Greetings all, Jay from "On The Sportslines" here. It's a little after midnight and I'm basking in the glow of the Yankees 40th pennant. I've said it before on this blog. I've had a feeling all year. Other fans got anxious when the team was treading water in April. Not me. Other fans got nervous when the Yankees lost their first 8 games against the Redsox. Not me. I have taken my shots at the team on the show when things have gone wrong, but I never lost the faith.

People wondered how would the new additions handle the pressure of playing in this city. Not me. CC, AJ, Tex, Swish did what they were brought here to do. AJ and Swish were solid, Tex's glove was golden (his bat eventually showed up) and all CC did was win the ALCS MVP.

People wondered if A-Rod would actually show up in the post-season this year. Not me. I've taken Alex to task for his playoff failures in the past (and I'm still not a big fan), but this year, I had a feeling. This year, Alex seems to have finally understood what Mr. DiMaggio meant when he said "I'd like to thank the good Lord for making me a Yankee". The home run on his very first swing upon his return in May only reinforced that.

I took Joe Girardi to task for his choices regarding the bullpen on the latest edition of the show, but I never lost the faith. In the end, all he really needed was for two of the "Core Four" to reach back and pull out performances from playoffs past. Andy was Andy, a guy who knows what to do when you're the starter in a series clincher. As for Mo? There aren't enough superlatives in Mr. Roget's Thesaurus to describe the greatest closer in baseball history. All he did was get a 6-out save. And thus Andy, Mo, Jorge and Derek have another chance to get one for the thumb.

The Phillies are a very worthy opponent. Defending World Series Champions with an offense to rival the Bronx Bombers and solid pitching to boot. Are they afraid of the mystique and aura that surround the Yankees? Doubtful. Will they give the Yankees a hell of a fight? Absolutely. Will it matter? Absolutely not.

This Yankee team has won games with dominating pitching, sparkling defense, displays of prodigious home run power and by manufacturing runs via small ball. Whatever style of play is required to win is the style they play.

The last time the team that led MLB in home runs won the World Series was the 1984 Detroit Tigers. The Yankees led MLB with 244 home runs this year. 25 years is long enough, time for that streak to end.

It's been 6 years since the Yankees last played on baseball's biggest stage and 9 years since they last had a parade down the Canyon of Heroes. It's time. Like I said at the top, I've had a feeling all season.

There's a reason Girardi was the uniform number he does. Those of you who follow me on Facebook are familiar with the math I'll use to close this post.

7 wins in the books, 4 more to go. 11=27. World Series here we come.