Then Carlson in the bottom of the inning threw a pitch behind Posada that may have been retaliation.

But we should not be talking about brawls on the field this time of year. Instead it should be about pennant races. Both teams on the field, and this time it is 35 men with expanded rosters. Not even the best boxing judge could score this one, a reason why Watson handed out the appropriate suspensions and fines.

“I was there to be a good teammate,” said Ramirez who grabbed the chest protector of Toronto catcher Rod Barajas who was on the bottom of a pile of players at home plate looking to avoid injury.

So the Yankees will adjust without Posada the next few days. Girardi seems fine with using Jose Molina and Franciso Cervelli. “It’s nice to win a game and feel like you can put what happened behind us,” said the Yankees manager.  Cervelli put all of the fireworks of the night before to bed with the walk-off single win through the hole at short that scored the speedy Brett Gardner who got on base and stole second.

Some will say the Yankees are the bad guys.  Posada certainly left that impression with his actions in a game that was meaningless in the standings.  Oh, one more point of interest. The rival Boston Red Sox come to the Bronx next week.

And if Boston continues to win ballgames, like they are doing now, and if the Yankees hit a tailspin on this late season west coast swing, well there could be a late season pennant race but hopefully not another “base-brawl” at Yankee Stadium.

e-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com .

So there he was, Weis, with Yankees General Partner Hal Steinbrenner, Yankees President Randy Levine and Yankees Chief Operating Officer Lonn Trost, at the new stadium Monday afternoon, in the new conference room downstairs by the new Yankees clubhouse.  So was Army head football coach Rich Ellerson there, to announce what was inevitable.

College football returns to Yankee Stadium. It isn’t Fordham University football, a school with football tradition only 20 minutes from the new $1.5 billion dollar ballpark. The Army-Notre Dame rivalry, a historic game with tradition is back in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium.

And the game that used to pack them in at the old stadium will try and be just as good as it used to be in the Bronx.  “Good to see the game back at the stadium,” said longtime Yankees fan and Steinbrenner family friend Bill Stiners who was in the conference room and smiled when Weis reminisced a bit about the old days of Army-Notre Dame football games in the Bronx at the stadium.

This was a plan that has been in the works. Besides the Yankees, college football rivalries returning to the new stadium, possibly even some elite pro boxing bouts at the new ballpark. The NHL may have a plan to put a rink on the new field, as Trost said, discussions were going on with the NHL about Yankee Stadium hosting an NHL game in the future.

Trost has been in discussion with some of the elite boxing people. Bob Arum, his friend at Top Rank has some of the names that could pack them in at the new Yankee Stadium. On the same day, Arum announced that Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto will have the elite fight of the year in November, but not at Yankee Stadium, in Las Vegas.

“It’s something that could be happening here one day,” said Trost with a smile. Of course it will, because the old stadium that awaits the wrecking ball across the street at one time hosted 33 championship fights, the last one when Muhammad Ali got a decision over Ken Norton on September 28, 1976.

But this day was all about Notre Dame and Army, playing another football game in the Bronx.  The rivalry resumes for the 50^th time on November 20 2010 and later this week

-an announcement will be made as to more additional dates for Army in 2011, 2012 and 2014, one game against Rutgers.

Hal, who is now in control of the Yankees recalled the day his father George heard about the idea of their new ballpark hosting another Army-Notre Dame game. “He reminded me how great and rich this rivalry is,” said Hal who has the responsibility of getting this current Yankees team another championship.

Weis is also trying to get his Notre Dame program another college football championship. He may or may not be around to see it if his Fighting Irish, struggling the past few years, fail to revive some history n September as there are always rumors about his job security.

“I expect the locker room to be buzzing tomorrow,’ he said, as Weis was going to meet with his players Tuesday and tell them about their upcoming visit to the Bronx. And it was Weis who approached George Steinbrenner about the idea of Notre Dame playing Army at the new stadium.

Two years ago he met with Steinbrenner at Legends Field down In Tampa Florida at the Yankees spring training complex. “I looked at him and said, ‘Mr. Steinbrenner, you’ve got this new stadium going up. I mean you’re not going to have Notre Dame and Army scheduled for your first football game?’”

Weis said Steinbrenner laughed. But, we all know, when George laughed at a thought it meant something would happen. He always managed to laugh at the idea of getting the players he wanted that brought championships across the street in the old ballpark   The “Win one for the Gipper” term that came from the Knute Rockne halftime speech when the Irish defeated unbeaten Army 12-6 in 1928 was brought up by Hal.

His father played football at William and was an assistant at Northwestern and Purdue. They still have to work on the field dimensions for football in the new ballpark.  They will from the plan of goal posts at first base to the outfield area.  NBC Sports plans to televise this game, and the others, as they have contract obligations with Notre Dame.

This game in 2010 could be “Win one for George,” Said Weis afterwards, “It should be, it was his doing,” he said about George.

MORE YANKEES:  Yankee manager Joe GIrardi and Weis exchanged greetings. Earlier he met with his GM Brian Cashman for the usual update. There are no problems in Yankee land right now. The team is currently tied with Boston for the top spot in the AL East with Boston, though with a Steinbrenner around the ballpark there is always the question of job security,

“We have a championship caliber team,” said Hal who now does the talking for his father. “We have to see come the second week of August,” he said about the Yankees not winning a game against their rivals, 0-8, this season and the Yanks hosting Boston in the Bronx August 6-9.

And as Hal said, something that Girardi has been saying, “I think everybody is contributing….It’s all working,” he said.  The Yankees are playing under .500 against division rival teams, including Tampa Bay with a 15-17 mark. Last year at this time

They were struggling, nine games behind the Sox.

But that issue of job security around the Yankees and their manager is constant. The feeling is Girardi has to take this team to the playoffs and World Series to be successful. If not, his job is in jeopardy no matter where they stand now. “Joe knows where who he is working for,” said Hal who overall is content as to what is going on so far.

Beating the Red Sox and the Angels remains as to the only issue, as to how good are the Yankees. The past week, since the all-star break the Yankees have been getting their one or two home runs, and the pitching has been exceptional with a bullpen also that shuts the door in one run games.

Hal alluded to the Yankees taking series games, sweeping three games or taking two  of three, which is consistency, and the pitching has been a major part of it.  The guys believe they are better than anybody,” said Hal….

And as to his job security, said Girardi, “I knew that when I took the job. That will never change even for the next guy.” There is a difference in the clubhouse from last season. “A different dimension of guys in the clubhouse,” said Girardi. And perhaps a difference on the field as to why the Yankees are a better team defensively.

Mark Teixeira makes the plays at first that Jason Giambi could not.  Phil Hughes has been comfortable now in his new role as a set up man for Mariano Rivera, and for the moment will stay there rather than work him back in the rotation for the injured Chien-Ming Wang.

Hughes has a 0.89 ERA in 15 relief appearances and has not allowed a run in his last 13 outings since June 14^th, and the Yankees are 45-1 when leading after eight innings, a reflection on what Hughes and the pen are doing.  Also Alfredo Aceves,(6-1) the right hander out of the pen is not being considered as an option as that fifth starter in place of Wang.

Aceves is tied in the American League with the most wins as a reliever. “Hughes is an important bridge to Mariano right now and we are keeping him in the bullpen,” said Girardi.

e-mail Rich Mancuso:  Ring786@aol.com