What a series that was!

The Yankees, the media favorite, got it handed to them by the little, not-supposed to win Cleveland Indians who have about a third of the Yankee payroll.

There were also many story lines throughout the series – especially for a series that was pretty one-sided in favor of the Indians.

A lot of things to talk to about here and not one of them will involve anything associated with Canadian Soldiers.

The Indians Inspired Play

The Indians dominated this series. They set the tone in games one and two proving to the Yankees that the Tribe could beat them anyway they wanted.

The offense put up 12 runs in game one and then Fausto Carmona pitched a nine-inning, two-hit gem in game two en route to a 2-1 victory in 11 innings.

The two-out hitting for the Indians was just off the charts. They batted nearly .500 (12-26) with runners in scoring position and two outs. They outscored the Yankees 15-2 with two outs.

Eric Wedge

This guy deserves a lot of the credit for the Indians’ winning ways. He kept the team on an even keel no matter if the team was winning or losing this season.

Wedge’s managerial skills were on display in this series from the start. Kenny Lofton gets three hits in game one and Wedge puts him right back in there even against the lefty Andy Pettitte. What does Lofton do? He scores the game winning run in the 11th inning.

Game four was just an example of Wedge sticking to his guns. He starts Paul Byrd even though some were calling for C.C. Sabathia to go on three day’s rest. Byrd responds with five innings and only gives up two runs in the process.

Wedge even stuck with his much-maligned closer, Joe Borowski, and JoBo got the job done in typical Borowski fashion – by making every Indians fan sweat it out until the very end.

Wedge should garner some A.L. Manager of the Year votes for what he has done with this team this year.

Joe Torre

There are a lot of icons on the Yankees that are very easily hated – Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, George Steinbrenner and the “Evil Empire” mantra. But manager Joe Torre is not one of them.

You almost feel sorry Torre has to manage under Steinbrenner, who can be one of the most irrational, knee-jerk reactors in all of sports. It was reported Torre may lose his job for not winning the World Series this season.

Winning four titles in 12 seasons and making the playoffs every year is apparently just not good enough for Steinbrenner.

LeBron’s Yankee Hat

I think this is the stupidest storyline that came out the division series. I really do not care if LeBron wore a Yankee hat to an Indians game. He has no affiliation to the Indians or Browns whatsoever – granted him being a Yankee fan kind of fractured a portion of his fan base.

If he wins for the Cavs, I could care less if LeBron comes to Indians or Browns games wearing high heels, a mini-skirt and makeup.

ALCS

Well now that the division series is over, the Indians will look ahead to play the Boston Red Sox starting on Friday night. With a 1-2 punch as nasty as Sabathia and Carmona, anything is possible with this team.