All Things Bubba

The Yankees have announced their Game 1 Lineup.

1. Johnny Damon LF
2. Derek Jeter SS
3. Bobby Abreu RF
4. Alex Rodriguez 3B
5. Jorge Posada C
6. Hideki Matsui DH
7. Robinson Cano 2B
8. Melky Cabrera CF
9. Doug Mientkiewicz 1B

Interesting. I was half-expecting Torre to start Damon in CF and bench Melky, or start Giambi at 1B and bench Minky. I think he might still revert to that if the Yanks start to lose and Melky and/or Minky don't hit. But I can't complain too much about this lineup.

And here's the rest of it:

Reserves
Jason Giambi
Jose Molina
Wilson Betemit
Shelley Duncan
Bronson Sardinha

Pitchers (11)
Andy Pettitte
Chien-Ming Wang
Phil Hughes
Ross Ohlendorf
Jose Veras
Joba Chamberlain
Luis Vizcaino
Kyle Farnsworth
Mariano Rivera
Mike Mussina
Roger Clemens

No real surprises in the bench, but I wasn't sure if Ohlendorf would make the relief pitchers' list. Ian Kennedy has been shut down for the season (luckily for him, since he's supposed to get married this week), so I wasn't expecting to see him. I did half-expect Villone to make it. Many fans would have preferred Britton to Veras.

I might have taken a chance with Igawa. I know, I know. He's a crapshoot. But better a crapshoot than crap. He can also go long in case of starter implosion. I suppose that's not as important in the postseason, but still.