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Sports Illustrated's Subway Series Breakdown
Starters: The Yankees' rotation is cartoon-shaped -- heavy on top, thin at the bottom. Orlando Hernandez hasn't lost in nine career postseason starts; Andy Pettitte is 8-4 and thrives on big-game pressure. After that, Joe Torre crosses his fingers and hopes Roger Clemens shows up and Denny Neagle skates through six innings. The Mets, on the other hand, are deep. Mike Hampton and Al Leiter are both aces, and Rick Reed and Bobby Jones can usually be counted on for six or seven solid innings.	Advantage:
Bullpen: Quality arms abound in both pens -- the Mets just have more of them. John Franco, 40, has been rejuvenated; he and Armando Benitez give the Mets a frightening setup-closer combo. Nearly every Yankees hitter can handle the fastball, however, which makes Benitez's penchant for allowing postseason homers equally scary. Lefties Dennis Cook and Glendon Rusch will be key. Switch-hitters Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada have much less power from the right side, and they'll bat amid a string of lefties (David Justice, Tino Martinez and Paul O'Neill). If the Yankees get a lead, they play an eight-inning (or less) game: Closer Mariano Rivera is all but untouchable in the postseason. The Mets start only two lefthanded hitters, so righty Jeff Nelson had better be ready to work. Since Joe Torre trusts no one else in the pen, he'll wave in Nelson earlier than he should.	Advantage:
Catcher: If Mike Piazza's hitting, the Mets are winning. He enters the Series swinging well, which means there's not much for pitchers to do but pray he doesn't get his arms extended. Will Roger Clemens buzz him again? The Rocket had better work him up and in, because Piazza will destroy anything low in the zone. Defensively, Jorge Posada will make Piazza look worse than we already know he is. The Mets will have trouble running on Posada, and their lefty-heavy staff could be what he needs to break a postseason slump; he hit 49 points better against lefties than righties this year.	Advantage:
First Base: The Yankees' Tino Martinez is superior defensively to Todd Zeile. Martinez is also hot at the plate, though facing lefties Mike Hampton and Al Leiter up to four times in the Series -- plus three lefties in the Mets' pen -- limits him as a power threat. After the NLCS, Zeile, a Texas Ranger the last two years, referred to "unfinished business" with the Yankees. Their pitchers should proceed with caution: Zeile, with enough power to reach Yankee Stadium's shallow porch in right, has hit .370 in his career against Roger Clemens, Orlando Hernandez, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera.	Advantage:
Second Base: Joe Torre says Chuck Knoblauch, who hasn't played defense since Sept. 29, will start at Shea. Better that Torre stick with Luis Sojo, who started every game of the ALCS at second. Exposing Chuck's fragile psyche to the full-throated Flushing crowd is a recipe for disaster. Edgardo Alfonzo is by far the Mets' best clutch hitter. It's nearly impossible to get him off balance at the plate, so he can hurt one-pitch pitchers (hello, Mariano Rivera) even if that one pitch is a dominating one. If the game comes down to a late-inning Alfonzo at bat, the Mets win.	Advantage:
Third Base: If you're bunting in this Series, better try the first base side. The Yankees' Scott Brosius and the Mets' Robin Ventura are Gold Glovers who excel at charging slow rollers. Ventura awoke in the NLCS, refusing to chase pitches when righties worked around him to get to Todd Zeile. With a rejuvenated swing, he'll have a big series. Brosius's bat, on the other hand, looked slow in the ALCS.	Advantage:
Shortstop: The opposite ends of the shortstop spectrum meet. Derek Jeter -- for whom October at bats are seemingly a birthright -- is the archetype of the modern shortstop. Watching him, Mets fans will salivate even more at the thought of signing Alex Rodriguez. Mike Bordick, 35, recalls a long-ago age (five years back) when shortstop was a defensive position. The Yanks will worry more about the hits he takes away than the ones he gets, especially if they get him to chase pitches up in the zone.	Advantage:
Leftfield: The Shea madhouse won't intimidate David Justice -- he's played more postseason games than anyone in history (88), usually as the opposing crowd's target of choice. Mets bullpen, beware: Justice has a knack for late-inning hits in big games, has killed lefthanded pitching this year and handles anyone's fastball if it doesn't tie him up inside. With apologies to Mr. Met, Benny Agbayani should be his team's mascot -- and not just because of his rounded physique. He's the picture of resilience and has a flair for the dramatic. If Andy Pettitte and Orlando Hernandez pitch away from Agbayani they'll be fine; if Roger Clemens tries to blow a fastball by him, he can jack it.	Advantage:
Centerfield: A speedy Rookie of the Year candidate, Jay Payton covers ground in center and is a threat to steal a base. If he presses, however, he'll overswing and become an easy out. Bernie Williams personifies this Yankees dynasty -- cool, smooth, unflappable -- and he's as graceful as they come in center. He's also a career .151 hitter in the World Series. A team that has scuffled for offense can't afford another Fall Classic swoon from him.	Advantage:
Rightfield: Aging and injured, Paul O'Neill is playing with all the range and enthusiasm of the Chrysler Building; Joe Torre won't hesitate to hit for him against tough lefthanders like John Franco and Dennis Cook. Timo Perez, on the other hand, has become the Mets' spark plug. He can take the extra base on a ball hit to O'Neill or Bernie Williams. He'll also rattle Yankees pitchers; Jeff Nelson, for example, isn't as effective when using the slide step, so Perez's speed could result in hittable pitches for the big guns behind him.	Advantage:
Designated Hitter: Not having to worry about defense has made Chuck Knoblauch a better hitter. He hit .338 and had a .473 on-base percentage as a DH, significantly better marks than he had when playing the field, and he has hit .281 as a full-time DH in the postseason. The Mets will probably play Darryl Hamilton, who adds speed, in left and DH Benny Agbayani. Another possibility if the Yankees start a lefthander: Mike Piazza as the DH, with Todd Pratt's power bat behind the plate.	Advantage:
Bench: Joe Torre has been reluctant to dip into his bench, but with pitchers batting at Shea, someone will have to produce. Glenallen Hill is Torre's best power source and the most dangerous righthanded bat off the bench, but Hill doesn't look ready to hit in tight postseason spots: He struck out looking in both of his LCS pinch-hit appearances. Darryl Hamilton, Lenny Harris and Todd Pratt give the Mets three productive bats; Joe McEwing provides speed and defensive versatility.	Advantage:
Manager: The Yankees' maddeningly calm and cool aura emanates from Joe Torre -- three championship rings in four years make him the best postseason manager of his generation. If anyone can guide a team through the circus of a Subway Series, he can. Creating tranquillity has never been Bobby Valentine's forte, but he did a spectacular job this season. The Mets reflect his personality: determined, resilient, rambunctious. He won't allow his players to be awed by the Yankees' mystique.	Advantage:
Prediction: Al Leiter said on Monday that the Mets are clicking on all cylinders for the first time this season. He's right. This isn't the same team that lost four of six to the Yankees in interleague play. The Mets have the best pitching staff, top to bottom, of any of the eight teams that made the playoffs. The Yankees made it this far with a fits-and-starts offense and essentially a three-man bullpen, but they haven't faced a team as well-rounded as their neighbors. The Bombers will also finally play a Series in a road environment at least as hostile as Yankee Stadium. There'll be champagne in the Bronx, but it'll be sprayed in the third base clubhouse.	Mets in 6

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