Yanks get CC, AJ, and Tex. Are they the favorites for the World Series title now? Or just another contender in the really hard AL East?

Is Chien Ming Wang an ace?

There are debates on both sides:
Favor:
1. 46 wins since 2006 are tied for the third-most in the American League and eighth-most in the Majors.
2. .754 combined winning percentage over the last three seasons (2006-08) is the second-highest in the Majors.
3. He recorded back-to-back seasons with 19 wins in 2006 and 2007 and probably in 2008 if he hadn’t gotten hurt.
4. In his 85th career start, Wang became the third-fastest Major League pitcher in the last 50 years to reach 50 career wins behind Dwight Gooden (82nd start) and Ron Guidry (82nd start).
5. In his starts, he norally goes deep into games (7+ innings per start).

Against:
1. He’s not a strike out pitcher, he’s a contact/ground ball pitcher.
2. His arsenal has only one plus pitch (sinker).
3. If his sinker is not on that day, he gets hammered.

So what is an ace by definition? Is it defined by wins or strikeouts? Can you be a high strikeout pitcher but still not be a winning pitcher? Can you be a non-SO pitcher and still be a ace? By extension, if Wang goes his entire career, winning 18, 19, or 20+ games a season but averaging only 3 or 4 strikeouts a game, does that mean he was not an ace? What’s your take?

Anyway, I’d just rest those that are injured next week. Play the rest. I’m also one of those advocates who believes that if there’s too much of a break it causes more harm than good. As everyone says, it’s the good teams that make it to the playoffs but it’s the hottest team that walks away with the trophy. And by taking a break, they lose that rhythm that took them all season to build up. So IMO, keep them playing their game and rest the ones that are banged up.

stupid jets… grrrrr… foul kool-aid. foul foul stuff.