Yankees fans looked on in horror as the team with one of baseball’s best records once again choked when it mattered most.

If you read my MLB playoff previews, you know that I had a feeling that the Tigers were the kind of team that would eliminate New York.

The Tigers didn’t even get great performances from Justin Verlander in the series yet still managed to get past the Yankees.

New York’s starting pitching was shaky at best and third baseman Alex Rodriguez once again came up small in postseason play.

The illegal games took place with a number of Hollywood celebrities including Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Toby McGuire.

Apparently, Rodriguez has been involved in this type of activity several times before and been warned by the commissioner’s office to stop participating.

Bud Selig is tired of warning Rodriguez and being ignored, so he may lay down the hammer to prove a point.

Rodriguez is set to return from the disabled list in a couple of weeks, at which time Selig may hand down a suspension.

However, the Rockies have made it clear that it’s going to take an unbelievable deal to pry him out of Denver.

The New York Yankees are the team that seems most interested in Jimenez at the moment, but they have balked at Colorado’s demands.

With the Rockies fading out of the playoff picture and Jimenez pitching inconsistently, they seem willing to part with him for the right pieces.

I’m sure their demands will drop a little bit as the trade deadline nears, but it doesn’t look like the Rockies will still get what they want.

Rodriguez has opted to undergo surgery rather than play through the injury after getting a second opinion.

The third baseman is having a solid but unspectacular season and his body has been wearing down the past couple of years.

He also had problems with his hip earlier in the season, but it seems that issue has gone away.

The Yankees are neck and neck with the Boston Red Sox in the AL East, so they will have to try and keep things close until A-Rod returns.

Jeter went 0-4 in his return against the Cleveland Indians as he continues his quest toward 3,000 hits.

The shortstop was once again voted in as the starter for the All-Star game and he does plan on playing in the mid-summer classic.

Jeter has really struggled this year, even more so than in the past, and there is a lot of concern around his future with the team.

Some have even gone so far as to suggest that he will be moved to the outfield and that the team may try to sign Albert Pujols, which would shift Alex Rodriguez back over to shortstop.

Jeter strained his calf while he tried to be out a groundball, and he immediately headed to the clubhouse after the play.

The injury comes at a bad time for Jeter, who is now just six more hits away from the 3,000 milestone.

The club is set to head on a roadtrip, which fueled speculation that Jeter is faking the injury so that he can record his 3,000 hit in front of the home fans.

That rumor has been laughed off by a number of people who know Jeter well, saying that he is way too competitive to ever step away from the field unless he is seriously injured.

Posada told manager Joe Girardi that he wasn’t going to play because he needed to clear his head, which certainly would cause controversy by itself.

However, Posada said after the game that he had back stiffness, which was the reason he asked out of the lineup. Now there is confusion over exactly why Posada decided not to play last night, and there could be ramifications if he simply refused to play.

Some believe Posada was embarassed about being dropped to last in the order and refused to play, in which case he could face a fine or lose money from his contract.

Posada lost the starting catching job to Russell Martin, but hasn’t been effective at all in the designated hitter role, either. Some believe Posada may even opt to retire, though there has been no indication that he has any plans to do so.

The 18 matchups between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox did not decide the American League East in 2010.

The two ancient arch-rivals split the season series 9-9. Neither team will raise the AL East title banner above their home ballpark come April.

That will happen in Tampa Bay, as the Rays captured the division title. In the other 144 games last season, the Yankees fared better. New York won the AL Wild Card and finished 95-67, one game behind the Rays.

The Red Sox? No postseason trip, as Boston finished 89-73 and ended up in third place in the East.

One of American pro sports’ greatest rivalries renews acquaintances at Fenway Park on April 8, with a three-game series between the two teams. It will be the Red Sox’ first home series of the season. The first meeting at Yankee Stadium will begin May 13.

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New York hasn’t received any positive feedback from the Twins so far, but some say Minnesota could be talked into trading him.

The Yankees are desperate for starting pitching after they struck out on trying to land Cliff Lee in the offseason.

Things only got worse when Andy Pettitte opted for retirement, though they have hope he might return at midseason.

A.J. Burnett is another year older, an injury risk and maddeningly inconsistent, and the back end of the rotation is a bunch of question marks.

Sabathia would be looking for an even bigger payday and make it a much stronger free agent class.

The pitcher has had a lot of success with the Yankees, though has not been nearly as dominating as he was in the National League.

This is somewhat of a change in tune from Sabathia, who has said in the past he loves New York and has no interest in becoming a free agent.

It remains unclear what type of market there would be for Sabathia, who is in the prime of his career but has battled weight issues.